“A vote,” Ellukka’s father, Valerius, suggested, his voice rising over the others. “We have spoken enough, let us put it to a vote.”
There was a general rumble of agreement up and down the table, and Anders felt like his knees were going to give out. This vote was not going to go their way. No matter what Leif said, it was clear nearly all the Dragonmeet mistrusted them.
“All those who—” Valerius began, clearly intending on holding the vote then and there, but Leif cut him off.
“I invoke—” he began loudly.
“Raise your hand, all those—” Valerius tried again.
“Valerius, no,” Leif snapped, finally raising his voice properly. He lowered it again, to speak over the shocked silence up and down the table. “By the power invested in me by the vote of my people, as Drekleid and as head of the Finskól, I declare the wolves Anders and Lisabet Finskólars.
I extend to them all the protections of the Finskól.”
The table exploded.
“What’s the Finskól?” Anders whispered to Rayna as the members of the Dragonmeet shouted at one another.
“It’s a special school for gifted students,” she whispered back. “The Drekleid runs it and chooses the students. If you’re in his school, they’re not allowed to throw you out or lock you up.”
“Leif,” protested Valerius. “They’re wolves, you can’t possibly think—”
“They’re not just wolves, they’re the wolves who led their pack to find us,” Torsten pointed out, and plenty of others raised their voices to agree.
“Finskólars?” said the young woman with the messy blond bun. She and the young man beside her were the only two who seemed likely to vote with Leif.
“You and Mylestom have recently graduated,” Leif said, nodding to the pair. “Anders and Lisabet will take the places you have vacated. The decision is mine alone, and it has been made.”
Ellukka’s father tried again. “Leif, the Finskól is an honor for dragons alone.”
“Actually,” said Ellukka, speaking up again from her spot by Rayna’s side, “it’s an honor for whomever Leif chooses.”
“That’s enough, Ellukka,” he snapped, and she shot him a defiant glare.
“Your daughter is correct, Valerius,” Leif said. “And today, I am choosing Anders and Lisabet.”
“At least we’ll know where they are,” said the young man called Mylestom. He had short, dark-brown hair where the young woman beside him had messy blond curls, darker brown skin than hers, and a serious expression to match her smile. He studied the two wolves through wire-rimmed glasses.
“At least we’ll know where they are?” Valerius repeated. “We don’t even know what they are.”
Torsten thumped the table in agreement with one of his big fists, drawing more murmurs. In some ways, the Dragonmeet reminded Anders of the flocks of birds he’d seen down by the docks—when one made a noise, all the others joined in with raucous agreement.
“Besides, you would agree,” the woman next to Torsten said to Mylestom. “You were his student until last year.”
“And he taught me how to think for myself,” Mylestom shot back. “Saphira and I ask more questions and have more open minds than any of you, and that’s exactly what the Dragonmeet needs. It’s why we were elected—the younger dragons see it, even if you don’t.”
“Perhaps,” said Leif, cutting across what was setting out to be a pretty magnificent argument, “we can conclude this conversation at another time. We have further matters to discuss. Anders, Lisabet, Rayna, please do not depart Drekhelm without permission. There are no lessons today, as we prepare for tonight’s equinox celebrations. I will expect you in class tomorrow morning.”
Just the day before, Anders had stood here believing those very equinox celebrations would include the sacrifice of his sister’s life. That she and the other kidnapping victims from Holbard were part of some terrible dragon ritual. Now he knew it was simply a party, and that the kidnappings were only to rescue those children who would die if they weren’t helped to make their transformation into dragons.
So, said the little voice in his head, that’s one problem out of about nine hundred and seventy-three solved, at this rate we’ll be safe in no time. He shushed the voice as Leif dismissed them.
Nobody spoke until they had closed the doors behind them and were out in the hallway.
“Well,” said Ellukka. “Not exiled or locked up. That went better than expected.”
“What?” Anders said, turning to face her. “You thought they were going to—”
“Never,” said Rayna. “I mean, they might have tried, but we’d have argued with them, don’t worry. And Leif’s right. Even the ones who don’t trust you will see that it’s better to have you where they can see you.”
“Great,” Anders muttered, letting Rayna start him moving down the hallway again with a gentle push.
“Overall, I think it went quite well,” Lisabet said. “As long as Leif’s protecting us, we’re safe, right?”
“You should be,” Ellukka agreed. “But I wouldn’t give anyone a reason to mistrust you, that’s for sure. Leif’s in charge, but he’s still only one vote out of twenty-five.”
The danger of their position hung over Anders’s head as they walked down the hallway, but at least they had a chance to stay here at Drekhelm. They’d bought themselves some time—or rather, Leif had bought it for them.
Perhaps they could yet find a way to prove themselves to the dragons while keeping their pack safe. Perhaps the answer did lie with his icefire. If he could figure out how to create it again, could the threat of using it keep both the dragons and wolves from attacking each other? Would that give Rayna and him a safe place to live? He tucked
that thought away for future consideration.
“Where are we going now?” he asked as they turned a corner.
“Mikkel and our friend Theo will be in the gardens,” Ellukka said. “We’ll go find them.”
A question was nagging at Anders, but he wasn’t sure how to voice it.
“Ellukka,” he said, and she looked back over her shoulder without breaking her stride. “I didn’t expect—Thank you for standing up for us in there.” He could hear his voice tilting upward at the end, the question unspoken but clear enough—But why did you do it?
Ellukka shrugged, dismissing the thanks. “You’re Rayna’s brother,” she said. “If they sent you away or locked you up, she’d do something stupid, and then I’d have to get involved in that, and I have better things to do than chase around after one of Rayna’s plans.”
Anders felt a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, even as Rayna elbowed Ellukka in the side. He’d wondered for a moment the day before if Rayna had made friends as close as he had while they were apart.
But looking at the two of them side by side, he knew the answer. Outwardly, the two girls couldn’t be more different. Rayna had warm brown skin and curly black