Chapter 2 Mapping the Dragons

Kirrily Vane

The floor didn't crumble beneath me. It dropped.

The black stone was actually a hidden lift that sank thirty feet into the lower part of the Obsidian Keep. The sudden movement turned my stomach, and I nearly lost my balance. While the dragon shifters around me handled the drop with ease, I did what a weak human was expected to do. I let my legs give way.

I landed hard on my hands and knees on the marble floor below. Pain shot through my legs, but I swallowed my groan and let out a shaky gasp instead. Good, I told myself, pressing my forehead against the cold floor. Stay down. Let them laugh.

Boots hit the ground around me as the lift came to a stop. Whispers and quiet laughter spread through the crowd.

"Oh, look. The scholarship rat has broken her knees."

I knew that voice. Indi Carmichael.

Her expensive boots came into view as she stopped in front of me. Her coat was spotless, and her auburn ponytail swung over her shoulder as she looked down at me with disgust.

"Get up," she ordered. "You're embarrassing everyone here."

"I-I'm sorry," I stammered, making my voice shake. I kept my head down and took short, uneven breaths. "My legs... the cold..."

"Your pathetic human body, you mean."

She bent down and grabbed the collar of my cheap wool coat. The heat coming from her skin was almost unbearable, like standing too close to a fire. She pulled me up just enough to force me to look at her.

Her green eyes narrowed. "Listen to me, charity case. My father pays millions in taxes every year. People like you get to attend places like this because families like mine pay for it. You don't belong here. You're nothing but a magicless leech taking up space among people far better than you."

She raised her hand, and a small flame danced across her fingers.

I knew she wouldn't dare burn me badly. That would get her into trouble before classes even began. Instead, she pressed her burning thumb against the sleeve of my coat.

The wool caught fire almost at once.

"Oops," she said with a smirk, letting go of my collar.

I fell back onto my elbows and hurriedly slapped at the burning sleeve. I made sure to whimper as if I were terrified. Around us, the other students laughed. A few even took out their phones to record me struggling on the floor.

Laugh all you want, you arrogant fools, I thought. My heart was racing, but not because I was afraid. I was waiting for the right moment. Keep watching Indi. Keep looking at the helpless human.

While she enjoyed the attention, I was busy doing what I had come here to do.

I stayed on my hands and knees, keeping my chin low and letting my dark hair fall across my face. From that position, I could study the room without drawing too much attention. My eyes moved quickly across the walls and pillars, taking in every detail.

Above the northern archway stood a stone gargoyle. Its left eye had a strange shine. A hidden security camera. It turned every eight seconds.

Near the western pillar, a large shadow covered part of the wall. It was a blind spot where someone could move without being seen.

The main vault entrance was guarded by two heavy iron doors. A blue crystal above them gave off a faint hum. It was a scanner linked to the Keep's security system.

Four guards stood near the exits. They wore protective vests and carried stun batons on their left hips and weapons on their right. Every forty seconds, they shifted their weight, making their boots tap against the floor.

In less than thirty seconds, I had learned more about the Atrium's security than most students would notice in a week. I had found a blind spot, worked out the camera's timing, and spotted the entrance to the main security room.

Jarrah would love this, I thought, hiding a smile against my sleeve. Getting into that vault might be easier than I expected.

"Enough."

The single word silenced the room.

Indi's flame went out. She flinched and stepped away from me as the temperature dropped sharply. Frost spread across the marble floor, starting from the main entrance.

Thane Corin had arrived.

The students moved aside without being told. No one wanted to stand in his way. He ignored Indi and the Chancellor and walked straight towards me.

His black boots stopped just inches from my hands. The cold coming from him made the burned edge of my sleeve stiff.

My heart began to race. Don't move, Kirri. Look weak. Look helpless.

But Thane didn't walk past me. Instead, he slowly lowered himself onto one knee.

He was so close that I could smell the cold air clinging to his coat. There was something about him that made it difficult to think clearly. I kept my head down and let my shoulders shake.

"Get up," he said. His voice was quiet but firm.

"I-I'm trying, my lord," I whispered. "My coat... she burned it..."

"I don't care about your coat."

Before I could react, he caught my chin with his gloved hand and forced me to look at him.

My breath caught.

His eyes were a cold shade of blue. Up close, he was almost unfairly handsome, but there was no warmth in his expression. He looked like a man who had never needed to ask twice for anything.

I tried to make my eyes look frightened and confused, but something in his expression told me I had already made a mistake.

Thane studied my face. His gaze moved from my eyes to the way I breathed.

"Your breathing is uneven, but your heart isn't racing the way it should," he said quietly. Only I could hear him. "And you weren't watching Indi's fire."

My stomach tightened.

His gloved thumb brushed a strand of hair away from the side of my face. His fingers moved close to my left ear, dangerously near the tiny scar hiding the jammer beneath my skin.

I forced myself not to react.

He looked straight into my eyes, and a faint smile touched his lips. It wasn't a friendly smile.

"You were counting the security cameras," he whispered. "Weren't you?"

My blood ran cold.

Thane leaned closer, his blue eyes fixed on mine.

"Who the hell are you, scholarship girl?"