Kaneya and Dayiath sat at the water’s edge, watching as the other weyrlings bathed their dragonets. Dayiath, finished with his bath, spread his large, magnificent wings to allow the sun and wind to dry them. Kaneya, meanwhile, was lost in her thoughts.

It was still hard to believe that she, a lowly Harper apprentice with little talent, had become Madellon’s first lady blue rider. But somehow, she felt like it came with a price.

Kaneya had felt the change the moment the Hatching Feast started. People of high rank congratulating her, and expecting great things from her and Dayiath. Her family looking at her with awe.

Wherever she and Dayiath went, everyone’s eyes were on them. Watching. Waiting.

As they should, Dayiath said, breaking into Kaneya’s thoughts. We both are destined for amazing things.

No pressure. Was this how brown and bronze riders felt? She thought that by Impressing a blue she wouldn’t have to deal with other people’s expectations of her and her dragon.

It doesn’t matter what other people think. We will go our own way and they will follow.

But what if it was the opposite? What if people were waiting for both of them to fail?

They can go between, Dayiath replied smoothly, and we will continue forging our own path. They can follow us or not, but if they expect to go anywhere interesting, they’d better keep up!

Kaneya laughed softly, her doubts pushed aside by her dragon’s infectious charm.

• ↑ Top