Page 371 - Fourth Wing

didn’t know him well, since he was in Second Wing, but the name is still a

shock, considering he was rumored to be one of the best among us.
“You didn’t hear?” She pulls her fur-lined cloak closer around her neck.

“His signet manifested in the middle of Carr’s class yesterday, and he burst

into flames.”
“He…burned himself to death?”

She nods. “Tara said Carr thinks he was supposed to be able to wield fire,

but it just overwhelmed him in that first rush and…”
“He went up like a torch,” Ridoc adds. “Kind of makes you glad your

signet’s still hiding, huh?”

“Hiding is one way to put it.” Other than the ability I’m not supposed to
even whisper about, I’m proving to be the one thing my mother hates—

average. And it’s not as though I can go to Tairn or Andarna for help. The
signet is all about me, and I’m apparently not delivering, as the stinging

relic on my back constantly reminds me. There’s a tiny, secret part of me

that hopes my signet hasn’t manifested yet because it’s different than the
others, not only useful but…meaningful, like Brennan’s was.

“Definitely makes me want to skip class today,” Rhiannon mutters,
blowing on her hands to keep them warm.

“No skipping class,” Dain admonishes, pinning us with a stare. “We’re

weeks away from the Squad Battle and we need every single one of you at
your best to win.”

Imogen snorts. “Come on, Aetos, I think we all know Second Wing has

that squad in Tail Section that’s going to smoke the rest of us. Have you
ever seen them sprint up the Gauntlet? Pretty sure they’ve been out there

even though it’s still covered in ice.”

“We’re going to win,” Cianna, our executive officer, proclaims with a
decisive nod. “Sorrengail here might slow us down on the Gauntlet”—she

wrinkles her hawkish nose—“and probably in the wielding department, too,
at the rate she’s advancing—”