"Mastering a skill is not about asserting dominance over it, but about finding the right resonance."
—Dragon Force Manual
Ididn't remember the last time I'd felt this rested. Being excused from conditioning and hand-to-hand combat training was a boon. While my classmates sweated through drills, I was encouraged to either sit the training out or stay in my room and sleep.
It was glorious.
The problem was that I had no idea if I was actually healing or just fooling myself. Every night, I visualized cutting the connections, tearing through the invisible spiderwebs linking me to countless small creatures. But were they really being severed, or was I just imagining my progress? The real testwould come when I stopped the sleeping draught and resumed the hallucinogenic tea.
The thought of drinking that vile stuff again made my stomach turn, and the thought of sharing consciousness with numerous night creatures terrified me, especially now that I had proof that my fears hadn't been groundless. I was losing myself, leaving behind pieces of myself I couldn't afford to lose.
Thankfully, no one expected me to return to that anytime soon. Chief Medical Officer Thoran and Healer Morah had been adamant that I was not to drink the prophetic tea until after I bonded with a dragon.
Even my flight lessons with Ravel had been tame compared to what we'd been practicing before my diagnosis. Basic maneuvers, gentle spirals, nothing that would tax my strength or make me anxious. It was nice, and I enjoyed my stress-free days, but I was falling behind. With only two weeks until the Day of Volition, that was troubling, but I managed to shove these thoughts into a corner of my mind and continue healing. I knew I would pass all the academic tests with ease, and the instructors would go easy on me with the physical ones.
Everyone in the Citadel wanted to see me bonded with a dragon, except perhaps for the traitors that still hadn't been found.
The security measures throughout the Citadel had intensified. More patrols, more checkpoints, and more suspicious glances between cadets and even instructors.
Ravel had confirmed that the rumor about Elusitor converts was more than a rumor, and since it had spread like wildfire throughout the Citadel, it had poisoned the atmosphere, making everyone wonder who could be trusted.
But up here, on this platform with Ravel and Onyx, I felt safe.
No matter how many times I had seen Onyx, I was always awed by the sight of the enormous black dragon. His scalesgleamed in the afternoon sun, and his golden eyes fixed on me with warmth and amusement.
"How are you feeling today, Little Warrior?"he asked the same question that he’d been asking me every day.
"Great. As long as I'm excused from all the physically exerting classes, I'm good."
Ravel chuckled and offered me a hand up, steadying me as I settled into the saddle in front of him. His presence behind me was solid, reassuring. After the explosion and the attacks, having Commander Ravel as my instructor felt less like special treatment and more like necessary protection.
Once I had my flight goggles on, Onyx launched, and the platform fell away beneath us. The familiar rush of altitude, the wind in my face, and the mountains spreading out below were exhilarating.
It never ceased to amaze me that I was enjoying flying as I did. The fear of heights was still there, and I couldn't bring myself to get close to the edge of the landing platform, but I was fine on Onyx's back.
I trusted him.
Ravel put me through the basics. Spirals, climbs, banks. Nothing too demanding, nothing too challenging, and after thirty minutes of this, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Can we please try something more difficult?"
"You're not supposed to exert yourself or get stressed. That precludes elaborate maneuvers."
"I need to be ready for the Day of Volition." I turned to look at him, my nose practically touching his. "If the dragon who is interested in bonding with me takes me on a test run, and my performance is subpar, they might pass on me. Or worse, I might fall and get killed."
I couldn't see Ravel's eyes behind the lenses of his flight goggles, but given the slight lifting of his lips, he was amused."Dragons are more interested in the strength of the mental connection they can form with you than in testing you for flight acrobatics. And since you've already communicated with most of them, and they all know who you are and what you can do, you'll be the most sought-after cadet. You'll have your pick of dragons."
It should have been a relief, but it wasn't. What if they started fighting over me? What if they chose me for the prestige of bonding with the Hero of Elucia and future shaman instead of choosing me for who I was as a person?
This bond was for life, stronger than marriage and sometimes more lasting. It shouldn't form for the wrong reasons.
"How does the choosing work exactly?"
No one had explained the process, keeping what transpired on the Day of Volition shrouded in mystery.
"It's instinctual," Onyx said in my mind. "You'll know which dragon is meant for you, whether you like it or not."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
