Next came Vaelyth, an orange female with copper-tipped wings and stripes like lightning scars across her hide. It looked like she dove to land before LarkaDune, but a sudden gust hit her mid-descent. A streak of orange flame burst from her mouth. Too fast. Too low. Larka screamed and fell back, her arm burning as professors surged forward to douse the flame. Vaelyth veered away midair and landed instead before Kelren of Squad Three. She bowed her head in apology to the injured cadet, and Kelren, eyes wide, reached out to touch her forehead. Bonded.
Next came Tarnak, a green-scaled giant with talon-length claws and sea-glass eyes. He descended on silent wings, mist trailing from his snout. His wings spread wide as he landed, and then folded tightly as he marched toward Rhys in Squad Two. The boy met the dragon’s gaze without flinching. Tarnak lowered his head. Touch. Bonded.
One by one, dragons descended, fire-winged, wind-scaled, scarred from battles past. The sky became a theater of wings and roars, while the stone beneath them grew warm with the fire of their legacy.
Another dragon came screaming down from the sun.Razarok, a male red with serrated horns and a ridge of flame down his back. He landed with enough force to shake the tiles and walked to Feyra like he’d known her forever. She wept openly as he touched her forehead and breathed heat into her soul.
Vorran was a light orange beast with sharp ridges along his tail and gold-streaked wings. He danced through the air like a knife in flight, landing with uncanny precision. Orion raised both hands, laughing like a storm, and Vorran roared as their bond snapped into place.
The red male dragon, Skael, circled three times before folding his wings and plunging like a comet. He landed with fire at his feet, nostrils flaring. He prowled toward Squad Two, slower than the others, almost reverent. When he reached them, he stopped inches away from Iri, lowered his gaze, and pressed his snout to her open palm. The air shimmered with blue light. Their bond was sealed in an instant. Cheers broke out from every tier of the arena.
Squad Two was nearly complete. Except one. Vaeryn. She stoodsilent beside Thaelyn, face unreadable. No dragon had come. One by one, the unbonded finished their descent. Some picked cadets from other squads, Korrin and Arc, both bonded green males from Squad One. Two more from Squad Three found matches. Even now, Mirra, Sorren’s silver-blue dragon, circled lazily in the high thermals above, though she was already bonded.
Thaelyn swallowed, adrenaline beginning to wane. Then something strange happened. The sky stilled. A hush fell over the field as Mirra, without command, began todescend. She flew lower. Lower. Straight toward Vaeryn.
Gasps rippled across the gathering. Mirra was already bonded. Her rider, Sorren, stood still on the far edge, his shadowy cloak billowing at his back. He did not move. His eyes narrowed, but he did not stop her.
Mirra folded her wings in close and landed with elegance and grace just before Vaeryn. Her silver-blue scales gleamed like a moonlit lake, and her crest rose slowly. The world seemed to hold its breath.
Thaelyn took a step forward, afraid for her friend. She slowly stretched her hand forward. Careful not to make any sudden movements. “Vaeryn, come here.”What was Mirra doing?she thought to herself.Was she going to burn her?
But Mirra dipped her head, lowered it to Vaeryn’s forehead, and exhaledgently. A soft breeze brushed over them, tinged with stardust and secrets. Light arced between them. Then it was done. The choice had already been made. The Thir was given.
Across the field, Sorren stepped down from the far edge of the wall. His face was unreadable, but there was something hollow in his eyes. Something that flickered deep. Crushed. Did she just choose another rider instead of him? He approached slowly, boots striking the stone, the wind tugging at the edges of his cloak. Mirra turned her long neck toward him, gaze steady.
In the silence between them, only one voice passed, quiet, mental, and deeply firm. “I am not abandoning our bond,”Mirra told him through the link. “I am choosing a second rider to ride tandem with you. She is very gifted. She will work well beside you.”
Sorren exhaled. The tightness in his jaw faded, not wholly, but enough. He lowered his head in understanding.
Mirra let out a low warble and coiled her tail gently around Vaeryn, pulling her closer. Mirra then let out a guttural cry. Not of pain. Of warning. Then she turned to face the far edge of the sky.
And for a moment, Thaelyn swore the horizon bent. Then something shimmered into view, a shadow above the clouds. Large blue iridescent scales and great wings tipped withviolet. A streak of gold trailing her fire in its wake. Nyxariel. Not here for a bond, but for approval of the double bond. Nyxariel gave a roar in approval, a sentinel.
Commander Dareth stepped forward, his voice grim and proud as he called out above the wind. “First-years! Welcome to the ranks of the bonded– The Dragon Riders! Rest up. We will start flight lessons tomorrow.” The bell tolled once more. The Kaelthir Reckoning was done.
The sky outside the Asgar Training Academy dormitories was streaked in the copper glow of late afternoon, clouds trailing ribbons of lavender as the sun slanted behind the towers. The wind carried the scent of scorched stone and dragonfire, along with laughter that rang across the far fields. Somewhere in the distance, drums had begun; cadets were already gathering at the celebration bonfire in the bonding field.
But inside the dormitory of Squad Two, the air was thick with voices, energy, and a kind of wonder Thaelyn couldn’t quite share.
“She purred, I swear by the flame,” Iri said, breathless as she tugged off her uniform boots and threw herself onto her cot, her curls damp with sweat and exhilaration. “When Skael touched me, it was like– I don’t know. I felt everything. Like my blood burned, but in a good way.”
“You looked like you were about to faint,” Feyra teased, floppingonto her bunk, half out of her leathers. “I thought I’d have to carry you off the field.”
“You screamed when Razarok picked you,” Iri shot back. “Like a starborn banshee.”
“I yelled,” Feyra said with mock offense, tossing a pillow at her. “He’s a walking inferno. What was I supposed to do? Pretend like my soul wasn’t just claimed by the most gorgeous beast in the sky?”
“You called him a ‘flame-dripping menace’ five minutes before he landed,” Rhys said from across the room, where he was already packing extra gear into his shoulder satchel that he had brought over earlier before the ceremony. His grin was wide, his usually calm expression crackling with pride. “Now he’s the love of your life?”
“He’s my menace now,” Feyra said without shame.
“I still can’t believe Mirra chose Vaeryn,” Orion said, seated near the window, staring out into the sky. His voice was quieter, more thoughtful than usual. “Never heard of a dragon claiming a second rider. That’s not supposed to happen, right?”
“It’s Mirra,” Feyra murmured. “Of course, she would break the rules.”
They all glanced toward Vaeryn’s bed, empty. She’d gone with Sorren after the ceremony, silent as ever. There was no telling what her thoughts were after such a thing. None of them envied her position, exactly. Mirra’s bond to Sorren had been deep, unshakable, or so everyone had thought. And yet, why a second rider? Well, now they can make out on the back of the dragon together. I have seen them getting closer lately, before this happened.
“Where’s Thaelyn?” Iri asked suddenly, glancing around. They all paused.
