Page 26 of Flameborne: Chosen

“I wouldn’t have thought so—Akhane’s heritage is speedandstrength. She’s large for a female. I had her tagged for battle. But she’s very young to Choose. It’s possible we’ve misunderstood her nature. Perhaps this is her way of shifting the expectation?”

I rubbed my chin. “It would explain a lot. I’ll ask Kgosi.”

While the others leaned into each other’s ears, muttering and sighing, I reached for my dragon. Of course, he’d already been listening.

‘Do you believe, Donavyn, that I would not have told you if Akhane were attempting to manipulate her future? Do you believe she’d need to?’he sent with pompous disapproval.‘Dragons are not like humans, weaccept the Creator’s plan. If she weren’t destined for battle, she’d simply tell me. She wouldn’t choose a female to force the outcome.’

‘It’s a question worth asking,’I replied.‘You’re an ancient, accustomed to leading. Of course you’d have the confidence to step away from the expectations of others. But, Akhane? She’s young. She may be afraid to tell you.”

Kgosi growled.‘She has the heart and strength for battle, and aims for it.Do not reduce her Chosen because she’s inconvenient.’

‘I won’t reduce the girl if you’re sure, but it would be cruel to send them into the trials if either of them isn’t capable. It’s risky for our fittest and strongest men. Females might be killed before they even reach the challenge!’

‘They’re both capable. Treat Little Flame as you would any Flameborne who comes with a need to strengthen their body.’

‘Kgosi, she’s awoman.No matter how she trains, she’ll never match—’

‘She doesn’t need to match a man—she needs to show the strength and gifts the Creator gave her that a man may not have. She will rise, or she will fall—but she has been Chosen. Don’t assume her failure.’

I sighed, giving up my last hope that this might not be the all-consuming obstacle that it appeared to be.

“Very well,” I breathed, mentally acknowledging Kgosi’s judgment. Then I turned back to the others. “Akhane aims for battle. Bren will need to be trained. And we’ll be starting from scratch—as we would with any particularly young, or unconditioned man.”

A groan went up from Mont. Olve and Gunnar looked thoughtful. The others Barak and the others, remained quiet, following the lead of their superiors.

“I told the Wing Leaders to meet me in an hour to select her squad. By then, I need to be much clearer on the best way to acknowledge her and integrate her into our ranks. I want your ideas—both practical and unusual. This has never happened before. It may take a process outside our traditions to make it work.”

The men grumbled for a moment, but to my relief, they then turned their minds from their personal misgivings, to solving the problem.

The men here were the Commanders of the Wings—the Captains and Lieutenants of the three legions of Furyknights, Flyer, Flame, and Fang. They’d make the decisions and communicate them to those under their authority. But this structured hierarchy was also reflected in each squad. When these men made decisions, they’d take them to the Wing Captains, and Wing Lieutenants, who in turn would lead the specialists and sergeants under them.

The reflection was so stark that I knew however these men chose to address this problem would filter down through the ranks below them.

Without hesitation the men in this room turned discussion to solve the problem of how to assist Bren and Akhane in assimilating, and what wouldneed to be adjusted from our usual process with a male Flameborne. With pride and some relief, I watched the frowns and impatient tones turn from complaints or protests to authority and solutions. We all knew we were in positions of leadership for a reason. We didn’t have time to bemoan the fact that a familiar path had taken us to an unexpected destination. We needed to focus our energy on finding our way through the unknown terrain.

“…it just isn’t practical to house her in the barracks. If she’s poor, she’s likely been sheltered. She’s probably a virgin, and even if she had brothers, no young woman ofanyquality is equipped to suddenly live with fifty men.”

“We could give her one of the groom’s cottages?”

“No,” Olve growled. “It would look as if she were being given special treatment. If she’s to have any chance to truly integrate, they must see her working her way.”

I nodded. “I agree on that point, but for her to be housed with the others puts her in a position of disadvantage theydon’thave. One woman among fifty men? Hundreds? Even in the smallest barrack she’s sharing a room with ten, and a wing with eighty. It’s not going to work. She needs to experience the same deprivations, but without putting her in any kind of danger.”

“Our men should not be dangerous to a woman,” Feroz, the retired Commander, and my mentor, growled.

I met his eyes evenly. “I agree. But we’re dealing with young, competitive men under a great deal of pressure. The addition of a female to that is tinder to a flame.”

Mont cursed again. “Even keeping hersafe,doesn’t keep her safe. Our men have been taught since they sucked their mother’s tits that women are for protecting, andtumbling.Her role in their lives will contradict everything they’ve known both in the Dragon Keep, and outside it. Even with appropriate boundaries, heads will constantly turn—either to enjoy the sight of her, or to watch after her. The distraction alone…” He threw up his hands and cursed again.

Around and around we went, every decision we made only leading to further questions, until even my head spun.

When Mont insisted that she should be forced to do the trials out of order so her weakness was evident and she would fail quickly—and thus, be safe—I put a stop to the conversation.

“We will not workagainsta Flameborne,” I growled. “We trust the Dragons, and the God who leads them. She will not be harmed—or coddled. She’ll be tested, just like the others. She’s here for a reason, and we’ll find it. But before we can do that, she must be acknowledged, and housed, and we’ll need to choose her squad.”

The tension in the room ratcheted up a notch, but no one argued.

I kept my tone firm and calm. “I’ll speak with the Wing Leaders. Once we know where she’s going, we’ll identify a servant’s room, orsomethingthat keeps her safe and dry, but offers no more comfort than the barracks. After she’s acknowledged, we’ll set some ground rules to keep her comfortable while she trains among the men. You have the day. Write down your suggestions and bring them to my office after the dinner hour. We’ll meet and agree then, and communicate any new rules to the ranks tomorrow. Thank you for answering the call, brothers. Pray for me—for all of us. It appears the Furyknight world has shifted on its axis today.”