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“How am I doing?” I brought my face near hers.

She swatted in my direction. “After kidnapping me, I might add.”

“Maybe focus on climbing before you fall off the landing and break your pretty face.”

Her cheeks pinked. She liked me calling her pretty. “Shut it and let me focus.”

I mentally sealed my lips, waiting for her to try and get a leg up.

She lifted the strap of the bag over her head and settled it across her body, and after an awkward minute, she made it up to my back.

“Now what?” she asked, getting comfortable on the flat plane between my shoulder blades.

“Hold on to the spikes.”

“That’s it? There are no more safety precautions than ‘hold on, good luck’?” Fear crept into her words.

“Theoretically, magic helps us. A bit like magnets. But since ours isn’t melded yet, and really, you have none to speak of, maybe pray to the Goddess?”

“You want me to pray to stay on? That’s your advice?”

I could feel her losing her nerve, so I launched into the air before she could jump off.

Fingers dug at my scales, finding grips on my spikes. “What are you doing?” she shrieked.

“Flying, last time I checked.”

“I’m going to f—” The wind cut her off mid-scream

I rumbled a laugh. “Sol, I can hear you much better if you say it in here?”

“I said I’m going to fall!” she repeated in an equally loud scream right into my mind. I cringed, but it was too funny.

“Don’t laugh! I’m going to fall off, and then you’ll have to explain why I’m splattered on the palace wall when they said not to fly. Goddess, save me!” She grabbed at different places, trying to find the most secure way to hold on.

“Try to relax, Sol,” I said, beating my wings to get above the palace quickly. It was a steep climb that I knew would terrify her, but I wanted to get clear of the grounds as fast as possible. We really should have walked out and launched from a place outside the palace, but I was in the moment. Now I just wanted to leave without anyone spotting Zaria on my back.

“Relax? Are you out of your mind?” She held on for her life, grappling against gravity as we climbed.

I wouldn’t break her focus by telling her she was doing an amazing job holding on. This was no beginner flight, and she was doing great. It was like magic kept her in her seat, but I didn’t feel it between us no matter how hard I tried to reach out to it.

When I hit the altitude I wanted, I leveled out. For a moment, she went less rigid. Then I banked away from the palace.

She screamed, and I laughed.

“You’re safe, Sol. It’s my job to keep you on until we get better. I told you that you have to trust me.”

She brought her fist down on my back. “Bastard!”

“So angry today. You really should work on that.”

“Goddess,” Zaria gasped, voice trembling.

“Too high?” A lot of ryders had to overcome a fear of heights when they began.

“No. It’s beautiful up here.”

“Do you not remember from when we flew in?”