Page 104 of Under Restless Skies

But of course it’s not silly. That staff means something, and I need to figure out what—and where it is. What if it’s indeed a magical weapon, ready to go off?

My chest squeezes.

17

Ikiss Ava and Vos, their little scales bigger and softer than before. The two baby dragons must be growing as well, but seeing them daily makes it impossible to notice.

When I’m outside the room, I feel my core sore, and think back to my night with Alayel. It was good, and I obviously wanted it, and yet… Something was missing, except that I don’t know what. The romance, maybe?

With Marcus, sex never felt like its own thing. It was part of something greater. Last night felt like sex for the sake of sex. I’m not ashamed, nor do I regret it, and yet I’m not sure how to feel about it.

I climb up to the washroom, where I clean my body carefully, ensuring to get rid of all the smell of the baby dragons, even if I adore them, even if my numbed nose cannot recognize their scent. Something in this castle is blocking my sense of smell, and I still don’t understand what.

When I get to my bedroom, Celine’s waking up, but Nelly’s not there.

“Had a good night?” Celine eyes me with curiosity.

“Yes. I was with Alayel.” At least that makes more sense than explaining the hatchlings.

“Oooh. Again? Nice.”

I blink, unsure if she thought I’d be with another man, but maybe I’d rather not know. “Where’s Nelly?”

Celine shrugs. “Not sure.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to leave our dorm.”

She narrows her eyes, but her tone is playful. “Oh, did you?”

“I mean… I was under the impression I was misbehaving or something.”

“I can’t attest to that. Now, what I know is that they lock the dorm entry doors, so you can’t be wandering around the academy, but I don’t think they check where everyone’s sleeping.”

“And you have no idea where Nelly is.”

“None.” She lifts a shoulder, then says, “Ready for breakfast?”

“Sure.”

We descend to the refectory, and Nelly soon joins us at our table, keeping her whereabouts a secret. I tell her about Alayel, and she thankfully doesn’t tease me.

“I won’t study with you today,” Celine tells me. “I’ll be at the Outer Hill, flying.”

“Lucky you,” I mutter without thinking.

She looks down. “Right.”

I know she’s not excited about her class and doesn’t want to fly, but training sounds wonderful, and I wish I had the chance to experience that—without dragons, of course. But there won’t be any dragons today.

“It will be fine.” I give her an encouraging smile.

“We’ll start jumping soon too.” Nelly is stirring her juice and turns to me. “You’re the only lucky recruit here.”

“It’s not her fault,” Celine says before I can even figure out how to reply. “And she’s nuts enough that she wants to fly. So we’re all out of luck, in a way.”

A short laugh escapes my lips, even if I’m not amused. It must be horrible to have to sign up for the Sky Academy just because you don’t have any better options, and even worse to be forced to risk your life—but I can’t change that, and I don’t want to say that I feel sorry for them. Maybe I know what to say.

“You’re here, you’re trying, and you’ll survive. We’ll survive.”