Page 205 - Fourth Wing

In the six centuries of recorded history of dragon and rider, there

have been hundreds of known cases where a dragon simply cannot
emotionally recover from the loss of their bonded rider. This
happens when the bond is particularly strong and, in three

documented cases, has even caused the untimely death of the
dragon.

—NAVARRE, AN UNEDITED HISTORY BY COLONEL LEWIS MARKHAM

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

Xaden. For the first time, the sight of him fills my chest with hope. He
won’t let this happen. He might hate me, but he’s a wingleader. He can’t

just watch them kill a dragon.
But I know the rules probably better than anyone else in this quadrant.

He has to. Bile rises in my throat, and I tilt my chin to quell the burning.

What Xaden wants, which is always debatable, doesn’t matter here. He can
only observe, not interfere.

I’m going to have an audience for my death. Fantastic.

So much for hope.
“And if we don’t want to rethink our actions?” Jack shouts.

Xaden looks toward me, and I swear I can see his jaw clench, even from

this far away.
Hope is a fickle, dangerous thing. It steals your focus and aims it toward

the possibilities instead of keeping it where it belongs—on the probabilities.
Xaden’s words come back to me with alarming clarity, and I rip my gaze

from his and concentrate on the three probabilities in front of me.

“There’s nothing you can do, right? Wingleader?” Jack bellows.