Chapter no 9
CHAPTER NINE T he next morning, I wake in a cold sweat, the sky pale with early light through my east-facing window, my body flooded with adrenaline from the nightmare. Like every morning since Xaden left, I wrap my knees tight and dress quickly, pulling the flexible summer uniform meant for sparring over my armor […]
Chapter no 8
CHAPTER EIGHT C onscription Day looks a little different on this side of it. I lean over the crenelations of the tower in the main war college and take note of the length of the line as the bells ring the ninth hour, but I avoid noticing the features of the individual candidates as they […]
Chapter no 7
CHAPTER SEVEN “I ’ve never seen this room before,” Ridoc says five days later, dropping into the seat next to me as the U-shaped amphitheater-style classroom on the third floor fills for Orientation. We’re grouped in our sections and squads within our wings, putting us in the second row on the right-hand side, staring across […]
Chapter no 6
CHAPTER SIX T he churning in my stomach has nothing to do with the lemonade. I’m pretty sure Colonel Aetos just insinuated he’d kill us. “Good thing we’re not keeping secrets,” Xaden retorts. Aetos’s smile shifts to the softer one I’ve seen all my life, and the transformation is eerie. “Do be careful who you […]
Chapter no 5
CHAPTER FIVE R iders party as hard as we fight. And we fight pretty damned hard. The gathering hall is more raucous than I’ve ever seen it by the time the sun begins to set that evening. Cadets gather around—or in Second Wing’s case, on top of—tables overflowing with food and pitchers of sweet wine, […]
Chapter no 4
CHAPTER FOUR M y heart beats fast enough to keep time with a hummingbird’s wings as we walk across the courtyard toward the dais, Xaden two steps ahead of the rest of us. He moves without fear, his shoulders straight and head high, anger manifesting in every purposeful stride, every tight line of his body. […]
Chapter no 3
CHAPTER THREE T he flight field at Basgiath is still dark and appears deserted when we approach in the hour before sunrise, hugging the landscape of the mountains, the riot doing what they can to stay out of sight. “That doesn’t mean someone won’t spot us landing,” Tairn reminds me, his wings beating steadily despite […]
Chapter no 2
CHAPTER TWO I shut the tall door behind me before moving toward Brennan. This meeting is definitely not open to the public. “Did you eat enough?” He rests on the edge of the table like he used to when we were kids. The move is so…him, and as for the question, I ignore it entirely. […]
Chapter no 1
CHAPTER ONE R evolution tastes oddly…sweet. I stare at my older brother across a scarred wooden table in the enormous, busy kitchen of the fortress of Aretia and chew the honeyed biscuit he put on my plate. Damn, that’s good. Really good. Maybe it’s just that I haven’t eaten in three days, since a not-so- […]
Chapter no 10
Don’t underestimate the challenge of the Gauntlet, Mira. It’s designed to test your balance, strength, and agility. The times don’t matter for shit, only that you make it to the top. Reach for the ropes when you have to. Coming in last is better than coming in dead. —Page forty-six, the Book of Brennan CHAPTER […]