Page 49 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

Snorting, I watch Elijah stroll toward the food, relieved by his lack of attention. “How can you tell? All our uniforms look the same.”

Theo tosses his fork down with a huff. “Look at how tight it is. If he busts that tunic at the seams, I’m gonna be pissed. Worst roommate ever.”

“You and Elijah are roommates?”

“Yup. Lucky me.” Theo mimes stabbing himself with a dagger. “I go out of my way to spend my free time anywhere but here. I can only tolerate him in small doses.”

An idea sparks. “So, if I were to say that I wanted to search his room for evidence of Leesa’s disappearance, you’d be willing to help?”

Nick’s brow furrows. He exchanges a glance with Abel. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Entering another student’s room without permission violates?—”

“I’d love to help,” Theo cuts in, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Nothing would please my petty little heart more than pulling one over on that shithead.”

I side-eye him. “And you want to help me find my sister.”

He waves a hand. “Oh, of course. That goes without saying. Just tell me when and how, and I’ll be there.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.”

Theo grins, a faint hint of pink coloring his cheeks.

Ignoring Nick’s frown, I address the table. “Does anyone know why there are rumors claiming Leesa ran off with a Tirenese soldier? Someone made a dirty comment about how she had a thing for wings, and I couldn’t tell if it was just the product of a pathetic mind or if something prompted it.”

Abel shakes his head. “Sorry, no idea. I’d chalk it up to the pathetic mind.”

Nick grunts, obviously still unhappy with my plan to search Elijah’s room.

In agreeing with Abel, Theo and Olive squash that hope like a trodden grape.

“It’s because of that book she was obsessively reading the last week she was here.” Helene plops onto the bench beside Theo. All five of us stare. “What? I can’t help it if the lot of you are as observant as blind gophers with punctured eardrums.”

Theo’s eyebrows raise. “That was oddly specific. Also, you can’t blame us for being shocked when you constantly whine about how your roommates are beneath your notice. No offense, Olive.”

Unperturbed, Olive finishes chewing a bite of roll and shrugs. “None taken. I know that underneath that tough exterior, Helene really wants to be my best friend.”

“In your dreams,” is what I think Helene mutters, but I don’t care. I lean over the table, excitement bubbling beneath my skin.

“Which book?”

Helene heaves a loud sigh, as if bothered by my question. “The one about Tirene, obviously. There were illustrations, and Mark caught her looking at one of a Tirenese man with his wings extended.”

The bubbling sensation expands, leading to a jitter I try to expel by jiggling my leg. Tirenese. Why would Leesa be so engrossed in a book about the Tirenese? At home, Mother and I used to tease her that, for someone who wanted to be a dragonrider so badly, she had little interest in reading about other countries or studying maps. I suppose one of her classes might be responsible for triggering her interest, but part of me is convinced this is a clue.

“Any chance you know the title?”

Helene rolls her eyes and dabs her mouth with her napkin. “Why, so you can get labeled as a Tirene lover too? Not that I care,” she tacks on with haste, as if worried I might misinterpret. “And I’m not in charge of remembering all the titles people borrow from the library. It was something about the ancient history of Tirene and their legends. Now, leave me alone.”

Surprised she shared as much as she did, I happily oblige, refraining from pointing out that no one forced her to sit with us while jumping to my feet. “See you back at the room, Olive. Goodnight, everyone else.”

I hustle outside, hoping I can get to the library before the doors close.

Chapter Seventeen

According to my map, the library resides on the far end of the building housing the auditoriums. There, I discover a small, dim space filled with dark shelves. The gray-haired librarian sorting through books behind the counter offers me a terse greeting and informs me the library will be closing in ten minutes. He directs me to the history section in the back corner. Plenty of books on Aclaris history line the shelves, but volumes on Kamor or Tirene are scarce, and none have a title close to the one Helene mentioned. Disappointed, I grab a slim volume on Tirenese history and focus my attention on hunting for a book with a protective cover, one large enough to cover Leesa’s notebooks. While I trust Olive not to report me to Bigley for breaking into storage and digging through Leesa’s possessions, Helene is another story. Although she’s stopped hassling me as much as she did the first day, she still might delight in landing me in hot water with the commander.

When I present the books, the gray-haired librarian pins me with a suspicious glare. “There’s no cooking in the dorms.”

Okay. Not exactly sure how to respond to that. “I bet there’s no cooking in the library either.”

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