Page 8 of Flameborne: Chosen (Emberquell Academy #1)

“Bren, I have to tell you that your appearance here is quite the, uh, thrill? ” Had she been a man, I would have given her the speech, welcomed her as a brother, and delighted to do it—to hear those words from the Commander himself would be a memory he’d hold precious for the rest of his days. But how could I do that with her?”

‘How could you not, Donavyn?’ Kgosi muttered in my head. ‘She is Chosen.’

‘She’s a… she,’ I reminded him.

‘She is Chosen,’ is all he replied.

‘Against every rule and—’

‘There are no rules among dragons, Donavyn. It’s your kind who like restrictions.’

If there hadn’t been so many eyes on me, I would have gaped at him. ‘How can you say that? The dragons have never Chosen a woman before!’

‘That doesn’t mean it was forbidden. We merely agreed with your kind in the past that it was not wise.’

‘And it’s wise now?’ I asked incredulously.

‘She. Is. Chosen,’ Kgosi sent slowly, as if I were a child who wasn’t following. ‘The dragons acknowledge her. Any disquiet is yours.’

Stunned, I cleared my throat turning my attention back to Bren. “Do you understand what’s happened to you?”

Her brow furrowed. “Akhane saved me,” she said, her lips barely moving.

“And in the process, she bonded you. Do you know what that means?”

The lines in her forehead grew deeper, then she licked her lips. “Is that why I can hear her voice?”

I nodded. “It’s also why every dragon in the Vosgaarde society will now stand for your protection. As will their riders and carers.”

Her eyes widened. “The Furyknights?” she breathed, then looked quickly around as if she expected one to leap on her.

“Yes,” I said frankly. “Bren, you’ve been Chosen . Akhane measured you suitable and bonded you. Which means you take your place among the ranks of the Flameborne.”

“I—wait, what?!” She stopped dead and her eyes went round.

It surprised me that that was the term that broke through to her.

Most citizens were aware of the Furyknights, but knew little to nothing about how they were Chosen and raised to that auspicious rank.

It was part of the fun for a Flameborne’s brotherhood to introduce them to our society—and a wicked delight to awe them with the requirements they would have to meet.

I sighed. “As a Chosen One of a dragonfury, you are Flameborne. That is—”

“I know what that is,” she hissed, blinking rapidly. “But that’s… I thought only men could be Furyknights?”

I offered a wry smile. “So did we.”

She gaped at me, then turned, those loose strands of hair floating around her face as she scanned the lip of the launch hollow, finally registering that all of those men and dragons were there to see her.

“This… this can’t be,” she breathed, taking a step back as if to flee.

Instinctively, I slipped a hand to the hollow of her spine and leaned closer so none of them would hear us.

“I’ll admit this is a surprise to all of us, Flameborne Bren, but don’t shrink from it.

Furyknights are, at our hearts, servants.

We honor our dragons who humbled themselves to bond us and serve our nation.

So, stand tall for Akhane, Bren. She has Chosen you. ”

“Chosen me for what?!”

“As her partner. Her rider. The only human with whom she’ll open her mind intimately. And as her brother—excuse me, sister-in arms. If she becomes a battle dragon, you’ll ride her to glory. And together you’ll help us defeat the enemy.”

It was a marvelous goal. Inspiring to most men. But Bren shrank from it, horror in her wide eyes.

“What… what happens if I say no?” she asked.

I punched down the impatience and offense that wanted to tell her to straighten her spine and find her balls—after all, she had none to locate.

A woman Flameborne? Surely this was a mistake?

‘Dragons do not make those mistakes, Donavyn,’ Kgosi growled.

I cleared my throat. “Any Flameborne who doesn’t pass the trials will become a servant to the crown.

There are many possible options: Messengers, runners, scouts, hunters, healers—if you or your dragon show aptitude.

Or, with a female dragon, you could become a nanny and teacher for the hatchlings. ”

She sucked in a breath. “And Akhane? Would that… would she be satisfied with that life? Perhaps that’s what she Chose me for?” She looked up at me, that earnest shining in her huge blue eyes that matched a cloudless sky.

I swallowed hard. “You would have to ask her,” I said diplomatically.

Kgosi huffed in my head. ‘You should tuck your tail over your genitals while you’re at it.’

Bren turned her head hopefully, eyes finding Akhane behind us, and I suspected she did exactly what we all did the first time—reached out to her dragon with the hesitance we all had at the beginning, uncertain when they would hear us, or how. But a moment later a shiver rippled down her spine .

“I… I think…” Her face fell and my heart sank with it.

In many ways it would be a relief if she rejected the call—having a woman sincerely train for the trials created obstacles and complications I didn’t want to try to untangle.

But since the two were bonded, if Bren wouldn’t answer the call, then we’d lose Akhane as a fury—and given her size, a likely battle dragon.

And something deep within me—more than the disdain of my dragon—said that this woman was not seeing herself clearly. That her lack of confidence didn’t come from lack of capability, but—

“I’ll try,” she said, though her brows pinched a V over her nose. “I can only try.”

To my surprise, Kgosi lifted his head and roared, and was immediately answered by every dragon within earshot—which, for dragons, was several miles.

Around and around the hollow, and echoing across the land, those deep, ancient voices raised in celebration. A cacophony of pride and honor, designed to both impress humility upon a young Flameborne, and buoy them with confidence.

‘She is Little Flame,’ Kgosi told me when the noise had died down, but the humans in the clearing were beginning to mill about, murmuring in agitated tones.

I sucked in a breath.

Little Flame.

She’d been given a dragon name.

There was no going back now.

“Little Flame it is,” I said quietly.

Bren looked at me, nodding uncertainly as I gestured for her to head up the incline again. I was glad to see her steps were already stronger, and halfway up the side of the bowl, she pursed her lips into a determined frown.

I left my hand at her elbow so there was no chance she would slip and embarrass herself in front of the men—some of whom would soon be her brothers, though she didn’t know it yet.

She stumbled once, just before we reached the lip of the bowl and the gathered dragons and men there, but she caught herself before I had to steady her, then raised her chin, and kept walking.

Well done, Little Flame.

I pointed her towards the Academy buildings because I wasn’t sure what else to do. She would need to see Akhane’s stable, and then we’d have to find her a squad for training and…

The thought trailed off as the Furyknights and stablehands, and everyone else who’d gathered nearby, started towards us now that we were out of the bowl—a press of human and dragon flesh that even I would eye warily if I didn’t know for certain they’d listen to me.

Bren shrank in, her shoulders round, dropping her head as if she were trying to disappear from sight .

With a growl at a couple of the men who stormed towards her, I leaned over her again and murmured in her ear.

“You are reborn by the dragon flame. Let the fire refine, and burn away your old humanity to reveal strength, and wisdom. Whoever you might have been, whatever you might have done, it no longer matters. You’re one of us now,” I whispered.

“Do not shrink from those who share the honor—and don’t let them make you small. ”

She nodded quickly and licked her lips. She still looked scared, but she raised her chin and rolled her shoulders back. But I could feel the trembling in her as we walked together.

I raised a hand to the voices of protest and disbelief that suddenly surrounded us. Their questions would be answered, and their concerns addressed. But for now…

Let her find her way. By the Creator’s light, let her find her way.