By the time every first-year is either up the Gauntlet or dead, morning has passed into after-noon. Even with our penalties we got eleventh place in the squad evaluations. I got second overall time, beaten by the one and only Liam Mairi. He keeps fucking everything up. I wanted to win that first fight, I wanted that gauntlet patch. A range of emotions sweep through me as we make our way towards the valley. It's clad in shades of orange, red, and yellow as autumn approaches. We stand at the entrance of the valley waiting for our turn, and we can see the dragons lined up along the path to judge us, to scorch us if they choose to do so.
"Let's go, second squad, you're up next," Garrick says, beckoning us with a wave, making his rebellion relic gleam. I'm reminded once again of the boy who's beat me one too many times.
"Into formation," he orders, his tone all serious. Garrick is definitely a mission first, niceties last type of person. It makes sense when it's what you need to do to prove yourself, showing you won't follow in your parents footsteps.
His eyes skim over us. "Hopefully Aetos has done his job, so you know that it's a straight walk down the meadow. I'd recommend staying at least seven feet apart-"
"In case one of us gets torched," Ridoc mutters from beside me.
"Correct, Ridoc. Cluster if you want, just know if a dragon finds disfavour with one of you, it's likely to burn the whole lot to weed one out," Garrick warns. "Also, remember you're not here to approach them, and if they do you won't be making it back to the dormitory tonight."
"Can I ask a question?" Luca says from the front row.
Garrick nods, ticking his jaw, signalling his annoyance. Can't blame him, she's annoying as fuck and puts everyone down. Safe to say she has almost no friends because of it.
" Third squad, tail sections of Fourth wing already went through, and I talked to some of the cadets..."
"That's not a question." He lifts his brows.
"Right, it's just that they said there's a feathertail?" Her voice pitches upwards.
"A f-feathertail?" Tynan sputters from beside me. I roll my eyes.
'Professor Kaori never told us there would be a feathertail," Sawyer quips. "I know because I memorised every single dragon he showed us. All hundred of them."
"Well, guess there's a hundred and one now," Garrick replies, looking eager to be rid of us. "Relax feathertails don't bond. I can't even remember the last time one has been seen outside the Vale. It's probably just curious. You're up, stay on the path. You walk up, you wait for the entire squad, you walk back down. It really doesn't get any easier than this from here on out, kids, so if you can't follow those simple instructions, then you deserve whatever happens in there." He turns and heads over to a path before the canyon wall where the dragons are perched. We follow breaking away from the crowd of first-years.
"They're all yours," Garrick says to the quadrant's senior wingleader. I see her about quite often and we've talked a few times before. Her signature spikes on her shoulders are even more spikey today making her look extra badass. I give her a smile which she returns.
"Single file." she nods.
We shuffle into a line. Tynan is behind me and Ridoc is in front of me.
"Talk," The wingleader says.
"Nice day for a Presentation," Ridoc jokes.
"Not to me." She says, casting a scornful glance at him. "Talk to your nearby squadmates while you're on the path, as it will help the dragons get a sense of who you are and how well you play with others. There's a correlation between bonded cadets and level of chatter. Feel free to look at the dragons, especially if they're showing off their tails, but I would abstain from eye contact if you value your life. If you come across a scorch mark, just make sure nothing is currently on fire before continuing along." She pauses giving the advice time to sink in. "Enjoy your stroll." She adds before moving to the side, revealing the dirt path that leads through the centre of the valley, and up ahead, sitting so perfectly still that they might be gargoyles, are the hundred and one dragons who have decided to bond this year.
The line moves, and we give one another the suggested seven feet before following, but I'm itching to catch up with Ridoc and walk beside him.
The path is rough and rocky under my boots and the smell of sulphur wafts through the air as a light breeze blows our way.
We pass a trio of red dragons first. Each a different shade of red.
"I can't even see their tails!" Tynan shouts from behind me. "How are we supposed to know what breed they are?"
I can see the dragons shift slightly at his comment.
"We're not supposed to know what breed they are," Violet responds.
"Fuck that,I need to figure out which one I'm going to approach during Threshing." He continues.
"Pretty sure this little walk is so they can decide." She retorts.
We see two brown dragons in the distance as we continue to walk.
"Those reds looked badass" I raise my voice a little, directing it at Ridoc a few feet in front of me.
"I'm pretty sure all dragons look badass," He snorts.
"Fair point, but I think the reds look especially badass," I respond.
"Of course you would,red like blood, you love blood shed." I can practically see him smiling even though he's face forwards.
"Hey! I do not like blood shed. I just think if someone says something stupid they deserve to get punched for it." I retort.
"Yeah, I do too, but I usually don't go through with it, you know, make more friends than enemies, keep your enemies close. Sayings like that keep me from dishing out punches like you do."
"I have you and Sawyer, also the girls. That's enough friends for me. Plus why keep an enemy close when that puts yourself and the people you love in danger." I quirk my brow.
"Aw, so you do love us," He laughs.
We pass by another set of reds, then a single brown and a pair of greens.
"Of course I do, otherwise I'd be 'dishing out' an endless amount of punches for you," I respond, quoting him. "Speaking off, do you think the dragons would punch me with fire if I got closer to you?"
"No I don't think they would, seeing as they haven't torched me for walking up to you two." Sawyer says, appearing from behind me. I hook my elbow through his and we make our way towards Ridoc.
"Look at us, just a throuple of idiots," Sawyer says as I hook my other arm with Ridoc's. "If one of us gets torched all of us die." he says with a more serious tone in his voice now.
"I would gladly get torched for you." I smile at him.
"Hey! What about me?" Ridoc pouts on my other side.
"Oh no, not for you, you're annoying as hell," I laugh in his face and shove him. He gives me this look pretending to be hurt and grasps his chest with his hand. "Only kidding, you know I would die before you got hurt." I say. A feeling of sadness washes over me just thinking of losing either of them. Losing my mother has left a bigger scar on my heart than I like to admit. I'm terrified to lose the people I love. I would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant putting myself in the way of danger.
They look at each other as if they sense the change, they probably do.
"Hey don't get too excited, we're not leaving you alone anytime soon." Ridoc teases.
We walk in silence for the last bit of the path and turn at the end to wait for the others. We see a shimmer of gold as we turn to look for the others. There, standing in the distance is a shimmering gold dragon, the sun gleams on her scales as she cocks her head to curiously look at us.
It's the feathertail.
....
"It's fucking yellow." Luca points at the dragon, curling her lip in disgust. "So not only is it obviously too small to carry a rider in battle, but it's not even a real colour."
"Maybe it's a mistake," Sawyer says quietly. "Maybe it's a baby orange."
"It's full grown," Rhiannon argues. "There's no way the other dragons allow a baby to bond. No human alive has ever seen a baby."
"It's a mistake all right." Tynan scoffs. "You should totally bond it, Sorrengail. You're both freakishly weak. It's a match made in heaven."
"Shut it Tynan, you're the one who wasted two minutes on the balls and got us a two minute penalty. If anyone is weak it's you, not her." I snarl at him.
"It looks powerful enough to burn you to death," She counters him.
Sawyer moves from beside us and lunges at Tynan, tackling him to the ground and grabbing his collar. "Don't ever say that about a squadmate, especially not in front of unbonded dragons."
"Let him go - he's just saying what we're all thinking," Luca mutters. Ridoc grabs me before I can move to grab her, so I'm stuck glaring at her.
"What?" She gestures to Violet's hair. "Half your hair is silver and you're... petite," She finishes with a fake smile. "Golden and... small. You match."
Trina puts her hand on Sawyer's bicep. "Don't make a mistake in front of them. We don't know what they'll do," she whispers. Sawyer sighs and drops Tynan's collar, taking a step back.
"Someone should kill it before it bonds," Tynan sputters. The urge to kick him is bubbling inside of me, but Trina is right. We don't know what these dragons will do if a fight breaks out. "It's just going to get its rider killed, and it's not like we get a choice if it wants to bond us."
"You're just picking up on that now, are you?" Ridoc shakes his head.
"Why? Are you afraid that you'll bond with a so-called weak dragon?" I ask Tynan.
"We should go back," Pryor starts, his gaze darting around the group. "I mean...if you think we should. We don't have to, of course."
"For once in your life," Tynan says, pushing up from the ground and past Pryor, "Make a damn decision, Pryor."
We take off one by one, leaving the suggested space between us. I follow Ridoc and Luca is right behind me ending the line.
"They're pretty incredible, aren't they?" Ridoc says, the admiration in his voice clear.
"They are," Violet agrees.
"They're honestly a little under-whelming after seeing that blue at Parapet." Luca shrugs behind me.
"Like this isn't stressful enough without you insulting them?" Rhiannon asks turning to Luca.
"I mean it could be worse. We could be walking past a line of wyvern, right?" Violet says.
"Oh please, Violet, do give us one of your nervous-babble story times," Luca says sarcastically. "Let me guess. Wyvern are some elite squad of gryphon riders created because of something we did at a battle only you can manage to remember with your scribe brain."
"You don't know what a wyvern is?" Rhiannon asks, then begins walking again.
"What, your parents didn't tell you bedtime stories?" I laugh.
"Do enlighten me," Luca drawls.
"They're folklore," Violet says over her shoulder. "Kind of like dragons but bigger, with two feet instead of four, a mane of razor sharp feathers streaking down their necks, and a taste for humans. Unlike dragons, who think we're a little gamey."
I feel a shiver run up my spine at the memory of my childhood nightmares.
"My mom used to love telling my sister Reagan and me that we'd be plucked right off the front porch by one if we talked back, and their eerie-eyed venin riders would take us prisoner if we took treats we weren't allowed to have," Rhi recalls joyfully.
"That sounds like some border-village nonsense." Luca scoffs. "Venin? Wyvern? Anyone with a modicum of education knows that our wards stop all magic that isn't channelled directly from our dragons."
"They're stories, Luca," Rhi says without looking back at her.
"Pryor, you can walk a little faster if you want up there." Violet says to the front of our line.
"Maybe we should slow down and take our time?" He suggests, rubbing his palms along the sides of his uniform. "Or I guess we could go faster if we want to get out of here."
A red dragon steps out of line, putting one foot forward. I freeze in place, not wanting to move any closer to the danger and close my eyes.
I can practically see the scene in front of me, even with my eyes closed. The red opens its mouth, exposing sharp, glistening fangs, and fire erupts along the sides of its tongue, shooting through the air and into the path. I can hear Rhiannon scream and a blast of hot air reach my face.
The smell of sulphur, burned grass, and burned flesh seeps its way into my lungs. I open my eyes and see a pile of ash on the path.
"Are you all right, Rhi?" Violet calls forward. I look up to the sky, slightly thanking the gods that Rhi is safe.
"Pryor is... he's..." Her voice is shaky as she responds.
He's dead. I swallow the bile rising in my throat, and look away from the pile of ash.
"Keep walking!" Sawyer shouts from farther down the path.
"It's all right, Rhi. You just have to..." Violet trails off.
"Fire's out." Rhiannon says over her shoulder, the glistening tears visible in her eyes. We start to make our way down the path and past the pile of ash, past what remains of Pryor.
"Oh my gods, the smell," Luca complains.
"Could you please have some level of decency?" Violet snaps.
The world before me comes to a halt as I see two green dragons approaching Violet. Ridoc's eyes are as wide as saucers and his mouth hangs open as he whispers. "Violet."
I brace for the heat of fire as she turns toward the two dragons. A huff of steam escaping their noses. She looks down but nothing happens. One of them gives a chortling sound, we're all frozen. Every single one of us is terrified and waiting for the worst to happen.
The one on the left nudges her hand.
"I cut my hands climbing the obstacle course." She lifts her palms letting them see her bound hands. The one on the left then lowers its face to her chest and chuffs, then the other one shoves at her ribs and she raises her arms.
"Violet!" Rhiannon whisper-shouts.
"I'm all right." Violet responds. The dragon's keep sniffing her and then Violet jolts ever so slightly. "You smell Teine, don't you?" She asks quietly. They draw back a little and look directly at her. 'I'm Mira's sister, Violet. She collected Teine's scales after he shed them last year and had them shrunk down so she could sew them into the vest to help keep me safe." She trails her hand along her torso. Then she bows her head and stills. Step by step the dragons retreat back into the line.
'Violet." Rhiannon sighs out.
'I'm fine." she responds.
"Let's get out of here." Rhiannon swallows, turning her gaze to the dragons.
"Good idea." Violet says.
Rhi turns to walk and once there's enough space between them Ridoc begins to move. I wait for the gap to be large enough and then follow in suit.
"I think I just shat myself," Ridoc laughs.
"Honestly I though they were going to eat you," Luca remarks
"Me too," Violet admits.
"I wouldn't have blamed them," Luca continues.
"You're an insufferable ass." I snap at her.
"What? She's obviously our weakest link after Pyryor, and I don't blame them for snuffing him out. He could never make a decision, and no one wants someone like that as their rider-" She's cut off as I feel an intense blast of heat on my back that singes the ends of my hair.
"Guess the dragons think she's insufferable too,." Ridoc mutters gazing behind me.