Basgiath's dangers aren't confined to training fields. The doors have ears and the walls have eyesâsleep with a knife close by.
Excerpt of recovered correspondence of Lieutenant Xaden Riorson to Thana Valaren.
~
With so many fallen, the first-years had been moved out of the dormitories and into their own rooms. The solitude was strange, unsettling even, and Thana welcomes the company.
Liam was sprawled across her bed, his legs dangling off the edge as he animatedly recounted his night with his latest fling, describing their encounter in far too much detail. Thana was only half-listening, her focus more on the lines forming under her hand as she drew absentmindedly in her notebook.
"...and then, well, things got fucking good," he was saying with a smug grin, clearly enjoying himself. Thana smirked, pausing her sketch.
"By the way, thank you for the sculpture," she interrupted, her tone soft but genuine. Liam stopped mid-sentence, his smile shifting into something gentler.
"You actually liked it?"
She nodded, her fingers brushing the edge of her notebook. "I loved it."
He relaxed back onto her bed, hands folded behind his head. "Good. I wasn't sure, you know... thought maybe... I don't know what I thought."
She chuckled softly, her mind drifting back to the path and the sight of the Red dragon. "I saw that Red dragon staring you down."
Liam's expression grew thoughtful, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Yeah... me too. I don't know, Thana. Maybe that's my dragon. Or maybe it's just sizing me up as its next meal." He laughed, though a hint of seriousness lingered beneath the joke. His gaze settled on her, and he hesitated before asking, "That blue... it's not the first time it's attention has been solely on you."
Thana's breath hitched as she picked up the dragon Liam sculpted for her, her heart beat a little faster. For the first time, she let her thoughts slip out, her voice barely more than a murmur. "I've been thinking about it a lot. I was kind of hoping, you know, until Professor Kaori mentioned that no Blues are left to bond, so I guess it's just... wishful thinking? I don't know."
Liam shifted, his expression hardening, his gaze dropping to the floor as if choosing his words carefully. "What do you know that I don't?" she asked, sensing he might know more than he was letting on.
He shook his head, hesitating for a long moment before meeting her eyes again. "I worry about you, Thana. More than I can explain."
She swallowed, the words settling heavily between them. Not wanting to linger on the uncertainty, she rose, pulling on her training leathers. "I'll see you later," she said, reaching over to squeeze his hand before leaving the room.
As she headed down the corridor toward the gym, her mind wandered. She passed Violet and her friends on the way, each one clad in pristine uniforms. Thana's fingers itched at the dagger sheathed at her hip, entertaining a dangerous thought. Maybe a dragon will do me the favor of torching her at Threshing. But Xaden's voice echoed in her mind, reminding her of his request to stay away, and she forced herself to let it go.
When she entered the gym, she stopped short. Instead of Garrick, Xaden stood in the middle on a training mat, arms crossed, watching her approach with his same unreadable expression.
"Garrick won't be able to train you today," he said, voice low and clipped. "I'm stepping in."
She swallowed hard, trying not to let her surprise show as she dropped her bag and stepped onto the mat, stretching and preparing herself for whatever he had planned. Xaden's presence was as imposing as ever, and his gaze held a strange mixture of distance and intensity. The usual warmth she felt with Garrick now that the Gauntlet was behind them was absent; instead, the air between them felt charged, taut with a tension she couldn't quite place.
For the next hour, Xaden put her through her paces, his instructions curt, his focus unrelenting. There was no room for mistakes; each misstep was met with a critical eye, and each stumble was corrected with almost mechanical precision.
"Thana."
Xaden's voice broke the silence, softer than usual but carrying the weight of something unspoken. She stilled, expecting reprimandâshe'd been busting her ass for weeks, but it never felt like enough.
Instead, he said, "What do you know about that Blue daggertail from Presentation?"
Thana froze. "Nothing," she admitted, pulse quickening.
Xaden exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. Then carefully he said, "Dragons have laws, governance, even if we don't fully understand them. But, that dragon doesn't answer to anything or anyone."
He let out a slow exhale. "Do you know why Sgaeyl chose me?" he asked. Thana couldn't reply, she only shook her head.
Xaden's gaze didn't waver. "She was bonded to my great-grandfather before me." His voice was steady, but something raw lingered beneath the words. "She could have chosen anyone after that. But she chose me because of my scars. Because they meant something to her."
Thana's brow furrowed. "What does that have to do withâ"
"You need to stay vigilant, Thana." His voice was sharper now, not unkind, but urgent. "Dragons don't make decisions lightly. They don't bond on a whim. They have their reasons."
"You're not supposed to interfere with the lore of the dragons," Thana said. A warning. A quiet acknowledgment of the line he was toeingâand what it would happen if he crossed it.
Xaden held her gaze, and for the first time, she saw itâfear. Not of the dragon.
Of what would happen if it chose her.
~
Later that night, sleep evaded her. Her mind kept drifting to Threshing, the dangers she would face, the dragons that could choose her... or choose to burn her alive. Quietly, she jimmied open her window and climbed out, scaling the wall to the roof, where the view of the grounds stretched out beneath her. The quiet night air settled around her as she stared out, letting her thoughts drift to her father.
"Dad," she murmured, her voice barely audible as a tear slipped down her cheek, "if you're out there... if you can hear me, what do I do? What would you do?" She looked up at the stars, searching for some hint, some answer in the silence.
A faint light flickered below her, drawing her attention back to her room. The window had been left open, and someone was in there, she could see the shadows shifting in the dim light. She held her breath, waiting, until the figure finally left, leaving the room empty once more.
Climbing down, she slipped back through the window, her footsteps soft on the floor. Her eyes fell on her desk, where a note lay, the ink still fresh.
"Stay vigilant. Your father would be proud."