Page 58 of Tempest Awakening

Thalon lowered his body, bringing his shoulder closer to the ground. “Here, between my shoulder blades. There's a natural dip that should fit you perfectly.”

Taking a deep breath, I approached him. Up close, the heat radiating from his body was palpable. I placed a hand on his scales, marveling at the texture—smooth and warm, like sun-heated stone.

With trembling hands, I grabbed onto one of his spines and tried to hoist myself up. It was far from graceful; I scrabbled and slipped, my feet searching for purchase on his smooth scales. Thalon remained perfectly still, his patience seemingly endless.

“Use the ridge of my foreleg as a step,”he suggested, amusement clear in his tone.

Following his advice, I managed to clamber onto his back, settling into the dip he'd mentioned. It did fit me perfectly, as if it had been made for me. The realization sent a thrill through me—this was real. I was sitting on a dragon. My dragon.

"Oh my god," I breathed, running my hands along his scales in wonder. "We're really doing this."

“Indeed we are,”Thalon replied, and I could feel his excitement building to match my own. “Hold on tight, Tess. Let's show you what real flying feels like.”

His muscles bunched beneath me, and I gripped tightly to the spine in front of me. My heart was racing, a giddy laugh bubbling up in my throat. This was it—a moment I'd dreamed of since I was a little girl reading dragon stories under my blanket with a flashlight.

With a powerful thrust of his wings, Thalon launched us into the sky. My stomach dropped as the ground fell away, and I couldn'thelp but let out a mixture of a scream and a laugh. The rush of wind whipped through my hair, and I tightened my grip on Thalon's spine.

“Relax, little one,”Thalon's voice resonated in my mind, tinged with amusement. “I won't let you fall.”

And the amazing thing was, I could feel his intent. It wasn't just words; there was a palpable sense of protection and care flowing through our connection. I knew, with a certainty that defied explanation, that Thalon would keep me safe.

As we climbed higher, the Dragonne Library Grounds spread out beneath us like a living map. The grand castle-like library stood to the left, its luminescent stone walls gleaming in the sunlight. To our right, I could see the Dragon Rider Guild, its streamlined spires reaching towards the sky.

I gasped as we soared over the dormitories. From up here, I could see the intricate layout of the multi-wing residence, the grand dining hall at its center catching the light.

"It's beautiful," I breathed, my fear giving way to awe.

“Indeed it is,”Thalon agreed. “But watch this.”

Suddenly, the world tilted. My stomach lurched as Thalon's wings tucked close to his body, and we plummeted. The wind screamed in my ears, drowning out my own startled cry. The lake below rushed towards us, expanding at a dizzying rate. My fingers gripped Thalon's spine, knuckles white with tension.

Just as the glassy surface of the water filled my vision, his wings snapped open. The abrupt change in direction plastered me against his back. We skimmed the lake, so close I could feel the cool mist on my face. A rainbow shimmered in the spray kicked up by Thalon's wingtips.

My terror melted into euphoria. A laugh bubbled up from my chest, carried away by the wind. We climbed again, the g-force pressing me down. The earth dropped away, becoming a patchwork of greens and browns once more.

Without warning, the horizon spun. Up became down, then up again. My heart somersaulted in my chest as Thalon executed a perfect barrel roll. For a breathless moment, I hung suspended, the earth above and sky below, before we righted ourselves.

Adrenaline surged through my veins. My breath came in short, excited gasps. Every nerve tingled.

“How did that feel?”Thalon's mental voice rippled with pride and a touch of playfulness.

"I... that was..." Words failed me. I patted his neck, feeling the powerful muscles beneath the scales. "How am I still here? That roll should have sent me plummeting!"

“Don't worry,”he assured me. “I can sense your balance and emotions perfectly. I'll always know how to move to keep you secure.”

"That's incredible," I breathed, my heart still racing from the unexpected maneuver. "Can you really feel everything I'm feeling?"

“Yes,”Thalon confirmed. “Your excitement, your brief moment of fear just now, and your growing confidence—I sense it all. As our bond deepens, you'll learn to sense my emotions too, though it may take some time and practice.”

We banked towards the mountain housing the dragon dens, and I found myself relaxing into the flight, trusting in Thalon's ability to keep me safe.

I marveled at how quickly I'd come to trust this magnificent creature beneath me. Just hours ago, we'd been strangers. Now, soaring through the sky, I felt safer than I ever had on the ground. Was this what it meant to be a dragon rider? This sense of belonging, of rightness?

A small part of me wondered if I was dreaming. If I'd wake up back in my old life, with no magic, no dragon, no purpose. But the wind in my hair, the warmth of Thalon's scales beneath me, the vast expanse of sky around us—it all felt too real, too vivid to be a dream.

For the first time in my life, I felt truly free.

We flew in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the beat of Thalon's wings and the rush of wind lulling me into a sense of serenity.

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