Cass groaned as a beam of sunlight peaked between the curtains of her window and shone into her face. She rolled over, curling into a ball and dragging the comforter over her head.

  “Salos,” she mumbled, “Is there any chance I can convince you to close the curtains?”

  There was no answer.

  Oh.

  Her hand went to the necklace. It was cold against her chest.

  A heavy sigh escaped her as she curled up tighter.

  Right.

  She didn’t want to be awake.

  But that was purely for strategic reasons. Obviously.

  Her Health was low.

  Health: 55/133

  Salos would be back soon. In the meantime, she should focus on healing. Which meant sleep. All the sleep she could get and then some.

  It had nothing to do with the conversation she had with Alyx yesterday.

  This was about improving her health. That was all.

  It was coming along—almost half of the way back to full.

  And hadn’t she earned a vacation?

  She could spend the entire day lounging in front of the fire, swaddled in blankets and pillows. Nothing trying to kill her. No monsters she had to kill.

  Just gentle dozing, with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.

  Thoughts like: when would Salos wake up?

  Or: what was Alyx going to do with the knowledge Salos was a demon?

  And: was it Kaye or Robin trapped in this world? Where were they?

  Cass rolled back onto her back. The ceiling stared down at her sprawled form.

  Hmm. Okay. Maybe not.

  Maybe she’d slept enough.

  She still needed to rest, though.

  What she wouldn’t give for a book. She thought fondly of her To-Be-Read pile sitting on her bedside table.

  There were books here, of course, but they were all in Jothi, and her reading skills were still woefully low.

  She could spend the day practicing. That might be a nice restful activity to keep her occupied and out of trouble.

  She nodded and slipped out of bed. The only downside was she’d have to leave the room. Which meant getting properly dressed.

  That was definitely why she was hesitating. Not because she was afraid of running into Alyx. It was definitely because she didn’t want to ruin a lazy day in her pjs by getting dressed.

  But it seemed like a bad idea to wander around a stranger’s house in her PJs.

  Cass looked down at them. They were soft, silken things. She’d worn more revealing sun dresses. And she’d been in less when Kohen and Tiador tried to manipulate her into another room and they hadn’t seemed fussed. Perhaps this level of dress was fine?

  She snapped. She’d practice Stealth while she was at it. Her level of dress didn’t matter if they didn’t notice her. She’d just Stealth down to the library, grab the books she wanted, and then Stealth right on back.

  If she did it right, no one would even know she was still in her nightclothes. Bonus, Alyx wouldn’t see her even if they crossed paths.

  Cass nodded to herself and activated the skill. The wind flared around her, swaddling her like an old friend.

  Ready to skulk about, she asked it.

  The skill flickered in acknowledgment as she stepped out of her suite and into the hallway. It appeared deserted, but she knew that was misleading. The staff walked with purpose under stealth in this household. Better unseen and unheard seemed to be their motto.

  She felt out for them with Atmospheric Sense. It would be less than ideal if she bumped into them, neither of them able to see and avoid the other.

  She could feel the displacement in the air as a body hurried along the far wall. It didn’t feel like they’d noticed Cass.

  Cass grinned to herself and followed the near wall in the opposite direction. This would be good practice using Perception to its max, too.

  These were the kinds of stakes she wanted to worry about: would a stranger see her in her pajamas, not would the monster eat her?

  Now, where was that library?

  Cass found the library pretty quickly. It hadn’t moved. Rooms tended not to do that.

  Ahryn had said there were some good picture books on the right wall—

  Cass blinked at the scene she’d walked in on, falling out of Stealth in surprise. Then blinked again.

  Her eyes said a large, white lizard took up the entire far side of the room. Ahryn’s desk was pushed as far as it could to one side. The table previously in the center of the room was barely outside the door’s clearance.

  The dragon lay curled around the boy, her head on his shoulder, an open book in his hands. Both of them stared at Cass, their eyes wide and panicked.

  “Sorry?” Cass said slowly.

  Ahryn jumped up. “Uhhhhh. Hi!”

  The dragon—the size of a large pony with almost translucent white scales and a thick mane of white fur down its spine—curled tighter, as if it could somehow curl itself out of existence. It was a much more bashful reaction than she would have expected from a dragon, but—

  Dragonling

  [A young dragon not yet inducted into the full powers of the System.]

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  —it was one of the dragonlings. And despite their size, they were only a child.

  “Ah, hi,” Cass said. Alyx had said something about wanting to get an audience with the dragons. Was this what this was? A hang-out to see if they were compatible? That made sense.

  It had sounded like strength was the only requirement for choosing their knight, but that was obviously silly, thinking about it. Compatibility was much more important for group work than individual member skill.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Cass repeated. “I’m just here for one of those children’s books. You said they were over…” Cass paused. The spot she expected to see them was empty. Instead, there was a familiar pile of books beside the dragon and another still in Ahryn’s hands. “Oh. I guess you’re using them?”

  The dragonlings were nine years old, after all. It tracked Cass’s reading level was about even with a nine-year-old. That was what? Middle of grade school? Oof, that hurt her pride a little, but that was probably right.

  Ahryn looked between the books and Cass. Or maybe the dragon and Cass?

  “Could you not tell anyone you saw us here?” he asked.

  Cass frowned. She wasn’t sure who she’d tell. Or why someone would find that interesting. Unless they weren’t supposed to be here?

  But that was silly. This was his house. The dragon was obviously his guest.

  But Cass shrugged. “Sure. I can do that.”

  He had his reasons, she was sure. And it wasn’t like someone would actually ask her where he was. That really would be silly.

  “Thank you,” Ahryn said, handing Cass half the book stack. “Can you—Do you think you’ll be okay with these?”

  Cass riffled through the stack. They had nice big pictures. She nodded. “Thanks. Have a good time, you two. Sorry for interrupting.”

  “Right. Thanks. Remember. We aren’t here,” he called after her as she walked out of the library and reengaged Stealth.

  What a strange situation.

  She had books now. She should return to her room with them.

  But lounging with books was only properly done with snacks and tea. But that meant a trip down to the kitchens.

  That was a bit more of an endeavor than borrowing books. She’d probably actually have to ask somebody for them.

  Ugh, she should have gotten dressed.

  Well, she’d start by scoping out the kitchens. Perhaps there would be a teapot she could discretely borrow. She could figure the rest out from there.

  Questionable decision made and books stowed in her Bag, she ghosted along the halls toward the dining hall. Presumably, it would be near the kitchen, right?

  Her route took her past the front doors. They flew open with a bang and shouting.

  “What do they mean the younger dragon wasn’t available today?” Kohen yelled as he stormed in. “I made an appointment. I was told both of them would be there!”

  “Yes, yes,” Tiador said in a tone that suggested this was not the first time he had attempted to calm the other man and also long past the last time he had tried it with any sincerity.

  “And to tell me they don’t know where she’d gone?” Kohen yelled as the two climbed the stairs. Cass hurried to one side to get out of their way. “How do you lose a dragonling? That’s how tragedies start! Obviously, that was a bald-faced lie!”

  “Yes, yes,” Tiador repeated.

  “I skipped the arena fights today for that appointment! I’m still a contestant! What right do they have withholding the dragonlings from me?”

  His ranting continued as they disappeared deeper into the house.

  Hmm, that answered a few questions, didn’t it? Not that it was any of Cass’s business. She continued down the stairs, her prospective teapot still calling her name.

  Which way was the dining hall from here again?

  “What are you doing?” Telis asked.

  Cass jumped and turned around. “Ah! Where’d you come from?”

  Telis raised an eyebrow.

  Cass shook her head. “I was looking for tea.” Telis was here now, might as well go all in. “Maybe some cookies?”

  “I believe my lady asked you to rest properly,” Telis said. But she had also stepped past Cass, unmistakably leading them deeper into the house.

  “I am,” Cass said.

  “Which is why you are practicing Stealth skills in the house?”

  “I am trying to rest,” Cass amended. “It’ll go better once I have tea.”

  “I see,” Telis said without looking back at Cass. “You should know that using Stealth skills like that in someone else’s home is poor manners. One might assume you are up to no good.”

  Cass grimaced. She hadn’t thought about that. She probably should’ve just gotten dressed then. “Sorry. I saw everyone else using them and figured it’d be good practice.”

  “The staff is part of the household. The way they use Stealth is to ensure a quiet and harmonious atmosphere. Not to pilfer sweets from the kitchen.” Telis pushed open the kitchen doors, dumping them into a room of chaos. People moved in every direction, pots and pans flying from stoves to ovens, all filled with dishes Cass didn’t recognize.

  And yet, there was a kind of order to the madness. Like a dance with too many steps, every person moved in time to some unheard rhythm.

  “Wait here,” Telis said before stepping into the dance, slipping around the room from one stove top to the backroom and back, returning with a basket. She held it out for Cass. “There you are. A teapot, three varieties of cookies, and lunch. You slept through breakfast.”

  “Thank you,” Cass said.

  “Stay out of the kitchen in the future. Your meals will be delivered to your room.”

  Cass glanced around the chaos around her and nodded. It was probably best she stayed out of the way.

  Telis escorted Cass back to her suite. There was nothing special about Telis’s pace or gait, but Cass had this gut feeling that no one else saw them on their way back, though she was sure they passed other servants under stealth. Cass was equally sure that Telis didn’t want questions, so she kept her speculation to herself.

  “Please don’t cause trouble,” Telis said as Cass stepped through her suite’s door.

  “Yes. Sorry again,” Cass said. “Um, did you want to come in?”

  Telis shook her head. “I have other business. I just came to check on you.”

  “Oh, thanks.” Cass hung awkwardly in the doorway. It seemed wrong to just send her off like that. But then again, Alyx probably needed her.

  Alyx.

  The memory of Alyx fleeing Cass’s room yesterday evening jumped to the front of Cass’s mind. Had she been angry? Scared? Overwhelmed?

  “What is Alyx doing today?” Cass asked. It was genuine curiosity. Not a request for confirmation that Alyx wasn’t avoiding her. Definitely.

  “She is currently fighting in the arena. The dragonlings are watching the matches to choose their partner,” Telis said.

  Right. That was definitely what was happening. “She said something about appointments with them?” And Kohen had shouted about it coming in.

  “The dragonlings have a place of honor over the arena to watch from. Contestants can arrange a time to join them and watch alongside them. She has one such arrangement this evening.”

  “Do they ever do other activities together?” Cass asked.

  “There are formal audiences with dragonlings and their mother, the Matriarch, some evenings as well,” Telis said.

  “But no activities,” Cass clarified. “Like, outings to family manors or town or…”

  Telis shook her head. “The dragonlings are precious. It is best they do not wander far from their caretakers. Did you wish to accompany Alyx to meet the dragons?”

  Cass shifted in place. Did she? “I don’t want to get in the way. I was just curious.” Watching monster fights wasn’t that high on her list of things she wanted to do, even if she’d be doing it with a dragon, and formally standing around in front of the dragon matriarch sounded even less pleasant.

  “I will leave you to your tea then,” Telis said. “Call if you need anything else. There is no reason to leave your suite.”

  Telis’s comment was flat, but the underlying command rankled. Cass bit her lip. She should ignore it.

  But the words came out, anyway. “That sounds like you don’t want me wandering around by myself.”

  “That is because that is exactly what I want,” Telis said.

  Cass bit her lips again. This was for her own good, she was sure. And yet, “That sounds like my room is my personal cage.”

  Telis did not comment. Instead, she nodded and said, “I will check in on you again this evening if my lady does not.”

  Cass clicked her tongue as she watched the woman leave.

  Was this Alyx’s order, or was this simply Telis’s wish? Was it for Cass’s recovery, or to give Alyx time to decide what to do with her?

  What was Alyx going to do?

  Cass’s stomach turned. Was she wise to stay here? Salos would have screamed for her to run already.

  He would never have let her divulge his secrets in the first place.

  Cass shook her head. For now, she was fine.

  She had her books. She had her tea. She even had cookies and lunch. The plan was to stay put for the rest of the day anyway to heal. For now, this was fine.

  —

  Jothi Language Comprehension has increased to Level 9!

  Jothi Language Comprehension has reached the First Step! Congratulations!

  [Your mastery of this skill has awarded you the following stats:

  + 4 Per

  + 3 Wll

  + 2 Ala

  + 2 Res]

  Jothi Language Comprehension has increased to Level 10!