to use as she saw fit. The woman was observant, had a good memory, and was utterly devoid of her own ambitions. As reliable a servant as Avalkyra could hope for even without the bind—and with it, she was virtually infallible.
Sidra joined her inside, though she remained standing at attention.
“War is brewing,” Sidra said, and Avalkyra waved her on.
“Tell me.”
When we faced our first battle during the Stellan Uprising,
I learned that even when we were on the same side, we stood for
opposing ideals. While Avalkyra was skilled at ripping bodies
apart, I was skilled at putting them back together.
- CHAPTER 16 - TRISTAN
THE DAY WAS NOTHING but clear blue skies, warm golden sun, and the crisp, scented breeze swishing through the tall grasses that lined the field outside the village. Tristan couldn’t have asked for better conditions for Veronyka to gain her Master Rider status and for the rest of his patrol to prove they were ready to do something real at last.
When Tristan told his patrol about the soldiers near the border and the commander’s plans to garrison the Prosperity outpost, they’d all jumped at the chance. When he’d explained that they had to audition a sixth member the following morning in order to do it, they were less enthusiastic. He knew they were tired from travel and a bit uncertain that Veronyka could be the sixth member they needed. She was fairly new, after all. But the fact of the matter was, even without Tristan’s belief in her and his desire to have her as part of his patrol, she was their best shot.
He’d been up most of the night, alternating between worrying about the trials and fuming about the argument with his father. He knew Cassian wasn’t telling him the full truth. It was infuriating. And his plans for the Grand Council were downright foolish. How could he think the council would let him fly into the empire, into the capital city, and argue his case? It was surely a trap. Worst of all, Tristan couldn’t shake the feeling that even if they did pass the tests today and become a full patrol, his father would still try to keep them as far away from the action as possible. The commander spoke constantly of Tristan’s patrol’s lack of experience and yet balked at the idea of giving them a chance to gain any. They’d held Azurec’s Eyrie against a surprise attack of hundreds of empire soldiers—surely that counted for something?
Veronyka stood next to Tristan as they waited for the last few stragglers to turn up. He tried to catch her eye, to gauge how she was feeling, but she only gave him a vague nod and looked away. Was she regretting this audition? The pressure was extreme, but he had never known her to back down from a challenge.
Maybe she was just nervous. This meant more to her than it did to any of them; it was a fast track to becoming a Master Rider, and Tristan knew how badly she wanted that. There was external pressure too. Veronyka’s success would allow Tristan’s entire patrol to be more involved, and surely she felt that added weight.
Tristan tried to give her space, turning his attention to the rest of the group. Beryk stood at the front with Elliot beside him. They were shorthanded enough after the attack, so despite Elliot’s betrayal, Beryk used him as an assistant to aid with his steward duties, as well as other odd jobs around the Eyrie and stronghold.
Tristan had no idea how Elliot felt about it all. He usually walked around with his head down and his shoulders slumped, avoiding eye contact and rarely speaking. The other apprentices gave Elliot a wide berth, and Tristan himself had trouble truly forgiving him.
When the commander had first recruited Elliot, he’d intended for him to round out the newest patrol when the time came. Obviously, that plan had not come to fruition. If it had, they wouldn’t be having these trials to begin with.
As they waited for everyone to turn up, some of the other Riders spoke in low whispers about the soldiers and the empire’s next move, their expressions a mix of frowning concern and stiff-jawed focus. Tristan even caught the words “Grand Council,” and while the information about the soldiers was common knowledge—it wasn’t as if they could hide the fact when local travelers were spreading the news and Prosperity was about to be garrisoned—discussion of the Grand Council meeting was more limited. As