“And Cynthia bonds with…Amaldine the life dragon! Congratulations, Cynthia.”

Cynthia beamed at the prioress as the book hanging on a chain at her side flared briefly and intensely green, before the glow seemed to settle into the book itself.

Amaldine’s leaf-shape scales shivered in excitement and pleasure, and like a warm breeze rustling through the trees she came forward, her sap-yellow eyes lidded and her thorny claws digging at the dirt in pleasure.

Evelyn smiled warmly. The Ceremony of Bonding was her single favorite day of the year, and she took great pleasure and satisfaction in seeing her students paired with the dragon that best suited them. There was a special pleasure in watching as someone’s deepest dreams and desires stepped forward in the flesh and pledged to work together to create a better world.

As Evelyn watched, tiny vines and creepers sprouted across the book’s cover and began working their way up the chain around Cynthia’s shoulder. Inside the book, she knew, pages upon pages were being filled even now with a special script, with secret words of knowledge shared only by the bonded pair.

Cynthia laughed in joy and threw out her hand, and a circle of wildflowers burst from the soil. Cynthia and Amaldine strolled off toward the forest, heads already together and tiny blossoms sprouting in their wake.

Evelyn’s heart swelled to see them. It wasn’t every year that a life dragon even showed up at the Ceremony, and for Cynthia to show such talent already was a very good sign indeed.

Of course, out on the job she would be growing a lot more wheat and potatoes than flowers, but Evelyn doubted the hard work of being a life mage would do much to dampen the woman’s spirits. She had the support of her dragon, after all.

Evelyn spared a glance for her own dragon, seeing his slumbering form laid out in the warm summer sun.

“Next we have…Matheo, please rise and state your intent.”

A young man rose from his cross-legged position on the ground, and when he spoke his voice was firm.”

“Battle.”

The simple declaration was enough, and a gunmetal grey dragon with claws like sharpened steel stepped forward, clanking with each step and hissing softly as it approached.

The effect was dampened somewhat by the dragon’s size, and by the fact that everyone gathered knew he had a kind streak a mile wide, and was known to gently

If their parents wouldn’t take them back, Kelken raised them himself, cooing over the little things and slashing with his deadly claws if anyone came too close.

Still, the dragon made his way over to Matheo, rearing back and reaching up to his full height to give the young mage a happy lick across the face. Matheo grinned and patted the dragon on the back.

When the next recruit spoke their intent, it came out a bit more like a guess than a declaration of their life’s purpose.

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“I’ll…help defend? Places?”

Evelyn tried not to smile. Archie had had a terrible time over the year of discernment, his last as a [Novice]. He hadn’t studied with any of the instructor/dragon pairs for more than a week at a time. As painful as it must have been for the man himself, Evelyn wasn’t worried. Archie was a loyal friend and a help to whoever needed it, and Evelyn knew he would find the right place.

“Hmm…doesn’t seem like it, Archie. Try again.”

“I’ll plant…trees. Fruit trees that will grow to bear fruit that will help feed...”

No dragons came forward this time either.

Evelyn chewed a lip, though she felt more curious than worried. A dragon always came forward.

She frowned, suddenly remembering a Ceremony a few years back where the very first student had taken a full ten hours.

Evelyn had started to seriously wonder if a dragon embodying Indecision or Time was going to burst into existence. Such dragons were rare and not well understood, but not unheard of.

Eventually a volcanic dragon sleeping in the back had woken up, recognized whatever it was the dragons recognized, and come forward. That one, it turned out, had been worth the wait. The display of excitement when the dragon realized…

As she waited for Archie’s dragon, Evelyn’s eyes passed over a particular student, and she felt a familiar pang of concern.

Kalin…what to make of Kalin? Even after three years, she felt she barely knew him. He said he wanted to fight, but when no one was looking…

“Alright, let’s do the focusing exercise again. All of us.”

This last she directed at Kalin himself, who had been admiring the night-black scales and silver horns of a dragon he didn’t know. Though many young dragons made their homes at outposts of the Order, many more were born and lived in the wild, or even in cities. But something about the ritual drew them in, at least the ones who wanted to be partnered.

Evelyn watched as Kalin sighed, peeking around with shifting eyes as she led the group through the familiar exercise of finding place and purpose. She was worried, but what could she do? It was her job to help people discover themselves, not to tell them who to be. And he himself said that he knew exactly what he wanted, and what he would be. So be it.

***

Kalin was careful as he peeked around the gathering of dragons before him, making sure he didn’t make any sort of eye contact with Thyren. He’d spent almost all of the last year getting to know and training with the dragon, and it would be a shame to mess it up now. Order tradition held that it was bad luck to seem too eager for a certain dragon, and though Kalin harbored no doubts about his path…

Kalin closed his eyes again. No reason to tempt fate when you didn’t need to, after all.

After a few minutes, Archie’s voice broke the silence.

“I’ll, hmm…maybe I could build things? It’s so important to have a nice sturdy home, and—”

A slate-grey dragon with skin as smooth as polished stone stepped forward calmly, bowing before Archie, who only noticed when he belatedly opened his eyes. He dropped to a knee in return, and mumbled his private oath to his new partner.

Prioress Evelyn gave Archie a warm smile, then her gaze turned thoughtful as she looked at Kalin.

His heart raced. It was his turn next. Why was she waiting? Maybe she was the one who picked the dragon, and the dragons only stepped forward at some silent command…

Finally she called his name, and he rose.

When she prompted him to name his intent and speak it into the world, Kalin’s voice came out soft and clear. As soon as Evelyn had called his name, Kalin’s mind had stilled and his heart had steadied. He knew his purpose.He could feel it in his breath and in his bones.

“I will defeat the Scourge.”

A number of heads in the crowd lowered. Kalin was not the only one who had lost family and friends to the undead.

This was his purpose. In a world of endless complications and few things that you could be sure of, this was something he trusted. Nothing had felt so right in his life, even before he lost it all.

With the flame of certainty and purpose burning in his chest, Kalin was surprised when Thyren didn’t immediately come forth.

He was even more surprised when no dragon came forward at all.

***

Prioress Evelyn sighed, rubbing her face with a hand.

“Oh, dear.”