Page 92 of The Scars Within
I sighed. I could sense him drawing closer, his massive form descending through the evening sky. “Just hurry up and get here,” I thought, knowing he would, despite his teasing.
Moments later, both dragons appeared over the mountain peaks. Tatum’s blue landed first, the fading light shimmering off her sapphire scales with a metallic sheen.
“This is Echo,” Tatum announced proudly.
Lakota touched down beside Echo, folding his wings with a dramatic flourish. His towering frame dwarfs Echo’s, and he wasn’t even trying to hide his pride. His deep, crimson scales rippled in the light as he held his head high, and his golden eyes gleamed smugly.
“Show-off,” I thought, but there was no denying how magnificent he looked.
Lakota’s eyes flicked over to me with a smirk-like gleam. “Gotta keep up appearances, Caffeinated One,” he teased.
He then lowered his head toward Cleo and Laney, who stood frozen in awe, looking like they were about two seconds away from bolting—or wetting themselves.
I shot him a glare, trying to ignore the flutter of amusement in my chest. “How did you even know I grabbed a second coffee today? You know what, don’t answer that.”
Lakota huffed an amused laugh. His tone oozed arrogance as he added, “Oh, I’m always watching.”
Trying to suppress my grin, I groaned and shook my head. As much as I pretended to be annoyed, there was something comforting about his playful banter. Deep down, I couldn’t help but smile. Lakota was by far the largest dragon to have graced Dragon Valley in a long time—at least according to the gossiping professors I’d overheard in the triage tent yesterday. But to me, he seemed more like a giant teddy bear than the imposing figure others saw.
Suddenly, he snapped his head towards me and let out a low growl, his eyes flashing with mock irritation.
I raised a brow in protest, meeting his gaze defiantly.
The rumble of an approaching dragon shattered our conversation. My friends and I exchanged wide-eyed glances as Lakota’s voice echoed in my mind, “It’s just Noemi and Rhodes.”
I dropped my shoulders with relief and quickly passed on the message. All eyes turned skyward as Noemi descended gracefully, her silhouette framed by the fading light. I’ve seen her from afar on a few rare occasions, but she holds an aura that’s larger than life. For someone like her to choose Rhodes as her bond, she must be every bit as unexplainable as he is.
Rhodes dismounted with effortless precision. The wind tossed his hair, and his leathers clung to every defined muscle beneath. Even in the dim twilight, his presence was impossible to ignore.
“Ladies,” he greeted my friends with a nod before his gaze settled on me.
“Subtle,” Lakota’s dry tone filled my thoughts, his sarcasm unmistakable.
I smirked but kept my eyes locked on Rhodes. “We were just introducing Cleo and Laney to Echo and Lakota,” I said, glancing briefly toward the others.
He raised a brow, his expression unreadable. “I don’t think any of us are supposed to be out here,” he pointed out. “Especially you.”
A flicker of unease rippled through me. I opened my mouth to say something, but shut it.
“Have either of you flown yet?” he asked, his gaze flicking to Tatum before settling on me.
Just the thought of riding on Lakota’s back sent my heart into a frenzy. As much as I tried to focus on everything else, I hadn’t allowed myself to imagine what it would be like to soar through the skies. A part of me has held back, worried that the War Chief wouldn’t let me stay close to Lakota—that somehow, I’d lose him too. I didn’t want to dream about something that could be ripped away like every other good thing in my life has been.
War Chief Kalluri’s words echoed in my mind. If it is decided, Lakota and I will be exiled to the Barrens. No one really knows what happens to those sent there—so for all we know, riders could be separated from their dragons, stripped of that connection. A fire wielder can still channel without their dragon close by, but it is said that their power would weaken. Maybe that is the military’s aim, to weaken those sent to the Barrens, especially if they were exiled for bad behavior. Keep them in check and control their abilities.
And ifweare exiled…
I forced myself to stop. I don’t even know the truth. My past has a habit of feeding me the worst-case scenarios, making me imagine the absolute worst when I don’t have to. I am still here. Free. Kind of. And apparently, the most intimidating cadet in the entire war college.
Tatum spoke up, “No. But I sure as hell want to.”
“Then we don’t have much time to waste tonight. Let’s mount,” Rhodes called out, clapping his hands together before striding toward the three dragons waiting in the field.
“But... they don’t have saddles yet,” Tatum said apprehensively.
Rhodes paused, turning back to us with an arrogant but amused grin. “A good rider can fly without a saddle.”
Noemi snorted, a plume of steam escaping her nostrils as if to back up his bold claim.
