She cocks her head to the side silently, and I look pointedly to the dagger sheathed at my shoulder before lifting my brows at her.
“It’s just books, some flight goggles, and the jacket,” Nora says.
“A jacket that isn’t hers,” Varrish corrects her. “Just like the one she’s wearing.”
Rhiannon’s door squeaks, but she manages to close it before they swing their gazes her way.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I’m on my own. The dagger is more than enough to implicate me if he knows what it is, and if he doesn’t, Markham will. But worse, it will implicate Xaden. They’ll kill all the marked ones for what they’ll perceive as his betrayal.
“Check the one she’s wearing,” Varrish orders. “Since it’s clearly not regulation.”
“I’m sorry,” Professor Kaori says as he comes up behind me. “Did I just hear you order your…aides, or whatever it is you’re calling them, to strip a cadet?”
“It’s a jacket. She’s in violation of Article Seven, Section Three, which states that impersonating a commissioned officer—” Varrish starts.
“It’s Article Two, actually,” I interrupt, folding my arms across my chest. The shoulder has way more give to it than what I’d expect, but I’m not foolish enough to draw attention to it by glancing down again. “And it says impersonating a commissioned officer is a punishable offense, not wearing someone’s flight jacket. As you can see, I’m not wearing anyone’s name tag, nor am I claiming to be someone I’m not.”
“She has you there, Vice Commandant.” Kaori tucks his book under his arm. “And since when do we search cadets’ bags?”
“Since I took over as vice commandant.” Varrish lifts his head, standing to his full height. “This doesn’t involve you, Kaori.”
“Nevertheless, I’ll be staying,” Kaori retorts. “Power must always be kept in check, don’t you think, Major Varrish?”
“Are you accusing me of abusing my power where this cadet is concerned, Colonel Kaori?” Varrish moves to step toward us, but my bag is in the way.
“Oh, no.” Kaori shakes his head. “I think you abuse your power in general.”
It takes every muscle in my body to keep my features schooled.
Varrish’s eyes narrow on Kaori before turning to me. “I will have that flight jacket.” He holds out his hand.
I undo the buttons, begging my fingers not to tremble, and hand it over.
Varrish goes through every. Single. Pocket.
I don’t need to warn Tairn—I can already feel his quiet presence in the back of my mind.
“Hmm.” Kaori leans my direction and cocks his head, sweeping his gaze over my uniform. “Her name tag here clearly says Sorrengail, and I note two of her squad patches. Doesn’t seem to be impersonating anyone to me.”
“She is…” Varrish’s face blotches as he comes up empty on the jacket. “She is still due to face court-martial for departing campus without leave—”
“Oh.” Kaori nods. “That explains it. You haven’t talked to Panchek this afternoon. I turned in my expert opinion that Sorrengail not be punished for what was clearly the choice of her dragon. Her very powerful, very worried, very mated dragon. Panchek agrees. She’s clear of all charges.”
“I’m sorry?” Varrish drops Xaden’s jacket on the floor on top of Bodhi’s, and his henchmen stand.
“Come now,” Kaori says as if he’s talking to a child. “We can hardly expect a second-year to shield out the overpowering emotions of her dragon when even we struggle as officers, let alone one as strong as Tairn.”
“Maybe you struggle,” Varrish snips, losing his customary slick indifference. “Some of us do not bow to the whims of our dragons. In fact, we influence them.”
“Well, that’s certainly a theory worth contemplating.” Kaori pauses, waiting for a reply that doesn’t come. “Odd. Would that mean you influenced Solas when he set fire to that squad of bonded riders after Parapet?”
Varrish glances between us. “We’re done here.”
The trio sidesteps the mess they made of my things and pushes by Professor Kaori.
“You’re making enemies, Sorrengail,” Kaori says softly after waiting until they’ve left.
“Not sure I made that one, Professor,” I tell him honestly, dropping to the ground and shoving my things back in the bag. “Pretty sure he came that way.”
“Hmm.” He watches me as I stand. “Either way, be careful there.” He gives me a cautious look and then disappears down the hallway.
I squeeze the jacket between my hands, finding a very empty sheath.
Oh gods.
“Get in here!” Rhiannon hisses, all but yanking me into her room and slamming the door shut behind me.
Ridoc and Sawyer rise from where they’re seated at the window and close their physics books, exchanging a look before coming toward us.
“I didn’t want you caught up in—” My words die when she holds the dagger up, grasping the tip. “Holy shit!” My jaw drops, then rises in an awestruck smile. “You just pulled that through the wall! I thought you couldn’t do that yet!”
“I can’t!” she rebuts. “Well, couldn’t, I guess. Not until right now. Not until I thought whatever this is had a chance of getting you killed from the look you gave me.”
“You’re incredible!” I glance at the guys. “She is, right?”
“Enough about the signet!” Her voice rises with tension. “What is this? And why did you need them not to find it?”
“Oh. Right.” I take a single step forward, and she hands me the dagger. A thousand possibilities, all varying degrees of the truth, run through my mind. But I’m so sick of lying to her, to them. Especially when attacks are increasing and keeping them in the dark will only hurt them. “The dagger.”
