The Lost Child ~ [Xaden Riorson]

Chapter 10

I spend the morning helping Ant hunt down some food for Astra's upcoming nap. I end up spending a lot more time then I thought I would because our lunch time is almost up, leading me to shovel as much food into my mouth as possible. Violet also ends up being late, running in and sitting down next to me as she does the same while the members of our original squad chat around us. The newbies, two first years and two second years we took on when the third squad was dissolved, are a table away. They've refused to sit with anyone with the rebellion relic.

So, fuck them. Some people are on their own during War Games.

"It was the coolest thing ever." Ridiculous continues. "One second he was sparring against that third year with the wicked broadsword skills, and then Sawyer—"

"You could let him tell the story." Rhiannon chides, rolling her eyes.

"No thank you." Sawyer counters, shaking his head, staring at his fork with a hefty dose of fear.

Ridoc grins, in all his glory telling the story. "And then the sword just twists in Sawyer's hand, curving towards the third year even though Sawyer was way off the mark." He grimaces in Sawyer's direction. "Sorry, man, but you were. If your sword hadn't decided to warp and go straight for that guy's arm—"

"You're a metallurgist?" Quinn's eyebrows raise. "Really?"

Cool. I force down a bit more turkey and grin at him. He's the 'first' one of us to display any form of power, or signet.

Sawed nods. "That's what Carr says. Aetos dragged me straight to the professor when he saw it happen."

"I'm so jealous!" Ridoc grabs his chest. "I want my signet to manifest!"

"You wouldn't be so excited if it meant you weren't sure if your fork would stab into the roof of your mouth because you can't control it yet." Sawyer shoves his tray away.

"Good point." Ridoc looks at his own tray.

"I can feed you if you want." I coo.

"Fuck off." Sawyer snaps.

"Oh, talk about being hangry."

"You'll manifest when your dragon is ready to trust you with all that power." Quinn says, then finishes off her water. "Just hope your dragons trust you before about six months and—" She makes a sound like an explosion and mimics it with her hands.

"Stop scaring the children." Imogen says. "That hasn't happened in, like, decades." When we all stare at her, she rolls her eyes. "Look, the relic your dragons transferred onto you at Threshing is the conduit to let all that magic into your body. "If you don't manifest a signet and let it out, then after a bunch of months, bad things will happen."

"The magic consumes you." Quinn adds, making the explosion sound again.

"Relax, it's not like a hard deadline or something. It's just an average." Imogen shrugs.

"Fuck me, it's always something around here." Ridoc mutters.

"Feeling a little luckier now." Sawyer says, staring at his fork.

"We'll get you some wooden utensils." Violet tells Sawyer.

"Or we can feed you." I repeat. "Though, if you want to keep all your body parts, you should probably avoid the armory or sparring with...anything."

Sawyer scoffs. "That's the truth. At least I'll be safe during flight this afternoon."

I feel a tingle in my scalp and know if I turn, I'll find Xaden watching us. Watching me. But I don't give him the satisfaction of looking. He hasn't said so much as a word to me since...Threshing? That doesn't mean I'm alone—oh, I'm never alone. There's always an upperclassman somewhere near when I'm walking the halls or heading to the gym at night.