Sinner

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Chapter TWELVE

I left my room the next day only to see Night standing outside. I smiled at him and handed him my books. He took them reluctantly, curling his fingers around the fine leather, before we walked to my first class at the Academy, Mastery against Dark Magic. The class was as boring as staring at a wall waiting for paint to peel.

Which, funny enough, I had done before to pass time. I almost would honestly rather have my skin peeled from my back again. I needed to develop in this class, however.

But they could teach me nothing the Zarlin hadn't already. I sighed.

Regardless of what I was thinking, this class was the reason that I was able to ward off the Tainted. The class went on as usual and so did the day. The evening played a little different than the ones before as Night had to feed, sinking his needle-sharp fangs into my wrist. I had decided every fifth day he could feed.

This time, however, he was gentle as he drank and he groaned as the hot ambrosia slid down his throat, in a rather embarrassing way.

Each time I found myself at a loss due to his need he had to live. His life for life's blood.

~

"Incoming ship!" a shout came from the entrance of the college guard house. All of my roommates were sitting in the main courtyard with me after class when the shouts began. We turned our heads to see the incoming commotion.

A young student was rushing across the yard in our direction, toward the Council Room. "There's a ship coming in," he kept repeating, screaming his freckles off.

I stepped in his way, "And what's so special about a ship coming to dock?" I narrowed my eyes, waiting for his answer.

"This one is being attacked by a dragon," he huffed. Surprise raced down my spine as I ran past the student to the main entrance of the courtyard that overlooked the beach of the west isle side. Sure enough, on the horizon, a ship was coming our way with a beast of flame roaring over it. What the student hadn't seen that I could was that it wasn't one ship: it was an armada of war ships, and the dragon was setting them ablaze whenever it wasn't being shot at.

"What the hell?" Rin whispered next to me. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," I said, "but I plan to find out."

I ran back to our room, everyone running the other way to see the commotion at the main entrance. When I got to the room I opened the window jumping out to shift to my dragon form as I fell.

I turned in the air and headed toward the dragon and incoming war ships. As I drew near, the Tainted started to stir.

They're here, it hissed, they're here. Run or fight.

Forcing it to settle back within its seal, I was soon close enough to see the other dragon up-close.

Spying me from the corner of his silted eye, he turned toward me so fast that his tail split one of the masts in two. I watched the mast fall to the deck, crashing through with enough force to sink the impaled ship. Figures run away, trying to swim in the unusually rough water.

Something seemed odd about the figures, but I couldn't place it as the dragon, an odd periwinkle blue in color with deep purple tinted ridges, flew toward me.

You should not have come here, came Hedan's thoughts to my mind. The Tainted will react more if you are near.

"Hedan?" I asked in surprise.

He hissed at me, turning to look at the ships. He looked back at me.

Follow me, he said before flying higher into the air. I followed him for a few seconds before he stopped and waited for me to catch up.