I was pulled from the dark of the void by something wet and rough sliding up the side of my face. I roused slowly, cracking my eyes open. Everything was blurry and washed-out, but I could still see Juniper's nose right in front of me as she licked my cheek again.

«Hey,» I protested, lightly shoving her head away with my hand. «Not the face.»

Juniper panted and settled for lying down next to me, resting her head against my shoulder. I spread a wing to cover her like a blanket. I felt so exhausted I could barely even register that that was what I was feeling, and I debated closing my eyes again and trying to go back to sleep, but something told me I might want to rise sooner rather than later.

I lifted my head up and blearily blinked my eyes. I was curled up on the dragons' blanket in our flight rooms, pressed up against the corner on my left side. Brand, Griffin, and Arthur all laid beside me, curled in the same way. Though the room was probably big enough for about eight dragons in total, we were still close enough to touch. Griffin's tail laid partially on top of mine.

I pulled back away from the contact, thankfully without waking them, and stood, carefully tip-toeing out of the nest and into the common area. My legs wobbled with exhaustion as I moved, but something had changed. I didn't feel any stronger, but I did feel like I had more…"potential" might have been the right word. Like there was a lot of new, empty space in the well of power at my command, and all I had to do was fill it.

Exactly what to do with that feeling was something I could figure out later. For now, I felt like I needed food. Lots of food. There wasn't anyone in the commons to take with me to the refectory, but that was fine. Grace was already there. I didn't know how I knew that, but I did.

«I notice you're up,» I heard a voice say. It had the same omnipresent-yet-limited quality that Arthur's and Griffin's dragonspeech had, but it wasn't either of their voices. It was Grace's.

I stopped dead right where I was in the hall as my heart sank. No, I thought to myself. No, no, no, that couldn't have changed her too…?

No. It couldn't have. They said we were "bonded", so maybe that just meant our minds were connected, somehow? I could at least test that idea.

«Grace?» I asked, pushing my thoughts towards where it felt like her voice had come from. «Is that you?»

«Sure is,» she said. «You should come eat something. I thought I was seconds from starving to death when I woke up earlier.»

«I'm on my way,» I said, and picked up the pace for a brisk walk to the refectory. I caught glimpses of the sun several hours past sunrise through the windows as I walked, which probably explained why the refectory was virtually empty, only two other humans besides Grace—who was thankfully still human and busy wolfing down an extra large meal—and no dragons. That, I was thankful for. I didn't want to deal with the embarrassment of other dragons watching me not know how to eat properly when I also felt like I had been hit by a stampede of bulls.

All it took was a wave with my wing to the person leaning up against the counter at the back for them to pass an order to some of the workers behind them, and then a minute later bring out a tray of raw meats and a small bowl of fruit, which they dumped unceremoniously on the long stone table.

I stared at the meal for a moment, trying to figure out a sensible way to eat it, before hunger took over and I broke down and just grabbed fistfuls of food. I was worried about not knowing how to use my fire to cook the meat, but surprisingly, it tasted really good. Alarmingly good, even. What was more strange was that it didn't taste any different from the few experiences I'd had with undercooked pork at bad pubs and inns in Vandermaine. It was just that that same taste hit my brain as delicious now. Which was unsettling, to say the least.

«So. How are you feeling?» asked Grace, not getting up from her seat or even pausing to stop eating while she spoke.

«How are you doing that?» I brushed past her question. «You sound like I do.»

«The bond,» Grace said simply.

«How does the bond let you do that? That doesn't make any sense. What kind of magic is this?»

«I think this would fall under the school of communion, actually. And I have no idea! This is just as new to me as it is to you.» I heard her breathy chuckle from across the room. «It is pretty fun, though. Is this how you felt the whole time you've been talking in our ears as a dragon?»

«Probably.»

The rest of the flight began to trickle in then, splitting up to eat our large breakfast. Arthur's eyes practically sparkled when he sat down next to me, but most everyone else just seemed tired. The dragons finished eating first, and we convened around the humans' table to finally have a full discussion about what we had just been through.

"So, I'm going to ask again," said Grace. "How are we feeling?"

"As though I could sleep for another fortnight," said Yura. "I've never been so exhausted in my life."

«Me neither,» said Griffin. They were struggling to keep their head from dipping down to rest on the floor. «It's getting better. But I still want to go back to sleep.»

"Won't wait," Ingo muttered under his breath.

Griffin blinked. «What?»

"The day won't wait for us," said Ingo. "Training starts today. It should have started hours ago, but you were all still asleep."

«You were also asleep,» I retorted, shifting a wing in front of Griffin.

"Hmph," grunted Ingo. "I didn't say that it wasn't expected for you to sleep. Just that you did." He passed a small slip of paper down the table and started making his way out of the refectory. "Someone came by and gave us the schedule. Don't lose it."

I let my glare follow him out. «You weren't joking, Griffin,» I grumbled.

They ducked their head down towards the table. If they could blush in this form, I knew they would have. «Sorry for him,» they mumbled. «I think he's pretty exhausted from the rites last night. Just like us.»

"Yeah, speaking of…" Grace put a hand forward on the table. "Do any of the rest of you feel any different? Apart from being tired, I mean."

Rosalie furrowed her brow. "No?" she said. "Should we?"

Grace shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just kind of though that whatever they were doing to us would make us stronger. Faster, tougher, maybe give us some kind of magical powers." She stared down at her hands. "I can talk to Belfry from far away. But that's it. I was expecting…more."

«I feel…I don't know, it's hard to explain,» said Arthur. «I feel like…my limit's been raised, if that makes any sense. Like I could get a lot stronger, even if I'm not stronger now."

"I'm sure that they will explain it during training," said Yura. He had already put his breakfast away and leaned back, taking a close look at the schedule Ingo had left. "I doubt that that was all just for show. The alchemical treatments must have some purpose. They'd never put all those chemicals of theirs to waste."

Brand peeked at the schedule over his shoulder and growled a few words. Yura held the paper closer, tilting his glasses before putting it down and sliding it towards the rest of us, holding it open where Ingo had folded it so we could all see. "I'm not familiar, Brand," he said. "It looks like they want to instruct us in some manoeuvres at noon, including something called 'skywalking'. Then it's going to be up to us what and how we teach ourselves."

Grace pulled the slip a little closer, rereading it again. "Seems odd for a group that's close to the army to be unstructured like that," she said. "Even I had a pretty rigid regimen when I trained to be a free sword."

«That's most of what I've seen here,» said Griffin. «People training themselves. I think it might be a tradition. Or maybe it has something to do with what you said about limits, Arthur.»

Arthur ruffled his wings. «Maybe.»

I stood, arching and stretching my back and tail. «Well, I hate having schedules to keep,» I said. «So why don't we all go ahead and get the required part over with?»

There was a chorus of mumbled agreements as the rest of the team put their trays away and followed behind me as we left the refectory and headed for the courtyard, where the schedule had wanted us to meet. After eating, I was starting to get some of my energy back, but I still felt like I could easily sleep the rest of the day away.

The sun was far too bright when we went outside. I had to bring up a wing to shade my eyes from the light. The other flights had clearly started their own training for the day a while ago. I could see people in the tiny enclosed gardens, sitting in groups of one to four and reading, chatting amicably, or playing that "tũri" game that Yura had showed me yesterday. Dragons wheeled through the sky, at least twelve in total in flight, some of them flying in loose formations and others soaring alone or bearing only one rider. Of the four raised courtyards, three of them were occupied by trainees either sparring or practising some kind of simple teamwork game. One of them held a pair of dragons that were "sparring", though it just looked like a vicious fight. Blood trailed from their claws and mouths as they grappled in close quarters, reared onto their hind legs and snapping at each other's throat. I shuddered at the sight, and felt a hint of excitement at the same time.

The last courtyard was not empty. Captain Leo sat cross-legged in the middle, while an impatient-looking Ingo stood behind him, halfway leaning on his sturdy cane. On Leo's left, a large wooden crate sat on the grass, seemingly full of clothes at a glance.

Leo got to his feet as we arrived in the courtyard. "Good job being punctual," he said.

I made a snide face at Ingo. He didn't react. I immediately felt stupid.

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"I assume that you've already read the schedule," Leo continued. "So, now that we're all here, I would like to get started with basic instruction as soon as possible. Line up, and listen up!"

We quickly arranged into a slightly jagged line, each rider next to their dragon partner. Leo began to pace in front of us.

"Now, first and foremost," he began. "I imagine that you've got some questions about what went on last night. If you want a technical, scientifically-detailed explanation, you're free to waste your time in the library after we're done here. The essential understanding you need to take away is this: You have now gone through two trials that have put you on the path of a dragoon. First, the Rite of Bonding is an ancient ritual that has connected you and your partner on a deep level. You share the same blood, and can touch each other's minds. It is a powerful tool, which you can use to contact each other in times of duress and share plans in battle at the speed of thought. It will allow one of you to bolster the other, should their mind falter. You are now two parts of one unit. Two halves of one whole. Keep that in mind.

"Second is what the Schola is calling the 'Trial of the Key'. Your bodies and minds have been augmented by alchemical compounds, expanding the range of what you can accomplish, be it by power, agility, or presence of mind. You—"

Grace raised her hand like a student. Leo rolled his eyes, visibly annoyed at being interrupted. "Speak."

"I don't feel any different, though?" said Grace. "As in, I feel just as strong as when I passed out last night. I don't feel any smarter, either. Is that supposed to happen?"

"Yes," said Leo. "I was getting to that. You'll need to ask Brother Alvhir if you want to know more about this, but essentially, the Key has given you the power to grow in the skills that you find yourself needing. However, this growth doesn't come all at once when you are given the trial. You must provoke it yourself, a process that the brothers of the Schola are referring to as 'Unlocking'. When you break a 'Lock', the potential energy flows, and you can shape how you grow to suit your needs."

«How do you break a "Lock"?» I asked. More magic. Great. I had been hoping that the alchemical ritual last night would be the last time I saw myself change for a while, but it was sounding like the effects of that ritual were going to be an ongoing process. «Hang on, what actually is a Lock? How does it keep the energy still?»

"Again, research on your own time," said Leo. "You don't need to know what a Lock is to break it. To do that, you need to struggle. Learn. Fulfil your desires and experience the consequences of your actions. Perform acts that will see you be remembered. Treat it like it's a reward from fate for accomplishing things of note."

«So…it's kind of just like training a skill?» I asked.

"In a way. You will never break a Lock simply by training, but so long as you keep striving for and achieving things someone might call 'great', your Locks will keep falling away. The main differences here are in scale and interchangeability. Unlocking is a large measure of growth all at once—a 'breakthrough', as it were—and you may be able to grow in ways that aren't what you are practising for. You might be able to increase the power of your flame breath by rescuing sailors in a sinking ship from drowning, for example."

He cleared his throat, scanning our faces in turn. "Now, any further questions about the initiation?"

I had so many, but none that I thought he would answer. When we gave mumblings of the negative, Leo nodded. "Good. Now, because of the Key, your training here at the academy will be short before you receive a commission to serve elsewhere out in the Vale. What we will focus on here will be the core skills you need to succeed in areas you want to have expertise in, as well as some manoeuvres that you will need to know before taking on any dangerous work. First, though, you will need your equipment."

While he began hoisting sets of clothing from the crate, I felt a faint presence brush up against my mind and heard Grace's voice in my ear. «I'm so excited!» she said. «They literally ordered us to do legendary things to get stronger! This is so much more than I imagined it would be!»

«Cool down just a little,» I tried to temper her enthusiasm. Leo hadn't been exaggerating. I could literally feel it, like a faint breeze blowing through my brain. «It's going to be a little bit. And let's not jump to the word "legendary" right away, alright? One step at a time.»

«Yeah, yeah, sure,» she muttered, unconvinced.

Leo handed Grace a set of folded clothes. Or, it was more armour. It actually reminded me of the outfits those "chasseur" guys in Bryn Corben had on, where it was half form and half function. Like the outfits I'd seen the other dragoon novices in, it was a wine-coloured coat lined with thick sheepskin, along with a backplate, spaulders, and a breastplate with the symbol that had been on the others' uniforms painted in white in the centre and a flared collar painted with three stripes: burgundy, blue, and white. The trousers were long and ash-grey, with tall brown boots that nearly reached the knee. The outfit also had a squarish, thick fur hat with metal plating on the front and ear flaps, a hefty dark rosy-grey greatcoat that Leo informed us was for winter weather, and lightly tinted goggles.

"These are your standard issue gear, knights," said Leo. "The corps doesn't require you to wear it in all engagements, but you must wear the symbol and colours of the corps somewhere visible so that you can not be misidentified. Those of you who plan to wear them, return to your rooms and change now."

Grace smiled and jogged back towards the keep, followed shortly by Rosalie and Ingo. Yura was the only human who remained, setting the folded garments down on the rock wall hemming in the courtyard.

"I think I prefer what I have," he said. "If that's acceptable."

"Very well," said Leo. He reached back into the crate and tossed a small patch of cloth towards Yura, who caught it handily out of the air. "There's a patch with the sign of the corps. Put it on the shoulder or the breast, somewhere easily seen, and you'll be good."

Yura nodded and pocketed the scrap for now.

"As for you dragons," said Leo, "you will be fitting your gear with your partners, since you won't be able to attach the harness entirely on your own. But for you three—" he pointed at Arthur, Griffin, and me "—the heads in the armoury have managed to figure out some special gear that should accommodate your…shifting better than standard."

He went back into the crate once more, this time hauling out four large saddles. I could tell they were mostly based on the kinds of saddles worn by animals, but they were bigger and seemed a lot more comfortable at first glance, both for the wearer and the rider. They had quilted cloth covering both sides of the leather seat, and a mess of soft leather straps that made up the harness. One of them sat open on the ground, surrounded by the harness and several pieces of armour that I could guess were a helmet and guards for the arms and legs, but the other three had much longer pieces of cloth that were wrapped up around the seat and tied together like a bag with some attached cord.

"You're lucky that Griffin's early arrival gave them the time to figure this out," said Leo. "I think it's rather brilliant, myself. Here." He untied the cord and let the cloth fall to the side, revealing the straps, armour, and another set of garments inside. "The idea is that you can wear the saddle similar to a backpack while in human form, and use it that way to carry the rest of the harness, and your armour."

He held up the additional garments. They kind of reminded me of what Yura was wearing a little, consisting of a large double-layered slate-grey cloak or robe, with a hood, voluminous sleeves, and a long tail, as well as a set of long cloth belts and a wide darker grey skirt, currently open at the front, but which was tied closed by a loop of cloth sewn into the inside, as well as a pair of simple sandals.

"In your draconic forms, you can wear these robes and skirts like a cloak underneath the saddle," said Leo. "They are buttoned so that you can adjust them to keep from getting in your way. When you return to human form, you tighten the straps and fasten the belt to make it into a tight robe. Simple and fast to transition was the main goal, but they should be thick enough to ward off stray blows and keep the cold out if you need to remain in human form."

I didn't expect myself to be so excited just for clothes, especially not clothes that weren't supposed to be at all fashionable, but the prospect of actually being able to shift more comfortably without having to either strip or shred whatever I was wearing was extremely welcome. The others and I quickly tried them on. The cloth was surprisingly soft, and it was all easily big enough for me. I wore it just like Leo directed, with the robe open and the skirt loose, and it really did just feel like I was wearing an extra heavy cloak, which wasn't entirely unwelcome this far north.

The others returned just in time for us to get the saddles and harnesses on. Grace looked positively chipper in the uniform, a wide grin on her face as she came back into the courtyard.

"You look great!" she said.

«You look like a knight,» I replied.

I felt her pride swell. "Perfect!"

The saddle was as comfortable to wear as it looked. The cloth that had formed the pack drooped down at the sides, fastening together over my belly, while the harness cinched the loose robe underneath closed so that it wouldn't flap around in the wind. It felt a little like an actual backpack, and far more secure than the makeshift mattress had been when I took a few experimental steps. And then, when I knelt down to let Grace climb on, the weight was distributed and felt lighter than it was. I hadn't realised how sore my back had gotten carrying her and Juni all the way here until I carried her in the saddle. She was a lot more secure than before now, too, with enclosed stirrups and smaller straps attaching her to the saddle and a long pair of "reins" to hold onto. They weren't really real reins since they were attached to the base of my neck rather than my face, which I was supremely grateful for, and they were two cords rather than one, but they let her hold on tightly nonetheless.

Grace helped me finish fitting the helmet, which was perfectly sized to fit between my crests, and the vambraces and greaves. I had been worried about manoeuvrability in all that gear, but it was all spaced apart and soft enough that I barely felt constrained at all, and still had full range of motion in all my limbs and tail.

"You'll want to run through that routine several times," Leo said once all the dragons had gotten their equipment on. "The few minutes it takes to strap on your harness, armour, and saddle could be the difference between you acting fast enough to confront an urgent threat and people dead because you were too slow. For now though, well done.

"Now, the main manoeuvre I want you all to understand before I let you go for the day is what we call 'skywalking'. To do this, you will need the sky-lines." He grabbed one of the "reins" attached to my harness and held it up for the others to see. "That's what we call these loose cords. Skywalking is a practise where the rider unstraps themself from their seat and uses the sky-lines to swing through the air. It's a dangerous manoeuvre, since you could fall hundreds of feet, or the imbalance of weight could pull your partner out of the air, but it is indispensable when facing opponents also capable of flight. In the right circumstance, it can give the rider greater reach and ability to strike targets with melee weapon while in the air, as well as much greater flexibility overall during flight. It's also a technique used by other air-cavalry, which I hope you will never need to fight, but we must prepare you for the possibility."

Grace's grip on the lines tightened enough that I felt them pull against my throat. I heard her snap her goggles on. Leo gave us a bemused look.

"Now, now," he said. "You won't be doing full practise with this skill immediately. We won't have you die on us right after we put a tank of expensive alchemical compounds in you. For now, keep it safe. On the ground, the rider can practise the motions of swinging to the each side on the lines. In the air, the dragon can get a feel for the shifting weight by having their rider lean side to side. We'll come to real practise in a week or so, once I'm confident you won't crash. Right! Riders, unstrap yourselves. We'll go through those ground drills now so you know what to practise."

Grace did as commanded, and for what felt like hours me and the other dragons stood as still as we could or lightly jogged around the courtyard while the other four did their best acrobatics from our backs. While carrying the saddle and Grace on it had felt light as a feather, the moment all of her weight was concentrated into the point the line attached to my neck, I started getting sore. She practised leaping forward to stand against my shoulder over and over again, her feet slamming into the spaulder so many times I honestly thought that either my scales or the metal would crack.

They both held, though, despite the exhaustion that came creeping back over the flight. By the time Leo held his hand up to signal for us to stop, my muscles were strained enough that I took the opportunity to collapse to the ground, content not to walk or move my arms or neck at all for the rest of the day.

"That's enough for now," said Leo. "You've got the idea of how to go about this. The rest of the day is yours for you to train as you wish, though I think the lot of you have earned a couple hours' rest at least." He grabbed one final set of items from the crate: four pairs of bottles made from dried, bulbous gourds, with each pair having one smaller one and one larger, the latter of which seeming to be what the shapes of those stoneware bottles in the refectory were based on. He handed a pair out to each group.

"Make sure you keep yourself well-watered," he said. "Thirst is a real killer of folk who like to strain themselves like us. I'll keep an eye on your progress. Serve as One!"

With that, he took his leave back towards the keep. I struggled to stand. As I did, Grace slid down from my back, the shifting weight making me lose my balance and plant my face into the grass again. I let out a tired sigh. It was going to be a long week.

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