Ruthless: A Fourth Wing Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Every head turns to the leadership. Chatter disappears.

They begin to call out the names of each person and what squad, section and wing they are in. Soon enough our names are called to Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing.

"Rhiannon Matthias. Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing. Violet Sorrengail. Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing. Ruth Melgren. Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing."

Some murmurs go around when Violet's and my last names are spoken. Eyes watch us as we walk over to Dain.

"Dain Aetos, you and your squad will switch with Aura Beinhaven's."

Oh. We walk to the rest of the squads in Fourth Wing.

"Wait. Not you, cadet," Xaden points to me. "You go to Third Squad, Flame Section, Fourth Wing."

What? Why am I being separated from Violet and Rhiannon? Suddenly, I know why. My father. But how could he have known I was disobeying his orders? It must have been for a different reason. Nonetheless, I walk over to Third Squad. Violet and Rhiannon give me sorry looks.

I changed my mind. I don't like Xaden anymore. At all.

"You're all cadets now." Xaden's voice carries out over the courtyard, much louder than others. "Take a look at your squad. These are the only people guarranteed by Codex not to kill you. But just because they can't end your life doesn't mean others won't. You want a dragon? Earn one."

Most of the others cheer. Rhiannon, Violet and I keep our mouths shut. Sixty-seven people fell or got killed some other way today. Just trying to get to where we are now. Just like that boy that Rhiannon and Violet saw fall off, whose parents would either collect their bodies or watch it be buried at the foot of a mountain, just another stone. I'm not going to cheer for the lives lost.

Violet's face pales and I see Xaden watching her. He looks away.

"And I bet you feel pretty bad-ass right now, don't you, first-years?"

More cheering.

"You feel invincible after the parapet, don't you?" He shouts. "You think you're untouchable! You're on the way to becoming the elite! The few! The chosen!"

Another round of cheers go up after each sentence, louder and louder.

But that's not just cheers. Its wingbeats.

"Oh gods, their beautiful," I hear Rhiannon whisper.

I've spent practically my entire life around dragons, but at a distance. Up close, they look terrifying. Terrifying in a good way though. Terrifyingly beautiful, and deadly.

Just when I think they are going to fly overhead, they pitch vertically, whipping the air with their huge semitranslucent wings, and stop, the gusts of wind so powerful a few cadets fall to the floor.

A few cadets scream. I guess everyone wants to be a dragon rider until you actually see the majestic beasts up close.

 A massive navy blue dragon with a dagger-like tail lands, rumbling the ground. It roars. Steam blasts our faces as the navy-blue dragon directly in front of us exhales through its wide nostrils. It's blue horns twist and spiral above it's head. It's wings flare momentarily before getting tucked in, the tip of the top joint crowned by a fierce talon. At this angle, I can't see it's tail, but I know that it's fatal. 

Every dragon is deadly.

Suddenly, a few cadets make a break for it. I recognise one of them as the brunette from the Parapet. They don't make it far before the dragons let out fire and the bricks turn black and the stench of burnt flesh fills the air. A few cadets gag.

Rhiannon and Violet look horrified. "It's fine. They were probably too weak to make it to Threshing anyway," I try to reassure them. The both turn to me like I was the one who scorched the cadets.

I don't listen to the rest of Xaden's words. But the last ones I hear ring in my head.

"To them, you're just the prey."

Captain Fitzgibbons reads from the deathroll, each name echoing in my head, racking my brain if I knew them at all. He is flanked by two other cream coloured scribes, all of us squinting in the morning sunlight.

This morning, we're all in rider black, and there's a single silver four-pointed star on my collarbone, the mark of a first year, and a Fourth Wing patch on my shoulder.

I count the deaths. 70. That's a lot more than last year.

I hear Rhiannon and Violet suck in a breath when the captain reads out a boys name. Dylan.

"Your face is like stone. Do you ever show any emotion at all?" 

I whip around and smile when I see Arkea. "I show emotion. Sometimes," I whisper back.

The rest of the death roll gets read out. I'm not going to make it my mission to know all of the first years' names, because most of them will be dead by Threshing. Threshing, in October, is when the fun happens. Dragons. If they deem you worthy, you will be chosen to bond with a dragon. If not, you either get scorched, or you have to repeat the year.

I do not want to repeat a year in this hell of a school.

The squad leaders all turn to address their squads.

I turn to mine, a pale girl with short brown hair and big, bug-like brown eyes.

"You better have all eaten breakfast, because you won't be able to eat until lunch. Second years, Third years, you know where to go. Elowin will take you to class. I expect you all to meet me in the sparring gym this afternoon."

I glance at the dark skinned girl with black hair. I realise she's a repeat. She nods.

"We have about fifteen minutes to get to class, so gather your shit and lets go!" She yells. "Fourth floor, second room on the left in the academic wing."

"I would be pissed too if I were her," Arkea says as we follow the rest of our squad to the dorms. "I wouldn't want to repeat the year. I'd rather die at this school instead."

We find our dorms and Arkea and I unpack our small things. I quickly place my things neatly away and wait outside Arkea's door. She emerges and we walk to class.

I wonder what Dain's signet is. Every rider can do lesser magic once their dragon starts channelling to them, but the signet is the unique ability that stands out, the strongest skill that results from each unique bond between rider and dragon.

Ice wielding, fire wielding and water wielding are just a few of the most common signets, but it doesn't make them any less useful in battle.

Then there are a few signets that are quite extraordinary. My father can see the outcome of battles. My older brother Damon can detect lies. Violet's mother can wield the power of storms.

I just hope I live long enough to see the day I get a signet.