The dragon growls then. That, of course, scares the stallion and before I can rein him in, he takes off the way we came. I watch the dust cloud rise in his wake, then turn to the dragon.
“Thanks for that,” I tell her. “Now I’ll have to walk all the way back to Jaakii.”
The dragon huffs a breath as if to say, “Not my problem.”
For a long moment, I just stand there, watching her. She watches me in return.
The weight of my choices and the consequences of them bring me to my knees. When I hit the hard ground, I open my arms.
“I’ve failed.” My voice cracks at the word. “You showed me what my choices would cost me. The people I love, dead because of me. And I thought I understood the warning…I thought I was doing the right thing.”
A hollow laugh escapes me.
“I chose saving the people who matter to me over chasing power. Over chasing you.”
My shoulders sag. “And it wasn’t enough. I still don’t know how to lead without becoming the thing the vision warned me about.”
At first, nothing happens. But then the dragon pads over to me until we’re face-to-face. When she brings her snout to my chest, I brace for another horrible vision. Instead, warmth floods my chest. Vera’s and Jax’s faces appear in my mind, followed by Kazh’s and Noire’s. Inside my mind, they surround me, smiling. And it feels like…home.
A laugh bubbles out of me. The dragon pulls away enough so we can be face-to-face again. My hand trembles when I bring it slowly to her snout. She dips her head, as if urging me forward.
No way.
This can’t be happening.
The moment I rest my hand on her nose, it hits me like lightning. It’s just like it was with my bow that day it finally revealed its name to me. The connection between me and the dragon snaps in place, another tether inside my chest.
It’s sparkling, just like a lightning bolt. When I follow it, at the end waits a mind as vast as the ocean. Her mind.
The name comes to me, unbidden.
Naita, the Braveheart.
I’m in awe at what’s happening. Tears spring to my eyes just as another startled laugh escapes my lips.
I can’t read her mind—well, not in words. There are none, at least none I understand. But we don’t need words. Her mind is a visual landscape, full of colors, scents, images, and emotions.
“You chose me,” I whisper to her, smiling through tears. “I wasn’t imagining it.”
Naita nudges me gently with her snout. An image of me facing her during the Trial of Wisdom emerges at the front of our connection. I hold a bow, my eyes full of pleading. The warmth that fills me tickles the base of my spine.
Mine.
She knew it the moment she saw me.
I cup her head between my palms and chuckle. “Playing hard to get, huh?”
She only huffs.
I rest my forehead against her nose, exhaling a huge breath. Gods, it’s a blessing. I need to find Vera and Jax. And Noire. They need to know not all hope is lost.
I pat her neck and rise to my feet. “Come on, girl. Let’s go home.”
I glance at her scaled back. Huh. I’ve seen other Ezkai ride their dragons. They had special saddles, though. Can I ride her bareback?
“Well, I guess we’ll find out,” I murmur and circle her.
Naita remains still, pressed to the ground, while I try to figure out the logistics. There’s a space I can sit, right between her wings. Carefully, and not so gracefully, I climb on top and straddle her narrow yet powerful body, above her wings.
