“Pretty sure the Lady Fern isn’t interested in anything you have to say, Frederick.” Another rider pushed himself off the wall and ambled over. “Rider Gregory.” He bowed low. “At your service, milady.”
“Lovely to meet you both,” I said, then turned and walked away, hurrying for the stairs.
“Make way for the lady!”
Cadets swarmed up and down the stairs on their way to class, but this Frederick’s voice boomed over the lot of them. People turned to stare, and it was only a force of will that stopped me from shrinking back under their collective gaze. Apath was made, though, so I took it. Scurrying up the steps until I reached the landing outside the library, my feet were forced to slow, then stop.
Kael said he would be here, I thought furiously, searching the swarms of cadets for those familiar faces.So did Lorien.
They can’t, Auren replied.I can see him and the other silver riders running around the keep for some reason. Is this something human males do to impress a female?
No, they don’t.
“Looking for those silver riders?” Gregory prowled closer, an arrogant smirk on his face. It was a close facsimile of Kael’s, and yet on this man it just made my hackles rise. “They were caught leaving the dorm out of uniform this morning.” He glanced at Frederick, who seemed equally amused by this. “You needn’t worry, milady. We’ll keep you safe from those blaggards.”
I will be the one to keep you safe, Auren growled.
“Safe…?” I asked with a frown.
Drifting closer to the library, I saw the doors were firmly locked and people were walking past them, not stopping, waiting to go in like I was. As if summonsed from the depths of the book stacks, one door opened and Christian emerged, looking considerably more casually dressed than the tweedy suit he wore last time I saw him.
“Lady Rochester!” He walked over, loading up one arm with his briefcase, books, and a bunch of papers. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, though if you were hoping to visit the library?—”
“I was.”
That came out too fast, cutting him off, which had my mouth snapping shut.
“As much as I hate to disappoint a lady, that will not be possible.”
“It won’t?” I looked from the librarian to the door and then back again.
“Apparently there’s an infestation of paper bugs.” The man shivered dramatically. “Whole place needs to be sprayed to preserve the books. I wanted to supervise, but the generalassured me that the head of the pest extermination guild himself will be carrying out the spraying process. Fear not, the library should be open again in a month.”
“A month?”
That wasn’t supposed to come out so loud, which made the librarian smile.
“Is there anything specific you were looking for? Are you still researching the ancient dragons?”
“No, I mean, yes.”
He smiled at my flustered state, then reached into his pocket and produced a small card.
“Then fear not. I took the liberty of contacting some friends from my university days. These men have no psychic aptitude at all, but a burning interest in dragon kind.” The card was pressed between my fingers. “If you go down to the university and mention my name, I’m sure Neal and Felix would be willing to speak to you. They aren’t books and don’t have that wonderful smell.” I let out a little sigh at that. “But I believe they may be of assistance to you.”
“Thank you so much.” I held the card to my chest. “This is very helpful.”
“Don’t mention it.” With a wink, he made for the stairs. “It’s not often I meet a student with the same passion for learning as me. If they are not helpful, please feel free to write to me at my estate in Harlston. I’m sure I’d be able to find someone else who could help with your line of enquiry. Now, I must go.”
With a wave, I bid him goodbye, then looked down at the card. On the creamy stock, black letters listed one of the men’s names, along with an impressive list of letters, indicating this Neal’s academic achievements.
“Heading to the university?” Gregory asked. “Frederick here and I would be happy to escort you.”
But I didn’t want to go anywhere with them. Sharing the experience, learning more with strangers, my heart rebelled at such a thing. The corp riders were obviously colluding to keep the silver riders from joining me in the search, and Lance?—
“There you are.”
Turning to see the man himself come down the stairs was a strange thing. Morning sun cascaded through the window slits, momentarily turning Lance’s light brown hair to gold. The fact he was glowing wasn’t the only reason I looked away. Focussing intently on the piece of card, I thought about how I would get to the university. I didn’t even know where it was and?—
