doesn’t let me. My brother figured it out and told me in exchange for not dobbing on him when I caught him sneaking back in one morning.”
“How odd. You humans are such strange creatures.”
“Are you telling me dragons always say exactly what they mean?”
Maira grinned. “No, not at all. We have our politics, but our parents can’t be so easily fooled.”
“Can they read your mind or only talk in your mind?”
Maira laughed. “By the time we’re teens they can’t enter without permission. But then that’s a dead give away at times. They also give us more freedom. They believe in survival of the fittest. I don’t suppose it’s easy for them, but if you want to make a place for yourself in our society, then you have certain… I guess you could call them rites of passage to pass. Otherwise you could end up being ostracised and that’s as good as a death sentence.”
Amber stared at Maira, her words making her glad to be human. A death sentence for not fitting into society? “What do you get for murder?”
“Huh?”
“If one dragon kills another. What then?”
“It depends. If it’s a renegade who has attacked you, then nothing. Okay, maybe congratulations. If you’ve attacked a dragon weaker than you, probably death if the family finds out. Our laws are different to yours. Survival of the fittest. Clans. Warrior ties. It’s complicated.”
“You… you get away with… murder?”
Maira shrugged. “Not exactly. And it isn’t always murder. We still have battles to the death. If you invoke that right it’s usually over something serious.”
She had enough problems in her own life. She couldn’t start taking on the problems of an entire society. She pushed the disquieting thoughts from her mind and strode over to her open wardrobe. “What sort of clothes will everyone be wearing?” When Maira didn’t answer, Amber turned to face her.
Maira looked puzzled. “Clothes?”
“Yeah, what are you wearing to the party?”
Maira shook her head as she slowly walked over to the wardrobe. “Clothes. Your mind jumps around like a cricket.”
Amber frowned, tempted to argue that comment. It had been a perfectly logical question.
Chapter Seven
Amber sipped the drink in her hand as her eyes scanned the noisy, dimly lit room. It was crowded with people from school as well as others she didn’t recognise. That didn’t mean they weren’t from her school, just that if they did, she hadn’t noticed them or they didn’t warrant her attention.
She sighed heavily and watched as Kade glanced her way before he turned back to talk to Maira and Brann. They were several metres from her and she wondered if he’d actually heard her sigh over the sound of talking and music or if it was a coincidence he’d turned towards her at that moment.
Her attention was caught by a boy walking towards her. He smiled when she looked at him. The last thing she wanted was to put up with someone trying to hook up with her. She looked him up and down and gave him her most disdainful expression before she turned slightly, her shoulder in his direction. She watched as Kade continued to talk to his companions. Or would ‘warriors’ be the correct term? Amber’s lips smiled slightly. Maira and Brann looked as far from warriors as it was possible to be.
Brann had draped his arm around Maira’s shoulders and his fingers lightly brushed back and forth. They wore black clothes and Maira had her usual jewellery, glinting and gleaming as her bare arms moved when she spoke. Her dress was long, the only concession she’d made to the cooler night and Amber believed it was made of the same leather as Brann and Kade’s pants. The dress was probably warmer than needed with the press of bodies that kept the chill at bay.
“Hey.”
Amber glanced at the boy who stood beside her. He was tall, blond and athletic looking. She made sure her expression showed how uninterested she was, mentally cursing Kade for deserting her within
“How odd. You humans are such strange creatures.”
“Are you telling me dragons always say exactly what they mean?”
Maira grinned. “No, not at all. We have our politics, but our parents can’t be so easily fooled.”
“Can they read your mind or only talk in your mind?”
Maira laughed. “By the time we’re teens they can’t enter without permission. But then that’s a dead give away at times. They also give us more freedom. They believe in survival of the fittest. I don’t suppose it’s easy for them, but if you want to make a place for yourself in our society, then you have certain… I guess you could call them rites of passage to pass. Otherwise you could end up being ostracised and that’s as good as a death sentence.”
Amber stared at Maira, her words making her glad to be human. A death sentence for not fitting into society? “What do you get for murder?”
“Huh?”
“If one dragon kills another. What then?”
“It depends. If it’s a renegade who has attacked you, then nothing. Okay, maybe congratulations. If you’ve attacked a dragon weaker than you, probably death if the family finds out. Our laws are different to yours. Survival of the fittest. Clans. Warrior ties. It’s complicated.”
“You… you get away with… murder?”
Maira shrugged. “Not exactly. And it isn’t always murder. We still have battles to the death. If you invoke that right it’s usually over something serious.”
She had enough problems in her own life. She couldn’t start taking on the problems of an entire society. She pushed the disquieting thoughts from her mind and strode over to her open wardrobe. “What sort of clothes will everyone be wearing?” When Maira didn’t answer, Amber turned to face her.
Maira looked puzzled. “Clothes?”
“Yeah, what are you wearing to the party?”
Maira shook her head as she slowly walked over to the wardrobe. “Clothes. Your mind jumps around like a cricket.”
Amber frowned, tempted to argue that comment. It had been a perfectly logical question.
Chapter Seven
Amber sipped the drink in her hand as her eyes scanned the noisy, dimly lit room. It was crowded with people from school as well as others she didn’t recognise. That didn’t mean they weren’t from her school, just that if they did, she hadn’t noticed them or they didn’t warrant her attention.
She sighed heavily and watched as Kade glanced her way before he turned back to talk to Maira and Brann. They were several metres from her and she wondered if he’d actually heard her sigh over the sound of talking and music or if it was a coincidence he’d turned towards her at that moment.
Her attention was caught by a boy walking towards her. He smiled when she looked at him. The last thing she wanted was to put up with someone trying to hook up with her. She looked him up and down and gave him her most disdainful expression before she turned slightly, her shoulder in his direction. She watched as Kade continued to talk to his companions. Or would ‘warriors’ be the correct term? Amber’s lips smiled slightly. Maira and Brann looked as far from warriors as it was possible to be.
Brann had draped his arm around Maira’s shoulders and his fingers lightly brushed back and forth. They wore black clothes and Maira had her usual jewellery, glinting and gleaming as her bare arms moved when she spoke. Her dress was long, the only concession she’d made to the cooler night and Amber believed it was made of the same leather as Brann and Kade’s pants. The dress was probably warmer than needed with the press of bodies that kept the chill at bay.
“Hey.”
Amber glanced at the boy who stood beside her. He was tall, blond and athletic looking. She made sure her expression showed how uninterested she was, mentally cursing Kade for deserting her within
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