11. Riggs

11

Riggs

Something soft bounced off the side of my head.

I awoke in mid-snore and blinked blearily at Sid.

"Warned you," he said.

The Anisau still wore his reading glasses and was in the exact position he'd been in when I'd fallen asleep.

"Didn't you sleep?" I asked.

"No," he replied.

"Don't you need to sleep?"

"Yes."

"Beds are for sleeping." I reconsidered. "Plus a few other more interesting things."

His mouth straightened. "It would be best if you weren't here when I slept."

I rubbed a hand over my face. "As we are rooming together, how in the heck is that gonna work?"

He looked away. "I don't think we'll be roommates for long."

I struggled to push the fog from my mind. "Are you leaving?"

Sid's attention had returned to his book. "You will, once you see what you're rooming with."

Okay, this conversation required way more focus than I was capable of at the moment. I pushed myself to a sitting position, hoping it would help clear my muzzy head. "I am rooming with a guy who wears reading glasses and spends time immersed in works of fiction."

The eyes that slid my way flared yellow. "I read nonfiction, too."

I now scrubbed my face with both hands. "That explains nothing, and I'm too muddled to work it out."

Sid sighed, put the book down, pulled the glasses off, and stared at them. "I sometimes lose control over my beast when I sleep," he said.

Oh. "That's a problem?"

His eyes flared again. "If you like keeping your limbs, yes."

Okay, that was something we needed to deal with, but it had to be an exaggeration. They wouldn't have put me here if it was really that bad. But the worry in Sid's face was real.

"Have you ever actually dismembered a roommate?"

He considered. "Not yet. But I did scare the last one so badly that he pissed himself."

"Maybe he didn't go before he went to bed."

Sid grimaced. "Maybe."

I could tell that he was deeply concerned about this, though. So I offered, "We can sleep in shifts, if you'd rather."

"Not sure it will be enough." His mouth twisted even more, but I saw the gleam of hope in his expression.

"What do we have to lose?" I pointed out. "We are a team, so we need to figure out all our strengths and weaknesses."

"If I can't get control, I have no place on this team," Sid said firmly. "So far, it hasn't been promising."

"Is this a common issue with your people?" I asked.

He grimaced. "We've always had issues with berserker rages when we shift to beast. But mine is extreme. And my beast is—powerful."

There was genuine pain in his eyes, and I wanted to help him. As a shifter, I should be familiar with this concept, but I had no memory of the beast I used to be.

Even as I thought about it, I had the faintest glimpse of soaring through clouds. There, and gone, in an instant.

I focused on the issue at hand. Was this schism between beast and man a normal thing? I wished I knew.

"For now, we can sleep in shifts," I offered. "You should have told me this earlier. I wouldn't have slept for so long."

He shrugged. "You were exhausted. My energy reserves are one of my strengths, and I was enjoying my book."

I got up and reached for my sword. "Well, I'm up now."

He eyed me. "Would you like me to show you around some more?"

I snorted. "It's a school. Think I can handle it. Catch some Zs."

I didn't imagine the relief that crossed his features. "If you need anything, come get me. I don't need long to recharge."

"Okey-dokey," I replied, mostly because he needed to hear it. I slung the scabbard over my shoulder and headed out the door.

The students in the hall outside cast me curious glances, but I didn't think it was anything more than assessing a new student. I might be Dragon sized, but I wasn't wearing scales. I supposed a Dragon disguising itself as something else wasn't a common occurrence.

Pausing by the window in the hallway, I noticed that the resilient meadow grasses were already recuperating from the trampling earlier in the day. Lines of refugees stood near the gate, and as I watched, a group passed through. Off to the next phase of their recovery, I hoped.

Then the gate flared, and a trio of Dragon shifters arrived. They carried themselves fully erect, and by their size, I thought they were Legion Dragons.

Amid them was an elderly man, also a Dragon. He walked right up to Tyrez, and the muscles in my stomach clenched. Even though I knew my family was safe, watching the older Dragon deliver the news of their death to Tyrez put every nerve I possessed on edge.

The big Dragon shifter let his wings spring free as a sign of internal agitation, but only I knew that it was more due to restrained anger than grief. Then the group turned away and headed for the academy building.

To take the news to the headmaster, no doubt.

I forced myself to breathe as I scanned those in the field, and other than Tyrez, didn't recognize anyone. Where was Breana?

As soon as I thought about it, I had the strongest impression of looking down at a tray with meatrolls and veggies. Off to one side was a pastry covered in pink icing with sparkles.

The image was there, and gone again. Another random fragment of memory, although I couldn't ever believe I'd found that pastry appetizing.

The meatroll memory, though, did elicit a powerful response from my stomach. I headed for the stairs—the cafeteria was an excellent place to start my evening.

I wasn't the only one with that idea. The counter was busy with hungry students piling their trays with food. I hoped a new shift was working in the kitchen, and experienced a pang of sympathy for the supervisor.

I caught sight of him. He smiled and swung my way.

"Thanks again for your help," he said.

"No problem." I hesitated, as a memory pushed at me. "Do you ever make something called pizza?"

He laughed. "You'd be surprised how many ask for it. A lot of Dires live in the human realm. The tomato sauce is the issue—we need a better supplier."

I had no idea why it had even popped into my mind. "Just thought I would ask," I said, and moved on to fill my own tray. When I turned away, my eye immediately caught a lone figure sitting at a table.

Breana.

My feet were carrying me there before I'd made a conscious decision to do so. She looked up as I approached, and smiled.

I tripped over a chair leg. The food tipped precariously, and a meatroll made a determined dive for the floor.

Somehow, I avoided a faceplant and managed to snag the imperiled bit of food before it had dropped more than a foot.

"Good catch," she said.

"Must have played with balls as a child," I offered, although I really had no idea.

Her eyes sparkled, and her lips twitched. I had a sudden impression that we'd strayed into territory that I should avoid. But all she said was, "Good thing Nar and Leah aren't here. They'd have a field day with that comment."

My face flushed as I pulled out the chair opposite her, and plunked myself, the tray, and the meatroll down.

"Did you get some sleep?" she asked.

Another memory drifted in—wind whistling over wings. I wished they'd stop because they made conversation difficult. "Yeppers," I answered. "Did you?"

Her gaze seemed more intense than the inquiry required. "Yes," she replied. "I had interesting dreams."

Suddenly, I had problems breathing. Why would that comment cause me issues? Uncomfortable, I dropped my gaze to her tray.

And I stared at the pastry with pink icing and sparkles.

No way. That hadn't been an ancient fragment of memory. Somehow, I'd seen what she had on her tray.

Through her eyes.

And my mind went haywire, dropping freaky bits of random lore that had no anchor in reality.

Things I had no right to be thinking about.

Things that involved Fate.