Chapter 23
Twenty - Three
Atlas
Sleep eluded me and it wasn't for lack of trying.
I tossed and turned, nearly taking up residence on the couch on the second floor to avoid disturbing Shaye, but the moment I attempted to leave our room, she insisted I remain beside her.
Nightmares plagued me. Every time I closed my eyes, Naya's face would haunt me.
Since childhood, I've known Naya Valanor's story.
Her triumph in victory, her loss of Oryn, and her ultimate demise from heartache.
I never once considered we'd have so much in common and I'm terrified there's some cruel foreshadowing of what's to come with Vidarr being back.
Despite the honor and excitement of an ancient dragon choosing me as his rider, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hesitant to ride him.
Maybe Nyx is right. Maybe Vidarr wants a chance to redeem himself for losing Naya.
But what if there is no saving someone with shadow magic?
What if we are all doomed to suffer the same, cruel fate in the end. An endless cycle of pain and loss.
Thrane snaps his fingers in my face. "Are you paying attention? Or am I wasting my breath?"
I swallow hard, blinking away my thoughts. The Frost Elf stares at me in great irritation.
How long has he been talking and I've been zoned out?
I dart a quick glance up to the stands and see Shaye, Nyx, and Ronan watching intently.
There's concern in Shaye's face. This morning she asked me to share my nightmare, but there wasn't much to tell.
It was the same vision on repeat, except the last time I saw it, I saw me in Naya's place.
It's highly possible my mind is playing tricks on me, or it could be a warning.
Further deep dives into it will have to wait.
If I don't respond, Thrane might quit on me and then I'll have no one to instruct me.
Well, that's not entirely true. I could ask Shaye or even Sylvane to help me. But Thrane went to battle for me against my uncle's small council. His reputation is on the line. I owe him.
I clear my throat. "Sorry, I had a rough night."
Thrane's lips twist in disgust. "What transpires between you and my cousin is none of my business."
Realization strikes. "Oh, no, I didn't mean we were – I mean we did, but that's not – "
Thrane's hand raises, a silent plea for me to stop talking. "Dragons. You and I are focused on dragon riding. That's it. Any other topic of discussion is no longer permitted. Understood?"
I exhale a defeated sigh and nod. "Understood."
"Good." He clasps his hands behind his back. "Now did you hear anything I said before?"
I grimace. "No."
The Frost Elf stares heavenward. "Right." He motions to Vidarr, standing at the far end of the arena. "All dragons are different so I can teach you the fundamentals of dragon riding, but I cannot help you connect or bond with Vidarr."
"Is that your disclaimer in case I piss him off and get myself killed?"
"Precisely," he bobs his head, no display of emotion. "Now, Black Dragons are known for speed and above all their tempers."
"What do you mean?" I arch a brow. I hadn't heard that fun fact before. "Is he known to be angry?"
"I would use the word aggressive"
"That's… great." Sarcasm rips between me and the Frost Elf, but Thrane isn't bothered.
"Yes," the Frost Elf agrees. "Aggressive is exactly what you want in battle. Not like the Bavan pixie dragons or the Dwarven cave dragons."
"The green and brown cave dragons are supposedly vicious like their Dwarven riders," I correct, based on my research.
"Vicious as in grumpy. Not aggressive. Dwarves lose their tempers over mild inconveniences, just like their dragons.
" Thrane throws a hand up, questions are no longer permitted.
"The point is, the Black Dragons are not to be trifled with.
You will have to work hard to garner his trust and affection.
Right now, he is drawn to your magic. But for you two to truly bond and be a force to be reckoned with, you'll need to prove you are worthy. "
"How do I do that?"
"Approach him," Thrane says as if I should have known that.
Approach him. Simple enough. I don't argue with the Frost Elf because there's literally no point. He'll huff and threaten me if I don't and I am in no mood for extra steps to reap the same results. I watched Shaye train, so I know how Thrane can be.
I press toward Vidarr who eyes me with keen interest. He doesn't make a move to meet me, but doesn't give any indication my approach isn't welcome.
"Stop there," Thrane instructs and I obey. "Now, raise your hand, palm out, and wait for him to meet you. If Vidarr has indeed chosen you to be his rider, this will be our sign."
I toss Thrane a narrow-eyed glare over my shoulder. "Are you saying he hasn't claimed me yet?" I hiss. "In the council meeting you said – "
"Dragons aren't an open-book study, Atlas." Thrane rolls his eyes, cutting me off. "Calm down and keep your palm out."
"And if he doesn't claim me?"
"Then I will have a lot of explaining to do when Aurelia grieves your loss." Thrane points at Vidarr. "Palm out." When I hesitate, Thrane groans. "I swear, you're no better than Aurelia at following directions."
"I can hear you, Thrane," Shaye's voice rings out from the stands and draws a smile from me.
"Good," he barks back. "Now hush. Palm out, Atlas. Why are you hesitating?"
"Forgive me, I don't want to be eaten," I snarl, my eyes back on the dragon. "I'd like to get back to Shaye at the end of the night."
"Vidarr will turn you into a pillar of salt before he eats you." If Thrane meant that as a comfort, it fell dreadfully short. "Now, palm out, or I'm leaving and you can explain to those two pompous idiots in your uncle's court why you failed."
I hate to admit it, but Thrane's right. I can't stand here gawking at the beast all day.
And if I fail, it's not for Thrane's lack of explanation.
It'll boil down to me being cowardly and I won't accept failure.
But there's a small part of me afraid if I do make physical contact with Vidarr again, he'll show me another vision.
The last one gave me bags under my eyes.
Fuck. I can't stand here all day. I can't be afraid forever. As my father says, "You might be scared, but do it anyway." Time to be brave.
I suck in a sharp breath, extend my hand, and wait.
It seems like a small eternity before Vidarr shows any sign of movement.
But just as I'm about to abandon all hope of him meeting me in the middle, Vidarr takes a step.
And then another. And then another. Though the earth trembles beneath me with each step he takes, I keep my footing.
I stand my ground until he's right in front of me.
I nearly break my neck staring up at him. He's enormous.
My palm is still outstretched. Finally, the dragon presses his snout against my hand and a wave of emotion crashes into me.
I run the pads of my fingers across his scales once again overwhelmed by the magnitude of this moment.
When he flew in yesterday and approached me, I felt as if a piece of me I didn't realize was missing was restored.
Now, I feel like there's a taut string between us. A bond. One we can cultivate together.
Vidarr nudges me and I nearly lose my footing. He pushes me again and I hop back. His snout connects with my chest a third time.
"Why is he doing that?" I call out to Thrane and the corners of his mouth tick upward.
"He wants you to play."
"Play?" My eyes widen. "How does one play with a dragon?"
Thrane shrugs a lazy shoulder. "Try running."
It's then I remember Sylvane comparing dragons to giant dogs.
I thought that only applied to Frost Dragons, but maybe Vidarr is similar.
Black Dragons hail from the northernmost lands, where mortals have not even tread for its treacherously cold climate.
So maybe he is more like Seraxes and Artax than I originally thought.
I shift foot-to-foot, watching in wonder as he hops side to side with me. Then I take off into a sprint across the arena and Vidarr chases after me. I zip around, dodging obstacles, and doing my best not to put any of the Frost Dragons in Vidarr's direct path.
I'm not sure what propels me to do it, but I whip to face Vidarr and sprint at him. I've seen Shaye and Nyx mount their dragons countless times. We'll see if Vidarr permits me to do the same.
As I near him, Vidarr dips his head to the ground and I run up his snout, over his head, and spin to sit on his back.
A laugh escapes my lips as I smile at Shaye in the stands. She's beaming. My chest swells. But then my heart suddenly lurches.
Vidarr is still running but his giant wings flap and without warning, or proper gear, we're ascending into the sky.
Holy shit. I'm riding a dragon. I'm flying!
Wind whips through my hair and my grip on his scales tightens. I wasn't expecting to be flying today. But I'm learning Vidarr has a mind of his own and will do as he pleases. Probably a dangerous start to our relationship, but with time, we can work on –
He banks to the right and despite my best efforts, I can't hold my seat and slide off his side.
I'm falling. Fast. I open my eyes, daring to look below, hoping and praying I see the sea and not city streets.
To my horror, I'm beelining for the square, filled with hundreds of Tronovians browsing the vendors in the market.
Unlike the Frost Elves who go up with a flying partner for incidents like this, I'm alone. This isn't going to end well.
A shriek from above draws my gaze. White wings flap and Shaye's horrified face is all I see before everything slows.
She shouts something I can't make out and Seraxes nose dives.
They're attempting to save me, but I'm not a fool.
I know she's too far to be helpful, despite their best efforts.
I scan the skies but don't catch sight of Vidarr.
Naya's face flashes in my mind. I didn't even have the chance to repeat history.
A guttural roar to my right draws my gaze.
With unnatural speed, Vidarr tucks his wings against his body and bullets straight for me.
I know I'm getting closer to the ground when screams from below reach my ears.
Whether their yelps are for my ultimate gruesome demise or the dragons hurdling toward them, I'll never know.
I close my eyes and take a deep, steadying breath.
If I am to go, I want Shaye to be my last vision.
But when I open my eyes, searching for her, the fear I expect to see is gone, replaced with wonder.
Vidarr snatches me in his claws, hitching my body in a completely different direction. Fuck! That hurt like shit. My torso is banged up pretty good and will most likely bruise, but I'm alive and intact. I press my face to Vidarr's claw. He eyes me curiously.
"Thank you," I whisper against his leg.
Shaye and Seraxes fly up next to us.
"Are you all right?" Shaye asks. I can see the tears staining her face, the ones she attempted to wipe away but left a trail in its wake.
"I almost shit myself, but I'm all right," I try to infuse some levity and thank the Stars it works. A twitch of a smile crosses her face and it's enough to steal my breath. "You came for me?"
"Riders should never ride alone," she repeats what Thrane and Sylvane ground into her. "But it appears your dragon is fast enough to handle your slip ups."
She's not wrong. The Frost Dragons move with exceptional speed, but Vidarr puts them all to shame. I'll have to continue practicing over the next couple weeks before the other world leaders make their way to Tronovia for Ronan's wedding.
Suddenly, all the worry and doubt and fear I harbored this morning dissipates as I look out at the horizon.
I've never seen a view more beautiful. Endless miles of forest and sea.
I sense the bond between Vidarr and myself grow stronger after one brief session.
I'm not sure if it's the magic or another reason entirely, but I have hope Vidarr and I won't suffer the same fate he and Naya did.
Nyx's words echo in my head from last night.
I am not Naya Valanor and maybe that's the point.
But one thing is certain. If I live in dread, I will manifest the very thing I fear. Vidarr and I have a lot to prove to ourselves and to everyone around us.
I pat his leg once more, his purple eye finding me as he flies us back to Draakstan. Together, we will find peace.