Chapter 23 DRAGON GIFTS
LYRA
I couldn’t shake the dream. Even after Yvaine’s gentle reassurance and a quick breakfast, the images clung to me like static on storm-charged air, the shattered glass, the unnatural red-streaked tornado, the flames roaring toward me.
The torn pages in Dragon Gifts, the complete absence of anything on storm dragons. By midday, the unease had settled into my bones so deeply that I found myself slipping away from the afternoon theory session with a mumbled excuse about needing fresh air.
The library called to me again.
This time, the grand hall was bright and alive. Sunlight streamed through the tall arched windows, painting golden rectangles across the polished stone floors and long oak tables. Riders filled the space, not enough to feel suffocating, but enough to create a low, comforting hum of whispered conversations, turning pages, and the occasional soft scratch of quills on parchment.
A few seniors hunched over ancient scrolls near the restricted section, while clusters of new riders compared notes at the central tables. The air smelled of old leather, ink, and the faint ozone that seemed to permeate every corner of the Academy.
I moved through it all like I was still half in the dream. My violet curls, loosely braided low with strands framing my face, brushed my cheeks as I walked. The leather uniform felt more familiar today, but my heart still hammered with that same nervous rhythm from the nightmare.
I headed straight for the same shelf I had navigated in my sleep.
My fingers trailed along the spines, the embossed titles cool under my fingertips. Bonding Theory. Advanced Weather Weaving. Legacies of the First Riders. Then my hand stopped.
Dragon Gifts: Abilities, Legacies and Warnings.
My breath caught. The book looked exactly as it had in the dream, thick, heavy, bound in deep navy leather with silver lettering that caught the light. My heart stuttered, then pounded harder. With slightly trembling fingers, I pulled it free. It was just as heavy as I remembered, the weight solid and real in my arms.
No one paid me any mind as I carried it to a quiet table tucked in a corner alcove, away from the main sections. I set it down gently, the soft thump barely audible, and took a seat. My hands felt clammy. I kept the book close, glancing around once to make sure no one was watching too closely, then opened it.
The pages turned exactly as they had in the dream.
Wind dragons. Fire dragons. Earth dragons. Water dragons. Detailed illustrations, dense paragraphs on abilities, warnings about emotional bleed, case studies of famous riders. I read quickly, heart racing, flipping faster and faster.
Then I reached the point where the storm dragon chapter should begin, nothing. The book simply… ended. The final pages were the Water Dragon section, followed by a blank back cover and the sturdy binding. No jagged tears, no stubs.
Just clean, intentional absence. As if storm dragons had never existed in this text at all.
I traced the inside of the back cover with a fingertip, frowning deeply. “What does this mean?” I whispered under my breath. The exact book from my dream existed.
I had never seen it before last night. And yet here it was, real, tangible, missing the very information I needed most.
Was the dream a warning? A message from Tempest? Or was my mind playing cruel tricks, feeding me fragments of anxiety dressed up as prophecy?
A warm voice behind me made me jump so hard I nearly knocked the lantern over. “Hello, Lyra.”
I yelped, spinning in my seat. Cassius stood there, tall and effortlessly composed in his senior uniform, a faint smile playing on his lips. His lemon-green eyes sparkled with amusement and a touch of concern as he took in my startled expression.
The entire nearby section of the library had gone quiet. A few riders glanced our way, eyebrows raised.
Heat flooded my face. “Sorry,” I said quickly, raising a hand to the room at large. “I’m fine. Just… jumped. Library etiquette is better than this, I swear.”
Soft chuckles rippled through the space before people returned to their books. Cassius’s smile widened, fond and a little teasing, as he pulled out the chair beside me and sat down without invitation.
“You do have a way of pulling a crowd,” he chuckled, voice low enough for just the two of us. “First the thunder on the training field, now dramatic yelps in the library. People are going to start placing bets on what you’ll do next.”
I groaned, cupping my burning cheeks with both hands. “Please believe me when I say I normally have much better library manners. I was just… focused.”
“Of course I believe you,” he said warmly, his tone gentle and reassuring. He leaned forward slightly, glancing at the heavy book still open on the table. “Trying to get a read on your abilities? Smart move. Tempest is… not exactly textbook material.”
I nodded, grateful for the shift in subject. “Yeah, but…” I trailed off, unsure how much to share. In the end, I decided on a careful piece of truth. I leaned over and flipped through the pages slowly, showing him the table of contents.
“There are full chapters for every dragon type. Wind, fire, earth, water… detailed abilities, warnings, everything. But when you get to storm dragons…” I turned to the end and showed him the abrupt stop. “Nothing. The book just ends”
Cassius’s expression flickered, something unreadable crossing his features for half a second before smoothing into thoughtful interest. He studied the book closely, then looked back at me.
Our faces were closer than I realized. His lemon-green eyes held mine steadily, and I became suddenly, acutely aware of how long his lashes were, the sharp line of his jaw, the faint scent of leather and clean wind that clung to him.
My heart stuttered. Heat crawled up my neck and into my cheeks again.
“Hm,” he said, voice calm and unfazed except for the small smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. “Storm dragons are incredibly rare. It’s not surprising an older general text like this would be missing them. But I’m certain some of the older, restricted texts or personal journals will have more. I can help you look, if you’d like.”