Brynna

  Brynna disengaged herself from the conversation around the promoter and headed for the couch in the corner of the green room where Thessaly sat, poking halfheartedly at her phone. The mermaid sitting quietly out of the way somewhere after a show was nothing new, but usually she’d be working – scrolling diligently through her social media feeds, showing her fast-growing army of fans that she took an interest in them and their responses to her performances. Tonight she seemed to have switched off the instant she sang her last note.

  She looked up as Brynna approached, lips twitching in an effort at a smile that turned into a shrug before it reached her eyes. Then she tried to go back to her phone, but Brynna slid onto the sofa next to her and caught her arm. Thessaly’s attention sharpened with worry, a sad frown pinching her face as she faced Brynna.

  “What’s wrong, Thessaly, sweetie?” Brynna knew better than to approach her charge’s emotions obliquely.

  The mermaid looked down at the phone in her lap. She didn’t speak. That already put Brynna on the map of the problem. Thessaly’s training was emotional as much as physical or musical, being an idol meant processing and storing powerful feelings, always, for later reuse. Of course, that’s not how human beings work and no idol was ever perfect at it, but for the last few weeks only one topic could wriggle out of Thessaly’s grasp.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  “Oh, sweetie, you still haven’t heard from Phoebe?” Brynna put her hand on Thessaly’s shoulder, as she seemed to find herself doing more and more often these days.

  The mermaid’s head shook, very gently. “She came in eleventh today, all the way out of the points. And those photos of her with Mynah…”

  Brynna didn’t believe for a second that Mynah Darling, maybe the biggest idol in Occidens right now, had actually struck up a relationship with Phoebe Tenryuu so quickly as to completely displace Thessaly in the dragon rider’s life. What Thessaly had told her about the time Phoebe had taken the mermaid for milkshakes rang too true for that.

  But Brynna had years of age to her advantage in appraising the situation. Thessaly was head-over-heels for Phoebe, and even Brynna had distant memories of what that could be like for the young. Carefully, she slid her arm across the back of Thessaly’s hunched shoulders. “Give her time, sweetie, her life is even wilder than yours right now. You haven’t heard the last of her, I promise.”

  Tuesday: Phoebe - supplement (562 words)

  Wednesday: Brynna - major update (537 words)

  Thursday: Petunia - supplement (507 words)

  Friday: Phoebe - major update (1033 words)

  Saturday: DNN2 - supplement (621 words)

  Sunday: Adelie - supplement (916 words)

  articles from a sports website covering dragon racing, if you want a broader perspective on the lore, the world and the sport.

  Sixth race: Buildup starts July 22nd, race day 4th August

  Seventh race: Buildup starts 5th August, race day 12th August

  Eighth race: Buildup starts 13th August, race day 18th August

  Ninth race: Buildup starts 19th August, race day 25th August

  Tenth race: Buildup starts 26th August, race day 1st September

  Mid-season break: 4th-8th September

  Eleventh race: Buildup starts 9th September, race day 15th September

  Twelfth race: Buildup starts 16th September, race day 22nd September

  Thirteenth race: Buildup starts 23rd September, race day 6th October

  Fourteenth race: Buildup starts 7th October, race day 13th October

  Fifteenth race: Buildup starts 14th October, race day 20th October

  Sixteenth race: Buildup starts 23rd October, race day 27th October

  Seventeenth race: Buildup starts 30th October, race day 10th November

  Final race: Buildup starts 11th November, race day tbd (likely 1st week in December)