"There is a darkness in your dreams," she said finally. "A vision that repeats. You have not revealed the extent of it to anyone."
Kailin's face paled. "It's just a nightmare. It's not a prophetic dream."
"Are you certain?"
"No." The word came out as barely a whisper. "But I can't breathe life into it by voicing it, and I can't let it paralyze me either. I have to keep moving forward."
"Good answer, Little Dreamer." Nyxath's presence withdrew slightly, a signal that the interview was ending. "You may go, Kailin Strom. Tomorrow, you will find your wings."
"Thank you, your majesty. Shaman Saphir Fatewever." Kailin stood, bowed to both of us, and departed.
"What do you think?" I asked when Kailin disappeared into the stairwell.
"She carries heavy burdens," Nyxath said. "But she is strong. She will not break."
I called Shovia next.
As she walked over, her posture was a little stiff compared to how she usually moved, and when she sat in the chair, it was like a soldier awaiting orders—back straight, hands on knees, eyes forward.
"You can relax, Shovia," I said. "This is a conversation, not a court-martial."
"Yes, Shaman." She did not relax.
Nyxath reached into her mind, and as I had expected, encountered nothing. It wasn't that Shovia couldn't be reached. I had penetrated her mind when it had been wide open, thanks to the special tea given to the young pilgrims in the Circle of Fate. Without it, though, her mind was impenetrable.
"Interesting,"the dragon queen said, and I heard the surprise in her mental voice. "Her mind is closed. I cannot read her."
That was Shovia's gift, the very thing that made her valuable to the prophecy.
"You cannot be read," I told Shovia. "Not even by the queen of dragons, but you need to drop your natural defenses and let her in, or you won't be able to communicate with dragons, which will disqualify you."
Shovia winced. "I've always been this way, which is why I wanted to join the Spy Corps. It didn't occur to me that it might be a problem for bonding."
"It will not be a problem,"Nyxath said, but only I could hear her through our mental connection. "You just need to open yourself to the communication. Think of me as your friend, someone you trust implicitly."
I repeated what she'd said.
"I'm not sure if I can do this," Shovia murmured. "I don't know how."
"Close your eyes," I said. "Imagine yourself lowering the shields in your mind and sending a thought to Nyxath."
Shovia did as I suggested, and a moment later, I heard her question Nyxath through the bond. "What if no dragon chooses me?"
Nyxath's relief flooded through me. "I can hear you, child. And you don't need to worry about being chosen. All you need to worry about is keeping your shields down tomorrow so your mind is open to your dragon's call. You will only hear that one voice in your mind. You need to let it in and respond."
Shovia nodded."I'm still afraid there will be only silence. I never wanted to be a rider. I wanted to join the Spy Corps, to travel, to see the world beyond Elucia. Being here was never part of my plan."
"And yet you excelled. You passed every test. You stand on the edge of bonding with a magnificent creature whose soul will meld with yours for as long as you both shall live."
"I know." Shovia's jaw tightened. "I'm not ungrateful. I'm just..."
"Afraid that you don't deserve it?"Nyxath asked.
Shovia nodded.
"Do not fear, child. Tomorrow, a dragon will choose you, but you need to open yourself up to the bond fully and completely. No dragon will accept anything less."
"What if I can't?"
