As if he had been summoned by my thoughts, Fear entered the chamber. He did not look as if he had ridden for days; he looked bright and rested, his posture tall. His clean purple cloak flowed behind him. He did not look in my direction. But just as I felt an unbearable awareness of him, I wondered if he felt the same for me.
Then it was Bismyth’s turn.
Sera stepped into the scorched circle. She almost never looked serious, her eyes always creasing into half-moons with laughter even in danger, but now her face was etched with worry. Even Sera had run out of jokes.
She spoke the words and then paused, waiting. I held my breath with her.
Then she lit from within, her eyes shining.
For one breathless moment her face was entirely undone, stripped of the worry and the laughter, just the full, sudden presence of something immense returning. Then the half-moonscame back. The laugh that came out of her was high and pure and helpless, almost childish with delight.
“Brightstar!”
The chamber exhaled, all but laughing with her. I did too.
Then Kiegan stepped forward, and all the joy died in my throat.Please. Please. Please. Let Kiegan be claimed.
It took me a moment to feel the weight on my shoulder. Ander gripped my shoulder to give me strength as I watched my best friend head into the scorched center of the room. I hadn’t realized he was my best friend until now. Now that I couldn’t breathe.
Kiegan strode quickly to the altar. Slapped his hands onto the altar. Spoke the words of invitation in a rush. It was as if he were trying to move too quickly for his fear to catch up.
One. Nothing.
Two. Nothing.
Three. When I cast a worried glance at Ander, he squeezed my shoulder; the fact he comforted me felt worrisome.
Four.
Had he moved too quickly? Offended the dragons?
Five.
Then the Claiming hit him.
It looked like being struck by a power both invisible and immense. Kiegan almost lost his legs, hands pressing harder into the altar stone, his head dropping before he raised himself up again. Whatever the dragon had shown him or given him or spoken to him in that instant had landed with great weight.
Whatever the dragons had seen, they had chosen him.
His gaze found me in the crowd and let out the rare, booming laugh he made when something surprised him past his defenses. He had not expected to be chosen. I grinned back.
From the look we exchanged, I knew what he was thinking. I had been right that he would be claimed, and I would be extremely insufferable about it later at the earliest opportunity.
Kiegan being chosen was the gift. The gloating was just a bow on top.
“Ironheart,” he called to the crowd, but even more so, to me.
I had guessed Ironheart would claim him, but he hadn’t believed me. Oh, Iwasgoing to be insufferable than I had ever been in my life, not even to my own brother.
Even as I wondered if Fear’s gaze had traced over that name in his book and he had known.
The joy in the chamber at the Claiming went on was wild with relief. Some cried out their dragon’s names. Others stood in stunned silence. The chamber was full of the sound of people becoming that which they had hoped they might be. Dreams, gripped in one fist all their lives alongside the risk of death in the other, unfurled to the world.
I was glad that no one witnessed this but us. And for the first time, it felt as if there was anus,as if all the shifters were united.
Iven stepped forward, laid his hands on the sigil, and nothing happened.
He repeated the words of invitation. Nothing.
