Firebolt (The Dragonian Series)(25)
I was told this was why Constance had gone into medicine. She was the best of Paegeia's doctors, which made her the head of the Health Association and a Council member, but she devoted her time to the academy. Becoming a member of the Council was Becky’s biggest dream.
“Can I ask you something, Sammy?”
“Shoot.”
“How's it that you are a Fire-Tail, but your brother is the Rubicon?”
They both giggled, but I was used to that by now.
“Let me think.” She frowned while staring at the carpet as if the answer were written in the kinky fibers.
“Use cats, they have cats on the other side,” Becky said, looking for a way to explain it so that I would understand.
“Cats can work. You know when a litter of kittens is born, not one looks the same? It's the same with dragons. You never know what you might get until they're hatched.”
“I still can't believe that you were born out of an egg.”
She giggled. “Dragons only shift into humans when they're about five years old.”
“Why do you have two forms?” I asked, interested.
“Well to blend in, I guess, like your dad.”
“You know, most of the teachers here are dragons too,” Becky said, changing the topic of our conversation away from Dad.
“Really, who?”
“Sir Edward and Professor Gregory teamed up a couple of years ago. They're not part of a dent, but you would think they were if you saw the two of them together.”
“Who's the dragon?”
“Sir Edward. He and Master Longwei are both Fin-Tails. The only two left, I think.”
“Master Longwei is a dragon?”I hadn’t seen that one coming.
“C'mon, Elena, you can see that he is from a mile away. His eyes?”
I remembered the golden glint in them, but thought it was my imagination playing tricks.
“What's the time?” Sammy sulked after her stomach growled loudly.
“Time to go to dinner.”
Chapter Eight
The tables inside the cafeteria had big fluffy pillows lined up on either side instead of chairs. Each table had a square shaped sky lantern on top that was lit from the inside and glowed with a majestic light. Chinese balloon lanterns floated from the ceiling, illuminating the room. We went quickly through the buffet line at the back. Fresh fruit, milk, root beer, and other major soda brands, with chicken, fish, beef, and pork served with steamed vegetables and rice made my choice difficult. They even had a pudding section, which had a huge sign in front hanging from a golden chain that read CLOSED.
Becky pulled up her nose and made an unpleasant sound while she eyed the food.
I didn't care what we ate; I was starving.
“Good evening ladies,” Chef said. His beard had a red-brown shimmer underneath the bright lights that gleamed over the buffet line.
“You’ve out-done yourself tonight,” Sammy praised as she grabbed a plate and a tray. She poured orange juice into her glass.
“It’s Friday. I want junk food,” Becky whined, complaining like a two-year-old.
“Then answer my riddle, and you can choose whatever your little heart desires,” Chef countered.
“Fine, I'll see what the stupid riddle says.” Becky mumbled the last part.
It made me laugh remembering how much I hated riddles too. I would give up this meal, though,if it meant hearing one come from Dad’s lips again.
Sammy and I sat at the nearest table with our trays. Becky went over to look at the riddle that was posted on the board in the corner of the cafeteria.
She wrote it down on a napkin and walked back to our table.
“Anyone have it yet?” Sammy asked, curious.
She raised the corner of her upper lip and read the riddle out loud. “I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will, and yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?”
“Come again?” Sammy asked, clearly confused.
“That's my point, guess we're going to have cooked meals for the next two months,” she said, and chucked the napkin aside.
“Anybody got the riddle’s answer yet?”Lucian’s voice made me jump.
He apologized for the scare, giving me one of his super smiles, and plopped onto the empty pillow next to me.
“What are you still doing here?” Becky's mood changed in a flash.
“My dad had to leave this afternoon for the meeting in Areeth. He’ll swing by tomorrow to come and fetch me.”
“Meetings of the Royal Council,” Sammy whispered.
Becky recited the riddle to him and he frowned.
“C’mon Lucian, you are good at this crap.”
“Sorry Becky, the riddle sounds like French,” he said, and gave a sexy chuckle. A million goose pimples broke out across my skin. Weird. Guess the image of him being okay with beating Blake half to death, wasn't as much of a turn-off as I thought.