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Unbreakable

Summary:

Bodhi, mistaken for Xaden, is captured by Navarrian leadership and tortured for information.

A story of rescue and recovery, friendship and brotherhood.

Post Iron Flame / alternate ending
POV Bodhi and Xaden

Notes:

Inspired by an idea that I’ve been thinking should happen in a future book, since Xaden and Bodhi look so similar Bodhi could easily be mistaken for Xaden. But I suddenly couldn’t wait around for RY and had to write it myself while all my beloved characters are still alive. For the sake of the plot, this takes place instead of the Battle at Basgiath, so the venin are still a secret and Navarre is still fighting against the rebels. And of course Xaden is human.

Chapter Text


“Not over here!” someone calls. 

 

I’m with a few of my first year cadets, all the first and second years are doing a training exercise. We’re supposed to be searching for a hidden metal box, as a land navigation exercise, without our dragons. The second years are on their own, and the section leaders and wingleaders are supervising the first years. The rest of the third years are out on a flight training mission. 

 

We’re in the forest at the edge of the training field in Aretia. Our dragons are a mile away in the valley, many of them nervous over our “ridiculous” “needless” land exercise. 

 

Suddenly a commotion is happening on the training field, people are yelling and a dragon roar sounds. 

 

I glance at the sky and see a few blurs of color whip by overhead. Dragons. 

 

Cuir?

 

Navarrian riders!

 

Shit, what?!

 

“Is this part of the training?” one of the first years asks nervously.

 

Cath says your first years are to retreat!

 

“No!” I shout. “Back to Riorson house, all of you, stay at the edge of the woods!”

 

Where are you?!” I shout as my firsties take off through the woods. I allow myself one moment to be concerned for their safety. I can hear roars from the field and see flames streaking from the sky.

 

Trying to get to you, the air is chaos.”

 

I move to the edge of the woods but I’m suddenly face to face with three enemy riders. I grab for my sword. 

 

“That’s him!”

 

Wait, me?

 

Get out of there!” Cuir warns.

 

Rocks come flying at me and I counter, sending them falling back to the ground. 

 

“What the fuck?!” somebody yells.

 

I lunge with my sword, catching someone’s arm, then something smacks against the back of my head, pain explodes in my head and bright spots appear in my vision. 

 

Bodhi!” Cuir shrieks in my head, and I hear her screaming roar in my head and also somewhere off in the distance. 

 

I crumple to the ground. 

 

 

————————

 

 

“Fuck! Xaden! Why did they leave?” Garrick yells. 

 

Garrick and I were guarding the sky south of Aretia when we got the alert we were under attack. But as we raced back we met the end of their retreat. The whole thing had to have lasted less than five minutes.

 

“I don’t know, fucking suspicious.” We approach the training field, which is in complete chaos, frightened cadets everywhere. 

 

Your cousin. Do you see him?” Sgaeyl says sharply, urgently.

 

“Where’s Bodhi?” I call out nervously. 

 

“I don’t-”

 

Cuir is panicking. She says she can’t reach him!” Sgaeyl interrupts.

 

“Shit! Garrick! Cuir can’t reach Bodhi. Where the fuck is he?!”

 

I’m running now, my eyes searching frantically for my cousin. There’s so many fucking people. My heart is racing, my vision starts to blur. Oh gods. Where is he? Why is Cuir panicking? Why is Sgaeyl panicking? I try to get my shields up against her but I’m breathing so fast. 

 

Stop!” I gasp at her. “Stop panicking, or shut me out so I can focus!

 

She closes off the bond and my heart rate stabilizes.

 

Are you okay? Have you seen Bodhi?” I ask Violet. 

 

I’m fine. Rhi is injured, I’m taking her to Brennan. I haven’t seen Bodhi since the beginning of the training exercise.”

 

He’s missing and the dragons are freaking the fuck out.” My mental voice shakes. I feel her jolt of sudden concern through our mental bond. 

 

I pause to summon the shadows at the edge of the field and briefly close my eyes, scanning through the shadows for anyone hiding at the edge of the woods. I see the outline of a deer, a rabbit, a few birds, but no people. I take a shaky breath and continue running after Garrick. 

 

“Sorrengail!” Garrick calls out to Mira as we race past her. “Have you seen Bodhi?!” 

 

“No!” she calls back. 

 

“Aetos!” Garrick calls next, asking the same question, with the same reply. 

 

We rush through the throngs of panicked cadets, shouting at everyone we pass, asking if anyone’s seen our brother.

 

No one has.

 

Fear washes over me, my heartbeat racketing up again. Where the fuck is Bodhi. Oh gods, oh gods. Did they take him? I start breathing fast again. I reach for Sgaeyl, but she’s blocking me. This panic is all mine. 

 

“No,” I whisper, dropping to my knees. “No, no, no.” It’s been too long now, there’s no way to catch up. There’s no way to track them. Garrick puts his hands on my shoulders.

 

“Breathe,” he whispers. “We’ll find him.” But his face is pale and he’s so fucking worried. 

 

“Gamlyn, Henrick,” Garrick calls out, a hand still on my shoulder. I hear the sound of their boots thudding nearer to us as I stare at the ground. “Bodhi’s missing, get a search party going.”

 

“It doesn’t fucking matter,” I mumble. “They took him.”

 

Garrick shakes me, crouching next to me. “You know that?” 

 

I know it in the pit of my stomach. But I shake my head.

 

“It does fucking matter, Xaden. Snap the fuck out of it.”

 

Ridoc and Sawyer watch us with wide eyes, quiet. 

 

“Get a fucking search party,” Garrick snaps at the second years, and they hurry off. 

 

“We have to go to the Assembly,” I say, standing. He nods once and we take off. 

 

 

 

The search party continues for hours, but no one has seen Bodhi since the training exercise. The first years he was with for training were separated from him as soon as the first dragon appeared. Everyone else is accounted for. 

 

The Assembly checks and re-checks our inside sources in other cities, waiting for news. 

 

Sgaeyl reaches back out to me. 

 

How is Cuir?” I ask.

 

She is beside herself with worry and rage.”

 

Me too.

 

How could I have let this happen. 

 

This is not your fault.”

 

I keep hearing that. 

 

“It’s not your fault, Xaden,” Violet tells me. 

 

“This is not your fault,” Brennan tells me.

 

“It’s not your fucking fault,” Garrick tells me. 

 

This is my cousin, my one blood relative, my brother. I’ve always protected him. I didn’t protect him today. I can’t protect him now. I feel so fucking helpless.

 

 

 

Three whole fucking days go by while we just fucking sit and wait for information. 

 

I sit with Sgaeyl and Cuir for hours. Cuir is fucking crying for Bodhi. It cracks my heart into pieces and I lean into Sgaeyl and shake with my own frustrated, terrified tears. 

 

I pester the Assembly members to do something. To get more information. They tell me to wait, word will come, it just takes time.

 

We don’t have fucking time.

 

At first I don’t even try to sleep, I just pace the room while Violet sleeps. But then she wakes and pulls me into bed and wraps her arms around me.

 

“You have to sleep, you have to be strong for Bodhi. For the rescue,” she encourages, stroking my hair and kissing my neck.

 

“I’m so fucking scared, Violet,” I whisper into the darkness.

 

“I know, Xaden.”

 

 

 

Finally we’re summoned to the Assembly. Well, I’m summoned. Violet, Garrick, and Imogen come along uninvited. 

 

The faces of the Assembly members are bleak. 

 

“Sit down, Xaden,” Brennan says softly. I don’t move. My heart stutters into a faster pace.

 

“Bodhi Durran has been located, and our source confirmed he is alive, as of yesterday,” Felix says quickly before I can spiral too far. 

 

Garrick breathes a loud sigh of relief next to me. 

 

“Where?” I choke out. 

 

“He is being held in the prison in Calldyr City. Unfortunately, our source has also seen that he has been, and is still being tortured for information.”

 

No.

 

Not my fucking family.

 

My hands start shaking and the shadows from under the table start sneaking up the table legs. 

 

Garrick pushes a hand firmly on my shoulder, forcing me to my seat. 

 

“Riorson,” Ulices says in obvious annoyance. 

 

My shadows retreat, but it’s not my doing. My power disconnects as my whole body revolts against the news. I feel like my heart is going to explode. I’m breathing too quickly, I can’t catch my breath. 

 

Xaden, it’s okay, we’ll-

 

I have to get the fuck out of here. I stand up and head for the door, but bile rises in my throat and I can’t make it, I stumble to the corner and throw up in the wastebasket, shaking uncontrollably. I feel Violet’s gentle embrace as I pant over it and then throw up again. 

 

After a minute to catch my breath, I push myself to stand, wiping my mouth on my sleeve, and I stumble back to the table, glaring around at the people gathered around it. My hands are trembling. Garrick takes a step forward to stand at my side. 

 

The members of the Assembly are watching me with looks of concern, apprehension, judgement… they’re judging my very out-of-control physical reaction to the news. I don’t give a fuck. I feel helpless and out of control and sick and furious. 

 

“We’re going to go get him,” I say, my voice low and gravelly. “Right fucking now.”

 

“You may assemble a rescue party,” Felix agrees, but he doesn’t make any indication of any of them coming. Fine. Don’t fucking help, assholes. 

 

Brennan stands. “I’m going.”

 

“No,” says Kylynn, and the others seem to agree. “What if something happens to you? What if you’re seen?”

 

“I’ll hang back and I won’t be seen. I’m going. Bodhi’s going to need mending.”

 

My heart aches and my anger surges and I spin around and stalk out of the room. Garrick, Violet, and Imogen are right behind me, and Brennan follows too. 

 

“Imogen, prepare your squad, minus the fliers and first years,” I order. “We’re leaving in twenty minutes.” It’ll be a full fucking day of flight to get there. My stomach churns at the thought of Bodhi alone for another night. 

 

“I’ll see if Mira can come,” Violet says, squeezing my hand and then running off. 

 

Oh shit, no, I don’t want Violet to come. I don’t want her anywhere near Calldyr. I just fucking went through this with her and I nearly lost my fucking mind. My heart starts racing again but I have to remind myself that she’s a badass lightning wielder and can defend herself and the rest of us. I can’t stop her if she wants to come. 

 

“I’m going to pack supplies,” Brennan says.

 

Sgaeyl.”

 

Already preparing to fly.”

 

Garrick and I go up to our rooms to gather our things. 

 

“He’s okay. He’s gonna be okay. Bodhi’s so fucking resilient, you know that,” Garrick’s talking hurriedly, and I know he’s reassuring himself as much as me. 

 

Resilient, that’s true. He’s been tortured before, by his foster family. And he’s still fucking thriving. That doesn’t make this any better. 

 

He’s fucking strong, but he’s my family, my brother, and he’s so fucking good he doesn’t deserve this. It should be me.

 

I hurriedly pack my bag, grab my flight jacket, and strap on all my weapons.

 

Garrick’s waiting outside my door, fully dressed in flight leathers and swords strapped to his back. He gives me a serious look and hands me a glass of water. 

 

I’m suddenly so thirsty, I don’t know if I’ve had anything to drink all day. I take the water from him and slowly drink it down. My hand is shaking.

 

“Xaden,” Garrick says seriously, a hand on my shoulder. “Did you eat anything today?” It’s mid-afternoon and I don’t remember eating a single thing. I shake my head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. We’re going to grab some food.” I nod slowly. 

 

After Garrick is satisfied with my caloric intake, we meet the others at the flight field. Violet, Brennan, Mira, Imogen, Quinn, Rhiannon, Sawyer, Ridoc, and - to my displeasure - Aaric. 

 

“No,” I say at him. 

 

“He knows Calldyr,” Imogen insists. “We need him as a guide.”

 

“Violet used to live there too. She can guide us,” I argue. 

 

“Not like he can,” she says softly. 

 

Enough,” Sgaeyl interrupts. She’s standing with Cuir, both of them looking murderous. “Let’s ride.”

 

I squeeze my eyes shut in annoyance, trying to ignore the pulsing headache in my temples. “Fine. Let’s go.”