Ronen nodded. “Choose what you believe suits you and your dragon best.”
“But, if I don’t know the terrain or the assignment—”
“Bren, none of us enters battle knowing what we’ll face. If you’re a Furyknight, you have a role with the squad, and a role in combat. Yourrolewon’t change based on the event—only your expected goal.”
Gil nodded. “This isn’t about the assignment, Bren. This is about you considering yourself and your dragon. What suits your skills? What do you enjoy? Where do you find the most success?”
We’d been doing a lot of flight maneuvers and practicing firing recently. But those were general skills in which every Furyknight was expected to be competent. Even in the war games as a squad, I hadn’t practiced in specific roles consistently. They’d been moving me around, letting me try different roles and tasks.
Now I understood why.
They kept talking, reassuring me that there was no wrong answer because the Trials were only a minor test. Simple. Uncomplicated. Any Furyknight would be able to fulfill either role when they were practiced. But I wasn’t a Furyknight.
I turned over the question and reached for Akhane in my mind. She’d followed me to the building this time and was sunning outside, waiting for me.
‘Attack or defense? Do you have a preference?’I asked her.
‘Attack,’she said without hesitation.‘We’re too impatient for defense. Kgosi teases me about it.’
I frowned. Kgosi teased her? About impatience? I was dying to know the context for that. From my perspective, Akhane was breathtakingly patient. But I didn’t have time to question her now.
I looked at my brothers and nodded. “Attack,” I said firmly.
They didn’t question.
“In that case, you’ll fly twenty minutes after the defenders. Your role will be twofold: attempt to fire the tower—with steam and vapor only, remind Akhane of that. And in the unlikely chance that you get an open approach, there’s a flag at the top of the tower. If you have time to dismount, retrieve it, and launch again, you’ll receive extra points and a commendation.”
I smiled, but Ronen shook his head. “That’s not your primary goal, Bren. Honestly, it’s part of the test. Don’t try to be a hero. Try to live—and remove enemies. Don’t lose focus: this is an important part of the trials. The evaluators are going to be far more concerned with whether you’re making wise, strategic choices, than whether you take a stab at the flag. I’ve been watching the trials for over a decade. The Defendersalwayswin this one. Always. I’ve seen the flag takentwice.In fourteen years.It’s why we don’t tell Flameborne ahead of time what the assignment is: your success isn’t based on winning—or keeping—the flag. It’s based on how you handle the conflicts and the rapid changes of battle. Keep your eyes on the prize: that tower is storage for your enemies, and it’s full of munitions. It’s your job to fire them. Get your dragon on flying passes as often as you can, and fire the windows and doors. Don’t try to blow the tower down. It’ll outlive all of us. Stone may crack, but it wouldn’t burn without lengthy dragonfire. You won’t have time.
“Stay out of the way of the defenders, fire the openings in the tower whenever you can, anddon’tfly under the defenders nose. If they steam you, you’ll be taken out. Considered dead. That’s an immediate fail.”
“What?!”
Gil smirked. “Their job is to keep you away from the towers enough that they save the munitions and keep the flag. But if you get close enough that their dragon steams you, and the evaluators measure it as a fatal burn if it had been fire, you fail.”
I blinked. “Why are you smiling?”
“Because the reverse is also true.”
Ronen looked at him sideways.“God,you’re creepy sometimes.”
Gil shrugged, but when Ronen turned back to the map to point out important landmarks on the terrain, he caught me gaping and winked. I grinned, but made myself focus as Ronen pointed out the tower’s placement, the locations of the thick woods, the clearings, a nearby ravine.
“They choose this spot because it’s near the ocean. In standard maneuvers, the sea is the safest part of the sky. It gives the most space to maneuver, and especially for pairs like you with speed, you’ll be able to flee if you need to. When in doubt,alwayshead for the coast. Get out of your enemy’s grip, then recoup, and re-attack. You won’t be marked down for taking space to make sure your dragon is safe. But only go as far as you’re chased. The moment your pursuers stop, you bank and figure out how you’re approaching for another attack. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Half an hour later, we were gathered in the launch hollow. Donavyn was at the other side of the big bowl in the earth, and I caught his eyes on me a couple of times and my belly trilled. But he was with Mont, the Captain of the Flame. The Captain was a grumpy man. My brothers claimed he was a lot of fun when he was relaxed. But he stood with Donavyn, arms folded, eyes dark, and nodding towards whatever he spoke about. He lookedaggressive.I supposed you had to be if you were the primary Captain of battle attack.
Donavyn’s eyes drifted to me again. There was a split second where my mind conjured one of those moments when he’d scaled Akhane and gripped me, pulled me against his side. The images spawned a crackling heat in my chest. I looked away quickly. He’d made his position clear, and he’d been avoiding me. I didn’t want him to catch me staring.
After the night he attacked Faren and he was so concerned for me, I thought maybe he’d be more present again. But in the weeks since he’d returned to the same, careful distance he’d kept before.
I knew I shouldn’t complain. With him so distant I’d grown closer to my brothers and felt solid with them, more sure of myself and Akhane. But there was a strange, hollow space in my chest that only eased when Donavyn was near.
Twice, when my brothers were all out on patrol for most of the night, Ronen had let me know that Donavyn arranged a guard. Twice I’d hoped that he’d bed down with Kgosi and we might talk.
Twice I’d been disappointed.
