Pennyroyal Academy by M.A. Larson Page A

my foot—”
    â€œYour foot is not my concern! My concern is that carriage at the bottom of my hill!”
    â€œYes, Fairy Drillsergeant, I’m sorry—”
    â€œYou certainly are! Back in line!” She floated away, shaking her head in disgust. “You four, you’re next!”
    Evie slumped down the hill. A brisk wind chilled the mud leeching through her dress. The girls who had yet to take a turn—their uniforms bright and brilliant blue—cheered for the current team. She, meanwhile, wiped herself as clean as she could, trying her best to ignore the glares of the three girls she had failed.
    She retreated to the back of the crowd and found some space near the boy, Basil. Maggie and Anisette were still in front, both cheering loudly. It was crushing. Not to see them so excited, but that she couldn’t find it in herself to be a part of it, too.
    She looked out over the Dortchen Wild and thought about her home. Life was simpler there. And that simple life was still happening, right at this moment, without her. Somewhere out there, beyond the forest sea, her father was probably fishing in the river, her mother tidying up in case friends stopped by. But even daydreaming of home provided little comfort, because her next thought was of her sister, and how much she would love to take part in this training exercise. She had always been stronger and more confident than Evie.
    On the hill, Demetra’s team had made good progress. The carriage bobbed toward the summit, steadily, and had already reached the spot where Evie’s team failed. Malora had a similar grip to Evie’s—using her shoulder for power and the footplate for balance. Even splotched with mud, she carried herself with grace and elegance. Evie could quite easily imagine her helping a family of commoners whose wagon had slipped into a ravine. She certainly looked the part of the princess. Perhaps Evie had misjudged her. Perhaps her hostility only served to mask something deeper.
I may not be around to see it, but maybe, with time, she’ll actually become friends with Maggie and the others—
    â€œOver there, you lummox!” shouted Malora, an insult directed at Demetra. The Fairy Drillsergeant made no move to intervene. She either hadn’t heard or had decided to let it pass. Then, to Evie’s astonishment, Demetra shifted her hold on the rear axletree. She was actually listening to Malora’s barked order. A surge of anger lanced through Evie’s stomach. Why didn’t Demetra stand up for herself? How could no one have questioned Malora’s insult?
    â€œI must know,” said Basil, “is that a real dragon scale?” Evie glanced over at him with annoyance. “The blood’s real, too, isn’t it?”
    â€œYes,” she said, agitated. She had never really looked at him before. His chin faded away to nothing, and his nest of brown hair seemed entirely too big for his head. Still, there was something sweet in his eyes.
    â€œI knew it,” he said with an awkward smile. “My brother says there’s magic in it, dragon’s blood. Says it can show you visions. Visions of what’s possible.”
    She tried to ignore him and focus on the exercise. Demetra and her team had nearly reached the top, and Ironbone Company’s cheers had grown louder.
No more about bloody visions,
she thought.
    â€œHe says that anything you see in dragon’s blood is possible, but only if you make the right choices. D’you suppose I might have a go? Not now, obviously, but . . .”
    She walked away, dropping the scale through the neck of her dress.
    â€œRight. Some other time, then,” he called.
    Could that be true? Could the things she had seen that night by the fire actually be possible? What decisions would she need to make to stop that horrifying witch from sending her minions into the night? And what of the princess forced to her knees?
    An