Tavia Lark

There's a reason the dragon corps doesn't use grails. The dragonbond is complex, natural magic. As powerful and impactful as the inheritance spell—but there's no ritual. No effort. Just an instinctive connection between Draskora's two most dangerous predators.

Dragons are both social creatures and viciously competitive. The bond gives them balance and support during their volatile youths. Dragons also have inherent passive magic. Fueled by scalestone, that magic is what allows them to fly and breathe fire.

The bond strengthens dragon magic. If the rider is a mage, their magic is strengthened too. Some non-mage riders even discover minor latent abilities after bonding

There's no closing a dragonbond once it forms. Which means that if a dragonbound mage pulls power from a grail, if the mage isn't careful, that power is pulled through the rider into the dragon too. With both dragon and rider pulling on the grail's power reserves, they risk burning the grail out and leaving them a crippled husk—at best.

Dear Marek,

Thank you for writing. You don't know how glad I was to hear from you.

Considering our circumstances, I can't answer most of your questions. Daromir and I are doing well on Tavoc. My dreamhawk enjoys lazing in the warm weather, and the duchess has been leading Daromir through her poetry collection.

I'm sorry for stranding you in the betrothal intended for me. I would send a proper apology with a wedding gift, but this letter is enough of a risk.

Your brother,

Vana

P.S. Though perhaps my apology is unwarranted. According to Bellamy, Julien says marriage is working quite well for you. Did you really fuck your new husband over the altar?

Grail magic renews over time, but it isn't infinite at any given moment. If a mage takes too much at once, then scrapes for more, they can trigger a final, violent burst of power—leaving the grail an empty husk forever after.

Burning out isn't necessarily fatal. Symptoms vary. Weakness, memory problems, depression, paranoia. If the grail is lucky, their mage will continue taking care of them. If the grail is unlucky, they're discarded as useless.

"All my life, I dreamed of being chosen by a mage That's how I saw it. Not being sold or traded. Being chosen." Sei's mouth twists. "That's the problem, isn't it? You never chose me."

Marek doesn't answer. He doesn't need to.

"I can't live out that dream. But that's all it was. A lovely, convenient story." Sei's hand shifts on the rough blanket, sliding the fabric over the stone beneath. "Now, I want something true."

Protecting Sei has been a noble excuse, but Marek has really been protecting himself. In doing so, he's done exactly what he claimed to be protecting Sei from. Marek has been treating Sei like a pawn. An obedient claim and grail without wishes of his own. A burden instead of a partner.

As the wind settles, the blue dragon retracts their wings. Their neck curves like a swan's, wedge-shaped head pivoting to survey the entire courtyard. Glossy dark horns give way to blunt spikes along the ridge of their spine, down to where the dragonrider sits at their shoulders.

Sei is more interested in the dragon, since he's seen humans plenty before. Until the rider sits back in his harness and pulls the helm from his head. What little sunlight escapes the clouds seems to coalesce around him, illuminating the shake of his dark blue hair.

Then the clouds deepen, and the sunlight vanishes. The dragonrider is just an ordinary man, unbuckling himself from the harness.

Vana is supposed to claim Sei in marriage. That's the plan. That's Sei's purpose. If Vana is gone, what happens to Sei in this frightening foreign land?

"Fled?" Marek sounds just as shaken. "That isn't like Vana. What about the treaty?"

"The treaty remains," Imrik says. "The scalestone has been loaded onto the Fellrian ship. As for the grail, that's simple enough. You're still unmarried, so you'll claim Sei Mallory in your brother's place."

You talk so graciously about not taking advantage of me. Real generous of you, Stormrider. But you don't give a shit about me either.

That's when Marek knows, deep in his bones, everything will be all right. Because Marek and Sei are far more alike than Marek could have imagined. Neither of them was born to gather dust on a shelf—and neither of them was born to fight alone. Whatever comes, Marek and Sei will face it together.

They'll shelter each other through every storm.

"You're a bold man, Marek, meeting us two to three."

"You're the brave one, Julien, meeting us three to two."