"Put these on." She handed me a pair of goggles.
When Barobian's muscles bunched beneath me, the dragon preparing for takeoff, I heard Codric let out a whoop of excitement somewhere behind me.
We launched into the night sky with a power that drove the breath from my lungs. The ground fell away with dizzying speed, the Circle of Fate shrinking below us until the standing stones looked like children's toys. The air grew colder, clearer, filled with the sound of wings beating the air and wind.
Despite the gaping hole in my chest, I couldn't help but smile. This feeling of freedom, of power, of possibility was what I'd come all this way for. Not just for my mission, not just to prevent the looming catastrophe, but for this moment of pure transcendence.
I was born to be a rider.
I had always known that deep in my soul, and now I was proven right.
The aurora lights danced around us as Barobian banked into a turn, following the path the other dragons had taken. Ahead was the Citadel, and with it the beginning of everything I'd dreamt about and worked for.
Kailin would be there too.
Whatever was happening between her and that rider couldn't erase what she and I had shared during the pilgrimage. The way we'd supported each other on the trek, the understanding that had grown between us, the friendship, that kiss. It had all been real.
We could still have it.
"The Citadel lies beyond that ridge," Avida called back to me, her voice carrying clearly despite the wind. "You can just see its lights."
I looked in the direction she pointed and saw pinpricks of light against the night sky. My future awaited me there—the chance to become what my people needed me to be, and maybe even the opportunity to win back the girl who seemed to have slipped away because I hadn't given her what she'd needed.
Barobian's wings caught an updraft, carrying us higher into the sky. Below us, the Circle of Fate was only a dim ring of stones, ancient and knowing.
Ahead lay new challenges, new opportunities, and a chance to shape a better, brighter future.
PART II
THE CITADEL
46
KAILIN
"Bravery is a decision, a skill, not a quality you are born with, but it is a necessity for a rider."
—Commander Ravel
"Open your eyes, Little Warrior." Ravel's voice was soft in my ear, his arms secure around me. "I won't let you fall.”
The wind roared past us, carrying freezing air that bit at my cheeks and numbed the tip of my nose. Beneath me, I could feel the dragon's massive body, muscles rippling, wings beating with terrifying power, and behind me, Ravel's solid presence was like a safety net.
Still, I wasn't about to follow his command.
Saying the words out loud was not an option, given the strong wind that would have swallowed the sound, but I managed to move my head a fraction to indicate that I wasn't about to do as he suggested.
I had a feeling that if I opened my mouth, all that would come out of it would be a pitiful whimper.
"Come on, Kailin. Conquer your fear," Ravel persisted, his breath warming my earlobe and managing to defrost it a little. “You are going to regret missing out on your first dragon-eye view."
I should have worn a hat.
Why hadn't I thought of that?
I had been too stunned by Ravel's appearance and his offer to give me a ride to think straight. That connection that I'd felt five years ago was still present, but it was as if its hooks couldn't find purchase and were sliding off on both ends.
What was it that I was actually feeling toward him?
