Page 124 of Ashborne: Defiance

The men shouted—laughing when I shrieked as the sight of the ocean underneath us convinced my body that I was being thrown to my death. But soon I swallowed the cries, and though my fingers ached with my grip on the netting, I blinked to clear my gaze.

Ocean below. Sky above. Dragons everywhere.

The men called orders back and forth to each other, words I couldn’t quite discern over the noise in my head, but there was no time to figure it out, because suddenly, the turning of the net reversed, and sped up.

I was rolled in the opposite direction, more quickly. My stomach pressed into my throat as I was lifted closer and closer to the dragons that flew with the corners of the net in their talons.

Then, with a final, swift roll, the netting opened and the net stretched and fluttered into a wide expanse. I crouched at its center, gripping the stiff strands so tightly my fingers ached.

The wind of the dragons’ passage made the net ripple, lifting and falling, pressing me up and dropping me down inches at a time, though the dragons kept it taut enough that I wasn’t enclosed again—which, frankly, would have been better.

This was far more terrifying than flying on dragonback.

Was that the point? Did they want to see me give up?

Taking a deep breath, I jutted out my chin and resolved to stop shivering as one of the men laughed. I swallowed nausea because the net bounced up, then down.

But the air was in my face and whipping at my hair. The dragons flapped and screamed all around me. And the sun glowed brightly above—and rising.

I was flying.

I was flying.

I smiled. My breath was still too quick and fast. My heart still pounded. And that little voice in my head still screamed that I could die in the next heartbeat. Yet…

I flew.

I swallowed hard.

This was the adventure I’d begged God to bring. And as I gained the courage to look around, I saw the ways the men sat their dragons casually—smiling.

Crouching on this net felt a great deal more insecure than flying on Kham ever had, because there was no solid spine below, warmth at my back, or steel arms bracketing me.

But I held onto the net, and soon I had found enough balance to look around—immediately locating Bren, flying on the other side of Ronen’s dragon. She waved when I turned my head.

“You’re doing great!”

My laugh was shaky, but I nodded.

Every time I looked down, past my white-knuckled hands, I saw dark seas and white spray. The booming of the waves on the cliffs off to our left beckoned me toward death. The waves rippled and churned, spraying against the teeth-like rocks that jutted out of the ocean near the shore and reminding me of giant fangs.

My courage wanted to fail. My belly quivering, convinced the net would split and I would fall to my death against those rocks, or drown in the rough waters. How did they expect anyone to do this? My fingers were already numb! Would they just fly until I fell? Or was this to be a test of my courage and strength?

That thought stopped my mental spiral.

Of course it was a test!

There was a nudge from Koa in my chest, and her sweet voice echoed in my head.

‘I make you safe.’

My heart squeezed. Even though it still beat too quickly, I could breathe again.

Yes. This was a test. And Koa was here, calling to Kham, who flew at my left. And Bren kept smiling and encouraging me, flying beyond Ronen.

This was what it meant to be a Furyknight. To fly. Together. To fly as one. This was what I’d been waiting for. And even if I hadn’t envisioned being strung on a net between two massive dragons, well, I was here.

A memory came back to me of Voski instructing me when we’d been flying.