Page 366 of Elemental Becoming

“And who’s that?”I ask, my voice quieter now.

I feel her satisfaction through the bond, warm and fierce.

“Mine.”

My throat tightens. I reach forward and rest a hand against the curve of her neck, just behind the ridge of bone and muscle.

“I’m with you.”

“And I with you. Steady, Virelya. Even sparks can set the world alight.”

The wind bites at my skin, but I barely notice.

I glance at Rowena flying just ahead and above me, her back straight, braid streaming behind her. Aisling cuts through the sky with effortless power, sapphire wings stretched wide against the darkening clouds. Somewhere along the way, Rowena stopped being merely an ally. She became a sister. Not by blood, but through battle, trust, and everything we’ve survived together.

To my right, Garrick rides Ruadhan, the copper-scaled dragon blazing against the clouds like a living ember. Even now, with war waiting ahead, Garrick looks eager for the fight.

Beyond him, Jarek and Faolan fly with their usual deadly focus. Jarek rides low in the saddle, watching everything.

Farther ahead, Rian and Muirgen cut through the sky in near-perfect silence. The aquamarine dragon moves with the same quiet confidence as her rider.

Months ago, they had just been dragons. Now I know them all by name.

Aisling. Ruadhan. Faolan. Muirgen.

And the riders who fly astride them. Garrick, Jarek, and Rian have stood beside Thane longer than anyone. They are warriors, guardians, and friends.

To me, they have become brothers. I would bleed for them. I already have.

I lift my gaze, taking in the formation around us, and the sight steals my breath.

Twenty-one dragons fill the sky with the colors of cut jewels, scales gleaming like obsidian, emerald, citrine, sapphire, topaz, amethyst, and molten copper. Their wings beat in synchronized rhythm, powerful and vast. Some breathe embers into the wind. Others ride the air with effortless grace, magics trailing behind them like stardust.

Below us, the realm stretches out, mountains rising in the distance and rivers cutting through forests of red and gold like veins of silver.

We are past the edges of Volcaris now, beyond the safety of stone walls and training grounds. This is the edge of the world I have known.

The wind shifts, and my thoughts turn to Valen.

He stayed behind.

I didn’t even get to say goodbye. Didn’t get to thank him for the hours he spent training me when I didn’t know what I was, or for believing in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. For seeing something worth nurturing when I felt like nothing more than a village girl swept into a storm too large to survive.

I blink hard, trying to push the feeling aside, but it doesn’t quite leave.

“You will not entertain thoughts like that. Not my rider.”Calryx’s voice cuts through the emotion, firm, sharp, and unmistakably hers.“You will see the Mentor in a few hours. You will return.”

I exhale, pressing a hand to her scales.“I know.”

“Then remember it. Because I have no intention of letting you go.”

Despite everything, a faint smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

We’ve been flying for nearly an hour. The formation remains tight. The wind grows colder with every mile.

Then I see it.

Smoke.