Page 6 of Tempest Blazing (The Dragonne Library #3)

Tess

Monday morning hit me hard, cold and unforgiving.

I stepped into the outdoor training area, boots hitting gravel with a crunch that seemed too loud.

The sun was just crawling over the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of orange and gold, but all that beauty did nothing for the sick twist in my stomach.

Something was wrong. I could feel it in my bones.

What made me stop dead was the unprecedented gathering of dragons. They formed a massive semicircle around the training grounds, and the sight of them—so many, all at once—made my mouth go dry. This felt official. Important enough to summon every dragon in the guild.

I spotted Thalon among them, his scales shifting between obsidian and gold in the morning light. He caught my gaze and sent a gentle pulse of reassurance through our bond, but no explanation came with it. Typical.

The other dragons waited in silence, their presence heavy and watchful. None of these dragons appeared to have riders with them, and the thought hit me suddenly—could these be the ones who would choose from among us?

I adjusted my glasses with shaking fingers and scanned the area, my heart doing something between a gallop and a stutter. The dragons weren't just waiting; they were watching. Every movement we made, every breath we took. Their presence felt heavy in my chest.

Then I saw him.

Mason stood off to the side, his broad frame silhouetted against the rising sun.

His dark brown skin had this golden glow in the early light, and I could see a pulse throbbing in his jaw, his hand flexing and unflexing against his bicep.

Tension radiated off him in waves. His arms were crossed over his chest, the muscles in his shoulders coiled tight as he stared at the scene in front of him.

I made my way over to him, each step feeling heavier than the last. "Mason," I called softly, hesitating when I reached him.

He turned at the sound of my voice, his dark eyes meeting mine. The sharp lines of his face softened slightly, and for a moment, the tension in his shoulders eased. "You okay?" he asked, his voice low and gruff, but I caught the worry threading through it.

After everything that had happened—the intruder in the Library, the forest fire attack—we'd determined that staying on the library grounds and continuing to come to classes was the safest, most logical course of action. But logic didn't make the weight of constant vigilance any easier to bear.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. I didn't know what to say, didn't know how to voice the dread crawling up my spine. Mason must have seen something in my face because he closed the distance between us. His arm came around my shoulders, the gesture so natural it made my chest ache.

For a heartbeat, I went rigid. But then I relaxed, leaning into him, my head brushing against his chest. Warmth flooded through me, and something else—a flicker of the bond we now shared—shot down my spine like electricity.

"I always feel safest with you," I murmured, the words barely making it past my lips.

His arm tightened slightly around me, his gaze scanning the area like he was cataloging every possible threat. "Always," he said simply, and the certainty in his voice was steadying.

Before I could respond, the murmurs around us died to nothing, the collective unease of the group so thick I could taste it. Mason's gaze flicked over my shoulder, and I turned to see why.

The Lord Protector had arrived.

Silvius Ellesar was the kind of fae who could silence a room just by breathing in it.

His tall, commanding figure cut through the morning fog, and those piercing blue eyes—cold, calculating—swept over us with the weight of centuries that made my skin crawl.

The silver hair framing his face gave him an air of regality, but there was no warmth anywhere near him.

Silence dropped suddenly. Tension rippled across the crowd of applicants. Even the dragons, who had been shifting and growling softly moments ago, stilled under his unyielding gaze.

My fingers dug into my palms, nails biting into skin. I wanted to disappear, my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest, and I felt the familiar prick of anxiety clawing at the edges of my mind.

Then, like a warm ember in the chaos, Thalon's voice brushed against my thoughts. "Steady yourself, little one," he murmured, his tone both soothing and firm. "You are stronger than you think."

"Last week, the Dragonne Library was attacked."

My stomach dropped as the memory of the forest fire flashed in my mind—the heat, the chaos, the way I'd felt so goddamn helpless.

"The fires you fought in the forest," Silvius continued, his tone grim, "were no accident. They were conjured by Salamanders, summoned by hands that seek to unmake the world we know."

His eyes swept over us as if examining insignificant creatures.

"As you know, this was not an isolated incident.

Across the globe, coordinated attacks have left cities burning, leaders dead, and alliances fractured.

We now know for certain that the Harbingers were behind these attacks.

They have struck, and they have struck with precision. "

Dead silence. Nothing but the faint rustling of dragon wings.

"There were a number of casualties," Silvius said, and something in his voice made my blood turn to ice. "Among the fallen is one of our own. Rider Eira Velos gave her life defending the sanctity of the Dragonne Library and what it stands for."

A sound ripped through the air—low, guttural, like the earth itself was screaming. I turned to see a massive silver-scaled dragon, standing at the edge of the semicircle. Her grief hit me physically, and I felt my chest tighten in response.

"The Harbingers aim to destroy us," Silvius continued, his voice sharpening.

"To fracture the unity between humans, Supes, and dragons.

To paint dragons as monsters, Supes as tyrants, and the Dragon Riders as relics of a failing order.

They want to destabilize alliances, to keep us scattered and reactive.

And they will not stop until they have succeeded. "

His words settled over us heavily. I glanced around, watching the gathered applicants. The training area had gone dead quiet—faces painted with fear, determination, and the kind of grim resolve that made my skin crawl.

"In light of the Harbingers' escalating threat," Silvius announced, cutting through the silence, "the Guild has decided to accelerate the application process."

Everyone sucked in air at once. My stomach twisted, dread sinking inside me. Accelerate the process?

"The forest fire," Silvius continued, each word sharp, "was your first true trial. It replaced the mid-semester evaluation. Not everyone passed."

The words stunned me. My chest squeezed tight as I searched the crowd.

Thank god—Kane's stark white hair caught the light near the back, Raze's broad shoulders unmistakable.

Anya stood off to the side, her dark robes rippling, and Draven's tall frame was impossible to miss, those hazel eyes of his cutting through the crowd.

But there were others—faces I'd grown used to seeing every day—who weren't here. The absence shocked me. The fire hadn't just been a trial. It had been a culling. And some of us hadn't made it through.

Silvius's gaze found me, those piercing blue eyes drilling into mine. I froze under his scrutiny, his disdain pressing down on me. He saw right through me—my doubts, my insecurities, the desperate way I was clinging to this place.

"Additionally," he said, slicing through my spiraling thoughts, "the final Guild Trial will now take place in two weeks.

Two weeks to prove yourselves worthy of standing among the Dragon Riders.

And let me remind you—most of you will not pass.

Even among those who do, not all of you will be chosen by a dragon. "

"Those who fail the Guild Trial will not be permitted to remain on the grounds," Silvius added, his voice cold. "The Harbingers are everywhere. We cannot risk harboring those who cannot protect themselves."

The crowd exploded into whispers. Two weeks.

My brain short-circuited. How could I possibly— My thoughts scattered, my ADHD making the panic worse, each worry bouncing off another until I couldn't hold onto any single thought.

Focus, Tess. This wasn't just about me anymore.

It was about Thalon. About Mason. About proving Silvius wrong. But two weeks...

Warm fingers brushed mine, and I glanced up to see Mason standing beside me, his dark eyes steady and reassuring. He didn't say anything—he didn't need to. Just having him there was enough to keep me from completely falling apart.

Draven, standing a few feet away, caught my eye and flashed that infuriating grin of his. How could he look so calm? Like Silvius's words were just background noise. But then his gaze lingered, and I caught something darker underneath—something that made my pulse stutter.

And Kane... His jaw was clenched so tight I thought I heard his teeth grind. His violet eyes met mine for a fleeting second, then flicked away. Was it worry? Or was there something else there, something warmer, hidden beneath his usual icy composure?

I clenched my fists, drawing in a deep, steadying breath. One week. I had no idea if I was ready.

Instructor Alvarez's sharp whistle cracked through the air, snapping everyone's attention to her. She stood at the front of the group, unyielding. "Line up!" she barked, her voice carrying across the training grounds. "Warmup run, stretches, then the obstacle course. Move it!"

We fell into line without a word. Gone was the usual grumbling and joking. The looming Guild Trial—and Silvius's bomb—had shifted everything. As we began our run, the atmosphere felt heavy, charged with a quiet desperation that made my skin prickle.

The warmup run passed in a blur, followed by stretches and the obstacle course.

I pushed myself harder than usual, every muscle screaming as I kept up with the others.

The course was grueling as always—climbing ropes, leaping over walls, dodging swinging logs—but a small flicker of pride warmed my chest when I managed to complete it without faltering.

Afterward, Instructor Alvarez addressed the group, her sharp gaze sweeping over us.

"Listen up," she said, her voice cutting through our exhaustion.

"There will be no in-class final. The Guild Trial will serve as your ultimate test. Use this week to get yourselves into top physical condition. You'll need it."