My evolution is incomplete,she said simply.But it will change over time. For now, I am… stable.
Stabledidn’t sound particularly reassuring, but I’d take it.
And then the wind split open overhead.
A shadow arced above us, deep-violet edged with flashes of silver. Kaelith.
She was beautiful. Terrifying. Power incarnate.
Hein flew beside her—his bulk a shining wall of silver and steel as the two of them circled once over the field. Cheers erupted above the Ascension Grounds as the bonded dragons flew.
They landed with twin thuds that shook the stone beneath our boots.
Kaelith lowered her massive head until her golden gaze met mine.
You were brave in my absence,she said with a touch of pride.Now, let us remind them who they were messing with.
Zander and I shared a glance. No words, just instinct, and then we were running. I didn’t wait for a rope. Didn’t need one. My legs coiled, and I launched, catching Kaelith’s neck mid-leap. Her scales were warm beneath my palms as I scrambled up her shoulder and swung onto her back with practiced ease.
Zander mirrored me on Hein’s back, vaulting up with the kind of fluid strength only a lifelong rider could master.
And then?—
We soared.
Kaelith’s wings snapped open, and the world dropped away beneath us. Hein rose beside her, their wings beating in tandem like some ancient rhythm only bonded pairs understood.
They flew so close our dragons’ wings nearly touched, catching the sun between them like mirrors of flame and amethyst.
I’ve missed this,I messaged, wind tearing at my hair as my heart lifted with every beat of Kaelith’s wings.
Me too,Zander responded, his voice warm, threaded with something soft beneath it.
I blinked, startled.Wait… Zander? That wasn’t Kaelith?—
I have tethered your communication,Hein’s deep voice added, almost smug.It is more efficient.
I blinked again.I love group chats,I said with a grin.
Kaelith chuckled, a low rolling sound in my mind like the rumble of a distant storm.
Hein, of course, practicallysighed.If a dragon could roll his eyes, he did.
But then I felt it—another presence. I turned slightly in the saddle and spotted a flash of green rising below us.
Major Ledor.
His dragon joined us in the sky, keeping pace but falling just behind, as if giving us space. Not quite watching. Not quitenotwatching either.
We’re being followed,I muttered.
He’s not following,Zander messaged, his tone more thoughtful now.He is curious about Hein and Kaelith’s bond.
Kaelith’s wings shifted slightly, catching the breeze.Then let him witness what it looks like when dragons fly as one.
And just like that, the sky belonged to us.
Kaelith tilted her wings, and Hein mirrored her with such precision it was as if they were carved from the same breath of wind. They dove together, slicing through the sky like twin blades, flashing silver and violet streaks across the clouds. Their bodies moved in perfect harmony—a roll, then a spiraling climb, then a stall so sudden my breath caught in my chest.
