"That's not for you to decide," the guard said while his partner handed the others similar notes. "Off you go. When you get to the top, march yourselves to the security office and show your tickets to the supervisor."
I'd never seen a brawl being handled like that. He was letting them go and trusting them to report to the security office on the other side?
His partner turned to us. "If you gentlemen would come with me, we need to take your statements."
As we followed him to a dingy office tucked into the side of the building, my frustration mounted. Once inside, I couldn't hold back any longer. "Why did you wait so long to intervene?You were watching the whole time, and you saw that they were harassing us. And why did you just let them go?"
The guard's lips twitched into a knowing smirk. "I wanted to see how you, Elurian boys, would handle yourselves." He shrugged. "Have to say, I'm impressed. That was some fancy fighting."
I clenched my jaw, stifling the impulse to demand to submit a formal complaint. In Eluria, the guards would have faced serious consequences. But we were visitors here, and if we made too much noise, we would be escorted out and not allowed to enter.
"That wasn't professional," Codric murmured.
The guard lifted a brow. "That depends on the objective." He pulled out a form and began filling it out. "You just proved what I had suspected."
I tensed. "And what's that?"
"That you're more than just a couple of soft merchants' sons dreaming of becoming dragon riders." He stamped the form and handed it to us. "This will get you access to the express line." He smiled. "For your trouble."
What the hells?
If he suspected us of not being who we seemed to be, why was he giving us access to the express line? Was this some kind of a joke, and we would get arrested when we got to the other side?
"Thank you." Codric reached for the form.
"Good luck," the guard said.
As we walked toward the shortest line, Codric bumped my shoulder. "Hey, at least we got to skip the queue."
"Don't you find the whole thing suspicious?"
He shrugged. "So, they wanted to test us. So what? We passed."
I shook my head. "The question is why they felt the need to do that. Something about us must have raised their suspicions, but then why did they still allow us to continue?"
"Elucians are strange people," Codric whispered. "We expected unconventional methods of interrogation, and we were right. I think they sent those guys to goad us on purpose to see how we would respond."
The whole episode made me uneasy, but I still couldn't figure out what the guards' objective had been.
The line continued to move, and soon we found ourselves at the front.
Stepping inside the car, I was caught up in Codric's enthusiasm and felt a thrill of anticipation.
This was it. We were in.
We entered along with a group of other passengers and took our seats. As the doors closed with a satisfying hiss, the car lurched, accelerated, and we began the ascent.
5
KAILIN
Two dragons in one morning is more than I've ever seen around here before, but it isn't just fear I feel when their roars echo off the mountains. It's awe at their raw power, and I wonder if they sense something we don't or if they're watching us as well.
—From the journal of Kailin Strom
As I rushed into the classroom, my books tucked under my arm and a cup of caff clasped in my hand, Shovia regarded me with an amused expression on her face."Gran keep you in the apothecary?" she asked when I took my seat next to her.
"I was late to work." I placed my books on the desk. "My feet hurt so badly after the trek this morning that I had to soak them before starting my shift. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem, but with all the pilgrims arriving at Skywatcher's Point, the apothecary is busier than usual."
