Page 22 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
“Regrettably,” he says, “the final and most important stage of the Rite of Flight will have to be delayed.”
Dammit!
“We will remain here until Chief Inspector Cragmere arrives and says it’s all right to leave.”
Everyone grumbles. My stomach clenches, doubts creeping in.
I should have waited. I should have found another opportunity to kill him.
No! There would have been no other opportunity—not after the Rite of Flight. The front lines await us. We will only have four weeks to get used to our dragons, and then we’ll be deployed. Some of us will never return. I don’t plan to die fighting theScreechclaws—our monstrous enemies to the west—but there are no guarantees. Heratrix knows I tried to find a different opportunity to kill the Neutro before tonight, but it wasn’t meant to be.
You had to act tonight, Rhea. Now, collect yourself. Don’t give anyone any reason to look your way.
Vaylen produces a small notepad and pen from his jacket pocket and prepares to write. “We don’t have to remain idle, however. We can expedite this process.” A pause as he meets my gaze. “Did anyone see anything suspicious tonight?”
I shake my head, trying not to rub at the spot in my hand. “No, Sir,” I say firmly, my voice joining my mates’.
Inhaling slowly and deeply, I manage to keep my breathing at a normal rhythm. Vaylen’s gaze doesn’t linger on me. It moves on to scan every face. Yet, why did he look at me first?
Perhaps because you’re the first in the formation, you idiot.By force of habit, we stand shoulder to shoulder, backs straight, chins held high—eleven of us in a perfect line. Only four females made it, including me. Not a bad percentage, considering our initial numbers.
“Skysinger Wyndward,” Vaylen says, singling me out. “Are you sure you didn’t see anything out of the ordinary?”
This entire damn gathering, this Rite of Flight, is a departure from my usual existence, but under the circumstances, unleashing my customary sarcasm feels inappropriate. A pity.
“I’m sure, Sir,” I answer.
“Did you see Neutro Cindergrasp? Noticed his presence?”
I want to say no, but I consider my answer carefully. Unlike most of my mates, who went home to their families after graduation, I came to the party directly from Aerie Academy. I didn’t want to see my father before the Rite of Flight, knowing his negativity and constant forlornness would only put me in the wrong state of mind for the test. Therefore, I arrived early in an Academy carriage alongside Justine Steelgaze, whose family lives too close to the front lines to allow a return visit. We were practically the first ones here, a fact easily corroborated by others, which means Ididsee Cindergrasp when he arrived. Tempted as I am to lie, hiding this small truth may only cause trouble.
“I did see him, Sir. I heard his name when his arrival was announced by the host, so I turned to look at the famous Neutro. I’d never seen him before.”
Vaylen scratches a few words on his notepad. “And after that?”
“I lost track of him for a while, then later I saw him talking to Commander Voltguard, and…” I make a show of searching my memories, “… and I think that was the last I saw of him.”
“How did he appear to you, Skysinger?”
“Um, normal. I guess.”
“He didn’t seem nervous? Worried? Distracted?”
“No, Sir. I don’t think so, but I didn’t know the man, and I only saw him briefly.”
“Thank you.” He finishes jutting down my answers and without a second glance in my direction, he subjects everyone else to the same line of questioning.
As he moves down the line, I work on controlling my anxiety and repeating the same chant over and over.
They have no reason to suspect you.
They have no reason to suspect you.
They have no reason to suspect you.
When Vaylen is done questioning everyone, he says, “I’ll be right back. In the meantime, behave.” He narrows his blue eyes and glances from Gilbert to Silas and back and again.
It seems as if the man doesn’t miss a thing.
