Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 235897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1179(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 786(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 235897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1179(@200wpm)___ 944(@250wpm)___ 786(@300wpm)
“Dain isn’t the strongest!” Andarna repeats, and this time, I get the point.
I am.
Aura whips off her glove and flares her hand. I throw, releasing my dagger a second before flame erupts from her palm.
The steel pins her glove to the wooden support of the dais.
Aura gasps, and the flame dies before it can touch Dain, her head tracking the loss of her glove before whipping toward me. Her eyes narrow. “Sorrengail.”
“Violet, no,” Dain protests.
“‘Rebel’ is so…outdated. We prefer the term ‘revolutionary,’” I inform Aura, taking a measured step in her direction and welcoming the crackle of sizzling power in my fingertips. “And if you’re going to wield, then it’s me you’ll be dealing with.”
Never turn your back on a rider.
—Major Afendra’s Guide to the Riders Quadrant (Unauthorized Edition)
CHAPTER SIX
“You dare—” Aura turns to fully face me, yanking off her other glove.
“I dare.” I lift my open palms skyward, and heat streaks along my arms as I release a wave of power, forcing it upward and letting it go.
Lightning splits the sky, flashing bright above our heads and branching outward into the clouds. Thunder follows instantly, so loud it shakes the masonry.
The crowd quiets, and Aura’s mouth hangs for a moment before she lowers her hands.
“You see, Dain’s too honorable to wield in a challenge, but you’ll find that my sense of morality has learned to…waver.” I retrieve another dagger and shake it in her direction. “You lift your hand against him again, and the next one goes through it. He’s the reason you’re alive. The reason you’re all alive!” Power thrums through me, buzzing with readiness, and I slip my left hand into the pocket of my flight jacket and remove the conduit.
“Violet,” Rhiannon warns softly from my right.
“Shh, it’s more fun when she blows shit up,” Ridoc whispers.
I turn slightly and draw on lesser magic to allow my voice to carry to the Navarrian riders while keeping an eye on Aura. They’ve closed in, taking this situation from dangerous to lethal. “The only reason you survived the attack is because we gained access to the knowledge Navarre purposely hid from us. We stole it. We translated it. We saved your ass.” Warmth streaks down my arm, the conduit beginning to hum. “And yes, we expect you to recognize that we need this alliance to survive what’s coming for us!”
“You expect us to trust them?” Caroline calls out.
Aura retreats a step, eyeing my conduit.
“You have to,” I answer, pushing against the heat that flushes my skin as power gathers within me again. “But more importantly, you can. They’ve fought by our side for months, even after we’ve spent centuries condemning their people to death because we’re unwilling to share the one resource that could have saved them. We don’t have to like each other, but we do have to trust each other, and we can’t keep doing this, can’t keep accepting needless casualties in the quadrant in the name of strengthening the wing, not when every single one of us is needed in this war.”
“It’s their war!” Aura challenges. “Do you really believe we should weaken our wards, endanger our own people just to arm theirs? You choose Poromiel over Navarre?”
“We can choose both.” I slip my dagger back into place and free my hand to wield.
Aaric lifts his sword as Ewan Faber comes a little too close.
“The riders who came before us failed to protect the innocent just because they were on the other side of our border,” I argue. “They lied and hid. They were the cowards! But we don’t have to be. We can choose to stand together and fight. Leadership is locked behind doors right now trying to forge a treaty.” My gaze skims over the riders who stayed when we fled for Aretia three months ago. “But they’re failing, just like every generation before us has failed, and if we do the same…” I shake my head, fumbling for words. “You’ve seen what’s out there. Either this alliance begins right here with us, with our generation, or we will be the last dragon riders and gryphon fliers on the Continent.” Sweat beads along the back of my neck, my temperature rising with every second I keep my power ready. “Well?” I ask.
Silence falls, thick and heavy, but no one moves.
“Is this what you do when we give you a break from classes?”
Everyone turns toward the rotunda at the sound of Devera’s voice. The professor stands with her feet braced apart, flanked by Professors Emetterio and Kaori. All three look in desperate need of a bath and a good night’s rest.
Thank you, Dunne. I force the Archives door to Tairn’s power shut and note the steam rising from my hand before the conduit dims.
“Sorrengail is right,” Devera shouts. “There is every chance we will all meet Malek in the coming months, but you must decide if you’d rather die fighting each other or facing our shared enemy.” She rocks back on her heels. “Go ahead and choose. We’ll wait.”