Alar's face lit up. "Really? That's great!"
He pulled her into a kiss right there in the mess hall, and although I didn't begrudge them their outward affection, I had more interesting things to look at than their lip-lock.
Other cadets were staring, but Alar and Kailin seemed oblivious to everything except each other. Some of the looks directed at our table were hostile, probably those Elusitor converts that Shovia had been going on about, who resented what Kailin represented. Or just jealous cadets who didn't like seeing first-years get special treatment.
The explosion at the temple had made everyone paranoid. Including me, though my paranoia manifested as symbol obsession rather than constant threat assessment. For some reason, I believed that deciphering them would solve some of the mysteries we were chasing.
"Get a room," I muttered at my cousin and his girlfriend.
They broke apart, looking sheepish.
Alar stood and offered Kailin his hand. "We need to get to class."
"Right. Class." Kailin was smiling in a way I hadn't seen since before Podana.
She must be doing better, which was great news. The sooner she returned to full strength, the sooner she could start drinking that tea again, and I could sleep better at night knowing that she was connected to her little animal friends and could sound a warning if needed.
They left holding hands, and I returned to my sketches. The pattern was there. I could feel it in my bones. Just a little more time and I'd?—
"You're obsessed." Shovia slid into the spot Alar had vacated, and she didn't look amused.
"I'm close to solving this puzzle," I said. "I can feel it."
She leaned in. "You're worrying me," she whispered in my ear. "You've barely slept since we returned from the temple, and we have all been neglecting the investigation that actually matters. Dead riders, remember? Alar and Kailin are preoccupied with her health, you are on a deep dive into yoursymbols, and Morek is studying like his life depends on it, which it might. I can't do this on my own."
She was right. I'd forgotten about the suspicious dragon deaths, about Morgateth and the pattern we'd discovered. My mind had been completely consumed by the symbols. It was like they were bewitching me, casting a spell, and tethering my consciousness to them like Kailin's was tethered to the creatures she'd connected with during her prophetic dreams.
Perhaps Alar was right, and we were similarly afflicted, just by different things.
"We need to identify the riders bonded to the two killer dragons," Shovia continued in a whisper. "And we need to somehow warn people to stay away from Morgateth."
"Can't we multitask?"
"Apparently not." Her frustration was clear. "It's been six days, Codric. Six days of you staring at papers and ignoring everything else, including your homework and studying for tests. If you fail, you won't get to attend the Day of Volition."
I swallowed, but even the threat of missing my chance to bond with a dragon wasn't enough to pull me away from my obsession. I knew I could pass the stupid tests without studying. I had an incredible memory, which meant that I only had to hear or read something once for it to be embedded in my mind. It didn't mean that I understood everything as well as I should, but I could pass the tests with top grades without understanding everything. Tests were built to evaluate knowledge, which was mainly the memorization of facts.
"The symbols could be important to the prophecy," I said.
"The lives of riders are on the line, Codric. They need to be warned."
"Why can't you rope Alar and Kailin into the investigation, or Morek?"
She rolled her eyes. "Alar is trying to keep Kailin alive, and Morek is freaking out about the tests. He's an awesome guy, but he's not good at studying. He might fail if he doesn't dedicate every spare moment to preparing for the final exams."
It seemed that it was up to the two of us to continue the investigation, and I couldn't afford to get sucked into tunnel vision.
"Wait." I grabbed her wrist as she stood to leave. "You're right. I'm sorry."
She stopped, looking down at me.
"Let's go to the library this evening," I continued. "We can research both symbols and dragons. I promise I'll help with the investigation."
The problem was getting in. Ravel had promised Kailin to see what he could do, but he hadn't, so it seemed that he wanted us to stay away from the library, and Odinah was never going to allow it.
She pursed her lips. "I can ask Lieutenant Vex for permission to study in the library. She likes me."
"Perfect."
