𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑, iron flame

chapter two

𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐓𝐘𝐍

      "Thank you," the rider gasped, her breaths ragged. We both stood at the end of the Parapet, doubled over with our hands resting on our knees, desperately trying to catch our breaths. We had made it safely across, but just barely. Once I managed to get us both back on the narrow stone, there was no time to waste. We didn't want to spend any more time on that Parapet than necessary.

      "Don't mention it," I replied, straightening up and wiping the stray strands of hair from my sweaty face. I probably reeked of horse sh--

      "Are you kidding? I owe you my life." She stared at me, her eyes wide with gratitude. For a moment, it seemed like she was about to give me a hug, but she quickly thought better of it. "I'm Sloane." She extended her hand for me to shake, and I caught a glimpse of the rebellion relic winding up her arm. She flinched when she realized that I had seen it.

      I smiled and shook her hand firmly. "I'm Ashtyn." Her eyes widened slightly as she noticed my own rebellion relic peeking out from beneath my collar, the one that matched my brother's.

      Her smile mirrored my own, and we both let out an unladylike snort.

༻⁑᯽━━━━━━━━━━━━━᯽⁑༺

     Seventy-one candidates fell from the parapet, as indicated by the official records. However, I have no idea what the previous year's statistics were, so I have no idea wether it was noteworthy or not.

      An hour later, the quadrant gathered in a disciplined formation, with three columns on each wing. The roll keeper proceeded to call out names, methodically dividing the first-year candidates into squads.

      As I glanced around, I realized that our squad was almost complete, yet there was no sign of Sloane. I had lost track of her amidst the chaos of the division process.

      There were eight of us, the new recruits, anxiously shifting our weight, each person embodying the essence of fear itself. The palpable tension hung in the air, evident in the drops of sweat trickling down the nape of my neck and in the nervous biting of nails by the brunette beside me. It seeped from our every pore, consuming us.

      That small second-year, with her hair in two distinct shades, kept fixating her gaze on our group. Her eyes darted from one person to another, but she seemed particularly curious about me. Then again, since my arrival at the start of the Parapet, I had been subjected to countless stares. Not only because my Dad had been the leader of the rebellion, but also due to the scene I had caused on the Parapet, which hadn't helped my case in the slightest.

      A sense of relief washed over me as I caught sight of Sloane being called to join our squad. However, that relief was short-lived when Sloane finally made her way towards us and uttered those dreaded words. "No. I refuse. Any squad but this one."

      Confusion wrinkled my brow as I tried to make sense of Sloane's refusal. Our squad leader, sensing the tension, stepped away from her position at the front and threw Sloane a glance that sent a shiver down my spine. It was a look that reminded me never to get on her bad side.

      With an air of defiance, our squad leader retorted, "Does it look like I give a shit about what you want, Mairi?"

      "Mairi?" Our executive officer, who had been scanning the lines of first-years that separated us, suddenly turned his attention towards Sloane. I racked my brain for any recollection of that last name, but it failed to ring a bell.

      "I cannot be in the same squad as her!" Sloane's eyes burned with pure hatred as she glared at the small second-year. I raised an eyebrow in astonishment at her intense reaction.