There was a titter of nervous laughter.

“I’ve already spoken to Professor Wispwood about the last quake we experienced a few weeks ago,” she continued. This was news to me, but I knew Florence was spending a lot of time with Professor Wispwood after class. “She told me that it was nothing to worry about. Islands like the one Bloodwing is situated on often experience ocean tremors. Sometimes there will be nothing for decades, then there will be a span where you get a bunch all in a row over a few weeks or even days. It’s very common.”

Her words began to settle around the hall and I could almost feel the relief coming off my fellow First Years.

“Even if we did get hit by something like a tidal wave caused by one of the tremors,” Florence continued. “Bloodwing was built high enough above sea level that we would remain safe. Nothing can reach us here.”

Some of the students began talking again, but their voices were lower, less panicked. They seemed reassured.

Florence clapped her hands together briskly. “Now, I need you all to go back to your rooms. The tremors are over. Go to sleep. Everything will be fine. I’ll check in with Professor Wispwood and the headmaster in the morning, and I promise you, if there is any cause for concern, we will let you know.”

The crowd began to move, thinning out of the corridor as the students moved back to their rooms.

I turned to Florence. “That was impressive.”

She shrugged modestly but looked pleased. “Just doing my job.”

“And Thomas isn’t,” Vaughn pointed out.

She sighed. “He’s probably snuck out again. Can you call it sneaking out if you’re going to feed a highblood student? I’ve never been sure about that.”

“I didn’t know First Years could be used as thralls,” I said.

“Yes, well, apparently Thomas ‘belonged’ to this highblood before he arrived at Bloodwing. They came here together from the student’s family estate. It’s rare but it’s acceptable. What’s more unusual is Thomas being made a warden.” Florence looked frustrated. “I don’t see the point of it. He hardly helps the First Years at all.”

“Highblood nepotism knows no bounds.” I peered past her into her room. “Where’s Neville?”

“Gone again,” Florence said, pushing a lock of black hair off her face. “Probably to Blake. I hope he’s all right.”

I shook my head dutifully, but a part of me wondered if Neville slept on Blake’s bed. The memory of the dream was still fresh in my mind. Suddenly my own bed seemed very cold and empty.

“Sleep in my room tonight?” Florence suggested.

“Sure, great idea,” Naveen quipped. “Sleepover party, Vaughn?”

Vaughn smiled. It was the first time I’d seen him really smile in a long time.

Florence punched Naveen’s arm playfully. “I meant Medra.”

“Oh, right. That makes sense,” Naveen agreed. “I’m still hurt though.”

“I’d have invited you if I didn’t happen to know you snore like a bear,” Florence said, giggling. “We used to have sleepovers when we were little,” she explained to Vaughn and I.

We said goodnight to Naveen and Vaughn, and then I followed Florence into her room.

Once we were snuggled up under her blankets, I started to relax. Florence slept with a huge, heavy comforter on top of the other blankets. Its heaviness was nice. Like a warm hug.

Like Blake’s body pressing against you, said an evil voice in my head. I told it to go to hell.

“I got invited to the Dance of the Longest Night,” said Florence, her voice starting to drift. “Did I tell you?”

I sat up in bed. “No, you most certainly did not. By who?”

Please say Naveen, I prayed.

She hesitated. “I actually received two invitations.”

“Oh, really? I’m not surprised. You’ll probably get a dozen more before the ball,” I teased. “After all, you are the most brilliant girl at Bloodwing. Not to mention one of the most beautiful.”

“Ha. I don’t know about either of those things,” Florence said, scrunching up her nose. “I work hard. That’s all.” She hadn’t dimmed the lamp by her bed yet and I could see her black eyes were bright with excitement.

“You work very, very, very hard. Now tell me who asked you,” I prodded. “You know you want to.”

She blushed slightly. “One was a student from House Orphos.”

“A highblood?” I asked in alarm.

She shook her head. “No, a strategist. Ebbot. He’s a Third Year. We’ve studied together a few times. You know I’ve been taking some advanced classes.”

“Is he nice?” I ventured. “Handsome?”

“He’s nice,” Florence said, after a pause to consider. “I’m not sure about handsome. I have to admit, I was surprised when he asked me. I hadn’t thought about him that way. He’s brilliant though. We’d have a lot to talk about.”

“It might be nice to have someone in your field to go with,” I said cautiously. I was hoping the other invitation wasn’t from a highblood. “And the other?”

Florence waved a hand. “It was just Naveen.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure what to say. Not without revealing anything. “Well, Naveen is a good friend. He’d be fun to go with. He’d make you feel comfortable, right?”

“That’s what I was thinking, too.” Florence sighed. “I should probably give Ebbot an answer one way or the other tomorrow.”

I hoped she’d pick Naveen. But I wasn’t sure I should say that out loud. It might sway her the other way.

“Well, no one’s asked me yet,” I said, throwing my head back down on the pillow. “And they probably won’t.” I grinned ferociously at her. “Because I’m the weirdo redhead blightborn dragonless dragon rider girl.”

Blightborn students seemed scared of me half the time. And highbloods were just plain nasty.

I thought of something horrible. “Wait. Please don’t tell me I’m locked into going to this thing with Blake and Regan.”

Florence shook her head and relief flooded through me. “You don’t have to attend with them. Not if Blake hasn’t specifically asked you.”

“He hasn’t. Thank goodness.” But the irrational part of me felt offended that he hadn’t. Which was ridiculous. Despite all that Theo had claimed at the bonfire that night, I knew Blake would go with Regan.

“But you will probably have to dance together at least once,” Florence went on. “It’s tradition.”

“I guess I can manage a single dance.” I tried to imagine slow dancing with Blake Drakharrow and couldn’t quite manage it. “I tried to ask Naveen about the Frostfire Festival but he told me to ask you. He thinks a lot of you, Florence. What’s it like having a friend who adores you so?” I decided to risk teasing her a little.

She laughed. “Naveen is silly. He probably could have given you just as good an answer. What did you want to know?”

I thought for a moment. “So far Frostfire seems so... I don’t know. Sweet? Cozy? Not like a highblood tradition at all. Although Naveen did mention we’d have to visit the Temple of the Bloodmaiden.”

“Yes, that’s true.” Florence bit her lip. “We’re expected to make a blood offering.”

I frowned. “Like on your name day? Why didn’t you ever tell me about that tradition?”

“I guess I never even thought to. Sometimes I forget that you don’t know anything about Sangratha, Medra. Even the most minor things like how we celebrate our name days are new to you.”

“Giving the highbloods some blood on your name day doesn’t seem like much of a celebration to me,” I said with a shudder.

“Well, we’re not giving it to one highblood specifically. We’re offering it to the Bloodmaiden,” Florence replied.

“I still don’t understand what the Bloodmaiden really is. A goddess of some kind?”

Florence nodded. “The story goes that when our world was new, a demigoddess–half mortal, half divine–sacrificed herself and let her blood be spilled to save the world. But her family were determined to avoid her fate. Her mother and father and siblings dipped their head into her blood and drank. She saved them and they were granted immortality.”