“I made the only point.” Tairn’s silhouette blocks the moon for a heartbeat before he lands ahead of us.
Bodhi grins sheepishly. “Your dragon has arrived in time to save us from the awkwardness of this conversation.”
“Let’s get going,” Tairn all but snaps. I try not to take it personally. He’s been insufferable for days now, but I can’t blame him. I can feel his physical pain like a knife to my own chest when he overpowers my emotions.
“He’s in a rush,” I tell Bodhi. “Thanks for walking me out—”
“Humans!”
“Well, fuck.” Bodhi swears under his breath as mage lights flicker on behind us, lighting up the field the same way they had the night we flew for War Games.
“Cadet Sorrengail, you will delay your launch.” Varrish amplifies his voice across the field.
We turn and see him flanked by two other riders, walking our way.
Tairn growls in answer.
Bodhi and I exchange a glance, but we both remain silent as the trio approaches.
“What do we do if they try to stop us?” I ask Tairn.
“Feast.”
Gross.
“I didn’t expect you to leave until morning,” Varrish says, flashing an oily smile as the two other riders flank us. The stripes on their uniforms declare them as first lieutenants, the same as Mira, one rank above Xaden.
“It’s been a fortnight. I’m on leave.”
“So you are.” Varrish blinks at me, then looks at the female lieutenant on my left. “Nora, search her bag.”
“I’m sorry?” I put a step between me and the woman.
“Your bag,” Varrish repeats. “Article Four, Section One of the Codex states—”
“That all cadet belongings are subject to search at the discretion of command,” I finish for him.
“Ah, you know your Codex. Good. Your bag.”
I swallow, then roll my shoulders, letting the pack slip off my back before holding it out to the left, never taking my eyes from Varrish. The first lieutenant takes the rucksack from my hand.
“You may leave, Cadet Durran,” Varrish says.
Bodhi moves closer to my side, and the male lieutenant takes a step closer as well, the mage lights catching the signet patch—fire wielding—on his uniform. “As Cadet Sorrengail’s section leader, I am the next in her chain of command. And as Article Four, Section Two of the Codex states, her discipline falls to her chain of command before being brought to cadre. I would be negligent in my duty were I to leave her in potential possession of…whatever it is you’re looking for.”
Varrish narrows his eyes as Nora empties my bag onto the ground.
So much for a clean change of clothing.
Tairn lowers his head behind me, angling slightly to the side and growling deeply in his throat. At this angle, he can scorch two of them without touching Bodhi or me, which would only leave one for us to dispatch if we have to.
Anger prickles along my spine, and I fist my hands like that’s going to actually help me contain the burst of power crawling through my veins.
“Was that really necessary?” the other lieutenant asks.
“He said search,” Nora replies before looking up at Varrish. “Clothing,” she says, flipping the pieces over. Her hands tremble when she glances in Tairn’s direction. “Second-year physics text, land navigation manual, and a hairbrush.”
“Give me the book and the manual.” Varrish holds his hand out to Nora.
“Need a refresher?” I ask, suddenly grateful I left my copy of The Gift of the First Six in my room, not that it’s taught me anything besides the fact that the First Six weren’t the first riders—they were simply the first to survive.
Varrish doesn’t respond as he flips through the pages, no doubt looking for scrawled secrets in the margins. His jaw flexes when he doesn’t find any.
“Satisfied?” I drum my fingers along the sheaths at my thighs.
“We’re done here.” He tosses the book onto the pile of clothing. “See you in forty-eight hours, Cadet Sorrengail. And don’t forget—since your feathertail decided not to join you for formation again, I will be pondering your punishment for dereliction of duty while you are gone.”
And with that threat, the trio walks away, the mage lights winking off one by one as they pass, leaving us in the dark again except for the circle of light directly above us.
“You knew that was going to happen.” I glare at Bodhi before crouching in front of my discarded things, packing them back into the bag. “That’s why you insisted on walking me out.”
“In addition to the very real attempts on all of our lives—Imogen and Eya were attacked today, too, coming out of a briefing for third-years—we suspected they’d search you but wanted to confirm,” he admits, dropping down to help.
They could have died. My heart stutters in my chest, and I quickly fold that fear into the box where I’ve decided to hide all my feelings this year. Well, all emotions except one: anger.
“You used me as a test?” I jerk the fastener on the pack closed and shove my arms through the straps, hoisting it to my shoulders. “Without even telling me? Let me guess—it was Xaden’s idea?”
“It was an experiment.” He grimaces. “You were the control.”
