Treason's Tempest [Fourth Wing]

02. onyx eyes and tousled black hair

𓆩 chapter one 𓆪

onyx eyes and tousled black hair

WE ENTER THE LARGE COURTYARD where thousands of candidates gather together, some of their families clinging to them until the very last bell. Horses and wagons clog the roads leading to the fortress, but my eyes land on the empty ones by the fields. They're for the bodies.

Violet stiffens.

Noticing this, I reach for her hand and squeeze it, smiling reassuringly when she shifts her attention to me. The younger girl returns a weak smile, and she keeps her hand in mine as we walk towards an open gate.

"Find your brother, Vee," Mira tells us as we trail behind her.

"Dain?" Violet smiles, and I can practically feel her heart rate jump. I roll my eyes, instinctively aware of her crush on my older brother.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your pants on, Vi," I say, earning a snort from Mira.

"He'll be a second-year," Mira shakes her finger at Violet.

"And still my brother," I add, matter-of-factly.

"Just don't mess around with second-years. If you want to get laid, and you should often, considering you never know what the day brings, then screw around in your own year. Nothing is worse than cadets gossiping that you've slept your way to safety."

Violet and I hum in understanding. 

Eventually, we cross through the gates, leaving the fortress and joining the organised chaos beyond.

Each of Navarre's six provinces has sent this year's share of candidates for military service. Some volunteer. Some are sentenced as punishment. Most are conscripted.

Despite the worry traced on my brother and father's face when I told them the first time, I knew what I wanted. To serve my kingdom the same way my mother had.

The atmosphere is tense with anticipation as Mira leads us along the worn cobblestone path toward the southern turret. The main college is built into the side of the Basgiath Mountain, as if it was cleaved from a ridgeline of the peak itself. I look up and admire the formidable structure towering over us, with its stories-tall stone battlements— built to protect the high rise of the keep within — and defensive turrets at each of its corners.

The crowds split; some moving to line up at the entrance of the Infantry Quadrant, others to the Healer Quadrant. I follow Violet's train of sight and find the central tunnel, the entrance to the Scribe Quadrant.

We join the riders line, situated outside a fortified door at the base of a tower. Instead of allowing a simple, ground-level welcome to the academy, riders are required to climb.