23- The Attempt

After that day I felt just... void.

I didn't need Xaden's petty jokes or proving to know Dain always will put rules, power, rider loyalty, and admiration to our parents over me. I already knew that, I always did, I just thought maybe..just maybe..one day he wouldn't.

That he'd choose to comfort me and take my side instead of my mothers, that he would've saw me as I saw him all these years, that he'd openly show me infront of everyone how much he cared.

That he'd just choose me.

Because no one had ever chose me.

And the one person I thought would choose me didn't. And he openly said it to me, and he was to quick to take a paper from someone he knows hates his guts..possibly Xaden hates Dain more then he hates me.

Dain's better judgement should've told him it was a sham..but he's so eager for the power and rank it was like he was blind.

I've heard people say this place will strip you of who you are, down to your core. And I think I finally see Dain's core.

He wants power. And that's all he'll ever want no matter what or who he might need to hurt to get it, and I hate that thought because it hits all to close to another person I've been trying to porve myself to my whole life.

He reminds me so much of my mother.

And there's still that part of me that wants to prove myself to her..Now to Dain..That I can be worthy of caring for.

But I can't. Rhys told me about a hundred times to knock it off before he takes me and dumps me down a mountain for beinf sad over a boy while Andarna tried soothing me, only getting scolded by Rhys for coddling me.

But I took his advice wanting to cut anything out. And Dain will be getting cut.

Today, I braid my hair into two tight buns as I put on my flight leathers and walk to the courtyard. Wanting just to enjoy the day I have off... I as no matter as walked through the door to see a group of people making somewhat of a semi circle around another first year I have dragon classes with crawling on the ground screaming.

" Make it stop... It hurts!" He screams as he falls on the concrete before trying to get up once more, reapeating it..

Firm hands grab me, I see his shadow before I could fully turn around. He presses me against the cold stone wall looking back at the first year. " Think of some babble nonsense.." He says quickly.

" What?"

Xaden looks almost nervous, " Cloud your mind with some damn babble shit before we all get in trouble!"

" What is he-?

" He's a Intinsict fury.. now think before he finds out about the woods.." He whispers.

I see Hetta on the other side futher away, " Micah-"

He reaches her, " You think I'm crazy! You think there's something wrong.. Your thinking about your friends on the coast of.."

I see Xaden propel himself through the crowd his shadows at his feet as people make a path for him, the shadows cover the first year's face as he seems to be thrashing some more... his voices are muffled but I could hear him babbling about gryffons..

" Hetta..move!" Xaden yells. " Everyone who doesn't want their minds read outloud..cover them with nonsense!" He calls out, I see people making an effort as they try to redirect their thoughts. I see I think another third year from another Wing bring an older man with them.

They move quickly through the crowd, He reaches Micah " Undo your shadows Riorson!" Xaden seems hesitant, " I'll save you the trouble.." With barely a motion, Micah's head falls right off, rolling on the ground.

Everyone gasps as the shadows disappear leaving his body. I look at the head..then Xaden.. He literally just cut it head off..clean off.. with..shadows.

" What was that Professor Carr?!" One of the first years ask panicked.

" Intinsict power, the power to read minds.." He answers.

Carr.

The channeling and Signet teacher, once I manifest I'll be in his class. He looks..scary. But not as terrifying as what just happened infront of all of us with Riorson.

Carr sighs, " Everyone get to where they need to be.. NOW. I'll get this cleaned up..

He eyes Xaden but doesn't say a word as Xaden walks off glancing over at Garrick, Bohdi, Imogen and I.

" Why did he kill him?" I whisper.

" An intinsict is a death sentence. It can read anyone's mind, you can't stop it. they can read you like a preschool book.. No one wants to be exposed to that kind of power... or reading. We sure as hell don't want to." Imogen say lowly pushing herself off the wall, going to wherever.

And slowly everyone leaves.. Including myself. I decide to take a long..long.. walk.

Lately I've been around people to much, I can only take so much of everyone, or the fake smiles or glances, seems like with every minuscule interaction my body drains more and more. Without my best friend I feel even worse. Realizing how.. worthless I am to other people makes it empty.

So, like I did back home, when I was younger I'd leave for the day. Non one asked me where I was then, and no one will ask me now.

So I walk..and walk.. and walk..

I go past the burning turret, just straight out so I at least know how to get back and keep walking..and walking.. and walking. As I walk further I arrive at a small canyon that's maybe only 30 feet long before I get to a small beach like area. I reconize this place.. We've flown over here quite a few times.

Now with my feet feeling like mush I sit on a dead log looking out to the water. Watching it crash on the shore, smelling the saltinest, it made me calm, I slowly feel my body relax as my mind and body seemingly drift off...

" Freya... Come in and eat!"

I heard my mother yell..for once her tone wasn't..mad..she seemed happy. My father was right beside her smiling brightly, " Sweetie I have our favorite book!"

I look over to him, " Our BEWENS book?!"

He nods, " Yes, our fable of the Barrens book!"

I stood from the small sandy beach I was playing in looking out at the Arctile Ocean when we were stationed in the Krovla Province.. We ate the most hearty sheep's stew and fresh bread. Dain was right next to me as he kept nudging my feet as he went back and fourth..

" Get up!"

I remember after that my mother went and gave me a bath, after me and Dain shared a cot since we were to big now to sleep my our parents so they stuck us together..

" Freya! WAKE UP!" I women's voice rings out.

My father comes in the room with my favorite book we'd read I think millions of times, about monsters and venin. I always wandered what a wyvern looked like.. " Who's ready to read about the history of a Wyvern?" he asked ecstatically.

Both our small little hands shot up.

My dad laughs as he begins, this was always one of my favorite stories..

Then I hear screaming.. my dad simply looks up..at me.. with his eyes sunken in. " Wake up."

There was more screaming as a robed figure walks in he had the..his eyes.... I look over to..see Dain dead.. I look back and my father wasn't there.

" FREYA!"

The robed man was just about to slit my throat...

My eyes shoot open as I see a girl with gray eyes and curly brown hair look down on me, startling, pausing just as she was about to slit my throat, I quickly punched her.. rolling away so I could stand seeing..

A whole group of unbonded first years..

" You woke her up!" One screams though I'm not exactly focused who it was at the moment.... But I know that voice. Because she's a Wing Leader.

Amber Mavis.

She yelled. Our eyes locked for just a second before she takes off leaving her first year companions.

" Go for her throat of head! She always had armor on!" Orren Siefert yells at his little group.

I glare at him for just a second, " We should've killed you!"

He smiles, " But I'm here.. You'll be the one dead Sorrengail."

" RHYS! ANDARNA!" I shout in my mind.

" Where are you?!" I hear Andarna yell back, panic coursing through her.. it's like I can feel it.

" Straight from the burning turret, there's a small beach! There's a shit ton!"

" Hold on!" I hear Rhys. " Just hold out!" I can even hear panic lacing his voice, and that terrified me even more then the group standing before me.

The same girl who was supposed to kill me comes at me again, luckily I had all my weapons on me, so I take a knife hurling it in her direction. Hit her chest making her heave and fall..she will die.

I grab another as a boy now comes at me with a battle cry slashing his dagger anywhere on my face. I jumped over the log as he falls I stick a knife in his head as well.

I grab another knife.

One by oen they come at me I kick, claw, stab slash, I do anything just to hold out..

" They're almost there! Hold on Freya!" Andarna yells.

Now the remainders all get on me, but they don't attack...They hold me.. some are on the ground wrapped around my legs so I can't kick. Others on my arms, another holding my waist so I can't pivot or even move an inch. Orren now walks up to me with an evil smile.. " Oh Sorrengail...don't you know to never go alone to a meeting spot.."

" Seems like I have a niche for finding them.."

He looks confused but chuckles all the same, " To bad.. Also it's a shame you won't be having that fast little dragon anymore.. don't worry.. I'll take care of him.." His smile only grows.

I laugh, " News flash Siefert.. you'll never EVER get a dragon.. Wanna know why?"

" HE'S CLOSE!" I hear Rhys yell, " Hold out!"

" I'm trying!" I yell in my head.

Orren tilts his head to the side tauntingly, " Why's that?"

" Because you tried killing her. YOU along with Tynan and Jack."

His face falls, seeing that's still not public knowledge. His smirk twists and he send one directly in my face with a crack. " Shut your damn mouth!"

I feel the warm liquid now run down my face, I spit the blood out with a laugh. " I was talking to some of the second and third years.. Someone's dragon said they talked about your sorry as.. No dragon will ever..EVER bond you, each year you'll try and thy won't kill you either.."

He punches me again but I continue.

" Because the shame will eat you alive and you'll be reminded how much of a damn fool you were for following your little friend Jack..and he left you.. He has a dragon and your here.."

Another punch..in the face and two in the chest making me gape for air.

" And eve-ev-everyone else here.. Rhys killed t-t-t-Tynan because he was about to harm a baby, he knows your here, he knows and he's going to kill you if you don't leave." I still manage to laugh. " Imagine what he's going to do...to you..for killing..me-"

A knife dives in my shoulder right by my neck making me scream in agony.. Orren was shaking horribly, I think he meant to get neck.. I saw black rimming my eyes when I see his face looking down at me.

" I will have your dragon Halfblood!" Orren screams as his blade begins slitting my throat.

" FREYA!" ANdarna's voice rings in my head as he cuts..all of the sudden it stops..he stops.. and I stare. He wasn't moving.. it seemed like everything was..frozen.

I was able to wiggle free.. Am I dead? I died and I didn't even know I died? In that case death is so overrated...

" I can't hold it for much longer! RUN FREYA!" Andarna's voice screeches in my mind. I'm not dead..she..

She froze time?!

I quickly move Orren's knife from my neck, feeling the trickle of blood, I feel light headed but I run, I run as fast as my feet could carry me. it was 20 seconds before I could feel like a break, I turn for just a second seeing Orren making the slicing motion but nothing was there, I see the people holding me funble a step.

" There!" One yells pointing at me.

Can't I catch a break!

I turn back around as I run, fumbling, but still running.

They were all fast to get on my tail, my vision was darkening, I was bleeding out, or maybe it was from the screaming pain.. I don't think I'm going to make it this time.. I'm not going to graduate, I'm going to die in a damn woods by a bunch of unbonded riders.

I'm going to die.

All of the sudden there was just a blackness I seemed to fall into. I fall but getting caught. Did one of them get around me and just tackle me? I look up just to see an opaque blackness.. I see Xaden quickly coming over to the side of it. " Freya?!" He questions.

I see the anger boiling, no..exploding. " Keep her.." He growls to his shadow and I feel almost an embrace. I turn my head to see all those first year skeeter to a stop about 15 feet away now, all of them bascially shitting bricks as they look at Xaden freaking Riorson.

" Damn.. You must really think she's a force if you brought this many Siefert." Xaden laughs as if they're just having a normal conversation. He looks over their shoulders seeing the other dead bodies, " With all of you she still managed to kill some..impressive on her part.. pitiful on yours.."

He takes a couple more calm..slow..calculated steps. And the others take steps backwards.

" We didn't mean any harm!" One girl says, and just like that a shadow was gripping her throat taking her up in the air hanging her like a noose. She swings violently before her body stills and it drops right next to the group.

Xaden still carries the conversation, " So..who was planning to get the dragon.. or all of you were going to split it?"

I hear more foot steps, I see Bohdi and Imogen. Imogen looks at the group then kneels down by me and the shadow examining me.

Bohdi had his swords raised walking closely by his cousin.

"We were just correcting a wrong man...." Orren shakes.

" A wrong?" Xaden asks.

He nods, " She shouldn't have bonded.."

" Why not? She's strong, she's perfectly able, she's a damn good fighter.. obviously holding off all you dumbasses!"

HE propels another first year slamming them against the tree, pulverizing them to death. At this point some decide to run, never making it far, having shadows kill them.

Now leaving Orren alone with Xaden, until he decides to run, Xaden only watches " You running back to the college to get killed?" he comes closer glancing at me, " Not a chance."

A shadow grabs him, pulling him close to us again, Orren is blubbering like an idiot at this point. " Please let me go! Let me go! I'll leave her alone!"

He brings him closer holding him in place like everyone else did just minutes before. " You should've known to leave her the hell alone in the first place."

" Please Riorson! I'll do anything please!" Orren screams.

" Anything!" Xaden asks.

He nods, " Yes! Anything!"

Xaden nods. " Ok."

Orren sniffles looking at him, Xaden looks over at Imogen and I. " Imogen.. knife."

She looks down at me then Xaden. " She's bleeding heavily Riorson.." She warns.

" Orren said he'll do anything.. All he needs to do is one thing then we can go. Knife." He says calmly but... I know he's not letting this go.

Imogen grabs a knife from my sheathe throwing to to him. He grabs it with his one hand, " Siefert, take this and I want you to slash your eyes.. yea eyes like Barlowe.."

He tosses the knife to Orren but he lets it drop. " Xaden-"

" You said you'd do anything." Xaden counters. " OR did you lie?"

He walks up taking the knife in his hand again, " I'm going to count to 2.."

" Riorson-"

" 1."

" Please!"

Xaden slashed his leg, making him cry out. Then behind both his knees, he grabs his chin making Orren look at him. " This will be the last thing you see Sirefert.. Tell Malek hello."

THen he slashes both his eyes as he shrivels, " Your cry like a girl Siefert!" He sighs shoving my knife down his throat.

I needed to look away at the mess looking back at Imogen who looked terrified herself. Bohdi was also looking at the ground as Orren gurgles. before he stops..dead.

Xaden walks quickly back over, " You didn't like the knife did ya?"

I barely shake my head.

" Good. No way I'm reaching to get that one back." He seems to examine me. " Shit you are bleeding bad."

" Yea, maybe less show next time cousin." Bohdi says hurriedly.

" Shit.." Xaden mutters, " We need to try to stop it." In that moment he takes off his shirt ripping it apart with ease.

if I wasn't half dead I'd think that was really hot..

" Help me tie it off." He says quickly to Imogen.

That's the last thing I heard before I go out.