He raised his hands. “All right, lo—I mean, Yenni-Ayi . . . hmm. That doesn’t change the fact that we need to get you back.”

No, it didn’t. She could let the dragon fly her or she could miss the test.

She fixed him with a fierce glare. “When you become a dragon, what is your weakest point?”

He sighed again. “Besides my eyes? My throat, where my neck connects with my shoulder blades, though I suppose you could do some damage if you could get under the scales at the top of my spine. And my wings, of course.”

“Are you impervious to fire?”

“In dragon, yes, and as a man if I concentrate.”

“If water cannot harm you, what can?”

“So that’s what the shower was about,” he mumbled. “Well, I’m not partial to ice.”

Though it pained her to admit she didn’t know the word, she had to ask. “What is ice?”

His brow furrowed. “What’s ice? Ice is frozen water, lovely.”

Yenni gritted her teeth. “What do you mean by frozen?”

“Well . . . frozen. Hard.”

“Ice is . . . hard water.” What was this dragon going on about? No matter. It was too much to expect he would reveal everything, and she was running out of time.

“Fine, Dragon. Since this is your fault, you will take me straight back to the academy. Know that if I come away with so much as a scratch, you will draw down upon you the full wrath of the Yirba. This I promise you.”

“The what?” he said, and shook his head. “No harm will come to you, my heart. On my honor as a dragon. Have you ever ridden dragonback?”

“I have not.”

“It’s simple. Once I’m in dragon, climb up and settle between the ridges on my back. Hold on and I’ll take care of the rest. If I wiggle my right shoulder, I’m about to bank right. If I wiggle my left shoulder, left.”

“Shouldn’t there be some sort of saddle?”

He scoffed. “A saddle?! What am I, a hire horse?”

“Suppose you drop me?”

His face hardened. “I’ve never once lost a rider. I’m not about to start with my Given.”

“I am not—” Yenni breathed deeply through her nose, calming herself. Now was not the time to debate his ridiculous claim. “Could you not carry me like before?”

“Not that I would ever let you go in a million years, but dragonback is technically safer. More surface area.”

Yenni sighed. There was nothing for it. “Very well, change,” she said, flicking her hand at him.