26. Bree

26

Bree

I slept in, and so, apparently, did Adilyn.

At least, I thought she was still in her log. Impossible to know, really. There didn't appear to be a doorbell, and knocking would?—

Well, safe to say that knocking would not go over well.

It was nice to know that our official rest day didn't start with a bell. And after the Night Games' adventure, the extra sleep was appreciated.

Thoughts of the mission filled me with a sense of accomplishment. We may have only grabbed a useless bit of broken machinery, but working together as a team had been exciting and invigorating. A promising glimpse of my possible future…

I cautioned myself, because I'd been down this road before. Had followed Vic and Isobel, thinking I could save the realms.

It had been a foolish dream—I knew that now. But here, at the academy, I might come close to achieving it. To using what Isobel had given me, to help others.

I snorted a laugh. Or rescue useless bits of machinery.

Out of nowhere, I sensed a slithering deep inside me, as the monster coiled and uncoiled. A tingle of worry had me swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.

Caliel? I asked.

First order of the day is crystal dust. His tense voice wasn't reassuring—and it was still weak.

I decided to bypass the shower and proceed straight to breakfast—the cafeteria had stashes of the stuff for the Dragon shifters and anyone else who needed it. Which, it seemed, included me.

When I flung back the covers to reveal naked skin, my mouth dropped open. I'd gone to bed clothed with a fresh growth of scales and fur, but overnight they had vanished.

As a sign of shapeshifting stress, it was disturbing. Rather than ask Caliel to outfit us for the day, I pulled on the regulation hoodie and leggings. That he didn't offer to do otherwise was a sign I'd made the right choice.

I dug my bag of cycle powder out of my drawer and shoved it in my pocket before hurrying out the door and down the hall.

A few students headed in the same direction as me. As I passed the washrooms, I hesitated, sensing…

The door to the male side opened, and Riggs emerged, his skin damp enough from his shower that his clothes clung to him.

"Hey." His eyes lit up. "Time for breakfast?"

"You bet," I said. How had I known he was there? I shrugged it off, intent on my mission. "I need crystal dust."

His brows dropped. "Caliel still having problems?" He drew the sword, and the students skittered away from us, nervously creating space.

The pulse of energy that surged through me when he touched the glowing blade to my arm was eagerly absorbed by my inner guardian. I sensed the monster's anger drop away, at least for now.

"Thank you," I said, and I meant it.

"Anytime." He sheathed the gleaming weapon before he held the stairwell door open for me.

The cafeteria was busy. As we entered, I glanced over to our table to see Sid and Adilyn already there. So much for the Faerie sleeping in. No sign of Leah or Nar. My gaze drifted over the others in the room and then snapped to a seated figure as if zeroing in on true north.

Lean, with coppery skin and piercing eyes—my heart did a curious gymnastic maneuver, and my feet stopped moving.

I had no doubt it was the young man I'd seen in Drosfi. And he was staring directly at me. I trembled, and heat flushed right through my body. I couldn't look away.

I hadn't realized I'd frozen until Riggs touched my elbow. "Do you know him?" he asked.

"Yes. I mean, no. I've seen him before, very briefly. When we were getting out of Drosfi—you were in the cart."

"Covered in shrubbery," he muttered, staring at the young man. Who still hadn't taken his eyes off of me. "He seems smitten by you, though." Riggs's voice had deepened, and his brows had drawn down.

"He must be new. I haven't seen him here before," I said. Students were piling up behind us, too polite—or more likely, too intimidated by Riggs—to push past us. I ripped my gaze away from the new student and caught up to the one ahead of us, grabbing a tray on the way.

"He's at the Team Hippogryph table," Riggs said as we helped ourselves to scrambled eggs. "Wonder why he's here?"

"Why are any of us here?" I countered, and then cursed myself when he winced, ever so slightly. "I only meant we all have our reasons."

Riggs nodded and added a roll to my plate, and then another. "Here. You like these."

I raised a brow at him. "You know I like Nacre crabrolls?"

"Yep. And pastries covered in bright-pink icing."

"Do you see any?" I looked around hopefully.

"If I do, I'll snag you some," he promised.

"Please do."

We filled our trays. I managed to avoid looking over at the team Hippogryph table as we made our way to our own.

"He's still staring," Riggs growled through gritted teeth.

Sid looked up from his breakfast. "Who's staring?"

"Guy over at the Hippogryph table," Riggs replied.

I looked over as I sat down, and the big guy was right—the young man was still staring. So I stared right back, as brazenly as I could manage.

One corner of his lips twitched upward before he looked back down at his meal. I couldn't help but notice that his teammates—three big Dires and an orange-skinned humanoid with spots running up his arms—didn't seem to be too keen on sharing the table with him. The Dires were bigger and taller, but they certainly gave him space.

I looked away. He was someone I'd seen in a city I'd long since put behind me. That was all. But I noticed that Riggs kept glancing over to him, and the expression on his face could have killed.

"New students are coming in all the time." Adilyn patted Sid's arm. "Sid will suss him out, won't you?"

The big Anisau's eyes lit yellow as he looked down at her. "Oh, yeah. I'll have his story by lunchtime."

Adilyn debated. "Or we can sick Nar and Leah on him. That might be amusing."

Sid appeared affronted. "I may not skulk along walls, but I am a big believer in the direct, honest approach."

"Plus, no one messes with an eight-foot Anisau," Adilyn sniped.

Sid smiled at her. "True." His eyes started to flash, and hers answered him.

I tore my gaze away and sprinkled my cycle powder on my meatroll. Took a mouthful while doing my best to not gawk at the new student.

But ignoring him was more difficult than it should have been…

When I swallowed the last bite of meatroll, I looked over to see that the new guy's chair was empty.

Riggs noticed me check for him. He'd been frowning most of the meal. "He left a few minutes ago."

"I couldn't help but notice that his teammates weren't too keen on him," I stated.

Riggs snorted. "They're Dires. They tend to stick together, and getting into their inner circle isn't easy."

"The fourth guy isn't Dire."

"He's Jirrian," Sid stated. "Nice guy. His people live in deserts in a few different realms." He mopped up the last of the egg on his plate with a piece of bread. "Those Dires are all from one pack, originally. They thought joining the academy was a really cool idea. So far, they're doing well."

I stared at him. Sid—Sasquatch, and local ear to the grapevine. My hopes that he'd glean something on the newcomer upped a notch.

Riggs picked up his tray. "Do you think those books will still be in a pile at the library?"

Sid pulled a face. "Not terribly likely. Petre is efficient. But you know which shelf to go to now."

Riggs glanced at him. "You aren't coming?"

The Anisau waggled his brows. "I'm on a hunt for information. But I'll join you afterward." He looked to Adilyn. "You coming with?" he asked.

"Oh, yes. I love watching your version of hunting." Together, they rose and headed out of the cafeteria.

"I have my doubts he'll be at the library anytime soon," Riggs snorted a laugh.

"True," I agreed. "Mind if I come with you?"

"Only if you want to be bored out of your skull." He rose and grabbed his tray. "Likely it will be a whole lot of searching, and not finding."

"Marcus sure thought that sword had a history," I reminded him as we wove our way through the tables to the front.

"Yeah." He sighed as he deposited his tray. He seemed lost in his thoughts, and didn't say anything more as we descended to the library.

The books had been put away, but we dug some of them out again and sat down to peruse. Having the name really helped, and we now found out quite a bit about it. Like that the mage race that had created it died out a few thousand years ago. That they had infused their weapons with magic. That it had multiple names, and that it had, indeed, an interesting past. It seemed to have attached itself to historical figures that proved influential, at least for a time. Not all of them had been leaders—some wielded power from behind the scenes—but I couldn't help but notice that most of them experienced untimely ends.

By the time Sid appeared, we were heartily tired of reading up on a magic sword. And Riggs was looking more uneasy about it by the minute.

Something I could agree with. Why had the sword chosen him?

Adilyn plunked herself down beside him, scanned the books, and wrinkled her nose.

"What are you reading up on?" she asked.

"Swords," I said.

Her brow wrinkled to match her nose. How did she still manage to look beautiful with her face contorted? Yet somehow, she did.

"There's an entire section on Faerie lore," Sid suggested.

She brightened. "Where?"

He directed her, and she flitted off, almost as graceful on human feet as she was with tiny wings. I leaned closer to Sid. "So? What gossip did you acquire?"

He drew himself tall. "I acquire knowledge. I do not gossip."

"Well, then. Fill us in," Riggs stated.

Sid hunched closer to us. "The Dire teammates of our new student said he told them he was exiled from his family for—get this—talking to birds."

My mouth opened, and then closed again, before I asked, "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Sid's eyes glowed yellow. "He even has a pet bird. Tiny little thing that sits on his shoulder. Hummingbird, I think. They live in the human realm."

Okay. This so didn't mesh with the quiet aura of menace that had enshrouded the newcomer.

Riggs obviously agreed with me. "That guy didn't grow up talking to birds."

"Apparently, Michelangelo, it is a recently gained talent," Sid agreed. "So I went to my most trusted source. And she told me that the Watcher believes he has more going on, but that it is either dormant, or not yet fully developed."

I frowned at him. "Who is your source? How would she know that?" Then it clicked. "Constance. Your source is Constance, isn't it?"

"Shh," he hushed me, looking around the library. "It's a secret. I take her pastries from the kitchen, and she tells me things. But she'd get in big trouble if anyone found out."

"Your secret is safe with us," I vowed. "Isn't it, Riggs?" I kicked him in the shin under the table.

"Ow," he protested. "Yes, of course. Baxter's secret is safe."

"Baxter?" I queried.

Riggs shrugged. "He was a mad scientist in a movie we both watched."

"Was Michelangelo in that movie too?"

"Yes." Sid nodded. "Well, that's all this mad scientist was able to glean."

"It's great, Sid, thanks!"

He seemed pleased. "I'm going to help Adilyn," he stated, and rose to disappear into the shelves.

Riggs watched him go. "Well, it seems our mystery student is still a mystery."

"Not quite," I said. "We know he talks to birds."

"If that guy is a birdwatcher, I'll eat my sword. He moves like a danged assassin." He met my eyes. "What was he doing when you saw him in Drosfi?"

I cast my mind back, searching for details. "Walking. He was covered in dust, like he'd been traveling a ways—I think he'd just arrived in the city. He was with a woman who was quite a bit older than him—hard to say how much, she moved the same way he did. And by her expression, I got the feeling she'd seen a lot in life."

That I recalled all that, surprised me. At the time we'd been sneaking out of the city, and I thought I'd barely noticed the woman with him. But now, I remembered her clearly. There had been something about her eyes and the shape of her jaw?—

"I think she might have been a relative," I added.

"Well, she's not with him now." Riggs pushed his stack of books away, and his mind returned to his current obsession. "What does this sword have to do with me?" he sounded more than a bit desperate. "Cara said it chose me. I have no idea why. I'm nothing. I'm not even a Dragon anymore."

"You are not ‘nothing'!" I winced, and lowered my voice when the librarian looked over at us. "It must have done it for a reason."

"Like what? It's a lot of weapon for a basic Shade operative."

He looked so frustrated that I strove to reassure him. "You are trying to decipher Fate. Never an easy thing." When his brows lowered even more, I felt compelled to offer an alternative. "Perhaps you are destined to bear it to another," I suggested, "rather than carry it yourself?"

"Maybe." He appeared more hopeful.

But as my eyes returned to my book, my mind spun. This sword had been connected to many important figures over the years, and they all had one thing in common—they were alive at a time when their kingdoms were falling apart.

Not all of them had been chosen to lead—but they'd been chosen to save .

I sat across from a fallen prince of a Dragon Empire in desperate trouble. My heart twisted. Maybe, just maybe, the sword knew exactly what it was doing. Had it chosen him to guide the Empire out of ruin? No way to know. If Riggs was destined for that, where did that leave what was building between us?

Because he wasn't nothing. But I was.

The answer was obvious, and it threatened to break my heart.