Skybreaker’s message was short and to the point: “Report to the Dragon Spire immediately. Don’t stop for anything.”

Faelix rolled her neck. It was stiff from the nine-hour flight. Dragon Spire had just appeared on the horizon, a short three hours away now. Duchess was tired and hungry; she kept groaning in irritation as she dutifully kept flying full speed.

We should have gone below the clouds. Her grainy voice appeared in the back of Faelix’s mind. You know the sun hurts me when I fly for too long.

“Eh, get over it,” Faelix said. “I will let you fly below when you let me put a saddle on ye.”

I am not a horse, Duchess grunted in her mind. Besides, you are a better rider than that. You don’t need one.

Faelix smiled to herself. The dragon always knew what to say to her. She stretched with one hand still holding on to the large bone protruding from Duchess’ neck. In truth, harsh weather was just a small part of why she didn’t like flying below. It was the claustrophobic darkness and constant rain that disturbed her. It reminded her of her childhood spent in ruins hiding from the monsters, scraping by with what little edible things she could find. A place she could now avoid thanks to Skybreaker.

She wondered how the hatchlings’ first day of training was going. She really wanted to be there. It wasn’t just the blood witch and the blue haired assassin that piqued her interest. The others were also a great cast of oddities.

She always wondered what it would be like to have a giantkin as a dragon rider. She even petitioned once to the brass about it, but no one believed they could find one with enough discipline. Doppan was not only one of the largest giantkin Faelix had ever seen, he was also a member of the temple that was filled with the most devoted monks on any spire.

The little girl was almost more interesting. So much was packed in so little a package. Faelix had never felt as large of a concoction of fear, anger and hunger for power packed together. It was tied neatly by an overwhelming sense of responsibility, which Faelix planned on carefully dismantling in the process of her training. She was sure, once fully unleashed, Lilia would make one of the best dragon riders the skies had ever seen.

The last one of the bunch, the scraggly boy called Ollie, looked almost boring on the surface. Everything about the boy screamed insignificance. He had the presence of a vendor, at best he could be a priest or a scholar. That was, if not for his overwhelming desire to be better. She learned from Firar that the boy was a child of the Seventh’s high ruler. The scholar himself had real high hopes for the boy’s future.

Just as you have high hopes for the blue haired one, eh? Duchess asked, poking into her thoughts.

“You know most riders I know mask their thoughts from their partners?” Faelix mused. “I can’t imagine how peaceful that would be.”

You’d be bored out of your mind. Duchess said in her mind, letting out a roar that sounded almost like laughter. Go ahead and try, I give you one day at most. Also, the girl with cursed blood excites me the most. She will make a good asset, if we can make use of her.

“I dunno D, she is already a headache,” Faelix said thoughtfully. “I guarantee you, we were called back just to get scolded by a major or two, might even get a general if we are lucky.”

Well, Duchess said with a smile in her voice. Nothing new then, eh?

Faelix straightened her back as they approached the looming spire. She wouldn’t want to be seen as undisciplined where the entire corps could see her, not when her attitude directly reflected on Skybreaker. She made a point of not socializing too much outside the Golden Vanguard, just as Duchess kept her distance from other dragons. Even the ones on patrol, whose duty was to escort any returning officer to the landing platform, kept their distance. Five dragons flew in formation sixty yards above Duchess. They were riderless patrols, their riders probably sat cozily in the room at the top of the eastern watchtower.

Faelix grabbed the Golden Vanguard insignia from her frockcoat’s inside pocket, and let her mana flow from her reserves into it. The emblem resembled a large coin with the likeness of Skybreaker’s large dragon, Comet, engraved on its face. As the mana left her body and flowed into the insignia, the engraving’s eyes opened, and the coin came humming to life. Like a very convoluted set of fireworks, a spectral version of Comet appeared above Faelix’s head. Blinking green light answered from atop the watchtower as the members of the watch accepted her arrival.

Each spire differed in structure and appearance, perhaps none more so than the Dragon Spire. As opposed to the Seventh, which was just one huge stone mountaintop elevated and carved into shape by magic, Dragon Spire consisted of fourteen smaller peaks that roughly created a circle around a plateau. It was filled with vibrant green forests and crystal blue lakes.

Dragons in myriads of shapes and sizes littered the landscape. Serpents went in and out of water like majestic flying snakes. Drakes screamed and fought over hunting grounds. A large flightless dragon slept near a cave entrance to the south, its roars shaking the ground around it.

The peaks that surrounded the plateau were filled with forts and castles belonging to the riders that lived on the spire year-round. Without any need for guidance from Faelix, Duchess made a beeline to the largest of those castles. Flags with the eleven headed dragon hung on its sandstone walls.

Castle Marth was always lively this time of year. It was used as a temporary home for any member of the corps that didn’t have a permanent dwelling on the Dragon Spire. With its endless halls and mazelike gardens, it was like a childhood home to Faelix.

“Don’t get in much trouble,” she said before jumping down as Duchess passed over the main courtyard, falling fifty yards before slowing her descent with an almost instinctive burst of mana below her. In return, Duchess made do with a simple snicker.

The courtyard was filled with riders talking among themselves, mostly divided by squads. She spotted some familiar faces, but even more were unknown to her. They were most likely the recruits from the last couple of years who made the cut and finally joined a squad as riders. None of them paid much attention to Faelix falling from the sky.

Even with her sharp features, her slitted eyes and sharp fangs, that came from being bonded to Duchess for more than a decade, she didn’t much stand out from the crowd on Dragon Spire. Still, some of the older riders who knew of her reputation shot some vary looks her way. She didn’t mind them too much, happy as she was to be home after spending the last couple of days in the slums of the Seventh.

She walked past a group of young riders showing each other the magics they gained from bonding with their dragons and passed the entry hall. She swiftly climbed the stairs and arrived on the third floor, where Skybreaker told her he would be waiting.

The huge man was training inside the common room that connected three other bedrooms, making up one of the larger suites in the castle. His armor was resting in a corner as Skybreaker trained the way he preferred, half-naked and with a bloodthirsty look on his face. His eyes exuded anger and intent to kill, eyes of a dragon in hunt.

“You are late,” he said between grunts.

“You know I don’t like flying underclouds,” Faelix said. She threw a towel at him so he could wipe sweat off the scar tissue that covered his entire body. “What’s the rush, ‘Breaker? I’d have come for the hatchlings acceptance ceremony in a week anyway.”

“This couldn’t wait,” Skybreaker said, letting his monstrous sword fall to the floor with a thud. His booming voice and valiant stance were gone. He was again the tired old veteran that only a handful of his closest companions had the misfortune of witnessing. His blonde hair that normally shone like gold flakes, now looked more like dead grass, soggy from however many hours of training the beast put himself through today.

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“You know, you are the only rider I know who makes themselves go through physical training even after they are bonded,” Faelix said as she took a seat on one of the soft chairs pushed against the wall to give him room to swing. “You know our bodies don’t need it right?”

“It’s not about the body,” Skybreaker said.

He spoke in the slow, clunky way that the people of the spires often did. It grinded Faelix’s ears, a way of speaking that showed how leisurely life above the clouds was.

“You will not be here for the acceptance ceremony,” he continued. “You are leaving tomorrow to do the captain’s round.”

A sudden rush of rage travelled up Faelix’ spine, before she knew it she was out of the chair and in her captain’s face.

“You told me I would never have to leave the Vanguard if I didn’t want to,” she screamed. “You promised me, ‘Breaker.”

Skybreaker stood calm as he dried the last of his sweat and threw the towel across the room. His golden eyes were staring at something much farther than anything on the spire.

“How many years have we been together, Hatchling?” he asked, a little bit of force creeping its way back into his voice.

Faelix found herself standing at attention. “Ten years and change,” she said.

“And how many of my officers did I send off to the captain’s round to get promoted in that time?” he asked.

“Seven? No, eight,” she answered, remembering Syllan’s failed attempt from last year.

“And did I ever force any of them into it?” Skybreaker’s gaze finally shifted to Faelix.

She knew the look in his eyes, she had seen it a couple of times before. It was the look he gave her when she was a child and asked him what happened to her village. There was something Skybreaker couldn’t tell her even if he wanted to.

“Which squad do I start with?” she asked finally ending the silence that formed between them.

“Violet Valor is doing an operation on a tribe of giants who climbed dangerously close to the clouds on Sixth Spire,” Skybreaker said, ending with a sigh. He looked more tired from the conversation than he was from his workout. “Captain Mira is a good friend; I thought her operation would make an acceptable start.”

“How many ops do I have to do for this thing anyway?” Faelix said. She threw herself back into the chair in defeat. “Was it four captains that are needed to vouch for me.”

“Nine,” Skybreaker said. He sat down on a chair next to her. “They all have to attest to your ability to lead and follow.” He took out a small pipe from his bag and started filling it with herbs. “Something big is coming, little Fae. There is so much movement behind the curtains, I am not even sure the eleven seats of power themselves can see it all.”

“It’s about the blood witch, isn’t it?” Faelix guessed.

“She is certainly part of it,” Skybreaker nodded; he lit a match and lowered it to his pipe. “Though I am not sure how big. We must all do our parts now. Turns out your part to play is that of a captain after all.”

Faelix rolled her eyes as the pain from her sharp nails digging into her palm eased the anxiety of oncoming trials. She was sure it was an order given from high up. Some members of the command, mainly pencil pushers who never met Faelix but only knew what her records said, pushed for her to be promoted every year. Usually, it was Skybreaker who declined them, saying she was not ready yet. It was all well and good, as Faelix never really wanted the responsibility anyway.

Her place was the battlefield. She belonged in the front of Golden Vanguard, opening the way for Skybreaker and Syllan. Making her captain would be like the weapon taking charge of the warrior, it just didn’t make sense. Faelix remembered the look on Skybreaker’s face as he was working out. He must have really fought for her to stay in the Vanguard, and failed. She wondered who among the members of high command was responsible for making him so angry.

She was trying to figure out who had such power to push the great Skybreaker around, when his head suddenly snapped towards the window.

“Wha-?” she started but the question was cut short when the familiar laughter of Duchess appeared in the back of her mind.

Ey, Fae, the dragon said, clearly entertained. There are some hatchlings in the eastern lawn fighting. You should watch, they are cute.

Judging by Skybreaker’s reaction, Comet and Duchess had different perspectives on the altercation. Faelix couldn’t help but smile as she jumped up and followed her captain out on to the balcony, then jumped down to the courtyard.

The eastern courtyard was large. It was where tourneys and duels were held during festivals. As such, it was surrounded by four levels of balconies arranged to see the arena in the middle. As she joined the crowd that circled the arena, the sight beyond her was truly entertaining. It was just seven riders, two on one side and five on the other, all with their hatchling blades out.

They had their squad tabards on, attesting to the fact that they were bonded and accepted by one of the captains as officers. The side with two members were the new officers of the Shadow Brigade, the black ops squad that followed the rider of the shadow dragon Nightmare, Captain Iris. Faelix had nothing but respect for the wild brigade, but she had heard the nasty rumors going around about them. Just like she had heard the ones about her. If it wasn’t for Skybreaker, she was sure she would have fit in well with them.

The two boys stood proud in their black tabards. They had the symbol of the Shadow Brigade sewn on them, a crimson eye on top of an endless black. They stood back-to-back. Their stances were solid, well trained. However, they wielded their magic like a baby holding its first spoon. One single shadowy tendril surrounded the blade of one, barely visible to the naked eye. And the other’s whole body looked fuzzy, as if it was in constant motion, though he stood still. Both were given strong magic through their bonds, but they didn’t know how to wield them yet. Still, Faelix sensed no doubt in them as they steeled themselves against the five that surrounded them.

“Well done, Iris,” Faelix whispered. “Those are going to be good riders.”

The balconies that surrounded the courtyard were already filled with riders that were either informed by their dragon partners or followed the crowd there. She could already see betting start in crowds, it was the event of the year for riders after all. Faelix spotted Captain Iris herself in the shadows of a dragon statue on one of the roofs. Her cloak was indistinguishable from the darkness that surrounded her, even during daytime. Faelix knew Iris couldn’t be spotted if she didn’t want to. She must have been keeping herself visible to give her new recruits a little encouragement.

Riders got comfortable around the courtyard and on the balconies. Not one moved a finger to stop the fight. They were all tired from their journeys coming back from the choosing ceremonies on all spires and they hungered for bloodshed. Wild animals, the lot of them, Faelix thought, ignoring her own anticipation of the fight that was about to come.

The other five hatchling officers wore the tabard of the Platinum Vanguard; the bigger, much cockier cousin of Skybreaker’s own Golden Vanguard. Faelix didn’t know much about them, other than the fact that they were given first draft privileges almost every year and recruited only the most well-educated riders, and only bonded ones at that. The cocky bastards didn’t think they needed a grounded force. Their leader, Captain Lrakka watched from a high-backed chair on one of the balconies with the best views. His armor shone like a mirror, made from the highest quality platinum.

The five recruits already showed much better control of their magic, even Faelix’s trained eyes couldn’t spot any form of incantation on their bodies or weapons. But their forms were lacking. They had the stance of kids who never had to fight for their very survival.

Riders crowded around her scattered, and Skybreaker’s figure appeared beside her.

“Iris chose well this year,” he said matter of factly.

Faelix smiled to herself. “My thoughts exactly, cap’n.”

One of the platinum riders, a tall girl who looked like the leader, started to say something clearly insulting to the two boys in black. From a distance, Faelix could piece out the words “thieves” and “murderers”, both commonly used when talking behind the backs of any member of the Shadow Brigade.

Her speech was cut short when the boy with the blurry body appeared behind her, knocking her out with a carefully placed strike of his sword’s pummel. The shadow clone he had left behind disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The other boy, the one with the shadowy tendril surrounding his sword, promptly dashed through the smoke cloud and swung his blade wide, seemingly aiming to cut through three of his attackers. The clumsy attack was easily blocked, and snickers rose from the other two as they prepared to strike back.

Faelix shifted her gaze up where Captain Iris was perched, the impression of pride on her face was clear as day even from that distance.

“Chose well indeed,” Faelix said.

The tendril of shadow that looked like it was stuck to the sword continued its swipe from where the blade was stopped. It stretched and wrapped around all three enemies. The boy relaxed his hold on his blade, letting it fall to the floor, gripped the shadow with both his hands instead and pulled. The three riders of the Platinum Vanguard crashed into each other and scattered around with enough force to keep them out of the remaining fight. They went down screaming unfairness.

The remaining two members of the Platinum Vanguard were faster on the draw then their companions, and possessed far superior control of their magic. In the blink of an eye, scales made of steel covered the body of one. He threw his sword to the ground and attacked the boy who could create a shadow clone. Now that the advantage of surprise was gone, the boy didn’t stand much chance against the iron flurry of punches.

On the other side of the arena, the other platinum rider attacked the shadow tendril user with a spear covered from tip to tail with lightning. Her body was also covered in blue sparks. A showy way to fight, albeit an inefficient use of magical energies. Very fitting for an officer of the Platinum Vanguard.

The fight in its entirety took less than ten seconds to end, but every face that surrounded the courtyard was filled with satisfaction. All except one, that is. Captain Lrakka of Platinum Vanguard got up from his chair with a stance that was noble as ever, but Faelix sensed just a tinge of disappointment in the captain’s aura.

“I want to go an op with them, on my rounds,” Faelix told Skybreaker, who was also watching the same balcony.

“Shadow Brigade? I already talked to Iris about-”

“No,” Faelix cut in. “The Platinum Vanguard too. I want to teach that cocky bastard a lesson or two.”