Chapter 6: The Ash Wilderness
Dawn painted the volcanic badlands in bruised purples and burnt orange. The air reeked of sulphur and hot ash, gusts of wind whipping fine black dust into our eyes, stinging raw skin. A jagged range of basalt ridges stretched out before us, fissures snaking across the ground, thin wispy plumes of steam curling upward from cracks in the rock. This was the Ash Wilderness, Drakemoor’s proving ground.
Twenty pairs of rider and hatchling lined up at the starting marker. Commander Solis stood atop a weathered stone plinth, her Ember dragon’s wings outstretched to hold back the harshest gusts. Her voice carried over the wind, sharp and unyielding.
“Your mission: survive three days in the wilderness. Locate four rune-carved relics hidden across the ridges. No guards, no emergency recall, no outside aid. Your dragon is your only ally. The rocks here bleed fire, the crevices hold shadow beasts, and the land itself shifts without warning.” She swept her gaze over every trainee, pausing longer on me. “This is not a drill. Injuries will not be tended until you return. If you cannot trust your bond, you will not make it back.”
A murmur rolled through the line. Beside me, Malachi shifted nervously, his Tempest hatchling fluttering its small gray wings, already restless.
“I heard trainees vanish here before,” he whispered, leaning close. “Not accidents. Some get lost, some get hunted.”
Nyra pressed against my ankle. Through our Soul-Weave, I tasted her alertness. She mapped the terrain in her mind, tracing every fissure, every hidden hollow, picking up faint traces of malice buried deep in the rock. Her silver eyes narrowed toward a narrow gorge half a mile ahead.
*Someone waits in the shadows.*
A quiet chill crawled down my spine.
Solis raised her hand. “You may depart. Remember — betrayal between trainees is not forbidden out here. Only failure.”
The line broke. Trainees scattered in groups and pairs, hurrying into the wasteland. Most stuck together, strength in numbers. Malachi wanted us to join a small group of three other riders, but Nyra rumbled a warning, and I shook my head.
“Groups become easy targets,” I told him. “We should split off, stick to the high ridgeline.”
Malachi hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “Stay within sight range. Call for me if anything goes wrong.”
We parted ways, and Nyra and I began climbing the sharp basalt slope. My lungs labored quickly; thin hot air scraped my throat, and I suppressed a cough, swallowing the familiar metallic tang of copper. Nyra’s shadow wisped gently up my calves, feeding me a faint trickle of her ancient power to soothe the ache. The bond worked both ways. She felt my weakness, and I felt her ancient hunger.
We trekked for hours, finding the first relic tucked beneath an overhang of black rock. The stone rune glowed pale blue when I touched it, marking one objective complete. The wilderness was deceptively quiet. Too quiet. Birds did not sing. Small creatures fled long before we drew near. Nyra kept her senses stretched wide, her head turning constantly.
By mid-afternoon, we reached the mouth of a deep, shadowed gorge. Steam billowed from its depths, obscuring the far end. The second relic was supposed to be inside.
*Trap.* Nyra’s voice echoed inside my mind, low and urgent. *Magic woven into stone. It will seal the entrance once we step inside.*
I froze, one foot hovering over the gorge’s threshold. I scanned the high cliffs above us. Nothing moved. No trainee was visible. But faint, almost invisible runes were etched into the rock overhead, waiting to trigger.
Someone had set this for me.
Not a wild beast. A person. Another trainee.
I backed slowly away from the gorge mouth. “We won’t go in. We’ll circle around along the upper cliff, approach from above.”
We began to scale the steep rock face, hands gripping sharp edges of basalt. Halfway up, a boulder suddenly rumbled loose from the cliff top. It crashed down, tearing through loose ash, aimed directly at me.
Nyra reacted instantly. A surge of shadow erupted from her body, wrapping around the falling stone. The boulder crumbled into fine ash mid-fall, the fragments drifting harmlessly past us.
A shout echoed down from the ridge above. A tall trainee with a scar across his jaw stood there, his Thornscale hatchling coiled beside him. I recognized him — one of the seniors who had spat accusations about my forbidden dragon after the training yard incident.
“Vael,” he called, voice carried by the wind. “You shouldn’t have survived the hatching. The citadel doesn’t need a traitor’s spawn.”
He raised a hand, and his hatchling unleashed a volley of hardened, burning thorns.
Nyra pulled me behind her, shadow spreading into a thick shield. The thorns struck the barrier and dissolved, eaten away by her void magic. But the impact sent a shock through our Soul-Weave, and I doubled over, coughing violently, stars bursting in my vision. The pain in my lungs flared sharp and brutal.
The senior laughed, turning to run. “The gorge trap was only the first. The wilderness will claim you.”
Before he could vanish around the bend, a frigid shadow rolled across the ridge. The air plummeted in temperature. A massive Shade dragon dropped silently onto the rock beside him, red eyes blazing.
Kaelen stepped out from behind the dragon, indigo cloak snapping in the ash wind. His expression was cold, unreadable, but his silver eyes locked onto the fleeing trainee.
“Attacking another rider trainee in the Ash Wilderness is not the survival test you were taught,” Kaelen said flatly. “You set a death trap, not a challenge.”
The senior paled. “Commander, she’s dangerous — her dragon is unnatural —”
“Dangerous or not, the rules do not permit premeditated murder.” Kaelen’s tone held no mercy. “Your hatchling’s thorns, the sealed gorge, the boulder. All deliberate. You are disqualified. Return to the citadel under guard.”
Two shadow wraiths summoned by Kaelen’s Shade dragon seized the trainee, dragging him away. Once they were gone, Kaelen turned toward me and Nyra. He descended the slope until he stood a short distance away, watching me catch my breath.
“You knew they would come for me,” I said, wiping blood from my lip after the coughing fit.
“I suspected,” Kaelen replied. “The council’s suspicion has emboldened those who hate your mother’s legacy. They see the wilderness as a chance to eliminate you without a trial.” He glanced at Nyra, who stared back at him, wary but not hostile. “Nyra’s warning saved your life. But next time, I may not be close enough to intervene.”
“Are you following me to protect me, or to make sure your clue stays alive?” I asked sharply.
His jaw tightened. “Both. I still need answers. But I will not stand by and let trainees murder each other out of petty vengeance.” He gestured toward the gorge. “There are more traps hidden across this region. I will not escort you, but I will stay within range. Keep your guard up. And trust nothing, not even the rock beneath your feet.”
He turned and melted back into the ash haze, his Shade dragon slipping away with him.
Nyra nuzzled my palm, her shadow soothing the burning ache in my chest. I stared into the mist of the gorge, heart hammering. The senior was only one hunter. There might be others hiding out here in the ash, waiting for their chance.
We still had three relics left to find. And the wilderness was full of enemies, both human and beast.
*— End of Chapter Six —*
Twenty pairs of rider and hatchling lined up at the starting marker. Commander Solis stood atop a weathered stone plinth, her Ember dragon’s wings outstretched to hold back the harshest gusts. Her voice carried over the wind, sharp and unyielding.
“Your mission: survive three days in the wilderness. Locate four rune-carved relics hidden across the ridges. No guards, no emergency recall, no outside aid. Your dragon is your only ally. The rocks here bleed fire, the crevices hold shadow beasts, and the land itself shifts without warning.” She swept her gaze over every trainee, pausing longer on me. “This is not a drill. Injuries will not be tended until you return. If you cannot trust your bond, you will not make it back.”
A murmur rolled through the line. Beside me, Malachi shifted nervously, his Tempest hatchling fluttering its small gray wings, already restless.
“I heard trainees vanish here before,” he whispered, leaning close. “Not accidents. Some get lost, some get hunted.”
Nyra pressed against my ankle. Through our Soul-Weave, I tasted her alertness. She mapped the terrain in her mind, tracing every fissure, every hidden hollow, picking up faint traces of malice buried deep in the rock. Her silver eyes narrowed toward a narrow gorge half a mile ahead.
*Someone waits in the shadows.*
A quiet chill crawled down my spine.
Solis raised her hand. “You may depart. Remember — betrayal between trainees is not forbidden out here. Only failure.”
The line broke. Trainees scattered in groups and pairs, hurrying into the wasteland. Most stuck together, strength in numbers. Malachi wanted us to join a small group of three other riders, but Nyra rumbled a warning, and I shook my head.
“Groups become easy targets,” I told him. “We should split off, stick to the high ridgeline.”
Malachi hesitated, then nodded reluctantly. “Stay within sight range. Call for me if anything goes wrong.”
We parted ways, and Nyra and I began climbing the sharp basalt slope. My lungs labored quickly; thin hot air scraped my throat, and I suppressed a cough, swallowing the familiar metallic tang of copper. Nyra’s shadow wisped gently up my calves, feeding me a faint trickle of her ancient power to soothe the ache. The bond worked both ways. She felt my weakness, and I felt her ancient hunger.
We trekked for hours, finding the first relic tucked beneath an overhang of black rock. The stone rune glowed pale blue when I touched it, marking one objective complete. The wilderness was deceptively quiet. Too quiet. Birds did not sing. Small creatures fled long before we drew near. Nyra kept her senses stretched wide, her head turning constantly.
By mid-afternoon, we reached the mouth of a deep, shadowed gorge. Steam billowed from its depths, obscuring the far end. The second relic was supposed to be inside.
*Trap.* Nyra’s voice echoed inside my mind, low and urgent. *Magic woven into stone. It will seal the entrance once we step inside.*
I froze, one foot hovering over the gorge’s threshold. I scanned the high cliffs above us. Nothing moved. No trainee was visible. But faint, almost invisible runes were etched into the rock overhead, waiting to trigger.
Someone had set this for me.
Not a wild beast. A person. Another trainee.
I backed slowly away from the gorge mouth. “We won’t go in. We’ll circle around along the upper cliff, approach from above.”
We began to scale the steep rock face, hands gripping sharp edges of basalt. Halfway up, a boulder suddenly rumbled loose from the cliff top. It crashed down, tearing through loose ash, aimed directly at me.
Nyra reacted instantly. A surge of shadow erupted from her body, wrapping around the falling stone. The boulder crumbled into fine ash mid-fall, the fragments drifting harmlessly past us.
A shout echoed down from the ridge above. A tall trainee with a scar across his jaw stood there, his Thornscale hatchling coiled beside him. I recognized him — one of the seniors who had spat accusations about my forbidden dragon after the training yard incident.
“Vael,” he called, voice carried by the wind. “You shouldn’t have survived the hatching. The citadel doesn’t need a traitor’s spawn.”
He raised a hand, and his hatchling unleashed a volley of hardened, burning thorns.
Nyra pulled me behind her, shadow spreading into a thick shield. The thorns struck the barrier and dissolved, eaten away by her void magic. But the impact sent a shock through our Soul-Weave, and I doubled over, coughing violently, stars bursting in my vision. The pain in my lungs flared sharp and brutal.
The senior laughed, turning to run. “The gorge trap was only the first. The wilderness will claim you.”
Before he could vanish around the bend, a frigid shadow rolled across the ridge. The air plummeted in temperature. A massive Shade dragon dropped silently onto the rock beside him, red eyes blazing.
Kaelen stepped out from behind the dragon, indigo cloak snapping in the ash wind. His expression was cold, unreadable, but his silver eyes locked onto the fleeing trainee.
“Attacking another rider trainee in the Ash Wilderness is not the survival test you were taught,” Kaelen said flatly. “You set a death trap, not a challenge.”
The senior paled. “Commander, she’s dangerous — her dragon is unnatural —”
“Dangerous or not, the rules do not permit premeditated murder.” Kaelen’s tone held no mercy. “Your hatchling’s thorns, the sealed gorge, the boulder. All deliberate. You are disqualified. Return to the citadel under guard.”
Two shadow wraiths summoned by Kaelen’s Shade dragon seized the trainee, dragging him away. Once they were gone, Kaelen turned toward me and Nyra. He descended the slope until he stood a short distance away, watching me catch my breath.
“You knew they would come for me,” I said, wiping blood from my lip after the coughing fit.
“I suspected,” Kaelen replied. “The council’s suspicion has emboldened those who hate your mother’s legacy. They see the wilderness as a chance to eliminate you without a trial.” He glanced at Nyra, who stared back at him, wary but not hostile. “Nyra’s warning saved your life. But next time, I may not be close enough to intervene.”
“Are you following me to protect me, or to make sure your clue stays alive?” I asked sharply.
His jaw tightened. “Both. I still need answers. But I will not stand by and let trainees murder each other out of petty vengeance.” He gestured toward the gorge. “There are more traps hidden across this region. I will not escort you, but I will stay within range. Keep your guard up. And trust nothing, not even the rock beneath your feet.”
He turned and melted back into the ash haze, his Shade dragon slipping away with him.
Nyra nuzzled my palm, her shadow soothing the burning ache in my chest. I stared into the mist of the gorge, heart hammering. The senior was only one hunter. There might be others hiding out here in the ash, waiting for their chance.
We still had three relics left to find. And the wilderness was full of enemies, both human and beast.
*— End of Chapter Six —*
