Bridges Burned (Going Down in Flames #2)(36)
Bryn relaxed when they reached the dorm for about sixty seconds, until she remembered the stairs. Trudging up the stupid stairs to their rooms seemed like too much work after the evening they’d endured, but she didn’t feel like tromping back outside, shifting, and flying up to her terrace, either. “This place needs elevators.”
Wait a minute. “Why hasn’t the campus been made wheelchair-accessible? Isn’t it required by law?”
“Maybe human law,” Clint said. “Here, it’s never been an issue. Medics heal almost all injuries.”
“What about those who can’t be healed?” Images of Rhianna lying twisted on the floor came to mind. “If a student lost a leg, what would happen?”
“I don’t know,” Clint said. “I’ve never seen dragons in wheelchairs unless they were ancient.”
There were two possibilities here. Either medics healed everyone, or those who were injured beyond repair were kept out of what Mrs. Silvertrap, the Proper Decorum teacher, referred to as “polite society.” Given what Bryn knew of the Directorate, she bet on the second theory.
After a nod to her friends, Bryn headed for her room, where she stripped off her clothes and climbed into the shower. Hot water kneaded her tense muscles while she replayed the events of the evening. Who had attacked the campus? Would Rhianna recover? Where did she stand with Zavien? He’d chosen her in a time of crisis. Would he apologize now so they could start over? The memory of his arms around her made her heart hurt. Could they start over after everything he’d done, or rather not done? He hadn’t checked on her after the first attack. He hadn’t tried to apologize. He hadn’t even admitted what he’d done was wrong.
As usual, there were too many questions and not enough answers. When her skin started to prune, she went to bed.
The alarm woke her the next morning in its usual annoying fashion. Bashing it with her Proper Decorum book didn’t bring about the desired results. The alarm survived unscathed. Maybe tonight she’d fly to the top of the dorm and toss it down on the sidewalk to see what would happen.
At breakfast in the dining hall, the only sound was utensils hitting plates. Ivy and Clint greeted her, but they ate in silence. Everyone seemed to be suffering the aftershocks of yesterday’s attack. Once again, not the right time to ask them about Zavien.
She sipped her coffee and checked the other tables in the dining hall. No Rhianna and no Jaxon. Had he taken her to a special hospital? Jaxon would hire the best specialist money could buy. Hopefully that would be enough.
…
In Elemental Science, the Orange dragons had returned to class. Bryn smiled at Octavius. He nodded, but his expression remained grim.
Mr. Stanton stood behind his desk. The dark circles under his eyes proved he hadn’t had a restful evening. “Class, I have a few announcements before we practice our breath weapons. Octavius and Vivian were cleared of all suspicion in regard to the first attack. Since yesterday’s attack came in the form of wind, the Directorate is interviewing any Greens capable of higher-level magic.” He gave a tight smile. “I was questioned last night and cleared of suspicion.”
“Do they have any leads?” Bryn asked.
He shook his head. “They are following all logical paths. In the meantime, more security has been added. The Directorate is doing everything in its power to keep the campus safe. Now, let’s get to work.”
After class, on her walk to the library, Bryn passed several groups of Reds, dressed in military uniforms, continuing the cleanup effort. Bits of glass caught the morning light and sparkled in the grass. It would be weeks before they managed to rid the campus of debris. The blank spaces where majestic trees had once dotted the landscape resembled open graves.
In the library, she headed for her usual spot on the third floor. It was in a back corner where there wasn’t much traffic, so she was surprised to find a notebook on the table. No book bag hung on the chair, so it didn’t seem like the table was occupied. Checking to make sure there was no one in sight, she opened the notebook. On the first page someone had doodled the same drawing over and over again. It looked like a circle around a plus sign. Inside each quarter there was a triangle. Two right side up and two upside-down. One of each triangle had a line through it. She flipped through the pages. There was nothing else in the notebook; no assignments, no names, no more drawings. Weird. If no one came looking for it, she’d drop it off at the front desk on her way out.
Three paragraphs into a five-paragraph essay, Onyx joined her.
“Your protection charm has been restored.” He pulled the key from his pocket and placed it on her textbook. The red and blue stones caught the light and winked at her, like they knew something she didn’t.
“Thank you.” She picked up the key and placed it in her pocket. “Do you have any news on the attacks?”
“No. I believe both of the previous attacks were warnings. They were meant to shake us up with a minimum of damage. I’m afraid the attacks will increase in severity as time goes on.”
That wasn’t reassuring. “What now?”
“The Directorate wants to initiate mandatory curfews for everyone. That will lead to more unrest.”
“I thought creating unrest was the Revisionists’ goal.”
He shook his head. “Not like this. We want change, but attacking our fellow dragons isn’t part of the plan.”