Above us, one of the dragons shifted position, its wings spreading briefly before settling again. The display sent several nearby pilgrims scrambling backward, but I found myself leaning forward, drawn by an inexplicable pull that seemed to resonate in my very bones.
"Alar?" Codric's voice seemed to come from far away. "Are you alright?"
I shook my head to clear it. "Fine." I gestured upward. "Did you see that?"
"I did." He surprised me with a knowing smile. "And here I thought nothing could affect the unflappable Alar."
"You are so full of it." I started walking toward where Codric said he'd spotted Shovia.
The dragons watched the pilgrims below with cunning eyes that seemed to hold the wisdom of the ages in their depths. I tried not to feel like I was being evaluated and judged, but their presence pressed against my consciousness like a physical weight.
What would it be like to actually communicate with one? To form a bond that would allow a constant foreign presence in my mind?
How did the riders retain their sanity?
I pushed the thoughts aside. First, we had to get through the trek, then the testing at the summit, and if we made it that far, we hoped that we didn't get kicked out for failing during the training.
Only the best of the best got to be riders.
Those who didn't make it were assigned to auxiliary positions in the Citadel. If faced with such an offer, I was not sure whether I would accept it or go back home. Any position in the Dragon Force would give me access to information I wouldn't get any other way, but without immortality, the time horizon to achieve my objectives would be too limited.
24
KAILIN
The ashes are barely cold, yet here we are, gathering at the foot of Mount Hope as if yesterday's tragedy was just a bad dream. Seven souls have barely begun their journey to Dolis, and we're already starting ours up the mountain.
It feels wrong, but that's how life is.
Mortals mourn their dead and keep going because what other choice do they have?
—From the journal of Kailin Strom
Shovia and I had gotten to the clearing early, so we had seen the dragons arrive and take positions on the lower slope of Mount Hope. It had been a magnificent display of raw power, inspiring awe and fear in equal amounts.
We sat on our packs, both to keep the seats of our pants dry from the morning dew and to have a good view of the dragons. The massive creatures were too far away to make out details, but my gaze kept being drawn to the obsidian dragon on the leftmost outcropping. Something about its size and the way it held itself reminded me of the one that had landed in front of our watchtower five years ago.
My heart accelerated at the memory of those molten gold eyes and the dark-eyed rider who had saluted me. Even now, years later, the mere thought of him made my breath hitch, which was ridiculous because I had been sixteen and terrified at the time, and there was no way the interaction had been as charged as my teenage brain had made it out to be.
Besides, why was I thinking about that rider when Alar's piercing blue eyes and strong hands had featured so prominently in my recent dreams?
"Do you think Dylon is up there?" Shovia squinted at the dragons.
I shook my head. "I can't make out details from here, but I doubt it. He's a squadron commander now, usually patrolling the border. Other squadrons are in charge of keeping the pilgrimage safe."
She nodded and kept gaping.
We were both mesmerized by the dragons, probably like everyone else gathered in the clearing, and I had to wonder how many of the other pilgrims were experiencing panic right now. Did any of them fear heights? Or were they just terrified of the giant creatures who breathed fire and thought of humans as food?
Not that I knew for a fact that dragons ate humans. We were probably too scrawny for them. They preferred goats and sheep that had a lot of meat and fat on them.
Nevertheless, imagining sitting astride one of them made me sweat despite the morning chill.
Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and started my meditation routine. "I am grounded," I whispered. "The soil holds me steady. The mountain supports my weight. There is nothing to fear..."
"You know," Shovia interrupted, "talking to yourself isn't going to help convince the shaman that you're fit to be a rider."
I cracked open one eye to glare at her. "I'm trying not to hyperventilate. Would you prefer that?"
