Chapter Text
“Hi! I’m Quinn Hollis. I’ve decided we should be friends,” I said to the pink-haired woman in front of me. We climbed the turret on a sunny mid-July day. I dreamed about becoming a dragon rider since I was a child, dreamed of helping people in need. I was so close to the riders quadrant, I could taste it.
“You do realize we’re about to cross the walkway of death,” the pink-haired woman said back to me, over her shoulder. There was that pesky little problem ahead of us.
“Well, then it might be a short friendship, but we’ll make it a good one.”
The upward trudge stalled and she rested her back on the turret wall. She looked me up and down, then sighed. “Do I get a say in this friendship?”
“Of course. Consent is important in all relationships.” That got a smirk out of her.
“I’m Imogen Cardulo, your newest friend.” She walked up the stairs as the line moved again.
“I’ll be your friend too,” said a voice from behind me. “Maybe more if you’re lucky.” Ew. Who did this creep think he was?
“No thanks. I’m good with what I have.”
Another voice chimed in, female this time. “You don’t want her anyway. She’s got bad judgment. Her new friend is a traitor. Just look at her arm.”
I whirled around, stopping the line. The man bumped into me, and the woman behind him barely caught herself from bumping into him.
“I have fabulous judgment. You are both gross. Go be friends with each other and leave us alone.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing. When you hear the name Ewan Faber announced for wingleader in a few years, you’re going to regret everything about this day.”
“Hi Ewan. We can be wingleaders together. I’m Aura Beinhaven. Nice to meet you.”
I turned around and marched up the stairs to Imogen. From the look in her eyes, she heard everything. “Whatever happened that got you that,” I gestured to her arm, “does not make you a traitor.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Nothing to it. That’s what friends do,” I said with a shrug. She gave me a big smile and the tension melted from her frame.
“You ready for the next one, Panya?” a rider at the top of the turret said. The walk up the stairs went quicker than I thought it would.
“Ready.” He looked at Imogen. “You ready, candidate?”
She nodded, then looked at me. “It’s a good start. Let’s keep it going over there.” She stepped onto the parapet.
“Deal.” And with that she started her walk across.
The pair behind me ignored my existence as I watched my new friend. I followed a minute later. Crossing was easier than I feared. Thank Amari for the calm weather.
I jumped off the end of the parapet to a beaming Imogen. “We did it.”
“We did.” I grinned back.
After checking in at the station, we were free to wander the courtyard. Imogen’s eyes immediately scanned the crowd.
“Looking for someone in particular?” I asked her.
“Two second years and someone our year. They all have relics like me.” She gestured at her arm.
We wandered aimlessly, chatting with cadets and riders, keeping a look out for her friends.
“There,” she said, dragging me by the hand across the courtyard. I was suddenly among giants. Two of the men looked like copies of each other, one harder lined and one softer, with wavy dark hair, bronzed skin, and dark eyes that were almost black. The third man had impossibly broad shoulders, light skin, curly brown hair, and sparkling hazel eyes.
“You’re alive. All of you are.” Imogen interrupted the men’s quiet conversation.
“Imogen! You made it too.” The softer of the identical men said, picking her up into a hug.
“Good to see you, Bodhi,” Imogen said as he placed her back on the ground. “Hi Xaden. Hi Garrick. They haven't killed you yet, I see.”
“Not that they haven’t tried,” the other twin said, with no trace of humor.
“Xaden is always so cynical. A couple attempts on his life per month. He dispatched those quickly. No big deal.” He shoulder bumped the brooding man, who glared at him.
“I see the quadrant hasn’t changed you too much,” Bodhi said.
“Never will. They can’t keep us down,” Garrick flashed a dazzling smile, a dimple popping up.
“Are you in the same squad?” Imogen asked.
“Nah, they try to keep us apart. We did manage to get into Fourth Wing together though. I'm the leader of Second Squad, Flame Section. Xaden here is the leader of Claw Section. Skipped right over squad leader.”
“Tell the roll keeper at the table near parapet to put you in Fourth Wing.” Xaden looked at Bodhi and Imogen both, then looked at me. “Who are you?”
“I’m Quinn. Imogen’s friend.” Xaden raised his scarred eyebrow at me then looked back at Imogen.
“We met on the stairs. You’ll love her.”
Xaden scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. “She can come too if you want.”
“How magnanimous of you.”
“We’re not supposed to be in groups bigger than three and I don’t want them to give you two shit on your first day. Go mingle with the rest of your year. Garrick and I have business to attend to anyway.”
Bodhi, Imogen, and I split off from the second years.
“How have the last four years been, Im?” Bodhi asked.
“I survived. I’m here. You?”
“Same. Let’s catch up when we’re not in the middle of hundreds of other people. Maybe we’ll end up in the same squad.” He gave a sweet smile.
The three of us wandered around the courtyard chatting about nothing in particular. Bodhi split off when he saw someone named Ciaran, who Imogen wrinkled her nose at. He rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like “Still?”
The sun was getting high in the sky and the courtyard crowded, when a rider bumped into me, holding out an arm for balance. I grabbed their elbow to keep them upright when I noticed a hand tattoo.
“Excuse me, are you from Ruel?” I asked.
“You know it? No one ever recognizes it,” she said as she turned, her face lit up with a smile. She was stunning. She had close cropped medium brown hair, skin a touch lighter, and caramel eyes. After a few moments I found my voice again.
“We travel through there a few times a year. My family lives in Deaconshire near the Elsum border, but my grandparents on my mom's side are in Tyrrendor. We usually stay overnight in Ruel each way.”
“My best friend’s family runs an inn. You may have stayed with them.”
“We may have.” I grinned like a fool at her.
“I’m Jax.” She held her hand out for me to shake.
“Quinn.” Her warm hand in mine sent tingles up my arm.
“I’m Imogen.” My new friend’s voice broke my trance and I dropped Jax’s hand. “I’m from Tyrrendor but not near Ruel.”
Jax nodded at her and turned her body to include her. She turned her head to me. “What time of year do you normally come through?”
We talked about the city, favorite foods, and more. Imogen spoke more once we got into more general topics. Her gaze frequently drifted back to Xaden and Garrick, who had taken up a position at the edge of the courtyard where they could see everything.
The clock chimed for noon. “I have to run. You two should be in my squad. I’m the leader for First Squad, Claw Section, Second Wing. You can request it at the table near parapet.”
“Thank you,” I said.
Imogen smirked at me once she left. “It’s not a good idea to sleep with your squad leader.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw the way you looked at her.”
“We’re from the same province and she’s a nice person. That’s all.” Imogen didn’t look convinced by my explanation. “What about those Tyrrish second years you keep looking back at?”
“They’re my friends.”
“Just friends, huh? So you don’t want to jump Mr. Broody’s bones?”
“Xaden? Ew. He’s like a brother and not my type.”
“Garrick then. Is he like a brother to you also? Not your type?”
Imogen’s cheeks turned pink.
“We could request the same wing and section but a different squad. Just in case anything were to develop in those friendships. But, which wing, second or fourth? Or split up?”
Imogen’s gaze returned to Garrick just as a rider stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He put an arm around her and brought her body flush with his.
“Definitely second wing.”