Silence fell over the headmaster’s cabin as he and Lysa stared at each other. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Eggs… how many did you find?” Lysa raised her hand. “Three.” His gaze lowered, his fingers brushing his chin as silence fell over them once again. The wind rustled through the open window, blowing the curtains, carrying the scent of the nearby wildflowers. The sunlight crept above, landing on his face, his gaze focused on the table. “What are your plans concerning them?” Lysa leaned in on the table, intertwining her fingers. “I would have given them to Ray and Vivian.”

  “And what about the third egg? What will you do with it?”

  Lysa sank back into the chair, her hair pressing against her back. “I don’t know. Maybe Max can have it? He loves the sky.” The headmaster let out a quiet chuckle. “That is true. If he can tame the beast, he’ll be able to ride it in the vast expanse of the beautiful sky, but…”

  Lysa shook her head. “I know wyverns can be tamed, but it might kill you even after that. Only a Druzhnik from Vargard can succeed.”

  “Not all Druzhnik.” The headmaster raised his finger. “Just a handful may accomplish forming a bond.”

  Lysa shifted in her chair, and the headmaster stood, walking toward the window. “Give one to Maximus and destroy the other two; we don’t need to put the apprentice’s lives at risk.”

  She remained silent for a moment while the headmaster stared out the window. His brows furrowed, and he tapped his chin. “On second thought, don’t destroy the eggs.” She blinked and turned toward him. “Why not?”

  “With the current situation of our kingdom, his highness could wage war on Cryos or Thyrion or maybe both in the coming years.” He leaned against the window, his fingers still tapping his chin. “If war breaks out with Cryos, the Empire of Solara will aid them, and if war breaks out with Thyrion, the Lunarian empire will support them.”

  Lysa nodded in agreement, staring at the hilt of her sword. A moment of silence followed before the headmaster spoke. “Arborion and Veridius will remain neutral. We should contact someone on Vargard.”

  “To sell the eggs and get their allegiance?” Lysa rested her palm upon the table, glancing upward toward the map on the wall.

  “Allegiance with Acacia Academy, not Heliosia.” A low smile played on his lips as he stared into the distance. Lysa rubbed the hilt of her sword. “May I suggest something?”

  “Of course.”

  “If war is looming over the horizon, we should contact the other six knight academies and form an alliance.” She took a deep breath.

  The headmaster chuckled softly, then faced her. “It seems you and that old hag from Cryos have similar thoughts.” Lysa tilted her head. “Old hag? Do you mean Guinevere?”

  The headmaster nodded and walked to his table to pick up a letter. “This is from her suggesting an alliance.” He handed the letter to Lysa, which she opened and began reading. ‘Dear Rudolf…’

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  Lysa narrowed her gaze toward the headmaster. “Dear? Were you two…” His laugh carried over the wind flowing through. “A long time ago.”

  “How old are you, sir?” Lysa closed the letter and put it on the table, clearing her throat. He took a seat, touched his chin and stared at the ceiling. “I’ll turn seventy this year.” Lysa’s eyes widened as silence filled the room. After a moment, she cleared her throat again. “You don’t look a day over fifty, sir.”

  His laughter filled the room, and Lysa’s lips curled into a small smile. A knock disrupted the laughter. The door opened, and the vice-headmaster entered. Lysa stood and bowed to him and leaned against the window. He greeted her and took a seat. “I’m here, Rudd.”

  “Took you long enough, Adolf.” He said, leaning back. “We were just talking about the letter Guinevere sent.” Adolf’s face hardened, and he crossed his arms. “She wrote you a letter? Why?”

  Adolf and Rudolf exchanged silent glares, Adolf’s visage displaying a frown, while Rudolf displayed a smirk. Lysa, sensing the tension, coughed. “To talk about forming an alliance between the academies.” Adolf let out a quiet sigh, his face softening. “What’s there to talk about? We should form an alliance.”

  Lysa and Rudolf nodded, then she rested her hand on one of her hilts. “We can talk about the alliance at the Festival of Arms. It’s the Nyxia academy’s turn.” Rudolf and Adolf both glanced downward, mirroring each other’s movements. “The Lunarian Empire is quite far; who should we send this time? The second years?”

  Lysa raised her hand, grabbing their attention. “Send Ray and Vivian along with the second years. Since I’m headed to Vargard, they’ll have nothing to do.” Adolf shook his head. “You want to send our top first-year prospects into potential enemy territory?”

  “They will be fine; you know how cunning Ray is. And Vivian is stronger.” Lysa shrugged her shoulders, smirking. Adolf tried to say something, but Rudolf tapped his hand on the table. “Alright. Ray and Vivian will accompany the second years.”

  Adolf stood, pushing his chair back. “Since I’m worried, I’ll send Maya and Brandon to accompany them.” Rudolf agreed with him, and they both turned to Lysa. She closed her eyes and said, “Fine.”

  Adolf and Lysa left Rudolf’s chambers, closing the door behind them. “I’ll leave it to you to relay the message to them.” Adolf said as he walked away, leaving Lysa alone. She stretched and walked toward the nearby window. Stepping over the sill, she jumped onto the roof. The roof tiles clicked under her footsteps, her eyes focused on Brandon and Maya. “I’m sure you’ve all heard everything.”

  Both Maya and Brandon straightened, their fists clenched as Lysa approached them. Maximus stepped in. “I don’t want the egg. If I cannot tame it, I’ll die.” Lysa shook her head. “You don’t have a choice, Max; it’s a gift from me. You can just force it into submission after it hatches.” He crossed his arms, staring at her. “If it were that easy, we would have a lot more wyvern riders.” Iuna slapped his back. “Stop complaining! And Lysa, take me with you to Vargard. I want to see the continent of snow and blood across the Icyk Ocean. I want to meet the Druzhnik, their knights.” Lysa cupped her palm over Iuna’s mouth. “No, I’m not taking you with me; if I do, who’ll look after your apprentices?” Iuna’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, you’re right, I have to put them through rigorous training every day.”

  Lysa, turning to Maya and Brandon, pointed at them. “If anything happens to Ray and Vivian, I’ll kill you or worse, cripple you forever so you can say goodbye to your dreams of becoming knights either way.” Both Maya and Brandon flinched, sweat scaling their forehead and nodded.

  “And you three.” She pointed at Maximus, Iuna and Brant. “Train your apprentices’ internal harmony, starting tomorrow. When I return, I want all of them to have mastered at least one sense.” The three of them agreed in unison. Iuna then asked, “When will you return?” Lysa shrugged, shaking her head. “I don’t know. A few months, maybe a year; Vargard is quite far. You have a lot of time to train them.”

  Lysa waved and jumped down. Maya and Brandon let out a heavy breath; they knew they were holding. “You two were awfully quiet, huh?” Maximus let out a quick breath, a smirk playing at his lips. Maya glared at him, then looked away. “You should worry about not dying to a baby wyvern.” The group laughed as it carried over the wind, flowing across the academy.