Chapter Text
I slide down Tala’s side as the dragons lift their heads around us. It was truly surreal seeing all these fierce dragons bowing to my green dragon. I can’t believe I bonded with a green, let alone the Queen.
“They only bow once, and then we move on, Brightling. Otherwise, we would not get anything done with all the bowing.” The warm, dignified voice of Tala echoes in my head. Her voice was strong, and you could feel the power that her words held.
I, however, am more interested in the humans around me; looking at most of the riders, they are staring between their dragon and mine in wonder, but my eyes are drawn to one on the podium—my mother.
I catch her eye, and she nods towards the stage where they record the names. She gave me a small smile before she turned towards her fellow Generals. That was more than she ever gave me in the last life. She would not even acknowledge me before. It is incredible the effect that my father has on her, or the fact that she didn’t have to murder 107 kids’ families. I take a deep breath, and I turn towards the corner of the stage. My heart stutters, and I feel the smile break out on my face when I see who is recording the new dragon’s names—Asher Sorrengail. He gave me a wide grin, his eyes shooting between me and my dragon. I know he doesn’t understand the significance of my dragon, since he didn't have a bond that told him as such. I think he is just happy that I bonded. Proud.
I take three steps when I feel a shadow curl around my wrist. I glance down, blanching at the blood seeping and dripping down my arm, before I turn to my invisible shadow bracelet, giving it a slight grin. I toss a grin back to my King to let him know that I find him sweet. “Are you coming with me?” I ask my wispy companion. I feel the slight squeeze before I laugh at him. Of course, he would come with me. I think that if I let him, I would always have a shadow companion.
I make my way across the field until I get close enough so my father can hear me, “Dad, what are you doing here?” He was sitting behind the desk, beaming at me. I don’t think I have ever seen him happier. He looks like I hung the moon.
“The same thing I did for Bren and Mira. I was a little impatient with Bren’s Threshing, so I decided to record the names, so I knew he was safe and bonded. I really enjoyed it, so I did the same thing for Mira, and now yours.” He says, as his smile widens.
“I am really glad to see you,” I say, my voice catching. I feel Xaden give my wrist a light squeeze. Gods, he always gets me. I put my hand over his shadows to convey that I understood.
“You're bleeding, Vi,” Dad says softly.
I look down at my arm and grimace again. Gods, I am a mess. That bitch from first wing got me good. Not that I didn’t get the final word. I take a deep breath. I know that in the previous life, I would have hesitated to kill those girls. But as I told them, I learned my lesson the hard way. I would not sacrifice my life, Xaden’s life, his dragon, or my dragon’s life for them. We have too much to do. Too many lives to save. A war to stop. Again.
I pull my favorite dagger out and slice the bottom of my shirt to make a wrap. I did this last year. The makeshift wrap will have to do until I can get some actual wraps from the healers.
“Tell me, your majesty, what is your dragon’s name?” I hear my father ask. I roll my eyes at his teasing. He only calls me that to get under my skin.
“Talaithfaith,” I say, satisfaction running up my spine at the match.
“You pronounced that sufficiently.” Tala teases me. I didn’t know that Dragons teased.
“They do. You were once bonded to a stick in the mud. Tairn and Sgaeyl are very serious dragons, whereas Aotrom is pure ridiculous and chaotic. Don’t get me wrong, he can be fierce when he needs to be, but rarely is.”
My father grins, shaking his head, and writes her name in the dragon ledger.
“Who knew my little scribe of a daughter would bond with such a dragon?”
“I—” I start before I hear a sweet voice, fill my head.
“And Andarnaurram. Did you miss me?”
“Andarna,” I whisper to her.
“ You didn’t think I would miss bonding with you? You are mine, Violet, in any world. We are forever bound together. Tala got to you first, or I would have claimed you years ago. She marked you before I even hatched!”
“I thought you got over that, little one, once I permitted you to bond what is mine.” I hear Tala retort.
“She was mine first!” I hear Andara pout through the bond.
“Violet?” Dad asks, alarm crossing his face. “Do you need a mender?” I can see his eyes lingering on my arm. I feel the shadows around my wrist tighten. His squeeze knocks me fully back to reality. I realized that I had dropped my dagger, and I bent to pick it up. As I did, I whispered to my father, “and Andarnaurranm.”
As soon as I start the name, I hear Bron’s roar, washing out my words. I don’t turn towards the noise, my eyes locked on my dad.
I see his eyes widen, but other than that, he doesn’t react.
“Is she here?” my dad softly asks, his lips barely moving.
“Are you here?” I ask my younger dragon.
“I am, but I am hidden. We thought it would be best for now.”
I give my father a slight nod, “but hidden.”
“I will write it down later, before I file this year’s list. For now, we will keep this between the four of us.”
I give my father a questioning look in reference to four, and he nods behind me.
I glance over my shoulder, and Garrick is standing there, frozen with his arm extended towards me.
“Two?” He breathes out in a whisper.
I feel the shadow disappear from my wrist, and I know exactly where it went when I hear Garrick yelp.
“Ouch! Okay, Okay, I get it! Later. Geeze. You didn’t have to grip so hard, Asshole. I wouldn’t put her in any danger.” He mutters the last part as I feel the shadow return to my wrist. I give it as a small pat as thanks.
Garrick moves to my side and grabs my non-hurt arm, directing me towards the healer tents.
I don’t protest, and I give my dad one last small smile over my shoulder as I walk away. He winks at me before turning to the next newly bonded rider who walks up.
“Are you okay?” I direct towards Andarna.
“Yes! I am better now that I finally get to talk to you! They have been keeping me away for years! They even, at one point, sent me to Idris Island to learn because I kept sneaking out to see you.”
“Idris Island? You know about that? And years? How old are you, Andarna?”
“I’m Six. I hatched the day you came back. I felt my magic wave, and I knew something must have happened. So, I decided that it was time. And then, right before I finished being a hatchling, Sgaeyl returned from her journey and told us all about Idris Island, how they were going to help with the wards, and how they had left me here to see if we could live in peace. They said they would train me! And they did! I can turn invisible and whistle speak to anyone and…”
“Take a breath, little one. She will be with us always. You do not have to go into such detail now, especially since she is fading from blood loss. Go see your mender, Brightling.”
“Are you okay, Vi?” I hear Garrick ask as he directs me into the tent.
“Oh yeah, just speaking my dragons,” I say as he guides me to one of the beds.
“I still can’t believeee…. That you're still standing after that cut, Vi.” Garrick backtracks as the healer comes up. I feel the shadow slink down to wrap around my ankle—needy little thing.
“Let me see what we are working with.” The healer says, unwrapping my makeshift binding. She cut the sleeve at my shoulder, pulling it away from my arm gently. “Oh, that will need mending. We brought in a few extra menders for this threshing this year, and I am very glad they did; Nolon would have been burnt out with all the attacks this year. It’s been especially vicious.” The healer mentions dabbing a cool cloth on my arm, before rinsing it out in the water basin on the side of the bed. She cleaned it three times before the arm was mostly clean. The only blood is coming from the wound itself. “Make yourself useful if you are going to stand there,” she said to Garrick, who was startled at the command. She pressed a clean cloth on the wound and grabbed Garrick's hand. “Apply pressure. Yes, like that. Nolon will be here in a few moments. Until then, pressure.”
“Bossy,” Garrick mumbled under his breath.
I snickered. “She’s busy. Lots to help.” I said, nodding to a boy coming in with a knife in his shoulder. Well, it wasn’t me this time putting one there.
Garrick nodded, his brows furrowed, before they cleared. He smirked, then opened his mouth just before he got cut off by the mender.
"What do we have here?” Nolon asked.
“Simple cut,” I replied, which Garrick snorted a laugh.
“Let me be the judge of that. I got it from here, young man, thank you.” He said as he took the dressing from Garrick. “Ah, yes, you will need mending, but it shouldn’t take too long. Might have a minor soreness tomorrow,” he said, poking at my arm, “would you like something to bite?”
I shook my head as Garrick picked up my other hand for me to hold on to someone. I clenched my eyes closed as the magic flowed through me.
I felt it through my arm, then it traveled down to my ankle, which I didn’t realize that I had lightly sprained, until the pain was gone.
I sighed as the magic stopped and I glanced over at Nolon, “There. If it gives you issues in a few days, come to the infirmary.”
I quietly thank him as Garrick and I make our way out of the tent.
I make my way back to my dragon and Xaden, who is standing between her and Bron. My shadow band ended back on my wrist as soon as I was done being healed.
I wrap my arms around him and go to speak to him when I hear my mother’s voice,
“Welcome to a family that knows no boundaries, no limits, and no end. Riders step forward.” I move five steps in front of Tala and brace myself.
“Dragons, it is our honor as always,” Mom calls out. “Now we celebrate!”
I feel the heat just as all the others around me cry out in pain.
This was not fun a second time. Would I have to do this again with Andarna, or was she marking for both, like Tairn did?
“She is doing it for all of us.”
All?
“You are going to love it,” Tala says to me.
The pain dulls to a dull ache as Xaden comes to me.
He kisses me on my neck and asks if he can unlace the top of my corset here or if I want to wait until we are alone to see it.
I can’t wait, and I instruct him to unite the top of my corset.
hear his intake of breath before loosening it to the bottom so that I can see through the laces, then he steps aside.
I feel myself looking out of Tala’s eyes; on my back is not a relic. But seven.
Each dragon was about three inches tall. They were all flying at different angles along my spine—one from each dragon den. Automatically, my favorite is a black and purple feathertail at the base of my spine.
“You are a rider of their Queen; therefore, you are a rider of the dragons. All of them.”
“They are beautiful,” I say as I blink, and my eyes come back to myself.
I feel Xaden tug my corset back together, “I guess I can tie this back, even if it’s going to be on the floor of our bedroom in about ten minutes.”
“Is that right, husband?” I tease him, looking at him over my shoulder.
His eyes are smoldering, he gives a sexy smirk, “Oh, it’s a promise, Wife.”