The moment Ignis acknowledged Sion, the other dragons ceased their assault.

  The drakes that had been circling the party pulled back mid-dive, retreating to the stone pillars that surrounded the crater.

  Lucia emerged from behind a stone outcropping she’d been using as cover. Her legs shook so badly that she had to brace one hand against the rock to stay upright. "What's happening? Why did they stop?"

  "The trial," Miranda said as she sheathed her blade. "It's over."

  “Over?” Lucia knees buckled. She collapsed against the stone, sliding down until she sat with her back pressed to its heat-soaked surface. “We survived. We actually survived.”

  “Easy there,” Yarra said as she moved to Lucia’s side. “You’re alright. We’re alright.”

  “I thought we were dead. When that emerald one dove at us, I thought—”

  “But we’re not.” Yarra squeezed her shoulder. “Breathe.”

  Beside them, Clive watched as the dragons settled onto their perches. The hurricane he'd painted to launch Sion skyward had dissipated, but green-white pigment still stained the air where it had been.

  Below, Sion knelt before the Dragon King. Ignis's massive form towered over him. The dragon lowered his head until his eye was level with the prince's face.

  "You have proven yourself worthy, Sion Margaux," Ignis rumbled. "Not through strength alone, but through the clarity of your purpose. "

  Sion remained kneeling, head bowed. His left arm hung useless at his side, blistered and raw from Ignis's flame burst.

  "That is the mark of a true dragon knight," Ignis continued. "One who understands that the bond between dragon and mortal is not domination, but partnership. "

  The Dragon King's massive claw came down, touching Sion's shoulder. Light flared where they connected. Sion gasped as the bond took hold.

  [Bond Established: Dragon King Ignis Primus]

  [Prince Sion has gained: Dragon's Favor]

  Ignis can sense your location and emotional state

  +50% Fire Resistance

  All dragons treat you as allied unless hostile action is taken

  The light faded. Sion slumped forward, catching himself on his good arm. When he looked up, his eyes glowed with inner fire.

  "Rise, Dragon Prince," Ignis said.

  Sion stood on shaking legs. The Dragon King's presence filled his mind now.

  You feel it, Ignis's voice echoed in his thoughts. The bond. You are mine, and I am yours. When you call, I will come. When I fly, you will ride.

  Sion's hand went to his chest, forming a fist over his heart. "The bond is sealed," he whispered.

  Ignis lifted his head, surveying the crater. "Your companions fought well. They defended you while you completed the trial. That speaks well of their loyalty."

  "They're the finest warriors in San Dioral," Sion said.

  "Then they deserve to be rewarded." The Dragon King's gaze swept across the assembled Dragon Knight Corps, settling finally on Miranda. "You. Step forward."

  Miranda exchanged a glance with Sion, then approached. She stopped ten paces from the Dragon King's foreclaw and saluted.

  "Field Marshal Miranda Theron, Commander of the Dragon Knight Corps," she said. "I serve San Dioral and Prince Sion."

  "A warrior's bearing," Ignis observed. "You serve your prince well."

  “It is my duty.

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  "Duty. A word many speak, but few truly understand.”

  “I have fought beside him and bled for him. And when the next battle comes, I will do so again.”

  Ignis laughed. “Very well. You commanded your knights well during the trial. The dragons bear witness to your leadership. Such leadership deserves recognition.” Ignis lifted his massive claw. Clutched within it was a blade forged from what looked like crystallized flame, orange and red and white, frozen mid-flicker.

  "This is Ember's Edge," Ignis said. "Forged in dragonfire three centuries ago for a knight who died defending my roost from demon incursion. It has waited for a worthy hand since." He lowered the blade, laying it on the stone before Miranda. "Take it, Field Marshal. You have earned it."

  Miranda stared at the weapon. She knelt and lifted the sword. The moment her fingers closed around the hilt, flame rippled down the blade.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty," Miranda said, rising. She met the Dragon King's gaze. "I will wield it with honor."

  "See that you do," Ignis rumbled. "That blade has tasted demon blood before. It will taste it again before this age ends."

  One by one, the Dragon King called forward other members of the Dragon Knight Corps. Lieutenant Guma received a blade of ice.

  “Frostbane,” Ignis said. “ Forge by the dwarven smiths of the Northern peaks before their cities fell to ice.

  Next was Yarra.

  "The quick one," Ignis said. "You moved like wind during the trial. Five times you drew drake attention away from exposed flanks. And six times you struck true. Your weapon serves you poorly. The limbs are warped. Yet still you hit your marks."

  Yarra's cheeks blushed. "It's what I have, Your Majesty."

  "It was what you had." Ignis reached into the shadows once more and produced a crossbow. “Stormcaller," Ignis said. "Crafted by the gnome master Ironhand before he lost his name to madness. It never misses what the wielder can see. The bolts fly true regardless of the wind."

  Yarra hefted Stormcaller, then glanced at Guma's new blade with its pale blue runes. She grinned. "So the Dragon Knight bonded to a fire dragon, now wields a sword of ice. Makes perfect sense."

  Guma shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Guess, now I can be both."

  "Both what?"

  "Fire and ice. Emberwing burns. I freeze. Enemies won't know which is coming."

  "They'll know you're coming," Yarra said. "You're not exactly subtle."

  "Don't need to be subtle when you're effective."

  Yarra grinned, already aiming Stormcaller at imaginary targets.

  Ignis's gaze moved past the armed warriors, settling on the final two members of the party.

  "You two," the Dragon King said. "Step forward."

  Clive exchanged a glance with Lucia. She looked as uncertain as he felt. They crossed the scorched stone together, stopping where the others had stood.

  Ignis studied them both. "I sense that you are unbonded. All who come to the dragon island must leave with a dragon, or not at all. This is the law."

  He lifted his head and roared. “Azura! Verdania!”

  Two dragons emerged from the stone pillars.

  The first was slender and graceful, her scales shimmering with iridescent blues and whites.

  The second was compact and sturdy, her scales deep emerald green shot through with veins of gold.

  "Azura is young," Ignis said, gesturing to the blue-scaled dragon. "Only four hundred years. She has never bonded with a rider. She prefers solitude, creation over destruction. Unlike most dragons, she has little interest in battle or glory. She would rather fly above storms and watch the sun paint colors across clouds."

  Azura lowered her head to face Clive.

  You paint the wind, her voice whispered in his mind, feminine and melodic. I have watched you. Your hurricane was crude, unrefined. But the vision behind it was beautiful.

  Clive reached out to pat her. His fingers touched her snout. It was warm.

  I could show you the colors you've never seen, Azura continued. The shades that exist only in the highest reaches of the sky. The hues that paint the edges of storms. Would you like that, artist?

  "Yes," Clive whispered.

  [Bond Established: Azura the Sky Painter]

  [Level up]

  [Dragon Riding - Level 2]

  We will fly together, she said. And you will paint the sky itself.

  Meanwhile, the emerald dragon had approached Lucia. The alchemist stood frozen, eyes wide as the dragon lowered her head.

  "Verdania," Ignis said, "has lived for eight hundred years. She is a healer, as you are. Her flames purify, cleanse, and restore. She has mended broken bones with her breath, and cauterized wounds that would have bled a warrior dry."

  Verdania approached Lucia with measured grace. The alchemist took an involuntary step back, her hands clutching her satchel against her chest like a shield.

  "I… I'm not a warrior. I don't know how to ride, I can't—"

  Clive couldn't hear Verdania's response—the dragon must have been speaking mind-to-mind like Azura did—but he saw Lucia's expression shift.

  Tears rolled down her face as she whispered, "Thank you."

  Ignis watched both bondings with approval. "The bonds are made. You came with three dragons, Prince Sion. You leave with six."

  Sion bowed his head to the Dragon King. "We are grateful, Your Majesty. But it is time. San Dioral needs us. With your permission, we should return."

  “Then let it be so.” Ignis lifted his head and roared. The sound that echoed across the crater and sent the smaller drakes scattering into the sky. It was both farewell and proclamation.

  Sion turned to his companions. "Dragon Knight Corps. Mount up. We're going home."

  Azura's wings rustled beside Clive. Are you ready?

  "For what?"

  To fly.

  Before he could answer, she crouched low, inviting him onto her back. Clive looked at the others. Sion was already mounted on Ignis, leading the other dragon knights.

  Lucia was doing the same with Verdania, the emerald dragon offering guidance.

  Clive turned back to Azura. Her wing bones formed natural handholds, and her scales provided grip. He climbed onto her back, settling just behind her shoulders where her neck met her body. It felt surprisingly natural, as if his body already knew where it belonged.

  Hold tight, Azura said.

  Then she launched into the air.