Wild and Out of Control

|chapter nine|

"Presentation Day is unlike any other. The air is ripe with possibilities, and possibly the stench of sulfur from a dragon who has been offended. Never look a red in the eye. Never back down from a green. if you show trepidation to a brown...well, just don't."

- COLONEL KAORI'S FIELD GUIDE TO DRAGONKIND

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|danica|

There are one-hundred and sixty-nine of us by the time the morning is done and, even with my penalty for the rope courtesy of Violet, we've placed eleventh out of the thirty-six squads for Presentation.

     The fastest up the Gauntlet was surprisingly me, earning us the Gauntlet patch. I for sure thought it would have been Liam Mairi, but...apparently not, as I was a few seconds ahead of him. He seems to smile when I receive the patch, which confuses the hell of me. For the short time that I've known him, he's never gotten anything less than first in anything.

     The box canyon that makes up the training field is spectacular in the late afternoon sun, the leaves of the trees shining gold from the sun as though someone has brought in a paintbrush with only one color and streaked it across the landscape. Everything is beautiful, and I would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for one thing:

     The dragons waiting for us.

     Averaging about forty-five feet tall, they're in a formation of their own, lined up several feet from the path—close enough to pass judgment on us as we walk by. And in a variety of species: red, orange, green, and brown—not to mention the supposed feathertail that is willing to bond this year, which would be a first.

     "Let's go, Second Squad, you're up next," Garrick Tavis calls from the front, beckoning us with a wave that makes the rebellion relic on his bare arm gleam. "Into formation," he orders, turning ever so slightly, which gives me perfect sight of a neat line of patches along the right sleeve of his shirt proclaiming him Flame's Section Leader as well as more than five patches advertising his skill with a multitude of weapons.

     Just another reason to steer clear of him.

     There's a sound that sounds an awful lot like rushing wind in the distance, and I'm pretty sure that someone has been found...lacking in front of the dragons.

     Tavis's hazel eyes skim over us, lingering on mine for half a second longer, narrowing ever so slightly before looking away. " Hopefully Aetos has done his job, so you know that it's a straight walk down the meadow. I'd recommend staying at least seven feet apart—"

     "—In case one of us gets torches," Ridoc mutters from beside me, earning an elbow to the gut from me.

     "Correct, Ridoc," Garrick says glancing at our close positions to one another. I instinctively take a small step away from Ridoc, not sure what all that is about. "Cluster if you want, just know if a dragon finds disfavor with one of you, it's most likely to burn the whole lot to weed one out," Garrick warns, holding my gaze yet again. I lift my chin and the corner of his mouth lifts just a bit. "Also, remember you're not here to approach them, and if you do, you won't be making it back to the dormitory tonight."

     "Can I ask a question?" Luca asks from the front row. Garrick nods, but there's a tick to his jaw that tells me he's annoyed, and I wouldn't blame him. She's a member of a Squad, and I hate her so much. I can't even describe how much I despise her existence. She annoys the ever-living shit out of me. It's about her, always the constant need to tear everyone around her, which makes us keep our distance. Third Squad, Tail Section of Fourth Wing already went through, and I talked to some of the cadets..."