Page 94 of Black Wing and Shadows
She climbed higher, the air thinning, my eyes watering as cold sliced against my cheeks. Every muscle in my body screamed from holding on, and my wound throbbed in time with my heartbeat. But I didn’t let go.
When she finally leveled out, her mind brushed mine again.“Good. You learn fast.”
Below us, the forest stretched out with endless patches of snow and greenery, leaving the Bonding Day chaos far behind. I wasn’t sure whether I had passed her test or if it was only the start, but one thing was clear—Esme wasn’t the type of dragon you could tame. She was the kind you had to prove yourself to.
CHAPTER 34
Esme soared all around the campus, weaving high and low. I was quite sure she was trying to make me fall off. However, part of Bonding Day also involved returning safely to the flight field without falling from our fliers. She executed some sharp left and right banks that, thankfully, I had ridden a dragon before. The final step was landing in the outdoor stadium, where we presented our bonded dragon to the Historian for roll call. Knowing Esme was still a young dragon made me a bit nervous during our approach, as we needed to descend lower to land.
“Just because I am young doesn’t mean I haven’t been flying longer than you’ve been born…”she snapped into my head.
Fuck. I forgot I needed to work on another mental block.
“Sorry to offend you, I am new to this,” I said.
“You should really hold on now.”
She moved into a steep nosedive, making my stomach lurch into my heart, my pulse picking up a few notches. My legs were gripping each side of her, my hands holding onto the fleshy bump where her neck met her shoulders. I absolutely couldn’t wait to be fitted with saddles. Bareback was an experience, but when she was trying to flip me off, I was actually worried about my life. She lifted almost completely, flipping us around, and went straight for the sky.
“I get it… you can fly…”
“Do you? Do you get it? Actually?”Then she laughed. She actually fucking laughed at me.
“Maybe I should have picked Kekoa—”
She made a growl sound.“You wound my dragon heart,but point taken.”
She leveled out and circled the college again, gradually lowering. We flew closely over the flight field, where I saw dragons, griffins, and phoenixes standing beside their Riders. We then moved over the stadium wall. On the field, several more fliers were visible, along with some perched on the stadium walls, most of whom appeared to be leadership. I noticed Kim sitting closest to the stage, indicating my dad was likely nearby or up there.
She descended straight down, landing perfectly. I guessed I should never doubt her.
“Do you know what you’re supposed to do?”she said with this knowing tone.
“Uh… I am supposed to get your full name, and your parents’ names and report it to the Historian who’s keeping the roll.”
“Yes… and then?”
“Then I will return to you? And we are supposed to go wait in the flight field with the other fliers and Riders until we all come back in for the ceremony at exactly sixteen-hundred.”
“Yes, until all of The Aelorian Circle arrives.”
“Oh yes, the group of eldest fliers who speak on behalf of all fliers.”
“Alright, are you ready? You should go ahead and slide off.”
Following her suggestion, I swung my right leg over as she slid her legs out, creating a slide, though a bumpy one. The motion reminded me of the stab wound in my side, which began to throb, feeling as if I were burned. I descended along her leg, clutching my side.
“Are you going to tell me what I need to know?”
“Yes, when you get to the dais,”I swore she rolled her eyes.
I started making my way to the dais, walking a little slower. The stab wound was telling me it needed tending soon. All adrenaline had worn off. Zane was pushing on our mental bond. I finally let it collapse, letting him in all the way.
“You’re hurt, Auri…”he said.
“Yes, it’s merely a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.”
“Hopefully, the other person can’t say the same.”
