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"Are you mocking me?" I snort.
"On the contrary, Aurelia – "
"My name is Shaye."
"Most Basiliuses mount their dragons their first day," he continues, ignoring my protests. "But you chose to show off your magic instead. Fascinating."
It takes all manner of restraint not to hurl insults at him, unsure of where that would lead me, but then I remember the Basilius motto – We do not beg, we never surrender. We die as we live, free and feared. – and change my mind. If I back down to Thrane now, I'll prove to him I think I'm beneath him and that certainly will not do.
"Jealous of my affinity, Cousin?"
His left eyebrow ticks up ever so slightly. "Me, jealous?" He chuckles darkly. "How positively laughable."
"Are you two finished?" Sylvane approaches, her furrowed brows being the only clue to her annoyance. "I will show you how to mount your dragon," she turns her attention to me.
I nod, not interested in irritating her further when she's already stuck her neck out for me. Sylvane's dragon, Corvex, is ushered out of the dragon pen and once he presents his side to her, she sprints up his leg, bounces a boot off his side, and mounts him like a horse. "Your turn!" She calls to me with a smile, before sliding down Corvex's scales, motioning for him to take flight and make space for Seraxes.
As if it'll be that easy for me to mount Seraxes. Hell, I wouldn't be able to mount an average horse with that kind of speed and accuracy, but I'm not here to make excuses and I certainly won't be backing down from any challenge with Atlas here watching me. So, I take a deep breath and run toward Seraxes, but as soon as my boot touches her scaled leg, she brushes me off and I go flying. I smack the ground with a painful thud and a grunt escapes my lips when my breath is stolen from my lungs. I glare up at the dragon who side-eyes me with a twinkle of mischief in her face.
"So," I hiss, "is this how it's going to be?"
If dragons could roll their eyes, Seraxes would.
"Fine," I brush myself off and stand to my feet. "Have it your way, Seraxes."
I turn on my heel and walk back toward Atlas. "We're done here," I huff, passing him on the way up the incline. He grabs ahold of my arm and spins me to face him.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the castle," I say through gritted teeth.
"You haven't flown yet," he replies, eyebrows furrowed.
"She won't let me mount her, Atlas, and I refuse to sit here and spend the rest of the afternoon being tossed aside like a leaf in the breeze."
"You're angry." He squares his shoulders to mine. "You're probably hurt that she is putting up a fight, but you need to understand you're a stranger. It will take time for her to warm up to you, Shaye."
"It's not my fault I'm a stranger!" My voice cracks and tears well in my eyes.
"I know," he says softly. "Take things slow. You both will get there in time."
"You're not going to let me leave, are you?"
"I would never keep you here against your will." He leans closer, so his mouth brushes my ear. "But I think you should stay and try again."
Even if I wanted to argue with him, I can't. He's right. I may be a lot of things, but a quitter isn't one. So, I bob my head and say, "Fine."
"That's my girl," he smiles, sending my heart soaring.
Kissing him in the open would probably be frowned upon, so I clear my throat, and walk back toward Seraxes. My sights are homed in on my dragon, but my focus is suddenly thwarted when Thrane strides up beside me and whispers, "Perhaps she will be more agreeable, if you give her a snack."
"Excuse me?"
He snatches my hand and plops a piece of dried meat in my palm. "Lamb jerky. The dragons go wild for it."
"This?" I hold it up, disbelief clear in my tone. "You're telling me these mighty beasts go feral for this small morsel?"
"By all means, disregard what a trained dragon rider is advising you to do to mount your beast." He flicks invisible lint from the lapel of his pristine leather uniform. "I'm not the one who will bear the title of the first Basilius to be denied by their dragon."
