The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Forty-Two

"No. No, no, no," Naomi wailed.

"Keep it down!" Mr. Baldwin demanded.

She did as she was told, but inside, the wailing continued. As she flipped through the remaining pages (where more had been ripped out), her temples throbbed from a burning headache—one brought on by uncertainty and her likely impending death.

Glumly, she decided to check out the book anyway. Maybe she could sort through it further and pull out more clues later. As she walked toward the checkout counter, she wondered who the culprit could be. Roland knew about Malcolm's tunnels. Not to mention, he was an ass, putting him at the top of Naomi's suspect list. However, the skill involved in the poisoning attempt suggested someone with greater power. Could someone from the competition be in on this? After all, Teddy had made those suspicious remarks to Judge Sherwood. Maybe there was a bigger conspiracy going on behind the scenes.

Wrapped up in her musings, Naomi nearly ran into another student coming up to the check-out counter. She stumbled back, taking in the other student.

It was Soraya.

"You first," the girl offered.

"No, you go ahead." Naomi motioned for her to finish.

"Thanks," Soraya said, as she set her book on the counter. Before Mr. Baldwin picked it up, Naomi got a good look at the cover. It was a book researching different geological rocks and natural elements.

"Is that research for the next trial?" she asked, remembering Quinn's previous visit to the library.

"That's none of your business," Soraya snapped, taking her aback.

"Sorry" was on the tip of Naomi's tongue, when Soraya snatched the book back from Mr. Baldwin as he returned it. Then she walked off without another word.

"Manners much?" Mr. Baldwin shouted after her with a glare.

"Must have been raised in a barn." Naomi looked up at him naïvely as she slid her own book across the counter. She glanced back at Soraya one more time while Mr. Baldwin checked out her book.

Barn-raised or not, Soraya was acting strange. She'd been nice to Naomi in the past, but that flash of irritation was unmistakable. Whether it was about the trial, their mutual interest in Quinn, or something else, Naomi wasn't sure.

But for now, she had bigger problems than Soraya's attitude.

***

With her exploration in the library finished, Naomi still had one more stop to make. It was the one she dreaded the most. She hadn't been the only one out of commission because of an illness. According to Lark, Mrs. Tinkle was back from the sick days she'd taken. Now that Naomi was back on her feet, the time to question Mrs. Tinkle about her grandmother had arrived.

Making her way to the front lobby, Naomi stood a few paces away, scrutinizing the old elf cautiously. The woman did look a few shades darker, implying Lark might have been right about her being on vacation. Her time away hadn't improved her personality. When she caught sight of Naomi, Mrs. Tinkle's usual scowl turned even more intense.

"What are you looking at, Snowflake?" the woman barked.

Definitely not off to a good start. Naomi wondered if she should have brought a peace offering. Cookies, perhaps.

"Um, hi, Mrs. Tinkle. It's nice to see you're feeling better."

"What do you want, little girl?" The elf refused to fall for her pleasantries.

"Well...it's kind of a serious matter." Naomi eased her way over, being so daring as to sit in one of Mrs. Tinkle's beloved lobby chairs.

"I don't see what the two of us would have to discuss." Mrs. Tinkle returned to her work, sipping from her famous cup. Naomi briefly considered using it as a line opener, but instead, went with something more straightforward.