Probably.
My possessiveness and jealousy were getting the better of me. Kailin was a smart and strong woman, and she wasn’t the type to swoon because someone like Ravel was showering her with attention. I should accept what she’d said at face value and stop second-guessing her. It was offensive, and if anyone had dared to question my judgment the way I had questioned hers, I would be just as angry as she was.
I needed to fix things with Kailin, and it was definitely my turn to do so, even if I still felt uneasy about Ravel and his true intentions. I had to trust her judgment and respect her agency. If something was not as it should be, I hoped she would find a way to tell me or at least Shovia without having to break her vow of secrecy.
When we entered, Kailin was seated in the front of the classroom, with her shoulders stiff and her gaze locked on the board behind the instructor's desk, which was laden with neat stacks of leather-bound books.
I hesitated, unsure if I should sit beside her or give her space.
Codric solved my dilemma by nudging me forward. "Just go."
I slid into the seat next to her. "I'm sorry if I upset you," I said quietly. "I should have trusted your judgment, and that if anything was amiss, you would have told me or Shovia. It's just that I was worried about you, and all those tragic scenarios played in my head. I even considered that something might have happened to Chicha, and I wondered if they would have called you for that."
That got a twitch of a smile out of her, and she turned to look at me. "Were you really worried about Chicha?"
"I like your little dog, but I have to admit that I was more worried about your reaction to the bad news than I was about her."
Kailin's expression softened. "So, you weren't jealous?"
Elucians valued truth, so I had to admit that jealousy had been part of it. "I was a little envious, but not because I doubted anything you told me last night. I trust you. It's everyone else I'm suspicious of." A ghost of a smile encouraged me to keep going. "I just know how manipulative some men can be. Particularly men in power. You are young and inexperienced, and even though you are smart, you might not notice the manipulation if it’s done subtly. But upon further reflection, I realized that I did you an injustice. You are much too smart to let anyone take advantage of you."
She leveled her intelligent eyes on me. "Thank you. Try not to forget it next time Commander Ravel requests my presence."
I tensed, the little measure of calm I'd managed to gather dissipating in an instant. "There will be a next time?"
Kailin nodded. "I can't tell you what it's about, but it will require more of my time. I promise to tell you what it is as soon as I'm allowed."
Before I could respond, the classroom door opened, and a tall woman strode in. Her dark hair was pulled back in a knot that sat low on her neck, and the insignia on her uniform indicated her commander rank.
The room fell silent as all attention focused on her.
"Good morning, cadets," she announced, surveying the room with sharp, dark eyes. "I am Commander Moira Langston of the Storm Wing, and I will be one of your principal instructors during your time at the academy. We will start by each of you standing up and introducing yourself to your fellow cadets, and after that, we will go over the academy's rules and regulations. In the military, rules are not suggestions for civilized behavior. A strict adherence is required."
Her eyes shifted to Codric and me, and a sardonic smile lifted her thin lips. "In a mercantile enterprise, breaking the rules might mean monetary loss and sometimes legal action, but inthe military, it can mean the difference between life and death, not just your own, but of your fellow riders. Following the rules is vital, and infringements will be dealt with swiftly and harshly."
Codric and I had heard similar speeches before, so her words had no effect on us, but most of the other cadets seemed stressed.
"Let's begin with you." She pointed at a cadet sitting in the first row. "Please stand up, turn to your fellow cadets, and tell us about yourself in a few words."
As the introductions progressed, I tried to memorize as much as I could of their stories, but I wasn't too worried about forgetting which village each cadet was from or what they had studied and hoped to be before the pilgrimage. That life was over from the moment they'd heard the call of the dragon to come forward in the Circle of Fate.
Besides, I counted on Codric remembering every detail and reminding me if needed.
My cousin wasn't the most studious or the brightest, but he had an incredible memory for personal stories. Perhaps that was his secret power of charming almost anyone into becoming his friend. He really listened to people because he cared about them, and they appreciated him for that.
After the introductions were done, Commander Langston gestured for Morek and another cadet to stand up. "Please distribute the Academy's Regulations Manual to your classmates."
She waited until each one of us held a copy of the book, which wasn't nearly as big as the one Codric and I had gotten in Vedona and had to memorize.
"This manual contains everything you need to know about conduct, protocol, and expectations during your training here, and much more. I recommend that you keep it by your bed andread from it every night. It contains the wisdom of many riders, former and current."
I ran my fingers over the embossed dragon silhouette on the cover and wondered how such a small manual could contain all of that.
"Study the rules first," Langston continued. "Memorize them. When you're thousands of feet in the air, on the back of a creature that could incinerate a small village in seconds, they can be the difference between life and death. They are what makes the difference between cohesion and chaos in the ranks."
She began pacing at the front of the room, her polished black boots clicking against the stone floor.
"Some of the rules are more flexible than others. Some are merely suggestions for harmony in close quarters. Others…" her gaze swept across us "are absolute and inviolable. They are marked appropriately so you will know the difference."
