Page 199 - Fourth Wing

falls to the ground with a monstrous crash, and only after the footsteps

recede do I finally raise my head.
I’ve now come across every color of dragon, and none of them has

spoken to me or given me the sense of connection we’re reportedly

supposed to feel.
My stomach sinks. What if I’m one of the cadets who’s destined to never

become a rider? One who’s thrown back time and again to restart first year

until eventually something puts me on the death roll? Has this all been for
nothing?

The thought is too heavy to carry.

Maybe if I could just see the valley, then I’d get a feeling like Professor
Kaori was talking about.

I spot the nearest climbable tree and get to work, scaling branch after
branch. Pain radiates from my hands, but I don’t let it distract me. The bark

catching the wraps that still cover my palms… Now that’s an annoyance

that makes me pause every few feet and pull the cloth free of the bark.
Pretty sure the higher branches aren’t going to support my weight, so I

stop about three-quarters to the top and survey the immediate area.
There are a few greens in plain sight to my left, standing out against the

fall foliage. Oddly enough, this is the one time of year when oranges,

browns, and reds have the highest chance of blending in. I watch the trees
for movement and spot a couple more directly south, but there’s no pull, no

aching need to head in that direction, which probably means those aren’t

mine, either.
Relief hits me embarrassingly hard when I count at least half a dozen

first-years wandering aimlessly. I shouldn’t be so happy that they haven’t

found their dragons, either, but at least I’m not the only one, which gives
me hope.

There’s a clearing to the north, and my eyes narrow as a flash, like a
mirror, catches the sun.