***
“So, the first thing we’re going to do is introduce you to everyone,” Blaine said as they reassembled outside the building. Out back there were a number of stone circles, many more than the recruits and their instructors would need.
Asher idly wondered why the Academy needed so many more, but his brain didn’t stay there for long. It kept wandering back to the woman waiting at his house, expecting that he would return that evening to help figure out what the hell she was going to do. He couldn’t abandon her, not after he had brought her into his home.
So what the hell was he going to do, sneak out of the building late at night, fly stealthily away, and then sneak back before morning?
Yes. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. At least for tonight, to explain things to her and to see her on her way.
The idea of Quinn leaving left a rather sour taste in his throat, and once again Asher was reminded of the way his dragon—and if he were honest, more than just one part of him—had reacted to her presence. There was something about that woman…
“I am Blaine, and I am the senior instructor here.”
Asher blinked rapidly and focused on what was being said. He still needed to pay attention to the matters at hand before he could get back to Quinn.
Purple-streaked brown hair flashed in front of his vision for a split second.
“This is Rhynne Nova,” Blaine said, gesturing to the red-haired woman to his left.
Asher focused on the other man who had stepped up to the green-eyed dragon shifter’s right. His eyes were brassy-colored, suggesting to Asher that he might, in fact, be a Brass Dragon, one of the more elusive of the dragon shifters, although not nearly as rare as the golds.
“And this is Zander Pierce. They are your other instructors. You will obey their every word. Is that understood?”
Asher nodded as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. Zander Pierce. It sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Filing it away, he knew it would come to him at some time when something completely unrelated was filtering through his mind.
“Now,” Blaine said, continuing along. “The three of you, Asher, Zeke, Dominick,” he said, nodding to the three of them in turn. “You were all invited here at the recommendation of a prior graduate of Top Scale.” His expression turned serious. “Don’t make them regret that.”
Asher swallowed hard as he looked over at Rhynne. She had seen something in him, enough to recommend him for admittance to Top Scale. After having seen her prowess as a dragon, he decided he would do whatever it took not to earn her ire.
“Today’s first exercise. You all shift like a bunch of children. It’s time we taught you how to fix that.”
He smiled. That sounded good to him. Ever since his dragon had manifested at the tender age of fourteen, Asher had had to fight with it to get it to manifest. To bring it forth to the point he could control its body. His parents had provided him with the rudimentary knowledge they possessed, but that hadn’t gotten him very far at all. The idea of shifters bonding with their animals and becoming fearsome predators immediately was pure fantasy nonsense, better suited for books and movies—of which the humans had made plenty.
In truth, most shifters learned the basics of their animals, and then went about their daily lives. They got jobs and settled down with a mate, much like humans did. For dragons, this meant that most of them could barely fly, and he suspected many of the older ones could not. They became giant land-bound wyrms of immense strength, but no grace or skill. There was simply no time to practice, and the secrets of their kind were hidden to keep it that way.
Too many dragons with the knowledge Asher was going to gain would pose trouble to the world as a whole. No one was prevented from learning if they happened to do so on their own. But the knowledge of how to fly like a predator, to use the full extent of their breath weapon, and shifting with grace and speed, was all kept to an exclusive list. A list he now had the chance to join.
Asher vowed he would not end up like the others. He wanted to be able to glide through the air with the ease with which Blaine and the others did. To fire off his Frostfire like Rhynne did her Dragonfire.
He shook himself mentally and returned to the present.
Rhynne was speaking now. “The first thing to know about shifting is that you don’t summon the dragon. You release it…”
A smile crept across Asher’s face. He was going to like it here.