Saphir smiled at her. "The one with an impenetrable mind, of course. During the pilgrimage, you were the least affected by hallucinations. Your mental defenses are naturally strong."
Shovia pursed her lips. "I like that."
"Kailin is the one who connects. She's already demonstrated this, speaking to dragons and broadcasting her prophetic dream to all of them simultaneously."
As all eyes turned to me, I felt like shrinking to make myself smaller, but I fought the impulse.
"Morek is the one who moves faster than thought," Alar said. "We've seen his reaction speed." He turned to Morek, who seemed to have grown a few inches taller from the praise. "Your reflexes, the speed at which you process what's happening, and your physical reactions all operate at an accelerated pace."
Morek nodded. "I've always been fast, but I didn't think there was anything unnatural about it. I just thought that it was the result of training hard."
"It plays a big part." Shovia clapped him on the back. "But you are special, nonetheless. Who would have thought?"
Morek winced. "Thanks, I think."
She slapped his back again. "That should cure you of your debilitating shyness around pretty girls."
Shaman Saphir Fatewever cleared his throat. "I believe that Commander Ravel is the one who tracks, Alar the one who senses, and Codric the one who detects."
Alar frowned. "I sometimes get a feeling when things are about to happen, small premonitions that sometimes prove correct. But it's nothing unique. Not like Kailin's power. Maybe she's the one who senses?"
"Kailin is the center of the prophecy," Saphir said. "She must be the one who connects. I suspect that all of your powers will grow with time, especially after you bond with dragons."
"I'm older than the five and already bonded," Ravel said. "I'm not going to develop new abilities. I'm an excellent tracker, but I don't think I'm exceptional. Why do you think I'm the prophesied tracker?"
"By default," Saphir admitted. "One had to be already here, someone established in the Dragon Force, and you were the best fit. You have a special connection to Kailin from when you saved her village five years ago."
Beside me, Alar went rigid, and his hands tightened around mine almost painfully. We'd talked about my connection to Ravel, but hearing Saphir acknowledge it as significant must have irked him.
"The connection might be through Onyx," I said quickly, pulling one of my hands free of Alar's grasp and leaving just one. "He was the first dragon I spoke to."
"Perhaps." Saphir's smile was enigmatic. "Or perhaps it was the first manifestation of your connecting ability, reaching out to someone crucial to your destiny."
"This is insane," Shovia breathed. "What are the seven even supposed to do?"
Saphir frowned. "I didn't tell you, yet? Save the world, of course."
"Save it from what?" Morek asked.
"From annihilation, from extinction." Saphir's levity vanished.
"How?" Shovia asked. "What can we do that the mighty Dragon Force cannot?"
"Ah." Saphir lifted a finger. "That's an excellent question. What indeed?"
We all waited with bated breath for him to continue, including me, who had heard the story before.
"Shaman?" Shovia prompted.
He turned to her as if surprised to find her there. "The Dragon Force needs more dragons and more riders. That's how we will save Elucia from falling to the Sitorian Union again, and in turn save the Elurian Federation as well."
Even Ravel looked confused. "How are we supposed to do that?"
"Find the lost dragon eggs and the shamans who fled through the portals during the Second Extinction War. Hopefully, they have been fruitful and produced many kin, all of whom carry Elu's blood and could become riders."
"What are you talking about?" Ravel regarded Saphir the same way I had when he had first told me about the portals. "The shamans are dead, and the location of the eggs is lost."
Saphir shook his head. "How did you think the dragons survived on Aurorys before the humans bred livestock for them to eat? They hunted on other planets and returned to Aurorys to mate and lay eggs. Dragons have the ability to open portals to other worlds. The problem is that the knowledge has been lost because the Shedun killed all the dragons, and when I returned with the hatchlings, there was no one to teach them how to open portals."
