𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄         ୨♡୧        𝒮𝒯𝑅𝐼𝒩𝒢

Liam and I moved together toward the giant courtyard, waiting for all the cadets to cross the parapet. I couldn't help but be amazed as I looked around. I felt Liam chuckle beside me, the warmth of his skin touching mine warmed me from the rain that was still beating down on us, who knows how many victims it had already claimed.

"Hazelwood! You're alive! The sight of you has definitely given me a boost to keep going!" I rolled my eyes when I heard that voice, which in the space of three hours, made me want to slap him more than the duke ever did in six years. Liam gave me a questioning look as his gaze fell on Misha who was advancing towards us.

"Yeah, uh, I can't say the same about you," I exclaimed with a grimace of disgust. Of all people, he had to survive? At this point I wished Erika had survived.

Misha's brown gaze fell on Liam behind me. The brown one looked like a garden gnome in comparison.

"Why don't you go and bother someone else?" Liam asked, taking me by surprise, he had always been kind, I had never heard him speak rudely to anyone. A smile curled across my lips.

Misha nodded, fading into the crowd.

"Who the hell was that?" he asked, glancing in the direction the perv had disappeared. I shook my head crossing my arms over my chest, "he was behind me when we were on the stairs, never took his eyes off my ass, thanks for sending him away," I replied noticing his jaw clenching.

I put a hand on his arm to get his attention, "how's your sister?" I asked trying to change the subject. His sister Sloane was the only friend I ever had, even before my parents were killed I didn't have many friends in Aretia, as long as Xaden was around I wasn't interested in meeting new people. But then everything changed. I changed.

I wanted so much to tell someone what I was going through, but I was ashamed. Xaden and Liam would have seen me as weak, who someone that can't defend herself. So I never said anything, only to Sloane.

"She's sad, we can't write to each other for a year, but she's confident about next year, she told me to say hello and that she can't wait to see you again."

I smile, "I can't wait to see her again too."

After a good hour the last cadet had stepped off the parapet. Liam and I had talked about everything that was on our minds, making up for lost time. And he had given me some advice for the next task, which in turn had been given to him by Xaden.

"Three hundred and one of you have survived the parapet to become cadets today," begins a man I don't recognize. But then I realized it was Commander Panchek. "Good job. Sixty-seven did not."

Sixty-seven. I unconsciously squeeze Liam's hand at the man's words. "As the Codex says, now you begin the true crucible! You will be tested by your superiors, hunted by your peers, and guided by your instincts. If you survive to Threshing, and if you are chosen, you will be riders.
Then we'll see how many of you make it to graduation."

Liam hugged me back, moving closer to me, his shoulder bumping into my back, "don't let it scare you, I know you have what it takes to make it, and to be chosen," I looked up, smiling at him, his smile hurting my heart. I wish he would choose me.

When I looked back I managed to spot Xaden, I was so focused on thinking about Liam's perfect smile that I didn't realize the man had finished speaking. Now there was a woman with brown hair and extremely broad shoulders spoke up.

"I'm Nyra, the senior wingleader of the quadrant and the head of the First Wing. Section leaders and squad leaders, take your positions now." The sound of footsteps made its way through the crowd, some riders passed us by, reaching the rows in front. "First Squad! Claw Section! First Wing!" Nyra calls out, "cadets, when your name is called, take up formation behind your squad leader."

The red woman who was writing down the names came forward with the parchment in her hand.

Maybe if I had prayed a little more Zihnail I would have ended up on Liam's team and not Misha. Liam ended up in the Second Squad, Tail Section, Fourth Wing, while I ended up in the Second Team, Flame Section, Second Wing together with the one and only Violet Sorrengail. My squad leader is Dain Aetos. His last name precedes him, just like Sorrengail.

When it seemed that everything was about to end, Nyria began to speak again. "Dain Aetos, you and your squad will switch with Aura Beinhaven's," I glanced at Xaden, they had just moved us to his wing. My gaze fell on the silver-haired girl in front of me. She was getting more interesting than I expected.

Although having to follow Xaden's orders would be more challenging than expected.

"You're all cadets now," Xaden began, amplifying his voice, "take a look at your squad. These are the only people guaranteed by Codex not to kill you. But just because they can't end your life doesn't mean others won't. You want a dragon? Earn one."

Almost all my squadmates cheer.

"And I bet you feel pretty badass right now, don't you, first-years?"

Now that I am here, against all the duke's expectations, I do not feel invincible, no. That will be determined in the coming weeks, in the coming months. I feel different, if my goal before was not to survive, now it was. What the duke had done to me all these years was not right, and it was all General Sorrengail's fault, maybe the indifference I felt for her was gone. Her daughter had a normal life, the sons of King Tauri had a comfortable life. Only because they do not admit the truth.

"You feel invincible after the parapet, don't you? You think you're untouchable! You're on the way to becoming the elite! The few! The chosen!"

A sound of wings spreads through the crowd, drowning out the clapping and whistling of my squadmates. Dragons. I've never seen so many dragons together before. The only dragon I've seen up close was Sgaeyl, Xaden's blue Daggertail.

Some cadets scream as the dragons land a few feet away from us. They are beautiful. I spot Sgaeyl right away. I have always found her beautiful, she is extremely charming in her elegance. She nods her giant head in my direction, a greeting? I lower my head in respect.

A cadet broke formation shouting, this is not going to end well. He ran towards the arch from where we came, maybe he was going to make it, but a huge red dragon, smaller than Sgaeyl opens its mouth erupting fire in his direction.

There are now seventy-eight dead.

I take back what I just said, seventy. Even thinking of escaping dragon fire is stupid. A death of no valor, of a coward.

"Anyone else feel like changing their mind?" Xaden asked, scanning the cadets, he stopped at me with a neutral expression. When I squinted I noticed the hint of a smirk on his lips. "No? Excellent. Roughly half of you will be dead by this time next summer." The formation is silent except for a few untimely sobs from my left. "A third of you again the year after that, and the same your last year. No one cares who your mommy or daddy is here. Even King Tauri's second son died during his Threshing. So tell me again: Do you feel invincible now that you've made it into the Riders Quadrant? Untouchable? Elite?"

A wave of heat hits us, but no flames. I don't move, if they wanted to scare us, they didn't succeed. A part of me didn't care about dying, I had nothing to lose. Though my thoughts went to Xaden, Liam, Sloane, and even Bodhi, Xaden's cousin who should be here somewhere, he's a sophomore. No one would have minded if I died, people die everyday in this Quadrant, it's normal. But what if one of them died? How would I react?

"Because you're not untouchable or special to them," he pointed a finger at Sgaeyl as she leaned down in our direction, "to them, you're just the prey."