Page 20 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

“Ah, you’ve been healed,” Terra said, her brows rising as she beamed at me. “What a blessing! It happens sometimes with the dragon bond. But what a lovely surprise—oh, well done, Akhane!”

She gave a little clap and smiled at me .

I was taken aback. “They can heal us?”

“Not always,” Terra said with a shrug, her pretty eyes shining.

“Some of the dragons are powerful healers. But even among the others, the bond often brings some healing with it—the dragons are so much stronger and healthier than us. The bond brings some of that life into the Flameborne. I am so pleased that it happened for you if you were hurting. Can I ask what occurred?”

“I was kicked by a horse,” I lied quickly, the same lie I’d tried to tell my parents at first. “It caused bleeding and it’s been very painful.”

Terra’s brows shot higher. “That is quite a significant blow. Are you certain all is well? Sometimes when we’ve been very excited, or very scared, our bodies can smother pain.”

“I’m certain,” I said, pressing my fingers into the soft swell of my stomach. “It’s remarkable.”

Terra didn’t look reassured, but she urged me to eat again, and because I was starving, I took her at her word, sat on the edge of the bed, and put the plate in my lap. The food was delicious, and still warm, though the gravy was beginning to congeal.

“Would you like to sit down?” I asked her around a mouthful of food. “I can move the blankets—”

“Thank you, I’ll be fine,” she said, smiling as she picked up the stack of blankets and moved it aside before I could.

Then she settled on the edge of the bed next to me.

“I only wanted to speak with you, to take your medical history, make certain you have anything you need. Then I’ll leave you to rest with Akhane.

The Choosing is a big day for everyone. I’m sure you’re weary. ”

She had no idea, but I wouldn’t be the one to speak of it. I was just glad to be eating.

She waited for me to take a little more food, then asked me several questions about how old I was, how long I’d been bleeding, illnesses or injuries I’d experienced, of which there were few. I was able to answer her quickly.

“And that horse kick—how long ago was that?”

The food hurt in my throat going down. “A… few weeks?”

“Have you had a new cycle since then?”

I shook my head and looked down at the plate. “I mean, it caused bleeding. I wouldn’t know if they were the same, or—”

“How long was it between the first day of your cycle and that injury? How many weeks?”

I frowned. Suddenly the food tasted like sawdust in my mouth. “It was… I’m not sure… I think two or three weeks before?” I said quietly, then took another mouthful, keeping my eyes on the food.

Terra was quiet for a moment, then when she spoke, her voice was very gentle.

“Bren, I know this has been a trying day. And there will be many challenges to come. Part of a Furyknight’s life is prioritizing their dragons and the work they do as a Pair over all else. You are a very pretty young woman and from this day on you will be surrounded by men.”

She left that statement hanging, and hang it did—a storm cloud over my head and shoulders that made my stomach clench. Still without pain, though.

I could feel her looking at me from the side and prayed my cheeks didn’t flush.

I didn’t mind men individually—especially honorable ones. But groups of them made me uneasy. Living and working here would be a challenge.

Terra cleared her throat. “Part of my role as a healer is to be a place of safety,” she said quietly.

“Safety for anyone, at any time. That includes keeping the confidence of those I’m helping.

Even—or perhaps especially information which might be wisely kept from most,” she said carefully.

Then she sighed. “I’m going to speak plainly, Bren.

” She put a gentle hand on my arm, her fingers calloused, but clean.

“I know a recipe of herbs that will ensure you don’t become pregnant,” she said very, very quietly.

“I provide them to many women working around the Keep. If you would like some, I could—”

“No!” I gasped. “No, I wouldn’t… that won’t be… I don’t need—”

“You’ll receive no judgment from me, Bren,” she added.

“I have always been frustrated by our society's judgment of only women who engage in acts that are not possible without the participation of the man, also. And trust me, I offer these herbs to every female. Many, many of them use them. We are surrounded by handsome, dashing men who live lives of heroism and strength. They can be difficult to resist.”

Ruin, smiling down at me, touching my hair, whispering of my beauty and his need for me, as his body hardened to prove him true—

I recoiled from the memory, but Terra thought I jerked away from her. She took her hand from my arm immediately and leaned back to give me space.

“I’m sorry—please, Bren. I never meant to hurt or scare you. The men here are good men, with good hearts. I’m just aware they can be persuasive . Please don’t be afraid—”

“I’m not,” I said more sharply than I intended, my cheeks growing hot. “You only startled me, that’s all. I’m not worried about you offering that. It’s very thoughtful. Only, I won’t be needing them. And… and that’s all.” God, I wanted to weep again.

‘Don’t despair, Little Flame. The Creator has a grand purpose for you. We’ll see it together.’

Akhane’s voice was so tender and sweet. I didn’t know how to respond, except to murmur thank you.

I felt her warm approval and shook my head. This bond was stunning .

“I’m sorry I startled you,” Terra said, unaware of my conversation with my dragon.

“And I’m sorry if my words seemed unkind, or prying.

Just know if you ever have questions, or need a sympathetic ear, or help with anything, you come to me.

I’ll help you myself, or find someone who can. You have my word, Bren.”

She was so earnest, and so obviously desperate to have my approval, I was shocked. I finally turned to look at her. “Why would you offer your help to me?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Her brow furrowed, but she smiled. “Bren, do you realize who you are?”

I frowned. “I’m a farmgirl who has never spent more than a few hours in the city and who was saved by a dragon today, and I don’t know why.”

“Neither do I,” Terra responded with a smile.

“But Akhane does. And if I’ve learned anything in my years here, it’s that the dragons are excellent judges of character.

If Akhane and Kgosi trust you, then I do too,” she said, smiling wider.

“And as the first female Furyknight in history, I can only hope to be close enough to see what you do, Bren,” she said, a quiet awe entering her tone.

“I pray that you will trust me soon, as well. Because I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you—and for these men who have just had their worlds turned upside down,” she said gleefully, giggling.

And I couldn’t help it. I was terrified, and exhausted, hurt, and confused. But seeing her delight and remembering all those faces in the launch hollow and the consternation on them, I giggled too.

Terra stayed a few more minutes and I enjoyed her. I hoped we could become friends.

When she was gone—insisting on taking my plate and cutlery for me—I changed into the soft nightdress that had been left in the bundle.

The neckline was a soft gather on a silk tie, so it draped from shoulder to shoulder under my collarbones, then fell to brush my ankles. The cotton was extremely thin and soft.

The nightdress was nicer than my day-dresses at home.

Feeling as if I’d been hugged, I admired the way it flowed and ruffled in the breeze of my movements while I made the bed.

Then I crawled into the blankets and tried to sleep again.

But no matter how I turned or closed my eyes, or prayed, I couldn’t seem to relax.

My mind turned back to the night before, the pain, the fear, the hope. And then Ruin’s handsome face, his disgust, his sneer—

The silence of this room was suddenly oppressive. I sat up, heart racing, reminding myself that Ruin was not here and wouldn’t be. For months. Possibly years.

And I had been Chosen.

I swallowed hard.

The stable building was mostly silent except for the last of the echoing calls of the dragons drifting on the night air. Outside, the distant thud and hum of men working and talking and moving about had faded to nothing. If I listened carefully, I could hear the wind rustling leaves outside.

The Keep was growing quiet for sleep .

I laid back down and focused my mind on Akhane. On this future that seemed impossible, and yet was. But sleep would not come.

I heard a sigh within the stable and felt Akhane reach for me, as if her breath had fluttered through my hair.

‘I’m sorry if I’m keeping you awake, Akhane.’

A warm rush washed through my chest. ‘I only worry for you, Little Flame. You need to rest. Tomorrow will be taxing.’

I sighed. ‘I can’t relax. My body is tight and my heart beats too quickly.’

There was a beat, then she responded. ‘Come to me.’

It was half-question, half-instruction. But I was curious enough to want to see what she would do. So, I crept out of bed and into the stable.

Both the dragons were awake, but the moment I stepped into their space, Kgosi tucked his head under his wing.

Akhane watched me, her bright eyes avid as I approached. But instead of speaking, when I drew close she only tipped more onto her side and lifted her wing.

I stopped, uncertain I understood—

‘Come, Little Flame. My heart aches too. Let’s be close. Sleep is always easier with the warmth of someone dear.’

Tears pricked my eyes at the simple kindness as she nosed towards her side, inviting me into the curl of her foreleg.

Carefully, I put myself in the hollow between her leg and her side, laying back against her, surprised again that her skin and scales were not hard and uncomfortable, but warm and smooth.

When I lifted a tentative hand and stroked the elbow of her foreleg, a ripple of that strange light that lived under their skins washed over her from head to tail.

But before I could ask, she let her wing drop to cover me and tucked her massive snout under the edge of it, so she curled around me.

Her breathing grew deep and steady almost immediately, and the warm vapor of her breath heated the air under her wing.

It hit me in that moment, that I was curled against the body of a dragon. My dragon. I was being embraced. I stared in awe at Akhane’s broad snout and prettily scaled head.

I would see her and talk to her every day. The Commander said even if I failed as Furyknight, I was bonded to her for life.

Those thoughts made me marvel, yet the warmth under her wing, and the sudden sense of safety that came with being so close stole me away. The world drifted into a dream that I would not wake from until morning—when, to my horror, that soft embrace would give way to cold mortification.