Wren never expected her life to change the moment she set foot in the Riders Quadrant at Basgiath War College. But everything shifted when she met Liam Mairi. Loving him was effortless, bright, and full of promise. Losing him was shattering.
His dea...
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Morning assembly always smelled of wet stone, dragon smoke, and fear. By now, I'd learned to tell them apart.
The rain that rolled down from the mountain left the courtyard slick beneath our boots, darkening each uneven flagstone until it looked as though Basgiath itself bled into the cracks. Smoke drifted across the parade grounds from the flight field beyond, sharp enough to sting the back of my throat, while dragons circled high above the ridgeline in lazy, watchful spirals. Their shadows swept over us in slow passes, reminding every rider standing in formation that we had survived one more day, but survival had never been a promise here.
Only an invitation.
The names always came next.
Every morning another cadet failed to answer roll call. Another bunk sat empty in the barracks. Another story ended before anyone had the chance to finish telling it. Basgiath never stopped long enough to mourn its dead. It simply made room for the next ones.
I'd stopped trying to memorize every face, however I never stopped remembering them.
"You're brooding again."
Ryuu's voice slipped easily into my thoughts, warm with amusement despite the weight hanging over the courtyard.
I'm thinking.
"Dangerous pastime."
Aren't you supposed to be wise?
"I am wise." His laughter rumbled through the bond we shared. "Wisdom is knowing that standing in the middle of Basgiath while contemplating mortality before breakfast is an excellent way to end up becoming tomorrow's obituary."
A reluctant smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
You're dramatic.
"Says the rider who keeps insisting she never wanted to be here, yet somehow continues refusing to die."
The smile faded as quickly as it had come.
That isn't the same thing, I murmured, though whether I was arguing with him or myself, I wasn't entirely sure.
"No," Ryuu agreed, his voice quieter now. "It isn't."
Silence settled between us, not uncomfortable, but familiar. He'd never asked me to explain why I'd stepped onto the Parapet. Dragons knew far more than they often admitted, and Ryuu had always seemed content to let me decide which ghosts deserved words.
Most people crossed the Parapet because they dreamed of becoming riders.
I crossed it because my parents hoped I wouldn't make it to the other side.
Stubbornness had carried me across the Parapet. It carried me through sparring matches I had no business winning and kept my feet moving long after every muscle in my body begged me to quit. It was a dangerous trait at Basgiath.
