Page 14 of Feathers of Ash and Hope

Anything to stop me from looking at the man to my left again. Gray Eyes hands me a slip with a number. It will be used to track my results.

My gaze flicks back to his companion like he is a damn magnet that draws me in. Those honey-colored eyes are still trained on me, meeting mine, probing. His eyes remind me of someone... but I can't put my finger on it. My gaze wanders to his mouth.

Gods, I bet his smile is devastating.

I nearly groan.

What is wrong with me?

Chapter

Four

TATE

I standin my room and glare daggers at my best friend. I didn’t sleep well, and my scars sting and itch. We got back late from Nan’s last night, and since we have no duties today, my plan was to get up, help set up the inner courtyard for Assessment, then spend my day in the air. Now, Jared single-handedly let that plan fly out the window.

“Oh, come on, Tate,” my best friend pleads while I get dressed. “It’s not that bad.” I only glare at him.

Assessment is once a year, at the beginning of winter. On that day, all academies open their gates to anyone who wants to try their luck in becoming a skyrider—like we did three years ago.

Belarra’s natural borders are mountainous. Patrolling them on foot would be time-intensive and require a lot of staffing. But it is manageable from up in the air.

So it is our job as skyriders to keep the borders of our kingdom safe. Most of us are stationed in one of the four Aeries, and some are at the bigger outposts scattered along the border.

Becoming a skyrider is hard work, and for a good reason. The downside of getting easily where the infantry can’t follow is that we are often the first and only line of defense against the creatures spilling out of the mist until they get there.

I still scowl at Jared while following him out of my room, closing the door with more force than needed.

We walk down the corridor, our steps on stone echoing off the bare walls.

“Couldn’t you at least ask before signing me up for this?” I huff out a breath.

“Why? You would have said no.” Jared evades the elbow I aim at him and snickers.

“Guard duties instead of a free day,” I grumble. “What a hard choice,” I say sarcastically. “Just for the record, I’m pissed.”

“Aw, no. You love me too much to be pissed at me.” He widens his eyes comically, followed by a goofy grin. He’s right. I do love his crazy ass, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do my best to stay mad a little longer. I send him another glare.

“You may be my brother in everything but blood, but that doesn’t give you free rein over my time.” I’m actually closer to him than my brother and I will ever be, especially since I don’t plan to ever go back home.

“No, free rein is what you handed your brother, and I don’t envy him,” he teases.

“Good one.” I fight a smile. “Now shut up. I’m still mad at you.”

He chuckles while we continue our way down to the main gate.

That Jared became a skyrider is on me. The stubborn bastard is too loyal for his own good and simply refused to let meslide off the deep end after I left my old life behind. Since his stubbornness rivals three Night Ravens, I often give up pushing before he does.

He bumps my shoulder, and I glower at him before I hurry down the last set of steps and push open the small door that leads into the inner courtyard, the atrium.

“Oh, come on, Tate, lighten up already. It will be fun. We get to see all the candidates first and can earmark the ones we would like in our division,” he says as if it is the most obvious thing to do.

“Yeah, right.” I snort, drawing a few gazes from other riders.

“Why not? Not having to put up with the worst of them later is an appropriate compensation for standing at the main gate for hours, don’t you think?” Jared gives me a mischievous grin.

“Like they would let you handpick our runners.” I shake my head at him. Runners—the new recruits who can’t fly yet—will be distributed between the divisions, squadrons, and flights by drawing their numbers, trusting that the fates will have a hand in their selection.

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