Fire Breather

63.

VIOLET told them everything while I threw in my own comments here and there, sitting on the windowsill.

She told them about every moment from the minute she made the decision to leave our squad with me and Xade for War Games to the second she fell from Tairn's back after being stabbed. But when it came to revealing how and where she woke up, she said nothing, and I was beyond thankful for that. At least Xade couldn't growl at us about that detail.

After she told them all of that, I told them the truth about a wyvern attacking Nim and throwing me off her back, how my body healed itself from poison, and almost everything that happened after Resson. Andarna, the assassination attempts, the daggers, supplying friendly drifts, Jesinia helping Violet about the wards, even the theory that Navarre knew how to lure the venin.

The three of them just stared at us, their expressions varying from shocked to disbelief—and a fuck ton of dread from Ridoc who hadn't stopped staring at my scars since I told him the truth about how I got them.

"I was right. Deigh wasn't killed by gryphons." Rhia sat on her bed, staring at the wall.

"Deigh wasn't killed by gryphons." Violet shook her head slowly, sitting beside her.

"And you let him—let Riorson—lie for you." Sawyer folded his arms across his chest.

"We had to," I stated, waiting for them to lash out at any moment and end our friendships.

"You're leading the marked ones," Rhiannon said, glancing at me as I nodded. "Is that why you actually gave up your position as executive officer? So you could take care of the marked ones?"

"Partly," I admitted. "But it was mainly because I wasn't lying. I barely sleep and I was away every second weekend anyway."

"And you're sure the dragons know?" Ridoc tilted his head to the side, his eyes growing wide as if he was talking to Aotrom. "The dragons know."

"Feirge does, too." Rhia gripped the edge of her bed. "She's stunned that I do. That you do."

"Tairn says the Empyrean is split. Some of the dragons want to act, and others don't. Without the Empyrean taking an official stance, none of the dragons are willing to put their riders in danger by telling them if they don't already know."

"And people are dying beyond the wards. All that propaganda is real." Ridoc paced between me and the door before halting in front of me. "Shit, that's what you meant when you said you knew it was real, but you couldn't tell us how you knew."

"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to risk your lives," I quietly admitted.

"I understand why." He nodded, starting to pace again. "They can't keep a lie this big. It's impossible."

"It's not." Sawyer leaned against Rhiannon's desk. "Living in Luceras, I promise you the only news we got along the coast came from what the scribes put out as official announcements. It's as easy as Markham choosing which news gets published and which doesn't. We aren't even open to trading vessels from the isle kingdoms."

Ridoc shook his head. "Fine, then what about the wabern, or whatever you called them?"

"Wyvern?" Rhiannon offered.

"Right. If you killed all those dragon-size monsters, then where are the bodies? They can't hide an entire killing field, and Resson is close enough to Athebyne that someone would see. Liam wasn't the only rider with farsight."

"They burned them," Rhiannon quietly said. "The patrol reports from Battle Brief said the trading post was charred for miles and we'd have to find a new location for the quarterly trades."