I spent the night on a hard cot in a jail cell, staring up at the ceiling and wracking my brain. The muncies had confiscated my lock picks, so there was no getting out, and lying around here while those cultists were on the street was driving me nuts. I needed to be out there, tracking down Red Beard so I could squeeze him for details. He was the only one, aside from Salcombe, who knew where that piece of heart was.

Unfortunately, the muncies had been entirely unsympathetic to my cause. The captain of the guard laughed in my face when I told him about the dragon god and the cultists, and invoking Captain Marcas's name hadn't helped. "I've already contacted the upper city guard," he'd sneered through the bars at me. "I'm sure someone will be along to take you back to your cushy new life."

Lessie had been beside herself when she’d come to meet me for our nightly flight and found me missing. I’d been tempted to let her storm the walls of the jail just to see the look on the muncies’ faces, but I knew I was already in big trouble. If they really had sent word to the upper city that I was here, then the headmaster would soon find out that I wasn’t at Tavarian’s hidden estate anymore.

Eventually, I managed to doze off just as the early grey light of dawn poked its fingers through the tiny window in my cell. But it seemed like I’d just closed my eyes when I heard boots clopping down the hall, voices in conversation.

“Yes, yes, open the door,” a woman ordered impatiently. I opened my eyes at the familiar voice, then sat up abruptly at the sight of Major Falkieth standing outside.

“Major!” Heat stung my cheeks as I jumped to attention. “I—I didn’t think—”

“That I would come get you myself?” she barked. Her steely eyes raked over my disheveled appearance, disapproval in every line of her hard face. “The headmaster received a report that you were spotted flying over Dragon’s Table and sent me down here to fetch you. I refused to believe you would be hiding out here, given the severity of your circumstances, but I see now that the report was correct. I am very disappointed in you.”

Anger sparked in my chest, warring with my embarrassment. “I wasn’t ‘hiding out’ here. Lessie and I have been scouring the city, looking for Salcombe’s piece of the dragon god’s heart. I was following a group of Salcombe’s followers tonight, and I heard—”

“I don’t care what you were doing,” she interrupted. “Mr. Lyton told us that he and Miss Thomas”—that was Jallis and Rhia—"escorted you back to Tavarian’s home, and that is where you should have gone. Since you did not, you must return to the academy at once. How can you even think of shirking your duty now, when war is upon us?”

“What?” Chills raced down my spine. “We’re being called to the battlefront too?”

“Many of the older cadets will be called to fight, certainly,” Falkieth said. “You and your dragon are a bit young for combat, but the generals may find a use for you. With Zallabar threatening war every day, we must all be prepared for the coming conflict.”

I shook my head. “This is happening far too quickly.”

To my surprise, I caught a flicker of sympathy in Falkieth’s eyes. “Be that as it may, you must still answer the call.” She shoved up from her chair. “I’ll escort you back to your old home so you can pack your things. You have three hours to report back to the academy.”

“Thank you.” I wanted to beg for more time, so I could follow up on my lead, but the tone in Falkieth’s voice brooked no argument. “Any chance you could help me get my belongings back from the guards before I go?” I ventured.

Major Falkieth raised her eyebrows. “You mean these?” she asked, pulling out my lock picks and knives from her satchel.

“Yes!” I had to stop myself from snatching hem out of her hands.

“I’m not certain I approve of the lock picks,” she said dryly. “But take them and go, before I change my mind.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice.

Back at the shop, Carina and Kira descended upon me like hawks. “What happened to you?” Carina cried, taking in the blood on my pants.

“A close call from one of the cultists.” I waved a hand. “It’s not a big deal.” The muncies had applied some basic first aid, stitching and bandages. I’d have a scar, but no lasting damage. “I ended up finding them in the catacombs.”

There was a lull in customers, so we left Kira and Nate to watch the front of the shop while I went upstairs to pack and explain to Carina what had happened. By the time I was finished, she was pale as a ghost.

“War?” Carina asked. “Zara, they’re not really expecting you and Lessie to serve so soon, are they?”

“I’m a dragon rider,” I said. "All riders are automatically conscripted into the Elantian army for ten years. If the military decides that they need us, we'll have to go. Lessie is a female dragon,” I added at the stricken look on her face, “and still young, so it's doubtful that we'll be put on the front lines. I'm hoping we won't be called at all, but if we are, it'll probably be for some smaller task, like reconnaissance."

“Spying,” Carina exclaimed. “That’s even more dangerous!”

"As I said, that's only if we’re called. But either way, I have to go.”

Zipping up my bag, I stood, then slung it over my shoulder. Carina immediately threw her arms around me, wrapping me up in a bone-crushing hug. “You’d better tell me if they send you off somewhere,” she said fiercely. “And write me every chance you get.”

“I will,” I promised, returning the hug while I fought back tears. If I cried now, Carina would fall apart, and I needed her to stay strong. She had to keep things running while I was gone, if not for us, then for all the orphans we employed. The boys and girls who’d been given a chance at a better life, thanks to our good fortune and hard work.

Swallowing hard, I left.

As I rode up the elevators to Dragon’s Table, I reached out to Lessie. “Has anyone come looking for you?”

“Yes,” she said, sounding grumpy. “Major Falkieth showed up with her dragon to escort me back. I’m at the stables now.”

Alarmed, I reached through the bond to get a better sense of how she was feeling. “Is everything okay? Are you hurt?”

“Fine,” she said. “But they woke me up from a very nice nap, and Odorath was rather rude. He seems to think that just because he is older than me, he has the right to scold me as if he were my mother.”

I snorted. “Most cultures and societies teach you to respect and listen to your elders,” I pointed out.

“Elders,” she huffed. “I wonder whose dragon egg was laid first, mine or his?”

Shaking my head, I stepped off the elevator and hired a cab to take me the rest of the way to Dragon Rider Academy. The two-story brick estate with its manicured gardens was exactly the way I remembered it, and to my surprise, I felt a sense of homecoming as I approached.

The guards manning the entrance seemed to be expecting me and told me to report to the headmaster. I went up to the second floor, where the secretary promptly sat me down in one of the visitor’s chairs in the hallway outside the headmaster’s office to cool my heels. Still tired from having been up all night, I leaned my head back against the wall and started to doze off, ignoring the woman’s glare.

“Hey.” Jallis’s voice tugged me from my nap, his shoulder brushing mine as he sat in the chair next to me. “You okay?”

I opened my eyes, and he smiled. “It’s too early in the morning for you to be this cheerful,” I grumbled.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the clock. Nearly noon. “I’m guessing you didn’t get much sleep last night?”

“No.” I lowered my voice to a whisper, in case anyone was listening. “I was out looking for the heart.”

“Yeah, I figured that’s what you were doing when Kadryn told me you flew over Dragon’s Table last night,” Jallis said. “Did you and Lessie find anything? Why were you down in the catacombs?”

“We were running out of places to look,” I told him. I debated whether or not to tell him about the cultists, but decided against it. Really, what was Jallis going to be able to do? “But it doesn’t matter now. I’m back here.”

Jallis’s mouth softened in sympathy as he picked up on the note of misery in my voice. “The headmaster isn’t going to punish you or Lessie, Zara. He knows that Lord Tavarian is in Quoronis and you weren’t trying to desert. He didn’t even give Rhia or me demerits, even though we left without telling anyone, just a warning. I’m sure he’s just happy that you’re back safe after Salcombe kidnapped you. You’re still a cadet, Zara, which means that he and Tavarian are responsible for your safety.”

“Huh.” I didn’t really think about it, but if I were in their shoes, I would feel bad about letting me get kidnapped on their watch. “So, he knows Tavarian is in Quoronis?”

“Yes, although nobody has any idea if he’s made any progress with them.” Jallis’s lips twisted into a grimace. “I did tell the headmaster about the cannons, and he had me give a full report to the council, but I still don’t think they grasp the severity of the situation.”

“Lord Tavarian would,” I said with a sigh. “I wish he was back already. If Quoronis isn’t going to back down, then we need him more than ever so the council and the generals fully understand what we’re up against. The last thing we need to be doing is rushing into battle unprepared.”

“Speaking of rushing into battle,” Jallis said, “all the third-year cadets have been told to report to the forward camp near the Zallabarian border. Kadryn and I will be leaving tonight.”

“Tonight?” I twisted fully in my chair to face him. “But…but I just got back. I’ve barely had a chance to spend two minutes with you since you and Rhia rescued me from Salcombe’s ship.”

“I know.” He gave me a rueful smile and reached up to touch the side of my face. “That’s why I sought you out now. I wanted to catch up, and I wanted to say goodbye.”

The warmth of his hand sank into my skin, drawing me closer to him. Footsteps came down the hall toward us—probably another passing student—but if Jallis noticed, he didn’t care. He simply drew me to him and pressed his mouth against mine in a slow, tender kiss.

Tears sprang to my eyes as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. This wasn’t fair. None of it was. I wasn’t sure what, exactly, Jallis and I had together, but I liked him and wanted to explore it. How would I have the chance to do that if he ended up maimed or killed? And what about Kadryn? Jallis’s dragon wasn’t a youngling like Lessie, but he was still only a few years old. I couldn’t bear the thought of him, or Lessie, or any dragon being shredded by cannon fire.

But that was the reality of war. Regardless of whether or not we’d provoked or bullied Zallabar into attacking us, we still needed to protect our land and our people. We would do what we must. Even if that meant sending these precious, rare creatures out to fight our battles.

Jallis stroked a hand down my back as he kissed me, sensing my grief and anger. The firm, comforting touch alleviated some of the turmoil in my heart, and I leaned into the kiss. The warmth his touch kindled inside me quickly began to burn hotter, and the kiss grew fiercer. It would be so easy to take his hand and tug him down the hallway, find an empty closet, and see just what else he could do with those hands—

“Miss Kenrook—” the headmaster began as the door opened, and then he made a strangled sound. “Mr. Lyton! What is the meaning of this?”

We flew apart, my cheeks burning crimson. Jallis’s face was rather red, too, but he covered up his embarrassment with a disarming grin.

“Sorry, headmaster. Just saying goodbye to my girl before I get sent off to the trenches.” He leaned in and pressed another kiss to my lips, though this one was far more chaste. “Don’t worry,” he murmured against my mouth. “Everything is going to be fine.”

I clung to those words, wanting to believe they were true, as I followed the headmaster into his office. Even if, in my heart, I knew he was wrong.