Page 114 of Under Restless Skies

After some hesitation, I decide to tell her the truth—sort of. “I have to go somewhere. But I can’t tell you where.”

“Are you all right?” she asks.

“I’m fine. I’ll be here in the morning, as usual. Thanks for walking back to the academy with me.”

Celine nods, a slight frown on her forehead, as if she can’t understand what I mean or where I’ll spend the night, but then she smiles. “Don’t worry. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you.”

I turn around and leave the room, feeling bad for not telling her about the little dragons. More than anyone, she would love Ava and Vos—their cute mannerisms, the way they look at you, the little squeaks they make. Perhaps one day I’ll tell her, but I need to think about it carefully and be sure that she’ll keep the secret.

When I get down to the dungeons, two people are leaving the hallway that leads to the hatchlings’ room: instructor Katrine and a man with a thick, dark beard. I step back and walk in the other direction, close enough to get a wisp of their conversation.

“He’s practically forgotten about them,” she says. “We can afford to wait.”

Luckily, they don’t even glance in my direction, but then, whatever they said wasn’t that much of a secret, if she spoke in front of the guards. Who’s he? What are they waiting for? I wonder if I’ll ever find out anything.

Once they’re gone, I enter the hallway and the room. Ava and Vos run to me, as if they were scared of something, but there’s nothing different or strange here.

I sit and take both dragons on my lap, then caress their smooth scales. “It’s all right. I’m here. I know I don’t look like much, but I protected you once.”

Ava chirps, while Vos makes a strange, gurgling sound. I hope they’re not laughing at me.

The little dragons’ presence calms me, but still, in the silence of this room, I can’t stop reliving the moment when Alayel turned away as if we were strangers. As if we were nothing. I should have known. Should have expected it.

My stupidity is what hurts the most, or maybe I cling to my anger so that I don’t have to face my pain. That space he filled once in my chest is now bitter and poisoned, a tightness spreading through my body.

A touch brings me back to this room. Ava’s rubbing my belly with her little head. She and her brother have a place in my heart too. A beautiful place. So does my brother, and even Celine and Nelly. There’s so much love for me. I can’t let one idiot ruin everything, can’t let myself become bitter.

When I lie down to sleep, it’s Katrine’s words that come to my mind. He’s practically forgotten about them.

Who’s he? Auranius? Commander Mallor? He’s well aware of the little dragons. The king? Too many questions and nowhere to find the answers.

I cling to the end of her words: we can afford to wait.

Whatever’s going to happen, there’s time. Still, I need to find out what it is. If it’s something bad… My heart stills, but then I let the stuffy air from the room fill my lungs. There’s time. Nothing’s going to happen tonight.

When I close my eyes, the staff comes to mind, brilliant and powerful. And then the rider. Watching me, waiting.

What is he waiting for?

19

Celine and Nelly don’t ask where I spent the night, and we head to breakfast as usual.

“I heard what happened,” Nelly says as we wait in line.

I’m stunned. “How?”

“I told her,” Celine says as she places a roll of bread on her tray.

I’m not sure if she was trying to be helpful, but I hate having other people witness my shame, my stupidity. “Right.”

“Alayel is a jerk,” Nelly says. “I think he was still seeing Silvia.”

Her words are like a sharp blade between my ribs, but I pretend I don’t care. I can’t allow myself to be humiliated by that stupid bastard.

“Well…” I swallow. “We weren’t serious, so… it’s fine.” I take a bite of the apple I just grabbed, but it tastes like sand.