CHAPTER TWELVE

Summary

• The chapter opens with 169 cadet squads having completed their pre-Presentation challenge, of which the protagonist's team placed eleventh. They are anxiously waiting to parade before dragons deciding which cadet to bond with.
• The protagonist's friend Liam Mairi excels in the physical challenge, whereas the protagonist is just relieved to have completed it.
• As their squad waits for their presentation, the protagonist observes the beauty of the setting and the dragons poised to judge them.
• Field Leader Garrick gives them last-minute tips and warnings. He explains that the cadets must walk past the dragons and they should not approach them. The protagonist is reminded that bonding with a dragon is fatal if not fully consensual.
• While waiting, the protagonist has a discussion with her friend Rhiannon about familial matters to bring levity to the tense situation.
• One of the dragons torches a member of their squad named Pryor. The protagonist manages to handle a face-to-face encounter with two dragons, thanks to her sister's protective dragon-scale armor. The dragons are intrigued but do not threaten her.
• The scorned and judgmental attitude of squadmate Luca angers the protagonist, and appears to have drawn the lethal attention of a dragon, costing Luca her life.
• By the end of the Presentation, the protagonist's squad is reduced to six members.