The next few weeks flew by, I convinced Garrick to let Liam fly with him to weapon drops, Ridoc became even more close and comfortable with me (if that's even possible).

Vi keeps winning her challenges (she's poisoning her opponents, honestly its crazy no ones noticed) and Liam looks like he is going to punch Ridoc in the face whenever he sees us together.

Xaden volunteered to spar against Violet and i'm still searching for bleach for my eyes because seeing my brother pinning my best friend down on the mat.

-------------

I look up, and up, and up, fear coiling in my stomach like a snake ready to strike.

"Well, that's..." Rhiannon swallows, her head tilted just as far back as mine as we stare at the menacing obstacle course that's carved into the front of a ridgeline so steep, it might as well be a cliff.

The zigzagging death trap of a trail rises above us, climbing in five distinct switchbacks of 180-degree turns, each increasing in difficulty on the way to the top of the bluff that divides the citadel from the flight field and the Vale.

"Amazing." Aurelie sighs.

Rhiannon, Violet and I turn, all staring at her like she must have hit her head.

"You think that hellscape looks amazing?" Rhiannon asks.

"I've been waiting years for this!" Aurelie grins, her normally serious black eyes dancing in the morning sun as she rubs her hands together, shifting from one toned leg to the other in glee.

"My dad-he was a rider until he retired last year-used to set up obstacle courses like this all the time so we could practice, and Chase, my brother, said it's the best part of being here before Threshing. It's a real adrenaline rush."

I wish that was me.

"He's with the Southern Wing, right?" Vi aska, staring up at the obstacle course.

"Yep. Pretty much desk duty for all the action they see near the Krovlan border." She shrugs and points about two-thirds up the course.

"He said to watch out for those giant posts jutting from the side of the cliff. They spin, and you can get crushed between them if you're not fast enough."

"Oh, good, I was wondering when it might get difficult," Rhiannon mutters.

"Thanks, Aurelie." I locate the series of nearly touching, three-foot-wide logs that jut out from the rocky terrain like a set of round steps rising from the ground to the switchback above it and nod. Go fast. Got it.

"Still not sure why they call it the Gauntlet," Ridoc says from my right, blowing into his cupped hands to ward off the morning chill. The sun hasn't touched this little crevice, but it's shining above the last quarter of the course.

"To ensure dragons keep coming to Threshing by weeding out the weaklings." Tynan sneers from Ridoc's other side, folding his arms over his chest as he casts a pointed look at Violet.

I shoot him a glare and then shake it off. He's been pissy ever since Rhiannon handed his ass to him on the mat at assessment.

"Knock it the fuck off," I snaps, earning the entire squad's attention.

"What's your problem?" Tynan shoves a strand of thick, dark hair from his eyes and pivots like he's going to stare some intimidation into me, but it doesn't really work out, seeing as i'm Anastasia fucking Riorson.

"My problem? You think because you made friends with Barlowe and Siefert that you have the right to be a dick to your own squadmate?" I challenges, giving him a little push.

"Exactly. Squadmate." Tynan gestures toward the obstacle course. "Our times aren't just ranked individually, Riorson." He says my last name like it's the plague.

"We're scored as a squad, too, which is how the order for Presentation is decided. Do you really think any dragon wants to bond a cadet who walks in after every other squad in the processional?"

"They're not timing us for Presentation today, asshole." Ridoc takes a step forward.

"Stop." Sawyer shuffles between the us, shoving Tynan's chest hard enough to make him stagger back into the girl behind him.

"Take it from someone who made it through Presentation last year: your time doesn't mean anything. The last cadet to walk in last year bonded just fine, and some of the cadets in the first squad onto the field were passed over."

"Little bitter about that, aren't you?" Tynan smirks. That's fucking it.

"Shut the fuck up Tynan before I make you." I step forward again, shoving him into the gravel that covers the ground.

Sawyer pulls me back before I can do any real damage. "Besides, it's not called the Gauntlet because it weeds out cadets."

"It's called the Gauntlet because this is the cliff that guards the Vale," Professor Emetterio says, walking up behind our squad, giving me a warning look.

"Plus, actual gauntlets-armored gloves made of metal-are slippery as hell, and the name stuck about twenty years ago."

He cocks a brow at Tynan, Sawyer and me. "Are you done arguing? Because all ten of you have exactly an hour to get to the top before it's another squad's chance to practice, and from what I've seen of your agility on the mat, you're going to need every second."

There's a grumble of assent in our little group.

"As you know, hand-to-hand challenges are on hold for the next two and a half weeks before Presentation so you can focus here." Professor Emetterio flips a page on the little notebook he carries.

"Sawyer, you're going to show them how it's done, since you already have the lay of the land. Then Anastasia, Pryor, Trina, Tynan, Rhiannon, Ridoc, Violet, Aurelie, and Luca." A smile curves the harsh line of his mouth as he finishes calling out every name in our squad, and we file into order.

"You're the only squad to remain intact since Parapet. That's incredible. Your squad leader must be very proud. Wait here for a second." He walks past us, waving at someone high up on the cliff.

"Aetos is especially proud of Sorrengail." Tynan gifts Violet with a mocking sneer once our instructor is out of hearing range.

I see red.

"Look, if you want to talk shit about me, that's one thing, but leave Dain out of it." Violet bites out.

"Tynan," Sawyer warns, shaking his head.

"Like it doesn't bother any of you that our squad leader is fucking one of us?" Tynan throws out his hands.

"I'm not-" Violet start, "Honestly, it's none of your godsdamned business who I'm sleeping with, Tynan."

"It is if it means you get preferential treatment!" Luca adds in.

"For fuck's sake," Rhiannon mumbles, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Luca, Tynan, shut up. They're not sleeping together. They've been friends since they were kids, or do you not know enough about our own leadership to know his dad is her mom's aide?"

Tynan's eyes widen, like he's actually surprised. "Really?" "Really."

I shake my head and study the course.

"Shit. I'm...sorry. Barlowe said-" Fucking Barlowe

"And that's your first mistake," Ridoc interjects. "Listening to that sadistic ass is going to get you killed. And you're lucky Aetos isn't here."

"Here we go!" Professor Emetterio walks to the head of our line. "You'll get your time at the top of the course, if you make it, but remember, you'll still have nine practice sessions before we rank you for Presentation in two and a half weeks, which will determine if the dragons find you worthy at Threshing."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to let first-years start practicing this thing right after Parapet?" Rhiannon asks. "You know, to give us a little more time so we don't die?"

"No," Professor Emetterio replies. "The timing is part of the challenge. Any words of wisdom, Sawyer?"

Sawyer blows out a slow breath, his gaze following the treacherous course. "There are ropes every six feet that run from the top of the sheer cliffside to the bottom," he says. "So if you start to fall, reach out and grab a rope. It'll cost you thirty seconds, but death costs you more."

"I mean, there's a perfectly good set of steps over there." Ridoc points to the steep staircase carved into the cliff beside the wide switchbacks of the Gauntlet.

"Stairs are for reaching the flight field on the top of the ridgeline after Presentation," Professor Emetterio says, then lifts his hands toward the course and flicks his wrist, pointing at various obstacles.

The fifteen-foot log at the start of the uphill climb begins to spin. The pillars on the third ascent shake. The giant wheel at the first switchback starts its counterclockwise rotation, and those little posts Aurelie mentioned? They all twist in opposite directions.

"Every one of the five ascents on this course is designed to mimic the challenges you'll face in battle."

Professor Emetterio turns to look at us, his face just as stern as it is during our usual combat training.

"From the balance you must keep on the back of your dragon, to the strength you'll need to hold your seat during maneuvers, to"-he gestures upward, toward the last obstacle that looks like a ninety-degree ramp from this angle-"the stamina you'll need to fight on the ground, then still be able to mount your dragon at a second's notice."

"Whoa," Trina whispers, her brown eyes wide as she stares at the pulverized rock.

"What if we can't make it up?" Luca asks, securing her long hair in a loose braid, her usual haughtiness not so in-your-face today.

"What's the alternative route?"

"There's no alternative. If you don't make it, you can't get to Presentation, can you? Take your position, Sawyer," Professor Emetterio orders, and Sawyer moves to the beginning of the course.

"After he makes it past the final obstacle, so everyone can learn from this cadet completing the course, the rest of you will start every sixty seconds. And...go!"

Sawyer is off like a shot. He easily runs the fifteen feet across the single log spinning parallel with the cliff face and then the raised pillars, but it takes him three rotations inside the wheel before he jumps through the lone opening, but other than that, I don't see a single misstep in the first ascent. Not. One.

He turns and rushes toward a series of giant hanging balls that makes up the second ascent, jumping and hugging one after another. His feet back on the ground, he turns again and heads up the third ascent, which is divided into two sections.

The first part has giant metal rods hanging parallel to the cliff wall, and he easily swings arm over arm, using his body's weight and momentum to swing the bar forward and reach the next bar hanging half a foot higher than the previous as he climbs the side of the cliff.

From the last bar, he jumps onto a series of shaking pillars that make up the second half of this ascent before finally leaping back onto the gravel path. well shit.

"Anastasia, start!" And i'm off.

I bolt up the first part of the ascent, coming to the spinning log within seconds. My stomach feels like it's being stirred by this balance beam from hell. "It's just balance. You can balance," I mumble and start across. "Quick feet. Quick feet. Quick feet," I repeat all the way across, jumping off the end to land on the first of four granite columns, each one higher than the last.

There are about three feet between them, but I manage to leap from one pillar to the next without skidding off the ends. And this is the easy part. Great.

I jump into the rotating wheel and run, leaping over the only opening as it flies by once, then watching it come around a second time. Timing. This one is all about timing.

The opportunity comes and I seize it, racing through the opening and turning back onto the gravel path of the second ascent. The buoy balls are just ahead.

Xaden, Liam, Dad, Bodhi, Garrick, Imogen, Ridoc. I spring from the edge of the path onto the first ball, grasping it up top like Sawyer did. The immediate strain on my shoulders makes me tense every muscle to keep the joints from dislocating.

I can do this.

Throwing my weight, I force the ball to rotate, swinging me toward the next one. Xaden, Liam, Dad, Bodhi, Garrick, Imogen, Ridoc.

I repeat motions, grasping from one ball to the next, keeping my eyes on the chains and nothing else.

Xaden, Liam, Dad, Bodhi, Garrick, Imogen, Ridoc. I continue reciting as I reach the fifth and final ball. With one last swing, I throw myself sideways, releasing the ball and landing on the shoulder-wide gravel path without rolling an ankle.

It's all momentum for the next ascent.

"Xaden," I mutter under my breath, "Liam, Dad, Bodhi, Garrick, Imogen, Ridoc." I finish as I line my body up with the first metal rod and get ready to sprint forward.

There are three iron rails in front of me, each lined up like a battering ram toward the next. I launch myself toward the first. At least the texture gives me something to keep hold of as I work my way hand over hand. The ache in my shoulders grows into a throbbing pain when I reach the end of the first rail, swinging my feet to work up the momentum for the next.

The first clang of iron as the rails meet makes my fingers slip, and I gasp as terror claws its way out of my stomach. Xaden-I throw myself to the next rail-Liam, Dad. I move across the rail with the same hand-over-hand motion, ignoring the outright protests of my shoulders. Bodhi-

My right hand loses purchase and my weight swings me into the face of the steep mountainside, I shove my legs out, stopping my face from slamming into the rock. Damn you Bodhi.

"Anastasia!" Sawyer shouts from the top.

"Next to you! The rope is next to you!" He calls again.

Iron scrapes my fingertips as my left hand slips, but I spot the rope and take hold, bracing my feet on the knot beneath me and clinging tight until the ringing fades in my head. I have to swing over or climb down.

I've survived seven weeks in this damned quadrant, and this course isn't going to beat me today.

Pushing off the edge, I swing out for the rail and make it, immediately starting the hand over hand to get me to the next one and then the next, until I finally let go, landing on the first shaking iron pillar.

My brain is rattled as the thing shudders violently, and I leap to the next, barely gaining a foothold before jumping to the gravel path at the end of the ascent.

Each three-foot-wide timber rotates from its base in one of the steepest sections of the course.

I run. My feet are quick, making contact with each post only long enough to push off for the next, and within a few heartbeats, I'm on the other side, I stare up at the chimney, preparing myself.

Xaden, Liam, Dad, Bodhi, Garrick, Imogen, Ridoc

Taking a deep breath, I launch myself into a sprint, throwing my body into an X shape in between the walls of the chimney.

Slowly, I inch my arms and legs up until the edge is in view. I take a quick breath in before grasping the top, and pulling myself up.

Fuck me

I stare, wide eyed at the fucking massive ramp looming over me.

"You got this Stas." Sawyer shouts from above.

Panting, I breathe deeply before mustering up all my strength.

Xaden, Liam, Dad, Bodhi, Garrick, Imogen, Ridoc.

I sprint towards up the ramp, waiting until the last possible second before throwing my weight upwards, grabbing the top, and painfully pulling myself over.

Strong arms reach for me, helping me up, Sawyer.

As soon as we make it over to the shaded wall, he allows me to collapse against the wall, handing me a waterskin.

"I was worse after my first time."

Thank the gods, I was getting embarrassed.

After what feels like forever, Ridoc and Rhiannon make it up, just in time to stop me from ripping out Tynan's throat.

Suddenly, a scream sounds from down the Gauntlet, we all turn to look just as Aurelie falls out of view, a wail rips from my throat. I liked her.

-------------

The sun coats my body like a warm blanket as we stand in morning formation.

"Calvin Atwater," Captain Fitzgibbons reads, his voice solemn like always.

There's nothing special about this morning. Our first trial on the Gauntlet has made the roll longer, but it's just another list on just another day... except it's not. The exceptional cruelty of this ritual has never hit me this hard before. It's not like the first day anymore. I know more than half of the names as they're called. My vision blurs. "Newland Jahvon," he continues.

Rhiannon shifts her weight at my side, and she abruptly sniffles, the motion jerking her shoulders once.

"Aurelie Donans."

A single tear escapes and I bat it away, ripping open one of the scabs along my cheek. A trickle of blood follows as the next name is called, but I let that one stain me.

-------------

I slide down Sgaeyl's leg after Xaden, landing ass first on the packed gravel of the flight field. Ouch.

A chuckle escapes Xaden's mouth, Sgaeyl gives him a warning stare, I knew she liked me.

I walk alongside Bodhi, we just got back from a weapon drop.

"There has to be something more we can do," Bodhi argues, looking to Xaden, his voice low, our boots crunching on the gravel.

"We're doing everything we can," Garrick hisses.

Xaden stops mid-step, the set of his shoulders rigid.

Shit.

Someone's here.

"What's wrong?" Garrick asks, immediately looking over his shoulder in the opposite direction, toward the couple who definitely decided making out is more important than getting into the dorms by curfew. Gross

"Go on. I'll meet you inside," Xaden says.

"You sure?" Bodhi's forehead puckers, and his gaze sweeps over the courtyard.

"Go," Xaden orders, standing completely still until we start walking into the barracks.

"Gods what an ass." Bodhi mutters, rolling his shoulders.

"Bye!" I say turning quickly, I can hear them calling out to me but I don't care, I just want Liam.