🐲 Dragon and Phoenix (Path of Light and Fire Book #2) (Completed) 🐲

Chapter 30

"Quetzal."

Leena gritted her teeth and kept her eyes on the books in front of her. The Sabio had led them to the Empress's personal study. Shelves filled with thick tomes and scribed in Hruh-ya lined the walls. Several chairs sat around a circular table in the center of the room.

She didn't catch the instructions, but she assumed they were to study Acadian culture and history before dinner. She had no intention of being around for that.

All she wanted was pretend to look for a book, feign a trip to the bathroom and sneak away to find the final custodian. Yet these Candidates would not let her be. It seemed her success had irritated them more because of her supposed place of origin.

Oh, the irony. I'm here to find my place and they hate me for a false one.

The current Empress still had three years left in her reign and so the other Candidates had years of potential success left to achieve. Yet they were treating this as it was their final stand. It was infuriating.

Reading the Hruh-ya script was very far above her current abilities, so she grabbed a book at random. When she turned to walk towards the door, a short, mouse-faced Candidate impeded her path. She pointed at her book and let loose a barrage of sounds that might as well been a horse neighing a romantic ballad for all the good it did.

The woman was a lot shorter than her - a feat in its own right - and thin with eyes too close together. Leena amended her initial impression, the woman looked like a malnourished badger.

Leena smiled and tried to nudge her way past.

Badger pursed her lips and sidestepped into her path.

"Pardon," Leena said. "I have to go to the bathroom."

Mouse Face raised an eyebrow. "You need to go to the bathroom?"

I must have not said that right.

Leena scanned Cold Shoulder and the other Candidate from the corner of her eye. They sat at the table with their faces buried in a book, but their eyes flitted to the two of them.

Keep it short and sweet.

Leena nodded. "Yes."

Mouse Face rubbed her chin. "There's something strange about the way you speak."

"I'm from-"

She thrust her index finger towards Leena's face and yelled for a few minutes in an accusatory tone.

Cold Shoulder's chair scraped across the floor as she stood. "Jimena, you're going is too far. The Empress would know."

"....... this one is leaving my sight."

Leena shrugged. Jimena didn't trust her, it seemed and she couldn't blame the woman in all honesty. "If you want to watch me pee, you'll hold my robe."

I think I got that right. I hope I haven't invited her for something sketchy.

Jimena smirked. "Sure."

They exited the library and were greeted to the sight of two guards strolling down the hallway. The guards didn't give her or Jimena so much as a glance, but Leena had to resist the urge to flinch. There was a chance one of the soldiers was from the border scuffle, but Jimena was watching her like she was prey.

I need to get rid of this leech.

Leena scanned both sides of the hallway. "Where is the bathroom?"

Jimena pointed towards the exit to the previous level.

Cute. We might have gotten along in another situation.