Thrane's hand raises, a silent plea for me to stop talking. "Dragons. You and I are focused on dragon riding. That's it. Any other topic of discussion is no longer permitted. Understood?"
I exhale a defeated sigh and nod. "Understood."
"Good." He clasps his hands behind his back. "Now did you hear anything I said before?"
I grimace. "No."
The Frost Elf stares heavenward. "Right." He motions to Vidarr, standing at the far end of the arena. "All dragons are different so I can teach you the fundamentals of dragon riding, but I cannot help you connect or bond with Vidarr."
"Is that your disclaimer in case I piss him off and get myself killed?"
"Precisely," he bobs his head, no display of emotion. "Now, Black Dragons are known for speed and above all their tempers."
"What do you mean?" I arch a brow. I hadn't heard that fun fact before. "Is he known to be angry?"
"I would use the word aggressive"
"That's… great." Sarcasm rips between me and the Frost Elf, but Thrane isn't bothered.
"Yes," the Frost Elf agrees. "Aggressive is exactly what you want in battle. Not like the Bavan pixie dragons or the Dwarven cave dragons."
"The green and brown cave dragons are supposedly vicious like their Dwarven riders," I correct, based on my research.
"Vicious as in grumpy. Not aggressive. Dwarves lose their tempers over mild inconveniences, just like their dragons." Thrane throws a hand up, questions are no longer permitted. "The point is, the Black Dragons are not to be trifled with. You will have to work hard to garner his trust and affection. Right now, he is drawn to your magic. But for you two to truly bond and be a force to be reckoned with, you'll need to prove you are worthy."
"How do I do that?"
"Approach him," Thrane says as if I should have known that.
Approach him. Simple enough. I don't argue with the Frost Elf because there's literally no point. He'll huff and threaten me if I don't and I am in no mood for extra steps to reap the same results. I watched Shaye train, so I know how Thrane can be.
I press toward Vidarr who eyes me with keen interest. He doesn't make a move to meet me, but doesn't give any indication my approach isn't welcome.
"Stop there," Thrane instructs and I obey. "Now, raise your hand, palm out, and wait for him to meet you. If Vidarr has indeed chosen you to be his rider, this will be our sign."
I toss Thrane a narrow-eyed glare over my shoulder. "Are you saying he hasn't claimed me yet?" I hiss. "In the council meeting you said – "
"Dragons aren't an open-book study, Atlas." Thrane rolls his eyes, cutting me off. "Calm down and keep your palm out."
"And if he doesn't claim me?"
"Then I will have a lot of explaining to do when Aurelia grieves your loss." Thrane points at Vidarr. "Palm out." When I hesitate, Thrane groans. "I swear, you're no better than Aurelia at following directions."
"I can hear you, Thrane," Shaye's voice rings out from the stands and draws a smile from me.
"Good," he barks back. "Now hush. Palm out, Atlas. Why are you hesitating?"
"Forgive me, I don't want to be eaten," I snarl, my eyes back on the dragon. "I'd like to get back to Shaye at the end of the night."
"Vidarr will turn you into a pillar of salt before he eats you." If Thrane meant that as a comfort, it fell dreadfully short. "Now, palm out, or I'm leaving and you can explain to those two pompous idiots in your uncle's court why you failed."
I hate to admit it, but Thrane's right. I can't stand here gawking at the beast all day. And if I fail, it's not for Thrane's lack of explanation. It'll boil down to me being cowardly and I won't accept failure. But there's a small part of me afraid if I do make physical contact with Vidarr again, he'll show me another vision. The last one gave me bags under my eyes.
Fuck. I can't stand here all day. I can't be afraid forever. As my father says, "You might be scared, but do it anyway." Time to be brave.
I suck in a sharp breath, extend my hand, and wait. It seems like a small eternity before Vidarr shows any sign of movement. But just as I'm about to abandon all hope of him meeting me in the middle, Vidarr takes a step. And then another. And then another. Though the earth trembles beneath me with each step he takes, I keep my footing. I stand my ground until he's right in front of me. I nearly break my neck staring up at him. He's enormous.
My palm is still outstretched. Finally, the dragon presses his snout against my hand and a wave of emotion crashes into me. I run the pads of my fingers across his scales once again overwhelmed by the magnitude of this moment. When he flew in yesterday and approached me, I felt as if a piece of me I didn't realize was missing was restored. Now, I feel like there's a taut string between us. A bond. One we can cultivate together.
