Dragons and Destiny (Animage Academy Book 1) Page 2

  More people came to stand in line. I poured drink after drink, always keeping my eyes on the clock. I waited for my mom to come and relieve me so I could enjoy the party, but she never returned. It figured. Simon and Dad came by once. Simon just looked at me and shrugged as I glared at them while they got drinks. I considered dumping the water pitcher on his head. That would’ve definitely gotten me off drink duty. However, it probably would’ve gotten me sent to my room.

  Twilight turned to night. My father stepped into the middle of the room as the stars began to come out. He cleared his throat and tapped his glass for attention. When he spoke, his voice boomed to all corners of the room.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to begin the Revealing. All students in the ceremony, please follow the walkway off the patio down to the meadow. There are a few people stationed at the gate to direct you to your places.

  “Everyone else, we will follow to witness the next students joining the ranks of the esteemed Animage Academy.” There was a stirring as everyone my age began to file out the patio doors and down the lit pathway to the meadow. I took this as a sign to abandon my post. Simon was waiting for me at the door.

  “This is it,” he said.

  “This is it.” I took his hand and squeezed it as we left the house.

  Floating candles led us down the path through the orchard. Two warlocks stood at the gate of the meadow with clipboards and pens. Simon and I joined the line forming at the gate. My heart raced. My dress felt too tight. I let go of Simon’s hand for a moment to wipe my sweaty hands on my skirt.

  “Nervous?” he asked. I didn’t answer. The lump in my throat was too big. Too soon it was our turn to enter the meadow. The men checked off our names and a witch with a wand lit at the end led us to a spot just outside the center of the meadow. She positioned everyone so we formed rings of circles around the center. I turned my head to watch her line up more students behind Simon and I.

  The field was getting full. I had watched Revealings for as long as I could remember, but I never really thought about the implications. Animage magic was rare. 100 students would line up here tonight. Ten of us would have magic. What if I wasn’t one of the ten? I shook my head. This was my Revealing. My brother wasn’t the only one in the family who was strong and talented. This was my chance to prove it. I was an animage. I had to be.

  Needing a distraction, I changed my focus from the students to the rest of the crowd gathering at the fence. Simon did the same. Our father stood in the front with the rest of the Council. He saw us looking at him and waved. Since he was the dragon and the chancellor, the Council always attended the Revealing at our home. They all looked like they were enjoying themselves. Relaxed, even. Beads of sweat collected on my forehead. Their futures weren’t about to change forever.

  Someone clapped and the floating candles went dark. My heart jumped into my throat. This was it. As my eyes adjusted to the light of the full moon, I saw the seven animages who would cast the Revealing spell making their way to the center of the circle.

  Before my father had started giving Simon private lessons as the heir apparent, he had taught us both about the ways of the supernatural world. I clung to that knowledge and methodically recited the names of the animages and their part in the steps of the Revealing. My father, the dragon. Four animages from the academy. The headmistress and three professors. I noticed Charles Vickers was one of those professors. And last, two Upholders. As I watched them weave their way through the students, I forgot how to breathe.

  The spellcasters reached the middle of the field. A glimmer of excitement broke through my apprehension. This was my favorite part. Each spellcaster flashed with a white light and shifted. There were gasps from the crowd as they began. A smile stretched across my face as I watched.

  Headmistress Adiana’s white hair grew longer and waved around her in a blur. When it stopped, a white brilliant unicorn stood in her place, shining in the moonlight. It reared on its hind legs and neighed. A neighboring roar from the lion standing in Charles Vickers’ spot was so loud it shook the ground underneath my feet. I looked around the circle to see a German Shepherd, a brown bear, a golden eagle, and a chimpanzee.

  My father was the only one who hadn’t shifted yet. He waited until everyone else was in their animal form. Gray scales spread from his hands and arms and rippled and spread across his body. Down on all fours, his body grew, and his neck lengthened. When it was over, he had shifted into a creature humans thought only existed in fairy tales. The dragon standing before us turned its head to stare at the crowd with reptilian eyes. Dad leaned his head back and roared. Flames erupted from his mouth into the sky. The fire was so hot I let go of Simon’s hand and shielded my face.

  The students began to clap. I joined in. No matter how many times I watched my father shift, it would never get old. In moments like these it was easy to be proud I was the daughter of the dragon. Someone behind me let out a loud whoop that shook me out of my enchantment with the shifters and brought me back to reality. Everyone had shifted. The Revealing was going to start. My chest was heavy. When I tried to take a deep breath, the air hitched in my lungs. I couldn’t catch my breath. Something twisted inside me, making me feel wild and desperate. As I scanned the crowd, I caught sight of my mom. She met my eyes and smiled reassuringly. The weight on my chest lifted. The wildness left. I took a deep breath and faced forward again. I was ready for this.

  In the middle of the circle, Dad began chanting. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. The magic was beginning. It was like a hum moving through the air that you felt instead of heard. Pressure began to build. The animages in the circle lit up with magic one by one. When the circle of magic connected, the light shot to the middle and then up to the sky.

  The light hummed as everyone stood completely still. Goosebumps ran up and down my arms in the presence of so much magic. Not even the wind blew as we waited. Simon had taken my hand again. I hadn’t even noticed. We both squeezed as hard as we could. Would I feel something? I didn’t know. All I could do was stand and wait. How was I supposed to stand still when it felt like I was going to explode?

  The light went out in a rush that felt like the air was getting sucked out of the meadow. I didn’t realize I had been leaning in toward the circle until I almost pitched forward toward the ground. The humming stopped, leaving me feeling empty. It was over. The silence was stifling. The weight on my chest had returned. I couldn’t bring myself to look.

  Someone behind me clapped once. I jumped so hard my teeth clacked together. With the clap, the floating candles lit up again. The light caused a ripple of noise and excitement to rush through the crowd. The sounds crashed into my sensitive ears. It was like a jolt of electricity ran through me. I yanked my right hand out of Simon’s grip and flipped it over. There it was. The silver orb on the back of my hand shimmered in the weak light of the candles. The sign of an animage.

  “Yes!” I yelled. A wash of relief swept over me. I reached out and touched the mark. It didn’t feel any different from the rest of my hand. I turned and grabbed Simon up in a bear hug.

  “Stop,” he said. He pushed me away and turned his back on me. A cold dread doused the excitement that had flooded through me. Simon glanced at me over his shoulder and shoved his hands in his pockets. I grabbed his right arm and pulled his hand toward me. There was nothing there.

  Simon jerked his hand away and crumpled in the field with his head in his hands. The cold feeling of dread ran down my spine and spread through my body. I just stood next to Simon, too numb to move. This couldn’t be right. Something went wrong with the spell. Simon had to be an animage.

  “There has to be a mistake,” I whispered.

  “There are no mistakes,” he replied. I sat down next to him and put my head on his shoulder. I knew he was right.

  Chapter Two

  Mom found us there. She stopped when she saw us and didn’t say anything for a long moment.

  “Oh, no. Sophie?” I showed her th
e faintly glowing mark on the back of my hand. Realization slowly dawned on her face. Simon stood up and pushed by her, making his way back into the night with both hands stuck firmly in his pocket. I started to go after him, but Mom grabbed my arm.

  “Sophie, you have to go stand with the others. They have to get your name down. Dad will be along in a minute.” She patted me on the shoulder and brushed a piece of hair out of my eyes. “Congratulations, dear.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” I wanted to follow Simon, make sure he was okay. All the students with new marks were gathering at the other side of the field. I glanced over my shoulder, but Simon had disappeared in the dark.

  I gathered with the other students lined up in front of the same witch and warlock who checked us into the field. Normally I would have been surprised at the number of people lining up. So far it looked to be close to fifteen. But the one person I wanted wasn’t here, so it didn’t matter. Students were scattered across the meadow in various stages of elation and despair. I glanced down at the back of my hand again, suddenly seized with the irrational fear that my mark was gone. It was still there, shimmering the dim candlelight. I tried to summon up some sort of excitement. Many of the nearby students talked excitedly. I heard snatches of conversation. People were guessing about what the academy was like, what kind of shifter they would be, what kind of new magic they would have. The sound was an assault on my eardrums. Why wasn’t I excited? I wanted to be excited. Being an animage had always been my dream. Now I knew I was one. But every time I imagined this moment, Simon was here too.

  “Simon? Sophie? Where are my children?” My dad’s voice broke through the noise of the crowd. The bottom dropped out of my stomach. Dad didn’t know yet. I tried to scoot closer to the group of students next to me, even though I knew it wouldn’t work. Dad’s senses were way too sharp for me to fool him by blending into a crowd. He wasn’t going to enjoy getting this news from me.

  “Sophie! There you are. Come give your old man a hug.” The other students’ eyes were on me as Dad pulled me into him and hugged me fiercely. I hugged him back, thankful for the affection and dreading what was about to come next.

  “I always knew you had it in you, my girl,” Dad said, thumping me on the shoulder as he talked. I decided not to bring up the fact that for the past month he’d treated me to lectures about handling disappointment, being aware of the limits of our abilities, and coming up with a plan for my future since I couldn’t rely on Animage Academy.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I said instead. Dad started looking around at the students gathered around me. Uh-oh. This was it.

  “Where’s your brother? Didn’t leave you behind in his rush to get his name on the list, did he?” Dad laughed at his own joke. I really didn’t want to be the one to tell him.

  “I—uh—think he went back to the house with Mom.”

  “Just what I thought. He was so eager he got in line first and is already done.” The students were still watching us. My father was something of a celebrity amongst supernaturals and many of them had never been this close to him. I had learned to ignore this kind of attention growing up, but it was the last thing I wanted right then. I glared at a couple of students and they turned away.

  “Not exactly.” Maybe subtle was the way to go. Mom always managed to give Dad bad news without him exploding. Maybe I could channel some of that talent.

  “Well then, why is he at the house? Surely your mother didn’t pull him away before he got checked off the list?”

  “No. That’s not what happened.”

  “Well, I’ll just go get him then. He knows he needs to get in line.” Dad made to walk off, and I grabbed his arm.

  “He doesn’t need to get in line, Dad.”

  “Of course he does.” I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. ‘Come on, Dad, this is not that hard’ is what I wanted to say. I bit my tongue and tried to come up with something more diplomatic.

  “No, Dad. He’s with the other students who also don’t need to get in line.” Dad froze. His smile fled.

  “Sophie, what are you trying to say?” The students were still staring at us. My patience was gone.

  “Simon wasn’t revealed, Dad.” Dad turned his glare on me. His cat-like eyes were unnerving. It always made me feel like he was staring into my soul. The air surrounding him became hotter. I dropped my hand from his arm before I got burned.

  “Sophie, this is no time to joke.”

  “I’m not joking, Dad. Why would I joke about something like this?” My own skin grew warmer. I tried to remind myself I was trying to avoid a famed dragon blow-up, not instigate one.

  “You’re always joking about things. You never take responsibility seriously.” Alright, I was done.

  “I was trying to be nice, Dad. I’m not joking. Simon’s at the house because he’s not an Animage. I am. He’s not. Sorry to disappoint you.” Dad didn’t say anything. My nerves were singing. He hated when I got snappy with him.

  Without another word, Dad turned and marched off across the field. I crossed my arms over my chest and watched him go. My heart was pounding. My body was still geared up for an argument that didn’t happen. I turned and glared at the students still staring at me. Most of them were smart enough to act like they didn’t hear anything. Part of me was itching for someone to say something so I could have a reason to blow up and release this tension.

  “Sophie! Sophie!” Before I could turn around and see who was calling my name someone was hugging me from behind. I managed to crane my head to see that Gracie, the faerie from earlier, had ahold of me. The adrenaline left my body, and I smiled weakly at her.

  “Oh, hey.”

  “I’m so excited you’re an animage, too! This is going to be the best year ever. What if we’re roommates? I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it another month. No more of the faerie academy for me. I’ve had enough of elemental magic. I can’t wait to find out what other kinds of magic I’ll have. Are you excited too?”

  “I am.” Maybe if I said it enough times it would be true. “That would be cool if we were roommates.” A faerie who looked just like Gracie minus the wings came up behind her.

  “Oh Mom, this is my friend Sophie.” I shook hands with Gracie’s mom. Even though I’d just met her, I liked Gracie. Her cheerfulness was infectious. I couldn’t help but start to feel better while I listened to her talk. Since Simon wasn’t going to be there, at least I’d have one friend at the academy.

  Before Gracie could say anything else, she and her mom were next in line. All the parents had gathered with their kids. Except mine. Neither Mom nor Dad had come back to the meadow. Most of the people had ventured back to the house. I let the people behind me move ahead. Of course, my parents had forgotten me. Who cares that I’m an animage if Simon isn’t? I continued to let people go in front of me, eventually just moving to the back of the already short line. Finally, there was no one left to move behind.

  “Name?” the witch asked.

  “Sophie Pearson.”

  “Let me see your mark?” I held up my hand to show her. She inspected it for a minute before dropping my hand and glancing behind me.

  “We need a parent’s signature.”

  “I’ll go get one of them.”

  “You can’t leave the field until you’re officially signed up for the academy.”

  “Seriously? You know who I am, right? I mean, I live here. It’s not like I’m going to run away.” The witch shrugged. I huffed and turned my back. We waited and waited. The first signs of dawn started to show on the eastern horizon.

  “Look, they forgot. Clearly. Let me just run back to the house and get one of them. That or you and I are going to be standing here all night.” The witch shrugged again. She motioned to the warlock standing behind her and he walked off toward the house. I barely managed to contain a growl of frustration.

  Another ten minutes passed. The dew of the early morning chilled the air. I was still in my awful dress and now I was cold and damp. All I wanted
to do was go crawl in bed. Mom finally appeared through the orchard trees. She was jogging through the grass as fast as her high-heeled shoes would let her.

  “Sophie, dear, I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” I said. It wasn’t. Mom’s makeup was tear streaked. She signed the clipboard the witch held out to her. As soon as she let go of the pen, I took off toward the house. She had to catch up with me.

  “Sophie, dear, slow down.” I didn’t. She kept up with me anyway.

  “I’m tired, Mom. I want to get out of this ridiculous dress and go to bed.”

  “Your dress is not ridiculous. You looked very nice in it tonight.”

  “That’s really what you want to focus on right now after leaving me standing in the middle of a field by myself for hours?”

  “Sophie, it wasn’t that long. Your father and I are sorry. We forgot. I’m really sorry. This isn’t how your night should have gone.”

  “It’s fine, Mom. I’m used to it.” We made it to the house. She didn’t stop me as I cut through the kitchen and went straight up the stairs. I took my shoes off as soon as I got to the top and kicked them over to the side of the hall. Simon’s room was across the hall from mine. His door was shut but I could hear him breathing inside. I raised my hand to knock. My mark caught the light in the hallway and glimmered for a moment. I turned away and went into my room.

  The stillness of my room was a welcome reprieve from the chaos of the night. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the door, taking a moment to let the stillness settle into me. I imagined drawing into my skin, calming the roller coaster of emotions inside. When I was done, most of my emotions had fled. I wasn’t excited, or sad, or even angry. I was just exhausted. The dress made a fluffy pink pile on the floor as I slid it off and crawled into bed. The last thing I remembered before falling asleep was sticking my hand underneath a pillow so I couldn’t see my new mark.