Dragon's Rise

CHAPTER XXX.

The dragons settled into Shadowreach, their forms casting an otherworldly presence amid the towering trees whose branches arched like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. The hideout, shrouded in perpetual twilight, whispered of forbidden tales—a sanctuary for outcasts, rebels, and those the city had forgotten. It was a place where the laws of men unraveled and strange magics thrummed in the shadows, lingering like ghosts in the air. For the rebellion, Shadowreach was more than a refuge; it was defiance made manifest, a hidden sanctuary cloaked in secrets and steeped in the promise of a world reborn.

୨⎯ CLEO LUNARIS ⎯୧

So many had perished in the Forbidden Mountains. Nearly a hundred young souls had entered, each carrying dreams of bonding with a dragon, but only six had succeeded. A mere twelve had returned alive, their survival etched in hollow eyes and trembling hands. The rest had been claimed by the treacherous peaks, their hopes buried beneath snow and shadow. 

Cleo's heart twisted as she stood among the grieving families. Their cries filled the grand hall, raw and unrelenting, echoing off stone walls that seemed to carry their anguish into eternity. She watched as mothers wept over unmarked graves, fathers clung to trembling resolve, and siblings broke under the weight of loss. Not all bodies had been recovered, and those that were bore no resemblance to the living—they had been marred beyond recognition by the unforgiving mountains. 

Grief hung heavy in the air, palpable and consuming, and Cleo understood its weight. She had seen grief before, in the hollowed faces of her village after the massacre. She had walked among the dead, had heard the wails of those left behind, but it had always been someone else's loss. She had never truly felt it—not in the way these families did now. She had lost her mother as a baby, but her memory was void of her face, her touch, her voice. It was a loss she couldn't grasp, a grief that had never taken root in her heart. 

And yet, standing here, Cleo felt a strange kinship with the sorrow around her. For the first time, she understood the fragility of life and the bonds that tethered people together. Watching these families mourn, she realized that even without knowing loss intimately, she could still feel its presence—an unrelenting specter that shadowed their shared humanity.

Esme stood beside Cleo, her usually bright eyes shadowed with guilt. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her tunic as she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "It doesn't feel right that I'm here. Bonded to a dragon... and I wasn't even there. I didn't go through what you went through. I didn't brave the Forbidden Mountains. Goddess, I probably would have died my first day there." Her words came out in a rush, laden with self-reproach. 

Cleo turned to her, the ache in her own chest momentarily forgotten. She placed a reassuring hand on Esme's shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's not your fault, Esme," Cleo said, her voice steady, though tinged with understanding. "You didn't ask for this, but you rose to it anyway. That takes courage." 

Esme shook her head, her dark hair brushing her cheeks. "Deep down, I know Selene is right. I shouldn't be here. Tirsynth should've chosen someone who fought for it—someone who earned it." Her voice broke on the last word, and she turned her gaze to the floor, unable to meet Cleo's eyes. 

"Don't listen to her," Cleo said firmly, stepping closer. Her tone softened, but there was no mistaking the resolve behind her words. "Tirsynth chose you for a reason, Esme. Dragons don't make mistakes. So what if you weren't there? The Forbidden Mountains don't define you, and they don't define your worth as a rider." 

Esme glanced at her, hesitant. "But what if the others never see it that way?" 

"Then that's their problem," Cleo said, her blue eyes locking with Esme's. "You have nothing to prove to anyone but yourself. And trust me, Esme, the fact that you bonded with Tirsynth—one of the most powerful dragons I've ever seen—proves that you're exactly where you're meant to be."