“We have dragons,” Imogen says, her pitch rising. “Surely that has to count for something. We’re not afraid to fight.”
“Are you afraid to die? Have any of you seen combat?” The brunette’s gaze sweeps over us, and suddenly I feel…young as we reply with our silence. “Thought not. Your dragons do count for something. They can fly you far and fast. Dragon fire won’t kill them. Only the daggers you’ve been bringing, and we have those.” She looks at Xaden. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. You’ve kept us alive these last couple of years and given us a fighting chance.”
“You’re going down there to die,” Xaden says matter-of-factly.
“Yes.” She nods as another explosion sounds. “Get your riot out of here. Fast.” Pivoting on her heel, she strides back down the rampart, her head held high before she disappears into the tower on the opposite end.
Xaden’s jaw clenches, and I can see the battle raging in his eyes.
An unbearable heaviness settles in my stomach.
If we leave, they’ll all die. Every civilian. Every flier. We won’t have killed them, but we’ll be complicit in their deaths all the same.
If we fight, we’ll likely die with them.
We can live as cowards or die as riders.
Xaden’s shoulders straighten, and the rock in my stomach turns to nausea. He’s made a decision. I can see it in the lines of his face, the resolve in his posture. “Sgaeyl says she has never run from a fight, and today will not be the first. And I’m not going to stand by while innocent people are dying, either.” He shakes his head. “But I’m not going to order any of you to join me. I’m responsible for all of you. None of you crossed that parapet because you wanted to. None of you. You crossed it because I made a deal. I’m the one who forced you into the quadrant, so I won’t think less of anyone who wants to fly for Eltuval instead. Make your choice.” He tears his hand through his hair. “I don’t want you in harm’s way.”
In a perfect world, that would be all I need to hear. “If the others get to make a choice, then so do I.”
His jaw flexes.
“We’re riders,” Imogen says as another explosion sounds. “We defend the defenseless. That’s what we do.”
“You saved every single one of us here, cousin,” Bodhi says. “And we’re thankful. Now, I’d like to do what we’ve trained for, and if it means I don’t go home, then I guess my soul will be commended to Malek. I wouldn’t mind seeing my mother anyway.”
“I’ll tell you the same thing I did after Threshing our first year when we decided to start smuggling weaponry out,” Garrick says. “You kept us alive all these years; we get to decide how we die. I’m with you.”
“Exactly!” Soleil says, drumming her fingertips just above the dagger sheathed at her thigh. “I’m in.”
Liam steps forward so he stands at my side. “We watched as our parents were executed because they had the courage to do the right thing. I’d like to think my death would be just as honorable.”
My chest tightens. Their parents died to expose the truth while mine sacrificed my brother to keep this heinous secret.
“Agreed.” Imogen nods.
They all do.
One by one, everyone agrees, until there’s only me.
Xaden captures my gaze.
If you think you’ll ever convince a Sorrengail to risk their neck for anyone outside their own borders, then you’re a fool. Isn’t that what the flier said at the lake?
Fuck that.
“Tairn?” It’s not just me going to war.
“We will feast on their bones, Silver One.”
Graphic, but point made.
I will not leave innocent people to die, no matter what side of the border they live on. I will not let my squadmates risk their lives while I run, despite the plea I see in Xaden’s eyes.
At least Rhiannon, Sawyer, and Ridoc aren’t here. They’ll live to be second-years.
Mira will understand. I have no doubt that she would do the same.
And as for Mom… The dagger on her desk means she knows and has done nothing to stop it. Guess I’ll be the second child she sacrifices to keep the existence of venin a secret.
“I’ve been defenseless,” I tell Xaden, lifting my chin. “And now I’m a rider. Riders fight.”
The others shout in agreement.
A thousand emotions cross his face, but Xaden only nods as he walks toward the battlements. “Liam. Give me a report.”
His foster brother moves to his side and focuses. “The fliers are engaged, all seven—six of them. Looks like they’re trying to draw fire away from the civilians, but damn, the venin are wielding a kind of fire I’ve never seen among riders. Three surround the city, and one is making his way toward a structure in the middle. A clock tower.”
Xaden nods, then divides us according to objectives. Garrick and Soleil will do a perimeter sweep for reconnaissance while the rest of us target the venin on various sides of Resson, keeping an eye on the advance on the clock tower as we near it on each pass through town. “The only way to take them out is by dagger.”
“That means we’ll have to dismount and fight once we get the townspeople to whatever safety we can find,” Garrick adds, his face set in grim lines. “Don’t throw your only weapons unless you’re certain of your aim.”
Xaden nods. “Save as many people as you can. Let’s go.”
We make our way down the steps and through the silent courtyard, Xaden leading the way. When we emerge from the outpost, our dragons wait, all perched on the edge of the ridgeline, shifting their weight in agitation as they survey the trading post below.
I walk directly between Tairn and Sgaeyl.
