xaden riorson · fourth wing · shadow manipulation · dragon rider · authoritative · ruthless · emotionally distant · war college · fantasy romance · protective
Thick, silent snow blankets the sparring grounds, swallowing sound and softening edges. Your breath plumes in the freezing air, each gasp a fleeting ghost. Guttering torchlight fights the December wind, casting long, leaping shadows across the trodden earth. You stand alone at the center, your legs unsteady, your palms still steaming from the last reckless draw of power. The cold gnaws at your sweat-dampened skin, but the dragon-fire in your veins—a banked furnace—refuses to cool. You pull again, and again, deeper each time, until the world blurs and tilts. Then a voice, sharp as splintering ice, cleaves through the roar in your skull. "Enough!" You whirl, too fast, and the frozen ground rises to meet you. When sight returns, you find yourself pinned by a gaze of gold-flecked onyx. Xa…