Dain

I love you, Sloane.

I don't say it. I can't say it. But fuck. This is more than I was prepared for. More than I thought it would be.

I really love her, and I kiss her softly, watching as her eyes close and she cuddles against me.

Fuck.

This is worse than it's ever been.

I thought I was in love with Violet, but maybe I wasn't. I wanted her, and she was my best friend. I always thought we'd end up together, but I never felt like this.

I never felt sick around her, or like I couldnt breathe or like I wanted to fucking die.

Maybe this is a bad thing, maybe I'm not supposed to feel like shit around someone I love. Maybe it's something else… but I don't feel like shit now… now I feel like I'm floating.

This is fucking insane. She only said tonight. She doesn't love me. I'm doing it again. I'm falling for someone who will never love me. But maybe… maybe she might at least like me now. I can live with it if she likes me.

I let my eyes close alongside hers. Sleep finding me quickly. Pushing aside any of the worry for tomorrow, just focused on the feeling of her against me now.

"I'd hate to interrupt when you're shielding me out, but something has happened," Cath says, and I startle awake, not sure if I was able to sleep or if he's waking me before I got any rest at all. Feeling his presence in my mind, knowing he would never do this if it wasn't a true emergency.

"What's happened?" I ask, and Sloane must feel me tense because she startles, her eyes opening in confusion.

"Mira Sorringail has been taken prisoner. They're gathering in the assembly chamber."

"Something's happened—" I tell Sloane.

"Mira Sorringail has been captured?" Sloan says, apparently being told by her dragon as well.

All the blood draining from my face, I can't see straight. Mira.

"They're in the Assembly Chamber." I move to stand, reaching for her discarded clothes. "Get dressed, we need to get down there."

She does, and I pull my clothes back on, putting my sword and daggers in place and lacing up my boots faster than I knew possible.

Sloane is dressed again, but she was just wearing an old t-shirt; she was dressed for sleep.

"Sloane, get back to your room and get dressed. Meet us–"

"It's fine, Aetos, I know–"

She moves to the door, but before she opens it, I pull her back to me, kissing her deeply. I don't yet know what's happening, but I know that I'll go into battle for Mira. And I might not come back. I looked up to Mira my whole life. Brennan was so much older than us, he was unattainable, but Mira. Mira taught me how to fight. She encouraged me when I talked about wanting to be a rider. She might not be blood. But she's my sister too.

"Please stay safe," I whisper to her. "No matter what happens, please. For me–"

"For you?" She asks, and I instantly regret it. Fuck. Right. She doesn't actually like me. Fuck. "I have to get my things– I'll meet you in the Assembly Chamber," She says, pulling away from me and leaving my room swiftly.

Gods– how did I possibly fuck this up so fast?

I follow her out of my room, and the hall is already crowded when we open the door but it's mainly infantry, so hopefully no one notices the first year leaving her wingleads room and I walk with her towards her door, making sure she gets inside before heading down to the assembly chamber alone.

When I arrive, most of the rest of the squad is already here, and I wonder if Cath waited to tell me– Gods, that's embarrassing to consider.

"We have a six-dragon riot stationed there—"

"Ten now that the line has fallen back."

"Don't forget the nightwing drift."

"Against hundreds of wyvern?"

"And at least a dozen dark wielders."

"Whoever goes isn't coming back from that."

"Then you send us," Rhiannon says instantly, and I step closer to the squad leader.

"We're not sending cadets into combat!" Brennan shouts back.

"It was our dragons who woke us. End of debate. We're going!" Ridoc replies.

I quickly pick up on what's going on. As Sloane enters and gets into formation with the first years. It sounds like Theophanie, the venin lighting wielder, has Mira. And demanded that Violet go and get her back if Drathius has any shot at surviving a massive venin attack. Fucking hell.

"Not all signets are equal. I know she's a Maven, but is she more powerful than you?" Brennan asks Violet, and other riders I don't know argue behind them.

"Yes," she says, and a worry I didn't quite feel yet begins to make itself known.

"We'll be walking into a trap," Brennan says, looking at the map laid out in front of us.

"Flying, and who said you were coming?" Violet says.

"She's my sister, too," Brennan states.

Riorson stands in front of the throne, his arms crossed. "We don't have enough riders to retrieve Mira, defend Draithus, and protect the pass," he says matter of factly.

"No." Brennan sighs and examines the map more closely. "We'll have to prioritize an objective. Maybe two."

Riorson nods.

"We can't just leave people to die," Violet argues.

Rhiannon is still arguing with the other officers, and Cat takes up the cause, too.

"What would you do if they were your citizens on the other side of the border?" Cat yells across the room from where the squad stands. "Or are you thinking like true Navarrians now that you're tucked in safe behind your wards?"

A Captain I don't know snaps back at Cat, "It has nothing to do with the wards; only a fool would walk into a death trap for people they don't even know," and Sloane charges him.

I reach out to grab her, pulling her back from hitting the Captain like she's trying to do, but she keeps swinging, hitting me before I capture her hands in mine.

"Sloane. This isn't Ressen. This isn't Liam," I whisper, realizing what triggered her so strongly. "We're not just cadets showing up unprepared, this will be okay."

She nods and, without speaking, gets back into formation with her squad, where Rhiannan starts to lecture her. I lied, though I realize… he called it a death trap for people we don't even know. This is Ressen. And just like Ressen we're all going to fucking do it. And just like Ressen, not all of us will be coming back.

I look back to the Sorringails and notice Violet staring at me, or my interaction with Sloane probably, and lift a brow at her. As if she's the only woman I'm supposed to be protective over, and then move to Bodhi's side.

"How long are you going to let them fight?" Brennan asks Riorson.

"Until my tactician gives me a plan that doesn't make me choose between objectives," he answers. "The volume of their delivery doesn't make their points any less valid."

"I can't guarantee two, let alone three," Brennan says.

"Live up to your reputation and try," Riorson orders.

Brennan curses, then looks over the room. "I need Tavis and Kaori!" he calls, and they approach the side of the dais. When the fuck did Tavid even get here? Wasn't he stationed at the front? I look to Imogen, but she doesn't notice; she only has eyes for Garrick.

"Have you been to Draithus?" Brennan asks Kaori.

Kaori generates a map of the city, Garrick clarifies bits of the layout, and Brennan examines it, discussing it with the Assembly and Violet.

"Absolutely no cadets." Felix shakes his head, looking at Violet. "Not after what happened last time. We're still repairing the walls from when those two went rogue."

Xaden glances toward the squad, his gaze lingering on Imogen, then Sloane, and then Bodhi. Can't say I love the implication of that glance… Why is he only looking at the marked ones?

"Make a different choice, get a different outcome," Garrick suggests. "They'll have to live with themselves, so let them make their choice, too. Gods know we did."

"Only volunteers. First-years stay behind the wards," Riorson orders.

"Put us where you need us," Bodhi calls out, then glances at me. "With the permission of our wingleader, of course."

"Given," I agree, almost smiling at him, apparently remembering I outrank him, even as the heir to Tyrrendor.

"Second Squad stands ready," Rhiannon announces, to considerable frustration from the Assembly.

Riorson looks toward the back of my squad's formation, where I stand with his cousin. "Garrick, tell me exactly what her demand was. Why does she want Bodhi?"

"I don't know." Garrick scratches the stubble along his chin. "She said to bring Violet and your brother, and they'll let Draithus stand."

They begin muttering more quietly, and I look to Sloane.

Her head is held high, she wants to fight. The's fucking remarkable. She never wanted to be a rider. She hates her signet. She hates Navarre, but she still wants to fight.

Loving her will kill me.

"That's it." Brennan's eyes slide shut. "Everyone but the seven of us out. Now," he orders, his voice booming through the room. "Stay in the hallway for quick recall."

"We don't have time for this," Felix argues as the crowd moves into the hallway, but we do as ordered.

I gather fourth wing, making sure we're all accounted for.

"Aetos– we're fighting" Rhiannon announces, not even pretending to give a shit about who's considered leadership or not, we're both still cadets.

"I know," I tell her. "The question is where– we'll wait for orders, and you will stay where you are posted," I order her, and she nods.

"Well, this is turning into an interesting night," Ridoc jokes, his eyes wandering over to one of the lieutenants who also happens to be looking Ridoc's way. I realize I might not have been the only one whose evening was interrupted.

"Jesinia!" Sawyer calls, sighing and looking to the scribe rushing towards us

"What's happened?" She sighs, and Sawyer and Rhiannon tell her the news.

"Mairi!" Aaric calls, pulling her aside. His hands on her arms capturing my attention like a jealous weirdo. Gods. She doesn't even like me. I have no fucking right to be jealous! Especially not of Aaric, who's my friend.

Plus, it's not like anything is going on there.. I would know. I'm sure I would know…

"You need to stay with Sorringatil!" He tells her in quiet tones. "Do you trust me?"

"What?" She asks,

"Here"- he hands her a package and clasps her hands around it "it's important. No matter what path they decide on there, you need to give this to Violet and make sure you're there when they get to Mira."

"Aaric, what are you–"

"Do you trust me, Sloane?" He asks, and she nods "good. If you trust me. You will do this without asking why."

"Aaric!" I hiss, stepping towards them, and he grimaces. "What the hell are you doing? You and Sloane will be staying in the house. At most, we may ask you to guard the wardstone or meet the civilians at the pass– neither of you will be flying out to get Mira!"

"Aetos, you have to trust…" He starts

"No, Cam. I do trust you, but I will not be risking either of your lives. You are cadets. You are first-year cadets and gods, you haven't even manifested your signet yet, your–" He broke eye contact when I said that, making me falter. "You have, haven't you?" I ask.

"Aetos–"

"Stop calling me Aetos like we haven't been friends since you were 8 years old and tell me. You've manifested? Why the fuck wouldnt you–" I stop, considering everything thats happened in the last few months. "You told Violet to go to the temple before the battle last week," I recall, "and in Unnbriel, you said you didn't tell us you spoke the language fluently because you didn't want to negate my reason for going… you didn't just mean in Unnbriel." I ask, but he looks away again. He can't... know.

"Dain…" He says softly

"What's in the package?"

"It doesn't matter," He says and looks back to Sloane. "All that matters is that you get this to Violet, and you're there when Mira–"

"No," I say again, but the doors open, and Riorson steps out into the hall with Violet, and Brennan steps forward.

Cam couldn't be a precog. That would be ridiculous. There hasn't been a true precog… ever. But even the partials like Melgren are beyond rare.

"Alright, Aetos, send your squad–"

"Matthias!" I call out to Rhiannon. "The squad leader can take her orders directly," I clarify for Brennan, and she steps forward with a nod at us both.

"Right," Brennan accepts. "Your squad will be at the clifts, supporting the evacuation of the civilians into Tyrrendor. Have the first years stay behind the wards, helping them on the final leg– Do not leave your post. Violet will be at the front. You and the rest of your year are to remain at the clifts no matter what. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel," Rhinannon says and turns to her second years, calling on them to get their weapons and be at the flight field in minutes.

"Aetos, the third years will be with the officers– the western turret of the city." Brennan starts. "Me, Riorson, Tavis, along with Cadet Sorringail and Cadet Durran, will be approaching Theophanie– Third Years who volunteer–"

"All of us," I confirm, not needing to check.

"Right. You get to the city limits. They'll have crossbolts against the wyvern, so hold back until you're told it's clear– cadets and the nightwing drift will be prioritizing getting the civilians up to the Medaro Pass, the Officers on defending the city to the east. Do you understand?"

"Understood," I confirm and call Imogen Quinn and Neve over to relay orders.

Minutes later, we're flying over the drained landscape of Krovlish border east of Draithus when Cath reaches out.

"Molvic and Thoirt are moving," He tells me.

"You're fucking kidding,"

"Unfortunately, no. Molvic to the south and Thoirt to the west."

"Get to Thoirt"

"Not the prince?" he asks. "Surely you should ensure he–"

"Cath. Aaric will be fine. Sloane is going to Mira with whatever Aaric told her to bring to Violet. It's dangerous, and there is no battle to the south. I'll deal with him later."

"Sure, that's the reason you want to follow Thoirt–"

"Now really isn't the time," I argue, and we soon find the red in the sky, not far from where I can see Sgaeyl Tairn Cuir and Marbh fight wyver over the top of a cloud of shadows as we get close.

Fucking hell.

"Get the chest out of here," I hear Riorson shout over the noise of it all as we apporach and my attention shifts to Tavis and Bodhi near a large chest that I can't place in this, what the fuck is going on? "If she wanted him dead, he obviously knows things they don't want us to."

"Chradh!" Tavis yells, and the Brown Scorpiontail bounds over the shadows to Garrick's side. A second later, they disappear, along with the trunk and… that's something I'll begin to consider another time. Because as I approach with Sloane, I immediately understand why Aaric said she needed to come.

He has to have known… Gods… Something else to consider later, I guess.

We get under the cover of Riorson's shadows, and I see Brennan is covered in what has to be Mira's blood, and both of them look like they're in bad shape, and we dismount.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Riorson calls to me.

"Following her ass," I reply as the battle between wyvern and dragon goes on behind the shadows. "She's under my command, and Cath alerted me the second they crossed the wards against orders."

She races towards Violet, who stands with her siblings, reaching into her flight jacket and retrieving the cylindrical parcel Aaric gave her, and holding it out to Violet. "Aaric told me you'd need this—"

"Please," Violet begs, her voice breaking.

"Mira?" I ask, running to her side as well and falling to my knees at the sight of the woman who I always thought of as my big sister. My only sibling, really, since Violet was always different. "Oh shit."

"Please," Violet says again, "Brennan needs more power, and we're going to lose her."

Slaone takes a small step towards Brennan. "I don't know how. When your m—" She stops herself. "Transferring is different than imbuing. I know that much."

"Whatever you're going to do, you'd better do it fast," Bodhi warns, drawing a sword and standing guard, his eyes on the sky.

"Try," I urge her. She needs this. She needs to know she can help. I pull the sleeves of my uniform up, offering myself to her. "It's dangerous to use your own power if you haven't trained, so take mine. I'm the only one here who doesn't have to wield today. Just try."

Sloane lowers herself between me and Brennan, and I try not to look at Mira.

"One hand on my wrist," I tell her, softly, but she looks at the scars from Barlowe's hands.

"I don't want to do that. Become that." She says, looking at them.

"You won't," I promise her. "You can hate me later, but trust me now, or she dies."

Sloane wraps her fingers around my wrist. Her eyes flare, and she swallows. "Someone like you shouldn't have this much power."

"Good thing for Mira I do." I try to tease her, not realizing how much she can see in that touch. "Put the other hand anywhere his skin is exposed," I indicate to Brennan and thank the gods for all the research I did on siphons when I was trying to find ways to convince her to wield.

Sloane drops the package she was trying to give Violet and lifts her hand to the back of Brennan's neck.

"Eyes here," I tell her, holding her attention away from Mira's pale face, away from the scars on my arm from Barlowe, away from the wyvern overhead. She looks at me like she did when she knocked on my door tonight. Like she doesn't know why she's here, only that she knows she should be. "Pull from the excess you feel in me and push to the deficit in him. You're not a weapon of destruction. You're not venin. You're the artery power chooses to flow through. You're life." You're everything.

Her brow knits, and I flinch at the sensation. "I'm going to hurt you,, she whispers.

"Gods, don't I know it." I nod with a half smile. "But you're not going to kill me, no matter how badly you want to. Now do it."

Her mouth tightens, and I grit my teeth. It doesn't feel precisely like Barlowe draining me did, more like a tug than a tear. Like a request for my power that I mentally offer her without hesitation. Feeling myself weakening.

Precious, long seconds pass before Brennan breathes deeply and color flushes his cheeks. I glance back to Mira, and blood ceases to drip, color returning to her as well.

"Brennan?" Violet whispers,

"It's messy, but she's alive," Brennan confirms, sitting back, clearly exhausted. "Thank you, Mairi."

She lets go of both of us, then lifts her gaze to Violet. "She'll be all right?"

"Thanks to you," She say to Sloane, who sighs.

Brennan reaches for the waterskin clipped at his hip. He quickly uncorks the top, then pours the water over Mira's neck. A thick, angry pink scar straddles her throat.

"We have to get Mira out of here," Violet says to Brennan, the sounds of the fight overhead only getting worse.

"Agreed." Brennan looks toward Draithus, the battle has begun. Dragons and gryphons hover above the city walls as enormous cross-bolts fire into the cloud of approaching wyvern. "You all right, Aetos?"

"I'm good," I confirm, feeling the loss of power but still strong enough to hold my sword.

Violet looks at me. "You both have to go. They'll be out of cross-bolts soon."

I rise to stand and offer my hand to Sloane.

"Fuck off, Aetos." She rocks forward and up to her feet. Not looking at me. Trying not to feel like she's ripping my heart out of my chest. She told me she doesn't love me. No matter what happened between us earlier. She'll never love me. I need to respect that.

"Get back across the wards, Mairi, and stay there."

She turns on her heel and stalks toward Thoirt, lifting a middle finger.

Bodhi snorts.

"Fucking first-years," I mutter as she mounts. "Riorson, I'll meet you down there," I say, heading back to Cath, knowing Riorson is expected in the city too.

"Dain!" Violet shouts, and I look back over my shoulder at her. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just tell me later how the fuck Garrick and Chradh disappeared into thin air." I ask and then mount, heading towards the city.

"Is he a fucking distance wielder?" I ask.

"How am I to know?" Cath replies, annoyed, "But it wouldn't be the first time a dragon kept a secret like that about their rider– now would it?"

Point made.

I reach the walls of the city where the other cadets Imogen, Quinn and Neve await just as we receive orders through our dragons that the city has used up their cross bolts and we're to take to the sky, so we charge, clearing our assigned sector of wyvern as much as possible so civilians have a clear path to the pass.

"Do you see any venin'?" I ask

"None yet, but they can't be far," Cath confirms.

"I don't like this. The wyvern are the distraction; that's what Devara always says. So what are they distracting from?"

"Right now, they're distracting you. Focus on the objective. We clear this airspace and direct civilians to the pass."

Right.

Imogen and Glane are beside me, and Glane slices her tail through the wing of a wyvern flying right at us.

Cath uses the injury to quickly gain the upper hand and tears it to shreds. The fight continues reasonably well for a while until the weather picks up.

"We are being commanded to take cover," Cath tells me just after I slice a dagger through the belly of a wyvern overhead us, getting myself covered in its blood, and a wind gust nearly knocks me off Cath's back while I try and reseat.

"We can't retreat, we've barely made a dent–"

"All riders are being called to land, the wind is untenable," He says and takes us lower, landing on the rubble of an already drained building, preferring pre-drained ground over finding a spot with better coverage.

I have to agree with that choice myself. The idea of being drained because we were standing on the wrong spot was far too much.

We all land, and most of the wyvern seem to as well,

Someone screams, and I turn to see a venin not far from me crouching, draining from the earth mere feet from a civilian who has fallen. Ahead of him are a half dozen others; too many are children.

I slide from Cath's back, running forward towards the draining earth. The wind isn't as bad on the ground, but it's too strong to be confident in any throw from this far. And if I miss, I'll be drained right along with the fallen man.

Fuck.

"Do not miss," Cath adds unhelpfully as I get closer, and the venin turns his head to look at me.

"I'll get a dragon as well, it seems…" I hear him say, his voice coming towards me on the wind, and I know without looking down that this is as close as I'll be able to get if I don't want to be drained, so I throw. My dagger already in my hand prepared.

It hits, but not where I was aiming. Fuck.

I pull my second dagger and run towards him. The venin stumbled– stopping draining and possibly giving the civilian man time to get away, but I don't have time to check. The venin is righting himself and moving to lift his staff and wield rather than drain the ground again, but I position the dagger in my hand and slide on my knees, instinctively dodging a blast of fire from his staff I wasn't even continuous of expecting.

The slide gets me close enough to the venin that no wind will sway my throw, and I get him in the chest, seeing him disacate as I collapse from the adrenaline.

"Young man!" The civilian calls to me in Krovlish, running over to help us. "Are you alright? Did he get you?"

"I'm fine," I mutter in Navarian before correcting myself and changing to Krovlish, catching my breath. He picks up the Alloy dagger from my first throw and walks it over to me. Handing it out to me. "Thank you."

I take the dagger and sheath it, feeling the power still thrumming in the hilt. The other dagger I wipe on my leathers, noting its significantly weaker. Like me, apparently, still having trouble with my breath after Sloane drained me, but I get to my feet and brush my pants off.

"You're covered in blood," The man says, and I touch my face. It feels sticky and startling for a moment before I remember.

"It's not mine," I tell him. "A wyvern."

The man nods and looks back to his family, who are calling for him.

"Do you know the way to the Medaro Pass?" I ask, and he nods. "Good. Get yourself and your family there. More riders and fliers are guarding the pass, but the bulk of the wyvern are here– it should be safer outside the city limits. It's a long walk– do you have water?"

I reach for my water skin and hand it out to the man, remembering how horrible that hike was– and I'm a fully trained dragon rider. I can't imagine doing it while carrying a child like the people waiting for him are.

He shakes his head at my outstretched offering. "You'll need it more than me," He insists.

"Not if I'm dead– take it. Give it to the children." I insist, and he looks at me, slightly confused, before taking it.

"You aren't like the Navarrians we've heard about– we heard you won't allow us into your kingdom, or we would have left sooner."

"Duke Riorson enjoys pissing off the king I think." I smile. "You'll be welcome in Tyrrendor. And the rest of Navarre will realize it's the right thing to do soon enough."

He nods again and heads back to his family. When I get back to Cath, I notice Bodhi in the air, facing down multiple wyvern, apparently ignoring the order to stay grounded, and Imogen flying towards him to support.

"How's the wind?" I ask Cath.

"As wingleader, you should really set an example–"

"I am setting an example," I insist.

"Very well," He says, but sounds more amused than scolding. "But Glaen is supporting Cuir. I think we should go for those two… launching now."

I look closer to the ground and see two wyvern entering our airspace.

"I agree," I confirm as we launch, heading straight for them.

We make swift work of the wyvern and I look back at Imogen and Bodhi who seemed to have made it out alright, but Glane is circling closer to the turret we're supposed to be defending– Trissa is in there trying to weave ward extensions from Tyrrendor with support from Quinn, and I see what captured Imoenge and Glane's attention– three dark wielders are trying to get into the tower.

"On it," Cath confirms, diving forward. I see Imogen begin a running landing from Glane, but I'm not about to have anyone in my squad face a dark wielder alone, let alone three. The Dark wielders are nearly at the door to the turret walls.

I run to Cath's shoulder, and he gets into position without needing me to speak, and I meet her a moment later, running toward the dark wielders.

"The daggering are being moved away." Cath confirms, "Trissa has already moved to a more inconspicuous location."

"Good"

I run towards Imogen, scooping up a discarded shield I'm fairly sure is from the nightwing drift while I run because the dark wielder noticed us charging towards him and turns. Just as I reach Imogen, he points his staff in our direction, causing flames to erupt right towards us.

"Get–" I start to call to Imogen.

"Get behind me!" She calls. Taking the shield, I picked it up from my hands. I have no fucking clue what she's thinking. This shield isn't exactly fireproof. But three years in her squad goes a long way, and I trust her completely as she slams the shield onto the stones underfoot and drops behind it.

I crouch behind her, and the shield in her hands turns to stone as the fire blazes around us, blocked by the stone.

The… stone.

"What did she–" Cath starts to ask.

"Something to think about later" I tell him, putting it in the part of my mind still reeling about Garrick and Aaric probably being a fucking precog and the moment the fire dissipates I dive to the left and throw. Taking less then a millisecond to aim my alloy-hilted dagger now that the wind's died down and I can trust myself.

I know before it hits that the throw is good and only give myself a heartbeat to be pleased at the look of shock etched on the venin's face as he desiccates.

Yeah buddy. I didn't know she could turn a shield to stone either, but here we are.

He's not alone, though, and another venin enters the turret while one in red heads toward the eastern wall. Where I know more daggers are supposed to be stashed.

"Something else to remember to worry about later is how they seem to know where the daggers are being held," I say to Cath.

"The same way they knew about the daggers in Suniva."

"What do you think the odds are that my father has something to do with both?"

"I think we should not dwell on things we cannot prove," Cath says.

"I'll take that one," I call to Imogen, indicating the one in red. "You get the one in the tower." I take one more glance at the stone shield as I start to run after the venin, and turn to call to her over my shoulder. "And we're going to talk about whatever the fuck that just was later,"

I run after the venin in red, Cath arguing with me about being on the ground too long and palming my remaining alloy dagger. Fuck. This is the one at only half power. I should have paused to at least check the one I just threw. Maybe I'll be able to come back for it.

I skid to a halt, stepping to settle my back against the wall I just turned around. The venin saw me coming.

I take a breath and turn. Turning back around the corner for the venin in red, only when I get there. He's gone.

"Poor little rider… where's your dragon?" He teases from behind me, making me jump. How the fuck did he get behind me?

"You don't need to worry about my dragon I hiss back, and he steps closer.

"A lot of your little friends have decided to join us rather than die fighting us, you know… You could too. I can see your power… you'd do well with us."

"I'm good." I nod and see Bodhi step up behind the venin. If I keep him talking, Bodhi might be able to get a dager in him, and I won't need to discover if mine has enough power in it to still kill him… that would be ideal.

"You might be outnumbering us now, but we outnumber you on the continent. You will not beat us," I insist. It's a hollow statement. They could more definitely beat us regardless of our numbers, but I need to keep his focus on me.

"It must be comforting to believe that," He says, and Bodhi gets closer, a dagger in his hand, ready. "You think yourself so safe beyond your wards…Don't you think it's odd how we keep collecting your little daggers for ourselves? Don't you realize you can't trust your own leadership?"

"Who can't we trust?" I ask. My heart pounding. Not my father– surely not my father. "A general? Because anyone lower ranked–"

"Plenty below a general can still supply us with the information we require… You should know that, rider," He teases, but I sigh in relief. He'd surely be bragging if it was a general. So it isn't my father… it can't be.

"You're little college will be ours again soon," He says more quietly, stepping closer to me, his smile eerie. "A whole wing has been set aside for us by your com–" A dagger flies through the air and hits him in his back.

"Was he saying commandant?" I ask Cath as Bodhi runs up to me.

"Possiblly… And Commandant Pancheck did come with us to Aretia."

"He was supposed to request backup for this mission…"

"Aetos!" Bodhi calls when he reaches me. "You're alright?"

"Yeah," I say. "The venin, he said…" I start, but I don't want to go blaming Pancheck for being a spy when I don't know anything. "He was saying something about who the leak was."

"Shit" Bodhi looks back at the desiccated body. "Did he name names?"

"I'm… not sure," I say and look back at Bodhi. "Are you alright? I saw you and Cuir outnumbered earlier."

"We're alright– Cuir's wing is a bit fucked, but he can still fly, he's fine"

"Good." I nod, and Cath lands nearby. "Then you should get back in the air– we've been on the ground too long."

"Hey– do you feel like there have been too few venin?" He asks, "I've killed a few, and it feels like there's almost no decrease in wyvern when I get one. Most of these wyvern must be away from their creator, right?"

"I also thought it was weird how few venin there were, but at Basgiath, they came in waves too, right?"

"Yeah…" He says. "I feel like they're just toying with us."

I nod. But it's not like there's anything I can do about that.

"You were with Violet earlier, right? She's killing their Maven? Their lighting wielder?"

"It turns out she's a storm wielder– but yeah. I couldn't do shit though. She's Violet's target."

I nod again. Not wanting to think about any of this.

"Get back on Cuir. If you die, Riorson will kill me." I clap his shoulder and run off to Cath, seeing Bodhi moving toward his green from the corner of my eye.

Soon enough, I'm back in the air with Cath, and now that the winds have calmed, the wyvern are fucking everwhere, burning everything in sight.

"Civilians on the ground," Cath calls, and we soar towards a burning building where three civilians are fleeing under the fire of two wyvern.

Cath puts himself in their line of fire, and I duck down behind his spikes to not get hit by their flames, trusting that the civilians will make it out of range of the wyverns flames in moments.

When I sit back up, the wyvern are attacking Cath mercilessly. My sword is in my hand, but he's swerving his head too quickly for me to get let go of his sipkes with my other hand and help. They have us cornered, and Cath growls as one of their talons slices against his chest scales.

Suddenly, though, shadows stream over the city, engulfing everything, and it's a heartbeat before I realize it must be Riorson and a heartbeat more before I realize this is too much. Even for him.

After a minute, the shadows dissipate, and I see the wyvern who nearly had me have fallen from the sky, both of them chest cut open by shadows.

I look around. The ground is full of dead, grey wyvern.

"What… happened?" I ask Cath. "Riorson… did he burn out? Theres no way–"

"No. I don't believe he did. The shadows ended controlled. Not as if their wielder passed on." Cath reasons, but my dislike of Riorson doesn't account for the answer to that. Surely he couldn't have… taken that power. Not even him. Not the fucking Duke of Tyrrendor.

A puls radiates through the city. The ward extensions.

"Is it over?" I ask Cath.

"It appreast to be. The fliers are continuing the evacuation, but–" He pauses. "Yes, riders are being called back to Aretia for a debrief."

I take a breath, and he starts to fly back. When we're nearing the cliffs, I check in again.

"Is Thoirt still behind the wards?"

"Yes," Cath confirms as he continues to fly back towards Aretia, "but I don't think you should be concerning yourself with the younger Mairi. She's made her feelings–"

"I know that," I say harshly. "I know how she feels about me, but it doesn't change how I feel about her."

When we reach the cliffs, I spot Rhiannon and the rest of the second years. I count three dragons as expected, and I think the gryphons are accounted for too, but it's hard to tell from my height. "Can you check in with Feirge? Get a report?"

There's a pause before Cath replies.

"All riders and fliers are accounted for. They received orders to return to Aretia but would like permission to remain over the civilians through the night– they request a change in the guard in a few hours."

"Fine. Tell them I'll return to Aretia to inform Brennan and the others, and we'll send a squad out soon. And tell her I said thank you. They fought well."

"Relayed. The Squad Leader is also asking for news of your Violet."

"Can you stop calling her that?" I ask for the thousandth time. "I haven't… Have you heard anything? Can you reach out to Tairn?" I haven't even thought about Violet since I left Bodhi.

"Tairn is not within range," Cath says, and then there's a pregnant pause. "Neither is Sgaeyl…"

"Understood. What about Glene or Cruth?"

"Neither dragon is accounted for either."

"Cuir?" I ask,

"... No."

"Can you fly any faster?"