Page 44 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

“I am not going to hurt you, Bren,” he muttered through his teeth.

A low rumble from Kgosi seemed to disagree, but the General only glanced at his dragon, then turned back to me.

“You’re out here alone when you aren’t cleared for solo flight, and worse, you tied yourself down? What the fuck were you thinking?” he snapped.

“I was… I need practice,” I said breathlessly, then licked my lips.

“I’ve been slow at everything and my brothers have to train me in their off-hours.

I wanted to improve quickly. I tied down so she couldn’t throw me off.

I’m practicing.” Then my anger flared. “You told me to be determined to meet challenges. And I am,” I said stubbornly.

His eyes widened and his cheek twitched.

“I said meet challenges. Not create them. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

“Not as dangerous as falling and dangling on a safety strap—”

“Far more dangerous!” He took that final step, right to my toes, looming over me and roaring in my face. “That dragon is a beast—a creature the size of a house. One wrong step, one wrong turn, and if she is flipped, you have no chance. You would be crushed!”

“I’d be crushed if she rolled over me on the strap—”

“There is at least a chance of swinging wide and you have slack within which to move if you’re holding onto anything—are you so arrogant that you believe you can ignore the experience of centuries of Furyknights who have gone before you?!”

“No! But you said I’m different, so be different! You said—”

“Were you, or were you not ordered never to tie down? And never to fly alone until your Wing Captain cleared you?”

I didn’t answer, because we both knew the answer to that. I swallowed hard. “I was just—”

“Answer the fucking question, Kearney! ”

I blew out my breath. “Yes,” I said sullenly. “I was told.”

“Then you are in direct breach of orders from your Commanding Officer. And as such you will be disciplined. I will bring you before a hearing of your peers who will decide if you’ll stripped of your rank—”

“What?! No! Sir, you can’t—”

“I am your General and you are in breach of orders that would put your life in danger. What did we say about orders and chaos, Bren? What did I tell you?!”

I sucked in a breath, my head tumbling back to that moment when he’d found me in the stable, so upset and… and I’d been rude and defiant and…

‘Yes, Bren. This is the time for humility. Own your decisions. Do not add disrespect to your offences.’

I swallowed and dropped my eyes from his blazing gaze. “I’m sorry,” I breathed.

The General huffed. “This isn’t about remorse—”

“I truly… truly was trying to… be less of a burden. I was—”

He groaned and clawed both hands into his hair.

“Bren, losing you to a stupid accident would be far more of a burden than working to help you grow. Haven’t you figured this out yet?

Haven’t you seen us walk this out? We are servants.

To each other. To our dragons. To the crown.

While men may hold us in esteem, that status is balanced by the humility of the role.

Our job here is to serve. We do that for every Flameborne who’s Chosen, whether they make it into the ranks or not. ”

“But I’m not like every Flameborne—it took me two weeks to be strong enough to fly! Two weeks! Some of my brothers were flying within two days!”

“Some of your brothers were grown men before they were Chosen—”

“But that doesn’t matter! You said to be determined, and I am! I can’t do this like a man! All they see is my weakness and my… my failure. I want to do something well. I want to get it right—”

“Disobeying orders is not how you get it right!”

I flinched, but didn’t step back as he visibly battled to gather himself.

We were both panting. Waves of caution and nerves washed through me from Akhane. I knew she was right. Knew I needed to show respect. But these men didn’t understand. They didn’t know how it felt to be weak, to be overpowered. They didn’t know how it felt to be helpless!

I never wanted to be helpless and surrounded by sneering Furyknights again.

I don’t know what he heard, but he huffed and turned away from me, storming away, then turning on his heel a moment later and storming back. He stopped within arm’s reach, then shook his head and turned away again.

‘Stay quiet, Bren. He speaks with the Primarch.’

I nodded. My heart raced, pounding in my chest, chilled by his threat—stripping my rank. I didn’t know if that meant they’d strip me of Akhane as well, or just my chance to become a Furyknight, but either way I needed to fight.

The General paced back and forth between the dragons muttering under his breath. But by the time he stopped in front of me again his shoulders were no longer hunched around his ears, and the blazing anger in his eyes had eased to sharp warning.

I swallowed when he stopped in front of me and folded his arms.

“It is true that we can’t expect you to do this in the same manner as other Flameborne—”

I sucked in a breath, but he raised one hand to stop me, and his expression grew hard.

“But the safety of yourself, your dragon, and your squad are not pointless rules that can be ignored. They are imperative to the success and discipline of the Furyknights, Bren. If you are ever to become one of us, you must take orders without hesitation. And follow them even when you’re not watched. ”

I nodded, heart racing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“No, you didn’t care. You decided you knew better and—let me be very clear with you: you do not.

It is not up to you to understand why we give orders, Bren.

It is up to you to follow them. There is no but, no if, no and.

Either you can be trusted to follow orders until they are changed, or you cannot. Which is it?”

I swallowed. “I can be trusted.”

“Then, prove it,” he growled.

“How?”

His jaw tightened and his eyes strayed to his dragon as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer. I was about to ask the question again when Akhane hissed at me to remain quiet as he’d instructed, so I swallowed the words back.

“Bren, I believe you have the strength and drive for leadership. But you lack self-discipline in ways that could be fatal in battle—even on a mission in the field.”

I swallowed hard.

His lips pressed thin. “If you are truly this determined, I’ll help you so that the burden is not solely on your brothers.”

I sucked in, but he raised a hand again.

“I am going to give you orders, and if I ever find you in breach of even one, I will do as I said and turn you over to a tribunal to decide your fate—and I will tell them of this night,” he growled.

I nodded, barely breathing. Did that mean he’d let me stay?

“You are never to fly alone again until your Wing Captain clears you. Kgosi, give that order to her dragon as well.”

The dragon gave a long low huff and the General nodded once.

“You are never to tie down. You are to make no further changes or adjustments to your harness without receiving my direct permission first.”

“Yes, Sir. ”

He shot me a dark look, but then he sighed. “In the meantime, until you have been cleared, I will train you myself in my spare time. Probably in the evenings like this—until you’re able to fly patrols.”

I gasped. “Thank you!”

But he shook his head. “Don’t thank me yet. You think your Wing Captain pushes you, Bren? You think he asks much of you? I promise you, the day will come that you may beg me to stop helping , and I won’t do it.”

He leaned in until our noses almost touched.

“If you want to be a Furyknight, I will give you the best of my advice and experience. But I will not relent. Are you willing, Bren? This is your final chance. You can bow and walk away. I’ll give you to a Tribunal and recommend they make you a messenger, or transport. ”

“No. I want this. I want to do this.” A fiery burn warmed my chest.

He nodded. “I believe you. But this is your last chance. Don’t take it lightly.”

“I don’t. I just have to try.”

“Very well.” He straightened to his full height and looked down at me, his jaw tight. “In that case, get walking.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You are not to fly alone, ever again. And I am not missing my blankets tonight for an arrogant Flameborne who believes the rules don’t apply. I’m going home to bed. So are you—on foot.”

I opened my mouth—then caught the piercing light in his eyes and closed it again.

“Yes, Sir,” I said through my teeth. It was at least two miles back to the Keep and my legs already ached and shook from two sessions practicing taking off and landing today. It would be high moon before I made it to my bed.

“Good answer,” he said, then it was as if the anger leeched out of him. He blew out a breath, clawed a hand through his hair, and waved me off. “At ease. You might as well get walking. I’ll take Akhane and—”

He cut off and snapped his head to look at his dragon, then he gave a small huff.

“Actually, I won’t,” he said, grinning.

I looked at Akhane. ‘What’s he talking about?’

She sighed heavily. ‘The Primarch says if I am so determined to follow a human into her hairbrained schemes, then I will follow her into discipline too. We are both grounded for tonight, Bren.’

She didn’t sound angry, just tired.

‘I’m sorry, Akhane. I shouldn’t have—’

‘No, Bren. We do not look back except to learn. What is meant to be will be. And this was meant to be, I think,’ she said.

After checking that I wasn’t injured, the General headed back towards Kgosi, which was when I remembered and called after him.

“Sir, thank you. For this mercy. And for the book. ”

He froze midstep. When he turned, his gaze was uncertain. “It was a story I thought you might enjoy.”

I nodded. “I’m enjoying it a great deal. And it’s very inspiring.”

He frowned, then looked beyond me to the skies. “Then perhaps this is all my fault,” he muttered. Then his eyes dropped back to mine and my breath was stopped by that strange, hot tugging, right at the center of my chest.

I frowned and looked down, wondering if I had injured myself after all. But by the time I looked back up. The General was disappearing behind Kgosi.

They took off seconds later. I watched enviously as they launched effortlessly into the sky, the General barely swaying despite his powerful dragon’s strides to launch them into the air.

When they disappeared into the dark, I sighed and looked at Akhane. “I’m sorry I got you tangled up in this.”

‘I’m not, Bren,’ Akhane said, still watching Kgosi fly away.

~ DONAVYN ~

As we launched into the sky over that little clearing, it was everything I could do not to turn and look at her standing there, forlorn, in the center of that field.

‘Did I do the right thing?’

‘You did,’ Kgosi rumbled in my head. ‘The question is, will she?’ I felt the pinch of concern in him—and the amused bubble. ‘Her defiance reminds me of someone else.’

‘I was never that rebellious.’

My dragon huffed audibly, smoke and steam leaching from his nostrils. ‘Oh, how blind the young are to their own flaws.’

‘Tell me about it. Did you see the way she stood up to me? The way she fought? I’m still uncertain I’ve done the right thing, letting that behavior pass.’

‘You would have softened with such an inexperienced male who showed remorse and listened, too. It was right to do so with her.’

‘Are you certain, Keg?’

‘I am.’

We flew on for a couple of minutes. I’d been thinking about her standing up to me, fists balled at her sides, her teeth bared. Defiance didn’t cover it. I chuckled, shaking my head. If I could find that kind of fire in half the men—

‘Is that admiration I sense in you, Donavyn?’

‘Admiration for her courage—not her conduct.’ But I still smiled .

Kgosi made a low humming noise and I felt the mischief rise in him.

‘Oh no,’ I sent, shaking my head. ‘Don’t you try to get clever. We have to keep a very tight lid on this. The last thing I need is for rumors to circulate that I’m offering the only female special treatment.’

‘But it isn’t true. You would have taken mercy on a male also!’

‘The truth is, I wouldn’t have threatened such an inexperienced male with a tribunal unless he remained in defiance. I was overly protective. Because she seems so frail.’

‘Is that truly the only reason, Donavyn?’

I frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

Kgosi huffed again. ‘What was it you said to me that day she was Chosen? The comment about the females, when they admire my form… isn’t she too young for you?’

I coughed and spluttered and almost fell out of my seat. ‘That is not what is happening here. And you are not funny.’

‘Unsurprising, as I am rarely things I have not attempted to be,’ he said airily.

‘Keg, shut up.’

Thank God, for once he did.

But sadly, that just left me alone with my very uncomfortable thoughts and arguing with him in my mind.