Page 41 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

~ brEN ~

I smiled ear-to-ear.

My brothers joined us in the air for the last minutes of our flight—and only teased me a little bit when I fell off as we landed and both Ronen and Gil had to get Akhane’s permission to climb onto her back so Gil could lift me, while Ronen unclipped me from the safety strap where I dangled uselessly.

I was embarrassed, and exhausted, and so happy.

“Don’t worry,” Gil murmured in my ear as he placed me back on the ground.

“We all fall off the first couple times. If they try to tell you they didn’t, don’t believe them.

You have to grip hard with your knees and pull up on the neckstrap to keep yourself hard against her back. You’ll get it. We all do eventually.”

I was grateful for the kind words, and too tired and ecstatic after hours in the sky to be truly deflated by my ungainly landing. Though it was, yet again, another obstacle to face.

When we all had our feet back on the ground, my brothers gathered into a tight circle around me and Ronen, who stood over me with an impish half-grin on his face.

“Flameborne Kearney,” he said in that formal snap of an order, despite his expression. “Congratulations on your first flight.”

The squad cheered and I felt my cheeks heat, but I kept smiling.

“As a newly fledged dragon rider, you are now cleared to fly. However, for your safety, and your dragon’s, you’ll have lessons in launch and landing before you’re free to fly alone .

For now, you’re only to launch when there are members of your squad with you, and you must always inform one of us the direction you plan to fly, and when you’ll return. Am I clear?”

I nodded, though that sank my heart a little. I’d been looking forward to taking Akhane out when the others were flying patrols.

“How long will it be until we can fly patrols?” I asked eagerly—and then my heart dropped, because I saw the flicker of unease in Ronen’s eyes before he caught himself, and when I looked at the others, they all smiled nervously, or scratched the backs of their necks. “What?”

“A Flameborne is assessed ready to fly patrols when they’re preparing for the first trial,” Ronen said uneasily.

I frowned. “Isn’t that what I’m doing?”

Harle snorted and Einar elbowed him hard and hissed words I didn’t catch.

Ronen glared at them both, but when he turned back to me, his expression was apologetic.

“Yes, of course, this is all part of your preparation for the trials. But, there’s a great many steps between now and then, Bren.

I just want you to be prepared that you’re still some way away from that. ”

I hadn’t expected to be assessed tomorrow, but looking around at them all, it became very clear…

“You don’t think I’ll get that far.”

“Yes, you will,” Gil growled from behind Ronen, his expression still blank, but his eyes dark and glaring a warning at the others behind me.

“I know you’re here for a reason, Bren,” Ronen said without a hint of guile.

“But even the men don’t all make it. You have a mountain to climb before you’re ready.

I’m sorry, that’s the simple truth. My advice to you is to celebrate your win today—and to remain focused on the next goal.

Do everything you can to reach it. We’ll help you. ”

I gritted my teeth. “But you don’t believe I can.”

“I believe you can,” Ronen said, nodding. “I’ve learned never to assume—with any Flameborne. The various hurdles, any single one could take a Flameborne or their dragon out of running for—”

“Akhane is not going to fail!” I snapped. “If there’s a weakness here, it’s me.”

Ronen’s brows rose in warning, but he answered me.

“Akhane is young and untried—as are you. It isn’t a criticism to acknowledge that you have some challenges to overcome, Bren.

Don’t focus on that. A mountain is climbed stride by stride.

Always focus on the next step in front of you.

If you only watch the gap to the summit, you’ll fall off the path before you reach it. ”

“That’s a very pretty way to say I’m clumsy,” I muttered.

“At least you haven’t shit your—”

“Shut the fuck up, Voski —my god!”

Everyone laughed, including me. I was grateful for the release of tension. But still…

When Ronen clapped my shoulder and we all turned to unharness our dragons, I wasn’t quite as elated as I’d been before the landing .

But as we returned the harnesses to the tack rooms and walked to the dining hall for lunch, my brothers were upbeat and celebrating that I’d taken my first flight. Even if it all felt a little fragile, there were reasons to smile.

Over the meal Ronen and Gil explained that I would be given lessons by different brothers each day, depending on their schedules for patrol and other responsibilities, and the various skills my brothers possessed.

But a thread of nerves underlined the entire conversation for me. My brothers were expected to train me in their off-hours. The times when they would usually be free to live their lives, or connect with their dragons.

They’d teach me the commands used when we flew in formation, and coach Akhane and I through techniques for different movements in flight.

I was excited, but horribly aware that I’d been struggling to learn new skills so far—and they were supposed to teach me these things in their off-hours? My progress was already slow. How much slower would I be, only able to practice a couple of hours day?

Then, after the meal, they all had to leave for shifts in the sky, and I was left to walk back to the stable alone. I was buoyant because I’d achieved something new and the sun was out. But I couldn’t deny the frustration at how slow my progress had been.

When I got back to the stable, Kgosi was out with Donavyn, but Akhane lay sprawled on her side in a rectangle of sun from the high windows, her tail lazily sweeping at the straw.

She’d deserved a rest after all that flying, so I crept through without waking her and went to my room intending to find somewhere to bathe properly, then speak to the Leathersmith again so that I could have a duplicate harness, or at least, pieces that could replace those I’d made that broke or stretched beyond use.

But when I walked in and lit the lantern in the corner, I turned to find a small, brown-paper wrapped package on my bed.

I picked it up and it was heavy, tied in twine. The note was a masculine scrawl, but it wasn’t signed.

This small gift recognizes your achievements in overcoming obstacles, and reaching new heights. I hope you find it inspiring.

Well done, Flameborne.

I assumed it was from Ronen, and smiled as I unwrapped it—then sucked in a breath.

It was a book.

A fucking book.

Instinctively, I looked over my shoulder, worried someone would appear and tell me I wasn’t allowed to have such extravagant things. But there was no one there and the leather cover of the book felt warm in my hands.

Stunned and thrilled, I opened the cover to the title page and read with wide eyes.

Her Grace in Shadow: A Chronicle of the King's Hidden Daughte r

Frowning, I opened the first page and entered a world unlike any I’d ever conceived.

A young, poor woman, hunted and abducted, brought to the grand palace believing herself to be taken as a slave, only to discover that she was the King’s bastard.

The royal family had been devastated by illness, and she was to be prepared to take the throne.

I was two chapters deep before I realized I was still standing next to my bed. I hurriedly washed my face and arms and changed into leggings and a tunic, then curled up on my bed.

I read for hours. Hours. Most of the day.

I was interrupted only by Akhane waking and making sure I was well. And by Kgosi’s return to the stable that evening.

My brothers were on patrol, so I didn’t have to join them for dinner. Instead, I forced myself to take a break, hurried to the dining hall to make a plate, then carried it back to my room and sat on my bed, eating with one hand and holding the pages with the other.

I fell asleep, still reading that night, and woke with it open on my chest.

It was good that the only thing I wanted more than to keep reading was to fly, because I had a scheduled lesson with Ronen that morning to learn how to ride a launch.

The book drew my eyes at every moment as I hurried to dress and braid my hair. I was thrilled I’d have it to come back to when the others left again.

When Akhane and I walked out to the launch hollow, Ronen stood at the bottom of the hollow with Ekko, his green, and the morning mists curled through the forest beyond.

For a split second, my heart skipped and flipped and my breath grew tight as I was sucked back in time to the day I’d come for Ruin. Was it really only weeks ago?

I hesitated at the top of the hollow, but there was no one else out here this early, so Ronen was beckoning me down.

‘What worries you, Little Flame?’

‘Nothing, I just remembered something unpleasant,’ I said, squirming a little at not being entirely open with Akhane.

She huffed streams of smoke and heat that curled like vapor in the early morning air. ‘Try not to let the past steal your present, Bren,’ she sent softly. ‘Take lessons from the past, but do not carry the pain of them. They will only break your heart.’

I stumbled down the hollow towards Ronen, one hand on Akhane’s leg to keep me from slipping under her feet on the slope, my mind running in circles.

Luckily, Ronen was unaware of my thoughts. He smiled as soon as I reached him, but his eyes were lined and puffy. He clearly hadn’t had enough sleep.

Tension curled down my spine.

“Good morning, Bren,” he said, smiling, despite his red eyes .

“Good morning. And thank you for the gift,” I said, dropping my chin and putting my hand to my chest so he’d know I didn’t think it was deserved. “I was surprised. But I love it. I—”

“Gift?” Ronen asked me, frowning.

I blinked. “Yes, the book? It was left on my bed and… it wasn’t from you?”