Fire Breather

19.

NOVEMBER passed without the news of Sumerton being mentioned once, and by the time December arrived with howling winds, I'd given up on hoping for news. But my brother had finally allowed me in on his little side missions with Liam and now our job was to keep count of the weapons and sneak them to the flight field for him—which was fucking harder than I realized. We almost got caught, twice.

Rhiannon swung her bow staff, and I proudly watched from the side of the mat as Violet threw her weight into a backbend, narrowly escaping the strike. Over these last few weeks, I had been training her offense when Imogen was done training her with weights.

"You're distracted tonight." Rhiannon backed off as Violet regained her balance and her gaze darted across the mat to where Liam sat on a bench, carving another dragon. "But you're faster than you used to be. Whatever Blade and Imogen have you doing is working."

"As if there was ever any doubt," Imogen called out from the next mat over, casually holding Ridoc in a headlock.

I laughed at the sight, crossing my arms over my chest. "Well, Violet's just lucky she's flexible. It comes in hand with fighting—sometimes."

"You're telling us," Liam snorted, pausing his carving to look at me. "Yesterday you pulled some backbend then backflip shit on Tavis when you two sparred."

"True." I nodded. "But then he slammed me into the mat, and I was winded for what felt like an hour."

Last night, Xaden was supposed to train me, but Garrick offered, considering I had been so busy for the last two weeks that I had only been able to throw a hello over my shoulder to him during breakfast.

"I thought your brother was going to kill him," Ridoc mumbled, struggling to get free from Imogen's hold as she wickedly smirked down at him.

"Xade knows he was just training me." I shrugged my shoulders, looking behind me and Rhiannon to see Sawyer and Quinn circling each other, Emery and Heaton doing their best to coach the other first-years we gained after Threshing while Dain watched.

Our squad leader ordered that Tuesday nights were for squad hand-to-hand practice. A few of the father mats were taken up by other riders with the same idea, and one of those riders was Jack Barlowe.

That was why Liam and I refused to spar anyone who asked—and of course, the only person who wanted to spar us was Ridoc, who I considered had a death wish.

"You've been taking it easy on me," Violet spoke up and I whipped my head back to her.

"Me?" I raised a brow, tilting my head as she nodded. Slowly, a smirk made its way onto my face and Liam swore under his breath. "Wrong thing to say, Sorrengail."

Without having to say a word, Rhiannon passed me her staff and I stepped onto the mat, quickly unsheathing all my daggers that clattered to the ground. Violet straightened, her eyes darting to my hands that tightened around the staff and then I surprised her when I held it out to her.

"Disarm me and I'll do anything you want, Sorenngail," I challenged her, tying my hair into a low bun. "But if I disarm you, then you have to clean Nim's talons."

"I did not agree to this, Vicious Thing," Nim growled into my head.

"Don't worry," I assured her. "I only want to see if she has balls."

"Violet, do not agree to it," Dain warned, only focusing on her. "Nim is a cannibal and unpredictable with no care for dragon law. She'll—"

That thick, rushing power crashed against my body, taking the air away from my lungs as my emotions burned into anger. And then Dain was stumbling back, sucking in sharp breaths of air with his eyes wide on me.