Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Iwoke curled against the steady warmth of Zander’s chest, his breath stirring the hair at my temple.
The morning sun filtered through the window, casting soft light across his bare shoulders.
He hadn’t let me go all night. Had simply held me after leading me from the Ascension Grounds, stripping away my armor like it was nothing more than a heavy memory, and laying me down beside him.
He hadn’t tried to kiss me. Or touch me beyond the soft strokes of his thumb against my back.
He’d just been there. And it had reminded me what it meant to feel safe.
“Good morning,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep as I stirred.
I blinked up at him. “Hey.”
“I had breakfast delivered.” He motioned toward the table where a tray of fruit, warm bread, and honeyed butter sat untouched. “But we can join your squad if you prefer.”
I stretched slowly, a yawn escaping. “I’ll take you up on breakfast.”
We ate side by side on the edge of the bed—peach juice sticky on my fingers, bread still warm from the hearth ovens. He let me pick off his plate and didn’t complain when I stole the last berry.
Afterward, we dressed in comfortable silence.
Zander shrugged into his black and silver uniform, the one that bore the subtle mark of the royal house, though today he seemed to wear it for necessity, not pride.
I tightened the straps of my armor, cinched the twin daggers to my sides, and tied my hair back as we made our way to the Ascension Grounds.
But the moment we arrived, I halted.
Every rider was assembled. Crownwatch, Warborn, Stormforge, Iron Fang… even the Lowborn Squad stood with Thrall. Dragons stood in formation behind them, silent and still, as if waiting for something.
“What’s going on?” I asked, glancing toward Thrall Squad.
Riven turned to me, her red hair windswept, her silver dragon gleaming behind her.
“Theron ordered a dragon trial,” she said, and her tone was grim. “And we are pretty sure we know why.”
Major Ledor’s boots thudded against the packed dirt as he approached, his expression caught somewhere between stern and regretful.
“Ashlyn,” he said, his voice low. “You’re up first.”
Zander’s arm stiffened under my hand. “What a surprise.”
The major glanced sideways at him, a muscle in his jaw twitching. “I’m required to follow the prince regent’s orders.”
“Sure you are,” Zander muttered, dark eyes narrowing. His voice carried the ache of old grievances, and the edge of warning.
I touched his arm, grounding him. “It’s okay.”
Zander’s gaze cut to mine. “Not really. Kaelith and Hein are meeting the next flight of dragons from the Lost Continent. I assumed they had an hour of free time.” He looked away, his jaw clenched. “It appears I was wrong.”
“I’ll be alright,” I said quietly, though the knot in my stomach tightened. I turned to the major. “What’s the trial?”
His shoulders straightened, but his tone remained gentle. “It’s called the Mirror of Scales.”
That didn’t sound comforting.
He gestured to the ring of polished black glass standing in the center of the field—no frame, no seams, just a looming, obsidian slab standing taller than a man. Other mirrors began to rise from the ground around it, forming a wide circle.
“The chamber is formed by enchanted mirrors,” Ledor continued.
“When you step inside, they’ll show you possible futures—distorted reflections, pieces of what could be if your bond with Kaelith fractures.
Failures. Betrayals. Loss. It is a test of acceptance and resilience.
You must endure them and emerge with your bond intact. ”
A chill crept up my spine.
“Will she be inside?” I asked. “Kaelith?”
The major shook his head. “No. She can’t help you through this one. This is yours alone.”
Of course it was. Theron wouldn’t want the Shiftling anywhere near me during a trial this steeped in manipulation.
I turned to Zander one last time. He looked as if he wanted to argue, to tear down every mirror with his bare hands. But he didn’t. He simply cupped my face and kissed my forehead.
“I’ll be here when you come out.”
I nodded once, swallowing the lump in my throat, and turned to the waiting chamber of glass.
I am not afraid.
But my heartbeat said otherwise.
The moment I stepped across the mirror threshold, the world warped. Light fractured, bending in ways that defied logic as the first vision began to stir.
Light fractured into prisms both too bright and too cold. The sound of my own heartbeat became thunder, ricocheting off a hundred reflections. I turned slowly, surrounded by glass that wasn’t really glass. Each pane shimmered like water. Some reflected me as I was… others as I might be.
One image twisted forward.
Kaelith stood across from me, her scales cracked and bleeding violet light.
“You chose Zander over me,” she hissed. “You always choose him.”
I shook my head, backing away. That’s not true. I would never—
Another mirror flashed, dragging me to it. I saw myself standing on a battlefield, fire all around, my hand reaching for Remy… while Kaelith lay dying behind me.
“No!” I slammed my palm against the surface, but it rippled like water. The image didn’t vanish. It lingered, with betrayal heavy in the air.
“You were supposed to protect me,” Kaelith whispered in my mind. But it wasn’t her. It was the mirror’s voice, twisting her shape, her sound, her magic.
I staggered back, breath catching as the mirrors pulsed, one after the other, showing Kaelith chained, Kaelith killed, Kaelith fleeing me.
Then came the worst one.
I stood before the dragons… and they turned away. All of them. Even Kaelith. Her voice, full of finality—You are no longer worthy.
I dropped to my knees.
My vision swam. I pressed my hands to the ground, trying to remember who I was, what we were. But the magic of the trial was inside me now, infecting thought and memory.
Kaelith, I whispered in my mind.
No response.
Kaelith, please. I don’t know what’s real anymore.
Still nothing.
I curled in on myself, shaking. I failed. I’ve already failed her.
No, came the voice, as sharp and fierce as a lightning strike.
Kaelith? I gasped. But you can’t be here?
You really think that fool of a major knows what dragons can and can’t do? Her voice was velvet and fire. I’ve been waiting for you to ask. Now get up.
But the mirrors—
Are liars. Her growl echoed through me. You do not serve them. You serve the truth. And the truth is—we are bound, Ashlyn. My choice. My power. My rider.
I rose shakily to my feet. The mirrors hissed, shimmered, shifted, but the images faltered.
“You left me,” I said aloud to one. “But that’s not Kaelith. Not really.”
I turned to the next.
“I made the wrong choice, but in this world, I won’t.”
Another.
“I’m not perfect. I’m scared. But I would never abandon her.”
The mirrors began to crack. One by one, fractures spiderwebbed through them, light pouring out in thin gold lines.
And then… silence.
The glass shattered.
I stood alone in a circle of dust and broken illusion.
Kaelith’s voice coiled around my heart. There you are.
And this time, I knew exactly who I was.
The sunlight hit my face like a blessing as I stepped out of the chamber, heart still hammering but steadier now. The taste of magic lingered on my tongue, sharp and metallic, but I was standing—I had passed.
Major Ledor stood with his arms crossed, face unreadable. But there was something in his eyes… a glimmer beneath all the stoicism. Pride. Just a flicker, like he hadn’t been sure I’d make it out. Like he needed to see someone prove it could be done.
Then his expression flattened again, and he turned to the next name on his list. “You are next, Cadet Cochne.”
Perin, all smug bravado and that sneer he seemed born with, stepped forward as if he expected the trial to tremble before him.
But a palace guard broke from the shadows and approached the major in a rush. He leaned in close and whispered something too low for me to catch, but the effect was immediate. The major’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking just beneath the surface.
He nodded once, curt. The guard stepped away.
Major Ledor’s voice rang out, sharp and stiff. “It seems the prince regent has decided that Iron Fang can wait to complete the Mirror of Scales.”
Murmurs rippled across the gathered riders, like wind disturbing a still pond. Even members of Iron Fang shifted awkwardly, exchanging uncomfortable glances. One of them glanced toward Perin, but he didn’t look back. He only crossed his arms, like he’d won something.
Major Ledor didn’t wait for questions. “All cadets are on leave until I’ve had words with the prince regent. You’re dismissed.”
He turned on his heel and walked off the grounds.
I moved toward Zander, the air buzzing around us like a storm waiting to break. He leaned close, voice a hush in my ear.
“I may have found something.”
My pulse quickened. “What kind of something?”
He looked at me, eyes darker than normal. Focused.
“One that could change everything.”