Page 65 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

~ DONAVYN ~

Duty is a ruthless bitch. And power is a bitter fucking potion to swallow.

Kgosi and I had taken too long flying the boundary of the flight area and discussing how to intervene in the shitshow that was happening in this trial. We were interrupted in our strategizing by the clash between Bren and Lorr and their dragons.

Until that moment, were hadn’t entered play. But I was mid-sentence when it suddenly became clear that Bren was once again on a collision course, and this time, we hadn’t planned it for her.

‘Hold on, Donavyn!’

Kgosi screamed and flowed into the flight area, heading straight for that spot, but we were too late. Even with his speed, we couldn’t reach them in time, so I was forced to simply watch and curse as Lorr and Bren almost collided.

The rest of the Flameborne were already descending towards the clearing when Bren reached the rope, so the dragons didn’t see their Primarch coming for them and when we realized everyone was still healthy, we eased back.

If she could get her banner and get down with the rest of them, this would be a matter for discussion, not intervention.

But then, after all the decisive and courageous maneuvers of the day, Bren suddenly seemed confused, having Akhane circle, before turning slowly back towards the clearing.

Had she gotten tangled in the rope? But no, it still dangled low.

I wasn’t sure what was wrong and told Kgosi to hang back—until I saw Bren leaning over Akhane’s shoulder.

And then I saw the blood .

The low, ominous rumble that rolled in my dragons chest was the perfect expression of the horror and rage that coursed through me.

‘Descend! Go!’ I urged Kgosi, who didn’t even take the time to respond, only dove towards them.

I was so full of rage and righteous anger, I was ready to leap from his back and attack the two Flameborne who’d caused Akhane pain and could have killed Bren.

It was Kgosi who had to remind me that the King and Queen were watching—and that even fully-fledged Furyknights would be given an opportunity to answer for their conduct.

It felt like forever before we finally landed.

Once we did, after ensuring the healers were already checking Akhane, I leaped from Kgosi’s back with barely a tug on the mounting strap, marching across the launch hollow to the stage we’d set up for the Flameborne, where everyone stood except Bren, who was still with the healers.

Faren and Lorr stood at the end of the line—the Flameborne lined up in their order of return—their heads together, banners clenched in their fists, and big smiles on their faces.

Smiling.

They were fucking smiling?!

We had only moments until the King and Queen would be lowered to the ground and the evaluation and ceremony would begin. I wasted no time, skipping the stairs and leaping straight onto the stage, storming towards these petty children who called themselves men.

Lorr saw me coming over Faren’s shoulder and his eyes lit up—for a moment, until he absorbed my expression. Then his chin dropped and his eyes filled with fear.

He must have spoken because Faren whipped around, so both of them faced me when I marched right to their toes to loom over them and hiss the words I couldn’t afford for the King and Queen to hear.

“Flameborne, Attention!” I snapped.

Both men shot to attention. “Sir!”

I wanted to snap my teeth. “I don’t know what the fuck you two think you were doing, or how you convinced yourselves we wouldn’t see it, but you should both lose those shit-licking smiles because this isn’t going to end well for you.”

‘Donavyn—’

“Three incidents involving both of you. Three! Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think Captain Gunnar is an idiot?!”

“No, Sir!”

“Then why the fuck would you think you could get away with subverting the rules?!”

Faren blinked, his face paling. “Rules? Sir, we didn’t break any rules. We got all our banners, and—”

“Silence!” I snarled. “Between you, you wounded a dragon and could have gotten another Flameborne killed. ”

“What?! No, Sir—” Faren swallowed the words when I glared and pointed back towards Akhane, and Bren who was now walking towards the stage, her head low and eyes on her feet despite the banners clenched in her fists.

Did she think because she was last she would be failed?

I looked forward to seeing her eyes light up when she learned she was wrong.

“I have seen hundreds of Flameborne tested in my career, and I’ve seen some pretty ballsy maneuvers, but I’ve never seen two men so overtly flout our code of conduct.”

“Flout—Sir, I don’t know what you’re—” Lorr cut off when his friend elbowed him in the side and I snapped my glare at him.

“You’re damn right you don’t know—you don’t know a fucking thing about what it means to be a Furyknight, either of you.

Be glad you’re only Flameborne and not raised to first rank.

Be thankful to the Creator you haven’t been given your wings, because if you had, your careers would both end right here. ”

Both men froze, their eyes widening. “Sir?”

“A Furyknight is strong, and courageous, and if he’s lucky, he’ll be a hero before he dies.

But he is always a man of honor. And he is first and foremost a servant.

A servant to his dragon, to his squad, and to all of the Furyknights.

We cannot trust any brother in the skies who would choose his own, petty ambitions over the greater good of the rest of us.

And both of you demonstrated clearly today that you have no clue what being a servant means. ”

“Wait, Sir, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, you’re grounded. Both of you!” I hissed.

Both men paled and jerked back. I was pettily gratified to see their delight so quickly change to despair.

“But, why?!”

‘Donavyn, be calm. Be an example. Discipline without anger. Remember?’

I took a deep breath to center myself, but shook my head at the horrified pair. “The fact that you even need to ask me that question only demonstrates that, at least as of this moment, you have no place in the Furyknight ranks. Give me your banners. Now.”

They both quickly handed me their fistfuls of pendant banners, then stepped back. I shoved the thin strips of fabric into my pockets as Lorr blinked several times, rapidly. Faren went so pale his face looked green. Both of them stared at me, agape.

“Sir, there must be something! We never meant to hurt a dragon. It was just the way things panned out.”

“Things panned out that way because of your choices, boys. And if you ever do join our ranks, you’ll need to learn that lesson quickly. Every choice we make in battle affects every other Pair in the skies.”

“But— ”

“You are both grounded. Be grateful you haven’t achieved first rank, because if you had, you’d have lost any chance to redeem yourselves.

As it stands, you’ll take up messenger and transport duties for three months, after which time you will be returned to your squads and allowed to Trial again.

Your Trial for now is over. Do you understand? !”

“Sir, I understand your words, but—”

“Son, I would highly recommend you shut your mouth at this point.” Gunnar’s voice appeared at my right shoulder. I jumped. I hadn’t heard him approach. But as he moved to stand right behind my shoulder, I was grateful for the steadying presence.

My hands shook.

“What the General is telling you,” Gunnar drawled, “is that we saw your shenanigans, and we agree that no Flameborne will be raised on the basis of cheating or sabotage—”

“Cheating!”

“Yes, Flameborne,” I snapped. “We watched you, both of you. Thank God no one was hurt further.”

“But we were just flying—we were told to be selfish! We were told to fly the fastest route regardless of how others might be affected!”

“And you were told to take your own line, to strategize for your dragon’s best, and not to assist each other,” I snarled.

Lorr looked at Faren, but Faren’s frown deepened. “What happened to the Furyknight tenet of brotherhood?”

Lorr’s eyes widened when his friend argued, and he wisely took a step back to put space between them. Meanwhile, I stepped closer, right up to Faren’s toes and hissed at him through my teeth.

“When you’ve spent a few months growing some humility , you will be given one final chance to prove to me that you have embraced the Furyknight tenets of service , and unity .

If you do not, I will fail both your asses and send you back to the messengers for the duration of your careers. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir!” Lorr said immediately.

Faren’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth like he’d argue again, but I felt Gunnar shift at my back, and Faren froze. After a few, tense seconds, his Adam’s apple bobbed, then he nodded.

“Yes, Sir,” he said quietly. But there was fire in his eyes.

Bring your flames, you little bastard. I’ll show you how easily I can snuff them out.

‘Donavyn! He’s practically a child!’

I swallowed and clenched my teeth to keep the words back.

“Furyknights are men of honor,” I said quietly, looking back and forth between them.

“Both of you demonstrated nothing but selfish ambition, and even delight at the potential failure of a fellow Flameborne.” I glared back at Faren.

“You don’t have a clue what brotherhood is.

Get out of my sight, both of you. Report to the Air master for your shifts as messengers. I’ll see you in three months. ”

They both blinked.

“Go!” I snarled.

Both snapped salutes, then scuttled off the stage like insects running from a bird.

It was unfortunate that at that same moment, Bren was mounting the stairs to the stage, her cheeks flushed and eyes red, though clear.

Both men glared at her as they passed either side of her on the stairs.

I watched, begging either of them to speak or touch her and give me an excuse to evict them. But neither did.

Bren looked at me once as she topped the stairs, a single, miserable glance, her gaze barely brushing mine before she dropped it to her feet again.

I would have reached out to her, reassured her, explained what we’d done, but at that moment there was a shout and we all turned to see the dragons lowering the platform holding the King and Queen, both clutching the straps to keep themselves steady as they were returned to earth.

So, rather than check in with Bren and make certain she was unhurt, I was forced to contain every burning ounce of the rage flooding my veins. Teeth gritted and hands clenched at my sides, I made myself walk calmly to greet the King and Queen and tell them the ceremony would begin in a few minutes.

Then I followed Gunnar to Akhane’s side, to stand with him to watch the healers dress her wound.

It took every one of my twenty years experience to contain the energy that the burning rage lit in me. I didn’t want to stand aside and watch. I needed to do. To address. To call out. To discipline. To punch those little fuckers right in the throat for the careless risks they took—

‘Donavyn.’ Kgosi’s tone was deep and disapproving.

He didn’t need to say more. I nodded once and sent him a rush of reassurance through the bond. I knew there were eyes on us, as well as innocent Flameborne who weren’t involved watching on. But my jaw ached with tension because despite my authority, I couldn’t do any of the things I wished to do.

I couldn’t rush to Bren and make certain she wasn’t hurt.

Couldn’t continue to roar at those fuckers whose petty idiocy had wounded Akhane and could have gotten Bren killed.

I couldn’t give the female pair any attention at all, beyond ensuring that the healers were satisfied that Akhane wouldn’t be permanently injured.

Thankfully the wound wasn’t deep, but the fact that it had occurred at all made me furious, and had Kgosi pacing the edge of the launch hollow .

‘What are they saying?’ I asked Kgosi when it was clear that he wasn’t calming, and there was a great deal of vocalization from all the dragons because of his agitation.

‘The boys’ dragons are frustrated, torn between protecting their bonded riders, and their own honor.

We will be speaking on this again when emotions don’t run so high.

Akhane is more concerned about Bren. She took the blow and knew it wasn’t serious.

But she’s flustered and blaming herself for not better avoiding the clashes. She’s baffled that they happened.’

I ground my teeth. ‘This isn’t baffling at all.’

‘No, it’s not. But they have answered for the danger they put others in. Their dragons didn’t instigate, I’m certain of that much.’

I remembered the protesting bugle from one of the dragons and nodded.

Then it was time for the ceremony. I was saddened to see Bren standing on the stage, still with her chin on her chest as if she were ashamed, and I resolved to break my silence and speak with her tonight to reassure her that we’d seen what had happened, that it wasn’t her fault.

But I was unsettled by how sad she appeared.

I’d have thought, even with the sabotage, she’d be far more pleased to have passed her first trial.

But there was no way to speak with her privately before the ceremony.

When Akhane was deemed safe and the King and Queen had been seated on the stage, it was time.

Gunnar and I returned to the stage while the Flameborne’s squads and many of the stableboys gathered on the grass below the stage, the dragons milling behind them, as all waited to see the first, female Flameborne raised to first rank.

As I took my position at the head of the line of Flameborne and thanked everyone for coming to offer our newest Chosen such support, I glanced down the line to Bren at the other end.

But her head was still down in shame. My heart squeezed for her, and I prayed she’d finally find her joy when I raised her.

Because I didn’t think I’d ever been prouder.