And suddenly, Kai understood.
Of course she feared dragons. It was dragons that had razed her kingdom to cinders. That had devoured her people and reduced her land to smoke and ash. Even if she hadn’t yet been born when it happened, she had grown up with their ghosts. In a kingdom where memory lingered like soot on every breath, how could she not be afraid?
‘Do you trust me?’ Kai asked, his hand extended towards her like an anchor in a storm. ‘I won’t let it hurt you. That, I promise.’
Something unspoken shone in her eyes, something bright and tremulous, like the hush before dawn breaks. And in that moment, Kai cursed the glamour that veiled her. It wasn’t her true face he looked upon, not the one he’d grown familiar with. Those sharp, expressive eyes of violet, brimming with spirit and defiance. No mask, no magic, could capture the soul behind them.
Still, she stepped closer. Tentatively. Carefully. Until her fingers slid into his.
‘Yes,’ she murmured, her eyes fixed on their joined hands. ‘I suppose I do.’
He guided her onto the dragon’s back, his grip steady and sure, never letting go. She sat stiffly, every muscle drawn taut.
‘Don’t show fear,’ he warned, voice low against her ear. ‘They can smell it.’
‘Oh, that’s rich coming from you, commander,’ she hissed, glancing over her shoulder with a glare. ‘Dragons didn’t reduce your kingdom to ashes. I’d love to see how bravely you’d fare if I marched you into one of your own nightmares.’
Kai chuckled, a sound that rumbled from deep within. ‘I’m not afraid of anything.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Now that’s the biggest lie I’ve heard allday.’
The dragon rose to its feet, and Dawn let out a startled cry, her entire body jolting with the motion. Without hesitation, Kai wrapped his arms around her, anchoring her against his chest.
‘Close your eyes,’ he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. ‘And breathe.’
‘I can’t,’ she gasped. ‘I can’t do this.’
‘Yes, you can,’ he said firmly. ‘You’ve changed your face with magic and travelled across kingdoms with a flick of your hand. You’ve survived what would have broken others. This is no different.’
‘It is different,’ she muttered, shaking her head. ‘That’s magic.’
He smiled faintly. ‘So is this.’
Before she could protest again, the dragon unfurled its vast wings. Dawn began to tremble violently, and Kai felt her whole body press against his with such force he half-wondered if she might absorb into his skin.
She began to writhe, trying to slip down, but he held her fast. Then, gently, he lifted one hand to cover her eyes, while the other stayed firm around her waist.
‘Don’t let go!’ she cried as the dragon bolted forward and soared into the sky.
She screamed, a sound sharp and raw enough to rattle the clouds, but even as it echoed, Kai felt her begin to soften, to still. Bit by bit, she stopped fighting.
And then, at last, with the wind howling around them and the sun painting the sky in molten gold, he let his hand fall away from her eyes.
He felt it the moment she opened them. Her entire form shifted, subtle yet undeniable, as though the air itself responded to her awakening. Her shoulders remained stiff, tensionhumming through her limbs, but her head began to turn, slowly at first, then with quickening curiosity as she took in the world around her.
‘Oh, Hecate save me,’ she breathed, her voice tremulous with awe and terror. She leaned sharply to one side, caught sight of the world unfurling beneath her and promptly screamed. ‘And this is how I die!’
‘You’re not dying today,’ Kai said, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
‘How do you even control this creature?’ she demanded, gripping the dragon’s ridged spine like a lifeline.
Kai reached for her hands and guided them gently, firmly, to rest upon the dragon’s scaled hide. Both of them leaned forward in tandem, the wind snapping at their hair like impatient wings.
‘Use your right foot,’ he said into her ear, ‘to tap the dragon’s side. That tells it to turn right.’
He nudged her leg, and she mirrored the motion, hesitantly tapping the warm, armoured flank beneath them. Instantly, the dragon responded, veering with fluid grace, and Dawn let out a gasp that turned into a breathless laugh.
‘If you want to ascend or descend,’ he added, his mouth still close to her ear, ‘tap both feet twice.’
