42. Flameborne
~ VOSKI ~
There weren’t nearly the numbers for an Acknowledgement that there should have been.
But Grace didn’t know that. She stared, wide-eyed, down the slope when she and Bren broke through the trees and into the clearing to be greeted by the roar of the attending dragons, and the cheering of about fifty Furyknights.
Her hands clapped to her mouth and for a moment I thought she’d bounce—but she caught herself.
I had to swallow a smile, because I watched her freeze—and look at me as if remembering what I’d said.
I let one side of my lips curl up, but then gave my attention to lining up with my brothers in preparation for the formal greeting.
Donavyn—newly appointed as the queen’s personal advisor, I’d been told—stood at the top of the slope and bellowed to all attending. His dragon, the massive blackscale, Kgosi, loomed behind him.
“…I’m sure you’ve all heard, and I’m here to affirm for you: The She-dragon, Koa, has submitted to Kgosi, and brings with her our newest Flameborne. Brothers and Furyknights, I introduce to you, the Chosen, Grace Barnslow!”
Then he turned to Grace, who stood at his side. I frowned. Next to him, she looked very small. How the hell was she supposed to do this? I wanted to shout that there had been a mistake, but it was too late.
“As a true Chosen, the Grace Barnslow of the past is no more. She stands before us as Flameborne—a new creation, molded by the bond, and borne to the fire of trial. The past is discarded. The future is before her—and you.” The men in attendance clapped and Grace’s cheeks pinked.
“Flameborne Barnslow has been Acknowledged by the Dragons and named, Firebird.”
I jolted. It hadn’t occurred to me! I hadn’t thought… Her dragon name.
I swallowed hard and reached for Kham. ‘Firebird? What does that mean?’ The human words the dragons gave to their names didn’t always match—like mine.
‘She is the one who rises from the ashes. The bird who, in death, is born again.’
I blinked, my breath freezing in my lungs. ‘A Phoenix?’
‘Yes.’
‘But, Kham… the Phoenix dies—’
‘Only to be reborn. Grace will rise from the fire to new life.’
I couldn’t breathe. But Donavyn was still talking.
“…Your leaders are in Accord—all our hearts aligned. We recognize, she is Chosen. Made new in bond with a dragonfury, and so beginning life here among us in the Dragon Keep. Today we gather to Acknowledge Grace, and walk alongside as she works to earn her pin.”
There was another smattering of applause as Donavyn looked out over the clearing, scanning all of us.
“You have walked this path. You have met these trials. Our new Pair will need your brotherhood—your strength, your resilience, your patience—to succeed. I beg you, brothers and sister, welcome our new sister, Flameborne Barnslow!”
Then the roars began—the dragons raising their calls, and the men shouting and whooping. I had to join them, but my voice was dead in my throat.
So small.
Firebird?
Life found in death?
Donavyn leaned down to say something to Grace—something that made her beam, and her eyes sparkle. That pit in my stomach panged, but then Donavyn faced us once more. “…meet your brothers and sister. Seventh Squadron, Attend! Your new sister waits to receive her introductions.”
“Sir! Yes, sir!” we shouted in unison, and snapped to attention in line.
I could barely get the words out, but I managed, croaking my greeting when it was my turn, as I had for each of my brothers. And yet, my head spun.
So small.
A noble.
Firebird.
Dear God, what had we gotten into?
~ GRACE ~
I felt Voski’s gaze on the side of my face like fingernails clawing down my cheeks. His face remained pale, his eyes dark behind his hair. He didn’t look angry, he looked empty. His expression blank.
But when the men and Bren snapped to attention in a line in front of me, I couldn’t help but smile, my chest swelling in pride.
Something very, very special was happening. I’d been given a purpose, and if I worked really hard I would belong. The thought brought tears to my eyes.
One by one, each of the men I’d met the night before stepped forward and introduced themselves loudly. And they seemed so happy. Not irritated. Not wary. Delighted to greet me.
The first was the leader, Ronen. I’d been afraid that he’d be irritated by the conflict I had with Voski the night before.
But when he stepped forward, he smiled, and it made him so handsome.
He stood to his full, imposing height, and shouted loudly enough for every person present in the clearing to hear.
“Barnslow! I see you! I am Squad Captain, Ronen. Your brothers and I welcome you to Seventh Squadron!”
Then Gil, with his shorn hair and twinkling eyes. Though his face was lined with weariness, he beamed a smile. “I am Gil, your wing leader and brother. Welcome to Seventh Squadron!”
One by one, each of the men stepped forward. Einar, with the white hair and frightening eyes. “I am Einar, your brother. Welcome to Seventh Squadron!”
“I am Harle, your brother. Welcome to Seventh Squadron!” He was the thoughtful, playful one who’d brought me dinner the night before.
Then the huge man stepped forward, his voice deep. “I am Oros, your brother. Welcome to Seventh Squadron!”
“I am Jhoare, your brother.” I was struck again that he was breathtakingly handsome, gold and bright like a sunrise. “Welcome to Seventh Squadron!”
With a beaming smile, Bren stepped forward next, her gray dragon behind her, tossing her head.
“I am Brennan, your sister!” she shouted happily. “Welcome to Seventh Squadron!”
Tears pricked and I blinked them back when she grinned at me and stepped back, but I couldn’t tell her how grateful I was. I held my breath, because the only one left was Voski. He’d taken the last place in line, remaining close to Kham and Koa. He’d been staring at me, unsmiling.
When he stepped forward, I feared he’d bark the words in that angry, dark voice. But his eyes locked on mine. Something in my chest snapped, like I’d been flicked behind the ribs.
—he grabbed my hair and tugged my head back, his gaze burned.
Yet, the sensation of his fingertips on my scalp sent goosebumps skating down my spine.
Instinctively, I arched into him, my hips pressing forward of their own accord until I brushed against his thighs.
He went still, his eyes darkening. Our gazes locked, and I wasn’t sure I breathed.
Then he descended upon me, lips open and soft, tongue seeking, tangling with mine in a heated slide that tore a gasp from my throat—
My breath stopped. Which was just as well, because his voice was the quietest and heaviest of them all.
“I am Voski, your… brother.” He hesitated and my heart flipped in my chest. But then he swallowed and croaked, “Welcome to Seventh Squadron!”
Frozen in his dark gaze, heart pounding, I waited for him to turn away, or drop his head, something to break the connection. But he didn’t. He stared.
Something tall and dark shifted next to me, then a deep, masculine throat cleared. “Introduce yourself, Grace,” Donavyn murmured.
I startled and tore my gaze from Voski’s, babbling apologies to the general, who only smiled and tipped his head toward the men.
I jerked myself back to face them and tried to clasp my skirts—only to find myself without any.
“S-sorry! I meant… I see you, too!” I called, surprised by a sudden wave of emotion tightening my throat. “I’m Grace Barnslow. I look forward to being your sister, and thank you for welcoming me. I can hardly wait!”
A great cheer went up, but even louder, the calls and roars of the dragons raised to the sky. I startled, but couldn’t stop smiling as the men cheered and whooped, and the dragons flapped their wings and screamed.
Then, the men rushed me. For a moment, I thought they would tackle me, or perhaps there was some frightening tradition of a beating? But they only saluted Donavyn, then surrounded me and urged me to run with them to the space behind them where the dragons lined up.
Bren beamed and laughed, running alongside me as we hurried for the space between Kham, and another, green-blue dragon. Both the creatures tossing their heads and flapping their wings.
A strange, massive net, wider than the dragon’s wingspans, had been spread on the grass, and Bren led me to its center, shooting looks back as the men all peeled off and ran to mount.
“Sit here,” Bren whispered, squeezing my hand. “And don’t worry. It’s going to be fine!”
“Wait—what—?” But she ran off to her gray dragon as well. While they all mounted, I looked longingly at Koa on Kham’s other side, wishing I had their skill and strength to run and leap up my dragon’s side like that.
“Grace?” Ronen stood at his dragon’s side at the end of the net, the creature’s scales shining like jewels. It had kind eyes.
“Yes?” I squeaked.
“As your squad captain, Flameborne Barnslow, it’s my honor to give you your first order,” he said with a smile. My heart leaped at those words. “Sit down, right where you stand, but facing up the hill, toward the commander.”
“Oh! Yes. Right.” Instinctively, keeping my knees together as I would in a skirt, I sank to the netting on the grass. “Like this?”
Ronen smiled and looked past me to the others, all taking their seats on their dragon’s backs. “Seventh Squadron, salute!”
“Sir! Commander, sir!”
Donavyn nodded once to acknowledge the salute. Then he looked at me. “Good luck, Flameborne,” he said solemnly.
Then he winked.
I gasped as there was suddenly a fierce wind that seemed to come from every direction at once, and a whomph-whomph-whomph as the dragons either side of me began to flap.
Then the net began to slide. I shrieked, and grabbed for the rough strands.
But the earth lurched and I fell backward, bumping and scraping for a moment until my stomach dipped to my toes as I was lifted from the ground in a grand swoop, and the net drew up around me, turning, twisting, caging me, as the two dragons climbed into the sky.