Page 114 of Flameborne: Chosen

I frowned. Was that good or bad?

The Captain’s jaw flexed. “That roll. Who taught you that?”

“No one, Sir. I heard my Wing Captain talk about the move, and when it was clear we couldn’t hold the line without tangling, it seemed like the only option. Akhane knew it, so I just held on.”

A snort left the Captain’s nostrils almost as loud as the dragons behind him. “Furyknights do not simplyhang on,Kearney. It was reckless and dangerous, and I don’t ever want to see you attempt a move on your dragon in the proximity of others that you have not practiced alone first, are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“It was also incredibly brave. Frankly, I didn’t think you had the balls. Which you don’t. And yet—well, you know what I mean.”

Suddenly he seemed flustered, and a few of the men behind him chuckled. He snapped his head around to glare at them and they quieted immediately.

At his side, Donavyn hadn’t laughed, but he looked like he was fighting it.

“In any case, I’m going to give you one instruction, Kearney:listen for your fucking orders next time.Focus and concentration only help us when we’re following orders, do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Very good. Then… Sir?” Gunnar turned to Donavyn and opened a hand towards us. “I’m going to let you make this call. Their skills are clearly sufficient to continue. But I question their judgment.”

Donavyn turned to look at each of us in turn. Gone was the good-humored, patient-but-firm trainer I’d been seeing several times a week until the last few days when he had become unavoidably busy. And in his place was the legendary Commander, the Furyknight’s youngest Battle General. And a fucking intimidating man.

“Captain Gunnar and I disagree on what we saw tonight. Some of you here today should thank God that you aren’t being reprimanded and sent to the scatpits for discipline. But only you know your hearts.”

He gave a quick glance to Faren, then to me. His lips thinned.

“However, it was also some of the best flying we’ve seen in assessment for a while. And the bonds between you and your dragons are deepening in ways we greatly appreciate.” He smiled at Saul, then, who beamed. “With that in mind, I’m passing all of you. You may now fly solo and without permission from your Wing Captains,but,for fuck’s sake, all of you think long and hard about how your choices affect not only yourselves and your brothers—and sister—but your dragons. If Bich is required to heal another Flameborne during maneuvers again, I’m going to have some very serious questions, are we clear?”

“Yes, Sir!” we all barked back.

Donavyn nodded. Then he smiled. “Then congratulations, Flameborne. You have reached your first summit. You are now dragon riders in truth. Well done.”

Thrill and disbelief coursed through me as I turned to Saul, who turned to me, both of us gaping—then we threw our arms around each other. He lifted me off my feet and swung me around, then dropped me back and we clasped hands.

“I’ll fly with you any day of the week, Flameborne Kearney!” he said happily.

“Same here, Flameborne Saul!”

Then we were swarmed by our squads. I hadn’t even known my squad was here except Ronen, who’d told me he always attended his Flameborne’s assessments and trials. But my brothers rushed me, picked me up cheering—laughing when the dragons threw their heads up and called into the sky to be answered by any within earshot—and then carried me out of the clearing on their shoulders, chanting. And their words forced me to swallow tears.

Come look. Come see.

She’s Chosen.

Flameborne riding high.

Come look. Come see.

She’s Chosen.

Flameborne in the skies!

They didn’t stop until they’d carried me all the way back to the dining hall. I could hear others being cheered and chanted by their squads as well, but it faded into the background because, apart from my humble family, I’d never felt like a part of something bigger, or stronger than myself. I’d never felt like Ibelonged.

But for those few minutes, I forgot everything else that had happened to get me to this point, and just basked in the success.

It was the best moment of my life.