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"Wisteria Colland! Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing."

I sling my pack over one shoulder nonchalantly and head towards my squad. It's headed by a tall man, probably a second year. A cluster of first years stands behind him, and I join them, standing slightly off to the side. Four second or third years stand ahead of us, still behind the squad leader, and a female executive squad leader stands next to the tall man in front.

I recognize the Sorrengail girl in the cluster of first years, and next to her is a darker skinned girl who I hear Violet call Rhiannon. I know that half, if not more, of these cadets will be dead by graduation. I will not get attached to any of them.

I notice with annoyance that the girl who shoved me onto the parapet is also in my squad—she's chatting with Rhiannon, and doesn't notice me glaring daggers at her. If I heard correctly, her name is Maize Berring. The only good thing about her being in my squad is the fact that she can't try and kill me again.

There's a pause in the name calling, and the wingleaders gather in a private conversation. The tall, rebellion marked one with the scar stares straight at Violet, the malice in his gaze evident. I glance at the frail girl standing a few feet away. What could she have done to him?

"Dain Aetos, you and your squad will switch with Aura Beinhaven's," the woman who calls the names says. Dain Aetos. That is my squad leader's name. I follow along silently, swept along by the cluster of first years as we head towards the Fourth Wing. Violet is next to me suddenly, and I can hear her breath quicken nervously. Then I see why. We're headed towards the rebellion marked man's wing, the one who stared her down.

"What's his deal with you?" I murmur, eyeing the tall man with distrust. A smug smirk rests on his lips as he looks at the small woman next to me. Violet gives me a startled glance, as though she hadn't really registered I was next to her.

"That's Xaden Riorson," she mumbles. "I'm Violet Sorrengail." Ah. I suppose that might be an issue.

"Mm," I hum in response. Xaden steps forward, and I study him more closely. He's arrogant. He's most likely one of the best here, and he knows it. A dangerous mix.

"You're all cadets now." Gods, even his voice is stuck-up. "Take a look at your squad. These are the only people guaranteed by the 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." Cheers erupt from the crowd, but my mouth stays closed. He's not trying to give us an inspiring speech. He's trying to scare us.

"And I bet you all feel pretty badass right now, don't you, first-years? You feel invincible after the parapet, don't you?" These first-years need to know that cheering isn't necessary after every word this man says. I'm about to go deaf. "You think you're untouchable! You're on the way to becoming the elite! The few! The chosen!"

My ears pick up something outside the rounds of cheering coming up from the cadets around me. "Oh gods, they're beautiful!" Rhiannon breaths from somewhere behind me as eight dragons fly into sight.

They break mid air, wings beating as they land on the outer wall. Wind beats me back, the force of it making me back up a step. I stare up at the dragons in awe. They are beautiful. Magnificent. I have seen Reithe up close, a red clubtail, but she's the only one. The rest of dragons I've merely caught glimpses of, flying around here and there.

Cadets screaming brings me out of my awed state. There's a deep, navy blue one standing menacingly in front of Violet, Rhiannon and I, and I blink as it lets out a huff of steam directly into our faces. There's two greens, three reds, a brown, an orange, and the blue one in total. I can't see their tails at this angle, but either way, they're all magnificent.

Suddenly, a cadet from Third Wing makes a run for it. Idiot. Every turns their heads as he bolts for the exit. I already know what's going to happen before the nearest red dragon spreads its jaws and lets out a stream of blazing hot flames toward the cadet.

I don't have to force myself to turn away as the flames engulf the cadet, and I squeeze my eyes shut as more screams and two more blasts of flame sear past me.

I force my eyes open as Xaden begins to speak again, schooling my features into that of indifference. I harden my gaze as his dark eyes meet mine. You don't scare me, asshole. I cross my arms for added affect.

"Anyone else feel like changing their mind?" He shouts, his gaze lingering on mine before turning away to scan the rest of the cadets. "No? Excellent. Roughly half of you will be dead by this time next summer. A third of you 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?"

The only sound in the clearing is that of a few sobbing cadets.

"Because you're not untouchable or special to them," Xaden says, gesturing to the huge blue dragon behind him. "To them, you're just the prey."

.  .  .

I tune out Captain Fitzgibbons as he reads the endless names from the death roll. I don't bother trying to know them—they're dead. I don't have to worry about them.

I slept fairly well last night. I kept my knives sheathed in the pockets sewn into my nightgown, and despite the occasional sobs and noises of the other cadets in the dorm, it was pleasantly quiet. A far cry from my silk sheets at home, but I can't really complain. I'm finally at Basgiath War College, training to become a dragon rider. How could I complain?

The Captain brings my attention back to him when he rolls up the death scroll and says a final farewell. "Hopefully you all ate breakfast, because you're not going to get another chance before lunch," Dain Aetos, the squad leader, says. Good thing I snuck two muffins out of the cafeteria then. I can hardly make it two hours out from breakfast without my stomach aching.

"He's good at pretending he doesn't know you," Rhiannon whispers to Violet. How do I always end up near them? It's not that I don't like Violet—or Rhiannon, for that matter—but I always find myself within ear range of their whispering. It's rather annoying.

"He is," Violet murmurs back. I narrow my eyes between the squad leader and Sorrengail. What connection did they have? Oh. Aetos' dad is her mom's... assistant? Something like that. They probably grew up together.

"Second and third years, I'm assuming you know where to go. First years, at least one of you should have memorized your academic schedule when it was handed out to you yesterday." I fish around for mine in the pocket of the leather vest, only to find that it's no longer in my pocket. Well, fuck. "Stick together. I expect you all to be alive when we meet this afternoon in the sparring gym."

Oh! I had forgotten that we were sparring this afternoon. Rylan gave me a run down of all the basic sparring maneuvers before I climbed the tower up to the parapet, just to remind me. Hand to hand was basically a sixth sense for me at this point.

"And if we're not?" Someone asks smartly from behind me. I can't help rolling my eyes.

"Then I won't have to be concerned with learning your name, since it'll be read off tomorrow morning," Dain replies casually, shrugging his shoulders. The side of my mouth curves upward in a small smirk.

"Sawyer?" Dain addresses a first-year standing to the left of me. He's wiry and tall, covered in small freckles.

"I'll get them there." The man's jaw ticks slightly. I realize he must be one of the repeats from last year; cadets who didn't get bonded by a dragon during Threshing. I can't help but feel sympathetic for the man. He now had to go through the first year again for another chance of bonding.

Dain orders us to all get going, and Second Squad breaks apart from the crowd, along with the other squads. "We have twenty minutes to get to class!" Sawyer shouts at the squad's first years. "Fourth floor, second room in the left in the academic wing. Get your shit and don't be late." The man walks off without waiting for any confirmation that we understood him.

Again, I find myself walking silently next to Rhiannon and Violet as we head toward the dorms. "That has to be hard," Rhiannon murmurs. "Being set back and having to do this all over again."

"Better than being dead," a boy with floppy brown hair remarks, and I recognize him as the boy with the smart mouth from earlier. I heard someone call him Ridoc.

"That's true," Violet replies softly.

"I overheard a third year say when a first year survives Threshing unbonded, the quandrant let's them repeat the year and try again if they want," Rhiannon states. Damn. I have to respect Sawyer for coming back and putting himself through the deadly initiation that is first year in the Rider's Quadrant again.

Suddenly, a birds whistle pierced the air. Violet's reaction is immediate, and I follow her gaze to where Dain stands at the top of a wide staircase.

"I'll grab you're stuff and meet you in Battle Brief," Rhiannon says before Violet can say anything. "It's under your bunk, right?"

"You don't mind?" Violet asks, concern etching a line between her brows. I have to smile slightly at their friendship. They've known each other for a day and they're already helping each other out. And you're being ignored. I immediately shove the thought out of my head. I don't need to be acknowledged to be an asset to my squad.

"Your bunk is next to mine, Violet, it's not a hassle. Go!" Rhiannon smiles at Violet encouragingly, and the small woman smiles back.

"Thank you!" I watch as Violet speeds away before vanishing into the crowd of cadets.