Page 52 of Gift from the Wing

I rack my brain, trying to remember if I’ve ever heard of that in dragons, but nothing’s coming to me. When she says a flight, I know what she means by that. That’s what a group of dragons that stay together is called, but I’m sure I read that somewhere.

“Just as any animal is born with their instincts, dragons hatch with that as well, but due to our nature, we’re born with a little more. Communal knowledge is information that is passed down to us through ourparents and members of our flight. The ceremony of a hatchling is a spectacular sight to see.

“The entire flight will gather around the nest and softly purr, encouraging the little one to break through the fortified shell. It’s the first test for the young dragon. Their eggs are as strong as stone, and it is quite the tiring process to break yourself free, but once you do, the cracking of the shell will sound for miles around before it shatters around you. It will shake the realm itself, letting everyone know a dragon was just born.

“After that, the first of your kind to greet you are your parents. Your father, followed by your mother, will lay their heads to yours. It cultivates the bond between parent and child. During that bonding, all the knowledge the parents have gathered over the years will pass to the young dragon, and it will store itself in their mind. Once the parents have partaken in their bond, the entire flight will share their knowledge with the little one as well.

“There is still much development and growing the young dragon must learn and go through, but as they age, there will be things that they just know, things they are just aware of, and that is the communal knowledge that’s been shared with them.”

My heart thunders in my chest as I picture a huge flight of dragons waiting for a hatchling to be born, then celebrate it by giving it the knowledge it’s going to need to survive. I’d bet everything I do know that it’s a powerful, emotional moment.

Damn, I wish I had experienced that.

“So Willow and I have communal knowledge?”I ask.

Not that I doubt Tanith’s words. It’s just the honest truth that I’ve never been the smartest person in the room. I feel like school, life, well, everything would’ve been a lot easier on me in my earlier years if I had this knowledge she’s speaking about.

“Yes. I have no doubt about that. I’ve already sensed it in both of you. I’m just not sure how your communal knowledge was shared with you and from who it all comes from. I know you have pieces of me. Your dragons and their interactions prove that, but for the rest, I am unsure. You both were born from bodies, where I was born from an egg and had a ceremony.”

“Other thanyou sensing it, how would we know we have this knowledge? Gotta be honest with you, Tanith, I’ve never been one to just know shit, nor have I ever liked learning.”

She laughs like I’m kidding, but I really have always hated school, reading, anything that forced me to sit still for a long period of time. I got to move around, burn off the energy that’s always running through me.

“Do you remember your earlier years of life? Earlier than the normal being would?”she asks.

“No, I don’t think—”

I stop when my senses are assaulted with the past. The dark burgundy walls of the brothel, the way my mom always smelled sweet, her singing voice that could put me right to sleep. I remember it all clearly. I remember the exact spot she’s buried in and what she was wearing when she was laid in the ground.

“Yeah, I can.”

“That is a sign of communal knowledge. The ability for your memories to begin imprinting strongly enough to stick at a young age.”

I drift into silence at that. For many, I can see where that ability would be badass to have, but I don’t really feel the same. I’m thankful to be able to remember my mom, don’t get me wrong, but I could do without all the other trauma that came along with it.

Willow too, no doubt. I’ve always wondered how it was that she could remember things from when she was so young, but I chalked it up to the Memoria stone. Guess that wasn’t the case.

Soaring through the clouds, a speck in the distance comes into view and my chest rumbles with happiness. I love that fucking mansion. There’re so many fond memories there and it’s created an escape my brothers and I needed over the years. Now it’s also where we bonded our Primary. The greatest gift of all time.

I already know our time is going to be split between here and the palace now, but this house and everything about it will always be ours.

Staring out over the crystal-clear skies, I’m starting to feel like Corentin. My mind just won’t shut up and it’s driving me crazy. Up hereis where I’m supposed to be able to leave my worries behind, but since one of my worries came up here with me, I can’t unfocus.

Unfocus? Is that even a word?

“Tanith, when Keeper touched me the first time I shifted in front of him, something happened,”I say rather than flat out asking what I want to know.

“That’s correct.”

Seriously? That’s all she’s going to give me.

“What happened?”

“I don’t believe you’re ready for that answer,” she says matter-of-factly.

“What? Why?”I ask. Butthurt.

“Because you’re not ready to accept him for who he is to you. That’s quite all right. You deserve time to wrap your mind around this.”

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