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J ai could hardly speak, not least because of the rush of sensations coming from Winter. She was mesmerised at the sight, and Jai could barely resist the heady rush of excitement and desire coming from the other half of their joined souls.

She yawped, then snapped her jaws shut at the involuntary sound. Jai sensed... embarrassment. The back of his neck warmed at the shared sensation, his hair standing up.

And truly, who could fault Winter for her captivation? The dragon before them was a paragon of its kind, as grand and proud as a stallion, draped in silver-blue scales that gleamed with each subtle movement. Its horns, regal and half curled, adorned a noble head beneath which lay eyes of vivid turquoise, gleaming with a wild intelligence. This creature was clearly older, more seasoned than Winter, who despite her own splendour was still but a fledgling by comparison, having been birthed before her time.

Winter was besotted. There was no other way to put it, some deep instinct within drawing her like a moth to a flame. Hell, the dragon even smelled good to her.

‘Roqs aren’t the only winged beasts that grace these mountains skies,’ Erica said, the smile on her face ever more radiant. And Jai knew now the source of her great happiness.

It was not this place, or her new-found freedom. It was the dragon.

‘Allow me to introduce Regin,’ Erica said tenderly, her hand gently caressing the snout of the magnificent creature. ‘Many a devotee has sought to forge a soulbond with him, to tame the wild tempest within. Most met their demise in the attempt. None succeeded.’

‘Until you,’ Jai breathed.

She smiled, and looked around, making sure they were alone. Even so, she lowered her voice in her reply.

‘Cold enough up here for it. And it’s always easier to bond with a new totem if you’ve done it before.’

‘Right,’ Jai said, his mind flashing back to the practices of the Gryphon Guard. The squires would forsake their chamrosh totems upon their knighthoods, pledging their souls anew to the fierce gryphons, severing their former bond in the process. A harsh transition, but one he surmised was mirrored in this place, where devotees would part from their loyal terror birds to embrace the mighty roqs.

The dragon, Regin, snorted, his curling nostrils wrinkling with disdain. In all his grandeur, he seemed to ignore Winter, as if her very presence was inconsequential. This apparent slight did not go unnoticed. Winter, ruffled and affronted, moved forth with deliberate steps, her wings unfurling in a display of silent challenge.

With a measured glance and another dismissive sniff, Regin paced backward, as if granting Winter some small acknowledgement. Then, with a grace belying his size, he sprang off the precipice, his form fading into the misted expanse below. Erica’s gaze followed his graceful descent, a fond, almost wistful smile gracing her lips.

‘He’s an enigma,’ Erica murmured, her voice tinged with wonder. ‘My mother’s dragon was my first bond. She had grown accustomed to the human touch, the shared emotions. But Regin? He knew only the wilds, the solitude. His heart still beats with the pulse of untamed nature. He hasn’t yet granted me the honour of soaring the skies with him. But when that day comes, I’ll reclaim my place among my people, regardless of Eko’s diktats.’

Jai looked at her in amazement, dizzied by Winter’s desire to follow in Regin’s footsteps. Her emotions, usually controlled for Jai’s own benefit, were on raw display. Love-struck, poor thing.

Erica nodded, and turned her gaze skyward. Jai heard it then. The tolling of a bell, its mellow peals near lost in the ever-present gale that scoured the jutting peak.

‘We should go,’ she said. ‘You’re a devotee now, right? Come learn at the Speaker’s feet.’

She did not wait for Jai, but her eagerness was infectious and Jai was hungry for mana. He was fast burning through what little he’d gathered, just to stand warm in the snow.

If he was to join this sect, and make the same sacrifice his father had, he might as well reap the benefits. After all, this was one of the most desirable places of learning for a soulbound in the world, such that even the great Guild coveted its secrets.

Winter let out a mournful mewl as Jai followed, and he turned back with a soft smile.

‘Go on, then,’ he said. ‘But don’t go far. This place is not safe, even for dragons.’

Her elation was infectious, and his smile turned to a grin as Winter let out as close to a whoop as a dragon could, a deep harrumph before leaping from the cliffside.

Jai’s heart swelled into his throat at the sight – but his fears were soon allayed as her silhouette whipped back up again, and her feelings of exuberance drowned out lingering worry.

He followed Erica up the winding trail to the mountain’s peak, past the frozen devotees in their strange meditation. At the path’s zenith, Jai could see the dozen or so Caelite acolytes cross-legged at the centre, sucking in the mana therein.

It was fascinating, to see so many soulbreathing without their beasts. Certainly, Jai made sure to make physical contact with Winter wherever possible when he was soulbreathing.

To soulbreathe without one’s beast was a sluggish affair, and he had pitied Rufus and Erica often on their journeys watching the pair soulbreathing alone. There was something about that touch that made the process faster, drawing the mana close and allowing it to flow freely through his channels.

But here, the mana was so abundant, Jai knew it likely made little difference to the many seated there. Jai had hoped to join the others, to find his place alongside Eko. Instead, Erica waved Jai goodbye, only to find himself alone.

‘You are in luck, Jai,’ the Speaker said.

Jai found himself tugged by the hand, as the Speaker appeared at his side, his movements so swift and silent Jai had heard nothing of it.

‘How so?’ Jai asked.

The man’s hand thrummed the air, slapping Jai with such force he swayed dizzily. A swift finger to the Speaker’s lips answered his question as to why.

‘That’s the only warning you get,’ he said. ‘I alone speak here.’

Jai resisted the urge to curse, instead touching his fingers to his lips and feeling the blood there. It seemed hardly fair, but he instead bowed his head in apology, clasping his hands in front of him.

The Speaker kissed his teeth, before pulling Jai away from the great font of golden mana. No, Jai would not replenish his mana that way. Instead, he was tugged to the edge of the plateau, where a few empty pedestals looked out over the Great Steppe.

There were gaps in the cloud bank, and through them he could see the great ocean of green, undulating as if brushed by the great invisible hand of the Mother, combing the knots in her child’s hair. He felt a tug inside him, and realised... he missed it. Missed the scent of morning dew, the soughing of the breeze, the endless horizons.

It was strange to miss somewhere. The closest he had come to that was his childhood desires to be tucked in his cot, the journals of a Sabine centurion waiting to be read by candlelight.

Both were a far cry from this desolate place. There was no green here, no warm sunsets to bathe his face. Only the cold blue of the sky, the black of rock, white of snow. Even the sun seemed paler here, sitting unimpeded as it was, high in the great blue above.

‘Here, you sit,’ the Speaker said. ‘Soulbreathe, alone. No dragons.’

Jai stared at him, a question on his lips, and the Speaker grunted, at least pleased at Jai’s acquiescence, and leaned in, gripping the back of Jai’s neck in a way Jai was fast growing accustomed to.

Jai gestured at the air around them, where the mana was as scant as stars in daylight.

‘To master the mana within you, you must learn to do much with little,’ the Speaker muttered. ‘The untrained body is wasteful. This is how we teach it not to be.’

He gave Jai a squeeze upon his shoulder, and Jai felt unnatural gratitude at the small hint of solidarity.

‘I’ll see you here in the morning,’ he called. ‘Or I won’t see you at all.’