Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 136009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136009 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Kivrin shook. “Think I can join your army if a dragon selects me?”
“It’d be an honor,” Fordham said.
“Well, take care of my daughter then. I have a dragon to claim.”
Then Kivrin wandered into the midst of the potential riders, his head held high, his steps even. For the first time in many years, he was so much more than just the playboy prince of the House of Cruse. He was a leader in his own right.
Fordham drew her back into the mountain. “Let’s leave them to it. We’ll know what happened by nightfall.”
Kerrigan shot one more look at the group of riders and the incoming dragons and then left them to it.
***
Riders filtered in throughout the day. Their names were registered with their dragons, and they were sent to new quarters that Fordham had instructed Adelaide to clean out for the trainees. The bond would strengthen if they were in danger or went to war, but until then, it took a year for the bond to not be fragile, and they needed training.
Kerrigan had sat in a meeting with Lowan, going over the few books he’d had on his person about dragon training. Kerrigan added in the firsthand experience she had from her training and created a program—not that they had a year to train the recruits. Luckily almost everyone who had arrived so far was already a soldier who had seen combat.
“One of us will have to train them,” Kerrigan said.
Only she, Fordham, and Audria had done dragon training before. It was how it had always been done. The previous winner would train the next batch.
“We don’t have time for that,” Fordham argued.
“The easiest solution is to let the dragons and their riders handle training,” Lowan said. “Ordrax and Dyta are a formidable pair. Whoever bonds them will also have to be formidable. Ordrax has already gone through training, and Dyta was his second at the Holy Mountain. We should put them and their riders in charge once they return.”
“That would be me,” Wynter said as she strode into the war room they’d taken up outside the aerie.
Fordham jumped up. “You bonded?”
She nodded with a smirk. “Dyta. She agrees that she and Ordrax should take over. Ordrax should be here any moment. He just finished.”
“Who bonded him?” Kerrigan asked, adding names the list.
Wynter bit her lip. “Give him a minute, and you’ll find out.”
Kerrigan and Fordham exchanged a look. That couldn’t be good.
“Hello.”
Fordham’s jaw dropped. Kerrigan’s hand stilled over the list of names. Even Lowan looked surprised, and he didn’t normally notice anything other than his books.
“Viviana?” Fordham asked. “You bonded Ordrax?”
“I didn’t even know you were interested in a dragon.”
Viviana lifted her chin. Out of her fancy dresses and heavy makeup and jewelry, she was almost unrecognizable. “I have the requisite magic. I want to do my name proud.”
“And in pants,” Kerrigan noted.
Viviana bristled. “I will wear them for Ordrax, but I will be proper otherwise.”
Unlike you was the implied addition.
“So you’re putting me and Viviana in charge of the training?” Wynter asked with a laugh. “That should be fun.”
“What training?” Viviana asked.
Kerrigan blew out a breath. “This has been a long day.”
Then she added Viviana’s name next to Ordrax’s. She sure hoped Ordrax could keep her in line. Bless him.
Wynter read over her shoulder. “How many more are we expecting?”
“The dragons decide,” Lowan told her.
“Hopefully ten more,” Fordham said, glancing at the list.
Lowan’s eyes turned to the long list. “This is more than has ever been bound in one day.”
“In recorded history,” Kerrigan corrected.
“And we will need someone to train the other riders and dragons,” Fordham told Wynter. “We need to get the rest of these dragons to our allies. It is the easiest way to guarantee their support. In the meantime, someone is going to have to train them. Dyta and Ordrax would be the best bet now that they’re bonded, which would mean you’d have to work with Viviana.”
Wynter shrugged. “Fine with me. Where else are you taking dragons?”
Kerrigan pointed out the details on her map. “We can make contact with Alura at Venatrix. Fallon and Hadrian are in Galanthea. Zina is in Herasi. Sonali in Bryonica, Noda in Concha, and Gerrond has provided us a contact in Sayair.” She moved her hands in opposite directions, one in the far north and one in the far south. “We have allies in Erewa, but I cannot reach them, and possibly allies in Elsiande.”
Wynter wrinkled her nose. “Elsiande is where Bastian is from. You can’t trust them.”
It was a point of contention. There were people in Elsiande that Kerrigan could trust. Ellerby had been her House of Dragons sponsor long ago, and she had saved his son, Ever. They were on their side, but she didn’t know if she should risk reaching out to them, if it would even help.