“Bend your knees, squeeze your thighs,” Aerisya yelled. “Loosen your grip. Let Nyxariel take you.”
They curved downward in a spiraling arc, slicing past a cloud bank and then twisting hard left, banking in a crescent over the high ridge. Thaelyn leaned with her dragon, trusting the movement fully now, not fighting the momentum.
Razorth’s growl crackled over the bond.“Not bad for a first dive.”
Thorne and Vornokh shot past them like a comet, inverted and twisting, wings snapping open at the last moment to kill speed.
Commander Dareth’s voice was even. “Thorne your control is too tight. You’re forcing the twist.”
“I’m keeping him close.”
“Don’t. You’re his rider, not his leash. Let him lead the curve.”
Vornokh growled beneath Thorne, flames pulsing faintly under his skin.“I do not need leashing, boy.”
“Then try not to smash through a mountain peak.”
“Challenge accepted.”
They climbed again, looping high above the stone arches carved by ancient magic. Thaelyn let her eyes drink in the vastness, rolling forests, speckled lakes, and the river glinting like quicksilver. She looked toward Thorne and felt a surge of adrenaline.
Nyxariel dipped low beside Vornokh. Thaelyn shouted across the wind. “Race you to the Hollow, Dareth!”
Thorne turned, a rare grin flashing. “You’ll lose.”
“Not today.”
The dragons surged forward, Nyxariel’s speed increasing as Thaelyn leaned into the flight. Wind ripped at her braid and cape, her heart pounding in wild rhythm. The Hollow, a natural stone crater just north of the Scorchfield, was wide and shallow, perfect for practicing precision landings.
They dove together, then broke apart. Vornokh curled into a corkscrew, flames rippling from his wings. Nyxariel dipped and rolled beneath him, then launched into an upward spin that carried her higher than the others, catching a high thermal.
“Hold now,”Nyxariel whispered.“Brace.”Then she dove, fast, straight, and perfect. Thaelyn felt the pull in her chest, the weightlessness of speed. At the last second, she pulled slightly left, guiding them into a long, skimming arc over the Hollow’s basin.
Arauthator landed with fluid skill. Vornokh landed seconds later, tail lashing. Razorth descended last, his wings folding inward with a snap.
Commander Dareth dismounted first and walked toward them across the stone basin. “You held your dive well, Thaelyn. The hesitation’s gone.”
Thaelyn panted softly, sliding down Nyxariel’s shoulder. “She taught me to feel the balance. It’s instinct now.”
Thorne dropped beside her, his boots striking stone with weight. “Your roll into that curve was reckless.”
“And gorgeous,” she replied. “You were trying to intimidate us with the fire spiral.”
“Worked, didn’t it?”
“Not even a little.”
Commander Dareth halted before them, arms crossed. “You both flew like a skilled pair of riders today. But riders don’t just ride dragons. Theyleadthem.”
Razorth rumbled behind him, wings rustling like old banners in the wind.
“Thorne, the next lesson is when you come back from seeing your father,” Commander Dareth said, “We will test combat maneuvers in pairs.” He looked between them. “Sky Storms and Shadow Flames,” he said quietly, “This will either remake the sky, or burn it down.” With that, he turned and walked into the rising wind back towards the academy.
Razorth flew back into the sky. Vornokh and Nyxariel flew upward together as an eternal bonded pair.
Chapter
Twenty-Six
