Page 46 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

“You’re not fine, I know that hurt—”

“Attention, Flameborne,” he said darkly.

It was becoming reflex to obey him. I snapped to attention, staring into the trees over his shoulders, lips pressed to thin lines, cursing myself for not being more careful.

“Bren, do you realize what you did?” he said quietly.

“Yes!” I gasped, but forced myself to stay at attention. “And I’m sorry. I was trying to follow your instructions and—”

“You didn’t just try. You succeeded.”

I blinked. Then frowned. “You wanted me to kick you?”

I had the distinct impression he wanted to roll his eyes, but he scratched the back of his neck and shook his head. “No, Bren. I’m saying you did it. You climbed the mounting strap and got yourself over her back. You only fell because you dismounted hastily.”

I blinked again and thought back.

Holy shit. He was right.

I did it!

My mouth dropped open and Donavyn smiled. “At ease, Flameborne. Go do it again. This time I’ll stay out of kicking range.”

I snorted, but swallowed back the laugh, then nervously turned back to Akhane.

She peered at me, a strange, warm feeling washing from her through the bond.

‘Are you okay if I try again?’ I asked her, afraid she was tired and sick of being clambered on like a child’s climbing frame.

‘Of course. It’s very exciting, Bren. All of it,’ she said and I had the distinct impression that she smiled.

Biting my lip, I ran towards her, grabbed the mounting strap with one hand, and jumped to grasp it with the other as high as I could. It took a moment to get myself positioned correctly, but soon I had my feet flat on Akhane’s side and began the climb.

My hands stung and I had to tuck my elbows into my sides to keep them from shaking. But I finally made it up, then paused to remember what he’d told me.

“Hook over with your right elbow—that means you need your left high enough to raise your shoulders. ”

I nodded quickly and did as he said. Once again I hung off my dragon with one arm over her withers, and the other hand gripping the mounting strap.

It was awkward, and I knew I looked terrible, but I was able to slide my left hand down to brace on her shoulder and push myself up, heaving over her withers until I had my ass in the air again.

Then it was only a matter of grasping her lowest spine to give myself an anchor, then I could pivot my belly and… And I was on her back.

By myself.

Without the climbers’ clutches.

“I did it!” I shrieked and turned to look at Donavyn, who stood on the ground, fists on his hips, smiling up at me.

“Yes, you did. Now clip in, Flameborne. You’re going to fly. And this time when Akhane powers forward I want you to keep pulling up on that neckstrap—but try loosening your, er, seat. See if you can sit her stride so you aren’t bounced so high with each step.”

I nodded. It took two tries to clip in because I was suddenly nervous.

‘Don’t be afraid, Bren.’

‘I’m not—I want to do it, Akhane. I want to do this!’

‘You will. If not this time, then next.’

I took a deep breath, then urged Akhane to go, cursing when she snapped her wings wide, then shoved forward with that incredible power.

I bounced and my teeth clacked, but then I heard Donavyn shouting. “Loosen your hips. Lean back instead of forward—see if you can ride it!”

I tried to do as he instructed and leaned back—surprised when the next jolt only compressed my spine rather than ringing in my joints.

And the next as well.

I was bounced on the third and my tailbone complained, but I did as Donavyn suggested and loosened my hips, trying to rise with her massive strides like I would with the horse.

It wasn’t nearly as simple, but I did find myself sticking closer to her back.

I pinned my knees around those wing ridges, gripping for all I was worth and begging God to help me not fall again.

But I was listing to the left and had to take a grip further down the neck strap on the other side, whimpering as my back ached and the bruises from the straps dug in.

On the next roll and jolt, I was tipped backwards and cursed, tightening my knees again and waiting for that jolt.

But there was only a whomph.

Then another. Then…

Whomph… Whomph… Whomph.

Akhane lifted her chin and screamed into the night, and Kgosi answered her from behind and below us.

Below us.

We were flying.

“Akhane!” I breathed as the wind rushed against my cheeks and blew my hair back. “Akhane, we’re flying! ”

She screamed again, and this time Kgosi’s answer wasn’t further away. He’d launched as well. Moments later he drew level with us, flying almost wing-tip to wing-tip with Akhane. She turned her head and called to him, and he roared in return.

I couldn’t hear anything over the wind rushing past, but I saw Donavyn, sitting proudly on Kgosi’s back. He raised a fist into the sky in salute, and I laughed.

I’d done it. I mounted my dragon alone and rode out her launch.

They couldn’t take that from me. No one could ever take that from me. I’d done it. That meant I could do the next thing too. If I just had enough time and practice—

‘The Primarch says the General is very proud of you and that you’ve earned another book.’

I laughed out loud. ‘Please tell him I’m grateful, but I receive my stipend this week and plan to buy them for myself.’

‘Let your friend honor you for your hard work, Little Flame,’ she chided good-naturedly.

I winced. ‘The General isn’t my friend, Akhane. He’s my Commander.’

‘Your human boundaries are nonsense,’ she snorted and a blast of hot steam poured into the night, drifting past my face in the wind of our flying.

‘The General celebrates your hard work. He laughs with you. And he is hurt when your words are harsh. He is more than a Commander. Kgosi is my Primarch. He is also my nestmate. And—’

I didn’t get to find out what else Kgosi had become to Akhane, because in that moment, the Primarch flapped quickly, twice, pushing himself ahead of us in the air, then banking to cross our path and head back to the Reach.

Akhane chittered. ‘The General says it's late and we need to return to sleep.’

I looked at the position of the moon and grimaced. Shit. It was late. I was so busy trying to get this right, I hadn’t watched the time.

We landed in the launch hollow ten minutes later and I fell when Akhane braced her back legs on the ground. But I didn’t even care.

I whooped as she came to a halt. I swung back and forth on the strap, dragging an arm across her shoulder to slow my momentum, until on the backswing, I managed to catch the mounting strap and use it to pull myself back to her side, brace my feet, step up, and unclip.

Then I slowly walked back down to the ground.

I slipped the last few feet, but it didn’t matter. I caught myself, then jumped up, pumping my fist, just as Donavyn strode around Kgosi, who’d landed just in front of us in the launch hollow.

“Well done, Bren. Well done!” He hurried towards me like he’d pick me up, or embrace me—but then he stopped a few paces away, blinking.

He still smiled, but I was suddenly reminded that he was our General and I was a Flameborne , and I’d just been whooping like I was out on a practice flight with my brothers.

We stared at each other for a moment, then I snapped to attention, and saluted him. “Thank you, Sir,” I said, beaming and trying to cover the nerves fluttering in my belly again. “Thank you for your help. I’m going to get this.”

“You’ve already got it,” he said gruffly, but he was smiling too. “You just need more practice.”

I nodded, then turned to Akhane and slapped her leg. “Yes, I do. And I’ll remain very grateful that you have helped me so much… Sir,” I said, still facing Akhane, trying to cover the fact that my cheeks were heating again. “Very grateful indeed.”

Donavyn cleared his throat like he wanted to say something, but didn’t respond. I wasn’t sure what else to say. So I looked at him and shrugged. “I know you’re tired, Sir. I can take the dragons back and have one of the stablehands unharness Kgosi, if you’d like.”

“No, no. Thank you. I’ll take care of him. He likes to scare the stableboys too much. They don’t know he’s joking.”

I frowned. Kgosi often let me touch him or scratch him if he was in the stable. But I supposed with the closeness growing between him and Akhane, he probably just saw me as an extension of her.

“Well, if there’s anything I can do to show my gratitude, I would like to. Is there a book you don’t already own?” I asked with a nervous laugh.

Donavyn chuckled. “There are many, but I don’t need more things. If you want to please me, just keep going, Bren. Don’t give up. That’s all. Just don’t give up.”

I vowed that I wouldn’t.

And deep down inside, I also vowed that I would grow, so that one day he’d admire me as much as I admired him.