Onyx Storm (The Empyrean, #3) BOOK 3 PART 1

Gateway to Relax

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00:00:00Popular crowd. The ones who get caught reading under their desks.

00:00:03The ones who feel like they never get invited, included, or represented.

00:00:07Get your letters, we have dragons to ride.

00:00:11Onyx Storm is a non-stop-filling adventure fantasy set in the brutal and competitive

00:00:14world of a military college for dragon riders, which includes elements regarding war, hand-to-hand

00:00:18combat, blood, intense violence, brutal injuries, gore, murder, death, animal death, injury

00:00:23rehabilitation, grief, poisoning, burning, irrelevant situations, graphic language,

00:00:27and sexual activities that are shown on the page. Readers who may be sensitive to these elements,

00:00:31please take good, and prepare to face the storm.

00:00:34The following text has been faithfully transcribed from Navarion into the modern language by Jason

00:00:38Yanilva, curator of the scribe portent at Biscayat 4 college. All events are true,

00:00:42and names have been preserved to honor the courage of those fallen. May their souls be commended to

00:00:46Malik. Securing Biscayat's and rewards has firm at great cost, including General Sarengil's life.

00:00:51Strategy must adjust, it is in the realm's best interest to lie with Poromil, even temporarily.

00:00:57Recovered correspondence of General Obustein M-E-L-G-R-E-N to His Majesty King T-A-U-R-I.

00:01:02Prologue

00:01:03Where in Malik's name is he going? I hurry through the tunnels beneath the quadrant,

00:01:07trying to follow, but night is the ultimate shadow and Zayrin blend seamlessly into the darkness.

00:01:11If it wasn't Thor or Dragon's Bond leaving me in his general direction and the sporadic

00:01:14disappearance of mage lights, I'd never think that he is masked somewhere ahead of me.

00:01:18Fear holds me with an icy fist, and my footing grows unsteady.

00:01:21He kept his head down this evening, guarded by Bodhi and Garrick while we waited for news about

00:01:25Sawyer's injury after the battle that nearly cost us this while, but there's no telling what he's

00:01:28doing now. If anyone spots the faint, strawberry red circles around his irises, he'll be arrested,

00:01:33and likely executed. According to the texts I've read, they'll fade at this phase, but until they do,

00:01:38what could possibly be important enough for him to risk being seen?

00:01:41The only logical answer sends a chill up my spine that has nothing to do with the

00:01:44cold stone of the corridor seeking in through my socks. There hadn't been time for boots or even

00:01:48my armour after the click of the closing door woke me from a restless sleep.

00:01:52Neither of them will answer, Andrina says, and I yank open the door to the enclosed bridge as its

00:01:56counterpart on the five and six shed. Was that him? S-G-A-E-Y-L is still, incensed,

00:02:01and ten smells of boot rage and sorrow. Understandable for all the reasons I can't allow myself to dwell on

00:02:06yet, but inconvenient. Do you want me to ask your orcrad? She starts.

00:02:11No, the four of them need their sleep. No doubt we'll find ourselves on to crows for any remaining

00:02:15when in come morning. I cross the freezing expanse of the bridge with increasingly uncertain steps

00:02:19and jolted the view outside the windows. It had been warming a fourth in the storms earlier,

00:02:23but now snow falls in the thick curtain, concealing the ravine that separates the

00:02:26quadrant from beside its named campus. My chest clenches, and a fresh wave of seemingly endless

00:02:30tears threatens to prickle my painfully swollen eyes. It began about an hour ago, Andrina says gently.

00:02:36The temperature has fallen steadily in the hours since, don't go there. My neck spread shakes,

00:02:41and I force everything I can't handle into a knee, mentally fireproof box and stash it somewhere deep inside me.

00:02:46It's too late to save mom, but I'll be damned if I let Zayden get himself killed.

00:02:50You can grieve, Andrina reminds me as I pull open the door to the healer quadrant and enter the

00:02:54crowded hall. Wounded in every color of uniform lined sides of the stone tunnel,

00:02:58and healers dart in and out of the infirmary doors. If I follow in every loss, that's all I'll ever have

00:03:03time for. I've learned that lesson well over the past 18 months. Passing a set of clearly intoxicated

00:03:07infantry cadets, I cut through what's become an expanded sickbay, searching for a blur of darkness.

00:03:12This part of the quadrant didn't sustain any damage, but it still reeks of sulfur and ash.

00:03:16May your mother be remembered. To General Sorengeal, the flame of this guide,

00:03:20one of the third ears falls out, and my stomach twists slightly as I forge ahead without reply.

00:03:25When I approach the corner, then turn it, I see a patch of darkness enveloping the right side

00:03:29of the wall first a ring heartbeat, and then the stairwell to the interrogation chamber appears,

00:03:32flanked by two groggy guards. Shadows slip down the steps. Fuck, usually I love being right,

00:03:37but in this instance, I was hoping otherwise. I reach for Zayden mentally, but there's only a thick

00:03:42wall of chill on it. I have to get past these guards. What would Meera do? She would have

00:03:47already seen your lieutenant and been confident in her choice, and then her answers. Your sister

00:03:52is an act first, ask questions later kind of rider. Not helpful, what little I'd eaten for dinner

00:03:57threatens to reappear. And then is right, Meera will kill Zayden if she finds out he's channeled from the

00:04:01earth, regardless of the circumstances. But confidence, that's not a bad idea. I must have every ounce of

00:04:06arrogance I can scrounge up or fake, straighten my shoulders, lift my chin, and stride toward the

00:04:10guards, praying I look steadier than I feel. I need an audience with the prisoner. The two men

00:04:15glance at each other, and then the taller one on the left clears his throat. Wear and orders from

00:04:19Milgrin not allow anyone. Down these steps. Tell me, I tilt my head and fold my arms like I am strapped

00:04:26with every dagger I own, or am at least wearing footwear. If the man directly responsible for your

00:04:30mother's death was a flight of stairs away, what would you do? The shorter one looks down,

00:04:34revealing a cut beneath his ear. Orders, the taller one starts, glancing at the end of my

00:04:39sleepless and brave. He's behind a locked door, I interrupt. I'm asking you to look the other way

00:04:44for five minutes, not give me the key. My gaze starts pointing to the keyring hanging on his

00:04:48bloodstained belt. If it had been your mother, and she'd secured the kingdom's entire defense

00:04:52system with her life, I promise I'd afford you the same courtesy. The tall one blanches.

00:04:57Boveson, the short one, whispers. She's the lightning wielder. Boveson grunts, and his hands flex at

00:05:02his sides. Ten minutes, he sees. Five for your mother, and five for you. We know who saved us

00:05:07today. He motions toward the stairwell with his head. But he doesn't know, none of them realize

00:05:12the sacrifice they had in me to kill the sage, their general. Thank you, I start down the stairs

00:05:16with wobbling knees, ignoring the pungent scent of wet earth that draws at the outer edges of my composure.

00:05:21I can't believe he came down here. He probably seeks information, and then her notes. I cannot blame

00:05:26him for wanting to know what he is. Belonging in her voice strutters me on multiple levels.

00:05:30He isn't a soulless woman. He's still Zayden, my Zayden, I slap, holding tight to the only thing I'm

00:05:35certain of as I make my way silently downstairs. You know what channeling from the earth does,

00:05:40she warns. No, yes, except, absolutely not. If he'd completely lost himself, he would have

00:05:45drained me at any number of points tonight, especially while I slept. Instead, he ensured

00:05:49our safety and wrist exposure to sit at my side for hours. He channeled from the earth once. Surely we can

00:05:54repair wherever his soul may have cracked. It's the most I'm willing to admit. I already know what Ten thinks,

00:05:59and the possibility of fighting both of you is exhausting, so please, for the love of Amari,

00:06:03be on my side. The bond directly between us shimmers. All right. Really, I pause on the

00:06:09stare, playing my hand on the wall to catch my balance. I am as unknown as he is, and we still

00:06:14trust me, she says. I will not be another battle you have to fight. Oh, thank gods, her words seeped

00:06:19into the marrow of my bones, and I hang my head in relief. I hadn't realized how badly I needed to

00:06:24hear it until she said it. Thank you, and you have every right to know about where you come from,

00:06:28but I have no doubts about who you are. I start down the remaining steps, show off my footing.

00:06:32You alone should make the choice to effing your family, and I am worried that Milbrun...

00:06:36I suppose to win and during the battle, she interrupts in a rush of words different together.

00:06:41You, dead, my brow puckers as I sparrow downward toward the interrogation cells. I'd been too shocked

00:06:45of her appearance, the way her scales had shifted, to think about the burning dark wielder.

00:06:49As far as I know, we'll never caught one on fire. Ten hadn't said anything, either. I've been thinking

00:06:54about it all night. Magic feels different when I change pillar. Maybe my use of power in that

00:06:59moment altered the venom, weakened her enough to blister. Andana slows enough to enunciate her

00:07:03words, but not by much. That could alter everything. Muffled voices sound beneath me, and I quicken my

00:07:09pace. It's definitely worth investigating later. Not that I'm willing to risk Andana by shouting that she

00:07:13might be our newest weapon, especially not when the rumor has already circulated that we'll seek an

00:07:17alliance with Poromil. What could be worse than leadership endangering Andana? The whole

00:07:21continent's leadership seeking to do the same. You can fight it all you want, but that power

00:07:25streaming through her veins. Jack taunts, his words growing clearer as I near the final few turns.

00:07:30There's a reason the higher ups want her. A little brotherly advice, fall in line and find someone

00:07:34else to fuck. That infamous control of yours so much as flickers in her direction.

00:07:39I would never, Zayton retorts, his voice lethally icy. My heart rate doubles and I

00:07:43hold just before the last curve in the stairwell, keeping out of sight. Jack's talking about me.

00:07:48Even you don't get a say in which parts of us are taken first, Grayson.

00:07:52Jack laughs, but speaking from personal experience, control goes quickly.

00:07:56Just look at you, freshly fed from the source and already down here, there's straight for a cure.

00:08:00You will slip, and afterward, well, let's just say the silver hair that has your soap

00:08:04assorted will be gray like the rest of her, and those weak as initial things in your eyes won't

00:08:08just last a few days, they'll be permanent. Not going to happen, Zayton bites out every word.

00:08:13You could deliver her yourself, chains rattle, or you could let me out and we'll do it together.

00:08:17Who knows, they might let her live just to keep you on a leash until you turn ass and forget all about her.

00:08:22Fuck you. My hands boil into fists. Jack knows Zayton's channel, he'll tell the fs person who

00:08:28questions him, and Zayton will be arrested. My mind spins as the two starter IO only yards away,

00:08:32their words blurring in the whirlwind of my thoughts. Gods, I could lose Zayton just like.

00:08:37I can't, I won't, I refuse to lose him, for him to lose himself.

00:08:41Fear fights arise and I slough it out, denying it air to peel or grow.

00:08:44The only thing stronger than the power crawling within me is the results thickening my spine.

00:08:48Zayton is mine, my heart, my soul, my everything. He chatted from the earth to save me,

00:08:53and I'll scout the world until I find a way to save him right back. Even if it takes by gaining

00:08:57the tick risk for access to every book on the damp continent or capturing dark wielders one by one

00:09:00to question, I'll find a cure. We'll find a cure, and earn our promises. We will exhaust every closer

00:09:06resource first, but if I'm right and I somehow altered that villain inadvertently while changing

00:09:09my scales, then the rest of my kind should know how to master the tactic. How to change him, cure him.

00:09:14My breath status at the possibility, the cost. Even if you're right, I'm not using you. I want to

00:09:19find my family. We both know the order to locate my kind is inevitable now that your leadership knows

00:09:24what I am. Let us do so on our terms and for our own purposes. Her tone sharpens, let us follow every

00:09:29possible path to a cure. She's right, every possible path may require breaking a few laws. Dragons do not

00:09:34answer to the laws of humans, she counters in a tone that reminds me of Dan. And is my bonding,

00:09:39as Dan's rider, you no longer answer to them, either. Rebellious adolescent, I mutter, forming

00:09:44half a dozen plans, half of which might work. Even as the rider, there are still some crimes that

00:09:49would demand my execution, and that of whomever I trust to involve. I nod to myself, accepting the

00:09:53risk, at least for myself. You'll have to keep secrets again, and in our ones. Only the ones that

00:09:59protect Zayden, which currently means preventing Jack from revealing this conversation without killing him,

00:10:03since we can't afford the manhunt the death of our only prisoner who calls.

00:10:07Yesho, I shouldn't ask you our tribe. No, I start downstairs. There's only one other

00:10:12person besides Bodhi and Garak I can trust to prioritize Zayden's best interests, only one other

00:10:16person who can know the truth in its entirety. Tell Gain I need Limudgen. I will not die today.

00:10:21I will save him. Violet Soren gave his personal addendum to the Book of Brennan.

00:10:26CHAPTER 1

00:10:272 WEEKS LATER

00:10:29Flying in January should be a violation of the Codex. Between the Howling Storm and the Incessant Fog

00:10:33in my gobbles, I can't see shit as we cut through the blistering slow scroll above the mountains near

00:10:37Blistyle. Hoping we are almost through the worst of it, I grip the pommels of my saddle with bluffed

00:10:41hands and hold tight. Dying today would be inconvenient, I say down the mental path

00:10:45they're connecting me to Tanan and Duna. Unless you are trying to keep me away from the

00:10:49scenario this afternoon. I've waited more than a week for the invitation this guy's order to come

00:10:53from the King's Council, but the delay is understandable given they're on the fourth day of

00:10:56unprecedented peace talks happening on campus. Poromi has publicly declared they'll walk after the

00:11:00seventh day if terms can't be reached, and it isn't looking good. I only hope that they'll be

00:11:04in an agreeable mood when I arrive. Want to make your meeting? Don't fall off this time,

00:11:09Tan retorts. For the last time, I didn't fall off, IIU. I jumped off to health soil. Don't remind me.

00:11:16You can't keep giving me off the trolls, and Duna interrupts from the warmth and protection of the

00:11:19whale. It isn't safe, Tan reminds her for what has to be the hundredth time. Weather aside,

00:11:25we're hunting duck-wielders, not out for a fish of life. You shouldn't fly in this, I agree,

00:11:30looking for any sign of rhetoric in the air from, but there's only walls of fire.

00:11:33My chest tightens. How are any of us supposed to see typography or our squad mates,

00:11:37let alone spot a duck-wielder hundreds of feet below in this mess? I can't remember a more brutal

00:11:41series of storms than the ones that have batted the war college in the last two weeks, but without.

00:11:46Mom, grief sinks the tips of her razor-sharp claws into my chest, and I lift my face to feel the

00:11:50stinging bite of snow against the tops of my cheeks. Focusing on anything else to keep breathing,

00:11:55keep moving, I'll mourn later, always later. It's just a quick patrol, and Duna vines,

00:12:00jarring me from my thoughts. I need the practice, who knows what weather we'll encounter on the

00:12:04search for my kind. Quick patrols, have proven deadly, and I am not looking for reasons to test

00:12:09Duna's fire theory. Dark-wielders may have limited power within the wards, but there's still lethal

00:12:13fighters. The ones who didn't escape course battle have used the element of surprise to add multiple

00:12:17names to death roll. First wing, third wing, and our own cross-section have soft losses.

00:12:23Then practice evenly dispersing enough magic to keep all your extremities warm during flight,

00:12:26because your wings won't hold the weight of this ice, then growls into the falling snow.

00:12:31Your wings won't hold the weight of this ice, and in a blatantly moxium. And yet yours miraculously

00:12:35carry the burden of your ego. Go find the sheep and let the adults work. Tense muscles shift slightly

00:12:40beneath me in a familiar pattern, and I lean forward as far as the saddle will allow, preparing for dive.

00:12:44My stomach lurches into my throat as his wings snap closed and we pitch downwind, slicing through

00:12:49the storm. Wind tears at my winter flight hood, and the leather strap of my saddle bites into my

00:12:53frozen thighs as I pray to know there isn't a mountain peak wreck here beneath us.

00:12:57Ten levels out, and my stomach settles as I tug my goggles up to my forehead and blink quickly,

00:13:01looking right. The drop in altitude has lessened the intensity of the storm, improving visibility enough

00:13:06to see the rocky ridge line just above the flight field. Looks clear, my eyes tear up,

00:13:10assaulted by both wind and snow that feels more like tiny projectiles of ice and flakes.

00:13:14I clean my lenses using the square tips off my gloves before snapping them over my eyes again.

00:13:19Agreed, once we hear the same from fears and crew, we'll end today's endeavors, he grumbles.

00:13:24You sound like making it three straight days without encountering the enemy is a bad thing.

00:13:28Maybe we really caught and killed them all. As to rats, we've seen 31 women in the area surrounding

00:13:32this quiet while our professors work to cure the rest of the province. It would be 32.

00:13:37If anyone suspected one of them was living among us, though, even if he's ferreted with 17 of the kills.

00:13:42I am not comforted by the quiet, wind buks overhead with a crack, and Tan's head jerks upward.

00:13:47Mine immediately follows soon. Oh no. Not wind, wings.

00:13:51Aertron's claws consume my vision, and my heart seizes in panic. He's dropping out of the storm

00:13:56directly on top of us. Tan, I shout, but he's already rolling left, hurling the swimmer goes.

00:14:01The world rotates, sky and land exchanging places twice in a nauseating dance before Tan flares his wings in a

00:14:06a jarring slam. The movement cracks the instig layer of ice along the front ridges of his wings,

00:14:10and chunks fall away. I draw a full but shaky breath as Tan pumps his wings with maximum effort,

00:14:15gaining a hundred feet of altitude in a matter of seconds and barreling straight toward the brown

00:14:19sword tail bonded to the rope. Rods calls the air in my lungs, Tan's emotions blurring my system

00:14:24for a heartbeat before I can slam my mental shields down to muffle the worst of what streams in through

00:14:27the pond. Don't, I shout into the wind as we come up on Aertron's left, but as always, Tan does whatever

00:14:33he wants and full-on crunches his jaws within what looks like inches of Aertron's head.

00:14:36It was nearly an accident, one that would usually be avoided by dragons communicating.

00:14:41The smaller brown sword tail squawks his stare and repeats the warning, then Aertron exposes his

00:14:45throat in a gesture of submission. Redock looks my way through the band of snow and throws up his

00:14:50hands, but I doubt he sees my shape of ecology before Aertron falls away, heading south to the

00:14:54flight field. Guess who here's Henry reported in? Was that really necessary? I drop my shields,

00:14:59and Tan's and Aertron's bonds come fluttering back at full strength, with the shimmering pathway that

00:15:03leads to Zayden is still locked, then to an echo of its usual presence. The loss of constant connection

00:15:07sucks, but he doesn't trust himself, or what he thinks he'll become, to keep it open yet.

00:15:12Yes, ten answers, declaring the single word sufficient.

00:15:15You are almost twice his size and it was obviously an accident,

00:15:18I repeat as you descend rapidly to the flight field. The snow on the ground of the box.

00:15:23Canyon has been trampled into a muddy series of paths from the Constant Patrol's second and third

00:15:27years of flying.

00:15:29It was negligent, and a 22-year-old dragon should know better than to close himself off from his

00:15:33right simply because he's arguing with his rider, Tan grumbles, his angle o'ring to a simmer as

00:15:37Aertron lands beside his green daggy tail, Fiyaj.

00:15:40Tan's floors impact the frozen ground to Aertron's left, and a sudden landing vibrates every bone

00:15:44in my body like a ring bell. Pain explodes along my spine, my lower back taking the print of the

00:15:49insult. I breathe through the worst of it, then accept the rest and move on. Well, that was graceful.

00:15:54I jerked my goggles to my forehead. You fly next time, he shakes like a wet hound, and the print of

00:15:59the insult. I breathe through the worst of it, then accept the rest and move on. Well, that was

00:16:04graceful. I jerked my goggles to my forehead. You fly next time, he shakes like a wet hound,

00:16:08and I block my face with my hands as eyes and slow fly off his scales.

00:16:11I tugged the leather strap off my saddle when he steals, with the buckle catches along the jagged,

00:16:16shitty line of stitches I put in after the battle, and one of them pops. Damn it,

00:16:20that wouldn't have happened if you'd let Zayden fix it. I force my body out of the saddle,

00:16:24ignoring the aching protests of my cold cramped joints as I make my way across the icy pattern

00:16:28of spikes and scales I know as well as my own hand. The dark one didn't put it in the first place,

00:16:33Tan responds. Stop calling him that, my knee collapses, and I throw my arms out to steady my

00:16:38balance, cursing my joints as I reach Tan's shoulder. After an hour in the saddle at these

00:16:42temperatures, a pissed-off knee is nothing, I'm locking my hips to rotate. Stop denying the truth,

00:16:47Tan enunciates every word of the damning order as I avoid a patch of ice and prepare to dismount.

00:16:51His soul is no longer his own. That's a little dramatic, I'm not getting into this argument

00:16:56again, his eyes are back to normal. That kind of power is addictive, you know it,

00:17:00or you wouldn't be pretending to sleep at night. He twists his neck in a way that reminds me of

00:17:04a snake and levels a golden glare on me. I'm sweeping, it's not entirely a lie,

00:17:08but definitely time to change the subject. Did you make me repair my saddle to teach me a lesson?

00:17:13My eyes protests every scale on 10 seconds as I slide, then land in a fresh foot of snow.

00:17:17Or because you don't trust Satan with my gear anymore. Yes, Tan lifts his head far over mine

00:17:22and blasts a torrent of fire along his wing, melting off the residual ice,

00:17:25and I turn away from the surge of heat that painfully contrasts my body temperature.

00:17:29Tan, I struggle forwards and look up at him. I need to know where you stand before this meeting,

00:17:34with or without Empyrean approval, I can't do any of this without you.

00:17:37Meaning, will I support the myriad of ways you plan to call death in the name of curing one

00:17:41who is beyond redemption? He swivels his head in my direction again.

00:17:45Tension crackles along and then is born. He's gone, I cut off that particular argument,

00:17:49since the rest is sound. Basically, yes. He gumbles deep within his chest.

00:17:54I fly without warming my wings in preparation for carrying heavier weight for longer distances.

00:17:58Does that not answer your question? Meaning and then now, relief bursts through my lips on a swift exhale.

00:18:05Steam rolls in blowing clouds from his nostrils. But do not mistake my

00:18:08unflinching support of you, my mate, and and enough or any form of faith in him.

00:18:12Tan lifts his head, queuing the end of the conversation.

00:18:15On that note, I twitch toward the trampled path where Ri and Quinn wave.

00:18:18Redog gives Tan a wide berth as it is the same to my right.

00:18:21My nearly numb, glove fingers fumble with the three buttons on the side of my winter flight hood,

00:18:25and fur-lined fabric falls away from my nose and mouth as I reach them.

00:18:28Everything good on your route.

00:18:29Ri and Quinn look cold but un-injured, thank gods.

00:18:33Still, alarmingly routine, we didn't see anything of concern.

00:18:36Vi and burn pit is still just ash and bone, too.

00:18:38Ri picks a clump of snow from the lining of her hood,

00:18:40then pulls it back up over her shoulder-length black braids.

00:18:43We didn't see shit for those last 10 minutes,

00:18:45idiot.

00:18:46Redog shoves his gloved hand into his hair,

00:18:48snowflake slifting off his brown cheeks without melting.

00:18:51At least you're a nice wielder.

00:18:52I gesture to his annoyingly flake-free face.

00:18:55Quinn pulls her brown curls into a quick bun.

00:18:57Wielding can help keep you warm, too.

00:18:58I'm not chancing it when I can't see what I might strike.

00:19:02Especially having lost my only conduit in the battle.

00:19:04I glance at Redog as a line of Artea section's dragons launch for their patrol behind him.

00:19:08What were you arguing with Aertrom about, anyway?

00:19:11Sorry about that.

00:19:12Redog cringes and lowers his voice.

00:19:14He wants to go home, back to Aritya.

00:19:16Says we can launch the search for the 7th Creed from there.

00:19:19Ri nods, and Quinn presses her lips in a firm line.

00:19:21Yeah, I get that.

00:19:23I say, it's a common sentiment among the ride.

00:19:26We're not exactly welcome here.

00:19:27The unity between the Varian and the Russian ride is crumbled within hours of the battle's end.

00:19:31But the only path for an alliance to ten-save Poromish civilians requires us to be here.

00:19:35At least for now, not to mention, Zayrin insists we stay.

00:19:39He remains because Nawaz wards protect you from him.

00:19:41Ten blasts another stream of fire when I ignore him,

00:19:43hitting his left wing, then crouches before launching skyward with the others.

00:19:47The courtyard is nearly empty when we enter through the tunnel that runs under the ridge

00:19:50line separating it from the training grounds.

00:19:52In front of us, snow tops the dormitory wing,

00:19:54the centered rotunda that links the court instructors,

00:19:56and all but the southernmost offline of the academic wing ahead to our left,

00:19:59where Malik's fire burns right in the highest turret,

00:20:02consuming the belongings of our dead as he requires.

00:20:05Maybe the god of death will curse me for keeping my mother's personal journals,

00:20:08but it's not like I wouldn't have a few choice words for him should we meet, anyway.

00:20:12Report, or I be in heaven orders from the days at our left,

00:20:15where she stands with Yu and Faber, the stalky,

00:20:17sour-faced and glitter of her little remains of Nawaz's fourth wing.

00:20:20Oh, good, you all made it back.

00:20:22Yu in four steps with sarcasm as he folds his arms, snow falling on his broad shoulders.

00:20:26We were so worried.

00:20:28Trick was barely a squad leader in claw when we left,

00:20:30Riddock mutters.

00:20:31Nothing this morning, Rhiannon replies,

00:20:33and Aura nods but doesn't aim to say anything.

00:20:35Any news from the front?

00:20:37My stomach nods, the lack of information is agonizing.

00:20:39Nothing I'd be willing to share with a bunch of deserters, Aura answers.

00:20:43Oh, screw her.

00:20:45A bunch of deserters who saved your ass.

00:20:46Quinn offers her middle finger as we continue past,

00:20:49our boots crunching on the slow-covered gravel.

00:20:51Nibirian writers, Aura'sian writers, we can't function like this,

00:20:54she says to the crew quietly.

00:20:55If they won't accept us, the fires don't have a prayer.

00:20:58I nod in agreement, Myra's working on that particular issue,

00:21:01not that leadership knows or will allow the use of whatever she's earned,

00:21:03even if it saves the negotiations.

00:21:05Pompous assholes.

00:21:07Davira and Tari will be back any day.

00:21:09They'll sort out command structure as soon as the royals ink the treaty that hopefully

00:21:12paddens us to leaving in the first place.

00:21:14Ri cocks her head as Imogen walks out of the rotunda in front of us,

00:21:17her pink hair skimming her cheekbone as she descends the stone steps.

00:21:20Kajalo, you missed the troll.

00:21:22I was assigned elsewhere by Lefton and Tavis, Imogen explains,

00:21:25not missing a beat as she comes our way.

00:21:27Her gaze jumps toward me.

00:21:28Sorengeil, I need a word.

00:21:30I nod, she was on Zed in duty.

00:21:33See that you're present tomorrow.

00:21:34Ri walks past Imogen with the other two,

00:21:36then pauses halfway up the steps and glances over her shoulder as the other's head inside.

00:21:40Wait, is Mira due back today?

00:21:42Tomorrow, anxiety ties a pretty little bow around my throat and tugs.

00:21:45It's one thing to form a plan and quite another to carry it out,

00:21:47especially when the consequences could involve the people I love becoming creators, again.

00:21:52Every possible path, Andrina reminds me.

00:21:54Every possible path, I repeat like a mantra and straighten my shoulders.

00:21:58Good, a slow smile spreads across Ri's face.

00:22:01We'll be in the infirmary when you're done, she promises,

00:22:03then walks up the remaining steps to the rotunda.

00:22:06You're told the second year is what mine is up to.

00:22:08Imogen misplays with a sharp bite of accusation.

00:22:10Only the riders are retort just as quietly.

00:22:13If we get caught, it's treason, but if the fires do,

00:22:16it's work, Imogen finishes.

00:22:18Redock, did you freeze this door shut?

00:22:20Re shouts from the top of the steps,

00:22:21yanking on the door handle of rotunda with her full body weight.

00:22:25Before marching through its counterpart to her left,

00:22:28get back here and fix it, now.

00:22:30Right, telling them was a solid choice.

00:22:32Imogen rubbed the bridge off her nose as Redock laughs hysterically from inside the rotunda.

00:22:36The four of you are a fucking nuisance.

00:22:37It's going to be a miracle if we pull this off without getting ourselves executed.

00:22:41You don't have to be involved.

00:22:43I stare her down in a way I never would have dreamed of 18 months ago.

00:22:46I'll do it with her without your help.

00:22:48Feeling snucky, are we?

00:22:50A corner of her mouth tugs upward.

00:22:51Relax, as long as Mira figures out a plan, of course I'm in.

00:22:55She doesn't know how to fail.

00:22:57I can see that, snow blows across our faces as Imogen's eyes harden.

00:23:00But you see you didn't tell your fearsome for some everything about why we're doing this.

00:23:04Of course not, I shove my gloves into my pocket.

00:23:07He's too pissed at me for, burdening you, with the knowledge.

00:23:10Then he should stop doing stupid shit that needs to be covered up.

00:23:13She rubs her hands together in the cold and follows me up the steps.

00:23:17Look, I needed you alone because Garak, Bodhi, and I talked.

00:23:20Without me, my spine stiffens.

00:23:22About you, she clarifies unapologetically.

00:23:25Even better, I reach for the door.

00:23:27We've decided you need to rethink your sleeping arrangements.

00:23:30My grip tightens on the handle and I contemplate slamming the door in her face.

00:23:34I've decided you can all go fuck yourselves.

00:23:36I'm not running from him.

00:23:37Even in the moments he's lost control, he's never hurt me.

00:23:40He never will.

00:23:41That's what I told him you'd say, but don't be surprised if they keep asking.

00:23:45Good to know you're still predictable even if Ryerson isn't.

00:23:48How was he this morning?

00:23:49He dreshes over my face as we walk into the empty rotunda, and I push back my hood.

00:23:53Without classes, formation, or any sense of order, the academic wing might sit abandoned,

00:23:57but comments in the gathering hall are congested with the endless, worried,

00:24:00agitated cadets hoping to survive the next patrol and looking to take their frustrations out on

00:24:03someone else.

00:24:04Every single one of us would kill for a battle brief.

00:24:07Surly and stubborn as always, image and answers when we cross into the dormitory,

00:24:11guarding as we pass a group of glaring second ears from first wing, including Caroline Ashton,

00:24:15which means the truth says here her.

00:24:17Lucky for us, the steps leading down to the heli quadrant are blessedly empty.

00:24:20You consider telling him what we're up to.

00:24:22He's aware we'll be sent to find Andren is kind.

00:24:25As for the rest, he doesn't want to know.

00:24:27I'm not at a pair of approaching a Russian riders out of third wing when we reach the tunnels but

00:24:30wait to speak until we're out of here assured.

00:24:32He's worried about being in unintentionally, which is ridiculous, but I'm respecting his wishes.

00:24:36I can't wait for him to discover you are leading your own rebellion.

00:24:40She grins as we walk across the enclosed bridge to the heli quadrant.

00:24:44It's not a rebellion, and I am not leading.

00:24:46Zayden, Dane, three, they're leaders.

00:24:48They inspire and command for the good of the union.

00:24:50I'm just doing whatever it takes to save Zayden.

00:24:53Including the mission to find Andren is kind.

00:24:55She throws open the door to the heli quadrant, and I follow her in.

00:24:58That's different, and I am not leading as much as I am selecting a leader.

00:25:02Hopefully, I glance down the clitted tunnel, ask the quietly sleeping patients dressed mostly

00:25:06in infantry blue, and spot a group of who described moving among them,

00:25:09no doubt still working to get accurate accounts of the battle.

00:25:11Sounds the same, but it's not.

00:25:13Right, the word drips with sarcasm.

00:25:16Well, message delivered, so I am done with this conversation.

00:25:18Let me know when Mira gets back.

00:25:20She walks off toward main campus.

00:25:22Give Zaya my best, and good luck this afternoon.

00:25:25Thanks, I call after her, then turn toward the infirmary.

00:25:28The scents of herbs and metal hit my lungs as I enter through the double doors.

00:25:31I wave a traitor on my right, who's among the healing train flyers doing their best to help

00:25:34where they can.

00:25:36He nods back from a patient's bedside, then reaches for an eagle and thread.

00:25:40I continue quickly to the nearest corner, moving from the heli's parts as they scurry in and out

00:25:44of the curtain-lined base where rows of the injured rest.

00:25:46Redox laugh sounds from the last way as I approach.

00:25:49The pale blue curtains are tied back, revealing a pile of discarded winter flight jackets in.

00:25:54The corner and every other second ear in our squad crammed around Sawyer's bed.

00:25:57Stop exaggerating, Rhiannon says from the wooden chair near Sawyer's head,

00:26:02shaking her finger at Redox, who's sitting on the bed,

00:26:04right where our squad mates' whole leg used to be.

00:26:06I simply told them that it was our squad's table and they needed to

00:26:10take their cardly asses back to the first wing section where they belonged.

00:26:13Redox finishes for her with another laugh.

00:26:15You didn't really say that.

00:26:16A corner of Sawyer's mouth pokes upward, but it's far from a true smile.

00:26:20She did.

00:26:21I'm careful not to step on Kat's outstretched legs on the floor beside Maren as I move into

00:26:24the cramped space, unbuttoning my flight jacket and tossing it onto the pile.

00:26:28Riders get offended by the weirdest things.

00:26:30Kat arches a dark brown air flips through Malcolm's history textbook.

00:26:33We have far bigger issues than tables.

00:26:36True, Maren nods, letting her dark brown hair into a four-strand braid.

00:26:40How was patrol, anyway?

00:26:41Sawyer scoots to a more upright position without any help.

00:26:44Quiet, Redox answers.

00:26:45I'm starting to think we've gotten them all.

00:26:48Or they've managed to flee, Sawyer muses, the light fading from his eyes.

00:26:51You'll be chasing them down soon.

00:26:53Not until we graduate.

00:26:54Reed crosses her legs.

00:26:55They're not sending cadets beyond the borders.

00:26:58Except Violet, of course, who will be off-seating the seventh breed so we can win this war.

00:27:02Redox glances my way with a shit-eating grin.

00:27:04Don't worry, I'll keep her safe.

00:27:06I can't quite tell if he's teasing or serious.

00:27:09Kat Thorson flips another page.

00:27:10Like they're going to let you go.

00:27:12Guarantee it'll be officers only.

00:27:14No way, Redox shakes his head.

00:27:16It's her dragon, her rules.

00:27:17Right, we?

00:27:18Every head turns in my direction.

00:27:20Assuming they put us on orders, I provide a list of people I trust to go.

00:27:24A list that's been through so many drafts, I'm not even sure I'm carrying the right one.

00:27:28You should take the squad, Sawyer suggests.

00:27:30We work best as a team.

00:27:31He scoffs.

00:27:32Who am I kidding?

00:27:33You'll work best as a team.

00:27:34I'm barely climbing stairs.

00:27:35He nods to the crutches beside his bed.

00:27:38You're still on the team.

00:27:39Hydrate.

00:27:40Lee reaches across the bedside table and over a node that looks to me in Jasonia's handwriting

00:27:43to grab a filter mug.

00:27:45Water's not going to grow my leg back.

00:27:47Sawyer takes it, and the metal handle hisses, forming to his grip.

00:27:50He looks up at me.

00:27:51I know that's a shitty thing to say after you lost your mother.

00:27:54Pain isn't a competition, I assure him.

00:27:56There's always enough to go around.

00:27:58He sighs.

00:27:59I got a visit from Colonel Chandler.

00:28:01My stomach hollows.

00:28:02The commander of the retired drivers.

00:28:04Sawyer nods.

00:28:05What?

00:28:06Redox folds his arms.

00:28:07Second years don't retire.

00:28:08Die.

00:28:09Yes.

00:28:09Retire.

00:28:10No.

00:28:11I get that.

00:28:11Sawyer starts.

00:28:12I just.

00:28:13A shoestream echoes throughout the infirmary in a new wavering pitch that's reserved for

00:28:17something far worse than pain, terror.

00:28:18The silence that follows chills me to the bone, apprehension lifting the hair on the back

00:28:22of my neck as I and she two of my daggers in turn to face the threat.

00:28:25What was that?

00:28:26Redox flies off Sawyer's bed, and the others move behind me as I step outside the bay and

00:28:30pivot toward the open infirmary doors.

00:28:32She's dead.

00:28:32A cadet in infantry blue stumbles in and falls to his hands and knees.

00:28:36They're all dead.

00:28:37There's no mistaking the gray handprint marking the side of his neck.

00:28:40Venom.

00:28:41My heart ceases, we haven't found them out on patrol, because they're already inside.

00:28:46The rarest of cygnets, both that rise once in a generation or century, have manifested

00:28:50concurrently within equal twice in our records, both critical times in our history, but only

00:28:54once have the six most powerful warped the continent simultaneously.

00:28:57As fascinating as that spectacle must have been, I would rather not live to see it happen again.

00:29:00A study on cygnets by Major Dalton Sisleros.

00:29:04Chapter 2

00:29:05There within the walls, ten bellows.

00:29:07Already figured that out.

00:29:09I slap my daggers for two alloy hilted ones at my thighs and move quickly to hand one to Sawyer.

00:29:13None of us die today.

00:29:15He nods, taking the blade by the hilt.

00:29:17Marin, protect Sawyer, Rhiannon orders.

00:29:20Cat, help whoever you can.

00:29:21Let's go.

00:29:22Guess I'll just stay here.

00:29:23Sawyer calls after us, muttering the swear word as we take off, sprinting between the rows of infirmary

00:29:27beds.

00:29:29We're the first to make it to the doors, where Winifred holds the willing infant

00:29:32recorded by his upper arms.

00:29:34Violet, don't go out there, she starts.

00:29:36Lock the doors, I shout as we run through.

00:29:39Like that going to stop them.

00:29:40Redog challenges as we enter the tunnel, then all three of us get to a hall to the side before us.

00:29:45The blankets on every overflow bed down the hallway have been thrown back, revealing desiccated bodies.

00:29:50My stomach permits, how did this happen so fast?

00:29:53Oh shit, Redog draws another dagger at my right as two more riders spin through the infirmary

00:29:57doors behind us, both from second wing.

00:29:59I reach for Zayton and find his shields not only up but impenetrable.

00:30:02Frustrating, but fine, I am perfectly capable of fighting on my own, and I have Redog and

00:30:07Rhi with me.

00:30:08You do not have a conduit, then reminds me, which means I can't pinpoint my lightning strikes,

00:30:12especially not indoors.

00:30:14I've always been far more accurate with that is than my own power.

00:30:17One whoever's right is the Ardurward stone.

00:30:20Already then, he replies.

00:30:22Check the bridge, Rhiannon demands the two from second wing, and they take off toward the right is

00:30:25quadrant.

00:30:27Bring their bodies outside once you're done killing them so we can roast them for fun,

00:30:30and then I suggest.

00:30:32Not right now, I calm my breath and concentrate.

00:30:35Eyes open, Rhiannon says, her voice is steady as her hand is she pulls an alloy-hilted dagger and

00:30:39moves to my left.

00:30:40Let's go, then we move as one, quite and quick as we make our way down the hall.

00:30:44I keep my eyes forward as Rhiann will drop check left and right respectively,

00:30:47and the silence tells me all I need to know.

00:30:49There are no survivors.

00:30:51We follow the curve of the tunnel, passing the last court, and a scribe flies out of the

00:30:54stairwell ahead, his rope blowing behind him as he runs toward us at full speed.

00:30:59I flick the dagger in my hand and pinch it by the tip, my heart starting to beat double time.

00:31:03Which way did they go?

00:31:04Rhiannon asks the cadet.

00:31:06The scribe falls back, revealing red rim layers with spiderweb veins at his temples.

00:31:10Nope, definitely not a cadet.

00:31:11He reaches beneath his ropes, but I've already flicked my wrist by the time he grabbed the pommel of the sword.

00:31:17My dagger launches in the left side of his chest, and his eyes bulge in shock as he

00:31:20falls graciously to the tunnel flow.

00:31:22His body shrivels in the span of a heartbeat.

00:31:24Damn, sometimes I forget how good you are at that, re-whispers, scanning our surroundings as we

00:31:28move forward.

00:31:30How did you know?

00:31:30Redoc asks in the same hushed tone, quickly kicking the husk of a body over and retrieving my blade.

00:31:35A scribe would have run toward the archives.

00:31:37I take the blade back and wrap my hand around the hill.

00:31:39Thanks, the alloy's hum of power is a little dimmer but still there, hopefully capable of another

00:31:44killing blow.

00:31:45How many of them had Imogen and I see on our walk again firmly without even realizing.

00:31:49That's how they fed without notice, their dress describes.

00:31:52Two figures in cream robes approach from the opposite side of the tunnel,

00:31:55made light shining on their first tier rank, and I prepare to throw again.

00:31:59Drop the hoods, re-orders.

00:32:01They both startle, and the titate on the right lowers her hood quickly,

00:32:04but there's a slight tremble in her counterpart's hands as she complies,

00:32:07her white blue eyes lopped on the body at my feet.

00:32:09If that, she whispers, and her friend wrapped an arm around her sling frame.

00:32:13Yes, I lower my blade, noting that neither of them carry red in their eyes or at their temples.

00:32:18Get back to the archives and warn the others.

00:32:19The women turn and run.

00:32:21Up or down, Redoc asks, facing the steps.

00:32:24Someone shouts beneath us.

00:32:25Down, Re and A.C. simultaneously.

00:32:28Great, Redoc rolls his neck, down the stable to the torture chamber where an untold number of

00:32:32freshly fed dark wielders wait.

00:32:34Good times, he takes the lead, switching his dagger to his left hand and lifting his right in preparation to

00:32:38wield as Rhiannon steps in behind me.

00:32:41We edge down the stairs rapidly, keeping our backs to the stone wall,

00:32:44and I send up a silent thanks to Aaron Norris for building this bag with stone stairs

00:32:47instead of wooden ones with the potential to creak or burn.

00:32:50Pay attention to the present, not the past.

00:32:54Metal glangs beneath us, the pitch varying from the ting of colliding blades

00:32:57to the air-grading rust of steel scraping against stone.

00:32:59But it's the maniacal laughter mixed with brands of pain that has me hurrying faster,

00:33:03as power rising, cracking along my skin.

00:33:05Control it.

00:33:06Ten orders.

00:33:07Quiet time, I remind him, throwing my shields up to block him,

00:33:10knowing he can still push through if he wants.

00:33:13Stop playing with your kill and help us get this door open.

00:33:16Someone demands from below, if they want to sell door open,

00:33:18they're definitely not on our side.

00:33:20They've come for Jack.

00:33:21How many guards are on Wallow?

00:33:23Redoc crystals is near the turn in the staircase that will expose us to whomever waits beneath.

00:33:282.

00:33:28Rhiannon's answer is quickly muffled by the sound of a low and painful scream.

00:33:32Make that one, I reply, letting my right hand to throw.

00:33:34The antechamber of the brick comes into view, and my gaze flies over the all-too-familiar space,

00:33:39taking quick stock of our situation.

00:33:412 dark-wheeled is dressed in scribe robes yanked at the end-moving door handle to Jack's cell,

00:33:46while a female pulsar ruby-hilted sword across the neck of a second liftenant who's been pinned to the

00:33:49thick table with daggers through his hands, and a fork stands at the edge of the shadows.

00:33:53Her long silver braid swings free of her hood as her attention whips in our direction,

00:33:56and her hairy red gaze jumps to mine and widens slightly.

00:34:00Under a faded tattoo on her forehead, my blood chills when a smirk hits her mouth,

00:34:04distorting the red veins at her temples, and then she disappears.

00:34:07I blink against the sudden breeze that wrestles the loosened strand of my braid,

00:34:10then stare at the empty space she'd occupied.

00:34:12At least I think she had.

00:34:14Am I seeing things now?

00:34:153 gasps behind me, and my focus toes to the imprisoned guard.

00:34:18Blood efflots the table from the rider's wound, and I swallow back the burn of acid in my throat,

00:34:23catching sight of two corpses to the left, one in cream, the other in black.

00:34:27The female with the jewels sword at the table pivots,

00:34:29her short blonde hair smacking her sharp cheekbones as she turns in our direction,

00:34:32revealing branches of red veins at her temples.

00:34:35I flick my wrist just in case this one disappears, too.

00:34:38Right is, her alarmed eyes with my blade lodged in the middle of her throat.

00:34:42Redog rushes the two at the door, but they're ready,

00:34:44one drawing is for that Redog blocks with a thick band of eyes.

00:34:47I throw my remaining dagger at the other as I jump the last two steps,

00:34:50with the dark head when it moves unnaturally fast, dodging the strike.

00:34:53My blade bounces off the stone wall behind him as I run toward the rider bleeding out on the table.

00:34:58Fuck!

00:34:59Ree leaps over the female's body, headed for Redog, and I continue on,

00:35:02kicking an eye on the one I missed.

00:35:04The Venon swings his arm, and a shape flies toward me.

00:35:08Drop, wee, Redog shouts, throwing his hand out, palm down,

00:35:11and a chill sweeps over the front of my legs as back fresh at my face.

00:35:14I hit my knees and slide along a small sheet of ice as the maze whips over my head,

00:35:18slicing through the air with a whistle.

00:35:20Not the silver hair, the dark wielder with the sword bellows,

00:35:23and I scramble to my feet, slipping on the blood-covered stone.

00:35:26We need her, to control Zaden, fuck that, I'll never be used against him again.

00:35:30Mine, now, Ree shouts, and when Eggblance left, she's swinging the maze at its previous owner,

00:35:35giving me time to get to the twitching rider on the table.

00:35:37Hold on, I tell him, reaching for his throat to stones the bleeding, but I pauses his last breath,

00:35:42rattles his chest, and he falls limb. He's gone, my.

00:35:46Heart quenches for all of a beat before I draw two more daggers and turn toward my friends.

00:35:50The black head when it moves in a blur, ducking beneath the maze,

00:35:53Rian and swings, then appears before me like he'd been standing there all along.

00:35:56Fast, they're too damn fast.

00:35:58My heart joltes as I jerk my dagger to his throat,

00:36:01and he steadies me with sickling excitement in his red eyes.

00:36:03Power floods my veins, heating my skin and lifting the hair along my arms.

00:36:07Ah, the lightning wielder, you are a long way from the sky,

00:36:10and we both know you can't kill me with that knife, he taunts,

00:36:13and the veins along his temple spurs his three sneaks up behind him,

00:36:15her alloy hilted dagger-poised strike.

00:36:18Shadows quake at the edges of the chamber, and a corner of my mouth rises.

00:36:21I won't have to.

00:36:23His eyes flare in confusion for all of a millisecond before shadows explode around us,

00:36:26immediately devouring every speck of light in a sea of endless black eye instantly recognizes home.

00:36:31A band of darkness wraps around my hips and yanks me backward,

00:36:33then brushes my cheek gently, steadying my galloping heartbeat and quieting my power.

00:36:38Screams fill the chamber, followed by a pair of thuds,

00:36:40and I know without a doubt any threat to my lifespan extinguished.

00:36:44A heartbeat later, the shadows retreat,

00:36:45revealing the shriveled bodies of the dark wielders on the floor,

00:36:48alloy hilted daggers embedded in their chests.

00:36:51I lower my weapons as Zayden strikes toward me from the center of the room,

00:36:54the hints of the two swords he keeps trapped to his back kicking above his shoulders.

00:36:57He's in thick winter flight leathers,

00:36:58devoid of any markings but his second lieutenant rank,

00:37:01and speckled with tiny dots of water that tell me he's been out in the snow.

00:37:04Second lieutenant, the same rank as Baloo's guards had been,

00:37:07the same as Garrick, who's standing at the base of the steps behind Zayden,

00:37:10and almost every other officer temporarily stationed here to protect this guy.

00:37:14My heart's tattoos and my gaze takes over Zayden's tall, muscle frame,

00:37:17searching for any sign of injury.

00:37:19Both electronic eyes meet mine,

00:37:21and my breath stabilizes only when I realize he's unharmed and there isn't a single.

00:37:24Trace of red to be found anywhere near his irises.

00:37:28He may technically be an initiate, but he's nothing like the villain we just fought.

00:37:32Gods, I love this man.

00:37:34Tell me something, violence.

00:37:35A muscle in his square jaw ticks as he stares down at me,

00:37:37rippling the tawny brown skin of his stubble cheek.

00:37:40Why is it always you?

00:37:42An hour later, we're dismissed from the debrief with the commandant of the rioters' footprint,

00:37:46Quinlan Pinchak, and sent on our way.

00:37:48He doesn't even see him face that they were working to rescue Baloo instead of going for the

00:37:51wart stone.

00:37:52Garak shoves his hand through his short dark hair as he descends the staircase of the

00:37:56academic wing ahead of Zayden and me.

00:37:58Maybe it's not the first attempt.

00:37:59Rie glances back over her shoulder at Garak.

00:38:01It's not like we're getting briefed every day.

00:38:03We aren't safe here, not that we ever really were.

00:38:06Pinchak will notify the other leadership, right?

00:38:08Ridder casts as we pass the third floor.

00:38:11Melbourne already knows, there were only two of us down there.

00:38:14Zayden glances pointedly at Garak's hand, where his rebellion

00:38:16relic peeks out from the sleeve of his uniform.

00:38:18I'm just grateful for the wards soaring you put in place before she left.

00:38:23Garak doesn't bother to clarify that he is talking about my sister.

00:38:26Baloo can't hear or see a thing outside that chamber unless someone opens the door,

00:38:29so it's not like he is gathering new intel.

00:38:31From the look of the stones he is drained within the cell, he be dead within the week.

00:38:35Zayden denses at my side and I reach for him mentally,

00:38:37but his shields are thicker than the walls of this fortress.

00:38:40It's not always me, I whisper to Zayden, brushing my hand against

00:38:43his as we continue down the wide spiral staircase, approaching the second floor.

00:38:47Zayden scoffs, then laces his fingers with mine and brings the back of my hand

00:38:50to his perfectly sculpted mouth.

00:38:52It is, he replies just as quietly, punctuating the remark with a kiss.

00:38:56My purse jumps just like it does every time he puts his lips on my skin,

00:38:59which hasn't happened much in the last couple of weeks.

00:39:02You know, that who slayed him in darkness thing was badass,

00:39:05Ridder lifts his finger, but I totally had him.

00:39:07You didn't, Zayden strokes his thumb over mine,

00:39:10and Garak's shoulders shake with a quiet laugh as we descend the final flight of steps to the main entrance.

00:39:14I was about to have him, Ridder argues, shaking the finger.

00:39:17You won't, Zayden assures him.

00:39:20How could you possibly know that?

00:39:21Ridder drops his hand, Garak and Zayden exchange a look of sheer exasperation, and I fight a smile.

00:39:26Because you were on one side of the room, Garak says, that your blade was on the other.

00:39:31A problem I was in the middle of solving, Ridder shrugs, reaching the ground floor with re.

00:39:36Zayden pauses, putting my hand in wordless request that I stay with him, which I do.

00:39:40We should check on the others.

00:39:41Re glances up at me, you head into the great hall.

00:39:44I nod, and nerves jumble in my stomach.

00:39:47You're ready, you've got this, she sees with a flash of a smile.

00:39:50Want us to walk you over?

00:39:52No, go check on the squad, I reply, and Garak stills a step beneath us.

00:39:56I'll find you afterwards.

00:39:58We'll be waiting, Ridder promises over his shoulder as he heads to the left with three, disappearing around the corner.

00:40:03Everything alright, Garak turns our way and still is Zayden's eyes.

00:40:06It will be if you give us five minutes alone, Zayden answers.

00:40:10Concerned is Garak's brow as he glances at me, but he quickly smooths his expression when I nod.

00:40:15For fuck's sake, you trust her to babysit me at night, don't you?

00:40:18Zayden narrows his eyes on his best friend.

00:40:20Don't act like I'm the reason you need to be supervised, Garak fires back.

00:40:24Shadows creep across the step at our feet.

00:40:27It's fine, I quickly assure Garak, keeping my hand inclined with Zayden's much larger one.

00:40:31I'm fine, he's fine, all fine, Garak glances between us, then pivots and moves down the steps.

00:40:36I'll be close by, he warns, turning the corner to the right, toward the sparring gym.

00:40:41Damn it, Zayden pulls his hand from mine, then leans back against the wall, his sword clinking against

00:40:45the masonry. His jacket falls open as he rests his head on the stone window frame.

00:40:49I never realized how much I like alone time until I didn't have any.

00:40:53His throat works and his hands clench at his sides.

00:40:55I'm sorry, I cross the foot of space between us,

00:40:58stepping between his feet and lifting my hand to the side of his neck,

00:41:00right over the magically inclines of his mouth.

00:41:03Don't be, he has every right to worry about leaving me alone with you.

00:41:07He covers my hand with his own and lowers his head,

00:41:09slowly opening those eyes I can never get enough of.

00:41:12I trust you, not a trace of red to be seen.

00:41:15You shouldn't, he wraps his arm around my waist and peps way against his body.

00:41:18The contact instantly heats my skin and makes my stomach flip in the best possible way.

00:41:22I'm pretty fucking sure the only reason he and Bodhi aren't sleeping at the foot of our bed is that

00:41:25they know I would have killed them for it before, let alone now.

00:41:29Not that we are doing anything in that bed besides sleeping.

00:41:31I might trust him, but he shows Donnie doesn't trust himself,

00:41:34at least not enough to let go of control in any form.

00:41:37In the spirit of transparency, I should tell you they'd like me to reconsider our sleeping arrangements.

00:41:41I spare my other hand over his warm chest.

00:41:44His eyes flare, and his arm tightens around me.

00:41:46Maybe you should.

00:41:47That's not happening, I told Imogen to get fucked.

00:41:50A smile ghosts his mouth.

00:41:52I'm sure you did.

00:41:53They'll stop hovering as soon as you're queuing.

00:41:55My gaze clings the curved line of his jaw,

00:41:57then along the rise of his cheekbones to the locks of his black hair that have fallen over his forehead.

00:42:01He's still him, still mine, his muscle stands beneath my fingers.

00:42:04You ready to meet with the scenario?

00:42:06Yes, I nod, and don't change the subject.

00:42:09I will find a way to cure you.

00:42:10I put every ounce of my determination into the words and lift my eyebrows at him.

00:42:14Let me in, it isn't a request.

00:42:15To my surprise, he lowers his shields, and the shimmering onyx born between us solidifies.

00:42:20You wielded your signal today, behind the wards.

00:42:23He nods, dropping his hand from mine and fully wrapping his arms around me.

00:42:26I channelled from S-G-A-E-Y-L.

00:42:28I savor the feel of his body against mine but don't push my luck for a kiss.

00:42:32Did she tell you we were in trouble?

00:42:34His gaze falls away and he shakes his head.

00:42:36She's still not speaking to me.

00:42:37Flying is awkward as fuck.

00:42:39My chest patterns to crack under the weight of the sadness in his tone.

00:42:42I'm so sorry.

00:42:43I slide my hands around the small of his back and hug him,

00:42:45turning my head so his heart beats beneath my ear.

00:42:48She'll come around.

00:42:49Don't pound on it.

00:42:50Tien wants to growl down the mental pathway that only belongs to us,

00:42:53and I blatantly ignore him.

00:42:55Zayden lowers his chin to the top of my head.

00:42:57She knows I'm not whole.

00:42:58She senses it.

00:43:00I stutter and pull back, lifting my hands to hold his face.

00:43:03You're whole, I whisper.

00:43:04I don't know what you paid to access the power, but it didn't change you.

00:43:08It did, he counters, side sitting down a stand out of my arms.

00:43:11I can only think of one way to prove it didn't.

00:43:13Do you still love me?

00:43:14I held the inquiry at him like a weapon.

00:43:17His gaze snaps to mine.

00:43:18What kind of question is that?

00:43:20Do you still love me?

00:43:22I enunciate every word and lean right into his face just to prove that I am not intimidated by him.

00:43:27He cuts the back of my neck and pulls me within inches of his face, close enough to kiss.

00:43:31I could reach the rank of Maven.

00:43:32Laid armies of dark youth is against everyone.

00:43:34Be careful, and watch every vein in my body turn red as I channel all the power in the continent,

00:43:38and I would still love you.

00:43:40What I did doesn't change that.

00:43:41I'm not sure anything can.

00:43:43See, you're still you, my gaze drops to his mouth.

00:43:46Telling me you're capable of horrible things while still loving me is pretty much your idea for play.

00:43:50His eyes darken, and he holds me closer until only his own abstinence separates our lips.

00:43:54That should scare the shit out of you, Violet.

00:43:57It doesn't.

00:43:58I rise on my toes and brush my lips over his.

00:44:00Nothing about you scares me.

00:44:01I won't run, Zayden.

00:44:03Damn it.

00:44:03He drops his hand and retreats a step, putting space between us again.

00:44:07With my shields up, I didn't know you were in the interrogation chamber until I was halfway downstairs.

00:44:12What?

00:44:12I blink.

00:44:13Then how did you know to come help?

00:44:15Silence stretches between us, and a prickle of apprehension makes me shift my way,

00:44:18aggravating my lower back.

00:44:20I sense them, he finally answers.

00:44:22The same way they sense me.

00:44:24My stomach twitches, and I reach for the wall,

00:44:26spaying my palm over the rough hewn stone to keep my balance.

00:44:29That's not possible.

00:44:30It is, he nods slowly, watching me.

00:44:33That's how I know I've changed, how Garak and I have managed to say more than a dozen of them this week.

00:44:37I can feel them calling to me, just like I can feel the source pulsing beneath my feet with

00:44:41its incomparable power, because I'm one of them.

00:44:43His eye is narrow, scared yet.

00:44:45Sometimes I worry about Violet.

00:44:47She has a sharp width, quick mind, and steadfast heart paired with my bullhead tenacity.

00:44:51When she finally and truly gives that heart, I fear it will overrule the other gifts you

00:44:54given her in logic will see its voice to Lau.

00:44:56And if her first two liaisons are any indication of what we might expect,

00:44:59gods help her, my Lau, I'm afraid our daughter has atrocious taste in men.

00:45:02Recovered, Unsent Correspondence of General Lilith Sorengale

00:45:06Chapter 3

00:45:08Zayden can sense them

00:45:09My fingers bend slightly when my hand flexes along the drought line, holding on for dear life as my mind spins.

00:45:14But just because he can sense them doesn't mean he gave up part of his soul, right?

00:45:18It's there in his eyes, watching me, waiting for me to reject him, or burst, push him away like I did after Essen.

00:45:25Maybe it's more dire than I thought, but he's still whole, still him.

00:45:28Just with, heightened senses.

00:45:30I shove my stomach right back where it belongs and hold his stare.

00:45:34Scared of you, I shake my head, never.

00:45:36You will be, he whispers, looking over my features like he needs to memorize them.

00:45:41Your five minutes are up, Galaxy is from the base of the steps.

00:45:44And Violet has a meeting to get to.

00:45:46Zayden's expression shifts into something dangerous as he glares at his best friend and leans away from me.

00:45:51She told you we think you should see it somewhere else, didn't she?

00:45:54Garak rolls his neck like he's preparing for a fight.

00:45:57She did, Zayden starts down the steps, and I follow.

00:46:00And I'll tell you the same thing she said to Imogen, get fucked.

00:46:03Figured, Garak turns a pleading look on me, and I smile back as we walk out of the academic wing and

00:46:07into the surprisingly empty rotunda, crossing between two dragon killers.

00:46:11Thought you did least be logical, Violet.

00:46:13Me, you are the ones acting based on feelings and with no evidence whatsoever.

00:46:17My decision to trust him is based purely on the facts of our proven history.

00:46:21As much as I appreciate the concern, Zayden rolls, his voice edging on icy,

00:46:24you try to dictate the occupants of Violet's bed again, and we are going to have problems.

00:46:29Garak shakes his head at his best friend but drops the subject as we make our way to main campus,

00:46:33passing through the chaotic cleanup near the infirmary.

00:46:36The death roll in the infantry quadrant will be painfully long tomorrow.

00:46:39For someone who's about to face the highest-ranking aristocracy in the kingdom,

00:46:42you seem pretty calm, soaring you, Garak remarks as we cross onto the thick red carpet of the

00:46:46administration building.

00:46:48The hallway is cramped with people in tunics of various colors waiting for talks to resume,

00:46:52identified only by the held re-embroidered on crossbody sashes that remind me of our dress uniforms.

00:46:56Our own provinces are easy to recognize, and I even scored Bravix's heads begin to turn in our

00:47:00direction.

00:47:02I've known this is coming and have a plan. Two weeks is a lot of time to overthink every

00:47:05possible scenario, I reply as the crowd slowly parts to the side of the hall in what I've come to

00:47:09think of Zayden effect. I can't blame them for staring, he's gorgeous, I can't blame them for

00:47:13backing up, either. He's not only terrifyingly powerful, he's known to be responsible for

00:47:17splitting Neva's right and providing weapons to Poromil. Safe to say not every gay is trained on him,

00:47:22on any of the three of us, is friendly.

00:47:25You are sure this is what you want? Zayden asks as we approach the massive double doors of the great hall.

00:47:29It's what she wants, I tell him, and one of the guards adorned with the crest of Kaldir slips into

00:47:34the hall, no doubt to announce our arrival. And it's what we need, he's still up for coming well.

00:47:38I glance at him, even beyond the wards. The magical barrier is doing more than protecting us from

00:47:43him, it's protecting him from himself. His jaw flexes, even beyond the wards,

00:47:47he confirms as we reach the doors and the remaining stone-faced guard in infantry blue.

00:47:51I assume you are expecting me, I ask the guard. You will wait to be escorted,

00:47:56good at Sorengev, she replies without looking my way. Pleasant.

00:48:00I'm starting to think twice about this meeting, Garek says from Zayden's other side,

00:48:03his gaze scanning the heavily armed crowd in the hallway. She's been invited to appear before the

00:48:07scenario Malone, and we haven't exactly been pardoned for leaving this quiet and taking a

00:48:12large portion of the ride. Brennan might be sitting in on the treaty negotiations on behalf of Aritya,

00:48:17but we don't have a seat on the council. Anything could happen to Violet in there.

00:48:21Already thought about that, I'll show him. They need me alive for Aandana's sake if not tense.

00:48:25I'll be fine. She has Llewellyn in there representing Tyrenda and can set the whole

00:48:29damn place on fire with a wave of her hand, Zayden adds, folding his arms and glowering at the guard.

00:48:34I'm more concerned for their safety than hers. The door on the right opens, and the other guard walks

00:48:39through. My stomach twists when General Milgrin appears in the doorway, his daily eyes narrowing as

00:48:43he looks down his beak of nose at me. Cadet Sorengev, the scenario is ready to receive you.

00:48:48His gaze starts to Garak, then Zayden. Alone. I'll be right out here, Zayden's tone slips into menace,

00:48:53deterred by these wooden doors that hang an inch off the ground.

00:48:56Subtle, I fight deterred the corner of my mouth.

00:48:59Milgrin gestures me inside but doesn't take his eyes off Zayden.

00:49:02Never going to be, he replies as I walk into the hall.

00:49:05I have every faith in your ability to protect yourself, but say the word and I'll rip the doors

00:49:08off the hinges. You're such a romantic. I quickly take in the new furniture arrangement of the familiar

00:49:13room, finding a long-crested table running the length of the hall with dozens of chairs,

00:49:16no doubt to accommodate the negotiations. Six nobles dressed in lushly embroidered

00:49:20kunics and gowns that facing me at the closest end, representing each of Navarre's six provinces.

00:49:24I know them all thanks to my mother, but only the one on the far left offers me a tired smile

00:49:28as I approach the center of their grouping and place my hands on the back of the chair.

00:49:32Lulan. Any last-minute additions?

00:49:34I ask Vandana as Milgrin walks around the table and sits to the right of the Duchess of Moraine.

00:49:38Nothing that comes to mind, she responds. Here we go. Let's make this quick,

00:49:43the Duchess of Moraine snaps in a high-pitched voice from the right,

00:49:45a giant ruby jostling along her collarbone when she...

00:49:49Here's a sigh, we have three days to save these negotiations and need every hour of it.

00:49:54I couldn't agree more, I start. We've been briefed by General Milgrin and conferred with the king,

00:49:58the Duke of Caldea interrupts directly across from me, stroking his short blonde beard.

00:50:02As of this moment, you will be assigned to her, he glances at Milgrin. What did you call it?

00:50:07A task force, Melvin supplies, sitting eerily still as he still eats me. Task force,

00:50:12the Duke repeats, which will embark on a quest to find and recruit the seven-fragland breed with an

00:50:15aim to increase her numbers and hopefully provide insight into killing the women.

00:50:19I reach into the pocket of my uniform and pull out two folded pieces of parchment.

00:50:23I hold up the first. Should we agree to participate, this is a list of Vandana's demands.

00:50:28The Duchess of Elsom raises her dark brows, and the Duke of Lucidus recoils.

00:50:32You are not in a place to make demands, the Duchess of Moraine admonishes.

00:50:36While we owe your mother a debt of gratitude, you are still considered a deserter.

00:50:40A deserter who saved this college, our wards, and our kingdom,

00:50:43not to mention took on multiple women within these walls a few hours ago,

00:50:46all of which I've done without falling in an avarian chain of command.

00:50:49I tilt my head, makes it hard to assign me to anything,

00:50:51as none of you command the Russian right. And they're not my demands, they hers.

00:50:55The return of our right is a matter still in negotiation.

00:50:58Milgrin glances down the table at Llewellyn. This assignment is being made in

00:51:01good faith, with the understanding that the right will remain at bestile.

00:51:04Llewellyn, seeing as you've secretly represented Aritya for years,

00:51:07which is a separate issue this council has yet to address,

00:51:09perhaps you'd be willing to read her demands.

00:51:12The rebuke is most of the aristocrats shifting in their seats.

00:51:15Llewellyn holds out his hand, and I give him the folded wrist.

00:51:18Step 1, complete. A smile tugs at the corners of his lined mouth as he reads.

00:51:22Some of these are quite unique.

00:51:24As is she, I reply, launching into Step 2. I will take 6 riders.

00:51:29You will take no one, Milgrin interrupts. You are a second-year cadet who will only be

00:51:32allowed to participate because we need a dragon. It has

00:51:36already been decided that Captain Grady will lead the task force,

00:51:39due largely to his experience behind enemy lines.

00:51:42My stomach sinks, my RSC professor. No, no, no, this is not how this is supposed to go.

00:51:47I grasp the list it has my res name linked at the top.

00:51:50The same, Milgrin nods. He's been made aware,

00:51:53and you can expect to hear from him once we've settled the Poromish alliance and its

00:51:56requirements and he's configured the squad of his choosing.

00:51:58His choosing, power rises within me, simmering in my blood.

00:52:01Which will at least include Lefton and Reherson, correct?

00:52:03The aristocrats all look to Milgrin.

00:52:06Reherson's involvement will be at Grady's discretion.

00:52:08Milgrin stares back at me, unflinching.

00:52:1010 and SGA YL can't be separated, are you?

00:52:14Which would suggest Reherson will be among his selections,

00:52:16Milgrin states with about as much emotion as a tree.

00:52:19No wonder mom liked him so much.

00:52:20But again, it's at the captain's discretion.

00:52:22Captain's discretion, my blood hums.

00:52:24Determining the members of the squad is one of Andana's demands.

00:52:27In every scenario I thought true, Andana's compliance had always been the card I'd mentally

00:52:31played.

00:52:32Then it's one that won't be met.

00:52:33Milgrin folds his hands in his lap.

00:52:36It's a non-negotiable military operation, not a class field trip.

00:52:39We won't go, 10 states.

00:52:41We have to go, Andana argues, her voice rising.

00:52:44The parchment crumples in my hand.

00:52:46She's right, we have to go, Andana deserves this, first and foremost.

00:52:50But if there's any chance they know how to defeat the villain or how to cure Zayden,

00:52:53then we truly have no choice.

00:52:55Every possible path, which means we have to give.

00:52:57Shall we consider the matter settled?

00:52:59The Duke of Kaldir asks, absolutely the fuck not.

00:53:02It is, Milgrin states.

00:53:04Only if you meet the rest of Andana's demands.

00:53:06I lift my chin, I think both she and Tan have shown they're more than willing to walk,

00:53:10if not fly away from this guy.

00:53:12Milgrin's nostrils flare, and I bite back a crow of victory.

00:53:15We will consider approving her other requests.

00:53:18Then it's settled, the Duke of Kaldir announces.

00:53:20Excellent, this development should help smooth negotiations.

00:53:24At least letting the flyers enter the quadrant would help, I add, frustration burning in my chest.

00:53:29When they can't even kneel to protect themselves, Milgrin scoffs.

00:53:32The writers will eat them alive.

00:53:34Isn't that one of Poromir's arguments against leaving those additional forces with us?

00:53:38The Duchess of Moraine asks, and Milgrin nods.

00:53:41They aren't forces, they're cadets in need of the protection of the wards.

00:53:44The Duke scratches his neck.

00:53:45We'll think on it, the flyers handing themselves in the quadrant would go

00:53:48a long way towards smoothing the negotiation point.

00:53:51My thoughts exactly.

00:53:53You're dismissed, cadet, Milgrin nods.

00:53:56I'll walk you out, Loulin says, pushing away from the table and rising to his feet.

00:54:00I slip the mangled list into my pocket and cross the cobblestones to the door,

00:54:03trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered expectations.

00:54:05There's no telling if we'll be able to trust whoever Grady selects for the squad.

00:54:10I'll work on these, Loulin says quietly, raising the list of Fandana's demands.

00:54:14And in the meantime, he reaches into his tunic and retrieves a palm-sized missive,

00:54:17I was asked to give you this privately.

00:54:19Thank you, I respond out of habit, taking the parchment.

00:54:23He knocks twice on the door, and I depart through the one the guard gestures me through on the left.

00:54:27Opening the missive, I walk into the hall, recognizing Tikrit's scrolling handwriting.

00:54:31You have three days to hold up your end of a bargain.

00:54:35Fuck, that's not an option.

00:54:36I look up and find every member of my squad waiting,

00:54:39a wall of black and brown holding back sea of colorful tunics and gowns.

00:54:42How did it go, Imogen asks, give her a second, three lectures.

00:54:46My gay suits over them is the door shits behind me,

00:54:49and then I lock eyes with Zarin, who is crossing the distance between us.

00:54:52The plan went to shit.

00:54:53Which means the one I am holding in my hand can't fail.

00:54:56Morning light goes in through my window, and I slowly blink away to the sound of the campus bells chiming eight times.

00:55:01Snow sits back on the sill, but the sky is beyond a blue for the first time since solstice.

00:55:06Holy shit, I didn't just sleep, I slept in.

00:55:08Maybe it was hitting the gym last night with Imogen,

00:55:10or the emotional letdown after I'd went in with Rhea and Tara about why

00:55:13Grady was the worst possible choice to lead and in his mission, but I didn't wake once, thank gods.

00:55:18I must have drifted off after settling into bed with the book on Nourian Imports predating the trade agreement

00:55:22of wrestling that Jay Sr. had tossed at me when I'd shown up to visit Sawyer, still seething.

00:55:26Lifting my head from the pillow, I spurred the closed book on my nightstand,

00:55:29my page marked by one of Zayden's daggers. A slow smile curves my mouth at his thoughtfulness.

00:55:34Guess I'd been asleep by the time he made it to bed after his daily meeting with Brennan,

00:55:37Llewellyn, and, as of yesterday afternoon, Duke Lindell, who fostered Zayden and Liam.

00:55:41I turn under the warmth of the blankets, fully expecting to find Zayden wide away given the hour,

00:55:46but he's fast asleep with one arm curved round his pillow and the other with its freshly pink

00:55:49skull lying on the blanket between us. My heart clenches, and staring seems the only

00:55:53logical action, if only for just a few moments. Gods, is he beautiful? His face is softened in

00:55:58sleep, and all the tension he usually carries in his jaw, his shoulders, is strikingly absent.

00:56:03The last week has been hard on him, being constituted on between his duties as a rider and

00:56:06then navigating the responsibility he carries for Aritya in a space that doesn't recognize it.

00:56:10I fight the urge to touch him. He's slept like shit since the battle, too,

00:56:14and if he can get even just another few minutes, he should have it.

00:56:17As slowly and silently as possible, I scoot toward my side of the bed and sit up,

00:56:21letting my feet dangle just above the floor. My hair is still partly damp from braving it right

00:56:25after my bath last night, and I make quick, quiet work of running my brush through it so it has a

00:56:29prayer of drying before it's time to head out into the cold. Once I set the brush back on the nightstand,

00:56:33I stretch with a spear so I could be proud of. A band of shadow wraps around my waist a second

00:56:38before my hair is swept to the side and Zayden sets his lips to the juncture of my neck and

00:56:43shoulder in an open mouth kiss. Oh, yes. I gasp as an immediate flare of

00:56:47he traces down my spine at the lash of his tongue, the scrape of his teeth, and my head falls back

00:56:51against his shoulder. He moves straight to the hypersensitive spot at the side of my neck like my

00:56:55body is a mack only he has the key to, and I spear my fingers into his hair as my back arches.

00:57:00Damn, he knows exactly how to take me from the ground skyfucking high in less than a handful of

00:57:04heartbeats. Mine, he growls against my skin, and his hand stings the hemline of my nightdress before

00:57:09dragging it up my thigh. Mine, I counter, pattering my grip in his hair. He laughs into my neck,

00:57:15the sound low and intoxicating as his hand crosses over the juncture of my thighs,

00:57:18then grabs hold of my hip and tugs. My fingers slip from his hair, and the room spins before my back

00:57:23hits the center of the bed. Then he's all I see, rising above me with a wicked smile in nothing but

00:57:27loose sleeping pants, sliding his hard thigh between mine. Yours, he says like a promise,

00:57:32and my breath catches at the intensity in his eyes. Gods, it feels like my chest is going to

00:57:36crack open when he looks at me like that. I love you so much it hurts. I slide my hands down the warm,

00:57:42bare skin of his chest, my fingertips coasting the scar over his heart and down to the rigid lines of

00:57:46his stomach. He draws a sharp breath through his teeth. Good, because that's exactly how I love you,

00:57:51too. His thigh moves between mine with exquisite friction, and then he is all over me,

00:57:54erasing every one of my thoughts except how I can get him closer. His hands stroke every curve,

00:57:59and his mouth caresses every inch of skin down to my neckline. Knee braces through my veins like

00:58:04flame, igniting every nerve ending, then flaring bright as his teeth graze the tip of my breast

00:58:07through the fabric of my nightdress. I whimper and lace my fingers behind his neck. Holy

00:58:12shit do I need this man. That's one of my favorite sounds. His words wrap around my mind as his hand

00:58:17glides up my thigh, slipping under my nightdress to toy with the line of my underwear, and I fucking melt.

00:58:22Second only to those little bursts you make in the moments before you come.

00:58:25His knuckles brush over my clit through the infuriating layer of fabric between us,

00:58:29and my hips rock as his mouth moves to my other breast. There are too many damn clothes between us.

00:58:34He lifts his head to watch me as his fingers deep beneath the barrier of my underwear.

00:58:38Then he's right there, stroking and easing, slipping over my clit, and finally, thank

00:58:42fucking gods, giving me the exact pressure I need. Zayden, I moan, and my head thrashes on the

00:58:47pillow as power whips through me, racing down every bone, every vein, every inch of my skin.

00:58:52Changed my mind, he slides two fingers inside me. That's my favorite sound.

00:58:55His fingers stroke deep, then curl upward as he withdraws just enough.

00:58:59My breath hitches, and a corner of his mouth rises into a smirk that has my walls flinching

00:59:03around his talented fingers. Power hums, spiraling into a tight coil within me,

00:59:07and my hands sit to clutch his shoulders, pressing into his rebellion relic.

00:59:11How do you want me to take you, Violet? His brow furrows as he adds his thumb against my clit,

00:59:15and the energy gathering within me vibrates. Here on your back with me above you,

00:59:19before me on your hands and knees with your ass in the air. Against the wall so I can drive harder.

00:59:23A stride so you can control the pace. Tell me. Control, that's only an illusion when it comes

00:59:28to being with him. The second he touches me, I'm his to do with however he wants.

00:59:32All of it, I'm on fire in the sweetest way possible, and his words slam the air flames.

00:59:37I don't care how he gets inside me, I only care that it's right. Fucking, now. His eye is flare,

00:59:42I can feel it, I can feel you. He stares for a second longer, then lowers his head to mine,

00:59:46hovering an inch or two above my lips, and quickens the pace of his fingers, winding me so tight I

00:59:50know the only way I'll survive it is to shatter. Bright and hot and fucking perfect. And I want all

00:59:55of him, his cock, not just his fingers. I can feel just how hard he is against my thigh, and I need

01:00:00him moving within me, with me, unraveling, wild and unhinged. I just can't find those words,

01:00:04not when he's sit on making me speechless. I grasp for the shimmering ornix that connects our minds and

01:00:09pour my pure, acute need into it as my breath comes faster and faster.

01:00:13Violet, he groans, and lines etched between his brow as his jaw flexes, as if he's holding himself

01:00:17back. Why would he be fighting this? Fighting us, I'm his, but he's mine, too. Doesn't he remember

01:00:23how good we are together? Holding the bond with the wise-like grip, I recall the armor cracking

01:00:27against my back, the sublime feel of him pounding into me, hardened so damn deep, both of us lost in

01:00:32the other, breathing the same heated air, living for nothing but the peak of the next thrust.

01:00:36The power coiled within me starts to burn, flushing my skin and threatening to incinerate

01:00:39everything I am if I don't let it bow. Gods, how it would feel to have that soft brush of his

01:00:43shadows all over my skin, enveloping me with a thousand thresses as he, his forehead falls

01:00:48against mine, and he trembles, sweat-beating on his forehead. Fuck, loud. There's something about

01:00:53hearing that bitterly groan, all rust and desperation, that hurtles me over the edge with the next stroke of

01:00:57his fingers. I try to hold it close, but power snaps, and light flashes to my left as I shatter. Shadow floods the

01:01:03space for a stuttered heartbeat as pleasure crests in waves, pulling me under and dragging me to the

01:01:07surface again and again. I catch the scent of burned wood, and Zayden rips both his hands to

01:01:11the headboard above me. The torture twisting his face overs me up in less than a second.

01:01:15He looks like he is in unbearable pain. Zayden, I whisper, reaching for him. Don't, it comes out

01:01:21half-demand and oddly. My hands fall to my chest, and when I trip down our bond, it's faded and sealed

01:01:26by a wall of chilled onyx. What's happening? I need space, he bites out the words. All right,

01:01:32I get out from under him and scurry off the bed, immediately squirting the scotch crack in the

01:01:35nightstand. At least I'm getting better at not setting the trees on fire. Is this fire enough?

01:01:40Not sure the Isle Kingdoms would be fire enough, he mutters, slowing his breathing.

01:01:45What the fuck, I'm sorry, I watch another confusion as he gathers his control, then nods like he's certain

01:01:49of himself again. I forgot, he slowly lets go of the headboard and sits back on his heels, gripping his

01:01:55thighs, then letting his hands fall at his sides. I woke up and saw you sitting there, and it was

01:01:59the most natural thing in the world to reach for you, but I'm not natural anymore. Fuck, I'm so sorry,

01:02:04Violet. Oh, I forgot, too, the second he put his mouth on me. You have nothing to apologize for,

01:02:09and don't say you're not natural, wait. My mouth curves, this is a totally solvable problem. In fact,

01:02:15I think you just did us a favor. I take a single step toward the bed, and his head snaps in my direction.

01:02:20Nothing bad happened, Zayden, you just had your hands all over me, inside me, and I'm perfectly fine.

01:02:25Give me two seconds to crawl across this bed, and you'll be gloriously fine, too.

01:02:29His eye is slightly shut, and he gets still still headboard. Not fine, my gaze narrows on the dark

01:02:33wood, and I have to lean in a little to finally see two faint marks of discoloration,

01:02:37barely a shade lighter than the original stain, right where his thumbs had been.

01:02:40I cover my stomach with my hand like that can keep it from sinking.

01:02:44Did he just channel? There are two reasons why the cadets are not given the same summer and winter

01:02:48leave as others. Firstly, civilians do not react well to dragons casually roaming their villages.

01:02:53Secondly, raising tigers for war requires locking their cages lest they turn on each other, or you.

01:02:58Sharpen the Talon, a Professor's Guide by Quinnel to Spinni Kelthea

01:03:02Chapter 4

01:03:03I shake my head at the two subtle mouths. That's nothing, it's barely there,

01:03:07and his eyes look exactly the same from this distance. Whatever he did wasn't even close to

01:03:11what had happened during the battle. Because I stopped, he climbs off the far side

01:03:15of the bed and retreats until the backs of his thighs hit my desk. The second your power rolls,

01:03:19I felt it and remembered why I'd promised myself I wasn't going to touch you. And I thought,

01:03:23if I could at least take care of you, that would be enough for me, but then I was so

01:03:27fucking close, he white knickers the edge of my desk and brings his gaze to mine.

01:03:30I can't afford to lose control around you, not even the edge of it. He glances toward the headboard.

01:03:36Not like that, not at all. My chest aches, and I breathe deeply to slow my racing heart.

01:03:41If you're too eternal, can I come over there? I won't touch you, he nods. I'm all right now,

01:03:45firmly in the control. I cross the cold floor in my bare feet and put myself directly in front of him,

01:03:50sighing with belief when I don't find a trace of red in his eyes. No red, his shoulder is deep,

01:03:54good, I locked it down pretty quick and didn't even feel myself taking anything, but I obviously did.

01:03:59Sandpaper takes more than you did. I look back at the headboard just to be sure I wasn't imagining

01:04:03things. I can barely see it, and only because I'm looking. I took it without thinking, without choice,

01:04:09and if it had been you. He takes my hair behind my ear. I would never have forgiven myself.

01:04:13He hews a heavy sigh. The ache in my chest only sharpens. Are you going to go all broody and try

01:04:18to pull away from me? Because fair warning, I'm not going to let that happen. No, the corners of his

01:04:24mouth rise. I just think we've been right to stay a care of activities where I can't be trusted to keep

01:04:28controlled. It's the only.

01:04:34You

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