Panic took hold of Evelyn. Typically, Riley was in the cavern warming up, training or exercising before Evelyn arrived. That morning, though, Riley was nowhere to be seen.

  It was unlike her. While her training was strict and demanding, she never made Evelyn do anything she wasn’t willing to do herself. Riley being tardy seemed impossible. Given the circumstances, though, it was something Evelyn could understand.

  As her mind reeled, Evelyn felt Lumin’s tail poke her thigh as he peered out to the ocean. “Evelyn, look.”

  She followed his gaze and saw Riley tucked away in the corner of the cavern, sitting cross-legged just beyond the reach of the waves. Eyes closed, arms laid on her lap where a potted plant sat, she was calm, at peace with the world. For a moment, Evelyn contimplated leaving Riley alone.

  Riley took a deep breath and released a long sigh. When she was finally out of air, she softly said, “Sorry, I lost track of time.” She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Evelyn. For the most part, her eyes were back to normal. A subtle flicker of despair lingered in her gaze, though. Not only that, but the bags under her eyes were as purple as the aquafin. She seemed to notice Evelyn’s concern, so she turned her head. “We can start in a moment. Just let me get ready.”

  “Were… you here all night? Is everything alright?” Evelyn asked as Riley grabbed the plant and stood.

  Without stopping, Riley asked, “I meditate every morning, don’t worry.”

  “You know what I meant. Have you been here all night?”

  Then Riley took a step off the perch she was on and stopped. She stared at the plant for a long moment. “It’s a viola, commonly known as a violet. Not only is it Violet’s namesake, but it’s a reminder of why I’m here, why I put myself through all of this. A dragon is not necessary to my mission.” Riley gently placed the flower on a patch of dirt Evelyn never noticed before. On it, a picture of a boy about ten years old with his arm around two similarly aged girls who looked familiar.

  “That’s you and Violet?”

  Riley nodded. “We were triplets.”

  Past tense. Evelyn understood then.

  “I’m… I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It was a while ago, and it’s something Violet and I don’t like to mention.” Riley muttered something else under her breath, but Evelyn could not make it out. When Riley noticed Evelyn’s lingering gaze, she scoffed. “I’m fine, Evelyn. Spare your pity, Violet will make a great rider, and I’ll help her like I help you, dragon or not.”

  There was a hitch in her voice whenever she mentioned a dragon, but Evelyn thought better than to press the issue.

  While they trained, Lumin snuck off to practice his landing. It distracted Evelyn on occasion —of course she worried every time he fell— much to the frustration of Riley, who seemed snappier than usual. When Evelyn apologized, Riley made an effort to soften her tone.

  When everyone else arrived for Isak’s training, they gathered in the center of the cavern, dragons in tow, save for Safir.

  “I can go if need be,” Riley said promptly, eying the dragons.

  “Nonsense, lass. Continue training, bonded or not. Ye’ve still got lots to learn.”

  Riley shifted her feet, but nodded. Despite being the only one dragonless, she led the formation as usual.

  Safir then emerged from the ocean with fish for the dragons to eat. Lumin and Rjuka joined her, but Violet’s dragon, still nameless, stayed by Violet’s side. The dragons beckoned her over, but she did not budge. She leaned against Violet with a quiver.

  Lumin turned to Safir, and the large dragon nodded. He grabbed a fish and glided back. The hatchling squeaked and hid behind Violet’s legs as he approached, causing Violet to stumble.

  He landed a few feet away and tilted his head. The aquafin stayed put and Violet narrowed her eyes at Lumin, so he laid the fish down and backed away.

  “Safir said she can stay here for now, but she needs to eat.” Lumin nudged the fish closer with his snout and rejoined Safir and Rjuka.

  With him gone, Violet’s dragon emerged from behind her and slowly approached the fish. She looked up at Violet with glittering eyes.

  “Go on, girly. Eat while I’m doing… this stuff.”

  The aquafin sniffed at the fish and her eyes glowed. Soon enough, the majority of the fish was gone, leaving Violet baffled. It reminded Evelyn of when she first saw Lumin inhale the rabbit. She smiled softly and saw Violet do the same when the dragon licked her chops and trilled.

  About halfway through the session, Isak sent Riley, Violet and Landon off to do their own exercises and took Evelyn to a strange apparatus she hadn’t noticed before.

  Propped up between two stones jutting from the ground a plastic barrel laid on its side. A saddle sat at the precipice with a crudely stitched together leather spike on either end that reminded her of Lumin’s, though these were scaled up

  “Hop up, lass. Need t’ see if ye can handle riding before ye fall from the sky.”

  Evelyn approached and inspected the contraption. The stitching on the spikes was already coming undone along the seam while the saddle looked as if it had been beaten and abused for years with little care given. Even Rider’s saddle, being over a decade old, looked better than this one.

  Isak seemingly noticed her grimace, and said, “it’s what we’ve got, deal with it.”

  With an apologetic nod, she grabbed onto the saddle and placed her foot in the stirrup. Remembering the few times her mother allowed her to mount Rider, she pushed off the ground and swung her leg around with confidence. However, her foot caught on the rear spike, forcing her to recover and try again.

  Isak said nothing, but his long, soft exhale said enough.

  Well, at least I didn’t fall, she thought.

  The second attempt went smoothly and she settled into the saddle. It was surprisingly cozy, though the spike obscuring her vision made her a tad uncomfortable with the pointed tip inches from her face. She gripped one side of the spike and leaned to the side, looking to Isak for further instructions.

  “Don’t get too comfortable, you will not have a saddle when riding a dragon. However, this will work well enough to simulate flight, save fer the wind.”

  Curious, she scanned the apparatus, searching for something that would make. With a raised eyebrow, she started, “How does this simulate fli—”

  With a jerk, the barrel lurched to the side. For a second, the cavern turned upside down and gravity was suspended. Before she could comprehend what happened, gravity reared its ugly head and she slammed into the ground, tumbling a few feet before coming to rest.

  After the stars circling her vision faded, she surveyed the area. Isak stood there with a hardy chuckle, giving an approaching party a nod.

  “My apologies, Evelyn. The timing was too perfect.” Behind Evelyn, Jalibamawt padded toward them with a broad smile. Majidon followed closely, shaking her head.

  “Always expect the unexpected on a dragon's back. Never know when evasive maneuvers must occur. As ye can probably guess, Jalibamawt volunteered his services fer this exercise.”

  A second look at the apparatus revealed the stone on the opposite side was now raised, tilting the barrel.

  “When Isak requested our aid, I could not refuse. It will be a good… ah, what do you Aonachans call it? Icebreaker, yes. And perhaps some retribution for the truck ride.”

  There was a tiny hint of spite within the sarcasm, but Evelyn paid no mind. Maybe she deserved it.

  “Be careful, Jali. The last thing we need is another broken bone within the squadron,” Majadon warned her partner with a hard look.

  “Oh that was not my fault and you know it. Jamir jumped in my line of fire before I could stop. Purely an accident.”

  “And it had nothing to do with his comment about me the day prior?”

  Jalibamawt opened his mouth, then clamped his jaw shut. He conveyed his readiness to Isak with a sharp nod.

  Evelyn returned to the apparatus and saddled the barrel tightly, bracing herself by putting a hand on the front spike.

  With Jalibamawt at his side, Isak started explaining, “Lumin is a dragon of speed and precision, so you will experience twists and turns with frightening speed. The forces upon your body will be great, even without the air trying to shove ye off. While we cannot simulate the full intensity, ye can learn the basics.

  “A tight leg grip is important, and before ye ask, you don’t have to worry about harming Lumin. More important is engaging your core. That will keep you balanced through turns and higher speeds. Use his spines to your advantage as well, like you are now. Ready? Jalibamawt,” Isak said, gesturing for the ichneumon to start.

  Jalibamawt nodded and shifted his paw forward. As he did, the apparatus started lurching from side to side, forward and backward as if she were on a mechanical bull set to the highest difficulty. It was wild, but calculated with precise timing. Only a few seconds after it started, Evelyn lost her balance and fell.

  “Again,” Isak called.

  Evelyn grunted in pain, but lifted herself up and tried again. And again. And again. Each time she was thrown off in various ways. Off to the side, tossed over the rear spike, straight up just to land back on the saddle awkwardly; Jalibamawt was relentless.

  Each time, she mentally noted how she failed and adjusted accordingly. She improved every time, even if it was by a half second. Her abdomen ached and her legs felt like they would disintegrate if she put any weight on them. There were bruises on her arms and legs, and she was certain to find more around her ribs and back.

  It took many tries until she stayed on long enough for Isak’s liking. He nodded and encouraged her to continue.

  After the first success, she made one more attempt, only to have a setback of a second. Though her body screamed at her to stop, she began mounting the apparatus again.

  As she did, Riley approached Isak, informing him of their completion of their own training. Isak nodded and waved Evelyn over.

  When she slid from the saddle, her knees buckled the moment she put weight on them. Just before she hit the floor, Riley slid and broke her fall. Evelyn cringed, but managed to get to her feet with Riley’s help.

  “Rough go of it?” Riley asked.

  “Obviously,”

  Riley let a snort out. “We had this training with the empire, but it was an actual machine. Far less sketchy.”

  “Ah, but ye’ll get yer chance with this one, lass. I’m sure Jalibamawt would be thrilled to continue helping.”

  Jalibamawt beamed as he and his companion started for the exit. “I am more than happy to help our revered allies, my dear Isak.”

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Evelyn asked, glancing at her bruises.

  The ichneumon gave her an exaggerated eyeroll. “You would dare accuse me of enjoying your torment?" Jalibamawt snickered while Majadon pinched the bridge of her nose. “We look forward to seeing you again, Evelyn.” The pair bowed their heads and walked away.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Indeed, more of the same tomorrow, lass. Ye need to stay saddled consistently. Lumin wouldn’t want ye fallin’ off constantly. Go take yer break while we wait fer our lovely’s,” Isak said before walking to the training dragons.

  From what Evelyn could see, Safir was showing them proper form for using their breath weapon. Her neck was in a straight line with her back and chin parallel to the ground. She had one paw forward and crouched with a steady posture. The younger dragons did their best to mimic their elder.

  It was odd to see Lumin in such a fierce pose, his face contorted into a menacing snarl. While she was proud, it was unsettling to think how scary he could appear.

  Landon sat casually against a stalagmite while Violet laid on a flat stone just a few feet from the ocean, her dragon laying close by, wings sprawled out, basking in the high noon sun. Evelyn couldn’t help but admire the aquafin's beauty. Her lavender scales shimmered in the sunlight as an evening tide would. It was like her scales were water, just like Safir’s. Evelyn wondered if that was a trait of the aquatic dragons. A question she should bring to Norah later.

  “Tsunami?”

  Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat, her instincts ignoring Violet's calm tone.

  “No, that’s too aggressive,” she said, her dragon chirping in agreement. “Indigo?” The dragon snorted. “You’re right, too on the nose.”

  “What about Fiolet?” Riley suggested.

  Violet snickered. “Old Aonachan for Violet? That’d be too confusing.”

  “Why don’t you leave this to actual riders?” Landon snarked.

  Riley rolled her eyes, but Evelyn could tell it stung. It was a shared sentiment as Landon glared at Evelyn as well. Of course he meant it for both of us, she thought.

  “But,” Violet continued. “I like the direction you’re going. Flowers are very nice, though she still wants a sea-inspired name, don’t you, girly?” The aquafin trilled. Violet sat up and looked out to the ocean like she knew the right name was out there. “Sea… Mara?” Old Aonachan for the sea.

  The purple dragon’s ear twitched and she perked her head up. Not quite there yet, but it seemed to be a step in the right direction. Violet swung her legs under her excitedly.

  “Sea… flower… anemone is a flower in the sea…” Her cheeks rose. “Anemara!”

  The dragon jumped to her paws and let out a squeaky roar. Anemara, the purple aquafin. A fitting name, Evelyn thought.

  Violet beamed when Anemara accepted her name. Though, Anemara’s excitement exceeded hers. She started skipping circles around her rider, flapping her tiny wings. It was adorable. For a moment, it made her forget about the aching pain she was in.

  Once again, her thoughts lingered on Lumin and what could have been. How would he have reacted to his name if they were safe and rested? Would he have been as excited? Would he have actually accepted the name?

  She looked over to her dragon, who was in conversation with his mentor. He kept pointing to his wing while seemingly asking something. Safir looked bewildered, but answered while Rjuka laid on a stone, watching them with bored eyes. The shockwing must have been keeping them in place with more questions.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a thud, followed by a loud screech. All of the dragons jerked their heads toward the sound. Evelyn turned and her eyes went wide.

  Anemara was sprawled out at the base of the stone, wing pointed in an unnatural position. Violet stood next to her, hand on her head, panic sewn onto her face.

  Evelyn and Riley approached as the floor rumbled in the other dragons' haste. “What happened?” Riley asked.

  “I… She tripped on something. I just… her wing!” Violet stammered, her voice shaky.

  Upon closer inspection, Evelyn noticed the base of her wing was offset and the scales were warped.

  Without hesitation, Riley pointed at Landon and shouted, “Get Norah and bring her out here, now!”

  “Would it not be quicker to bring the dragon there?” Landon questioned nonchalantly, barely shifting his weight to sit more comfortably.

  “We have nothing to safely carry her. Just go!” She said with gravel in her voice.

  “She ain’t here, lass,” Isak said as he and the dragons approached. “She’s back with the empire undercover. What’s wrong with her?”

  Already? She just returned, Evelyn thought.

  Everyone looked at each other, waiting for anyone to say something.

  “Her wing,” Evelyn finally said. “She dislocated her wing.”

  Safir winced, catching Evelyn’s attention. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought the aquafin became tense when dislocation was mentioned. She shook away the thought and returned her attention to Anemara.

  The dragon writhed in pain while her rider became more panicked. Everyone was just standing there. Riley seemed to be lost in thought, Landon watched curiously, but casually, and Isak and Safir looked too concerned to think. A dislocated wing at this age would surely mean she could never fly if left untreated for too long. Someone had to do something, even without Norah here.

  “Evelyn!” Lumin ran to her side and pressed his snout to her hand. “Fuse!” Without hesitating, she did. With Lumin in her mind now, her confidence soared. She felt whole.

  ‘Remember chapter twelve of the book Norah gave us?’ Lumin asked. It took Evelyn a moment to raise the memory, but Lumin’s astute mind aided hers.

  Broken limbs and dislocations.

  It all came back to her, the descriptions, the diagrams, everything. Within the text, there was a procedure, with pictures, on replacing a dragon's dislocated wing. The only problem was it was for adult dragons. Norah kept the textbook for dragonets to keep her knowledge fresh.

  It was risky, but it was all they had.

  Evelyn knelt next to the crying dragonet and examined the dislocation. She pointed to Riley. “Riley, get a towel for her to bite down on.”

  It took Riley a moment to break from her thoughts. She ran to their pile of belongings, grabbed a towel and brought it over. Evelyn rolled it into a tight cylinder.

  “Landon,” Evelyn said, catching the rider off guard. “Go to Norah’s office and get an ice pack and a wing sling.”

  Landon frowned and furrowed his brows. “I don’t take orders from you. Besides, I don’t know what a ‘wing sling’ looks like,” He said with a snarl.

  “Any rope or something that will hold her wing still, please. She needs it!” Evelyn said, turning back to the dragon.

  “Just so you can ruin another dragon?” Landon snarked. “Tell you what, I’ll do it if you take my next five cleaning shifts. How does that—”

  Evelyn didn’t see it, but she heard the crack and rustle of bodies. With a quick glance, she saw Riley kneeling over Landon, gripping the collar of his shirt with a threatening clenched fist hovering above. Rjuka leapt to his side and snarled at Riley, but she paid no mind to the young dragon.

  “What if that were Rjuka there? Evelyn is the closest thing to a healer, so listen to her.” Riley growled, a darkness in her eyes Evelyn hadn’t seen before. A deep anger bellowed within Riley, and Evelyn could feel it.

  Landon did not seem to notice, as he smirked. “Or you, or Violet could.”

  Riley just growled in response, lifting her fist again.

  Landon flinched. “Three, take it or leave it.”

  After a tense moment, the light in her eyes returned and she pulled Landon to his feet and shoved him backwards. He stumbled, but stayed upright. “Go,” Riley said with a tone of finality, seemingly conceding to Landon's demands.

  He wiped away a trickle of blood from his nose. His gaze lingered on Riley, then shifted to Evelyn, then Violet. “Pleasure doing business. Let’s go, Rjuka.” He turned and ran toward the base. Rjuka hesitated, still growling at Riley, but eventually followed.

  With them out of the way, Evelyn returned her focus to Anemara. While stitching together the visuals in her mind, she took the towel and put it in front of Anemara. “Bite down on this.” The dragon kept screaming and refused to acknowledge Evelyn. With a frustrated sigh, she looked at Violet. “Tell her to bite this, please. It’ll help her.”

  “What? I…” Violet stuttered, her eyes swelling with tears.

  “She will only listen to you, Vi,” Riley said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “The longer we wait, the more she suffers.”

  Violet blinked a few times, then nodded. She knelt next to Evelyn and took the towel from her. Again, Anemara refused the towel. Violet hummed serenely. “It’ll be alright, I’m here, girly. Just take the towel, please?”

  Anemara stopped writhing and looked up at her rider and they locked eyes. The magic of their bond fluctuated and, following a gentle smile from Violet, Anemara bit down on the towel and tensed her body.

  A vision of the diagram laid itself upon the purple dragon, a result of Lumin’s memory. As she held it, Evelyn placed one hand on the head of the bone and the other around the ulna, where Anemara’s nub of a wing talon poked Evelyn’s palm. With her pinky, she softly outlined the wing socket, double checking where to push. When she started to apply some pressure, Anemara clenched her jaw around the towel and tried to wriggle free.

  “Keep her still or this could injure her more,” Evelyn shouted.

  Violet placed a hand on Anemara’s brow and coo’d softly. “It’s okay, Anemara. Please, you'll be—”

  Before Violet could finish, Anemara let go of the towel and let out a blood curdling screech. She twisted her neck around and plunged her razor sharp teeth into Evelyn’s forearm.

  Evelyn howled in pain as hot blood poured down her arm, soaking her hand, and then Anemara’s wing. The piercing pain made her hand tighten around the wing and the aquafin bit harder.

  “Anemara! Stop!” Violet shouted, but her plea fell on deaf ears. Evelyn heard Isak or Riley scramble to help, but she noticed something else.

  “I’m fine! She’s still now, I… I can work with this,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Are you sure?” Isak asked, hovering over her shoulder, ready to pull the dragon away. His voice lost its sailor infliction, meaning he grew serious, Evelyn observed.

  “I’ve been bitten before. Nothing I can’t handle.”

  As true as it was, dog bites were soft nibbles compared to a dragon's bite. Teeth pierced her muscle and grinded against her bone. Her arm was in agony, and she heard Lumin cry in pain as well. But they were determined, so they powered through it.

  Evelyn felt another sensation. Mixed with the pain, a tingling sensation ebbed through her arm. Initially, she thought it was just more blood, but it had an ethereal feel to it. Her arm became sturdier and easier to control despite the bite. As much as she wanted to question it, or scold Lumin, they did not have the time.

  Sensing Isak step away, she refocused on the wing. Through the pain, she managed to keep her grip on the wing, even as tears blurred her vision. With one, quick push, she replaced the bone into the socket with a pop, careful not to exert too much force. A broken wing would all but condemn the hatchling to a flightless life.

  Anemara winced, tightening her jaw, but once her wing was in place, her grip loosened. She opened her eyes and looked up at Evelyn, who kept her hands steady to make sure the bone stayed and there was no risk of it dislocating again. Finally, the dragon let go, easing the pain.

  More blood poured from the wound. Anemara’s teeth were now stained red with a dribble of crimson running down her chin.

  Still her arm screamed. The other sensation dissipated and Lumin’s consciousness wavered. At least it no longer felt like she was going to lose her arm.

  “It’s in place,” Evelyn said between staggered breaths. “Please stay still until Landon gets here.”

  Violet placed one hand under Anemara’s head, using her free hand to wipe blood from the dragon's mouth. To Evelyn’s relief, the aquafin remained still.

  “Evelyn, you need a doctor,” Riley said, attempting to lift Evelyn to her feet.

  “Aye, lass. That is a nasty wound,” Isak agreed.

  She shook her head. “Not yet. I need the sling first.” Both protested more, but Evelyn stood firm. Lumin also protested, his worry pouring through their bond. At that, Evelyn wavered, knowing he felt her pain. But he too knew Anemara’s risk of reinjury if they let the wing drop.

  It took another five minutes for Landon and Rjuka to return. Landon carried a pack of ice while Rjuka had rope in his mouth.

  “Here’s your— Woah, what in the hells happened to you?” He asked

  “It’s nothing. You have a sling?”

  Rjuka tossed the rope to her and shook his head. “Rope only.”

  “I warned you, we had no clue what we were looking for.”

  “This will do for now, thanks. Violet, place your hands where mine are and keep her wing still for a minute.” Violet hesitated, but nodded. Evelyn guided her hands to proper placement, then grabbed the rope. She tied a few knots in the rope, forming a makeshift sling and threw it onto her shoulder. After relieving Violet of holding the wing, she carefully guided the wing into a folded position, feeling for any catching or abnormalities. Then, she wrapped the rope around Anemara, one loop around her body, one around the ulna. Once satisfied with the positioning, she tightened the rope.

  With the rope in place and wing stable, she stood up and stepped back. She held her breath as Violet helped Anemara to her paws. If the wing popped out again, it could cause permanent damage to the ligaments, and Evelyn was already guilty of so much damage, grounding Anemara for life was something she couldn’t bear to think about.

  The purple dragon snaked her head around and sniffed the rope. It was apparent there was still some discomfort, but the rope held and she released the air in her lungs.

  “We need to bring her to the clinic. Keep ice around the base, not on it. Further examinations are needed to ensure there’s no extra damage.” Evelyn took a step, but the cavern whirled around her. She stumbled, and her foot caught on a loose rock. Fortunately, Isak caught her and sat her down.

  “I’ll contact Norah,” he said.

  “But she…” She trailed off and her vision waned.

  “The ichneumon healers can help for now. You need a doctor.”

  Seeing the blood that pooled under her dangling arm, she reluctantly agreed. Isak lifted her to her feet and let her lean on him all the way to the infirmary. Meanwhile, Violet walked with Anemara, who leaned on her for comfort. Riley walked with them, placing a hand on her sister’s shoulder. Landon and Rjuka brought up the rear, talking amongst themselves.

  On the way, Isak mentioned something interesting, his inflection returning. “Yer very lucky. Had Lumin not fed his magic into yer arm to manifest the dragon's claw, the little one would’ve bitten it clean off.”

  “He… he did?” So that’s what the sensation was. She wondered how she could have missed her arm changing forms.

  ‘I panicked. I remembered Kryn doing it in our dreams and just did it,’ Lumin said, sounding exhausted.

  ‘I’ll let you get away with it this time sweetie. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

  That’s when she remembered they hadn’t told Isak about their most recent dream yet. So much had happened that it once again became an afterthought. Her and Lumin promised themselves they’d tell Isak once they were alone with him in the infirmary.