Dragon Flight Academy 2, page 25
Caleb and I shared a look, but neither of us said anything. I knew he felt the same way, but it wasn’t our place to argue against the academy’s decision or our supervisors. Besides, they were merely relaying our orders.
“It’s not a reflection of the squadron,” Hale said as the silence stretched on. “And it doesn’t mean that you’re going to miss out on valuable training.”
“So, why are we leaving?” I asked.
“The Academy has decided to do this for safety purposes,” Sunderland replied. “Now, I know you’ve all made incredible progress, and General Harlow has been made aware of that. But… things are tricky right now.”
“With all due respect, Sir, the academy isn’t safer than anywhere else,” I argued. “That Soviet fly-by last month made that obvious. And now we’ve faced them out here. I don’t think there’s any reason for us to return to the Academy early.”
“I agree,” Sunderland said, and my mouth fell open in surprise. “The Cold War is escalating, and it could very well blow up into another World War any day. If that happens, nowhere is safe. But orders are orders, Cadet Randall. So we’ll return to the desert to finish your training.”
I nodded in understanding, but I was sure that Sunderland could tell that I wasn’t happy about the whole situation. At least, there was one positive thing that came out of it, and that was the real possibility that Nick’s suspension would be lifted. Our squadron would soon be back at full capacity, though Nick would have to work twice as hard as anyone else to make up for the training he’d missed.
“You have the rest of the day to do what you want,” Hale announced. “That will give the squires time to prep the carrier. Tomorrow, we’re leaving at ten on the dot.”
Most of the squadron seemed content with an impromptu day off, but I did catch a few frowning faces. Pierce, Byron, and Nick, especially, looked just as worried as Caleb, Brie, and I felt, but we all nodded, saluted our supervisors, and then left the dining hall.
While most of our friends either headed to the beach for one last day of fun or to the infirmary to see how Anji was doing, my closest friends and I went back to the dorm.
“You’d think they’d reward us with extra time here rather than ship us off back to the academy,” Pierce grumbled under his breath as we climbed the stairs.
“It makes sense they’d want us back,” Caleb argued. “Our dragons’ safety is what they care about the most. Riders are replaceable, but dragons take a lot longer to replace, and the way things are going right now, we need every dragon to be healthy, strong, and ready to fight the Soviets.”
“I hate it when you’re right, shorty,” Pierce grunted.
“But why not let us stay a few more days?” Byron sighed. “Even two more days would’ve been helpful. The training they put us through is intense, yeah, but it’s vital for our dragons. They’re discovering new abilities about themselves, and we get to grow and get stronger with them.”
“We can debate it all we want,” I said as I opened the door. “But we have our orders.”
“There’s a good chance we’ll be deployed before we graduate,” Nick said. “I mean, if things really escalate. It would’ve been nice to have a couple of extra days out here, especially since I’ll hopefully be coming off suspension soon.”
“We all knew early deployment was a possibility when we joined,” Brie noted.
“But it hasn’t happened yet,” I pointed out. “So we head back to the Academy and finish our training.”
I headed for the refrigerator in search of a cold drink while the others plopped onto the sofas. Someone had restocked the fridge with soda, so I grabbed one for each of us and distributed them to my friends.
“Look, guys, we can spend the whole day trying to figure out why General Harlow pulled the plug,” I said as I sat beside Byron. “Or we can make the most of our last day in paradise and worry about the war tomorrow.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Brie said and gently knocked our cans together.
I grinned at her and took a sip of the cold drink. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until the first drop of the sweet liquid touched my tongue. Riding a dragon was hard work, and when we had to go head to head against our enemy, it was three times as intense.
“I think I’ll enjoy the beach one last time,” Nick declared. “The waves today look perfect for surfing.”
“Can you teach me?” Pierce asked him to everyone’s surprise.
“Sure,” Nick agreed.
The pair seemed to have reached a truce, if not a friendship, since Pierce had escorted Nick to the warship earlier today. I really hoped that meant the pair would stop sniping at each other, but with someone like Pierce, things could change again in a heartbeat.
“The beach sounds relaxing,” Byron agreed.
“Then let’s go,” I said and downed the rest of the soda.
I headed for my room, where I changed out of my flying gear and into a pair of swim trunks and a tee. Once I was ready, I caught up with my friends, and then we all headed to the beach together. The rest of the squadron was already there, where they’d made themselves at home on lounge chairs, though I spotted a couple of heads already in the water.
As soon as my bare feet were buried in the warm sand, a grin spread across my face, and I raced to the water while I removed my shirt and threw it over my head. It was crystal clear, and the way the sun reflected off the surface made it shine like diamonds. There were a few white clouds in the sky, but there was no sign of the storm clouds that had threatened us before.
I swam in the warm water for a while, and when Gracie and the other squires joined us, we started a game of water polo. I could usually hold my own in most sports, but I had to admit, water polo was not my game. I did what I could, which was mostly passing the ball to better players, and I was happy to come out of the water with a two-point win.
After the water polo game, I relaxed on a beach chair and enjoyed the sunshine with a cold drink in hand. Hale and Sunderland even joined us in the early afternoon, and we all enjoyed an impromptu barbecue after Rooke and some of the other riders showed up. It was the first time we’d spent down time with our supervisors since we arrived, and while I wouldn’t say the officers were entirely relaxed, they did tell us some great stories about their time in the Corps.
Anji joined us around five in the afternoon, and while she wasn’t up for a lot of activity, she made herself comfortable on a chair under an umbrella and spent a lot of her time talking to some of the squires about the book I’d brought her. The squires told her about some of the training they had, and soon, the group was happily chatting about all things dragon.
As the afternoon slipped away and an evening breeze settled on the beach, I walked over to Hale and Sunderland, who were sitting around an unlit fire pit.
“Sirs, I have a request to make,” I said. “I’d like to ride my dragon around the island one last time before we have to leave tomorrow.”
Both men glanced at each other, and I held my breath while they seemed to communicate with their eyes.
“I don’t see why not,” Hale eventually said as he turned his head back toward me. “As long as you stay around the island and don’t stray too far.”
“Of course, Sir, thank you,” I immediately agreed.
I raced back across the compound to the dorm and changed into my flying gear. I was ready to go in under two minutes, and with my goggles in hand, I ran to the storage room to retrieve Storm’s saddle and reins.
Storm was nowhere to be seen when I reached the tarmac, so I whistled for him a couple of times and then waited for him to show up. Ever since we’d arrived in the Marshall Islands, Storm had enjoyed a freedom he’d never really had before, and I hoped that once we returned to the academy, he wouldn’t be forced back into a stall at night. Our bond was so strong now that I wasn’t worried about him flying off and never returning.
The upperclassmen’s dragons already had free rein of the grounds, and it felt like it was time for my squadron’s dragons to experience that same sense of trust. They’d certainly earned it these last few weeks, and I knew my riders were all just as strongly bonded with their dragons as I was with Storm.
A flurry of wings grabbed my attention, and when I looked up, I saw Storm hovering over the tarmac a few feet away from me. Gusts of wind slapped me in the face when he used his wings to slowly lower himself to the ground, and I closed my eyes against the blowing sand until Storm’s talons were firmly planted in the ground.
“Hey there, Big Guy,” I greeted him once I felt the ground tremble beneath my feet. “What do you say we go flying for a little while?”
Storm’s answering snort was the green light that I’d hoped to hear, so I placed the too-small saddle on his back, attached the reins to his head and neck, and then I climbed up. I quickly worked on the straps and pushed the goggles over my eyes, and when that was done, I simply clicked my tongue to tell Storm it was time to fly.
As always, my heart lurched as we gained altitude, but I loved the feeling of pure freedom that came with it. The wind was a lot colder than earlier today, but luckily the thermal suit kept my skin warm. I could feel every wing movement that Storm made as well as the movement of his other muscles as he flew us over the island.
The sun was dropping toward the horizon, but there was still enough daylight that I could see my friends down on the beach. Storm roared loud enough to get their attention, and I waved at them. Then Storm veered to the left and flew over the compound to get to the island’s other side.
“We’re going back tomorrow,” I shouted over the wind so he could hear me.
Storm let out a disgruntled noise that I was sure meant he wasn’t happy about that. If he was anything like me, and I knew he was, he wanted to stay and finish this part of our training.
“I know,” I told him and patted his powerful shoulder. “I’d like to stay here as well.”
I trusted him enough to close my eyes and let him fly us wherever he wanted, so that’s exactly what I did. I even threw my head back and enjoyed the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. For the first time since I bonded with Storm, I trusted him enough to let him do whatever he wanted. I knew he would never let anything happen to me, just like I was certain that he knew I’d do the same for him.
He might’ve still been grumpy and temperamental at times, but that was just his personality, and I wouldn’t change him for the world. It made him who he was, and I loved him for that.
Storm and I flew for a long time as we circled the nearby islands. Neither of us showed signs of exhaustion, but the sky was quickly darkening, and I didn’t have the headset with the lamp embedded on top, so I finally steered Storm back toward the compound. Despite the grunt of disapproval he made, he followed my lead, and we soon landed back on the runway.
I climbed off his back and removed the saddle and reins before I quickly inspected him to make sure he was alright. Storm’s scales were shiny and smooth, and they showed no signs of decaying. I even forced him to open his mouth so I could inspect his teeth, and Storm snapped them right in front of my face in warning. Spit flew in my face when he did that, and I cursed him under my breath.
“You know I have to do these things,” I reminded him with an annoyed frown as I wiped my face with my sleeve. “You don’t want to catch a disease and have your wings fall off, do you?”
Storm’s onyx eyes glared into mine, and as soon as I was done with my daily inspection, he spread his wings and readied himself to take flight.
“Hold on a second,” I warned him. “We’re not finished.”
Steam trickled out of my dragon’s nostrils, and he stomped on the ground while he gave me another clearly annoyed growl. I ignored his attitude and instead applied cream to his scales. Storm refused to budge when I asked him to lower himself so I could reach the top of his body, so I threatened to make my inspections last twice as long if he didn’t cooperate.
Another threatening growl rumbled in his chest, but Storm eventually dropped down on his belly. The ground shook under my feet, but I kept my word and quickly worked on the scales that lined his shoulders and collarbones before I stepped away.
“There,” I told him. “You’re all good. Now, was that so hard?”
Storm leveled me with an unimpressed look before he growled in my direction and then shot off from the ground. I let out a small chuckle at his grumpy attitude, and after I watched him circle the beach a few times, I strolled back to the storeroom to return his saddle and reins.
My stomach grumbled with hunger as soon as I caught a whiff of something cooking, so I went back to the dorm to change yet again, and then I headed toward the dining hall. The rest of the squadron was already there, and I spotted Caleb, Brie, and Gracie at the same table, so I grabbed a tray, filled a plate, and then headed toward their table.
“Hey, man, where have you been?” Caleb asked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
“Flying,” I answered.
I’d filled my plate with a shit ton of food, and I started shoveling it down as soon as I sat down. I was always hungry after a flight, and for several minutes, all I could do was eat.
“Why’d you go flying?” Caleb asked when I finally slowed down.
“To enjoy the scenery one last time,” I replied. “Besides, it was nice to just fly. There was no training and no Russians to worry about. It was just me, Storm, and the wide-open sky.”
“That sounds idyllic,” Gracie said with a smile.
“It was,” I agreed and smiled.
“Shoot, I should’ve done the same,” Brie muttered and shook her head. “Flame is always restless. I think she doesn’t fly as often as she wants.”
“You still have time,” I told her. “Just ask Hale, I’m sure he’ll say yes.”
“Mmm, maybe,” she mused thoughtfully. “I shouldn’t have stuffed my face beforehand, though.”
She groaned and patted her full stomach with a lazy hand.
“Does it really bother you if you eat beforehand?” Gracie asked.
“Yeah,” Brie sighed. “Depending on what you eat, it can slow your response time or make you less attentive.”
“So it’s more dangerous,” Gracie murmured.
“It’s why they’re always so careful about what we eat for breakfast and lunch,” Brie confirmed. “Dinner’s a little different, because we’re usually not going out after that.”
The two women began talking about nutrition for both a dragon and its rider, and Caleb turned to me with a goofy grin.
“Looks like your girlfriends like each other,” he whispered as he leaned toward me so that they wouldn’t hear him. “I take it they know about each other now?”
“They do.” I nodded and shoved another mouthful of food in my mouth. “And they really like the idea of a throuple.”
“That’s lucky,” Caleb said. “I can’t imagine how exhausting it is to juggle two girlfriends. I know I’d struggle with just one, let alone two.”
“Speaking of girlfriends, what happened with the cute bartender from the other night?” I asked him curiously. “What was her name?”
“Luana.” A dreamy look crossed his face, and I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped me. “And nothing happened.”
“Not even a kiss?” I frowned. “She looked like she would’ve taken you home.”
“I’m not as forward with women as you are, Jake,” Caleb laughed. “Besides, I won’t see her again, so there’s no point in even trying to kiss her.”
“What about the girls from the academy?” I asked him in an undertone. “Are you interested in any of them?”
“I haven’t thought about it.” Caleb frowned thoughtfully. “I guess Miranda’s a pretty woman, but so was Layla.”
“The British girl?” I asked in surprise.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “But like I said, I won’t see Layla again, so it’s whatever.”
“You never know.” I shrugged. “You might.”
“I’m not too bothered about it.” My friend smiled again. “There’s too much going on to worry about girlfriends.”
“Oh, yeah?” I teased. “Like what?”
“Well, I want to master the Dead Man’s Turn when we get back to the academy,” he replied. “I feel like Greenie and I are ready to do it. And I want to get physically stronger. Did you see the size of the dudes around here? I feel like a twig compared to them.”
“Then we’ll hit the gym,” I laughed. “And I’ll help you and Greenie.”
“And that’s why you’re my best friend,” Caleb declared.
We finished our dinner, and one by one, we crept back to the dorm. I was one of the first to head back as exhaustion set in, but I still forced myself to pack the clothes that covered my room’s floor so I wouldn’t have to do it in the morning.
I crashed almost as soon as my head hit the pillows, but a gentle knock roused me from slumber a few hours later.
Chapter 17
My bedroom door cracked open quietly, and a mop of flaming-red hair appeared in the doorway.
“Jake?” Brie’s voice called out. “Are you awake?”
“I am now,” I murmured around a yawn. “What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she whispered and slipped inside. “I just wanted to sleep with you.”
“I’m always happy to share.” I shifted in the bed to make space for her and lifted the covers so she could slip under.
Brie quietly closed the door and then tiptoed toward the bed, where she joined me under the covers. Her warm body curled against mine, and I wrapped an arm around her waist. Neither of us said anything else, and sleep soon reclaimed me.
In the morning, I woke up to the sunlight that streamed in through the diamond-shaped window. Brie was no longer in bed with me, but there was a short note on the bedside table that informed me she’d gone back to her room to finish packing.
