Iron Flame (The Empyrean, #2)

by Rebecca Yarros

“What is he talking about?” my mother asks, looking between Xaden and Aetos. Here we go. “I have no idea,” Aetos grinds out. “I was directed to take a squad beyond the wards to Athebyne and form the headquarters for Fourth Wing’s War Games, and I did so. We stopped to rest our riot at the nearest lake past the wards, and we were attacked by gryphons.” The lie rolls off his tongue as smoothly as the truth, which is both impressive…and infuriating, because he doesn’t have a single fucking tell. My mother blinks, and Aetos’s thick brows furrow. “It was a surprise attack, and they caught Deigh and Fuil unaware.” Xaden pivots slightly, as though he’s telling the wings and not leadership. “They were dead before they ever had a chance.” An ache unfurls in my chest, stealing my breath. The cadets around us murmur, but I stay focused on Xaden. “We lost Liam Mairi and Soleil Telery,” Xaden adds, then looks over his shoulder at me. “And we almost lost Sorrengail.” The general pivots and, for a second, looks down at me like she’s not just my commanding officer, with worry and a touch of horror in her eyes. She looks at me like she’s just…Mom. I nod, the pain in my chest intensifying. “He’s lying,” Colonel Aetos accuses. The certainty in his voice makes my head swim with the possibility that we might not pull this off, that we might be killed where we stand before we have the chance to convince my mother. “I’m only behind the ridgeline,” Tairn tells me. “Breathe,” Garrick whispers. “Or...