Before he shifts, or deflects—right now is perfect. And I can’t take any more.
He swallows, and for a split second, I see it—his jaw tightening, something sharp flickering behind his eyes. But then it’s gone.
He smiles. Soft. Easy. Controlled. “Goodnight, Amara.”
I nod, but I don’t say it back—not out loud. I let the moment linger a heartbeat longer, then rise and slip into the night. The firelight trails behind me like a memory.
The next morning, the air is crisp, the sky a vast expanse of pale blue streaked with the first hints of dawn. Earth and pine fill my lungs—fresh, sharp, laced with the faintest trace of smokefrom last night’s fire, still clinging to our clothes.
No dragons accompany us. That’s the rule. This is about the rider and their dragon. No interference or outside forces. Just a bond waiting to be forged.
It will take a few hours on foot to reach Velkar’s Descent. And with every step forward, the weight of what’s coming settles deeper in my chest—undeniable. A sweet pressure, steady as my heartbeat.
Thane and Valen walk ahead of me, their strides even and purposeful, voices low as they speak in clipped tones—patrol routes, border movements, the state of the realm. The world is still turning, still fighting, even as I prepare to leap into something that could change everything.
Thane doesn’t look back. Not once.
Lyra stays beside me, her presence a quiet reassurance. The silence between us brims with anticipation.
As the morning wears on, the terrain shifts—soft dirt paths giving way to uneven trails, the air thinning as we climb. The mountains rise around us, vast and jagged. The trees grow sparse, replaced by wind-scoured stone and sharp ridgelines.
Velkar’s Descent waits ahead.
A place of legend. A place where riders are made.
A place where I will become one.
The pull inside me hasn’t faded. If anything, it has grown stronger. A deep, thrumming current beneath my skin—fire and air and something older—humming through my bones.
Calryx is waiting.
The wind is fierce at this height, tugging at my hair, whipping at my shirt—pushing me forward before I’m even ready.
Except, Iamready.
Below me, the world stretches vast and endless, the valley bathed in golden afternoon light. The cliffs here are weathered, carved by time and history. This is where riders are forged.
Where I will meet my dragon.
Where I will become one with Calryx.
A hum pulses beneath my skin—magics stirring, responding to the pull that’s guided me since the moment she whispered my name.
Fire. Air. Water. Earth. All of it alive inside me. All of it waiting.
I feel Thane’s gaze on me. He didn’t say much on the hike up to the cliffs. I know what he’s thinking. He knows this is the way it must be—the way riders bond with dragons—but he worries. The realm needs me alive to defeat the Shadow Forces. Needs me strong. Safe. Whole.
But this isn’t something he can control.
This ismychoice.Herchoice.
And she has called me.
The bond doesn’t come to those who are hesitant. A dragon will not catch a soul that does not trust.
I stand at the edge of the cliff. The rocks below are jagged teeth, hundreds of feet down. The void stretches before me. Endless. Waiting.
This is a surrender of self.
