He basically dragged me to the infirmary.
There were already several first year cadets with broken bones from losing spars, I'm not sure why I'm even here I feel fine...
" Your bleeding." Dain says, now I can feel the ache...then I see the deep cut in my thigh..she had a knife? Or something sharp. " Why did you keep fighting Freya.." Dain asks.
" I can't feel it.. just a little now.."
He shakes his head, " Your that high on adrenaline?"
We were quick to get a room, Dain scooped me up before I could protest carrying me to the small curtained space, laying me on the small cot. " I'm not dying you know..or even hurt-"
I see his torso where my leg was, was all full of blood. Maybe I am a little hurt..just a little. Medical care was there right away needing to give me stitches in my thigh. It hurt like hell but I refused the numbing medication, I'll be damned if anyone sees me in here thinking I lost. If Dain would've gave me a good minute I would've won.
" Thank you." Dain nodded at the last worker before they walked out giving him some pills for the pain, he insisted keeping them for me. I lay there now looking at the bed, waiting for his anger, him telling me I went to far yet again.
But he stays quiet.
He sighs, sitting down on the bed, he grazes his fingers over the stitches sending goosebumps forming over my leg. " Your fighting has gotten alot more.. vicious in the last year."
I snicker, " You haven't seen much yet." I dare look at him, his face held a small smile though there was anything but positive emotions behind it. " I think every single marked one heard what you said Freya." He says a little quieter.
I sigh, " I know. I just came out."
" Xaden heard it."
More goosebumps form, a mixture of his thumb rubbing over my leg and thinking of Xaden. " He was pissed?"
" Irate."
I know I really did it this time... I'll probably be dead before the night is over. " Can we go?" I ask. " I didn't suffer through all of that just to sit like I'm numbed up in this stupid bed."
He nods, lifting me up he walks side by side with me, quietly down the short hall where more cadets were. Still they they stare, emotions varying. But I look ahead, walking semi normal still having some of that adrenaline in my system.
The cool air hits me once we get out of the healers Quadrant walking back to the riders, The walk was awkward, I could tell Dain was still pissed, but also.. scared for me? I was maybe a little nervous as well, seeing I made.. to many enemies. To many to live much longer.
He lead me straight to my room, leaning on the wall " Are you sure you just don't want to stay the night in my room? I can sleep on the floor, I really don't mind.." He almost begs.
" No. I told you know. Anyone would know that would be the first place I'd be I'm not dragging you into this." I say sternly.
" Come on Freya.."
" Dain.. I told you no. Now.. I'll see you later alright?"
" Promise me."
" I promise."
He huffs pushing off the wall, " Fine, be ready bright and early tomorrow."
" I will."
He gives a slight nod, " Ok."
I offer a small smile. " Ok."
He gives me one more look before slowly walking down the hall, as if trying to figure out what he could even say to make me stay with him, I watch for only a couple seconds before I open the door, almost expectign someone just to shove a knife in my throat right then and there.
Instead the other 3 marked ones that I share our bunk room with were gone, except Hetta.. who was studying. She looks up, her expression neautral. " You have something on your bed." She says.
I glance up at my bunk, what the hell did they do?
I only give a simple nod going up to my bunk, expecting some sort of attack, or anything... instead I see a old leather notebook. I was reluctant at first to touch it thinking they put poison or something on it. But I see the writing only one person could do.
The front read ' The Book of Surviving.. BY BRENNAN'. I chuckle seeing his chicken scratch he called handwriting. My brow furrowed... but he's gone, why isn't this burned? I take it carefully looking through the pages. There where little colored coded tabs for sections like combat or Battle Brief, even one for surviving Threshing.
It was all his handwriting.
Hey sis, this is your awesome brother Brennan. Obviously. I made this so I wouldn't have to deal with Freya alone.
I chuckle, what an ass...
But through the first year in the Rider's Quadrant I learned this place can kick your ass. So being the awesom brother I am I decided to write down all I know to pass my knowledge to you so you won't die... If your reading this I guess your not as clumsy as I thought.
Please read this thoroughly, I know you love reading as much as I do..but if you follow this you should be climbing the ranks in no time and not become dragon food...or a pile of ash. That looks like it hurts.
I wondered if this would be considered cheating in some way. Surely him telling me what they really want would be considered right? I spent the next couple minutes scanning through the passages. My eyes went right to combat.
Passage 03 - Combat
Mira,
I've gotten plenty of your punches, you can punch. Hard. Maybe not as hard as Freya that damn brat can hit...If your reading this Freya, your my favorite...
But this is one of the easiest ways to filter cadets out before the Gauntlet, then Threshing. They're strict on the rules at first, but day by day they interfere less until you die on that mat.
Pro Tip: Don't Die.
I've learned...and possibly snoop when they assign your partners, it's never random. They take notes from your first couple spars and match up fights, you already have a folder made with notes as soon as you step on that mat. Your appearence, how you hold yourself, how you fight is all considered.
Only some are really fair. Otherwise they're all made to get either you or the other killed. In this guide there may or may not be a tip where they keep all the folders and sparring lists for the next fight..totally not in the Combat Command Office. ( The Key is in the Ruby Dragons mouth..make sure you put it back)
Take notes, prepare and kick some ass.
- Brennan
-Hey Freya...it's Mira... I always know you could do it.. how did I know? Your reading this aren't you? I figured since our brother is so old I'd make sure his tiops were still recent and correct..they are. So you'll see a couple of these notes here and there. Just know I'm proud. Keep that mouth in line and fists holstered. The Best, Mira.
" What is that?"
I visibly jump, stuffing the notebook behind me. Hetta was peeking from the side rail of my bunk looking at me, she takes a step back frowning. " I'm sorry, I.. I understand if you don't want me to see."
She means because she's marked.
I sigh, " I shouldn't have said that. I was mad, and when I'm mad I have a tendency to say really stupid shit. You lost your parents, and getting punished even more for it. It was really an asshole thing to say. I'm sorry."
She looks a little stunned, she blinks quite a few times with her mouth slightly open..I think she's speechless, she stammers for a second before a ' thanks' comes out of her mouth.
" It's a journal." I say quickly.
" From your sister?"
I pause for a moment, her eyes widen. " I swear I didn't peek. M- Mira was here..it was really fast..She put it on your bed I was supposed to tell you she couldn't stay..She also threatened to slit my throat if I peeked so.." She trails off giving a bashful smile.
I stuffed the journal in my pillowcase, " Why are you so nice to me? I think you should hate me.."
" Hate is a vulgar creature that's gluttonous. When you have hate in yoru heart your never satisfied,it evebtually kills you. I didn't knwo what was happenign until I saw my parents shot, I was to young to understand. I've spent my whole life proving I wasn't my parents only to still be speculated. So I treat others how i wished to be treated, everyone starts with a clean slate." She states.
It takes me back that one could be so... pure..or forgiving after everything they've been through. How she could be so nice to me. " Well, I suppose I took that slate and threw it in the fire huh?"
She shkaes her head, " It maybe has a little bit of charred edgues but it's still pretty good. The apology helped."
I smile softly, " So.. you forgive me."
She smiles nodding, " You said it to Imogen. So it's not so personal."
I laugh, " You don't like her?"
She shrugs, " We're... definitely not best friends."
That's a nice way to put it.
I lean back on the cold wall behind me, " Well, I figured I'd apologize before I probably get shanked tonight."
" You won't get killed." She reassures.
" How do you know that?"
She goes to lay in her bunk below me, " Trust me...you won't."
I lay down in my bunk, " You sound confident, are you planning on protecting me?"
I hear her laugh. " Sure.."