“Their squad leader is the infantry equivalent of Aetos,” Ridoc mutters from my right side.
I nod but keep from chuckling.
Cohen throws his head back on Ridoc’s right and doesn’t bother suppressing his laugh. Guess Dain’s reputation carries across the wings.
“Who is Aetos?” Cadet Quiet asks from Aoife’s left. It’s the first time the curvy brunette has spoken in hours, but her brown eyes are constantly moving, taking in our surroundings. I would bet that she’s tied with Brisa—who is covering our flank with Tomas and Sawyer—for most observant in our group.
“One of our wingleaders,” I answer. “Kind of like your battalion commander.”
“Oh.” She nods as Rhiannon and Asshole continue arguing ahead of us. “You guys function in sections, right?”
“Yep.” The landscape hasn’t changed. The forest is mostly flat, with a few rolling hills that have been easily scalable. But the heat? Damn, it’s stifling. I tied my uniform top around my waist about an hour ago, leaving me in my armor. I have no idea how Aoife is surviving with her hood up, but she hasn’t removed it. “Squad, then section, then wing.”
“What do we do if we come across a dragon?” she asks.
“First we choose a sacrifice,” Ridoc says. “And then we offer it and run.”
Her eyes flare wide.
“Don’t be an asshole.” I elbow him in the arm. “Depends on the color, but a good rule of thumb is to lower your eyes and back away,” I tell the infantry cadet. “But we can usually hear them coming.”
“Then prepare to be digested,” Cohen adds.
“Oh gods,” the brunette whispers.
“You are now my favorite year-mate.” Ridoc throws an arm over his shoulder.
“Can I see your map?” Brisa asks from the rear of the formation.
“Don’t you have your own?” Calvin retorts.
Rhi’s head whips toward him. “Give it to her or I cut it out of your hands.”
He glares at Rhi but passes it back so we can get it to Brisa.
Gods, this grass is high. It’s nearly up to my waist in the places where the trees don’t shade the ground. I step onto an uneven knob, and my ankle rolls. Ridoc grabs ahold of me before I can fall, then steadies me without a word as we continue the climb. “Thank you,” I say softly.
“Are your knees wrapped?” Ridoc asks, concern lining his forehead.
I nod. “Yep. Didn’t do the ankles, though, since I wasn’t exactly expecting a hike.”
“I have cloth if you need to wrap something,” Dyre calls out from behind us.
“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” I answer.
A guy behind me asks, “Are all scribes this quiet?”
“It’s my job to record, not participate,” she answers.
“Not participating will still get you eaten by a dragon,” he argues.
I assure her, my eyes never leaving his, “I’d never let a scribe get eaten by a dragon.”
Rhiannon’s voice rises as the argument ahead of us heats. “Because there’s no way in hell they hauled us out of our rooms and brought us that far away in four hours.”
“Because your dragons can’t fly that quickly?” Calvin is about an inch shorter than Rhi and has no problem glaring up at her.
“Because our dragons wouldn’t carry you, dumbass,” Ridoc responds.
Aoife snorts and Mirabel laughs, flanked by the rest of the infantry squad behind us.
Calvin turns and levels a look at Ridoc. “Have some respect for the rank.” He taps his shoulder, where there’s an open triangle embroidered beneath two oak leaves.
“Your rank means exactly jack and shit to me.”
“What, like you’re so above us infantry?” Calvin counters.
“I mean technically, when we’re flying we’re above everyone,” Ridoc argues. “But if you’re asking if I’m better than you, then the answer is obviously yes.”
I sigh and watch Calvin’s hands just in case he decides to go for the shortsword sheathed at his side. It’s not a bad weapon, but they all carry them. There’s no variation for height or specialization. It’s all so…uniform.
Then again, we were pulled straight out of the hallway, so it’s not like Ridoc is carrying his preferred bow. Sawyer and Rhiannon are missing their favorite swords, too.
“Stop pissing him off on purpose,” Rhiannon says, glancing back at Ridoc as we start trudging up another hill. Maybe this one will give us a better vantage point than the last. “We’re going to need fresh water, or this is going to get ugly fast.”
Ridoc grins. “But it’s so much fun!”
She arches a brow.
