"You don't know that for a fact. Miracles happen all of the time."
I had been terrified of heights, and now I was a dragon rider. Podana had been attacked by an overwhelming Shedun force, and my dream saved it. I was walking, living proof that miracles were not just stories people told themselves so as not to despair when everything seemed lost.
Codric surprised me by nodding. "You are right. You definitely pulled off a miracle in Podana." He smiled. "Maybe you can cast your consciousness all the way to Vedona and save Arlen."
"Now, that's a plan." Shovia pushed to her feet. "Lunch break is over, people. We need to get ready for flight class."
36
KAILIN
“A task done a thousand times is the one most likely to escape our notice. Mastery does not free us from error; it teaches error where to hide.”
—From the training manual of the Dragon Force Academy
Iwas composing my reply to Alar's letter in my head as I climbed to the roof. Unlike Codric, I wanted to applaud and encourage his dedication to his brother and tell him I loved him and missed him.
But I couldn't write any of those things unless Codric transcribed them with their cipher, and I had a feeling that the academy wouldn't let letters written in cipher leave the Citadel. My only option was to speak in generalities and let Alar infer the meaning between the lines. My letters were not going directly to the palace, but rather to the address Alar had been sending his correspondence all along. Even though the recipient was trusted by the King of Catonia and delivered the letters to the palacefaithfully, Alar had told me to be careful with what I revealed because they could still fall into the wrong hands.
I would write that we were glad he'd written, meaning that I was glad, and I would write that we believed in him and that he could accomplish anything he put his mind to, meaning that I did. I would tell him that miracles happened and all he had to do to believe in them was to remember what he'd witnessed.
He would know what I was referring to, while those who monitored correspondence in the Citadel would not, and if my letter fell into the wrong hands, the culprit would learn nothing from it either.
I was still composing the words when I emerged on the roof and headed toward Morgateth.
Ravel and Onyx were there as well, earlier than usual, or maybe I was late?
I'd left long after my friends had because their flight had to leave before my private training could begin, and with my mind preoccupied by the letter I was planning to write, I might have taken longer on the way up than I usually did.
"There you are, Little Warrior,"Onyx sounded in my head.
"Sorry I'm late,"I said aloud.
"You look troubled," Ravel said. "What happened?"
"I got another letter from Alar." I checked the harness, tugging on the straps, testing the buckles, then climbed up between Morgateth's wings. As I settled into the saddle, I made sure to check the cinch too, my fingers going through the motions while my mind was elsewhere.
I was still so distraught that I hadn't even reacted to Ravel the way I usually did. I didn't feel the unwelcome spark of attraction, or the familiar flutter in my stomach.
Alar might never come back. What was I going to do? How would I continue without him? Could letters sustain me?
"Why aren't you happy about receiving a letter from him?" Ravel asked. "Bad news from the court of Catonia?"
I shrugged, trying to make light of the news I couldn't share. "Something about one of the brothers getting injured and Alar taking care of him. It's just that I miss him so much, and he doesn't know when or if he's coming back."
The partial truth should have been good enough, but my shields were not fully up, and I could feel Morgateth and Onyx both reacting to the worry and sadness I felt. I had to elaborate without revealing what I could not. "I just feel so helpless. All I can do from here to help is write him cheerful letters." I put on the flight goggles and my hat. "It's all right. Let's fly. I'd rather do that than think."
"Good plan," Ravel said.
We went up.
The two dragons rose together off the roof, and we went through the motions of climbing spirals and the long banking runs, Morgateth doing them with such contemptuous ease that I didn't need to do much at all. I followed along, shifting my weight into the turns, while drafting the letter in my head.
If Arlen couldn't be heir, who would the king name? Codric thought it would be Avren because the twins were not suitable for some reason, but from Alar's stories I knew that Avren was a rigid man, perfectly suited to the military but not to ruling. Maybe one of the twins would step up after all? Could they be co-regents? That would be interesting.
In fact, it could be a great idea. Two kings, ruling together and splitting responsibility or taking turns. Had there been a precedent in the history of the Elurian Federation of twin monarchs ruling together?
"Pull up your shields,"Morgateth said in my mind, sharp as a slap."Your thoughts are so loud that even Onyx can hear you."
