Page 112 of Resurgent

Chapter thirty-three

Annalise

The riding grounds are already loud by the time Matt and I make our way across the glen.

Dragons fill the space, making the usually huge space feel like a cramped football field after the crowd has rushed the field, their bodies scattered across the grass and packed dirt in every shape and color imaginable. Some lie stretched beneath the afternoon sun, wings folded neatly against their backs. Others pace restlessly along the perimeter, tails flicking whenever a recruit gets too close.

The air smells of smoke, leather, and anxious recruit sweat.

“You nervous?” I ask Matt, who’s been even chattier than normal during our entire walk out here.

He looks at me like I’ve just asked whether he remembers his own name.

“Nope.”

I blink. “That’s it? You’re not even a little nervous?”

“Nope.” Matt shrugs as we spot the yellow dragon, who’s currently sprawled out and rolling in the grass. “Zest and I have been practically bonded for weeks. Today is just a formality.”

At the sound of his name, Zest lifts his head, and the moment his eyes find Mattey, his tail thumps wildly against the ground.

“See?” Matt says, grinning.

“Show-off.”

He bumps my shoulder with his. “You’re just jealous.”

“I already have a dragon.”

“Exactly. And you nearly got yourself incinerated before Tyr decided you were worth keeping.”

“We like to keep things interesting,” I lie, my gaze drifting to where Tyr’s keeping watch over the dragons in his hoard that are considering bonding today.

Matt laughs, “True, and at least you don’t have the pressure of hoping a dragon will accept the bond today.”

Pressure, because every dragon bonds differently.

Some riders and dragons seem to recognize each other almost immediately, the bond settling into place with barely any resistance, as though both sides have been waiting for the inevitable.

Others aren't so lucky with some dragons testing their potential riders first. Sometimes it's a simple challenge of strength or courage. Sometimes it's endurance. Sometimes the dragon seems determined to discover exactly what the recruit standing in front of them is made of before it decides whether that person is worthy of carrying its bond.

A lot depends on how long they've spent together before bonding day: How well they know each other. How much trust already exists between them.

Matt and Zest? I swear they knew the first time Zest showed up to class. The one time Matt even considered getting on another dragon's back, Zest had snapped at its wing, forcing it to fly to a different section of the field.

I’d thought they would be another early bonded pair, but Tyr told me most dragons waited until bonding day so they could snuff out any hidden dealbreakers with the recruit they’re sealing the bond with.

The jokes I made after that about being so great he didn’t need to think twice were relentless, and if he didn’t already love me so much, I may have very well been scorched for how much I teased him.

We’ve just made it to Tyr when Major Lorenson steps forward. “Spread out!” she calls, and the recruits waiting to bond begin moving into position instantly, the environment changing almost immediately.

Every conversation comes to a halt as feet hustle through the grass and dragons raise their heads, snarling at recruits they aren’t interested in as they quickly walk past.

I move closer to Lorenson as Tyr drops down behind us, his demeanor radiating a protective and possessive energy over me the same way Vivent is doing over the Major.

Lorenson gives the recruits a final look.

“The dragons here will make their decision today. Do not mistake familiarity for acceptance. Today is not a ceremony; it is the final trial…the only one that truly counts in the dragon's eyes.”