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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

Two of their group rushed the dragon while Yenni and two others hung back. The dragon’s chest heaved and with two darts of her head she shot white jets of water at her assailants, which sent them flying back to thud on the sand. Yenni’s eyes went wide. In all the lore of her homeland, she’d never heard of dragons spitting water. The pretty dragon swung her long neck to face Yenni’s group.

Water or fire, it mattered not. Yenni’s goal remained the same: subdue this dragon and claim her spot at the academy. According to that brute from earlier, a dragon’s weak points were the eyes, the area where the neck connected with the shoulder blades, under the scales at the top of the spine, and the wings. But try as she might, she could catch no hint of wings on the smooth length of the creature. It was impossible, but she didn’t seem to have wings at all!

“Spread out!” the Creshen beside her shouted, but the dragon screeched and snapped at him as he tried to get behind her. He jumped back, just dodging her sharp teeth. Yenni tried to get around the other side, but the dragon turned and shot a quick stream of water at her. Yenni dove as the stream grazed her arm, making her skin burn. A quick inspection showed a bleeding scrape caused by friction. It was the speed and pressure of the water that caused the damage, not the temperature.

The dragon’s attention was on herding the other Creshens back where she could see them. She snapped and spat at the others, and lashed her tail back and forth, keeping Yenni at bay. Instinctively, Yenni tried to pull on her focus rune and spot an opening, but of course the rune was gone. She could find no wings to exploit, and no matter how much she wanted to enter the academy, it would be absurd to blind the dragon during a simple exercise.

She retreated slowly, giving herself some distance while praying the dragon didn’t notice and catch on to what she was about to do. By the grace of Father Gu, the other applicants kept her occupied. Yenni twisted her spear, transforming it from long to short. Then she ran, her sandals slapping the sand, and leapt onto the dragon’s back. The creature screeched and turned, trying to get at Yenni. As the dragon’s great head swung around to face her, Yenni brought the tip of her spear to the tender flesh at the base of the dragon’s throat. One wrong move and the creature would be impaled.