ALAR
"Regulations act as vital fortifications, not constraints. A perceptive cadet recognizes which rules defend against real dangers and which uphold the rights and sensitivities of fellow cadets. Both are essential, but the protection of life must always take precedence. Other factors are secondary."
—Commander Moira Langston, Storm Wing, Dragon Force
The mess hall had emptied considerably as most cadets headed to their respective classes, but all members of our quintet, save for Kailin, were still there, waiting for her to return.
Evidently, I wasn't the only one concerned for her. Why had she been singled out? What did Ravel want from her thathe could excuse commanding her presence in the middle of breakfast?
It was highly out of the ordinary. Cadets were not called out during their daily activity unless there was a disciplinary action against them or something bad happened at home.
Suddenly fearing for Kailin's family, I found that worry replaced jealousy. Was it Gran?
She'd seemed in perfect health when we'd left Skywatcher's Point, and Kailin's parents had seemed in good health as well. What if something happened to Chicha? Would they have called Kailin to tell her that her dog had died?
Or maybe it had to do with the ongoing investigation about the bombs in the village square or the sabotage during the pilgrimage. But then they would have called all of us who had been there, not just Kailin, unless Ravel had used his rank to get her away from her fellow cadets so he could impress her with whatever he thought was impressive about him.
"You're going to burn a hole in that door if you keep glowering at it," Codric said, pushing his empty plate away.
"I'm not glowering," I grumbled, though I probably was.
Shovia snorted. "You look like my father when I come back home in the morning. He still thinks that I'm his little girl and waits up for me just so he can give me this scolding look and walk out of the room with a huff."
Codric reached over to take her hand. "Tell him that now you aremylittle girl."
She pulled her hand out of his grip. "I'm nobody's little anything."
"Commander Ravel probably just needed to talk to her about her brother," Morek said. "Maybe Dylon is getting a promotion or something."
I'd forgotten about Kailin's brother being on the Force, and my gut twisted into a painful knot at Morek's words. What ifhe was right and she had been called because of Dylon, but not to tell her about a promotion, but something bad that had happened to him?
I forced myself to look away from the door and focus on the remnants of my breakfast. "I'm worried. It's the first day of training, and she wouldn't be pulled away for some triviality. What if something happened to someone in her family?"
Shovia shook her head, then leaned closer to me. "I watched Captain Odinah when she came to get Kailin. She didn't look like someone who was delivering bad news. She looked pissed like a jealous woman. I think she has the hots for Commander Ravel."
That wasn't what I wanted to hear either. If Captain Odinah was jealous, she must have a good reason for that. But it eased my worries a little.
Still, it didn't make sense for Ravel to act so inappropriately. Even if he was interested in Kailin, which I had no doubt he was, he wouldn't have called for her to be brought to him. I found it hard to believe that behavior like that was condoned at the Dragon Flight Academy. No self-respecting institution would allow commanders to take advantage of impressionable cadets.
But what if it did?
Then what was I supposed to do?
Was I going to march into the General's office and demand accountability?
I was a nobody here, even though Saphir knew my identity. An Elurian prince who was fifth in line to the throne was not very important even in Eluria.
When the mess hall doors opened and Kailin finally walked in, she looked perturbed, and my hackles rose. There was a tension in her shoulders and a slight crease between her brows.
Whatever Ravel had wanted from her, it hadn't been pleasant.
She smiled and made her way over, sliding back onto the bench beside me. Her breakfast sat where she'd left it, now cold and unappetizing.
"I'm back." She reached for her still half-full glass of water.
"What did he want?" I asked, trying to keep my tone neutral despite the storm of emotions churning inside me.
She took a slow sip of water, buying herself time. "I can't talk about it," she said finally, not meeting my eyes. "I'm not allowed."
