Page 99 of Ashborne: Defiance

“…It’s exciting that you already have some skill,” she said later, kindly brushing aside all the ways I’d obscured the truth from her while we were in Fyrehold. “That will help you. And Koa will be able to help. The dragons have accepted her, which means they’ll also acknowledge you. She can help you understand your place as she takes hers. And the officers will decide which squad you belong in. Then you’ll meet your squad brothers and have your first flight and—wait, you’ve already flown! Did you ride Koa?”

“No,” I said sadly. “We didn’t have a harness, and I kept falling off when we landed.”

“Don’t worry about that. We all do that. And it’s harder for you and me because we aren’t as strong as the men,” Bren confided. “But I can help you adjust your harness so it’s easier to tack her up—I had to do that for Akhane’s. And even if you aren’t in my squad, I can help you. Sometimes the brothers get a little blind and don’t understand that we need to do things differently. I won’t let them forget that for you. And Donavyn’s very aware, don’t worry.”

My head spun, but my heart swelled with warmth and gratitude. I wanted to cry—I really needed sleep. I swallowed the pinch back and squeezed her hand.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said, my voice hitching. Bren leaned forward and hugged me again.

“I’m more glad. I’m not the only woman now!” she said with a soft laugh. “And Diaan—the queen—is making sure other women know they’ll be accepted and respected if they want to work with the dragons. The men are still skeptical, of course. But they can hardly argue with the queen.”

That part was shocking to me. The king had passed away—the most powerful ruler in the territories! It had happened while we were stuck in Koa’s heat and Fyrehold hadn’t heard yet when Voski visited the castle. With no heir for succession, I was stunned that Vosgaarde hadn’t devolved into civil war. Queen Diaan ‘en del Rea must be a formidable woman.

If the Fyrehold king had passed, our kingdom would have been at war within hours.

“…I’m sorry, I’m going on and on about this. I’m sure you’re exhausted. I’ll try not to jump too far ahead.”

“No, please,” I assured her. “I want to hear all of it. I am tired—I was, from all the flying—but right now I feel like I could fly for another week!”

Bren laughed. “I’m glad to hear that. And it’s really good that you’ve already had practice and training in flight. That will help you a lot. I’m sure you’ll pass your flight assessment far more quickly than I did.”

“Assessment?”

Bren took a deep breath and I saw shadows flicker in her eyes. “Yes, every Flameborne has to pass a flight assessment before you can fly alone and begin to train for the trials. You have to be able to tack up, mount, launch, fly in formation, and land without help. Until you can do that, you aren’t allowed to fly solo, or train for more complicated duties. But don’t worry, your squad will help you, and so will I. We’ll get you there quickly.”

I nodded. Voski had described those steps to me as well, though more as a warning not to get cocky, because I still had a long way to go before I could even fly solo, let alone train.

“And don’t worry about the trials. You’ll have as much time to train as you need. But, oh. We’ll have to figure out a place to bed you. You can’t sleep in the barracks with the men.”

My head jerked back. I hadn’t even considered. A barracks?

“Do they not have rooms? I can learn to keep a room and—”

“No, no,” Bren laughed, her eyes widening. “The men sleep in large rooms, all together. They share sleeping and bathing quarters. Trust me, we’ll find you a place that’s private.”

“Well, I’ve just spent a week sleeping on the ground. I suppose I could sleep anywhere. I was really looking forward to a bath, though.” My body ached at the thought.

Bren grimaced. “Yes, we’ll figure it out. Don’t worry. I’ll talk to the healers and… Grace have you ever had to bathe outside?”

“When I wasn’t traveling?”

My shock was interrupted by the distant scream of a dragon—and a rush of joy in my chest.

Koa.

She still wasn’t using words, but there was a flicker in my head of her flying alongside Kham, among dozens of dragons, all of them calling and singing. And she was so happy.

She might not have used words to describe it, but her images were accompanied by a feeling that simultaneously thrilled and saddened me.

She belonged. She was welcomed. She was embraced as a part of something bigger than herself, and it brought her purpose.

I had to take a deep breath to swallow the tears that wanted to rise.

Bren didn’t notice. She’d turned toward a window at the end of the hallway and tipped her head as if she was listening. “The dragons?”

“Yes.” I cleared my throat.

“Is your dragon feeling calm now? Is she telling you what’s happening? Do you understand how the herd works?”