Page 110 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

That ends now. I refuse to dwell on Thorne any longer. Torno came close to catching us today. If we continue sneaking around, we’ll eventually get caught and Thorne will eventually break my heart.

After lunch, another mail delivery arrives. I receive a letter from my mother, telling me she received word from the king. He wants me to complete the trial first but agrees to grant me an exemption afterward. Mother doesn’t specify the reason behind this stipulation so I can only speculate. Perhaps the king worries about negative public perception if he releases me from duty too soon. Maybe he believes I’ll choose to remain at Flighthaven if my trial is a success.

Or, for all I know, King Xenon secretly hates our family and wants to see both Leesa and me dead. As of now, one theory is as good as the next.

I refold the letter and take a walk, drinking in the sea-salt carried in on the breeze and the damp-earth scent unlocked by the drizzle. Although gray clouds choke the sky and chill the damp air, a sense of freedom washes over me. Scary things keep happening, things I don’t understand, but at least I’m no longer trapped in a gilded cage. I’m stronger, braver, and, as wild as it seems, happier. I’m becoming a warrior. Do I really want to revert to my former self? Could I even stomach returning to our castle, knowing my mother lied and essentially poisoned me?

After dinner, my mood darkens again. I decline Olive’s invitation to play a board game with her, Nick, Abel, and Theo. Since Helene’s somewhere with her unit, I curl up on my bed and start flipping pages.

The guilt from earlier rears its ugly head, pushing me to work harder to unravel the mystery of Leesa’s whereabouts and all the other oddities. This book on Tirene isn’t getting me anywhere, and the book on gods, oracles, and prophecies I checked out of the library hurts my head.

I toss both volumes to the side, pulling out Leesa’s list to see if I’ve missed anything. The word ‘file’ snags my attention.

The records room is the one avenue I haven’t attempted to investigate yet. Part of me hoped to enlist Thorne’s help, but that can’t happen. I need to do this on my own, before the looming trial. Who knows what will happen then? As much as I’ve grown at Flighthaven, everything is too up in the air to predict the future. If I want to peek at the records, now is the time.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

A bright, cloudless moon and late arrivals on campus—probably additional people to help with the trial—thwart my attempt to break into the records room that night. When I narrowly avoid getting busted, I cut my losses and creep back into the dorm.

The next night is a wash too. A few days pass before better luck comes my way. Thick cloud layers shroud the moon, and I don’t encounter anyone on the way to the administrative building or in the halls leading to the records room. Today, most of the trial prep seemed focused either on the outer edge of campus or off campus grounds, leaving this area quieter than usual.

I worried that the locks here might prove trickier than the ones I conquered at home, but with a little focus and jiggling, my hairpin tumbles the mechanism with a soft click. I ease the door open, my skin prickling as I scan the pitch-black room. Doubts root me in place.

This could be my most hair-brained idea yet. It’s not too late to turn around. Before a guard pounces on me and tosses me in a holding cell. Or I can continue down my current course of action, which is almost certainly a fool’s errand. If I’m really lucky, when they catch me they’ll send me to the king’s dungeon to share a cell with the Kamorian assassin. Maybe he’ll tell me why he wants me dead just before he slits my throat.

I will my thundering heart to slow. Foolish plan or not, I’m committed. Turns out, in this case, curiosity and desperation trump legitimate fear.

Decision made, I sneak inside the room, stilling as a shiver dances across the nape of my neck.

Is someone watching?

I hold my breath and tip my ear toward the cracked door.

One.

Two.

Three.

Nothing.

No more waiting. I reach for the handle to close the door?—

A hand snakes out and grabs my wrist.

Shit.Air punches from my lungs as my body tenses.

“Easy. It’s just me.”

Sterling slips inside and eases the door shut.

Pretty sure that just shaved a year off my life.

“What the hells are you doing?” I hiss. “You’re lucky I didn’t light you on fire.”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m helping make sure you don’t land yourself in hot water.” A tiny ever-light flares, spilling a dim glow into the inky room. “And forget me…what the hells are you doing? Wait, let me guess…you were out going for a walk and wanted to check on the records.”

Embarrassment rises over his pointed reminder of my previous excuse. “None of your business. How did you know I’d be here, anyway? Are you spying on me?”

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