Page 41 of Under Restless Skies

The anger in his eyes dissipates, replaced by confusion. “The… Aren’t they in Auranius’ lair?”

I shake my head. “They’re in a room with fireplaces. I think it was built for dragon eggs, meaning that they have been brought before. I wanted to lie down for a moment last night, but I fell asleep, and woke up when a woman was there, with commander Nantos. I hid behind a pile of firewood.”

His chest moves up and down slowly, the tension draining from his shoulders. He rakes a hand through his hair, a humorless chuckle escaping him. “Gods, I… I’m Acting like an insecure teenager, right? Quite pathetic, don’t you think?”

I don’t want to agree with him, but I don’t want to disagree either. I swallow, my body still trembling as he looks at me, expecting something.

“You’re not pathetic,” I finally say.

He shakes his head. “Not usually, no. Right now, absolutely. Go on, scold me for being a wretched man consumed with insane jealousy.”

I open my mouth, then close it, realizing I was about to remind him that we’re not involved, but then I decide to say something else.

“You’re the one who told me to snoop, Alayel. What did you expect?”

“True. Of course you wouldn’t sit quietly in your room when you had the entire castle and academy at the tip of your fingers. I should have known. But the problem is that you’re late now.”

He sits on the bed again, pulls a satchel and shows me a piece of paper. “This list has the locations and times of your classes. Today you have Dragon Knowledge. You can also eat in the refectory with the other recruits, except that you missed breakfast today.”

“How can I keep track of time with no windows?”

“Pay attention to the bells.”

“I heard none from where I was.”

He shrugs. “You’re the one who refused a room with plenty of sunlight and an incredible view. What can I do? But you’d better go now.”

I stare at my sad gray uniform, now slightly dirty from sleeping on that pile of hay. “Should I change?”

“Never.” He gives me the most amazing and disarming smile. “You’re perfect.”

My heart speeds up, stunned and in disbelief at once, but I manage to shove down my amazement. “I mean the clothes. Should I go like this? Or put on one of my dresses?”

Alayel strokes his chin and stares at me, thinking, blinking slowly with his stunning eyelashes. “Oooh, that’s a bind. I didn’t think this through. You’re going to stand out.” He smirks. “But you can handle it, right?”

The thought of walking into a class looking different than everyone else is terrifying, but it’s still better than giving up. “I can handle standing out. Dress or uniform?”

He places both hands on his chest. “My preference is neither.” I huff, annoyed, and he chuckles, then continues, “But I’d say keep the uniform. At least it means you belong in the academy.”

I roll my eyes. “Belong in the cleaning crew.”

“Yes, and some people might give you a hard time for that, but you know you’re better than all of them, so you won’t care.”

“I have no wish to be better than anyone.”

“Wishing won’t change the truth. None of them has ever stolen a dragon egg. None of them has captured a prince’s attention.”

“I’m pretty sure a few of them did.”

He waves a finger. “Not like you, no. Now go. Your first class is two floors down. Use the stairs by the cleaning crew’s main office, then turn right. Take this.” He passes me the satchel.

I grab it and then turn around, rushing toward my first class.

The words sink in. My first class. I should be jumping up and down in joy, but I don’t know what’s going to happen, how the other recruits will see me. To make things worse, I’m late.

And then there’s Alayel. Friendly and helpful in one moment, terrifying the next. I don’t understand why he asked me to stay in his room, why he came to mine. His explanation makes sense, sure, but I doubt he’d have any issue finding someone else to spread her legs for him, and in any case, he didn’t have to give me that key.

Perhaps he wants to make up for the fact I’m not a real recruit, which is proof that it wasn’t his fault. It still doesn’t explain his bizarre bout of jealousy. If it was even jealousy.