Page 174 - Fourth Wing

and convicted of it, though.

“Nervous, Rhi?” I ask, knowing we’re about to be called next.
“For you?” she asks. “Not at all. We’ve got this.”

“Oh, I meant about the history test tomorrow,” I tease. “There’s nothing

going on today to panic about.”
“Now that you mention it, the whole Treaty of Arif might just be the

death of me.” She grins.

“Ahh, the agreement between Navarre and Krovla for mutually shared
airspace for both dragons and gryphons over a narrow strip of the Esben

Mountains, between Sumerton and Draithus,” I recall, nodding.

“Your memory is terrifying.” She shoots me a smile.
But my memory isn’t going to get me up the Gauntlet.

“Fourth Wing!” Xaden calls out from somewhere in the distance. I don’t
even need to see to know that it’s him who gave the order and not his

executive officer. “Move out!”

We file off, Flame Section, then Claw, and finally Tail.
There’s a bit of a bottleneck at the gate, but then we’re through, walking

into the mage-lit dimness of the tunnel that we take every morning to reach
the Gauntlet. Shadows blanket the edges of the rocky floor along our path.

What are the limits of Xaden’s power anyway? Could he use shadows to

choke out every squad in here? Would he need to rest or recharge after?
Does such a vast power come with any sort of checks or balances?

Dain falls back so he walks between Rhiannon and me. “Change your

mind.” It’s barely a whisper.
“No.” I sound way more confident than I feel.

“Change. Your. Mind.” His hand finds mine, concealed by our tight

formation as we descend through the passage. “Please.”
“I can’t.” I shake my head. “Any more than you would leave Cath and

run to the scribes yourself.”
“That’s different.” His hand squeezes mine, and I can feel the tension in