It was still technically night, too early for breakfast delivery, but perhaps they had decided to deliver it earlier because our flight tests were starting at first light.
I looked through the peephole to make sure that it was the kitchen attendant and not a would-be assassin. Not that assassins knocked before entering. The person on the other side wasn't wearing a white apron pushing a cart with food, though. It was a third-year cadet holding a letter.
My stomach dropped.
I doubted that the correspondence was meant for any of my friends, their families wishing them good luck on the last day of testing. This letter was for me, and it could only mean that things had gotten worse at home.
There was no way that it was a response letter to the one I had written my mother because it wouldn't have made it back yet.
I unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Good morning," I told the cadet.
"Good morning." He handed me the letter. "Express delivery for Cadet Alar Tekum. It's marked urgent." He saluted and departed without another word.
The envelope was thick, the paper heavy and expensive, and the seal pressed into the wax unmistakable. It was the royal crest of Catonia, which meant that my family was no longer bothering to conceal my identity.
They meant to expose me.
They didn’t know that I’d already been exposed. Saphir had read my mind back in the Circle of Fate, discovering my true identity, and he’d told all thewing and section commanders. The rank-and-filedidn’t know, but the brass did.
I carried the envelope to the dining table, sat down, and as I broke the seal, I felt as if I was sealing my fate.
The letter inside was written in my mother's hand.
My dearest Alar,
I write to you with the heaviest of hearts. Your father's condition has deteriorated rapidly since the first letter I sent you.
I know how important this dragon-riding adventure has been to you, and if I could, I would have loved nothing more than to let you stay and fulfill your childhood dreams, but this is no longer an option. Your father is asking for you.
There are matters at court that require your presence. Arrangements are being made that affect your future and the future of our family. Your brothers have convened without you, and decisions are being discussed that you should have a voice in. I cannot say more in a letter, but please understand—this is not merely a mother's plea but a matter of duty and obligation.
Your brothers add their voices to mine and implore you to come home immediately.
With all of my love,
Your Mother
I read the letter twice. Then a third time.
The words blurred. I blinked hard, forcing my vision to clear.
Father's condition had worsened, and he was asking for me.
This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not when I was one day away from everything I had worked so hard for.
Tomorrow, I would bond with a dragon. Tomorrow, I would begin my journey into immortality. Tomorrow, I would seal my commitment to Kailin and the prophecy and the future of Aurorys.
The timing was impossible, perfectly calculated to cause maximum damage. The wording of the letter was also overly emotional, which didn’t reflect the way my mother usually communicated.
But what if it was true?
I thought of my stern, demanding father who somehow still let me know that he loved me without actually saying it or showing it. I'd thought that he believed in me, that this was why he'd let me convince him to allow me to join the pilgrimage in Elucia. He'd agreed that there was merit to my claim that the Elurian Federation needed a dragon force, and that the only way to gather intelligence about the Elucian defenses was from the inside.
But apparently, he'd never believed I would actually make it this far and bond with a dragon. He'd expected me to fail and come home ready to accept whatever minor role he'd carved out for me in his court.
But I hadn't failed. I'd been elevated to a level I could have never expected. I was part of the prophesied seven, and I was the partner of the Hero of Elucia and its future shaman.
I heard one of the bedroom doors open, and a moment later, Codric trudged into the common room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He stopped when he saw me at the table. "Who died?"
