Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)

by Rebecca Yarros

He’s obviously on my side here, which confuses the hell out of me, since more than anything, I’m certain he wants me dead. But maybe it’s not my life he’s protecting but the golden dragon’s. I chance a quick glance. Yeah, Sgaeyl looks pissed. Her head undulates in a serpentine motion—a clear sign of agitation—and

Just as Tynan reaches up to two-hand his sword, preparing for a killing blow, I catch a glimpse of movement to my right. It’s Xaden. And rules be damned, he steps forward as though he intends to stop Tynan from killing me.

“Step aside, Silver One,”

Tynan breaks into a screaming run, fleeing for the trees. The black dragon’s eyes narrow to glare at Tynan and he opens his mouth wide a second before fire shoots across the field, blasting heat against the side of my face and incinerating everything in its path…including Tynan.

“You should end the enemy at your feet.” My eyebrows jerk upward. His mouth didn’t move. He spoke to me, but…his mouth didn’t move. Oh shit. Because he’s in my head. “I can’t kill an unconscious man.” I shake my head, though whether it’s in protest at his suggestion or a result of my confusion is up for debate. “He would kill you if given the same chance.”

well hello foreshadowing

“One does not live a century without being well aware of the space one takes up.

A low, frustrated grumble sounds in his chest, and then he shocks me to the core as he stretches forward, his front leg becoming a ramp. Dragons never supplicate for anyone, and yet here he is, bowing to make it easier for me to climb on.

“My name is Tairneanach, son of Murtcuideam and Fiaclanfuil, descended from the cunning Dubhmadinn line.”

“You’re making us look bad. Stop it.”

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t think I’d make it this far.” A loud sigh resonates through my mind. “I didn’t think I would, either, so we have that in common.”

what did tairn mean by this?

The sun is close to setting behind the peaks, but there’s plenty of light to see the golden dragon up ahead, hovering as though it’s waiting.

“Why did you choose me?” I have to know, because as soon as we land, there are going to be questions. “Because you saved her.”

“You are the smartest of your year. The most cunning.” I gulp at the compliment, brushing it off. I was trained as a scribe, not a rider. “You defended the smallest with ferocity. And strength of courage is more important than physical strength. Since you apparently need to know before we land.”

pivot toward the golden one, who is tucked in tight next to Tairn, surveying me with bright eyes as she flicks her feathertail. “I’m glad you made it.” “Glad” isn’t even the right word. Thrilled, relieved, grateful. “But maybe you should fly off the next time someone suggests you save yourself, eh?” She blinks. “Maybe I was saving you.”

andarna saving violet??

Melgren, the commanding general of all Navarrian forces, has his beady eyes on Tairn in open assessment. His focus flicks toward me, and I suppress a shudder. There’s nothing but cold calculation in those eyes.

The only thing she cares about now is how my flaws might mar her sterling reputation or how my bonding might further her own agenda.

there is a great deal we don’t know about the way dragons govern themselves. There is a clear hierarchy among the most powerful, and deference is paid to elders, but I have not been able to discern how it is they make laws for themselves or at what point a dragon decided to bond only one rider, rather than go for better odds with two.

“Nothing about who dragons choose is up to humans,” Kaori assures me. “We only like to maintain the illusion that we’re in control.

“It’s up to the Empyrean to decide,”

General Melgren’s dragon. I make out the patchy holes in his battle-scarred wings as he comes closer, his golden gaze focused on Tairn in a way that makes me nauseous. He growls, low in his throat, turning those sinister eyes on me. Tairn rumbles his own growl, stepping forward so I’m between his massive claws.

i wonder what this "conversation betwrrn codagh and tairn was about

“Stay close to the wingleader until we return,” Tairn orders. Surely he meant to say squad leader. “You heard what I said.”

I’m spun around by the shoulders and yanked against a chest. Dain.

touch

His fingers lace with mine,

touch

“You are.” He rips his hand over his hair, and his composure slips. “You have to trust me. You do trust me, right?” “Of course I do—” “Then you have to choose Andarna.”

“They’re a mated pair, Tairn and Sgaeyl. The strongest bonded pair in centuries.”

Heat rushes through every vein, wakes every nerve ending. I hate the reaction of my body to the sight of him, but I can’t deny it.

Dain’s hands drop from my shoulders,

touch

Xaden’s not going to kill me. The realization makes my chest tighten, makes me reexamine everything that happened in that field, makes my sense of gravity shift beneath my feet.

“Well-the-fuck-aware,” Xaden roars, losing his temper for the first time since I met him on Parapet. I pull in a quick breath, and Xaden does the same, as if he’s just as shocked by his outburst as I am.

“She’s never been a fan of bullies,” Xaden says to me. “But don’t mistake it as an act of kindness toward you. She’s fond of the little dragon. Unfortunately, Tairn chose you all on his own.”

i wonder what he means by shes never been a fan of bullies. whats the history there

He’s the son of the Great Betrayer. His father was directly responsible for Brennan’s death.

hmmm

“Because you put too much faith in him,” Xaden answers anyway, catching up to me without even lengthening his stride. “And knowing who to trust is the only thing that will keep you alive—keep us alive—not only in the quadrant but after graduation.”

“It is how it should be,”

He’s never had an issue using infantry for fodder, and his cruelty when it comes to overseeing the interrogation—and execution—of prisoners is well-known, at least at my family’s dining room table.

I belong to Tairn and Andarna…and, in some really fucked-up way…Xaden. My scalp prickles, and I glance across the field at him. As if sensing my gaze, he looks over

Suddenly, my vision isn’t mine. I’m looking at my own back through…Andarna’s eyes.

wait how is she doing that??

Dain’s hands lace up my corset quickly, then are on my face, tipping it up toward his.

face touch

the more powerful the dragon, the more powerful the signet its rider manifests.