But they didn’t falter.
Hein dipped his wing slightly, and Kaelith followed. Not a second late. Not a scale out of place.
They weren’t performing.
They were being.
They share the same soul,I thought, heart aching at the beauty of it.The same heart. The same air.
Every beat of their wings was a vow.
Every loop and dive and breath a whisper—We were made for this.
When we finally descended, the wind curling around us like ribbons of silk and storm, I slid from Kaelith’s back and landed softly on the packed earth. Zander dismounted a heartbeat later, his dark hair windswept, eyes still bright from the flight.
But what caught me off guard wasn’t the afterglow of flight.
It was the silence.
Every single squad was watching us.
Warborn, Stormforge, Crownwatch. Even Iron Fang.
Their dragons had landed and turned their heads skyward, watching every twist and arc, every seamless maneuver Kaelith and Hein had made.
No one said a word.
Not until a familiar red shimmer caught the edge of my sight and I turned to find Siergen stepping forward.
His wings were tucked neatly, scales gleaming like fire-glass, and his eyes?—
They gleamed like he’d just watched history write itself in the sky.
“Hey, Red,” I said, brushing wind-tangled hair from my face as I stepped closer to the Courier dragon whose presence felt like power barely sheathed.
Siergen’s lip twitched, the closest thing to a smile I’d ever seen on that wickedly regal face.Hello, beauty,he messaged, the words curling through my mind like fire-smoke and silk.
I turned slightly, glancing over my shoulder at the assembled riders, at the way conversations had stilled, and the air had thickened. Every eye was on us, on the dragons who had just rewritten the sky.
“It seems we attracted an audience,” I muttered, trying to keep the flush out of my cheeks.
Let them watch,Siergen replied, golden eyes gleaming.They’ll see what true riders look like.
Then with a gust of wind and an effortless leap, Siergen unfurled his wings and launched upward, a streak of molten crimson against the blue.
The ground vibrated with the force of his takeoff, and just as the tension around us began to stretch thin?—
Clap. Clap.
Major Kaler’s hands came together sharply, breaking the spell.
“Free time is over,” he called out, his voice carrying across the Ascension Grounds with practiced command. “Since all dragons are now accounted for…” His gaze cut briefly to Kaelith and Hein. “We will begin the next trial immediately.”
Groans and scattered mutters followed. Armor shifted. Saddles were being fastened again.
But I could feel it in my bones. The dragons were watching.
And the real test hadn’t even started.
