Page 68 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

SOUNDTRACK: In the Dark by Klergy and Valerie Broussard

~ brEN ~

I shrieked at the same time my brothers cheered and crowed.

A plume of flame roared from Ekko over the sagging spit and wood they’d set for a fire, sending the log up so it crackled and popped, and the skin of the carcass on the spit seared, any last sign of hair from the boar going up in sizzling smoke.

My heart banged in my chest, but I settled back in my seat against the stump of a dead tree since I was now sure I wasn’t going up in flames along with the carcass.

My brothers laughed and teased each other, while Harle turned the spit, and Ronen dug around in one of the bags nearby.

No one had their attention on me in that moment, and I found myself strangely still, watching them, marveling that I was here.

I wasn’t sure I had a right to be.

But my brothers were buoyant. They had whooped and whistled the whole flight to get here, and they were still exuberant now that we were off the dragons, shoving each other, jeering.

We’d all flown here together, to a clearing a few miles inland where there was a large lake.

I was touched when we landed, where the preset fire and spit made it obvious they’d planned for this.

Because they assumed I’d pass, or just because they would have come out here anyway?

I didn’t know. But it made my chest warm when Akhane and I landed at the site of the already spitted carcass and some large hessian bags with lumps inside that I’d guess were food since my squad brothers ate constantly when they weren’t working .

Now, the smell of the cooking meat rose in the clearing and my stomach rumbled loudly. Most of them didn’t even notice, but there was a deep chuckle to my left.

“The barbecue’s going to be a while. Here. Just don’t tell the others I gave it to you.”

I turned to find Ronen squatting, holding out a thick bread roll. My stomach rumbled again when I looked at it, and his smile broadened. He lifted the roll higher. “Take it. You’ve earned it.”

“Have I?” I said as I took the bread roll and bit a chunk off it, sighing with happiness as I chewed the fresh, crusty roll.

Ronen frowned. “You were raised to First Rank today. It’s a huge milestone, Bren. Yes, you’ve earned it.”

Then he drew another roll out from the bag at his feet and winked. “And I earned it for training you,” he chuckled, then bit into his.

We both smiled and chewed for a minute. I watched my brothers—Gil and Oros sprawled on the other side of the fire, both looking thoughtful, speaking quietly as they watched the others.

Voski stood with Jhoare, jostling each other and teasing Harle, who pretended to ignore them while he turned the spit sullenly.

Apparently if I hadn’t just been raised it would have been my task to tend the fire and meat because I was the least experienced among us. But because they were celebrating me, he didn’t get a break from duties.

He obviously wasn’t pleased about it.

Einar was there too, leaning into Jhoare’s ear. Jhoare burst into laughter—which immediately had Harle begging them to tell him what they’d said.

Everyone was animated and happy. The dragons milled around in the shallows of the lake, groaning and splashing occasionally, but keeping to themselves.

Twilight was falling, the sky over the mountains turning indigo, while the sky over the ocean beyond the woods to the east was still pink.

I was worn out, my body weary. And starving. But my brothers were here to celebrate with me and they seemed relaxed. It was all very comfortable. Which felt strange.

“You know, if they’d failed you, I would have challenged the ruling,” Ronen said quietly, setting down against the same stump, just inches between our arms.

“What?” I asked, shocked.

Ronen nodded. “We weren’t close enough to see details, but it was obvious those two were conspiring.

If it had only happened once I would have said it was just the way chaos goes—they both happened to be there, and of course they’d choose the line that benefited each other over you.

But three times? I thought you’d gotten all the banners, so I didn’t step in.

Had I known they stole your banner as well, I would have talked to the Captain and Donavyn before anyone made a call.

But I should have known the General hadn’t missed it.

I haven’t seen him that angry in a long time. ”

Donavyn standing over my enemies, angry and indignant. So strong. I was gutted—desperately sad and furious at myself. But watching him roar at them touched me. Made me wish he was closer and I was less broken. It brought back memories of that night when I’d kissed him—

I felt my cheeks flush as Ronen looked at me sideways.

I swallowed hard. “He’s very protective of all of us,” I said faintly.

Ronen nodded. “I agree. He would have made that call for anyone, Bren. Not just you.”

“Of course,” I said quickly, looking down at the dirt and picking up a small pebble next to my boot as I told myself that was something to celebrate, not be disappointed by.

“Don’t dismiss that, Bren. It’s important.”

“I know. I’m glad Don— the General is so helpful. It’s good leadership. You’re that way too.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

My heart pounded. He must have heard something. Oh God, maybe Donavyn told him? Was he speaking to me now to make sure I wouldn’t get the wrong idea? I wanted to shrink into my sweaty leathers like a tortoise shell.

“Bren?” Ronen said quietly.

I made myself look at him.

His expression was solemn. “When I said you deserved the rank, you questioned it.”

“I was being funny.”

“No, you weren’t. And I get it. I know that’s not the way you wanted it to happen. But that doesn’t mean it’s not deserved. They stole that from you. It’s right that you’re here and they’re not.”

I was so relieved he wasn’t talking about Donavyn that I just shrugged and agreed with him. “That’s nice of you to say. Thank you.”

“I’m not being nice. I’m being honest.”

“Well, thank you.”

Ronen sighed like he was frustrated, but he pulled his knees up and rested his elbows on them, staring at the fire, the warm light of the flames making a soft glow on his skin and uniform as the daylight around us died.

As darkness fell, the men settled and soon we all sat in a circle around the fire, talking as a group.

“Bren, you’re one of us now,” Ronen said. “It’s time for you to be full inducted into the squad.”

My eyes must have widened, because he smiled and lifted his hands, palms towards me.

“No, no. I just meant, every time a new Flameborne is given First Rank, we come out here together and we tell our stories. This is all part of your story, and one day you’ll be out here with us, or in another squad somewhere else when a new Flameborne gets raised, and you’ll talk about this night.

You achieved something today that very, very few men ever do.

And no woman ever has before. Take it in. It’s special.”

My eyes stung a little, but I smiled and thanked him .

The men teased him for going soft, and I laughed, not because I thought he was, but because it was a relief.

I didn’t know how the rest of this process of becoming a Furyknight would go, but I knew that I almost didn’t make it this far.

So, I resolved to enjoy what I could for as long as I was here.

‘Well done, Little Flame,’ Akhane interjected from where she bathed with the others in the lake. ‘An excellent choice.’

I smiled down at my feet, then looked up when the sharp-eyed Voski snorted and nudged Harle’s shoulder.

“Tell her.”

Harle hunched, his expression dark. “Tell her what?”

“Tell her your name.”

I frowned. “His name is Harle. Isn’t it?”

“No, his dragon name,” Voski said with smile. “Go on, Harle. Tell her.”

I didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me that all of them had dragon names, just like Akhane called me Little Flame, but now I found myself deeply curious.

I looked at Harle expectantly. “What is it?”

Harle hunched and scowled, and the others chuckled. But no one else spoke up, so he had to either answer, or be rude to me.

“The Otter,” he mumbled darkly, shooting a look of pure malice at Voski, who smirked.

“The… Otter?” I asked, confused.

Even Ronen grinned, though he tried to hide it by ducking his head and staring at the dirt.

“What does it mean?” I asked, looking at Harle, then at the others. They all seemed so amused.

Harle shrugged. “It’s no big deal. It’s just because when we met he said I was a hard worker with a playful heart.”

“Not just your heart,” Gil commented like he was just making conversation. His expression casual. But several of the others sniggered. And Ronen pressed his lips together like he fought not to laugh.

I looked at my Wing Captain. “What am I missing?”

Ronen glanced at Harle who muttered at Voski. But the others were all watching him, obviously enjoying the tease. Ronen grinned, then leaned closer to me, speaking below the level of the others’ banter.

“Have you ever seen an Otter in the fall, when they lay in the water with a stone on their bellies?” he asked quietly.

I nodded. He glanced at Harle, then back to me.

“The Otters in this region pick up the nuts that fall from the trees and drop them it the water because it softens their shells. Then they lay on the backs and break the nuts open on their bellies,” he said, his eyes twinkling.

I smiled just because they all smiled. “Okay, so—”

“We think Kyan named Harle Otter because he’s playful. And good at nutting,” Jhoare chortled from the other side of the fire .

Two or three of my brothers snorted. Ronen rolled his lips together tightly, and Gil chuckled. I blushed as I finally grasped the euphemism—I’d heard Ruin refer to it as nutting when he found his release.

But then I caught Harle, blushing to his roots and turning the spit like he had a grudge towards it. “Don’t listen to them, Bren. They just like to tease me. That’s not why the dragons call me that.”