Page 337 of Elemental Becoming

Not yet.

The targets below—wooden effigies blackened from countless drills—rush up to meet us.

Not yet.

The pressure builds, winding tighter and tighter in my chest.

Now!

I snap my fingers, summoning a burst of wind. It slows our descent just enough. Calryx flares her wings in a brutal arc, wrenching us out of freefall. I thrust my hand forward and release a stream of fire.

The targets explode into charred ash. We soar past it, already climbing again.

On either side of me, riders strike in flawless coordination. Fire roars. Earth shatters. Air slashes. Water veils the field in mist. Elemental magics tear across the sky, each attack landingexactly where it should.

A sharp whistle cuts through the air.

Thane’s signal. His hand lifts for another sign: Shield Line.

Calryx pivots sharply, wings cutting through the wind as we snap into place. Dragons fall into formation, wingtip to wingtip, a living wall in the sky. Xaroth anchors the center, solid and immovable.

Below, Earth Clan riders raise stone barriers. Water Clan cloaks the field in dense mist. Fire and Air brace for impact.

The strike comes without warning.

A wave of force rushes upward from the mages below. Valen and ten others stand with their arms outstretched, lightning crackling between their hands. The blast slams into our shield line.

Calryx shudders beneath me, her wings straining. But she holds. We all do. The line remains intact.

A new command flashes through the formation: Firestorm.

The sky ignites.

Flame pours from Fire Clan riders, a synchronized inferno. We circle above, fanning it wider. Air Clan riders sweep through, driving the blaze forward in a relentless tide of destruction.

Below us, fire consumes everything in its path.

The mages have moved under the protected shelters across the training field.

Thane signals again and the Skysign moves down the line: Break.

The formation scatters upward, hovering above the smoke-choked field. Targets reduced to ash. Ground blackened and scarred.

My chest heaves, sweat slick beneath my leathers. Calryx’s flanks rise and fall beneath me, her breathing steady despite the effort. Beside us, Xaroth hovers, his wings beating in measured strokes.

Thane glances over, his gaze finding mine. A hint of amusement dances across his expression.

“Not bad,”he says in my mind.

I snort.“Not bad? We just turned the sky into a firestorm, and that’s all I get?”

Thane grins, rolling his shoulders.“We’re just getting started.”

He winks, and then Xaroth banks away.

I let out a breath, exhilaration still coursing through me. Calryx’s opalescent scales shift in the sunlight, blue, green, and rose-gold flashing like living crystal.

“You good?”I ask through the bond, remembering the impact she absorbed.