Page 554 - Fourth Wing

you far and fast. Dragon fire won’t kill them. Only the daggers you’ve been

bringing, and we have those.” She looks at Xaden. “Thank you for
everything you’ve done. You’ve kept us alive these last couple of years and

given us a fighting chance.”

“You’re going down there to die,” Xaden says matter-of-factly.
“Yes.” She nods as another explosion sounds. “Get your riot out of here.

Fast.” Pivoting on her heel, she strides back down the rampart, her head

held high before she disappears into the tower on the opposite end.
Xaden’s jaw clenches, and I can see the battle raging in his eyes.

An unbearable heaviness settles in my stomach.

If we leave, they’ll all die. Every civilian. Every flier. We won’t have
killed them, but we’ll be complicit in their deaths all the same.

If we fight, we’ll likely die with them.
We can live as cowards or die as riders.

Xaden’s shoulders straighten, and the rock in my stomach turns to nausea.

He’s made a decision. I can see it in the lines of his face, the resolve in his
posture. “Sgaeyl says she has never run from a fight, and today will not be

the first. And I’m not going to stand by while innocent people are dying,
either.” He shakes his head. “But I’m not going to order any of you to join

me. I’m responsible for all of you. None of you crossed that parapet

because you wanted to. None of you. You crossed it because I made a deal.
I’m the one who forced you into the quadrant, so I won’t think less of

anyone who wants to fly for Eltuval instead. Make your choice.” He tears

his hand through his hair. “I don’t want you in harm’s way.”
In a perfect world, that would be all I need to hear. “If the others get to

make a choice, then so do I.”

His jaw flexes.
“We’re riders,” Imogen says as another explosion sounds. “We defend the

defenseless. That’s what we do.”
“You saved every single one of us here, cousin,” Bodhi says. “And we’re