Page 208 - Fourth Wing

more than anything, I’m certain he wants me dead. But maybe it’s not my

life he’s protecting but the golden dragon’s.
I chance a quick glance. Yeah, Sgaeyl looks pissed. Her head undulates in

a serpentine motion—a clear sign of agitation—and those narrowed golden

eyes of hers are focused on Tynan, who is now trying to circle me like
we’re on the mat, but I won’t let him get between me and the little golden

dragon.

“Your arm is shot, Sorrengail,” Tynan hisses, his face pale and sweaty.
“I’m used to functioning in pain, asshole. Are you?” I raise the dagger in

my right hand just to prove that I can despite the blood that runs down my

arm and drips from the tip of my blade, saturating the wrap across my palm.
My gaze drops meaningfully to his side. “I know exactly where I sliced into

you. If you don’t get to a healer soon, you’ll bleed out internally.”
Rage contorts his features, and he moves to strike.

I try to flick my knife at him, but it slips from my blood-soaked hand and

lands with a thud in the grass several feet away.
And I know my bravado won’t be enough to save me now.

My arm is shot. My leg is shot. But at least I made Jack Barlowe run
away before I died.

As a last thought, that’s not a bad one.

Just as Tynan reaches up to two-hand his sword, preparing for a killing
blow, I catch a glimpse of movement to my right. It’s Xaden. And rules be

damned, he steps forward as though he intends to stop Tynan from killing

me.
I barely have a moment to register surprise that Xaden would ever save

me, for any reason, when a gust of wind slams into my back, and I stumble

forward onto my destroyed ankle, flinging my arms out to keep my balance
and grimacing at the shooting pain.

Tynan’s mouth hangs open and he staggers backward, his head tilting so
far back it’s nearly perpendicular to his torso. Shade envelops us both as he