"Go ahead," I encouraged. "Dylon won't let anything happen to you. He'll come back for me."
I watched him and Shovia walk over to Jagura, my heart full. Having him here made everything seem more real somehow, but also easier. I was really going to be a rider, like him, and my best friend was going to be there with me.
I just hoped I could overcome my fear of heights.
Morek seemed to have gotten over his initial shock and was flirting with a rider who was leading him to her dragon.
I waved at him, and as he waved back, a big grin split his face. "We are all going to be riders, Kailin. Who would have thought?"
Not me, that's for sure.
As the first group began mounting up, helped by the experienced riders who showed them where to hold on and how to position their legs, I tried to study their movements, knowing I'd need to replicate them soon, but my attention kept drifting to the sky. Looking for something I sensed was coming but couldn't begin to guess what it was.
When a shadow passed over the circle, deep and dark, my heart seemed to stop and then restart with painful force as an enormous obsidian dragon descended from the auroras like a piece of night given form. His scales absorbed their light rather than reflecting it, creating an effect that was both beautiful and terrifying.
But it wasn't just the dragon that made my breath catch in my throat.
It was its rider.
Five years had passed since that night when he'd landed in front of our watchtower, but I would never forget those eyes, dark as midnight with flecks of molten gold swimming in their depths. The same eyes that had haunted my dreams and appeared in my visions during the trek up Mount Hope.
The memory crashed over me with stunning clarity—the acrid smell of gunpowder and dragfire, the ground trembling beneath those massive taloned feet, the way he'd studied me before offering that two-fingered salute.
I was sixteen, terrified and exhilarated in equal measure, and something about him had seared itself into my soul.
The obsidian dragon landed with surprising grace for its size, and the rider dismounted in one fluid motion. His eyes found mine instantly, as if he'd known exactly where to look. Recognition flickered across his features, followed by something else I couldn't quite decipher.
"Little warrior," he said, crossing the space between us.
My mouth went dry.
Up close, he was even more impressive than memory had painted him. Tall and lean, with chiseled features that seemed carved from stone. But it was his eyes that were the most striking feature. They held mysteries in their dark depths that I wanted to uncover.
The connection I'd felt five years ago was as potent now as it had been then, tickling at the edges of my consciousness as if trying to unlock it and gain access.
"I remember you," I managed to say, though my voice didn't sound quite like my own. "Thank you for eliminating the remaining Shedun that night."
"You are most welcome, Little Warrior." He tilted his head as if he too couldn't understand this thing between us. "Not so little anymore."
"Kailin." I swallowed. "My name is Kailin."
"I know who you are." He extended his hand. "Would you care to fly with me?"
Yes. No. I couldn't. How could I put my arms around him and press against him? I'd combust from the combination of terror and other feelings that I wasn't ready to examine.
"I'm waiting for my brother," I said quickly. "Dylon. He's coming back for me in the next round."
Amusement flickered in his dark eyes. "I'm Dylon's commander, Ravel." He extended his hand.
Taking his hand automatically, I blinked in surprise. "What is a commander doing collecting new cadets?"
"Not cadets, as in plural." His gaze held mine. "Just you. When I heard Dylon's little sister was among the chosen, I had to come. I wanted to see if you were still as fierce as I remembered." He leaned down so his mouth was close to my ear. "I'm always on the lookout for new recruits for my squadron."
My knees wobbled, but not because of Ravel's masculine beauty.
The thought of becoming part of his squadron was terrifying.
I forced a smile. "Let's see if I make it. I'm not as brave as you think."
