Page 120 of The Dragonrider and the Void
Venrick’s expression hardened. He glanced to where Barrik continued his subtle manipulations, unaware that his true intentions had been discovered. “How do we stop him? How do we switch the vessel?”
Before Lark could answer, a violent tremor shook the sanctuary. The binding ritual was approaching completion, theVaerdium matrix glowed with increased intensity as it prepared to seal the Void Drinker away permanently, with Lark as its anchor.
Time is running out.
Hardin arrived then, emerging from a stairwell with Sasja close behind. His eyes widened at the sight of Lark’s fading form, but to his credit, he wasted no time on shock. “What do you need?” he called to Venrick, already summoning water to his hands in preparation for whatever might come.
“The ritual,” Venrick shouted back over the growing magical tempest. “We need to redirect it. The hatchling is meant to become the vessel, not Lark.”
Barrik’s head snapped up at these words. His careful composure cracked for the first time.
“No!” he barked, abandoning his position by the forge to stride toward them. “The binding is nearly complete. Any interference now could release the Void Drinker entirely.”
But Lark saw the truth in his eyes. It wasn’t concern for the stability of the binding, but alarm that his carefully laid plans might be disrupted.
“We need Hardin,” she pushed through her connection with Venrick. “Tell him, the sanctuary’s wards must be altered.”
Venrick nodded, understanding. “Hardin, the wards! The sanctuary can be directed. You need to focus them on the hatchling, not Lark.”
“I’ll try,” he replied, raising his hands and closing his eyes in concentration.
Barrik moved to intercept him, the ground rippling under him as power gathered at his feet. “This is madness. The ritual must proceed as intended!”
“As you intended, you mean,” Sasja countered, stepping between them with daggers drawn. “Stay back, Barrik. We’ve all seen enough of your manipulation.”
Lark noticed the hatchling reaching the edge of the Vaerdium ring. It paused there. Its cream-white eyes fixated on Lark with an intensity that transcended its youth. There was ancient knowledge in that gaze. Knowledge that had been passed on through its bloodline.
Lark felt herself slipping further, the binding pulling more of her essence into its structure. Soon, there would be nothing left to save. But as her consciousness expanded further, stretching beyond the confines of the sanctuary, beyond the limitations of her human perspective, she became aware of yet another aspect of her bond with White Eye that was normally just beyond her reach.
His power. And Lark remembered the source of it. Unlike other dragons whose Hyalites were like Barrik’s, giving him command over the earth, like Tel’s giving him command over fire, or Hardin’s giving him command over water, White Eye’s connection with the god who granted him the Hyalite ran deeper, tapping into something more fundamental. They shared a bond with the most powerful god, Aether. A power Lark had just started to scratch the limits of. A power that controlled the stars themselves. The celestial energy that flowed through the cosmos, that bridged realms and transcended physical limitations.
And by extension, that piece of Aether given to them through the Hyalite was what made Lark and White Eye so formidable.
The bond she shared with White Eye had always been special, different from connections other riders formed with their dragons. Now she saw the full potential of their power. They were bonded to the god whose very forces knit reality together.
They had access to forces that could, perhaps, defy the binding ritual’s pull.
White Eye sensed the change in her, his massive head tilting slightly as the knowledge passed between them. Without hesitation, he pressed his snout to what remained of her body, and power flowed between them. It wasn’t the usual steady current of their bond, but a torrent of celestial energy that illuminated Lark from within.
Stars seemed to ignite beneath her translucent skin, forming constellations that dissolved in rapid succession as the celestial power fought against the binding’s grasp. For a moment, the outcome hung in perfect balance, neither force able to overcome the other.
“It’s not quite enough,” she said. “We need to converge.”
“How?” Venrick repeated, confused.
“The three of us,” she pushed the thought through their connection. “Your corrupted blood creates a bridge between realms. Hardin’s ability to manipulate wards provides control. And the hatchling’s immunity offers containment. Together, the three of us can change the vessel.”
Without hesitation, he pressed his hand more firmly against her translucent form, the corruption in his blood flaring with silver light as it created a stronger connection. With his free hand, he reached for the hatchling, completing the circuit.
Hardin’s influence picked up on the change and Lark felt him shaping the triangular flow of power to work effortlessly between them. Barrik growled in frustration, unable to stop the change.
The effect was immediate and dramatic. The binding ritual’s pull on Lark lessened as the celestial energy from White Eye surged through the connection, anchoring her to the physical realm. Simultaneously, the hatchling stepped onto the Vaerdium ring, its small, scaly body glowing with internal light as it accepted the role it had been born to fulfill.
“No!” Barrik shouted, breaking away from where Sasja, Ingamar, and Hardin were working to block him. He lunged toward the central well, his power erupting spires from the ground to disrupt anyone from stopping him. But the dragon had already been accepted by the wards and the power.
The Vaerdium matrix flared with light as the binding ritual recalibrated, releasing its hold on Lark and transferring it to the hatchling instead.
Lark felt the change as a sudden lightness, the weight of imminent dissolution lifting from her consciousness. The celestial energy from White Eye surged through their bond, pulling her essence back together, redefining her physical form with each passing moment.
