"Second group," Major Harlow called after consulting his list.
As Shovia and Morek's names were called, Shovia squeezed my arm. "You'll be fine," she whispered. "Just remember to do your breathing thing."
I nodded, forcing a smile. "Have fun."
"Oh, I intend to," she replied before joining Morek and the others.
Commander Ravel had said something about switching places with one of the riders so he could be my flight instructor today, but perhaps he'd forgotten or some other thing came up, something more important than a cadet with an interesting ability she shouldn't have.
Talk about wishful thinking.
I didn't want to be important, I didn't want to be a shaman, and I didn't want special attention from Commander Ravel.
Right now, all I wanted was to be rid of the debilitating fear that was squeezing the air from my lungs.
Five more dragons appeared on the horizon, their wings catching the afternoon light. They landed with the same earth-shaking impact as the first group, and as Shovia and Morek were introduced to their assigned riders and dragons, they both mounted with enviable confidence and flair.
Then they were gone, launching into the vast blue expanse, and I was down to just Codric from our quintet.
"You look like you're about to be sick." He looked at me with concern in his eyes.
I smiled. "I promise not to vomit all over your boots."
"Thank you. That's much appreciated. You have nothing to fear, though. Did you ever hear about cadets plunging to their deaths on their first flight?"
The visuals his words painted in my mind made me even more nauseous, and now I was getting dizzy as well. "You're not helping, Codric."
"Sorry." He looked pained. "Maybe I should just shut up."
"Third group," Major Harlow announced before I could respond. "Cadets Pella, Noren, Teress, Sevor, and Tathis."
Codric straightened. "That's me. Teress." He gave my shoulder a quick, reassuring pat. "You've got this, Kailin. Just trust the dragon."
At least he hadn't told me to trust Elu. I hated it when people said that because it implied that all of those unfortunate souls who died prematurely and not of natural causes were let down by Elu, which was, of course, nonsense. Elu was life and death, creation and destruction, and he had no reason to keep me alive any more than anyone else.
I watched Codric join the third group, leaving me alone among strangers as the next set of dragons approached. "Trust the dragon," he'd said, as if that was the simple solution to my lifelong phobia.
To distract myself from the mounting panic, I focused on observing the details of the dragon-rider interactions. Each rider treated their dragon a little differently—some with formal respect, others with the easy familiarity of long friendship. The dragons, too, displayed distinct personalities, but the differences were more subtle. Some appeared more watchful, some curious, while others seemed bored and indifferent.
I was focusing all of my energy on thinking positive things about them. I admired their beautiful scales, their regal necks, and their smart eyes, but I didn't address any of them directly in my mind, and so far, none of them had talked to me either.
Was it deliberate? Or was my gift sometimes on and sometimes off?
I wouldn't be surprised if that too was dependent on the electromagnetic currents that affected so much of life on Aurorys.
I watched how the cadets placed their hands on the mounting harnesses, how they distributed their weight as they climbed, how they settled into the saddles with varying degrees of grace. I memorized each movement, hoping that when my turn came, the observations might compensate for nerve-induced clumsiness.
The third group of dragons took to the sky, carrying Codric and the others away. Now I was truly alone, the only member of my quintet still waiting on the roof. I tried not to interpret this as some cosmic commentary on my readiness for this life.
"Fourth group," Major Harlow called, and I tensed, expecting to hear my name. But it wasn't among the five chosen.
As the fourth group prepared to meet their dragons and once again my name wasn't called, I started considering the possibility that this wasn't random and that there was a reason I'd been left last from our quintet.
What if they were reconsidering my suitability as a cadet? What if Commander Ravel had told the higher-ups about his hypothesis that I might be a shaman, and they decided I didn't need flight instruction?
But shamans were riders too. Even if that was my destiny, which I hoped it wasn't, I needed to learn how to be a rider first.
The fourth set of dragons appeared, landed, and departed with their assigned cadets.
