By the time we arrived at the outpost in Monsorat... My body was stiffer then a board.
I took my time getting off of Rhys, groaning quietly as my body cracks to get more flexibility. "I'm not that bony halfblood." he grumbles stretching his massive opaque wings himself.
" Your bonier then most." I mutter back glancing at him briefly " Do you not ever eat."
" I eat about 3 cows or 12 sheep a day.. if you must know."
" Make that 5 cows and 20 sheep, I'll even give you some scraps if I need to."
He lets out a low growl making a couple of heads turn, though i know he's all bluff... for me at least. I give him a smile patting him on the shoulder walking to where the Outpost commander is waiting for us.
" This place seems really bland." Hetta whispers beside me looking around.
I nod taking in the sight myself, waking up to this everyday would make me feel drained. " Welcome Cadets! I'm Outpost Commander Pike. Glad you all are here."
He looks older, whethered, tired almost as most do once they serve long enough. His hair is gray and slicked back with lighter gray colored riding gear, almost matching the bland sky. " I won't keep you for much longer.. I'm sure your all not used to flying such distances."
He's got that right..
" Please, wash up, get a meal and rest. We'll have our first tours in 2 hours." Pike says quickly giving Lark a nod, which he leads us to the small barrack rooms where we needed bunk mates. Naturally, Hetta latched to my arm meaning we're a pair.
I'm almost surprised Liam didn't volenteer, or Xaden to keep me 'safe' though I have a feeling his shadows will be bunking with us also.
Speaking of him, actually both of them..... They haven't said a word to me this whole time.
I look at them quickly, they were close but not normally as close as they normally are when they try to act nonchalant when I kow they're keeping an eye on me. I see Xaden's eyes snap to mine and I look away back at Hetta. " Let's go."
She nods gingerly as Lark shows us what room we'd be in and wrote our names down on a paper before excusing us and moving on. I throw my pack on the ground sitting on the cool floor. " You can wash off first if you'd like."
She smiles nodding, " Alright."
She takes some lighter clothes to change into walking to the bathroom as I lean in the bedframe soaking up the coolness. It's so much warmer here then at Basgiath...I think I'd rather of the cold then the warm here.
My mond wanders back to my boys- I mean the boys... I mean it's not like I care.. but there's just something different and I don't like it.. I can't seem to figure it out. I sigh looking around the room for any places shadows could be.. ofcourse there were plenty.
I roll my eyes just knowing we're gonna be watched..or heard..whatever he does.. I'm still not entirely sure. Though with my scanning, our room only had 2 beds, 2 small dressers, and a bathroom. Nothing else. Until I looked up to see a big light bulb and a little cord to turn it on and off.
I get up pulling it, just for curiosity... It's alot brighter...no, way brighter then I thought illuminating the whole room, leaving no shadows. This makes me grin to myself as I turn it off, Riorson isn't lurking this time.
Hetta gets out and I quickly get in, washing off the last several hours and new found sweat of the heat, letting the cold water wash all over me, I sigh in content finally getting out wringing out my hair, letting it air dry.
By the time I get out Hetta was sitting on her bed looking out of the small warped window. She looks back at me briefly. I sit down on her bed next to her, " I don't think I'd want to be stationed here."
She chuckles, " Yea, though I suppose one good perk with being stationed here is the weather is always decent."
I tilt my head slightly " Yea, I suppose."
There was silence for just a few seconds before a small grin appeared on her face, " So.. what did you do this time to make Riorson mad?"
A smile creeps on my lips, " What don't I do to make him mad at this point? But.. I think he's mad that Liam and I talk alot? Maybe? Though I think Mairi is mad at me too."
" For what?"
I simply shrug my shoulders, " Because, he acts like he owes his entire existence to him, I feel sometimes Xaden can treat him so shitty and he just takes it..because of some debt like..." I trail off shutting my mouth before I say the wrong thing.
" Like I said when you first met me?" She asks. though he doesn't sound mad or even annoyed. Just making the statement.
" And I know I shouldn't push.... but I just don't understand." I answer quietly. " I just don't understand him."
This makes her laugh once more. " I've known him for.. 10 years? I still haven't figured him out. But he was good once." She looks down at her hands examining them, " But then bad things happen and that can change a person entirely."
She looks back up at me, a look of sadness covers her face. " I see where Liam is coming from. And what Xaden needed to do.." She cuts herself off swallowing looking down again. " Like I said, things happen. And Basgiath is known for stripping away a person's traits and replacing them."
" Because it's survive or die.." I utter. " And I get that."
She nods, " And I think as long as you know that.. I guess that can be your answer why we owe him. We needed to survive or die, he helped us all out." She gives me a faint smile, " And it's something I know personally I'll never be able to repay. So I helped him the way I thought was fit..."
I look her over, her expression telling me a thousand different stories.
" Right, sorry-"
" It's alright." She says quickly. " I bet it's still tough with him... And I mean your stuck with him while me or anyone else can get a break. I pity you."
This makes me smile just faintly as she continues. " But I used to be neighbors with him, when we all got fostered. It was Liam and Xaden, Sloane and I.. It was tough.. Our fosters weren't the nicest people, kids didn't like us because of our marks and we had no parents so... I guess it was just us against the world."
She shakes her head, " But, we got through it. Xaden taking the fall for everything, making sure everyone but himself was ok. He was draining himself and I hated seeing it..after everything else he's done. And admittedly it was easy to like him... I mean he's not ugly.."
This makes me crack up, " Yea.. I guess."
I swore I saw something move, " It's kinda dark in here..." I mutter turning on the lights. " Sorry... carry on."
I knew he'd be listening... And I just don't think he needs to hear this.
She looks around briefly then continues, unsure if she caught my intentions or not.
" ... I've only seen him cry once. And that was an accident. Liam got severely sick one winter and they thought he was going to die.." I see her tear up herself before clearing her throat, " Those two are like.. twins.. They did everything together. So Xaden again did everything in his power to get medicine and extra money to get liam these little wooden figures so he could see him smile. He always thought that helped him heal."
As she was telling the story I could feel my throat closing, feeling choked up myself.
She shakes her head, " I still don't know how it came about but there was this good medicine that he found but the doctor was this twisted man.. he only had one price and Xaden was about to go through with it..." I see her wipe off a tear, before taking a breath. " Him taking care of all of us was going to get him killed I swear so I did it instead. So he got all better and that experience made me hate touch until Riorson helped with that too... so..."
" Hetta..." I say quickly wrapping her in a hug. I feel sick, even sicker knowing now how hard it's been for all of them at such a young age, none of this was their faults.
My mom did this to them... And that alone makes my blood boil.
" I'm ok. We're ok." She quickly assures. " But since then... It was I think likeness at first but with time I knew it was just for stress. For the both of us.. and coming here in the beginning he was.." She trails off again. " Like I said people change... But he's still the boy next door. And I'm not telling you this to make you pity us.. or him.. I trust you."
This alone makes me smile. " Well.. thanks I suppose. I'm so sorry that happened to you all."
" Don't be. Just thought this would maybe make you understand why we're all so loyal."
I sigh, " Well I think it's justified and again I just sound like a bitch."
Hetta grins, " Well, now your informed. So.. you think Riorson could be jealous?"
" No. there's nothing to be jealous of. He's not a fan of me."
" Bull."
" He's not."
She rolls her eyes, " Yea, that's why he kissed you. Because he just hates you so much."
" That was because of the stupid dragon bond, and the dragons didn't block us."
" Xaden is the most powerful rider in the Quadrant. He can block just fine."
I bite my cheek looking away, " But I was never here so it was different this time."
She scoffs, " Is that what he told you?"
I shrug, " I mean he wasn't wrong."
She shakes her head, " He's such a liar. I've seen how he looks at you, and now he took control of the whole guarding thing conveniently after Mairi has been shamelessly flirting?"
" He took over because of the whole Jack incident."
" That just worked out in his favor even more... And when Liam decided to visit that day during spars and Riorson just to happen to literally RUN to get to your room?" She tilts her head. " NO coincidence."
" Your just making this feel complicated."
" I'm just revealing what you don't see in your obvious pining between the both of them."
" I don't like Liam."
" Righttt... and you hate Xaden as well."
There was a loud pounding on the door, " Canavero, Sorrengail OUT NOW!" Dain's voice rings out.
He so totally heard our conversation.