Page 25 of To Fight and To Fold

She did not want another lost dragon on her conscience. And what if it wasn't just a dragon next time, but a Tethered as well, like Rose had hinted at? She took a sip of tea and the truth spilled from her.

“I will tell you what I know, but you must promise me, Prince,” she said, pausing to catch his gaze. It looked hopeful. “Please don't conduct your search in such a way that casts suspicion on me. I don't wish to cause the Tethered strife.”

“Aaryn, we’ve already begun questioning all guards. If we need to look into any of the names you give us, we will pass it off as proactive conduct after the recent attack.”

Aaryn sighed. That sounded believable.

“Alright,” she agreed. “It’s no secret the Guard and the Tethered get on well, since we cross paths so often. I don’t know all of their names, so your random questioning might prove more fruitful than this anyway.”

“Anything will help,” the investigator told her, pen at the ready.

Carissa, forgive me, Aaryn thought, before letting what she once had considered sacred gossip leave her lips.

For Starspark.

And yet… Aaryn did not give the investigator the note in her pocket, the one Rose had gazed at so heartbrokenly.

6

FIVE YEAR PLAN

“Are you sure this will be good for you?” Jarrick asked.

Aaryn hesitated as the prince spoke, but her hand was already outstretched.

“The curiosity is keeping me up at night.”

After the… interview—interrogation, a voice within her tried to argue—the prince had mentioned checking Thea’s dormitory for clues, and Aaryn had insisted she join. The prince agreed so easily Aaryn almost felt guilty for demanding so. But then Thea's dormitory door loomed before her, and Aaryn briefly hoped all the answers to the questions she had would be answered beyond it.

“Alright then,” Jarrick said, and nodded his approval.

Aaryn pushed the door open. The meager space had two of everything. Beds, desks, wardrobes. The left one was tidy, made neatly, and a few pairs of boots were stored aside the wardrobe. The desk was clean, only a few papers marring its surface.

On the right side, it was… barren. The bed had already been stripped clean.

“The servants came to collect the bed linens, and we’ve already been through her desk and wardrobe, but there was nothing of note.”

What did they expect, a journal of Thea’s five-year plan?

“She’s smarter than that,” Aaryn murmured. “Am I allowed to touch?” she asked.

“Yes, of course,” Jarrick said.

Aaryn stepped forward and walked to her desk. Is this where Thea penned the note to her, sending her away while her dragon was taken? Is this where she wrote her excuse for an apology? It was still burning a hole in her pocket, just like the bitterness threatened to burn in her chest.

“Would you… like a moment to yourself?” Jarrick asked.

Only when Aaryn glanced over at him did she realize her vision was blurry from tears. She cleared her throat and nodded. “That’s very kind of you. Yes.”

Jarrick nodded solemnly and stepped outside the room. While he didn’t close the door completely, they shut it enough to offer her privacy, and she shook her head, annoyed by her show of weakness.

She exhaled a shaky breath and went to the wardrobe first. It opened with a creak and inside were only a few pieces. She supposed Thea was most often wearing the Guard’s garb, but the few pairs of pants and shirts were sad, even for someone of her status. They didn’t even smell like her.

Frustrated with herself for harboring hope, she checked the pockets, and of course found nothing.

The desk was next, and Aaryn pulled open the drawers. A few pieces of blank parchment were all that awaited her.

There was no art. No family depictions, like the one framed above the left bed. No dresses or accessories or even a damned hair tie.