Page 25 of Under Restless Skies

I still don’t understand what happened, why that dragon healed me. So much that I don’t understand. Odd pieces trying to form a pattern in my mind even if they don’t fit.

And then there’s the fear that all of that was for nothing.

As exhausted as I am, I can barely sleep. Part of it is anxiety for tomorrow, for finally making my dream come true—maybe. Maybe is the problem. The uncertainty. My chest feels heavy. My heart loud.

And then, memories plague me. That dragon. Oddly, instead of calming, his presence feels threatening, angry. And that rider still looks at me with fury in his dark eyes. That stare pierces my soul, pins me against the bed. For a moment, I could swear I’m being watched. Hunted.

When I’m almost drifting into sleep, I see two pulsing orbs of light, one green, one red. The eggs. They’re calling me.

I get up as faint dawn light bleeds through our tiny window. In daylight, my fear seems silly, and yet I still feel that eerie sensation. Something strange happened on that island, and I might never understand what.

But now that I’m awake, only one question matters: will I join the Sky Academy?

6

Hours crawl like maggots. I eat some bread, and even help prepare the stew before the assistant cook’s arrival.

It’s eleven now, and I’m sitting at the back of the kitchen, watching someone else do my job and my brother do his, while I’m here, idle and anxious, unsure if I’m about to leave, or if this restaurant will indeed be my tomb.

My bag is ready with some of my clothes, personal objects, and accessories. It’s going to be quite embarrassing if I have to unpack it, and even more embarrassing if I have to tell Laristella I’m not going anywhere after all. The potential for shame is enough to ripple my skin with a shiver.

And then I remember the eggs. Will I ever get to see them?

Twice I consider going to the academy myself and presenting my contract. I, Alayel Stormchaser, promise Mayara of the Earth a place at the Sky Academy. The words are straightforward, and he was an examiner during the trial, so he’s more than a simple recruit.

But then I decide to wait a little more. Just a little. Surely Alayel wouldn’t let me down, would he? Last night, he looked at me like he cared, like he truly wanted to see me again. He was worried when I was hurt. I’m not imagining it. None of that is enough to make me trust him, but I don’t think he means to deceive me. If he told me to wait, I guess I’ll do that. Even if it’s annoying. Worrisome. Nerve-wracking. Anxiety-inducing.

“Mayara!” Laristella’s scolding voice snaps me from my daze.

“Yes?”

“You’re hungry, grab some food. Fingernails won’t sustain you, dear.”

That’s unfair. I wasn’t eating my nails, just… sucking my fingers? I almost say that I’m about to leave and don’t need any lunch, but I don’t know if that’s true anymore.

I smile. “Thank you. That’s very kind.”

“Kind? Not letting you starve is kind now?” She chuckles, then fills a bowl with fresh gallonfish stew and places it in my hand.

Usually we eat whatever’s left from the day before, so this is surprising. The stew could use some more coriander, but it’s pretty good. At least I know the restaurant won’t go bankrupt once I’m gone.

I barely take a spoonful when someone knocks on the back door. The same door where Alayel left me last night. My heart speeds up with too many anxieties mingling in its core.

“Eat, eat,” Laristella says while rushing to the door.

The young man who steps in… is not Alayel, and my stomach sinks. With sandy blond hair, hazel eyes, and some freckles, he has a friendly, pleasant face, but I can’t help but worry. What if he’s here to take me to prison? What if he tells me that Alayel changed his mind, and, contract or not, I’m not going anywhere?

He bows and looks around until he finds me and smiles, before turning back to Laristella. “My name’s Flavio, and I’m here to take Lady Mayara to the Sky Academy.”

To. The. Sky. Academy.

Yes. Yes. One thousand times yes! I want to jump up and down, but I can’t because I have a bowl of soup on my lap, and because it would be ridiculous, so I get up slowly.

“Na-uh.” Laristella waves a finger in her best bossy mode. “She’s going to finish eating. You’ll wait ten minutes.”

I place the bowl on the counter. “No⁠—”

She gives me that look, the one that says that either I obey her or she’ll crush me to smithereens, and I think she gives that young man the same look, as he stiffens and says, “Of course. I’ll wait.”