Page 89 of To Fight and To Fold

"Awakened," Aaryn murmured. "Thea said they were like Tethered."

At Vaelen's sharp glance, Thea shrugged and asked, "How else do I explain it to someone who only knows the world through Evergale's lens?"

"She's not wrong," Vaelen finally said. "Anyone can ride a dragon, if they're kind enough. Anyone can wield magic, if they're taught. But a few rare, special people can connect to dragons and the magic they inherently represent and access and feed on. It deepens one's connection, emotionally, physically, and magically."

"Dragons… feed on magic?"

Vaelen nodded. "Usually. They can survive on other things. Protein, meat. But magic fills them for longer." She eyed Starspark with a small grin. "Allows them to grow."

Starspark huffed, and Aaryn blinked quickly again, processing all the new information.

"It will take time to get to this, of course," Vaelen said, motioning to the dragon running another drill, her Awakened weaponless on her scaled back. Aaryn's gaze was rapt on the pair, on the possibilities. "As well as some major decisions on your part, Aaryn. It is up to you to choose your own path. I am simply here to make sure you have all the information available before you do so."

"You're really good at not actually giving me any answers," Aaryn muttered.

Thea cracked out a laugh as Aaryn’s face turned red instantly at the slip. Vaelen's chuckle was deep and amused as she patted Aaryn on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, I just don't want to overwhelm you. What do you wish to know?"

"What decisions? How do I deepen my connection to Starspark? How do I get to… that?" she asked. The pair in the sky looped and spun, and—Aaryn gasped as the Awakened slipped from her saddle to dash down the dragon's scales, feet sure of their placement, as if the dragon herself knew where each step would land and moved with the ease of air to make sure she gave the human a surface to land each foot upon. Small white bursts of light flickered in her hands, the color almost lost in the brightness of the morning sun rays before the energy slapped into the targets around the field with a hiss and sizzle.

"That's Zalene, and her dragon, Pearl. Zalene has been Awakened for…" Vaelen glanced at Thea. "Seven years?"

"Sounds right," Thea guessed. Thea had been with Vaelen for about ten years at that point. There had only been four isles in Cloud Haven back then.

"That kind of ease with magic does not come overnight," Vaelen warned. "And it does not come lightly."

"Balance," Aaryn said suddenly, and turned away from Zalene's effortless landing. "That's why you're dancing around the answer. Tell me. What do I have to give up in order to… Awaken?"

Vaelen blinked, as if surprised Aaryn was so eager. Thea felt a small burst of pride. Aaryn wasn't just a girl in a tower anymore. She wanted something, and she wanted to know how to get it. She wasn't afraid to ask questions now.

Thea hadn't seen this side of her before.

She liked it.

Vaelen bit back a smile and held out her right hand. Naturally, Aaryn offered her left—now bare, no jewels in sight—and Vaelen gripped it gently before turning it over, revealing the brand from Evergale. The crest, burned in her skin in an intricate flourish.

"This, to you, is a form of class. It offers you access to places you otherwise would not be able to go. To you, this is proof of your connection to Starspark. But those are Evergale's rules, and this is Evergale's crest, and we are not in Evergale. Buried within this design is a rune, and the magic of this rune was repurposed like… a funnel. Not only does it block the connection between you and your dragon that was awakened the day they gave him that scar, but it takes the magic that you should naturally have access to, and it redirects it."

"To where? What are they doing with it?" Aaryn carefully took her hand back, attention drawn to the scar.

Because Evergale wasn't using magic to keep Rishika safe, and Aaryn was talking herself into that very answer.

Aaryn's willingness to just accept all this information and move on to the next question was impressive. It surprised Thea, but maybe it shouldn't have.

Again, Thea's eyes were drawn to the scar on Starspark's throat, the way Aaryn leaned back into him, only for him to be there, instinctively. They were part of each other. Thea stared at Aaryn again and imagined if she was forced to watch someone hurt her. Her heart fell into her stomach at just the thought, fists clenched to an ache.

Thea would be out for blood.

Maybe Aaryn was too, in her own way.

"Magic is… everywhere. We call it the Hoard, and it's like the air we breathe. Anyone can access it, if they are taught to—if such a thing wasn't forbidden. This is the magic Evergale supposedly takes for the seal. Since it is intangible, it is slightly weaker, and requires greater quantities of it to do what they want it to."

Vaelen's gaze drifted to Starspark. "The Awakened have a tangible connection to the Hoard. Through their dragons. This connection to the Hoard means magic comes easier, stronger to you. And Evergale preys on that, twisting the rune to take it from you. What they're using this magic for… is still unanswered. There could be a deeper, more malicious answer. Or it could be simply… greed."

Aaryn's brows furrowed, as if she couldn't fathom it. "That's it? That's the big answer? They're selfish?"

Vaelen's smile made Thea think of those nights when she was young and sick and Vaelen watched over her. "Your bewilderment is how I know you belong here, Aaryn. You're a good person, one who Evergale has been taking advantage of for a long time."

"How do I stop it, then?" She held out her hand. "How do I undo this?"