The phoenix whisperer, p.1
The Phoenix Whisperer, page 1
The Phoenix Whisperer
Academy In Flames Book One
Scarlett Reid
Copyright © 2021 by Scarlett Reid
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Academy in Flames
Chapter 1
A twig snapped somewhere close by and Ana’s breath froze in her throat. She cocked her head, all of her senses straining as she waited for whatever came next.
Only silence followed. The woods outside town were quiet, the distant caw of a crow coming from the river between the train tracks and the first line of trees. Slowly, Ana let out her breath.
Her fingers tingled and she swept their tips along the handle of the knife in her belt. The snapping twig had probably been from an animal. A squirrel. A fox.
She needed to keep moving. She’d been hiding behind the fallen oak for too long, and she was an easy target. Higher ground was needed.
Bow in hand, she moved at a crouch across the moss-covered ground. There were plenty of trees around, but none with branches low enough to scale. West of here she could find one, but she had to move fast. The hair stood up on the back of her neck, and her heart raced.
She’d hunted more times than she could count, but she’d never been the prey.
There was another crunch -- this one much closer. Ana whirled around, but she was too late. The man was on her, pushing her to the ground and knocking the air from her lungs. The bow flew from her hands and her head bumped against a tree root.
She let out a cry, adrenaline taking over and causing her to kick her legs. She was panicking.
Her attacker had her wrists pinned into the damp leaves. Pushing one boot firmly into the ground, she wiggled her hips to the other side. Her attempt to scoot out from under the larger person worked. She found herself with one hand free. Curling her hands into a fist, she went to punch the man in the side of the head…
But paused.
“Got you,” she said.
From deep in her father’s black-and-gray beard, he frowned.
“Truly?” Ana stood and brushed leaves from the back of her pants. “You will not even congratulate me for that?”
Pressing a hand onto one of his knees, Mortimer de Navalles stood as well. “If you would have been paying better attention, I would not have been able to surprise you.”
Ana’s face burned hot. She opened her mouth to retaliate, realized she didn’t have an argument, then snapped it closed. Her father was right. She could have been paying better attention. If this training exercise had been real, she would have been.
She’d been a little distracted by the time, though, occasionally casting a glance at the sun. She didn’t want to be late to meet her friends. It could be the last evening they spent together in months.
And yet...this was more important. She’d been training and studying for years for the people she loved. In a little over a week, she would get her chance to change her life -- and perhaps their lives -- for the better.
“Let me try again.” Ana picked up her bow. She’d lost an arrow in the scuffle as well and had to look around a bit more for it.
“If you…” He coughed.
Ana waited, her breath hitched in her throat. The cough didn’t pass right away, though. It turned out to be one of the longer ones, with her father beating a fist against his chest and gasping for air.
After what felt like an eternity, he stopped coughing and rolled his shoulders back. “I’m fine.”
Ana bit her bottom lip. He wasn’t, but what would be the point of saying that? Half the people in Aershire were sick, most of them coughing just like her father. That was life.
“How about in the morning?” She shouldered her bow and counted the arrows in her quiver to make sure there weren’t any more missing. Then she felt for the knives at her waist and in her boot.
It didn’t hurt to check.
“Yes. Of course,” her father agreed.
Ana nodded, but there was a lump in her throat. She only had one more day to prepare before she left for Galfour’s Point. Her father had been homeschooling her since she was four, and suddenly those twelve years of education didn’t seem like enough.
She had this horrible feeling she would be handed the school’s exams and discover she fell terribly short.
Like was often the case, her father seemed to read her mind.
“You will do great.” He clapped her on the shoulder.
“I failed this exercise. You were right. I should have sensed you sneaking up on me.”
“And in a real situation, you would. In a real exam, you would. Tomorrow, after a good night’s rest, you will be sharper.”
Her mouth had gone dry. He wasn’t usually so easy on her. All her life, her father had been inclined to point out what she’d done wrong and how she could improve. Compliments did exist, but they were well won. Worked for.
Just a minute ago, he’d been chastising her. Was he trying a different approach in order to raise her confidence?
“Your mother would be proud of you.” Mortimer squeezed her shoulder.
Something tightened deep in Ana. “Thank you,” she whispered.
She didn’t want to talk about her mother. There was a time and place, and right then she had too much to worry about. She needed to get her head in the right spot in order to pass Galfour’s Point's entrance exams. Nothing else mattered, because everything else hinged on this.
They started for town, taking the path that wound along the river. Glass bottles and pieces of wood bobbed in the water. There was a green, oily sheen to it today unlike its usual black, tar-like coating.
All Ana knew was Aershire. Many days of her childhood, she’d dreamed of leaving it all behind. Now that she finally had the chance, she wasn’t so sure she wanted to.
Life wasn’t perfect. She knew it could be better. Perhaps even easier. Her father needed more doctor visits and his courier business was years in debt. They survived, but barely.
But it was what she knew, and even though it was hard, the thought of something else scared her. The unknown, she only now realized, could sometimes be even more terrifying than the poor deal you knew.
That’s just the chicken in you talking, she told herself. You want this.
She truly did. Everything in her life had led up to what was to come in two days’ time, and she couldn’t afford to lose.
Galfour’s Point was the only academy that educated dragon riders, one of the most prestigious and well-paid professions in Terrair. Her father had been saving up the money for the entrance exams since she was an infant, not to mention teaching her everything he knew in the hopes that she would pass.
An education as a dragon rider meant a position working for either the government or private contractors, and it meant enough money for her father and Ana to not only pay off their debts but to leave Aershire behind forever.
Her job would require her to move to the mountain regions and beyond the smog-filled clouds where anyone with considerable power lived.
The fresh air. The clean water. The ability to walk the streets in the twilight and not worry about being robbed.
She’d never experienced these things, but she’d heard about them.
If she became successful enough, perhaps she could even help her friends. Bring Cien to the mountains, where he could find rich patrons to commission him as an artist. And Aelred and Ginger--
“Watch it!” a man yelled.
Ana jumped back from the oxen-drawn cart. The man walking alongside the animals gave her a scowl, and mud from the wheels splashed across the front of her pants.
“You lost in a daydream?” Mortimer asked.
Ana ducked her head. “Just looking forward to next week.”
The sun was settling in the western sky as they entered town, careful to keep close to the buildings where there was less mud. After a few streets, they were on cobblestones, the clatter of wheels and horse hooves creating a soothing cacophony.
A bell shrieked, and Ana turned her face to look over the top of a butcher’s shop. The textile work-school was getting out, which meant she was still on time. She wouldn’t be late meeting her friends after all.
“Where is it today?” Mortimer asked.
“The root soda bar under Tram Eleven.”
“You’ll be home before dark.” It wasn’t a question.
“Of course.” She squeezed her father’s hand.
“Good.”
They parted at the corner of Market and Kidahl, Mortimer walking for the shop that he’d already had closed for two precious hours too long. Ana did her best to not let her thoughts drift as she continued on to meet her friends. She’d be no use to anyone if she were run over by a cart.
A light whirring noise filled the air and she slowed her step to look up. A zeppelin.
It marked the sky like a giant green bird. Though from the ground it appeared to be moving slowly, Ana knew it was probably reaching speeds of seventy miles per hour. A swelling sensation entered her chest.
Zeppelins never stopped in Aershire. Why would they? All of the textiles the town produced were exported via trains. Zeppelins carried dignitaries. Politicians. Important people.
The kind of people that dragon riders protected.
She could be up there one day, flying to places she couldn’t even now imagine.
The future felt more real than it ever had. She had to keep her eye on the prize, though. Failing wasn’t allowed.
Chapter 2
The screeching of wheels filled the tram stop. Turning to the side, Ana wiggled past the people clamoring to make it home before dark.
She took the stairs into the basement two at a time. The root soda bar’s thick wooden door was propped open with a brick, and the pleasant noise of chatter rose from the room.
The spot was one of her favorites. It didn’t get much natural light since the windows were high and thin, looking out at the feet of people passing by on the street. But there was a coziness to the place with its small, ornate lamps on tables and benches lined against the walls. Plus, the sodas were extremely cheap.
Aelred, Ginger, and Cien were already there, sitting in a corner. As Ana approached, Aelred laughed at something Ginger said. Cien, busy sketching, smiled absentmindedly.
“Hey.” Ana plopped onto the bench next to Cien. The second she sat down, she realized how tired her muscles were. She’d been up since before dawn, doing her daily conditioning workout before hitting the books and continuing on to the long list of tests her father had compiled for her.
“Oh, hello.” Ginger flipped her long, blonde hair. The kink at chin level said that she’d recently untied it after a day at work-school.
Cien put his sketchbook on the table. “Hello.”
“Nice hairdo.” Aelred, wearing a smirk, nodded at Ana.
“What?” Ana put her hand to her hair and brought away leaves. “Right. We were in the woods training today.”
“You must be thirsty.” Aelred didn’t wait for her to respond. He was already on his way to the bar.
“How did it go?” Ginger set her chin on her fist and gazed at Ana.
“It went…” Ana took a deep breath. Her throat felt itchy and it was suddenly hard to talk. “Honestly, I don’t know. Mortimer says that I’m ready, but I think he might only be saying that in order to give me some confidence...and because he knows telling me I’m falling short will do nothing now.”
Ana's eyes burned, and she looked down at the table. She wasn’t a crier, and she didn’t plan on starting the habit now.
A cool hand found hers, and she looked up and into Cien’s brown, expressive eyes.
“You will do a wonderful job,” he said.
Ana's throat clogged. She could tell that he meant that one hundred percent.
“You absolutely will,” Ginger chimed in. “Why wouldn’t you? You’ve been preparing for this your whole life.”
Ana tried to swallow the thick feeling in her throat. “That’s true, but so have all the other students, and you know what advantages they have going for them. Plus, there are only a certain number of spots available.”
“This again?” It was Aelred, back with four glass bottles of root soda, their necks clutched between his fingers.
He put a bottle in front of each of them then took his seat. “You’re ready for this, Ana. It makes sense that you’re nervous though. That’s good.”
He punctuated his words with a long swig of soda.
“Exactly.” Ginger nodded.
“But the other kids will all be from the mountains,” Ana pointed out.
She wasn’t trying to be negative. She just felt like she needed to get all of these worries off her chest. If she didn’t, they would continue to follow her around, plaguing her like ghosts.
“I understand.” Ginger tapped her finger against her bottle but didn’t drink it. “They’re from rich families. Great schools. Sure to have had the best educations possible.”
“And I homeschooled.” Ana tried not to sound bitter. Truth was, she was extremely grateful to her father for keeping her at home. The alternative was bleak.
“Better than work-school,” Ginger said, putting a voice to what they were all thinking.
The work-schools were a common thing in the plains regions. Starting from a young age and continuing into adulthood, kids attended factories where they manned machines most of the day and received a couple of hours of schooling around lunchtime.
Everyone in Aershire went to the textile work-school. Everyone except Ana. Her father, supposedly backed up by Ana’s mother’s beliefs, had homeschooled her.
She’d been lucky. She never forgot that. Mortimer was a smart man. Though he’d grown up attending a work-school that produced light bulbs, he’d taken it upon himself to learn everything he could in his spare time. He’d been a voracious reader from a young age, and their bookshelf at home was packed with books ranging topics from history to literature to arithmetic.
Still. Would it be enough?
“Right.” Aelred snorted. “Did we tell you that Insen Bergdorf lost a finger last week?”
“What?” Ana recoiled.
Ginger’s eyes rolled. “He’s exaggerating. It was only the tip.”
“Oh, only the tip, huh?” Aelred bumped his shoulder against hers. “I bet if it had been you, you’d be singing a different tune.”
Ginger’s cheeks turned pink, and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ana saw Cien looking at her. Raising the bottle to her lips, she winked at him. He smirked.
Just last week, they’d had a conversation during which they’d wondered if Ginger and Aelred might fancy each other. The four of them had grown up together, having met as toddlers living on the same block.
Other friends had come and gone, but their group remained strong. Steady. Unchanging.
Except...something did seem to be changing between the two of them. Ginger got flustered sometimes when Aelred poked fun at her. And he was always opening doors for her, watching her for a bit longer after she finished speaking.
If their friendship was developing into something else, Ana was happy for them. God knew Ginger could use it. Her home life was trash. Like Ana, her mother had died years ago. Unlike Ana, though, her father didn’t seem to have any interest in her. Except for when he needed to bark orders at her. The same was true for her brothers.
Ana could see Ginger and Aelred growing older and getting married. Having kids with skin the color of milk chocolate, eyes as big as their mother’s and hearts as big as their father’s.
But one part of that image Ana couldn’t stand was their living in Aershire.
“If I pass the exam--” she started.
“When you pass the exam,” Ginger corrected.
Ana smirked. “And I get a position as dragon rider...I want you all to come work with me.”
Ginger sat a little straighter at that. “What do you mean? Work with you how?”
Ana shrugged. “Some dragon riders have assistants. And a lot of politicians consult their dragon riders when it comes to hiring for their households.”
Dragon riders, essentially, played the part of security in a household. Their relationships with their employers contained utmost trust and confidence. If Ana became a dragon rider, she’d have a lot of sway.
Aelred drank his soda and considered what Ana had said.
“Eryk Hogarden is taking on an apprentice this fall. He wants it to be me.”
Ana’s jaw dropped, and somehow Ginger’s eyes got even bigger.
