Marius’s earlier barb echoed in her head:Those are brave words from the girl whose father is injail.
Elara’s grip tightened on the straps of the saddle as the final island, Avilion, reared up before them. Goldeye was swooping around the tip in a broad circle, wings spread wide and Marius no more than a black spot in a sea of brown between two ivory back spikes. In seconds, they would turn back toward Caledon.
“Now,” said Elara.“Take the northwestern winds first.”
Zephyra shot forward, cresting the island so easily that Elara almost missed the turn. They spun over and over, adding an extra burst of speed to Zephyra’s flight pattern, and flapped their way past the chain of islands between them and Caledon. Wind roared in Elara’s ears, buoying Zephyra’s agile body as her northwestern trajectory carried her along every current that would increase her speed. Elara realized that she was laughing, and then she couldn’t stop. Until now, flying had ranged from a terrifying experience to a reminder of how far she was from the person she had wanted to be.
But now that she was in control, it was actuallyfun.
Goldeye roared behind them, and Elara didn’t need to understand him to know that he was furious. Zephyra released a roar of her own, loud and joyous, and Elara added her laughter to the symphony.
“Want to have a little fun?” Zephyra asked.
“Always,” Elara replied.
She heard a rumble of laughter, and then Zephyra took them up and up and up, through the thin line of clouds that cupped the moon. Elara threw a look behind them, but Goldeye was still near the northern tip of Ealdon. Zephyra hurtled back toward the black water, pulling up just in time to fly parallel to the waves. Her wings dipped beneath the water with every flap, throwing crystal droplets overhead. Elara leaned over just far enough to trail her hands through the frigid bay, giddy with excitement.
“Careful,” Signey sent.
Goldeye had caught up. In fact, he and Marius had flown past them and were closing in on the victory.
“Zephyra!”
“A little trust would be nice, ladies,” said Zephyra, still zigzagging across the surface of the bay.“I know what I’m doing.”
Elara didn’t need to see Signey to know she was rolling her eyes.“Showing off?”
“You did say to have fun.”
“She’s not wrong. You did say that,” Elara pointed out.
Signey sighed across the bond like a mother with a brood of unruly children. Elara grinned and tightened her thighs around Zephyra.“Let’s win this thing.”
“As you wish, little one.”
Zephyra picked up speed again, pulling away from the water and spiraling upward until the clouds covered them. Elara could see Caledon between the gaps in the clouds, could see that Goldeye was only yards away. And yet she wasn’t worried because Zephyra wasn’t worried. She trusted Zephyra just as Zephyra had trusted her. They could win this. And they would win this.
Together.
As if that was all she’d been waiting for, Zephyra zipped in a diagonal arc toward the island. Applause and cheers erupted from Caledon, both dens screaming the names of their preferred Riders. But somewhere in those voices was Signey, silent and observant, confident and proud, and Zephyra’s focus had narrowed to her. Elara allowed her focus to narrow to Signey as well, allowed Signey’s confidence to become her confidence. The ground rushed up to meet them—
And Zephyra landed hard on the beach, scattering sand everywhere, seconds before Goldeye touched down.
Marius’s den abruptly fell silent.
Before Elara had even finished sliding out of the saddle, Jesper and Torrey were surrounding her in a cacophony of cheers and delight.
“You were so good!” Torrey cried, throwing her arms around Elara. “The two of you worked like a perfect team—”
“I thought for sure he had you,” shouted Jesper, thumping her on the back and nearly making her lose her balance. “Zephyra, you had me convinced you’d gotten distracted by the water—”
“Thank you,” Elara said, searching the crowd for one person in particular.
Signey had apparently skirted the den entirely. She was restinga hand on Zephyra’s hide and whispering quietly to her, but she looked up when Elara approached. Then she smiled, wide and genuine. A single dimple appeared in her left cheek, and her eyes caught the light from the moon overhead, sparkling like tiny stars. Her teeth were adorably uneven, her pronounced canines ruining the straight line of her wide smile, but it didn’t make her any less beautiful.
Oh no.
“Hey,” Signey said warmly. “Congratulations.”
