Before she could answer, Vornokh rolled into a dive, and Nyxariel instinctively followed. Their wings overlapped in a perfect spiral, the others struggling to match pace.
On the ground, Caelira shaded her eyes.
“They’re syncing,” she said.
Commander Dareth nodded once. “And showing off.”
Caelira smirked. “Let them. We’ll test their limits soon enough.”
“The wind’s heavier this morning,” Thorne called, drawing close. “Nyxariel’s leaning into it wrong.”
“Since when do you give flying tips?” snapped Thaelyn.
“Since you nearly drifted into that weather column.”
“Admit it, you just want to fly beside me.”
Thorne smirked. “I like the view.”
“Watch your dragon, Prince.”
He arched a brow. “Watching youiswatching my dragon.”
She flushed, thankful the wind stung her cheeks red enough to hide it.
They cut through the floating hoops in perfect tandem, spiraled together into a controlled dive, then angled upward as one. Nyxariel and Vornokh wove around each other as if they were never apart.
Far behind them, Darian and Kaeroth unleashed a flame burst into the training target. The red dragon’s accuracy split the metal ring perfectly. Garric and Vaelion followed, ice lancing through the air with eerie grace.
Mirra shimmered mid-flight, so Sorren could teach Vaeryn how to cloak and vanish from sight before reappearing higher up. They cloaked and realigned to hit the ring at the perfect moment.
Brynnek and Tieren used a wind flap to throw off a pursuing second-year, slamming into the hoop with brute force. Ryslan and Tarnak rode the upper wind tiers, reading air pressure with sharp and calculating turns.
From the ground, Caelira’s voice rang again.
“Excellent flying, tighter wingspan on the dive! Darian, slow the ascent, your flame vector was clean, but your left side wobbled!”
Commander Dareth watched from a raised platform, arms crossed. “Vornokh and Nyxariel,” he said quietly, “are getting their riders to sync.”
Caelira nodded once. “They’ll lead soon.”
Above, Thorne angled closer, his voice dropping into that private hush they’d started using when the world fell away, and it was just the two of them.
“You feel it too, don’t you?”
“What?” Thaelyn said, heart pounding.
“The dragons. Ours. Us. They’re not syncing by chance. They remember their previous time together.”
Before she could speak, a first-year student lost control in the upper ring. Their dragon pitched sideways, and they were plummeting. Thaelyn turned, breath locking in her chest. Vornokh dove like a spear, wings tight. Thorne lunged down, precise and cutting, while Vornokh caught the falling dragon’s tail in time to stabilize it. Gasps echoed from the sky.
Below, Caelira nodded once. “That’s why we train.”
“You look good up here, Thaelyn,” Thorne commented.
Thaelyn snorted. “Try harder, Dareth. That was barely flirtation.”
“You’d know if I was trying harder.” He smirked. “I wasn’t flirting,” he said innocently. “I was stating tactical observation. Your form and posture have improved.”
