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43

Rhea

T he barracks end the illusion of privacy we had in Sky’s Edge, and we’re back to sleeping in a long, narrow room with side-to-side beds. My space is separated from Phoebe’s on the left and Adelaide on the right by barely four feet, the same arrangement as in the Academy with the same standard furniture.

We take the time Commander Voltguard gave us to organize the trunks at the foot of our beds and change out of our leathers.

“I can’t believe I’ll be training with Joseph Longstream!” Adelaide exclaims as she turns her leathers inside out to clean them.

Phoebe sits at the edge of her bed, wiping her boots with a damp cloth. “It’s surreal, isn’t it? I’ve read about many of these people in the news sheets since before I entered the Academy.”

I busy myself, kneeling by my trunk and rearranging my already tidy undergarments. I listen to the conversation with animosity. I’m still mad at Adelaide for telling Silas about my training struggles.

“Dakar Cloudwalker is something to look at.” Adelaide wiggles her eyebrows. “Do you think he has a girlfriend?”

Phoebe giggles.

Abandoning her leathers on the floor, Adelaide throws herself on the bed. “One of my Clutch mates mentioned a tavern back in town, down the hill. He said all new Skyriders are invited tonight to celebrate our arrival and, of course, getting our wings.”

“A tavern?!” Phoebe asks. “The night before we head to Hearthdale?”

It sounds unlikely to me too.

Adelaide rolls to her side and rests her head on a bent arm. “We asked the same thing, but he said the tavern closes at ten and Sky Order members are only allowed to order one beer.” She sounds disappointed. “Apparently, the Commander is so serious about this rule that neither the tavern workers nor the soldiers dare break it. He warned me to do the same unless I want to spend a week in the hole.”

“Goddess!” Phoebe finishes one boot and starts with the other. “It hardly sounds worth going and risking punishment.”

“We don’t even know which of us will be selected for the mission,” Adelaide complains. “Knowing my luck, it won’t be me, so I’m going to the tavern. Someone mentioned something about… liaisons with willing Claws in the back of the tavern. I wouldn’t mind a… different kind of distraction.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

They’re quiet for a moment, and I see my chance to get my anger off my chest. Straightening to my full height, I slam the trunk’s lid shut and turn to Adelaide.

“I thought I could trust you.” I glare at her.

She frowns and sits up. “Huh?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

“I honestly don’t.”

“You told Silas about my difficulties in training.”

She stands, the bed between us. “I did no such thing.”

Her words are firm, adamant. They make me doubt. I shake my head. There’s no way Nate was the one who told him.

“Oh, no,” Adelaide shakes her head several times, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “it couldn’t have been Nate, the one who fucking shares a Clutch with Silas. It had to be me.”

“Nate wouldn’t do that,” Phoebe says.

Adelaide sneers. “Sure. Whatever you say.”

She stomps out of the barracks, causing others to watch her progress, then look back at us with curiosity.

I sit atop my trunk, rubbing my forehead.

“Do you think Nate would do that?” Phoebe asks, her tone fearful, as if a positive answer to her question would destroy whatever image of Nate she’s carved inside her head.

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

After a moment, she says, “We… should ask him.” She sounds resolved now, unafraid to shatter what they’ve just begun to build.

* * *

“Things have been fairly quiet the last few days,” Commander Voltguard says. “Our troops stationed closer at the border have reported only minor incursions, which suggests the Screechclaws are planning something. They think their attack on Hearthdale will drive us to lower our defenses here. They know our numbers are precarious and that if we were to spare any Skyrider to combat their transgression, their next attack on Cinderhold would give them the advantage and a more direct route to Emberton. And they are not wrong.

“Still, we could no longer ignore what happened in Hearthdale, so we sent two riders on a scouting mission. They had instructions to only observe and report back their findings. They were due the day before yesterday, and they have not returned. This is the reason we asked you to come even sooner than planned.”

A low murmur goes through the room, a large rectangular space packed with every Prime, every new Skyrider, and senior members of every Clutch. The thought of two more dragons slayed by our filthy enemies tears at my heart. Every loss is momentous and could change the entire direction of this war.

The Commander shakes her head, expression grave. “Everyone shares a deep unease about this. For two decades, the Screechclaws have been relentless in their attacks on Cinderhold, which makes their current behavior unsettling. We could not afford to have every Prime and so many dragons in Emberton—not when we’re facing an unknown threat.”

The fact that she only mentions the Primes and dragons isn’t lost on me. We’re inexperienced and hardly an addition to the forces needed to fight back the Screechclaws. But I suppose more dragons with fresh riders is better than fewer dragons, when even a single creature can help tip the scales in a battle against the enemy.

She goes on. “With our numbers back up, we’re in a better position to send a larger party to Hearthdale. The team will consist of a mixture of new recruits and more experienced riders. The Primes and I will discuss who will go and who will stay to protect Cinderhold.” She turns to the map behind her. “Now, here is what we know so far.”

Commander Voltguard proceeds to give us a quick report. The first part isn’t much different than what Vaylen shared with us in Sky’s Edge. But she shares more details about the scouts—their names as well as their dragons’ and their mission to only spy on Hearthdale. When she finishes, Vaylen looks stricken, one of the missing scouts was a Skysinger.

Anger evident on his face, he speaks up in an urgent tone. “Why not leave immediately?”

Exactly my thought. We have no time to waste.

“I would like that as well,” she replies, “but all the Primes have been gone for a while, and there are things all of you need to take care of before you depart again, especially you, High Prime.”

Vaylen shifts from side to side, clearly unhappy. He doesn’t argue, however. He only nods, deferring to his superior.

After that, the Commander dismisses all Skyriders and remains only with her Primes. We wander out onto the courtyard, everyone looking bewildered. Two dragons. Gone. Only a tragic end explains why they haven’t returned.

The last time we lost a dragon was a year ago. His name was Golemnar, a metal elemental. He and his rider got separated from the group and surrounded by a horde of Screechclaws, who singled him out. It’s a common technique they use on Skyforges and their mounts. Willing to die, the monsters divest themselves from all metal weapons and attack en masse. Without any metal to manipulate, the pair is helpless once their projectile reserve is exhausted, just the reason Skyforges are to stay close to other Skyriders.

“Fucking bitches!” I mutter, anger making me restless. Setting my jaw, I march away from the group.

“Where are you going?” Phoebe catches up with me.

“To find somewhere to practice.” I don’t know if I’ll be sent to Hearthdale to investigate—I hope I am—but the faster I master Wind Spear and Wind Dagger the better.

“I’m coming.” The same determination I feel transforms her features.

“Hey, wait!” Nate jogs in our direction and stops in front of us. “I was wondering… are you coming to the tavern tonight?” He smiles at Phoebe.

“No,” she bites back, crossing her arms.

Nate blinks, taken aback. “Is… is something wrong?”

I let out a sigh, the idea of being mad over Silas’s stupid behavior seeming juvenile in the face of the real danger we face. I open my mouth to say nothing’s wrong, but Phoebe preempts me.

“Did you tell Silas about Rhea’s challenges during training?”

“What? No.” He sounds as adamant as Adelaide. “I would never do that. You know I can’t stand that bastard, Rhea. Right?”

Phoebe narrows her eyes at him.

“I swear.” He puts a hand on his heart.

I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter, Nate. We have bigger things to worry about.”

“But you believe me, right?” His gaze holds a heartfelt plea.

Phoebe looks up at me expectantly. I can tell that if I say I believe Nate, she’ll believe him, too. I don’t know what happened. Adelaide and Nate are the only ones who could have told Silas, but maybe something else is going on. All I know is that this is a petty fight of no importance. I do have challenges to overcome, and the only way to shut Silas up is to erase them.

“I believe you, Nate,” I say.

Both Phoebe and Nate seem relieved.

“Now, if you excuse me, I have some work to do, and I’d like to do it alone.”

* * *

I practice until nightfall. I’m the only one in the training arena, for which I’m glad. Zephyros keeps me company, if only inside my mind. He even gives me pointers and sends encouraging waves rolling off me, but nothing works.

Frustrated, I collapse on a stone ledge and wipe my brow. Gray clouds streak above, obscuring the full moon.

—What could be the reason you are unable to perform such easy maneuvers? he asks.

—Easy, huh? Thank you. That really helps my self-esteem.

He ignores my comment and thinks for a moment.

—Rhealyn…

—What?

—Let me in. I might be able to help you.

I swallow hard. My heart begins to race once more, even though I’m not hurling feeble Wind Spears at the untouched targets propped against the wall. I can’t ignore the fear his words inspire in me. The only reason I would react this way is if he’s correct, if I am, somehow, blocking myself.

The thought of letting him in terrifies me. I can’t deny it, which means I have to let him do what he says. The possibility that he can help me master all my abilities outweighs any concerns. If I’m to make a difference in this war, I have to be the best I can be.

I let a deep breath soothe my fear and make a decision. “All right, you… you can come in.”

Immediately, Zephyros’s gentle touch slips into my mind. I feel him moving through my thoughts and memories like a gentle breeze seeping through the crevices of a craggy mountain.

—Do you see anything?

—I see it all, little one, but be quiet and let me look in peace.

I do as he instructs, but with every passing second, I grow restless. After some time, I don’t feel anything, and I begin to wonder if he’s still there. I’m about to ask when a jolt of panic strikes my chest dead center. Zephyros is there. I feel him now, and he’s standing in front of a door I’d forgotten existed. He reaches out to open it, but I can’t allow it. If I do, it will destroy me.

“NO!” I scream out loud, throwing my arms out as if that can block him.

Zephyros withdraws.

I fall to my knees, relief flooding me, a sensation as vital as the air that pumps through my lungs. Hunched over my thighs, hands on the dusty ground, I heave deep breath after deep breath. I stay that way for long minutes, until my frantic heart returns to normal, and my legs don’t shake when I stand.

Burying my face in my hands, I cry in silence.

—Did you see? I ask, now fully aware that my own fear is keeping me from reaching my potential.

—I did.

—I don’t want you to tell me , I sob.

—I know, little one. Worry not, I will not tell you until you are ready.

Ready? I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I would rather die than open that door. It terrifies me.