Page 78 of Under Restless Skies

“Is that clear?” he asks.

“Yes. I mean, no.” I point at the bell. “How will you know⁠—”

“I just do. Speak the truth and you’ll have nothing to fear.”

“All right.”

“Who am I?”

He must be trying to get a sense of what I sound like when saying the truth, and will ask some obvious questions. “Commander Mallor,” I reply. “Responsible for the Sky Academy.”

“Your name?”

“Mayara of the Earth.”

“Daughter of…”

I hesitate for a second, then say, “My birth record states daughter of Ruynara of the Spring and Sonos of the Dawn.” That’s true, even if one of these people might not exist.

“Where are your parents?”

I wish he didn’t ask that, but he probably thinks these are easy questions, or maybe that they’ll help him understand me better.

The air in the room feels stuffy all of a sudden, as unpleasant memories threaten to surface.

I look down and take a deep breath. “My mother passed away ten years—” The bell rings, and I face the commander. “She… did.”

“You’re lying. Try again.”

Heaviness settles in my chest, and for a second I’m a little girl again. Not little. I’m my brother’s big sister. I’m a big girl.

My mother approaches me with a broad smile on her face, telling me she has great news, and that I should be happy for her. I want to be happy for her. She deserves it. She deserves to be free of me and my brother, and to enjoy her life, away from us. I want her to find joy.

Beneath it all, a persistent thought threatens to surface: my brother and I were never enough.

“What happened?” Commander Mallor’s voice is curious rather than harsh, and yet it pokes the cavity beneath my ribs.

“She…” My voice cracks, but I make an effort to continue. “Abandoned us…”

I had never said it. Not like that. Silly, stupid tears come to my eyes, perhaps because of the wine, and yet the words keep coming. “Left. Told me she had the right to be happy. Left me with my little brother, said we should look for our father in Dracolius City. I came here. I looked. There’s nobody with that name.”

The cloth over the bucket slides off. In an instant, Ava is out and scrambling onto my lap. Oh, no.

“I can explain it,” I plead. “I swear.”

Little Ava climbs to my chest and my entire body trembles with horror at what just happened.

“Then explain.” Mallor eyes the baby dragon, an eyebrow raised.

“Somebody’s putting her in my room.” My breath is shaky, my voice weak, and I speak fast, hoping I have time to clarify the situation before this commander explodes in rage. “When I arrive, she’s there. Three times now. It’s not Alayel, and I can’t understand who would do it. Or why. Right now, I was trying to return her to her room—if she’s even in the same room.”

Mallor gets up and crouches near me, looking at Ava. “We’ll return her. Don’t worry about her showing up in your room.”

That doesn’t make sense. “Should I just ignore it?”

“Yes. The less you see, the less you risk. The less you notice, the higher the chance you’ll remain alive.”

His words cause a chill to run through my spine, but I don’t know if ignoring what’s happening is the answer. Someone knows about me, someone is getting into the dragon’s room, into my room. Can’t he see the issue?