"Astronomical." I took another forkful of stew. "But clearly not impossible."
Terral, Morek's roommate, leaned his elbow on the table, holding his fork out like it was a pedagogical pointer. "It's unheard of for an entire quintet to be chosen. Were you friends before? Did you feel any special bond forming between you during the pilgrimage?"
I'd been wondering the same thing. Codric and I had met Kailin and Shovia at the bar in the pilgrims' lodge, and I had to admit that the connection had been immediate. Codric and Shovia had spent the night together right away, and the only reason that Kailin and I hadn't was because we were more reserved people who preferred to get to know each other first. It didn't mean that we hadn't felt the connection like they had. If anything, it had been stronger.
Well, until that commander had swooped her up on his dragon.
But what about Morek?
He'd grown up with Shovia and had known Kailin since she was sixteen. The three of them had been friends for a long time, but Codric and I had only gotten to know him during the pilgrimage, and I hadn't felt any special affinity toward him. Frankly, I only felt it toward Kailin, and Codric was my cousin and best friend. Shovia and Morek were just acquaintances to me.
"We got to know each other a few days before the pilgrimage." Codric tore off a piece of bread and dipped it in the stew sauce on his plate. "But I don't think it had anything to do with our entire quintet getting chosen. We worked well together, though, so maybe that's why. Supposedly, they watched us during the trek, and we got graded based on how well we worked as a team." He smiled. "And we were great."
"Or perhaps something else is going on," I said, too quietly for anyone but Codric to hear.
He gave me a look. "Like what?"
I shrugged. "Fate, providence, whatever you want to call it."
My words were meant for public consumption, not for Codric, but he understood that I couldn't tell him my suspicions in front of the others, and he let it go.
Saphir knew my true identity, and it had something to do with Codric's and my selection. As for the others, I had no clue. Kailin's brother was a rider, so she had the right genetics, but she was afraid of heights, so she wasn't the best choice. Shovia was gutsy, resilient, and tenacious, but she'd never wanted to be a rider, and frankly, I thought she would have done better in the Spy Corps. Morek was a good guy, but not the brightest, and riders needed to be smart, at least in my opinion.
"Can I join you?" A female voice sounded from behind me.
I turned to see one of the cadets chosen from the previous pilgrimages. She was pretty, blonde, and curvy in all the right places.
"Of course," Codric said with a grin, sliding and making room for her between us. "I'm Codric, and this is my much less fun cousin, Alar."
The guy couldn't stop flirting if his life depended on it. How did Shovia tolerate it?
Did she even care?
Would Kailin care if I talked to the pretty cadet?
"I'm Vessa." She didn't seem to mind sitting between us. In fact, she wore the expression of a satisfied cat.
It was low of me, but I made a point of engaging Vessa in conversation and giving the appearance of being interested in her, hoping Kailin would notice and get a taste of her own medicine.
With Vessa doing most of the talking, I only had to contribute minimally to keep the conversation going and could split my attention between appearing to be engaged by her and watching Kailin from the corner of my eye.
She laughed at something Shovia had said, the sound carrying across the space between us, and it made my chest feel too tight. It had been only yesterday that she'd laughed like that with me, and I missed it.
I wanted it back.
Vessa kept talking, and I kept making noncommittal sounds, but if anyone asked me what she'd said to me, I wouldn't be able to recall a single thing.
Eventually, she noticed that I wasn't really there for her and turned her attention to Codric.
I stifled a sigh of relief and loaded my plate with another helping. I was no longer hungry, my stomach having shrunk during the three-day fast, and food wasn't going to fill the gnawing hole in my gut, but I ate everything, and by the time I was done, Codric was ready to leave.
We found our room after only getting turned around once, and when we got inside, Codric flopped onto one of the beds. "Not the most comfortable accommodations I've ever had, but far from the worst."
I sat on the other bed, testing its firmness. "It's fine, but you shouldn't lie down on it with your dirty clothes on. Go shower first."
"I will, and the bed is not made yet." Codric propped himself up on one elbow. "I can wipe the mattress clean with a rag."
"That's just extra work."
