Page 11 of Swift Wings Shadowed Heart
I’ve often wondered about how she could be the mother to every male dragon as well as their mate. As a human, it’s a strange concept to wrap my head around, but we’re entirely different species, and it’s wrong to apply my prejudices to their way of life.
I stare solemnly at the Scions as two of them, sitting next to each other, begin to glow with a warm light. I frown. Why aren’t they all glowing? Why only two? The answer that comes to mind sends my heartbeat into another fit of nerves.
Dragon’s Breath!Why can’t things ever be easy? The seventh egg is here as a test, a final way to weed out any who slipped through the Neutros.
High Prime Stormsong says, “Singer, choose the Scion that speaks to you and lay your hand on it.” I wait for him to say more, but he stands at attention, staring straight ahead, acting as if I’m not there again.
I open my mouth to ask what he means, then shut it. An inquiry would only get me thrown out. If I were like my mates, only one egg would be glowing for me—the one belonging to the wind elemental dragon—and I would be able, without hesitation, to walk up to it, touch it, and move on to the next stage of thisdragonforsakentrial.
High Prime Stormsong’s sharp blue eyes flick in my direction, impatient.
“Are they silent?” he asks, sounding disappointed—or maybe it’s my imagination.
“I guess you mean pick the one that’s glowing, right?” I say in a cheeky voice that’s entirely out of place with the austerity of the situation.
One of his thick eyebrows lifts in judgment. He clearly doesn’t approve of my nonchalant attitude, but at least he doesn’t seem ready to dismiss me or suspect me for hesitating. Besides, he now knows at least one egg is glowing for me. I take a deep breath.
Heratrix, guide me! Don’t let me pick the wrong one.
I take a step toward The Cradle, then another.
Which Scion do I pick? Left or right? One of them will make my dreams come true. The other one will doom me, send me to the gallows.
Please, Heratrix, give me a sign.
The egg on the right seems to glow a little brighter. Or did I just imagine that?
Dammit!
I stop in front of The Cradle and lift my hand. I’m about to touch the Scion on the right, but in the last instant, I change my mind.Fuck it!Fingers splayed, I press my hand to the one on the left.
Blue-white light bursts from it, nearly blinding me. I narrow my eyes and turn my face to the side.
“Well done, Singer,” High Prime Stormsong says. “Exit through the passage on your right and wait there.”
I do as he says, never glancing in his direction. I don’t want him to see the relief in my expression. In the far corner to the right, I find an easy-to-miss corridor and hurry down its length. When I come out on the other side, I find Phoebe sitting on a long wooden bench, looking both gratified and surprised.
When her gaze meets mine, she jumps to her feet and wraps me in a hug.
“Holy Heratrix, we made it!” she exclaims.
I’m not normally the hugging type—learning how to bestow and receive that type of affection stopped when my mother died—but I wrap my arms around her and sink into the comfort of the embrace.
“I had no doubt you would make it,” she says, “but I wasn’t so sure I would.”
“It’s not over though, is it?” I ask.
We pull apart, both avoiding eye contact. At the Academy, hugging wasn’t exactly commonplace. Formality, discipline, and hard work were the basic tenets, not affection. I imagine there’s no time for such nonsense in the front lines, either.
“I guess it isn’t.” She sits back down. “Unless the Scion doesn’t glow for the others.”
I grunt, skeptical. “There are five more behind us. I’d say the odds are against us.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. If more come in, how do you think they’ll narrow us down further.”
“Maybe the High Prime will strike us with one of his famous Wind Spears and see who survives.”
Vaylen Stormsongbondedwith Fragor—a dragon nearly as legendary as Heratrix. At the moment, they’re the only bonded pair in the Sky Order. Dragons rarely do that. Most only enter an agreement with a human, allowing them to become their rider. That consensus is enough for both to benefit and increase the strength of their elemental gift, but bonding… that’s an entirely different level of connection, one that not only creates a far more powerful pair but allows the dragon and the rider to communicate by transmitting emotions and moods through the bond. No one knows why dragons choose to create bonds with some riders and not others, but that’s the reason Vaylen Stormsong is the most powerful Skyrider alive.
