Chapter 64 Kailin #2
As Onyx turned around, I leaned forward, initiating the takeoff sequence as I'd been taught. Onyx's powerful muscles bunched beneath us, and then we were airborne, the Citadel roof falling away as we first dove down the cliff and then soared upward into the vast blue expanse.
Panic still constricted my throat, but it didn't last long. Onyx telegraphed nonverbal vibes of confidence and warmth through our connection, easing my fears enough for me to enjoy the experience.
"I see things have progressed with Cadet Tekum," Ravel said.
"Yes," I confirmed.
"Good. He seems devoted to you, and he's a good man."
I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder. "Did the shaman tell you about his meeting with Alar?"
Ravel nodded. "I know who he is and why he is here.
Frankly, he's doing us a favor. Eluria's leadership is suffering from willful blindness and the mistaken notion that, in time, economic prosperity will change the Sitorian society.
I'm glad that at least one of their royal members understands the fallacy of such thinking. "
"Do all the commanders know about Alar?" I asked.
"Yes. All the wing and section commanders had a lunch meeting with Saphir, and he told us about the prince. We were instructed to keep it to ourselves and not share it with those under our command, which includes the cadets. Alar's presence here should remain a secret for diplomatic reasons."
I chuckled. "I can just imagine the scandal in Eluria if it became known that the prince is attending our flight academy."
"It's more than that," Ravel said. "The royal family is supposed to be purely Elurian. The king having Elucian blood is a much greater scandal than Alar being here."
I hadn't thought of that, but it was a good point.
"Did Saphir tell you about my meeting with him?" I asked.
"There was no time." Ravel motioned for me to turn east. "How did it go?"
"Good. I got to pet Moki."
"That's unusual." He sounded surprised.
"So I gathered."
"Little Warrior," Onyx said. "Brace yourself. I'm going to stop channeling mental reinforcement your way so you can develop the needed tools to overcome your fear of heights."
I didn't like the sound of that, but he was right. I needed to be able to do it unaided.
As soon as his warmth and reassurance faded, my fear surged to the forefront, but I kept my eyes open this time, determined to fight it rather than be mastered by it.
The vertigo was still there, a swooping sensation in my stomach as we climbed, but it was less overwhelming than before. I focused on my breathing, on the solid feel of the saddle beneath me, and on Commander Ravel's steady presence at my back.
"You're doing much better today," he observed as Onyx leveled off.
"Thank you. I'm trying, and Onyx is a great help." I cautiously allowed myself to look down at the mountains below us.
They were beautiful from this vantage point, white peaks punctuating the dark green of pine forests, all of it bathed in the ethereal glow of the auroras. "It helps that this is not the first time. The unknown is always more frightening than the familiar."
The lingering effect of Onyx's influence was no doubt helping as well. He might not be actively sending more of it to me, but the remnants were enough to dull the cutting edge of my fear.
"Good," Ravel said. "Now, take us into a gentle banking turn to the right."
I shifted my weight slightly, telegraphing my intention to Onyx, who responded with a smooth turn that carried us in a wide arc.
We continued through a series of basic flight maneuvers, which were designed to build my confidence and coordination. Onyx was remarkably responsive, making me look far more skilled than I actually was, and it occurred to me that the riders' skills were not that important.
Dragons knew what to do.
"Yes, we do," Onyx said. "But riders are important too. Dragons are rash, and it's up to the riders to control our impulsiveness."
"Don't get complacent," Ravel said. "When you bond with your own dragon, it won't be this seamless initially. He or she won't be as experienced as Onyx, and it will take a while for the rapport between you to develop."
He was right, of course. On rare occasions, a dragon who lost its rider chose a new one, but most of the time, the bond was between a young, unbonded dragon and a new rider. I could only imagine how steep the learning curve was.
"I doubt I'll get as lucky again," I said. "Onyx is one of a kind."
"You've got that right," Onyx's voice rumbled in my mind. "I'm the best of the best."
"And also so modest," I teased out loud.
"Dragons don't know the meaning of the word," Ravel said. "They don't have one modest scale on their body."
"Why would we?" Onyx chuffed. "We are the apex predators of the galaxy, and we are magnificent."
That was an odd comment. What did dragons know about the galaxy? Were there dragons on other planets, and could they somehow communicate?
"What did Saphir say about your abilities?" Commander Ravel asked, changing the subject.
The question reminded me of the medallion the shaman had loaned me, which was tucked beneath my uniform.
It was difficult to answer the question without revealing the things Saphir had asked me to keep private. But did the prohibition include Commander Ravel?
The riders must know about the shaman's various abilities, and they too were probably sworn to secrecy.
"Ravel knows," Onyx said. "All the riders learn about Shaman Saphir's abilities after they bond with their dragons. I'm surprised that he told you, though. The protocol is to keep the Citadel's secrets from cadets until they are bonded."
That made sense. The dragons would know if the rider was up to no good after the bond solidified. The bond also meant that the rider wasn't going anywhere.
"I can communicate with Moki, which Saphir said was extraordinary.
He thinks that I'm only starting to manifest my potential and that I'm going to be able to do much more.
He just didn't say what. He did mention that I might have what it takes to become a shaman.
" I closed my eyes for a moment, and words spilled out of me unbidden.
"That's so absurd, though. I would be a terrible shaman.
I don't have the theatrical personality needed for that. I'm not a leader."
For a long moment, neither Commander Ravel nor Onyx responded, and I took it to mean that they agreed with me. I'd hoped they would argue and tell me that I was magnificent, but that was not going to happen unless they decided to speak falsehoods.
"There are different styles of leadership," Ravel finally said. "You don't have to be like Saphir. You can develop your own style. I'm not a historian, but I'm sure there have been many examples of successful leaders who were subtle and yet inspirational nonetheless."
I doubted anything I did would inspire people. I had a small voice, I got nervous when speaking in front of a crowd, and I often used the wrong words or said the wrong things when anxious.
I wasn't smooth.
"You should practice blocking," Onyx said.
Ever the pragmatist, he apparently felt that now was the time to focus on another weakness of mine. At least this one should be easier to overcome.
"Try to shield specific thoughts from Onyx," Ravel suggested, sounding relieved by the shift in the conversation. "It's an extension of the barrier exercise you've been practicing, but more selective. Like closing a single door in a house while leaving the windows or other doors open."
I concentrated, visualizing a series of doors in my mind, each representing different thoughts or memories. I deliberately closed the door on the chamber containing my memories of kissing Alar while keeping the mental channel with Onyx open.
"Can you see what I'm hiding?" I asked.
Onyx was quiet for a moment, his consciousness probing gently at the edges of my mind. "There is a space I cannot access, but I can sense its outline. You're getting better at this."
"Thank you." I sat a little straighter.
"You are most welcome. Next, you should practice concealing the fact that you're hiding anything."
"One step at a time," Ravel said. "First, you need to solidify your control over compartmentalization. Later, you can try to hide that you are doing that."
"I disagree," Onyx said. "It's better to learn proper form from the get-go than having to relearn it later."
"He has a point." I turned to look at Ravel over my shoulder.
We practiced for a while longer, with Onyx testing my mental barriers and offering suggestions for strengthening them. It was exhausting—a mental fatigue that left me drained but also satisfied because I felt like I was getting better at it.
"That's enough for today," Ravel finally said. "We should head back."
I was grateful. My head had begun to ache, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to maintain my focus.
It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't actually know the exact timeline for the next step in our training. "By the way, when will I get to bond with a dragon?"
"You will be introduced to the available dragons after you complete basic training," Ravel said.
"Approximately three months from now, assuming you pass all the evaluations, which I know you will.
A few pair up right away, but most go through a period of a sort of courtship, and some even change partners.
It's not an automatic selection or connection.
" He chuckled. "It's as important to find a compatible dragon as it is to find a life mate.
Probably more so since your very life depends on your dragon while only your life quality depends on your spouse. "
Dylon hadn't said a thing about it being a process, but perhaps that was a secret as well.
"It is," Onyx said in my head. "I will miss you when you have your own dragon, my Little Warrior."
"And I you." It was three months away, but I already felt a pang of sorrow.
"You can visit me," Onyx said. "There is another upside to bonding. You will be helping care for hatchlings."
That caught me off guard, and the thought filled me with delight. "That's wonderful. I bet they are adorable."
Onyx's mental equivalent of a chuckle rippled through my mind. "They are quite cute when very small. But they grow quickly and get into a lot of mischief. Once they reach adolescence and begin spewing fire, they are kept away from humans to prevent accidents."
"They sound like human teenagers," I observed.
"Similar in their volatility, certainly," Onyx agreed. "Young dragons can be quite aggressive and have poor control over their fire."
"Who whips them into shape?" I asked.
"Young dragons, like young humans, attend school and have teachers, but it's a very different form of schooling."
Well, obviously. It wasn't as if they could be told to read a book and write an essay about it.
"I can imagine," I said. "Can you tell me a little about it?"
"That's not something we share with humans. In fact, forget what I told you about hatchlings and don't share any of it with your human companions. It could be dangerous for dragons if our enemies knew how vulnerable our offspring are in their early years."
I groaned. "Another secret that I can't share with my friends? I'm starting to lose track of what I can and can't talk about."
"The burden of knowledge," Ravel said sympathetically. "But those secrets are not forever. Gradually, most will be revealed."