“As Queen’s Rider you need to take care of yourself.”
“That’s why I was sleeping.” Ezaara rolled her eyes. “I’m exhausted. Is that any surprise after the last few days?”
“Not really,” Roberto admitted, a flash of sympathy in his eyes. “Here.” He reached into his pocket and passed her a small cloth bundle.
“Mm, smells divine.” Like lemon and something. She unwrapped it. A lemon poppy seed cake. Ezaara moaned in pleasure as she bit into the warm gooey center and crunched the delicate seeds. “Thanks.” It was just right. Not too sweet, not too sour.
He smiled, watching her eat. “I’m glad you like it.” His voice was soft.
When she was finished, he strode out to the queen’s den. Ezaara threw a heavy cloak around her shoulders and joined him.
“Sometimes riders lose their seat in battle, or half slip out of the saddle,” Roberto said. “Tonight, we’re going to practice stunt riding, so you have the skills to right yourself again if you get into trouble. You have to trust your dragon. Zaarusha knows what’s best, so follow her commands, even if you can’t see why she asks you to do something. Obedience is key.”
“The cheek of him, after you and I flew a loop.” Zaarusha’s voice was more playful than indignant. “Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
“Anything you say, My Queen. Obedience is key.” Ezaara smothered a smile as she climbed into the saddle.
§
Ezaara’s hair shone in the moonlight as she tied it back with her slender fingers. She was suppressing a smile. Her emotions were always so bright, so colorful, so close to the surface, like a bubble welling up in a spring.
He was falling for her, a little more each day he worked with her. He’d pushed her hard, demanding only her best, driving her to her limits. She hadn’t cracked, rising to each challenge, her competitive spirit taking the bit and thundering for the finish line. Even her knife throwing had improved. Today she’d hit every target. But he didn’t dare let her know how much he admired her. He had to maintain a hard exterior. She was his student. A slight whiff of indiscretion and he’d be banished, and everything he’d worked toward since his father’s betrayal would crumble. His whole world would be lost if he revealed he loved her.
Lars and the council would soon test her to gauge whether her skills were up to scratch. He had to make sure she was ready.
They rose above the basin, the forest a shadowy cloak around the lake—glinting silver in the moonlight.
“Ezaara,” he called across the air between them. “Take your feet out of the stirrups for a start.”
Grinning, Ezaara did as he asked.
“Now you need to—” He gaped as she knelt on the saddle, then crouched and straightened to stand. “Ezaara!” He couldn’t help the strident warning that crept into his voice. “Be careful.”
“Why? You said we were going to do stunts.” Ezaara grinned, full of life and mischief. She stepped—onto nothing. Arms wheeling, shock flew across her face. She plummeted into the darkness.
Zaarusha flipped her tail, plunging after her.
“Dive, Erob! Dive.” Fangs! They were going to lose her.
Like a hawk after prey, Zaarusha sped down.
“Faster, Erob, faster.” Roberto leaned forward on Erob’s neck, willing him more speed. If she died …
Roberto glimpsed a bright thread of color, stretched taut between him and Ezaara. A thread that brought him joy and hope. That had given him hope since the day he’d tested her. A strong thread that could help him be a better person, if he could cling onto it. If she survived.
Still she fell.
No, not Ezaara, so vibrant and full of life. She couldn’t die, not now. Not when he’d just realized how he felt about her. She was special, the first Queen’s Rider in years. He’d always admired her: her bravery in facing the council after imprinting; her courage to try anything; her horror at injuring Sofia; her healing skills; and her joy of life. She hadn’t had her littling life ripped away by someone she loved. She hadn’t had her innocence destroyed, or been used as a pawn. She was wholesome, a backwater girl from Lush Valley, who loved life and trusted her dragon implicitly.
With a slap, like a whale’s tail on the ocean, Zaarusha snatched Ezaara in her talons.
The Queen’s Rider laughed.
Erob chuckled too.
And that’s when Roberto realized it was a stunt.
§
The plunge through the night sky was exhilarating, making every fiber of Ezaara’s being jump to life. To trust so completely, love so completely, to place her life in Zaarusha’s hands—well, talons—that was living. This is what she’d yearned for in Lush Valley. She’d risk her life for the queen, give her life for her realm. She was Ezaara, Queen’s Rider.
“I told you back in Lush Valley, you were born to be my rider.”
“If only I’d believed it.”
“Get ready.”
With a whump, Zaarusha caught her, cradling her in her talons. “I think we’ve frightened the scales off Roberto.”
Ezaara laughed. “I didn’t know he had scales; he must keep them well hidden. Maybe we’ve scared him into being nicer. Maybe he won’t be so tough on me now. Not that I’d intended to scare him.”
“Really?”
“Well, maybe a little.”
“He’s not being tough. He’s challenging you, so you can better serve the realm.”
“Not tough? I’d hate to see him when he’s trying to be.”
“Roberto has faced things that would break most men.” Zaarusha flipped her wings, spiraling down toward a field. “Stretch your legs, and tell me when to let you go. It’d be a shame to squash you when I land.” The queen chuckled.
Ezaara’s feet brushed the tall grass. “Now, let go.”
She rolled as she hit the meadow. Luckily
