Chapter 12 begins after every squad has completed the Gauntlet, and are ready to walk through the box canyon for Presentation. There are 169 first years left, and Violet’s squad placed 11th out of 36. The fastest up the Gauntlet was Liam Mairi, earning him a Gauntlet patch. The training field is covered in autumn colors, indicating the time of year. Violet observes the landscape as well as the dragons. There are 101 dragons willing to bond. Garrick orders the cadets into formation, and Luca makes a point to ask Garrick about the alleged feathertail that is attending Presentation. Most of the cadets are annoyed by Luca because she spends most of her time tearing other people down. Garrick doesn’t try hiding his annoyed facial expression as she inconveniences him by inquiring about the feathertail. He makes it clear that the feathertail is there, but feathertails never bond. Feathertails don’t ever leave the Vale either, which makes the presence of this one a unique circumstance.
The senior wingleader, still unnamed, addresses Violet’s squad. She suggests that they talk amongst each other so the dragons can see what kind of person they are, and how they communicate with others. She also suggests they leave a wide space between each other so they don’t get second-hand burns if the dragons decide to incinerate someone in their squad. They’re advised to avoid eye contact at all costs.
They pass a trio of red dragons first, whose talons are half Violet’s size. Tynan shouts, wishing he could see their tails in order to identify their breeds. Violet humbles him by saying that there’s no point in learning about the dragons since they ultimately decide the human they want to bond with. She spends time getting to know Rhiannon, and they have a heart to heart about their families. Rhiannon also tells Violet that she wishes she would have told her about her plan to complete the Gauntlet, to which Violet replies that she doesn’t want to put others at jeopardy with her secrets. They agree to be more open and trusting with each other. Tynan tells Violet that she thinks her sister, Mira, is attractive and speculates that she got all the good genes, leaving none for Violet.
Suddenly, they spot the feathertail, who has gold scales, horns and a feathered tail. Sawyer suggests the feathertail may be a baby orange dragon, but Rhiannon states that no human alive has ever seen a baby dragon so it must be full grown. Tynan scoffs, mentioning that the feathertail should bond with Violet since they are both small and weak. Sawyer comes to her defense, warning Tynan about calling squadmates weak in front of unbonded dragons.
Another conversation sparks about Navarrian folklore. Wyvern and their venin riders are a thing of most children’s nightmares in Navarre. When Rhiannon was a small child, her parents would use the concept of wyvern and venin to scare her into behaving. Violet’s father would read her the bedtime stories when she was young, and they would scare her as well. According to folklore, wyvern are larger than dragons, with two legs and two wings. Venin are humans who have been corrupted by power because they channeled from the source as opposed to channeling through dragons.
They continue walking the path, and one of the squadmates, Pryor, makes a comment that portrays his indecisive nature. Seconds after, he’s incinerated to a pile of ash by a red dragon. They continue walking, and before long Ridoc looks past Violet in shock. She turns around to find two green dragons approaching her. She lowers her eyes in supplication, and tries to remain calm as they get closer and begin sniffing her. She realizes they smell her armored corset made from the scales of Mira’s green dragon, Teine. She asks them if that’s what they smell, and it’s obvious based on their body language that Violet was correct. They leave her alone and Violet is left scared shitless. She takes the opportunity to share the secret of her armored corset with Rhiannon, proving that she’s willing to trust her.
As they continue their trek, Luca mentions that she wouldn’t blame the green dragons for killing Violet since she’s their last weak link after Pryor. Violet feels a blast of heat against her back and looks back, praying that Ridoc hasn’t been scorched by a dragon. Turns out it was Luca. Their squad is now down to six first-years: Violet, Tynan, Rhiannon, Ridoc, Trina and Sawyer.
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