Page 25 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

We walk down the corridor in silence. She doesn’t stop until we’re well out of earshot of Bigley’s office. “Never, and I do meannever,mention Leesa’s disappearance to Commander Bigley. He’s touchy about the subject.”

I know I should keep my mouth shut, but curiosity gets the better of me. “Why?”

Torno swears under her breath. “The…incident… reflects poorly on him and Flighthaven. If you don’t want to get chewed out, I suggest you keep any upsetting questions to yourself or pose them to me instead.”

“I will.” Is there a reason Bigley doesn’t want to speak of my sister…other than guilt? Does he know something? Does Torno? “Do you happen to?—”

“I know as little as everyone else.”

I sag.

She pauses and taps a fingertip against her lower lip, as if conducting an internal debate. “I suppose it can’t hurt to tell you that your sister took a keen interest in the dragons in the week or two before she vanished.”

Any hope that Torno was about to share a meaningful nugget of information fizzles. “Yeah, I’m not surprised. Leesa’s wanted to be a dragonrider for as long as I can remember.”

Torno gives a thoughtful nod. “I can see that. But fledglings aren’t given the opportunity to prove themselves on a dragon unless they rank as one of the top two students in the first trial. Besides, she was part of a select group that was given the opportunity to visit the dragons, so there was no reason for her to be skulking near the dragon aerie at odd hours.”

My teeth grind together. Skulking? What’s that supposed to mean? Did Torno truly notice Leesa hanging out around the dragon enclosure? Or is she implying that Leesa was engaged in nefarious activities in an effort to absolve Flighthaven of blame in her disappearance?

Despite Vice Commander Torno’s relative friendliness, I’m not naïve enough to trust her with that knowledge. For all I know, someone at Flighthaven could be responsible for Leesa’s vanishing act.

My only option is to uncover the truth myself.

I grip the booklet tighter, my knuckles blanching as I battle a relentless rush of negativity that I’m not up to the challenge.

Torno surveys me. “Are you certain you’re doing well here? You can be honest with me. I’m aware of the hazing that goes on with new recruits.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m still getting my bearings, but I’m doing fine.”Or I will be. I hope.

She meets my gaze, appraising me with a touch of disbelief. “Keep in mind, Axton, that you’re not the first to endure what happens here. I’ll admit things have gotten a little out of hand these past years. If anything goes too far or you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to come to me.”

Like Helene poisoning my food? Or fledglings slamming me into walls? Elijah dousing me with hot coffee? As much as I’d love to put a stop to these incidents, sharing them with Torno would only make my time here worse. I’ll just have to…handle things on my own.

I widen my eyes with false sincerity. “I appreciate that, Vice Commander Torno.”

I just hope the hazing doesn’t turn deadly.

That evening, I dine with Olive and Theo. Nick, Abel, and several other recruits eat their dinners nearby.

Helene and Elijah sit at the other end of our table, and I find myself thankful they’re close enough for me to keep an eye on.

Theo spears a piece of ham with his fork. “I see you made it through your first day at Flighthaven in one piece.”

I take a long drink of water and set the cup down. “I did.”

“No broken bones or missing teeth.” He chews the ham like he’s starving. “I’d say that’s a record.”

What?“Are you saying it’s normal for people to break bones and get their teeth knocked out on the first day?”

“No,” he draws out the word as he forks another piece of meat, “but I’m not saying it’s not normal either.”

“Really?” It’s the training, rather than the hazing, that I’m worried about now. “Just how common are serious injuries here?”

“Hard to say. Strength training is the most dangerous, though. Just the other week, two recruits almost died from doing fifty push-ups within a twenty-four-hour period.” While his delivery is matter-of-fact, I don’t miss the twinkle in his eyes. “Eating dessert is the second most dangerous activity.”

I level him with ayou’re not as funny as you think you arestare. “No one dies from push-up training.”

He laughs. “I know, but you should have seen how huge your eyes got at first. I would pay to see that expression again.”

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