Fire Breather

3.

"ELENA Sosa, Brayden Blackburn." Captain Fitzgibbons read from the death roll the next morning, flanked by two other scribes on the dais while we stood in silent formation, squinting at the early sunlight.

Unlike yesterday when we were all in different clothing, today we were all in rider black, and there was a single silver four-pointed star on my collarbone, the mark of a first-year, and a Fourth Wing patch on my shoulder, delivered to me by my brother. We were given standard uniforms yesterday, summer-weight tight-fitted tunics, pants, and accessories, but not flight leathers.

Last night, Liam sat on my bed, rambling about which dragon he wanted out of the ones we saw yesterday while I had stayed up for hours listening to him and sewing hidden sheathes into my tunics and pants. Now I had two sheaths for my daggers on my upper arms, two sheaths on my hips, two on my thighs, and the biggest across my back.

Thankfully, after all the sewing, I got in some sleep, even through all the crying in the first-year barracks. There were a hundred and fifty-six of us on the first floor of the dormitory building, our beds positioned in four neat rows in the open space. Liam sadly couldn't bunk next to me, which left me on my own but that was nothing new for me.

"Simone Casteneda," Captain Fitzgibbons concluded, closing the scroll. "We commend their souls to Malek." The god of death, a familiar friend.

None of us took a moment of silence for the fallen and the quiet was broken when the scroll left with the scribes, allowing squad leaders to turn and begin addressing their squads.

"Hopefully you all ate breakfast, because you're not going to get another chance before lunch," Dain said. "Second and third years, I'm assuming you know where to go." A few seconds later, senior cadets mutter their agreement ahead of us.

But then I felt someone wrap their arm around my shoulder, putting my body on alert as I knew Liam was still with his own squad and Rhiannon would never physically touch me like this.

"Don't hit me, idiot," that smartass tone drawled, stopping me before I could land a blow to her jaw.

I smirked, stepping back and looking up at the pink-haired girl before me. "Imogen, you bitch."

She laughed, shaking her head with a glint of happiness in her eyes. "Gods have I missed you, Little Riorson," she admitted, patting me on the shoulder before turning her attention to someone who stopped beside me. "I hate to say that I've even missed you, Mairi."

My smile appeared back on my face as I looked up at the blond idiot beside me. I would never admit it out loud, but I missed him after he left me last night. It felt weird to be separated from him now that we had reunited.

"You love to say it," Liam chimed, winking at her.

I quietly laughed as she slapped him on the back of the head. "Watch yourself, cocky bastard."

I sent her a small nod of agreement before facing forward again, only to see most of the squad staring at me and Liam, including Violet. Without thinking, I sent her a cold glare, making her whip her head back toward Dain.

Now, why the hell did I do that?

"First-years, at least one of you should have memorized your academic schedule when it was handed out yesterday." Dain's voice boomed over us. "Stick together. I expect you all to be alive when we meet this afternoon in the sparring gym."

"Now that, I'm excited for," I hummed to Liam. We only had the gym twice a week but that should give me enough time to continue training and stretching myself before we have to attempt the Gauntlet—a ruthless vertical obstacle course.