Page 35 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

“Excuse me, Instructor Thorne. Sorry I’m late. I had a little accident.”

“Axton.” He stiffens before slowly twisting around. “I don’t care if you?—”

His eyes widen when they land on my face. Courtesy of my own inspection in the bathing chamber’s mirror a few minutes ago, I know I’m not a pretty sight. The skin beneath my left eye is already turning a spectacular shade of purple. Blood drips from my nose and onto my top lip, which has puffed to twice the normal size. For dramatic purposes, I may or may not have intentionally smeared blood onto my left cheek.

I fidget as the moments pass by in silence. Why isn’t he saying anything? The weight of his scrutiny spikes my nerves.

Voices approach, intruding on our little tableau. I latch onto the hushed conversation with a flare of relief.

“…I heard she just walked right up to him, poured her glass of tea over his head, and said she was scared to retaliate for the coffee until she heard that a newborn baby packed a meaner punch than him.”

“Someone told me it had something to do with her sister. I was too far away to hear, but I saw him stand up and punch her. He knocked her flat on her ass.”

Two female students I don’t know by name steal glances at me as they lead their alicorns past us to the field. The closest one winces when she sees my face. Her alicorn unexpectedly sidesteps in my direction, and I jump before I can stop myself.

When I shift back toward Thorne, his narrowed eyes and shrewd expression zip alarm down my spine. “I’m feeling a little unsteady on my feet. Permission to go to the infirmary?”

For one horrifying instant, I’m convinced he’s going to deny me. I rub a blood droplet from beneath my nose, flinching when my hand connects with my sore lip.

He watches the motion before jerking his chin. “Permission granted.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I whirl before he can change his mind and stride toward the infirmary, relief a warm swell within my chest. While only a temporary reprieve, I’ll take what I can get. I know I’ll need to get more creative in the future if I want to avoid class again.

“Next time, unless you’re dead or missing a limb, I’ll expect you to fly.”

I miss a step. Stumble. Force myself to continue walking without looking back. That way I can tell myself that I’m imagining his suspicion-laced words and remain happily convinced that he didn’t see right through my scheme to avoid class.

When I enter the infirmary, the freckled medic’s eyes widen. “You again?”

With a sheepish grunt, I hop onto a cot. “Afraid so.”

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” Shaking his head, Keller proceeds to make me a poultice. “Here, hold this on your eye. It should help with the swelling.”

After confirming I’m following his instructions, he turns and rummages through the cupboard. Scooting to one side, I crane my neck and peer into the cupboard, too, triumph filling me a moment later. Yes. On the middle shelf. The stack of bandages, shorter today than on my last visit, implies the medic never got the chance to grab more supplies from the storage building.

He emerges from the cabinet holding a glass container. Quickly, I scoot over to my original position on the cot. Wielding metal tongs, he withdraws two tiny, brown, leaf-like objects and drops them into a small sack.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“Willow bark for the pain. If your eye or head starts hurting too much, break off a small piece and chew.” He hands me the bag. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I don’t see you in here again anytime soon.”

A fledgling on one of the other cots moans. The medic shoots him a harried glance, and I seize the opportunity. “I’m sorry to cause you so much trouble. You’re a real lifesaver.” I lay the appreciation on thick, beaming and pressing a hand to my chest.

That earns me a gratified smile. His pale cheeks turn pink. “It was no trouble.”

“Still, I wish I could repay you somehow.” I nibble my lower lip as if in thought. “Hey, I know. Do you still need someone to grab more bandages and supplies for you out of storage? Because I talked to Flyer Quinnelle and was planning to head there myself to grab my sister’s belongings.”

Not a lie. My first day at Flighthaven, I did talk to Flyer Quinnelle about Leesa’s stuff, and one way or another, I do plan on hitting up storage to grab her things. A key would just make my life a lot simpler. I never claimed anyone sanctioned my visit. If Keller doesn’t know the rule about waiting periods to claim personal items during active investigations…well…oops.

His face lights up. “Really? That’d be great. The medical supplies are by the entrance to the right, and the box with bandages should be labeled.”

“What about the boxes belonging to previous students? Do you happen to know where those are located? I forgot to ask and don’t want to waste a bunch of time.”

“I believe you can find those in the back corner on the right side of the building as well, though I won’t swear to it.”

Now comes the tricky part. “Perfect. Can I use your key? That’ll save me a trip to the front office.”

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