Fire Breather

90.

   THE stars still winked in the night sky as I finished my third braid, sitting on the edge of my bed, considering Garrick realized he didn't have a room here after we entered his old room and scared the shit out of a third-year.

But what few hours of sleep we'd gotten had been restless, the two of us either cuddling or kissing each other until we were sweaty and tired again. But even as I stood up, tired as hell, I had no regrets about how I spent the night with the man I loved.

More than a dozen lures hadn't been destroyed—or even found—only adding more weight to my shoulders. We also had reports from the few riders brave enough to stay at the midland forts along the route from Samara relay that attack was imminent in the next couple of hours.

"You ready for this?" Garrick asked me, starting to sheath my daggers to my body while I traced his relic, soaking in all his features. Gods, I could not lose him today. I simply refused it. "Blaine?"

I blinked hard, brushing my thumb along his jaw as he sheathed my last dagger, looking down at me. "Are you?"

With a sigh, he placed his hand over mine against his jaw. "Truthfully? No."

"Glad to see we're on the same page," I mumbled, resting my head against his chest. "You know, we could always fly away?"

He wrapped his arm around my lower back, pulling me closer to him. "And leave your brother behind? You would never forgive yourself."

"He's got the same idea," I admitted with a faint smile. "Actually, he suggested it to me last night after the snowball fight."

"Of course he did." He chuckled, kissing the top of my head. "I would love to run away with you sweetheart, to wherever you wish, but we both know you'd never leave your squad behind. Your heart is too big and you're loyal to the bone."

"True." I tiredly sighed, closing my eyes. "Maybe they would come with—"

Someone knocked and we groaned at the same time.

"Not yet," I almost begged, wrapping my arms around him. "Just a few more minutes."

"Blaine!" Ridoc yelled through the door, then pounded against my door. "It's your little sister. Sloane is—"

I was already throwing open my door in a fit of panic before he could finish, his closed fist raised and ready to pound against my face. "What happened to my sister?" I demanded, catching his fist before he could hit me.

His eyes widened, looking at our hands, then me, then our hands again. "Girl, I nearly hit you!"

"My. Sister?" I gritted out, my worrying starting to snap as I released his hand.

"Is alive," that voice answered, and I whipped my head to see Sloane nervously laughing, standing with—

"What the fuck are you two doing here?" I shot Aaric a questionable as he stood beside her, then I quickly noticed the other first-years, Cat, Maren, the fliers, and fucking Brennan. "What happened to Aretia?"

"Nothing," Brennan answered, taking a step toward me. "It took my two sisters and adopted sister leaving to realize I fucked up by not coming," he admitted, offering me a small apologetic smile that had me gaping.

Did he just count me as a sister?

The world was ending.

"Great," Cat muttered, grabbing my wrist and starting to pull me away. "Now you've broken our best weapon. Rhiannon, where's Sorrengail's room?"

"Violet or Mira?" Rhia asked, catching up to her side and earning a sharp look. "Don't think I won't slap that glare off your face," she warned, returning the glare. "Follow me."

My whole squad followed us up the next flight of stairs and at one point, Garrick swapped places with Cat, taking my hand in his larger one while brushing his thumb over my knuckles.

The whole squad was here, including fucking Brennan. Could that make a difference in this war?

Once we stopped out the front of Violet's door, Rhia knocked on it.

No one answered but we all knew they were both inside.

"I know you're in there!" Rhia barked, pounding on the door. "Stop ignoring me before this becomes the most awkward situation known to Navarre."

Once again, no one answered and Brennan rolled his eyes, stepping up to her side. "Now," he demanded. "Disengage your body parts or whatever you're doing—"

The door yanked open, and Violet widened her eyes at the sight of her brother before flinging herself into his arms, and he caught her, pulling her tight against his chest. "You came."

"I left you and Mira here to fight this on your own once before, and I'll never do it again. I knew I'd fucked up as soon as you left, but gryphons don't fly as quickly as dragons." He let her down. "Tell me where I can be of use."

"Are those fliers?" Every head turned down the hall as General Sorrengail approached with two of her aides, but her steps slowed when her gaze shifted toward her son. "Brennan?"

"I'm not here for you." He dismissed her without another word in her direction. "Matthias is going to send the fliers to hunt the lures. They're faster on the ground and better with runes, anyway."

"We are," Cat agreed with a shrug, assessing the hallway. "And we don't abandon our drifts. We'll fight."

"There she is," I quietly said with a small smile when she looked over at me. "There's the girl I grew up with."

Happiness filled her eyes for half of a heartbeat before she looked away while Maren broke out with a wide smile, darting her eyes between the two of us.

Violet grabbed onto Brennan's arm, gaining my attention. "Have you ever encountered something you can't mend?"

"Magic," he answered. "I can't mend a relic or anything. Probably not a rune, either."

"What about a wardstone?" She asked and Brennan's eyebrows shot up. Looking past him to Rhia, she said, "We have to guard the chamber, at least let him try."

Rhia nodded, then turned to the general who was still staring at her son. "General Sorrengail, Second Squad, Flame Section, Fourth Wing officially requests permission to guard the airspace above the wardstone chamber."

The general didn't take her eyes off Brennan. "Granted."

-Author Note-

ik this chapter is shorter than any other one i have posted but the battle starts in the next one which is around 5k words...so brace yourself