Thornhill Academy (By Sheridan Hartin) novel Chapter 22

Draconis.

52

Scorched’s heavy steps echoed as he crossed the chamber. He reached into the folds of his dark coat and pulled out a small box, flipping it open with deliberate care. Inside was a pin, silver, polished so bright it caught the light from the runes underfoot. The crest etched into its surface looked like a dragon coiled around a crown, wings flared wide.

He pressed it into my palm. “Draconis.”

I turned it over, confused. I’d seen one of these before, clipped neatly onto Tessa’s blazer, though hers had been different, crescent–shaped, softer. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now it felt heavy in my hand.

“So this is it?” I asked, holding it up between two fingers. “A shiny little badge?”

Scorched’s golden eyes sharpened as they fixed on me. His voice came low, even, but edged with steel.

“This is not just a badge. It is a symbol of what you can do and what you will do. Draconis members are not ordinary students. Many go directly to the front lines when they leave these walls. They are warriors, weapons, leaders, highly commended for their service.”

I resisted the urge to groan. Great. Because that’s exactly what I wanted: to be drafted into someone else’s war.

“Aside from the front lines,” he continued, “others have gone on to become generals, council advisors, even ambassadors to the High Courts. With this pin comes not just training, but status. It tells the world what you are capable of.”

He let the weight of his words settle before adding, “And come the Moonlight Festival, if you are privileged enough to be fated, others will see this crest. They will know your worth. To be matched with someone of Draconis status is considered a great honour.”

That stopped me cold. My fingers tightened around the pin. Moonlight Festival. The words tickled something deep in my chest, sparking more questions than answers.

“What the hell is the Moonlight Festival?” I asked before I could stop myself.

Scorched’s lips curved, just slightly, just enough to make my stomach twist. “You’ll see soon enough, Ms. Rivers. For now, wear your crest with pride.”

Pride wasn’t precisely what I felt as I pinned the dragon to my blazer. Mostly, I felt like I’d just been branded.

I slipped out of the assessment hall as quickly as I could, the dragon pin heavy against my blazer. The hum of Scorched’s words still crawled under my skin…front lines, status, honour, None of it sounded like something I wanted any part of.

The bell was already ringing when I ducked into my next class, breath short, bag bouncing against my hip. Tessa was there, perched on the edge of her seat like she’d been waiting for me.

Her whole face lit up when she saw the pin. “Oh my gods, Allison, you’re in Draconis!” She clapped her hands together, braid bouncing. “That’s incredible. I knew you’d be placed high.”

I tugged at the lapel of my blazer, scowling. “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

“Of course it is!” she insisted, her voice hushed but bursting with pride. “Draconis is the strongest House. People will respect you now. Fear you, even.”

I eyed her, then nodded at the silver crescent pinned neatly to her blazer. “What about you? Which House are you in?”

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Draconis.

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Her smile dimmed just a little, turning into something softer, more fragile. “Noctis,” she admitted. “The lowest one.” She shrugged, like she’d rehearsed that motion a thousand times. “But that’s okay. I’m still proud of it. We may not be Draconis or Aureus, but Noctis students… we find our own ways to shine.”

Something in her quiet bravery made my chest tighten. She wasn’t ashamed. Not really. Just used to being underestimated.

I fiddled with the dragon crest, frown deepening. “Tessa… what’s the Moonlight Festival?”

Her eyes widened, then flicked nervously around the room as though the very words were dangerous. She leaned closer, dropping her voice to a whisper.

“It’s the night the Academy gathers under the full moon. All the Houses. All the students. The magic in the air… it pulls at the bonds of fate. Mate bonds.

That’s when they’re revealed.”

Mate bonds. The word hit me like a stone dropped into deep water, rippling outward into places I didn’t want to touch yet.

Tessa’s expression softened. “It doesn’t happen for everyone. Only those that the gods have already marked. But for some… it changes everything.”

I stared at her, my mind spinning. Mate bonds. Status. Draconis. Great. As if my life wasn’t complicated enough.

I must’ve looked like I’d swallowed a mouthful of ash, because Tessa tilted her head, studying me with that unshakable brightness in her eyes.

“Hey,” she said gently. “Don’t worry about it. The Moonlight Festival isn’t all fate and bonds and serious stuff.”

I arched a brow. “No?”

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