Page 17 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

“We all know that it’s impossible to identify a Flameborne’s gifts until they’re in training and tested.

So, I can’t make any reassurances about what assets she may possess.

But I can say this: The Creator doesn’t make mistakes.

She’s Chosen by a dragon and here for a reason.

It’s up to us to figure out what that is.

Could it be that she won’t pass the trials?

Of course. That can be true for any Flameborne.

But she’ll be provided every opportunity, just as any male Chosen would be. ”

I stopped then, waiting. The men looked at each other. The Wing Lieutenants watched their Wing Captains, the Wing Captains watched each other.

Moments later, still no one had spoken up, and I was growing angry.

“So, I stand in a circle of men expected to lead our ranks for the coming generation, and not one of you feels equipped to train and prepare a challenging Flameborne?” I snarled. “Have I truly raised men too cowardly, or too lazy to—”

“We’ll take her,” a voice said quietly. Perhaps a touch sullenly.

Everyone turned.

Ronen. He was one of the older Wing Captains.

Already thirty-four, I’d mentally pegged him for promotion in the coming year.

If I remember correctly, his squad was fairly developed and had an even spread of Flame, Fang, and Flyer, too.

That meant, whichever way the new pair turned out to be gifted, they’d have mentors.

Assuming the men were dedicated enough to offer it.

I reached for Kgosi. ‘Ronen has offered. What do you think?’

Kgosi, drowsy, and always overconfident, gave me a mental shrug. ‘She is meant to be. Her place will be revealed, however you choose.’

‘But the men, they’re reluctant.’

‘Humans always lack faith in this way—unwilling to be pushed to the greater heights they could reach. Why do you think the Creator gave us to you?’

I blinked. That was a perspective he’d expressed before, but not quite so succinctly.

‘You don’t think she needs maturity and strength around her to give her the best chance?’

‘Of course she does. But her path will not be determined by her team. Only influenced.’

I frowned. ‘Influence is critical to a growing, maturing heart.’

‘Actually, Donavyn, resilience is critical. She needs support, not a crutch. Don’t see her femaleness as anything more than a difference. She brings strengths the others cannot. They will have strengths she does not. It’s the way of this life.’

‘I agree, but—’

‘Give her to Ronen,’ Kgosi intoned—and I had the distinct impression he was ruffling his wings with impatience. ‘Wherever she’s placed, she’ll become what she’s meant to be. The journey may be different, but the result will be the same.’

I sighed. It was a hazard of intimacy with dragons that their supernatural senses made their faith in the unseen unshakeable. But their certainty sometimes resulted in annoyance with our questions.

I took Kgosi’s point, but still believed there was wisdom to be applied. I didn’t want to set her up for any more failure than would come by virtue of her weakness—

‘She is not weak. She is differently strong,’ Kgosi growled. ‘You humans are so determined to allocate every measure to black or white, wet or dry. You miss the beauty of complementary gifts.’

‘Keg, she’s unsure of herself as a person to the point of timidity. That is not strength.’

There was a moment where I felt the scrutiny of my dragon—an uncomfortable prickling as if he looked straight through the walls and distance between us and measured every ounce of my insides.

‘You would prefer she marched arrogantly into this role with foolish bravado, like a certain young buck I once knew?’ he asked pointedly.

I ground my teeth. ‘It’s not the same thing.’

‘It is precisely the same thing. You were not Chosen for your maturity and leadership. You were Chosen for the gifts the Creator gave you—and what they could become. She is the same. As is every Flameborne who ever bonded a dragon.’

‘Not all of them succeed!’ I pointed out.

Kgosi sniffed. ‘Not all of them achieve the bar by which you define success. Every one who follows the path, reaches the destination they were intended for—whether it’s the one they thought they aimed for, or not.’

I was frustrated. The men talked quietly. A few of them questioned Ronen. They knew I spoke with my dragon and they would wait. But Ronen’s eyes were on me, his expression difficult to read. Probably because he wasn’t sure whether he wanted me to affirm this or not.

‘If she fails in this, we lose Akhane as a battle dragon.’

‘If Akhane cannot bring her through this, they were never intended for battle,’ Kgosi shot back.

‘But you said—’

‘I said don’t underestimate them. Don’t limit their opportunity. Let them fly. Only the Creator knows where they’re intended to land.’

I sighed and would have thrown up my hands, but I knew he was right. I would never stop her from trying, and she would be better placed in a squad where there was at least a reluctant willingness to try.

‘Then I suppose the Creator has revealed where she should be placed.’

‘I believe this is what I said at the beginning.’

God, he could be so smug. ‘Thank you, Kgosi. Please return to your nap. Don’t let my need to keep lives safe disturb you. ’

There was a rush of amusement and smug satisfaction in the bond that made me grit my teeth.

But when he spoke, my dragon’s tone was warm.

‘Donavyn, please don’t ever hesitate to interrupt my sleep to help you figure your shit out.

I wouldn’t be succeeding at my purpose if I wasn’t available to you. ’

I huffed, but I fought a smile. My dragon was a self-important ass. But he’d kind of earned it.

‘Ronen it is,’ I sent.

‘What a startling result,’ Kgosi sent dryly.

I turned my mind away from him and locked eyes with Ronen, nodding.

His jaw tightened, but he nodded once in return.

“She’ll go to Ronen’s Squad, then,” I said formally.

“Now, I’m meeting with the Captains after the dinner hour to determine any rules or codes of conduct that will be needed to make sure her training isn’t hindered by her femaleness.

If any of you have suggestions or questions you’d like answered, I have a few minutes.

And I can take your thoughts to the others. ”

Just as my Captains had, once the decision was made, the men settled into their work, but I saw more than one sly grin thrown at Ronen, and more than one relieved face among the others.

I didn’t like that they were taking some delight in seeing Ronen saddled with a problem, so before we left the room, I made another announcement.

“Ronen, given the unique nature of this particular Flameborne and the potential impacts for all of the Furyknights, I want to be clear that I make myself available to you and your squad as needed. Please don’t hesitate to have your dragons reach out to Kgosi, or to send a messenger for my attention any time it’s needed. ”

The others all went still at that. They would envy the offer. The personal attention of the Commander was a great honor among the squads, who were still young enough to believe that my rank made me more than an average man.

Kgosi snorted in my head, but I ignored him.

“If there are no more questions, we’re done here,” I said briskly. “Ronen, I’d like to speak with you before you leave—we’ve already solved the housing question, but there are many more. And I think you should attend the meeting tonight with the Captains…”

I’d been preparing to introduce him into the leadership council anyway. It seemed the time was now.

As the others muttered and joked their way out of the room in twos and threes, calling jibes to each other, and gossiping, Ronen crossed towards me instead.

He was an even-keeled sort of man. He rode a greenscale, a beautiful male.

Eight years ago, when I’d raised him to Wing Lieutenant, I’d used him to help steady and unify a fracturing squad that had lost a member.

He’d risen to the challenge with impressive dedication and steadiness.

Now he led the most mature and steadfast squad in the Dragon Keep.

Well, I needed him to do it again. Given the way these men—the leaders among our rank and file—had reacted to her appearance, I was beginning to think Feroz’s doom-laden concern for how she might affect the Furyknights as a society weren’t as pessimistic as I’d believed.

And that thought made me curse.