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Chapters (49)
  1. Given
  2. CONTENTS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. Acknowledgments
  44. About the Author
  45. Copyright
  46. About the Publisher
  47. Backad 1
  48. Backad 2
  49. Backad 3

Noriago finally smirked at him. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s better than no, I suppose. And one more thing—when it comes to Carmenna . . . she’s not your Given, is she?”

Noriago scoffed. “That dragon hunter? Not on your life.”

Weysh frowned. Dragon hunter was a derogatory term for women who sought out dragons for dalliances. “She’s not like that,” Weysh said firmly. “We were something of an item once—”

“You think I don’t know that? I only sought her out to get under your skin.”

“En? Why would that get under my skin? I have a Given now.”

“That never seems to bother men like you, Nolan.”

Weysh bristled. “You don’t know anything about me,” he said, a low warning growl lacing his voice. He wanted to make amends, but his patience was wearing thin.

“Likewise. You know nothing about me, Nolan. We are not the same, but you’re not wrong. I expect this”—he waved his hand to encompass the school, his face twisted in disgust—“is all that’s left to me now.” His face changed so fast Weysh thought he might have imagined it, except that the wind blew the quick scent of something bitingly bitter, rotting, rank, and wrong his way, an emotion he had no words for, and Noriago looked positively crazed for a moment. But when he turned to Weysh he fixed him with his characteristic sneer. “You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

Without another word Noriago changed to dragon, looming over Weysh. He let out a couple of puffs of steam from his nostrils, then took off, blasting Weysh with warm air from his wings.

23

Yenni worried her lip between her teeth as she stared at her palms: worse. Her father’s health was definitely getting worse. The rune had faded steadily over the last week, and was now half as strong as her mother’s rune on her other palm. Her stomach had been in knots for days.

I need to go home, she thought for the hundredth time. How will I live with myself if N’baba dies while I’m away?

But I cannot! I pledged a year abroad to the Sha on this Orire N’jem. If I anger the holy ones by breaking my vow the whole tribe will suffer, including N’baba. My best chance to save him is here.

“What exactly are you looking at, Yenni Ajani?”

Yenni blinked and looked up into Carmenna’s confused brown eyes.

“Oh. It’s nothing.”

She stared past Carmenna’s shoulders at the soft light filtering between the trees of the library, illuminating the dust motes. I must focus, she told herself. I can’t fail again. It may be that my first failure angered the Sha, and that’s why N’baba’s health is in further decline.