Page 61 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

Olive raises her eyebrows at me. I shake my head at her silent inquiry, letting her know I discovered nothing in Elijah’s room that would indicate he kidnapped or hurt Leesa in retaliation for the ego blow she dealt him.

I perch on my bed, facing the wall as I slip off my boots and palm the piece of paper, necklace, and hair tie. I slide all of them beneath my pillow before rushing to the bathing chamber to take the world’s shortest shower. Back in the room, I force myself to go through my regular routine, which feels like it takes hours instead of minutes. Finally, I curl onto my right side, away from Helene and Olive, and ease the paper from its hiding spot.

Only a handful of Leesa’s words peppers the page, scrawled in an even messier script than usual. The words themselves send my pulse climbing.

The first line reads,What’s wrong with the dragons?The following one says,Sickness? Sabotage? Eyril overdose?

Below that, she wrote my name and underlined it twice, followed byFile?Fire?

My heart stutters as I read the next line. The date our father died precedes the words,Research Tirenese account of attack.

Down the page, she writes,Prophecy?After that, only a single line remains. One that cramps my stomach.

Keep Lark away from Flighthaven.

A little late for that.

Too many minutes pass as I unsuccessfully attempt to decipher Leesa’s notes. The only sure conclusion I can draw is that my sister noticed an issue with the dragons. That, and her sudden interest in the Tirenese history, makes sense. Why she wanted to research the attack that killed our father, though, I don’t know. I also have no idea how my name came up or what at Flighthaven concerned her so much. And prophecy? What prophecy? And how does that tie in with everything else?

I’m guessingfile?refers to the personal files the medic mentioned. The ones Flighthaven supposedly maintains on all young people of a certain age who might possibly attend the program.

Those are probably located in the records room I’ve passed innumerable times since arriving at Flighthaven Academy. But unless I can come up with a legitimate reason to see my file, reading the documents will entail another breaking and entering scenario, and who knows what the penalty is for getting caught. I’m not sure the risk is worth it, especially since I’m struggling to imagine that there’s anything worthwhile to be found.

Leesa’s list circles through my mind as I roll onto my back and close my eyes. An image of the dead dragon invades my head. Leesa was worried about the dragons, and now one has died. Coincidence? Doubtful. How could the dragons relate to her disappearance, though? Bigley mentioned foreign attacks. Could Leesa have stumbled across a foreign plot to kill the creatures off?Isthere a traitor in our midst…one who got rid of my sister because she came close to discovering their secrets?

I need to get closer to the dragons. I need to find that book on Tirene. Maybe once I accomplish those tasks, the rest will click into place and point me to Leesa. I have to believe they will.

The alternative hurts too much to consider.

Chapter Twenty-One

The following morning, I sit in the saddle, one hand gripping the reins and the other clutching a chunk of Zephyr’s mane. Instructor Thorne’s at my side, fingering the lead rope rather than wrapping the extra length around his hand. If he drops the lead, Zephyr could take off. “I still think we should have started off with me mucking out the stable.”

I can’t believe I just whined about not getting to toss dung-coated straw around with a pitchfork, but here we are.

Instead of our usual routine, Thorne was waiting outside the stable with Zephyr when I arrived and all but flung me into the saddle before I could even greet him.

He shakes his head. “The expedited trial date means you need to progress faster. You’ll fail if you can’t even get off the ground. Worse, you’re a danger to yourself and your flight unit.”

I know he’s right. I had the same exact thought earlier. That doesn’t mean I enjoy him confirming my futile chances of success with his annoyingly perfect lips. “Great pep talk. I feel so much better now.”

“I’m not here to make you feel better. My job is to make you a competent flyer, and since I don’t like failing, I expect you to work your ass off until you reach that goal.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, hoping to quell both my fear and rising irritation.

“Why are your eyes closed, Duchess?”

I suck in a breath and open them. “Why not?”

He presses his lips together in a thin line. “Just keep them open.”

“Yes, sir!”

My faux-excited tone earns me a hard stare before he clicks his tongue at Zephyr. The lesson continues without any further bickering as Thorne tugs the alicorn into a trot and prompts him to unfurl and flutter his wings. By some miracle, I don’t freak out this time.

He gives me an approving nod. “Good. Now hold on tight.”

Using a sweet tone, Thorne issues a command to Zephyr. “Hover.” The alicorn flaps his wings and lifts into the air, floating several feet above the ground.

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