All Chapters of Called by the Dragon: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

"This is where the understudies train the apprentices," Anzi murmured. "There aren't enough masters in the Magisien body to teach them all, so they delegate what they can to the most qualified."She didn't know if Kai even wanted an explanation, but by the conclusion of the long-winded speech from Abelard in front of the hall full of several dozen adolescents, she was sure he had tuned him out just as she had and therefore had little idea of what was going on. She believed in the great strength and glory of the Capital, too - even if she had doubts about a few things lately - but she wasn't putting on performances for its sake. The elderly mage, on the other hand, had thought it fitting to wax poetic about the storied history of the Empire's mage class and its renown throughout all the land,No one particularly liked his speeches as far as Anzi knew. She didn't live here, but the practiced, dead-eyed stares of all the students at their desks were proof enough.O

 He was so much taller now than when she had last seen him. Her stomach lurched for the hundredth time since they had all begun climbing the steps, but this one was the final one, the real one. She was here, looking Oza in the eye and coming face to face with the boy she had left to fend for himself in a world that she had known would be too cruel to him.And yet he looked healthy. Well - he looked as healthy as she could expect considering his illnesses that would never lift from him. He was taller now, even though he was still as skinny as she remembered. He positively swam in his robe."You're not wearing initiate's robes, anymore," she said, partly because she was proud of him but mostly because she didn't know what else to say. "Congratulations."He raised one shoulder and made a twitching gesture with his opposite hand, but made not a sound. His eyes blinked, long lashes somehow making his eyes look even darker than they already were. Did she look lik

Anzi couldn't believe that the one time she wanted to see Bastien, she couldn't.Did he know? Did he know about the possibility of surviving wild dragons yet? There was a chance it would send him into a raving mad, delirious fit of ecstasy, but more importantly, she could ask him how that could even be possible. He had been there during the Purge, right? Despite his looks and his decidedly immature, irritating personality, he was an old, old man who could shed far more light on the subject than nearly anyone else in the entire Empire. And yet tonight was the one night she couldn't go to see him. No egg-searching, not when she had to accompany Kai all night and entertain him....Entertain.Had the Emperor meant it? Had Kai really told him that he intended to couple with her tonight? Maybe he had changed his mind after everything that happened during their afternoon together; he hadn't told her a thing about it. But wait, he had dragged her to his room and put her

 She knew she wasn't mistaken. This was Noemi, the woman who had slapped Violetta that day in the market district days ago. Her black hair was done up in an elegant style with delicate silver links decorating her tresses, but there was no mistaking the poison-green eyes and the beauty mark by her mouth, nor the sour, sharp expression creeping into her gaze. Evening darkness had fallen, but the torch light was plenty enough to see by.Anzi knew. This was her. And for some reason, she had the emerald brooch in her hair that Violetta had bought for her and held onto. Anzi could believe that she and other young harem girls were forced to lend pretty baubles over to their senior sisters on demand, but something was wrong about this. Not only was Letti nowhere to be seen, but she had disappeared from the harem quarters altogether.After another fight - or more abuse, rather - had she run off somewhere so no one could find her? If Noemi had slapped her again and left ano

When it happened, there was no warning."You're leaving?" Anzi demanded. "Now? But you never said -"Kai's hand rose to cup the side of her face, and for once, she didn't shoot him with a glare or make a single complaint about it to keep up appearances. She was too stunned to remember to, as he stood there with a small entourage of similarly dressed men standing behind him, all of them waiting in silence. No, two of them were women, too, now that she looked more closely into the darkness, all various shades of bronzed skin with their heads and shoulders wrapped in the style of the desert nomads. It didn't take a seer to figure out that they must be bodyguards of some sort with their weapons at their hips and slung on their backs. She had never seen them before tonight. Where had they been all this time?Kai said nothing, but when her narrowed eyes continued to dart around over his shoulder at his companions' silhouettes, he turned her face back to him with a gen