Page 54 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
“You first, Skysinger Breezehart,” he says.
Phoebe, all shyness thrown aside, leaps onto Trueno’s bent knee and propels herself upward, finding all the proper handholds and footholds. Once on Trueno’s back, she runs up his long neck, arms out for balance, and reaches the head. A huge smile springs to her lips. She looks triumphant, at the top of the world.
“Impressive work,” Vaylen says.
Impressive? Hardly. It’s merely the expected standard. At the Academy, we practiced climbing every day. There were different walls for that purpose, and the teachers made sure to change their layout all the time. Any student worth their while could climb those walls with their eyes closed.
Zephyros bends his knee. I’ve already assessed the best path to climb him, so I run in his direction and leap upward. As my foot lands on his knee, I bend my leg and propel myself further up, one hand aiming for a protruding spike. Just as I’m about to take hold of it, Zephyros shifts ever so slightly, and I miss. My fist closing around air, I slam into his side, slide downward, and hit the ground with a heavythud.
Zephyros’s laughter rings in my head. I scramble to my feet, ready for a fight, but what am I going to do? Slap his armored body untilIbleed?
—What in all the hells?I demand.
“That was… unfortunate,” Vaylen says.
“You saw what he did.” I point an accusing finger at Zephyros.
“All I saw was a rider attempting to climb their dragon without offering a proper greeting first,” he says.
Damn it!I stare at my boots, fuming. What is wrong with me?
—This is your fault,I tell Zephyros.
—Is that so?
—Yes.
The damn dragon is irreverent. How am I supposed to respect a creature that acts like an asshole? I take a deep breath, reining in my frustration.
Keep playing the game, Rhea. Keep playing the game.
When you have no power of your own, you have to bend to others. It’s what I’ve been doing all my life.Bend. Bend. Bend.All the while hoping I don’t break. I have bent to worse creatures than Zephyros, however. And unlike the others, in the end, he’ll give me the power I’ve been craving, the power I need to ensure no one ever hurts me or anyone I love ever again.
Swallowing my pride and ignoring what a total ass Zephyros is, I bow low, arms tight at my sides. His satisfied chuckle reverberates in my mind.The bastard!When I straighten, I notice Vaylen looks as satisfied as Zephyros sounds. Phoebe, for her part, just appears relieved. She doesn’t want me to cause any trouble for us.
From now on, I’ll be the best damn pupil High Prime Vaylen Stormsong has ever had. A pupil and nothing else.
26
Rhea
—Are we good?I ask Zephyros.
He doesn’t reply.
—You’re not going to dump me on my ass again, right?
He moves his shoulders slightly. A shrug? Vaylen frowns, seemingly aware of our silent interaction. I roll my shoulders, making a mental note to be more careful. Vaylen might forgive my irreverent behavior and let me off with a threat. But if he discovers I’m a Weaver, I’m sure I will be put to death faster than I can climb onto Zephyros… if he lets me.
—Here I come, oh most majestic dragon,I say to Zephyros.
I back up, then take up at a run, and leap. Once more, as soon as my foot touches Zephyros’s knee, I propel myself upward. This time, he remains still, and I find every intended handhold without trouble. As fast as Phoebe, I make my way up Zephyros’s neck and come to a halt atop his head. My breath is cut short at the change in perspective. The plateau stretches before me, and I ogle at the miles and miles of pastureland and forests in the distance. The blue sky kisses the horizon, a dome that seems to encapsulate only Embernia, leaving out our enemies.
Once, thousands of dragons speckled the sky, their scales shimmering like tiny beacons that declared our safety, prosperity, and freedom. Now, we look up onto a firmament blotted by nothing but clouds and the threat of oblivion.
Oh, Heratrix, why did you abandon us? Will you ever come back? Or are you dead and we hope in vain for your return?
“Good,” Vaylen says. “Not much complication mounting as I expected. Now… we will practice Tethering.”
