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“So all we do is wait for something to happen?” Ridoc, the pain in my ass, asks as he leans back in his chair, putting his boots on the end of the wooden table that runs the length of the briefing room.
“Yes,” Mira responds from the head of the table. She flicks her wrist and Ridoc goes flying backward. “And keep your feet off the table.” I fight a smile at how she puts him in his place.
One of the Montserrat riders laughs, changing the markers on the large map that consumes the only stone wall in the curved, windowed room.
I’ve spent the morning with Ridoc, Liam, Emery, Quinn, and Violet. And of course, Xaden fucking Riorson. He showed up last night, claiming his dragon couldn’t stay away from Violet’s dragon for longer than three days and now he’s the most unwanted tagalong on an otherwise pleasant trip.
Mira is wary of him too. I notice she keeps one eye on him at all times, rightfully suspicious, though keeping her comments to herself.
Violet, on the other hand, seems entirely distracted by his presence. Of course he positioned himself next to her when we all walked into this room a few minutes ago.
Mira draws my attention back to the front. “Consider this your Battle Brief,” she says, side-eying Ridoc as he scrambles back into his chair. “This morning was about a quarter of the patrol we’d regularly fly, so normally we’d just be getting back about now and reporting our findings to the commander. But for the sake of killing time, since we’re in this room as the reaction flight for this afternoon, let’s pretend we’d come across a newly fortified enemy outpost crossing our border” - she turns to the map and sticks a pin with a small crimson flag near one of the peaks about two miles from the Cygnisen borderline - “here.”
“We’re supposed to pretend it just popped up overnight?” Emery asks, openly skeptical.
“For the sake of argument, third-year,” Mira narrows her eyes on him, and he sits up a little straighter.
“I like this game,” another one of the Montserrat riders says from the end of the table, lacing his fingers behind his back.
“What would our objective be?” Mira glances around the table. I notice gratefully that her gaze skips over Xaden - he’s not supposed to be here. He shouldn’t be participating in this lesson. I can’t believe his dragon’s mate had to bond with Violet so she is stuck tied to this asshole for the rest of their lives! “Aetos?” I startle out of my musing when I hear Mira call my name.
“What type of fortifications are there?” I ask as I turn back to the map. “Are we talking a haphazard wooden structure? Or something more substantial?”
“Like they had time to build a fortress overnight,” Ridoc mutters. I roll my eyes. The pain in my ass strikes again. “It has to be wooden, right?”
“You are all so fucking literal,” Mira sighs and rubs her thumbs over her forehead. “Fine, let’s say they occupied a keep that’s already established. Stone and all.”
“But the civilians didn’t call for help?” Quinn asks. “Protocol calls for a distress signal this far into the mountains. They should have lit their distress beacon, alerting patrolling riders, at which time the dragons on patrol would have told all available dragons in the area. The very riders in this room would have mounted first as the reaction force and the others would have been woken from their rests, allowing the riders to prevent the loss of the keep in the first place.”
Mira scoffs and braces her hands on the end of the table, staring us all down. “Everything you’re taught at Basgiath is theory. You analyze past attacks and learn those very… theoretical combat maneuvers. But things out here don’t always go according to plan. So why don’t we talk about all the ways things can go sideways, so you’ll know what to do when they do, as opposed to arguing that the keep shouldn’t have fallen?”
Quinn squirms in her seat.
“How many of you have been called out as third-years?” Mira asks.
I sit back with my arms folded across my chest. I’m not sure why she’s asking this question. Third-years don’t get called out. But I’m shocked to see Emery raise his hand and Xaden raise a single finger. “That’s not correct. We’re never called into service until graduation,” I tell the room. I can’t let these assholes lie to the rest of them.
Xaden nods and gives me a sarcastic thumbs up. Fuck him.
Emery laughs, “Yeah, all right. Just wait until next year. I can’t count how many times we’re the ones sitting in these very rooms in the midland forts because their riders have been called to the front for an emergency.”
I blanch. That does not fit with everything I have learned. I’m going to be called to midland posts next year? The thought does not sit right with me. Why would we send cadets out to fill the roles of lieutenants? I’m going to have to talk to my father when we get back to get the truth of the matter.
“Now that’s settled.” Mira reaches under the table and pulls out a set of models, putting a six-inch stone keep in the center of the table. “Catch.” One by one, she tosses painted wooden models of dragons at us, keeping one for herself. “Pretend Messina and Exal don’t exist back there, and we’re the only squad available to take back that keep. Think of the power in this room. Think of what each individual rider brings to the table and how you’d use those powers in unison to conquer your objective.”
“But they don’t teach that to first-years,” Liam says with an uncharacteristic lack of self-confidence. He’s seated on the other side of Violet from Riorson. Of course her personal bodyguard can never be far from her. To be honest, I don’t hate him. I’m glad Violet has the protection, he’s got great skills that help to boost our squad, and he’s integrated really well. But I hate that Xaden was the one to force him on Violet.
I see Mira notice his rebellion relic and I remember that she graduated before the marked ones entered the quadrant. We’ve gotten used to having them around, but the lieutenants in the field have not. Violet clears her throat and catches Mira’s attention. She raises her eyebrow as if to say don’t fuck with my friends.
Mira turns back to Liam. “They might not teach you this battle strategy as first-years because you’re all busy trying to stay on your dragons. You had your first taste of strategy during the Squad Battle, and it’s almost May, which means final War Games should be beginning, right?”
“Two weeks,” I confirm.
“Good timing, then. Not all of you will survive the games if you’re not prepared.” She looks at Violet for a moment before continuing. “This kind of thinking will give your squad - your entire wing - an advantage, since I guarantee your wingleader is already assessing every rider for their own abilities.”
Xaden flips his dragon model over his knuckles but doesn’t reply. He looks bored with these proceedings, his default expression. If he has to be here, shouldn’t he take this more seriously?
“So let’s do this,” Mira stands back. “Who is in command?” She glances toward Quinn. “And let’s pretend that I don’t have three years of seniority on even the highest-ranked of you.”
“Then I’m in command,” I say, taking the lead. I sit up straight, lifting my chin so I look like a leader.
“Our wingleader is here,” Liam argues, pointing at Xaden. “I would say that puts him in command.” Of course he does. Because regardless of how well he has integrated into our squad, his loyalty will always be to Xaden.
“We can pretend I’m not here, just for the sake of the exercise.” Xaden says as he sets his dragon on the table, leaning back in his chair. He keeps his eyes on mine while he stretches his arm across the back of Violet’s chair. He’s doing it just to piss me off and dammit it’s working. I grit my teeth as he says, “Give Aetos here the position we all know he craves.”
Violet mutters what sounds like “Don’t be a dick.” I’m glad to hear her defending me. I haven’t been exactly clear on where I stand with her lately.
Suddenly her head whips around to face him and her jaw drops. He’s not even looking at her so she just stares at the side of his face. I look for the cause of her reaction, but see none. His arm that’s closest to her is still on the back of her chair. His other hand is on the table. So he didn’t touch her under the table. I’m still trying to figure out what happened when he turns to face her. They stare at each other for several moments before I see her mouth form the word “how?” He continues to look deep into her eyes, his face expressionless. Then he fucking winks at her. What the fuck is happening?
“You’re. The. Wingleader.” I tell him through clenched teeth. My tone is meant to convey stop flirting with your subordinate.
Of course the asshole misinterprets my tone, probably willfully, and returns to the conversation we were having as if nothing weird just happened between him and Violet. “I’m not even supposed to be here.” He shrugs. “But if it makes you feel better, for the purpose of War Games, you’d be getting your orders from your section leader, Garrick Tavis, which he’d get from me. You’ll be carrying out your maneuvers as a squad for the good of the wing. Just pretend I’m another member of your squad and use me as you wish, Aetos.” The pompous ass folds his arms across his chest as if that’s the final word.
“Why are you even here?” I challenge. “No offense, sir,” I say in a tone that very much implies offense, “but we weren’t exactly expecting senior leadership on this trip.”
“You’re more than aware that Sgaeyl and Tairn are mated,” he pushes back.
“Three days?” I lean in. “You couldn’t make it three days?” He’s the strongest rider of our generation and he can’t resist his dragon’s urges for more than three fucking days? Give me a break!
Violet jumps to his defense like she has done too often lately. “It has nothing to do with him.” She slams her dragon down on the table. “That’s up to Tairn and Sgaeyl.” After a beat, she jabs her elbow into Xaden’s arm. Is she encouraging him to play along? A moment later I see a faint hint of a smile on Xaden’s face.
I can’t keep the hurt off of my face as I fling at Violet, “Of course you rush to defend him. Though how you can forget that this guy wanted to kill you six months ago is beyond me.”
She blinks at me. “I cannot believe you went there.” Of course I went there! She seems to have forgotten far too easily who Xaden really is. She needs to be reminded regularly apparently.
“Good job remaining professional, Aetos.” Xaden says as he scratches the rebellion relic on his neck, like I needed a reminder of the traitor he is. “Really shows those leadership qualities to their best advantage.” How did this turn against me? I’m just trying to protect my best friend and remind her that there is a real danger with the company she’s keeping.
One of the riders down the table whistles low. “Do you boys just want to whip it out and measure? It would be faster.”
I hear snickers around the table and I seethe at how Xaden always manages to get under my skin, especially when it comes to Violet.
“Enough!” Mira shouts as she slams her hands on the table.
“Oh, come on, Sorrengail,” the rider down the table whines with a wide smile.
Both Mira and Violet look at him.
“I mean… the older Sorrengail. This is the best entertainment we’ve had in ages.”
Violet shakes her head and looks around the table. “Mira has the ability to extend the shield if the wards are down,” she says, getting down to business, “so the first thing I would do is send her to scout the area with Teine. We need to know if we’re dealing with infantry or gryphon riders.” Her intellect never ceases to astound me. And the way that she has managed to apply it to what she’s learning in the Rider’s Quadrant is almost enough to convince me that she belongs here. But I still wish her mother had let her become a scribe. This life is too dangerous for her, especially with Riorson and their mated dragons making everything more complicated.
Mira moves her dragon closer to the castle. “Good. Now let’s assume there are gryphons.”
Violet looks at me with a sweet smile that almost makes me think she is my friend again, until she says, “You want to do your job? I mean how you can forget you’re the squad leader is beyond me.” Ouch. I guess I hit a nerve commenting on Riorson’s hatred of her.
I rip my gaze from hers as I grip the dragon model tightly in my hand in an effort to bite back a retort. “Quinn, can you astral project from the back of your dragon?”
“Yes,” she answers.
“Then I would have you project into the fortress to check for signs of weakness and have you report back.” I say with a look at Quinn. I move my gaze to Liam and say, “Same with Liam. We’d use your far sight to see if you can locate where the gryphon riders are and if there are any traps.”
Quinn and Liam move their dragons into the positions we’ve discussed. Mira nods and I feel a sense of pride for my solution as she says, “Good. The weaknesses are the wooden gate, and the Navarrian citizens they have captive in the dungeons.”
“So much for blasting the whole place,” Ridoc says.
I turn to Emery. “You’re an air wielder, right? So you can shape your dragon’s flames, lead them though the occupied parts of the keep without killing civilians.”
“Yes,” Emery answers. “But I’d have to be in the keep.”
“Then you’ll have to get into the keep,” Mira says with a shrug.
Emery’s eyes widen. “You want me to leave my dragon and go on foot?”
“Why do you think we get all that hand to hand training? Or are you going to leave all those innocent people to die?” Mira flicks her wrist and Emery’s dragon goes flying out of his hand and into hers. She puts it in the center of the keep. “The real question is, how do we get you close enough without getting you killed?” She glances around the table. “Since I’m guessing the others will be busy fighting off the gryphons that launch once the fireworks start.”
Quinn looks at me. “What’s your signet, Aetos?”
“Above your pay grade,” I say, before I look around the table considering everyone’s signets, twice. I skip right over Xaden, who’s not supposed to be here anyway. But I come up empty. “Any ideas?”
“Sure,” Violet says, picking up Xaden’s dragon and shoving it toward the keep before lifting it with her lesser magic to hover above the structure. “You stop ignoring that you have an incredibly powerful shadow wielder at your disposal and ask him to black out the area so no one sees you land.”
“She’s not wrong.” Mira says. I can hear the reluctance in her clipped tone.
“You can do that?” I reluctantly look at Xaden as I ask the question.
“Are you seriously asking?” Such a pompous prick.
“Just wasn’t sure you could cover an area that -” I stop short as Xaden lifts a hand a few inches above the table and shadows pour from underneath, turning the room black as midnight in the blink of an eye.
“Fuck me,” someone says. I concur. It seems hardly fair that this asshole is that powerful.
“I can surround the entire outpost, but I think that might freak some people out,” Xaden says, and the shadows disappear, racing back under the table.
I feel queasy about the kind of power he harnesses. I look around the room and see everyone but Emery and Violet reacting the same. Of course they’ve seen him pull this trick before.
I hear Xaden chuckle and look his way just in time to see Violet giving him the finger. I wonder momentarily if he did something to her in the dark, but I see the look on her face go blank like she is talking to her dragon. She looks unharmed, even gives Xaden a sly side-eye before returning her attention to the conversation. I bring myself back to the conversation at hand as well.
We finish the hypothetical operation, each of us using our power to its best ability. Everyone except Violet, that is, who hasn’t manifested a signet yet. But when it’s time to take the gryphons out in the air, Tairn overpowers every other dragon in the room.
“Good job,” Mira says, glancing at her pocket watch. “Aetos, Riorson, and Sorrengail, I want to see you in the hallway. The rest of you are dismissed.”