We'd theorized about converts sabotaging saddles, and about the Sitorian infiltration reaching further back than anyone realized. But what if that wasn't the whole story? What if some dragons were simply deadly to their riders?
"There's also the issue of the killer dragons," I said, pulling away from Codric slightly. "We should discuss that."
"What is there to discuss?" Alar asked. "Ravel said the converts were responsible for the accidents."
I shook my head. "The converts are a new development. Those accidents have been happening for a long time."
Kailin arched a brow. "You think the dragons themselves are dangerous?"
I nodded. "Some of those deaths were probably caused by sabotage, especially the recent ones, but not all of them."
"Coincidence?" Morek suggested. "Accidents happen. Even experienced riders make mistakes sometimes."
"Experienced riders don't make the same mistakes over and over again. And they don't make them exclusively with the same four dragons." I crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm not saying those dragons are murderers. But something about them leads to dead riders more often than any other dragons in the force. That's not normal."
Alar nodded. "She has a point. Even if the recent deaths were sabotage, the historical pattern suggests something else is going on."
"What are you suggesting?" Codric asked. "That we should avoid Morgateth?"
"I'm suggesting that if you feel drawn to Morgateth during the Day of Volition, try to resist that pull and choose a different dragon."
"The choice is not really up to us," Kailin said. "The dragons choose us, but they respond to something within us that calls to them."
"I know." I groaned. "I wish the process were less mysterious, and we could have some agency in it."
"We can refuse," Alar pointed out.
"I know that. But then we might not get selected at all and get thrown out of the program."
The room fell silent, and I wondered if my friends were also debating whether a bond was worth sacrificing their lives for if it happened with the wrong dragon.
I knew my answer despite the reservations I'd voiced, and I hadn't even wanted to be a rider before being declared gifted. Itwas just my competitive nature that wouldn't let me walk away even if I was chosen by the one who was a suspected murderer.
"The dragons might be victims as much as their riders were," Kailin said. "If Ravel is right and the deaths were caused by sabotage, then those four dragons are not to blame. They lost riders, over and over, because of Sitorian infiltrators. That's tragedy, not malice."
"Maybe," I allowed. "But tragedy or malice, the result is the same. These four dragons have a history of dead riders, while other dragons do not. And until we know for certain what caused those deaths, I'd rather not take chances."
"Are you going to say no if you are selected by Morgateth?" Morek asked.
"Probably not," I admitted. "But I'll try to stay away from him during the ceremony."
Another silence, longer this time.
Then Codric nodded. "Even if that works, and he passes the five of us, we will be dooming the other cadets."
"Better them than us," I said truthfully. "For weeks, we've been telling anyone who was willing to listen that Morgateth was dangerous. That should be enough."
Kailin let out a breath. "Let's just pray that he doesn't show up for the bonding. That would make everything much easier."
43
ALAR
"Duty pulls in many directions. The measure of people is not which duty they choose, but how they live with the choice."
—King Aldric III of Catonia, Letters to My Daughters
Istood at the stove, guarding the caff pot as it neared boiling, when a knock sounded at the door.
