Read Online Resistance (Ilyon Chronicles Book 1) by Jaye L. Knight - Free Book Online

All wore identical uniforms—black pants, gold shirts, and black jerkins, though the boys’ jerkins ended at the waist while the girls’ fell longer, coming to a point at their knees.
    The east wing of the Hall held the girls’ dormitory. At the one door leading into it, a hefty woman stood guard, tall and rigid. She barely took notice of Kyrin, but kept a watchful eye, ready to chase off any boy who might try to sneak past.
    Down an incredibly long, polished wood hall, Kyrin climbed a staircase, and then another to the third floor. In the middle of this hall, she opened the door to her room. Two rows of three bunks rose one after another up the wall on the right. To the left stood a large wardrobe and a long table. A girl with flaming red hair that nearly reached her knees, the envy of the whole floor, sat on one of the bunks while a second pretty, blonde-haired girl stood at the window—Yara and Milly, two of Kyrin’s roommates. Their conversation ceased as she stepped inside.
    “What happened?” Milly asked. “Where were you during lunch?”
    Both girls appeared genuine. These two usually treated her civilly, at least to her face, though they tended to be a bit flighty and spoke of little besides their latest crushes or gossip. It always miffed them when Kyrin didn’t join in.
    “Kaden and I were out with Elise and Meredith. Elise got distracted by an execution in the square.”
    Yara wrinkled her nose. “And she got out of trouble again?”
    Kyrin didn’t answer. Like Master Zocar, they would never understand. She walked to the wardrobe and pulled open the doors. Each girl had a shelf of neatly stacked clothing. Kyrin took great care to make sure the stack stayed straight and folded when she pulled out her training uniform. The girls’ head mistress would have a fit if one of her daily inspections turned up something out of place.
    While she changed into the new uniform, which was similar but sturdier than the usual one to withstand the rigors of training, Yara and Milly resumed their conversation. Surprisingly, it didn’t center around boys, but rather the big evaluation and ceremony three days from now.
    “I wonder how many will be chosen?” Milly said. “Surely more than last year. Do you think so, Kyrin?”
    “I’m sure. Master Zocar hasn’t been especially hard on everyone for nothing.”
    Yara agreed, and she and Milly speculated on who would be chosen. Kyrin had her own guesses, but she did not share them. Talk of the promotion ceremony made her queasy. All through the year, reports went to the emperor’s men on the students’ progress. From the nineteen- and twenty-year-olds who completed their training, those with the most skill or talent received a promotion to specific positions within Arcacia’s most prominent cities. Anyone left over filled smaller government roles.
    Only a couple of years remained until Kyrin’s promotion. How she wished to slow down the time. Not only would it mean separation from Kaden, but also a new, unfamiliar life. Though it might be everyone’s highest goal to achieve promotion, Kyrin wouldn’t mind if the officials overlooked her when the time came. What could she offer anyway? Acute observation skills and a perfect memory didn’t seem particularly useful. If only they’d think her useless and send her home …with her troublemaker brother, of course.
    She stuffed her damp clothes in the hamper and left Yara and Milly to their speculations. Outside, behind the Hall, the steps led down into a sweeping area with five separate training fields. Most existed for the young men and their weapons training. The riding arena took up the most space. At the creation of Tarvin Hall, they’d used it to train the students in dragon riding, not just horses. But the mysterious cretes, the only race with the skills to train dragons, had stopped dealing with Arcacia years ago. Only the very wealthy owned dragons these days, and those dwindled.
    She caught another glimpse of