"Oren Seifert." Captain Fitzgibbons finishes reading the death roll and closes it as we stand in formation. Our breaths create clouds in the chilled air. Violet told us that last night six cadets tried to kill her while she was sleeping. Fucking cowards, the lot of them. Not only was it six on one, but the one had been asleep. If I could make them come back from the dead I would, and then I would kill all of them again, real slowly. I'm ashamed that I didn't hear the commotion from only two doors down. She could have died, and I didn't hear anything.
"I can't believe they tried to kill you while you were sleeping." Rhiannon seeths.
"Even worse, I think I'm getting used to it." Violer responds.
I listen to the announcements Fitzgibbons has. Small things like teacher absences, and reminders to follow the rules,mainly curfew.
"There's a change to your squad roll." I snap my head to Xaden, who appears out of fucking nowhere.
'Wingleader?" Dain questions. "We just absorbed four from the dissolution of the third squad."
"Yes." Xaden looks over to Second squad,tail section. "Belden, we're making a roll change."
"Yes, sir." The squad leader nods curtly.
"Aetos, Vaughn Penley will be leaving your command, and you'll be gaining Liam Mairi from Tail section.
I have to keep myself from screaming the moment he says it. There's no fucking way I'm this unlucky. I can deal with seeing him occasionally, but this is a whole different situation. With the same schedule we'll see each other everyday, all day. I watch as Liam nods at Xaden.
"I do not need a bodyguard." Violet snaps at Xaden. He must be doing this because of last night. I'm sure he's got Liam wrapped around his pinky finger, willing him to do whatever he wants. I didn't take Liam for a kiss ass, but I guess the son of the Tyrrish rebellion leader made him into one. I roll my eyes as he makes his way over to our squad.
"Liam is statistically the strongest first-year in the quadrant. He has the fastest time up the Gauntlet, hasn't lost a single challenge, and is bonded to an exceptionally strong Red Daggertail. Any squad would be lucky to have him, and he's all yours. Aetos. You can thank me when you win the Squad battle in the spring."
Liam steps into formation, taking Penley's place.
Bullshit. If he hadn't walked away from that spar he would have lost one. If I had been 10 seconds faster on the gauntlet I would be the one getting praised. I glare at the back of his head, wishing I could drill through it.
"I. Do. Not .Need. A. Bodyguard." Violet seeths, now raising her voice.
"Good luck with that approach," Imogen snorts.
Xaden walks past Dain and stands directly in front of Violet, staring her down. "You do though, as we both learned last night. And I can't be everywhere you are. But Liam here-" He points towards Liam."-he's a first-year, so he can be in every class, at every challenge, and I even had him assigned to Library duty, and the room next to yours. So I hope you get used to him, Sorrengail."
My mouth gapes open. "Why can't I keep her safe, Why can't we keep her safe?" I motion to Sawyer, Ridoc, and Rhiannon. "We're in the same classes, we're friends, and I'm on the same floor as her! There's no need to have him follow her around like a dog." I glare at Xaden.
"You're overstepping." Violet adds to my argument.
Xaden leans in toward her saying something that I can't hear, then turns to me and cocks his brow. "As much as I believe you are capable of keeping her safe, I trust Liam more, and if I'm not wrong he beat you on the Gauntlet, not to mention he's a better fighter." he takes a pause."But you're welcome to join him." he taunts, then turns, headed back to his place at the front of our formation.
"Fucking mated dragons," Dain hisses.
Liam turns around, meets my eyes and smirks at me. "What, disappointed you can't kill me now?"
Before I can even respond he turns back to Fitzgibbon, listening to the remainder of the announcements. Killing him was never my goal, but I've been holding a grudge since the day he called a truce on that spar. I'm starting to think we weren't paired together since then on purpose.
Look at the bright side, now that he's in your squad you'll have more opportunities to challenge him. Even if it's just for practice. Beliz breaks through.
"You're not helping," I spit.
'What's going on with Pancheck?" Rhiannon asks, pulling me out of my head. "It has to be big if he's fumbling with a Codex up there,"
"Quite." Dain orders her. Then he starts bickering with Violet in a hushed tone. I can only make out small bits, but it seems he's one of the last people in our squad to know about last night.
"It has been brought to my attention as your commander that a breach of the Codex has occurred," Panchek calls out. "As you know, breaches of our most sacred laws are not to be tolerated. This matter will be addressed here and now. Will the accuser please step forward."
"Shit is going down." Ridoc snorts.
"Think Ridoc has finally got caught in Tyvon Varen's bed?" Rhiannon laughs.
"That's hardly against the codex," Ridoc murmurs.
"He is the executive officer for Second wing." I quip, earning a stomp on the foot from him.
"And?" Ridoc shrugs, grinning with no shame. "Fraternising with command is frowned upon, not unlawful."
"I miss sex." Violet sighs, turning forwards.
"If you're looking for a little fun, I'm happy to oblige-" Ridoc starts, raking his hair back and winking. I'm unfortunate enough to know that the same exact move has worked on one to many people here.
"I miss good sex," She counters.
"Welcome to the crew." I roll my eyes.
"Besides, apparently you're spoken for." Violet says to Ridoc.
"We're not exclusive," Ridoc counters. "It's like Rhiannon and what's-her-name..."
"Tara," Rhi offers.
"Plus, don't tell me you want to become like Saeri. Look at her," He motions to me. It's my turn to stomp on his foot. "See! All angry and shit." He raises his voice.
"Will you all shut the hell up?" Dain barks.
I turn back toward the Dais, happy that the conversation was cut off. Xaden now stands on the podium.
"Early this morning," he begins, "a rider in my wing was brutally, illegally attacked in her sleep with the intent of murder by a group primarily composed of unbondeds."
I should have known this was about Violet the moment I saw Xaden up there.
"As we all know, this is a violation of Article three,section two of the Dragon rider's Codex and, in addition to being dishonourable, is a capital offence. Having been alerted by my dragon, I interrupted the attack along with two other fourth wing riders." He drops his chin towards Garrick and Bhodi, who break from formation and begin to climb the steps to stand behind Xaden. "As it was a matter of life and death, I personally executed six of the would-be murderers, as witnessed by Flame section leader Garrick Tavis and Tail section Officer Bohdi Durran." Xaden pauses. 'But the attack was orchestrated by a rider who fled before I arrived. A rider who had access to the map of where all first-years are assigned to sleep, and that rider must be brought to swift justice. I call you to answer for your crimes against Cadet Sorrengail, Wingleader Amber Mavis."
The squeaky bitch?
"Wingleaders. We need a quorum."
All the wingleaders slowly make their way up to the dias, each hesitantly following the other.
Chaos fills the air, and we all look toward the ridgeline as seven dragons curve along the mountain, flying straight for us. I spot Beliz taking a spot right behind Tarin, no doubt out of respect to him, otherwise he'd be here already.
But why is he coming? I played no part in this.
In a matter of seconds, they reach the citadel and hover over the courtyard walls. Wind from the strong beats of their wings blast through the courtyard sweeping dust up. One by one they land on a perch. Tarin ,Beliz, Sgaeyl, Nyra's scorpiontail, a brown daggertail, Pancheck's green clubtail, and Ambers dragon. I make eye contact with beliz but I'm interrupted before I can speak to him
"You're using this to get your revenge on my family!" Amber shouts at Xaden. "For not supporting your father's rebellion!"
That's ridiculous. Her sheer panic is making her resort to stupid shit like this. I've never had anything against the rebellion, not only because a rebellion doesn't start for no reason, but because I'm Tyrrish from my mothers side. It's not something I tell people and I don't plan to. She fell in love with my father a few years before the rebellion and moved in with him, meaning they didn't search for her when they started recruiting supporters. Crazy to think that if dad moved there instead I would be one of the rebellion kids. I glance over to Liam. I would have known him.
Suddenly a vision flashes through my head, and I tense, looking over at Violet.
"The wingleaders have formed a quorum and are in unanimous agreement," Xaden announces. "We find you guilty, Amber Mavis."
"No!" She shrieks. "It is no crime to rid the quadrant of the weakest rider! I did it to protect the integrity of the wings!" She paces in panic, looking to everyone-anyone for help.
All the squads shift backwards. Before Violet bonded Tarin people would have agreed, but now no one would dare make a move against her, because that means moving against Tarin.
"And as is our law, your sentence will be carried out by fire," one of the female wingleaders state.
"No!" Amber looks to her dragon. "Claidh!"
Her dragon snarls at the others lifting a claw. A loud roar erupts as Tarin swivels his head towards Claidh, then he snaps his teeth at her making her retreat, head hanging.
It's cruel. Not towards Amber but for her dragon.
"Claidh," Amber whimpers, the courtyard unnervingly silent.
The formation splits at the centre. Tarin leans low parting his teeth and incinerates her in a second.
A gruesome scream pierces the air, shattering a window in the academic wing, everyone slams their hand over their ears as Claidh mourns.