Page 38 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

SOUNDTRACK: Ghosts by Yungblud

~ brEN ~

I was tired when we reached the stable, but my heart pumped and I could have laughed with joy. I could carry this harness myself, and I knew if I could get it over Akhane’s back, I’d be able to mount her. I was sure of it.

Akhane heaved herself to her feet when we walked through the stable door.

‘I’m sorry. I know you’re tired,’ I sent.

‘Don’t apologize for working hard, Little Flame. I want to see you show these males what you’re capable of.’

I was touched, but also suddenly scared. I’d been so focused on making the harness that I hadn’t thought about what I’d do if I still couldn’t throw it over her back.

Donavyn stayed back, leaning against Kgosi’s leg I looked Akhane in the eye, then turned, holding the harness the way they’d been showing me for the past three days, stepped back, and threw it—only to have the mounting strap catch on my leg and yank the rest of it out of the air.

“So fucking embarrassing,” I muttered as I scrambled to straighten the harness back out, slid my arms under it—this time remembering to hold the end of the mounting strap in my hand so when I threw it, it didn’t whip out. “Ready, Akhane?”

‘Ready.’

Biting my lip, I heaved the harness into the air. Akhane stood like a rock, even when the harness slapped her high above her shoulder, then slid the ground.

I felt the eyes of Donavyn and Kgosi behind me, but I repeated the whole process until I was ready to try again, then prayed silently for some mercy, took a step closer and adjusted my angle to throw—gasping when it flew over Akhane’s withers and almost slipped to the other side—thank God I had the mounting strap in my hand and slowed its path before it fell.

Then I stood there, staring for a moment as it hit me.

“I did it. Akhane, I did it!”

She fluttered her wings and lifted her head, bugling.

Kgosi rumbled as well, and the General clapped.

My stomach warmed and flipped over. But I was frightened that it would fall, so rushed forward to position that O-ring at her chest—so high, I had to be on my tip toes—then clipped the neck straps onto it and hurried between Akhane’s legs to fasten the girth, then clip that to the O-ring as well, before buckling the leg straps …

I stumbled back from Akhane’s off-side when I clipped the last leg strap, staring at her. She’d turned her head to look at me, her ears pricked.

I did it.

I did it.

“Akhane! I did it!”

I was jubilant, shaking with relief, almost in tears again. Happy tears.

“Well done, Flameborne.” The General’s voice was so deep and gruff—he was tired.

I could see it in the lines around his eyes and the slump of his shoulders.

But when I turned, he smiled as he walked to Akhane to check the straps and buckles.

He was tall enough to have to hunch when he passed under her belly.

But his quick, efficient jerks to test buckles and hands running over the straps didn’t stop.

“Make sure every strap is in its keeper when it’s buckled—the wind resistance is surprisingly strong.

You don’t want a strap blown back and a buckle releasing in flight.

And you’ll want to get that girth a little tighter—check it every morning, especially the first few weeks.

That lighter leather might stretch more, so it could loosen over time.

But everything is in place and untwisted and… well done, Bren.”

He straightened as he stepped out from underneath Akhane, beaming. Eyes crinkled and dancing, full lips pulling up on both sides so his teeth showed, he applauded slowly again as he walked towards me. “Well done, Bren. For your first time, it’s excellent.”

Akhane crowed again and Kgosi answered her. Throughout the stables other dragon voices pierced the night. I laughed, then clapped both hands to my mouth.

Donavyn grinned as he came to stand at my side and turned to face Akhane, folding his arms.

I was just about to thank him for his help when he looked down at me, brows high. “Now, mount,” he said simply.

Oh, right.

I’d forgotten this wasn’t the end of the task.

Dammit.

My jubilation sinking to dread, I walked to Akhane’s side, reaching up to pat her high on the leg, then took hold of the loops we’d made and knotted onto the end of that strap. The climbers’ clutch. Two of them .

They worked by tension and friction, gripping the leather strap when weight or pressure was applied, but sliding when there was no tension placed on them. My father had made some for me when I was small and needed a way to climb the rope to the hayloft in the barn.

But those were made from dry rope. These had been constructed from leather and even though the Leathersmith believed they would work, he’d never tried them before.

This would be the test.

Praying I wasn’t going to fall at the last hurdle, I turned each loop outwards so I could put a foot in each one, hands on the strap above my head until I stood a couple of feet off the ground, upper body held close to the strap by my hands, and a foot in each loop, like the stirrups of a horse.

Then I lifted my weight off the top loop, using my toe to lift it as high as I could bend my knee, transferring my weight to that foot so the downward pressure made it catch and lock, then using that to step up, pulling the other loop, that was now slack so would slip again, up with me.

Hand over hand, I crawled up the rope. The first few steps were awkward—the leather grain didn’t want to release as easily as a rope knot—but soon I found the rhythm, and within moments I stood chest-height to Akhane’s withers.

There was a nervous moment when I tried to get my foot out of the stirrup to throw it over her back, but caught my toe on the ridge of her wing and almost toppled over backwards, but luckily I still had a grip on the mounting strap.

Then I was there. I was finally there. Letting my weight slide me back to that space between her wing ridges, my knees hooked there to keep me in place.

I was able to grab the safety strap and clip myself in.

I sat there, silent, my jaw slack. I’d done it.

I’d harnessed and mounted my dragon alone.

With a screech, I bounced on Akhane’s back as she lifted her chin and bugled again. Then I leaned forward, hugging the thick base of her neck.

‘Thank you, Akhane! Thank you!’

‘I knew you could do it, Little Flame.’

I barely heard Donavyn and Kgosi celebrate, I was so ecstatic. And exhausted. I knew it was getting late. I needed to bathe and sleep and Akhane did as well. But I was overjoyed.

Donavyn came to stand at Akhane’s leg again, and slapped her shoulder. “Well done, Akhane. She’s steady as a rock, isn’t she?” he said, smiling up at me.

With his head tipped back and eyes dancing, that smile stretching his cheeks, which were stubbled and shadowed because it was the end of the day, he looked ten years younger.

There was a bare flash in my mind of sliding my hand to that stubbled jaw and letting my nails curl into it—

I swallowed and blinked. Where had that come from? !

“Th-thank you, Sir. Thank you so much for—”

He lifted both hands, shaking his head. “I’ll take your gratitude, Bren.

But your job isn’t done. You need to get down and take her harness off.

I know you can do it. And I’ll be there tomorrow to celebrate it with your squad.

I want to make sure they know how determined you were.

But, still. We don’t celebrate in truth until the job is done, yes? ”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Very good, Flameborne. So, show me—how do you dismount with this system you’ve devised?”

Then he stood back and my heart sank because that was when I realized that I’d stepped out of the loops. The lack of tension meant they’d slipped all the way down the mounting strap and now dangled just feet from the ground.

I sighed. “I’m going to have to jump down,” I said quietly. “I’ll figure out a way to—”

“Flameborne, what were you told about dismounting?”

I blinked and looked at Donavyn. “I was told to always slide down the rope, or walk down with it. But—”

“Why?” he asked bluntly. “Why do we teach new riders to do that?”

I swallowed hard, mentally digging to remember the answer. “Because, uh, sometimes we’re dismounting in battle, or bad weather, or other circumstances where we don’t know the terrain and it can be dangerous to jump. We might injure ourselves and not be able to get back on.”

“Very good,” he said with true warmth in his eyes. But it stilled quickly. “So, that’s your challenge, Flameborne. Will you meet it?” he said quietly.

My chest panged. Was it never enough? Was there never going to be enough done to make these fuckers happy? I’d just finally had a win—my first real achievement since I was Chosen, and all he wanted was more?

A strange noise chittered in Akhane’s throat. She didn’t send anything, but I could feel her in the bond, bristling.

I took a deep breath and looked at my hands. I’d barely felt the pain in them while I was working the harness, and climbing. I was so focused on the task. But now, looking at the climb, knowing all my weight would be held on my hands…

That is your challenge, Flameborne. Will you meet it?

I huffed and wanted to argue, but then the General’s words earlier in the evening echoed in my head.

When a challenge is placed in front of you, to take every possible step to overcome it. And when you feel angry, or hurt, or tired, you keep your mouth shut and you keep going anyway. That is discipline. And discipline is the spine at the back of our entire body of war…

I wasn’t afraid of hard work, so why did I find myself so resistant to the philosophy here?

Because it came from men, I answered myself .

Men, who I had always seen as so unwilling to swallow their pride. Yet, here I sat, unwilling to swallow mine?

It was a surprise that the General still stood patiently, waiting for my answer.

Taking a deep breath I met his gaze and nodded. “Yes, Sir.”