Bloodwing Academy, #2
The Bond That Burns
by Briar Boleyn
Contents
CHAPTER 11 - MEDRA
Overview
Blightborn students confront Medra as a traitor for awakening Nyxaris, revealing rising unrest. Kage intervenes, averts violence, and warns that Nyxaris’s return is shifting magic and weakening blightborn compliance. He offers conditional alliance based on trust, leaving Medra unsettled about looming upheaval and her place within it.
Summary
Reeling from Professor Hassan’s threats in history class, Medra heads for kava but is blocked by a tense group of blightborn students. A burly boy and a braided girl accuse her of betraying blightborn by awakening a dragon for the highbloods. Their anger and talk of stopping her escalate toward potential violence.
Kage Tanaka arrives, his calm authority defusing the confrontation. He cites House Avari’s stake in Medra’s safety and orders the students to disperse, warning of consequences. Medra asks him not to punish them, recognizing their fear and the highbloods’ history with dragons.
In the aftermath, Kage challenges Medra’s alignment and cautions her about power and isolation. He shares his grandmother’s theory: Nyxaris’s awakening has shifted the world’s magic, weakening highblood compliance over blightborn, as evidenced by the students’ open defiance.
They discuss the past era when dragons and highbloods ruled ruthlessly, and Kage warns the balance is tilting again. If compliance continues to weaken, blightborn resistance and violent reprisals may follow, endangering everyone—highbloods, blightborn, and Medra.
Kage offers potential partnership conditioned on earned trust. Medra senses a controlled intensity between them, distinct from Blake’s dominance. As Kage departs, he urges her to prepare for change, leaving Medra both intrigued by his offer and unsettled by the looming instability she has helped unleash.
Who Appears
- Medra PendragonNarrator; confronted by blightborn students as a traitor; seeks de-escalation; learns magic may be shifting due to Nyxaris.
- Kage TanakaIntervenes to protect Medra, disperses students, warns compliance magic is weakening, and offers conditional trust and alliance.
- Burly blightborn boyLeads the confrontation, accuses Medra of betraying blightborn by awakening a dragon; defiant but retreats under Kage’s authority.
- Braided-hair blightborn girlSupports the accusation, fears Nyxaris will be used against blightborn; flees first when Kage intervenes.