#asher daxton

🔥🔥🔥

“You look like shit.” Brandon did not know what personal space was. Either that, or he knew it and he toed the line on purpose to fuck with people. Each of my squad stood on one side of the sparring mat, watching as Rois engaged a cadet from First Wing. Our squad was split between two mats right now, the one we were at, and the other three mats down.

“Brandon.” Kayleigh scolds softly, standing on the other side of Brandon.

“What happened before lunch?” Brandon pushes for answers, his arms crossing, and forcing me to step to the side or be bumped. “You came in all pale. And with Aiofe at your side, glaring daggers at anyone who stepped even ten feet close to you. Did some asshole try something already?”

“You’re really nosey.” I side eye him, turning back to the mat. Rois and the cadet were evenly matched though, neither could seem to get the upper hand.

“My mothers a scribe. She taught me to ask questions.” Brandon shrugs. He didn’t even look skeptical or anything else suspicious. Just curious. He had an air of Genuity that others didn’t. Dangerous. My father’s voice was critical in my head sometimes. Seems it was scribe vs scribe here.

“And your father?” I deflected. It was a cheap shot, but I didn’t want to talk about the attack. It was such a brief encounter anyways. Nothing truly happened.

“Dead.” Brandon nods, “but infantry before that. Why are you avoiding my questions?”

My eyes roll as annoyance floods my system. “Because you’re aggravating.”

He grins. “I’m just curious –”

“You’re just annoying.” I rebuttal.

“We’re a squad.” Brandon shakes his head, and we both watch as Rois gets knocked on his ass. “If someone is out to get you, we deserve to know.”

“I’m a Sorrengail. Most of this place is out to get me. If you’re worried, don’t stand so close.”

“You’re misunderstanding me.” Brandon looks down at me, ignoring the professor calling his name to the mat. “If someone has it out for you, we need to know so we can help. Squad unity and all that shit.” Brandon gave a charming smile before moving to join his Second Wing opponent.

Other than all the background noise we had a moment of silence.

“He has good intentions.” Kayleigh whispers from beside me. “And he’s trying here. It’s all he knows. His father taught him to be a good man before he taught him how to fight… he died a few years ago. It’s just been him, his mom and his little brother. But he has good intentions.” Her fingers wring together as she speaks.

“You said that already.” A single brow raises and Kayleigh blushes scarlet, nervously pushing her glasses up the bridge of her slender nose. “How long have you two been together?” I ask. If Brandon could, so could I.

“Three years. Our mothers were always close, and we grew up together.”

 I watched her fidgeting again from the corner of my eye for a moment. Half focused on the match and half thinking about her and Brandon and what their lives must’ve been like before this. Friends to lovers at its finest I supposed. Part of me saw my younger sister and her childhood best friend being like this. Though my sister was more outgoing and less ‘blushy over everything and nothing’.

My body locked up as someone enters my peripheral from the right, sandy brown hair, green eyes, cocky smirk that always meant trouble.

“Hey gorgeous.” Alic’s hand found the nape of my neck and tangles in the hair there, gripping it in a way that made my jaw clench.

Kayleigh gasps loudly from beside me.

“Let go Alic.” I seethe, rage and panic burn through me and all the annoyances caused by Brandon were burned away.

Alic chuckles, pulling my back flush to his chest. He leaned down, pressing his face to my hair and inhaling deeply. “You’ve been avoiding me… why?”

Don’t panic. Don’t cry.

Don’t panic. Don’t cry.

Don’t panic. Don’t cry.

Alic’s grip tightens. “Answer me Bria.” He commands me. But to everyone else he was simply embracing an old friend, his diplomatic smile still bright and easy-going. He could fool anyone.

“Get off.” My voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper as my throat threatened to close for the second time in one day as panic over same me. Like a predator getting a whiff of prey, Alic knew he had won.

“Come on,” he laughs, “don’t be like that. Maybe we could sneak out for old times’ sake. Just you and me… I know a few places.”

You would asshole… Shock struck me to my core when he leaned further, I wrenched my head back, as far as the grip he had on my hair would allow. He was really trying to kiss me in the middle of the sparring room. In front of everyone.

“Back the fuck off Tauri!”

Something slammed into us, more so him than me, but I still stumbled until a hand grips my elbow and yanks me up and away. I stumble under the force of the shove. Kayleigh wraps her arm around me, saving me from hitting my knees. I turned to see something I couldn’t believe.

Garrick Tavis stood between us and Alic. We had an audience too. The nearest mats had all come to a halt, the people standing around them craning their necks to see the commotion.

“What the fuck is your problem?!” Alic rears back, standing tall and breathing heavy. Alic’s green eyes assessed the situation.

“Would you boys like to take it to the mat?” Professor Emmeterio drawls, voice languid and vexed at the same time. It was a carefully veiled threat. Professor Emmeterio wasn't one to be played with. He set his clipboard in his lap. He had had a perfect view from across the mat, sitting on a stool with one leg crossed over the other. He gave a solid thirty seconds before nodding. “Well then, Cadet Tauri you may return to your squad.”

Alic gave the professor a professional and courteous nod, and “of course Professor.” Before turning to give Tavis a look filled with loathing and disgust. “Marked bastard.” He shoulder-checks Tavis as he passes him. His eyes narrowed on me, "I'll see you later."

A surge of disgust swirled in me, I was going to throw up... I took slow deep breaths, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone as the room disengaged and resumed their activities. Professor Emmeterio watched me from across the mat, calculating, before calling the match.

Brandon joined us where we stood, it was then that I noticed he had knocked out his opponent and won his match. He gave me a look that I couldn’t decipher. It probably meant ‘see? This is something we should know about.’ But I didn’t say anything to him, or to Kayleigh who still had an arm around me, or to Garrick Tavis who took a stand a few feet from us, feet planted firmly, and arms crossed in a pose that seemed to scream ‘don’t mess with me’. I nudged Kayleigh to let me go, but didn’t move from my spot. I didn't need to draw any more attention to myself today.

The rest of our squad made it through assessments, the only one to go to the infirmary was Rois, his opponent had broken his nose while gaining his victory and Finn had taken him immediately to get it fixed. Professor Emmeterio was wrapping up his notes and gathering his belongings as he spoke with the senior wingleader.

Wait a damn minute. My brows drew in. “Professor?”

Professor Emmeterio pauses as they turn to walk away, “yes Cadet?”

“I never went?” My squad looks between me and our professor, also just realizing that I was never called to a mat.

Professor Emmeterio nods, shuffling his folders around to hold one up. One that distinctly had my name labeled on it. “No need. I have your assessment right here.” He turned and left.

🔥🔥🔥

“That’s such bullshit. Sorrengail is getting special privileges.” Rois hadn’t shut up about it since he had returned from the infirmary and his little buddies filled him in on what happened while he was gone. And that was days ago. He whines about it at dinner. He whined about after dinner before everyone. He whined at breakfast the next morning. And then the first class of the day and all through gym before thankfully in our next class, him and his friends didn’t sit with us. On the downside… he sat further down the row from Alic Tauri. And those were his parting words before he went to sit elsewhere.

“That guy is such a prick.” Brandon blows out a deep breath, letting his head all the way back.

We sat in Battle Brief, near the back, within the last five rows to those standing. I sat on the edge this time, Eithne by me, then Kayleigh, then Brandon, then Tavis. On Tavis’s other side was what I assumed were his personal friends… Including Xaden Riorson. He wasn’t glaring at me today. Hadn’t looked at me as our group had shuffled in and sat down. Just quietly conversed with Tavis. I didn’t know if the others in his row were his squad or friends, but they weren’t marked ones. Class hadn’t started yet; we were waiting for Professor Devera. Professor Markham was at the front, quietly discussing with two scribes. I set out my supplies and lined the top of my paper with what was displayed at the front, but as time went on I began doodling on the paper, filling it with black lines and little figures.

“Which one?” Eithne’s tone was a mix of fear and… disgust maybe? He was referring to Alic and Rois in question.

“Both.” Tavis crosses his arms on the table, smiling wide and proudly displaying a dimple.

“Both.” Brandon nod’s, the grin he returned was all trouble. “I’d kick both their asses, given the chance.”

“What?” Eithne’s neck snaps around, expression all shock as his quill falls from his hands.

“Hell yeah.” Tavis nods, his eyes glazed as if he was imagining it. “Who wouldn’t take that chance?”

“A fool.” Kayleigh mumbles, sighing deep through her nose. “I need to train more in case I’m presented with the opportunity.”

Tavis and Brandon both nod, Eithne looks between them, slinking down in his seat. “Sounds treasonous.” He drags his hands down his face.

“Only if done incorrectly.”

The whole rows head snap to look at me, but I don’t look up. Just continue my doodlings.

“Elaborate Sorrengail.” Brandon all but orders.

I shrug my shoulders in a slow roll, putting my elbow on the desk and cradled my jaw in my palm. “If you killed them when they were in bed. Or just blindly attack while in formation. Or in the presence of a superior officer.” I scribble out a little figure who had just gotten into a fight on my paper. “But in a challenge? Fair game. Threshing? Fair game. Even Presentation, anything could happen. Though we will be going out squad by squad and killing a squad mate is forbidden. So have a really good reason if you throw him to the dragons.”

They all just stared for a moment, leaning back in their seats as Professor Devera finally came in and took to the front. My squad mates were absolutely considering murdering someone on our squad and also the third in line for the throne. Alic wasn't the crown prince, just the spare. But the murder spree his father would go on... wouldn't want my name connected to that.

“Also prepare to be scorched.” I add, pulling out new paper, “the dragons might see that as a threat, or that you have no loyalty. They may not like that.”

Brandon lets a low whistle, finally pulling out his own supplies. “Well damn Sorrengail. You’ve given me plenty of food for thought.” He grins troublesome again, “I may even manage to stay awake in class today.”

“Stop sneaking out every night and maybe get some sleep.” Tavis teases, stretching his arms over his head before locking his fingers together behind his head and tipping his chair backwards. It gave a clear view of Riorson on the other side of him, but I wasn’t about to get caught staring.

Kayleigh blushes tomato red, using her hair as a curtain from the guys on her other side.

I hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t in the bunk. Her bunk was right over mine, so I should’ve. I wasn’t sleeping again. My dreams were haunted by everything I wanted to forget. By the time morning rolled around, I was up and racing to duty. I had never gone and signed up for one, so I was assigned to where they had a need. Which was library duty. I liked it though. The peace and quiet in the mornings. I normally stopped and stole an apple or something on my way to the Scribes Quadrant. So far, I haven’t had to talk to anyone I knew down there. Which was nice. A small quiet part of me had been hoping to run into my father or even younger sister. But I was sure my mother had already accounted for that and made sure our times would never line up together.

I sigh deepily, leaning heavily on my arm still propped on the desk. This earned a look or two, but I didn’t acknowledge them. I just wanted to sink into oblivion.

🔥🔥🔥

Later that night, when the nightmares got too bad, and I was being chased in the dark by a figure with familiar eyes, I got out of bed. I dressed and hauled ass right out of the barracks. I wandered the halls aimlessly. Not really searching for anything. I learned the guard post. Which professor or those in Leadership stayed up late working. I saw a few other cadets, all three years, out and about, slinking through the shadows as they met up with their partners. I ended up in the tunnel leading to parapet. There was no guard posted there. Nobody kept watch there, because no one was dumb enough to cross it twice.