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Caught in watching the beauty of the creatures from the Old Religion, I glanced around, and noticed that it was only Luella, Damian, Angie, myself, and our dragons left on the graveled summit of the mountain.

“Ready?” Angie asked. I wasn’t sure if I would ever be ready.

“Don’t be nervous,”Belle said, and I smiled.

“Damian, will you be riding with her?” she queried, motioning toward me. Damian's gaze shifted my way, waiting to hear my response. As the memory of the arrow piercing my back flooded my mind, a sharp ache throbbed relentlessly, echoing not just in my body but in the depths of my soul. The trauma of the sorcerer's betrayal lingered like a haunting shadow, leaving scars that ran deeper than mere flesh wounds. Yet I pushed the thoughts away, wanting to restore what I had with Damian–wanting to make things right again.

“Sure,” I said to Angie. Luella looked between the both of us, a glint of curiosity in her eye. She knew something was happening between us, but no one wanted to get in the middle.

“Alright. So what we will be practicing today is how to mount your dragon and ways to communicate as you ride,” Angie announced.

“Wait! But we already practiced this last time! You said we could work on themaxz!” Luella proclaimed

“We can work on themaxzif Luella would like. I have already climbed Belle a few times.” I wanted to say that it was easier for me because Belle was still very young and was not that big. She was only double my size, so still a little complicated, but nothing I couldn’t practice. However, I didn’t want to offend Belle or make her self-conscious.

“Pretty please, GG!” exclaimed Luella.

Angie rolled her eyes and nodded. “Luella, what if Aurelia is incapable of climbing Belle?” I blinked quickly and shook my head backward, taken aback by her abrasiveness.

“Excuse me?” I asked, knowing that I was very capable of climbing Belle by myself.

“Oh, Aurelia, don’t worry. I know that it’s not Belle! There's no need to get so defensive. Anyway, but if Aurelia really thinks that she can mount Belle properly, then I guess that we can move on. Okay, Luella?” My mouth was gaping open at her remarks, unsure how to respond.

“She is very well capable of mounting Belle. Right, Belle?” Damian piped in, Belle bowing her head in response.

“What is her problem?”I asked Belle. She shook her snout, not wanting to be involved with the drama.

“Now. Themaxz,” Angie said.

1.Maxz (Mahz): Ability

2.Meiinaraux (Mee-naw-raw-ooh): Loker’s dragon

3.Zemoumai (Ehm-ow-may): Sorry

4.Waimanimet (Way-mawn-imet): Abner’s dragon

5.Teiimanam (Tee-maw-nawm): Clemmy’s dragon

Chapter fifty

AURELIA

“Maxzq1 can be difficult, especially if it is not the same ability that you have as a Scaleborne. When combined, the elements can be more confusing to work with, and learning how to separate the two unique abilities.”

When I looked at Luella, her light blue dragon was next to her, nestling in close. Her dragon was probably twenty-five feet tall, making it almost impossible for her to mount him. He was aClanstan2 breed, making hismaxz3 ice. His body was slick and smooth, the scales nowhere near as aggressive as the other breeds. He had a thin snout and two large horns that were narrow and would slightly curl at the end as they reached out two feet behind his head.

How in the world was she able to mount him?

Belle approached, closing the distance between us until she stood just inches away. Her snout was firm and square. I laid myhand on her, giving her some sort of comfort, if she was nervous at all. Or maybe it was to ease my hatred toward Angie.

“Aurelia, do you know what Belle’smaxzis for you?” Angie questioned.

I tilted my head slightly, stealing a glance at Belle beside me. Her gaze met mine, her golden eyes revealing an emotion I struggled to decipher. With a furrowed brow, I hesitated, uncertainty flickering in my own expression. "No," I replied, redirecting my attention back to Angie, a sense of unease lingering in the air between us.

“I was worried about that,” she said, raising her arm to her forehead and wiping sweat from the beating sun. “Well, if she hasn’t already told you, her breed is known as ‘Machmuax4,’ which you know translates to connection. Theirmaxzdepends on what resonates to you as their connection,” she explained.

“What does that mean?” I asked.