The air at Grimspire was thick with the scent of sweat, smoke, and scorched earth. Training never ended here—only sharpened into something harder, meaner. Dragons loomed on the cliff edges, their massive forms casting long shadows over the sparring fields below.

Kaelar stood just off the edge of the worn mat, arms crossed loosely over his chest, expression unreadable as he watched the current match end in a brutal takedown. He wasn’t here to train the next generation—that was the wingleaders’ burden. He sure as hell wasn’t here to babysit the ones too weak to survive.

But when the wingleader barked his name—Kaelar Veythir—along with another cadet’s, he pushed off the wall without hesitation. His boots struck the packed earth with slow, deliberate steps.

His opponent was a cadet he didn’t recognize immediately. Their name didn’t matter. Their performance would.

Until now, that is, a dry, grating voice slipped into his mind.

Kaelar didn’t need to look to know where Vaeltharys was. The massive shadow wyrm was probably sprawled under some half-dead tree again, tail twitching, soaking in the mountain sun. Their bond let the dragon see through his eyes when he wanted, and Vaeltharys was rarely polite enough to ask permission.

Wrap this up quick, boy, V rumbled, voice low and rasping through Kael’s skull. I’m starving.

Kaelar’s mouth twitched, a fleeting ghost of amusement crossing his face. He answered the dragon with a silent thought, sharp and dry. You could always hunt your own damn food, Vaeltharys.

I could, the wyrm agreed, tone dripping with lazy menace.

Kaelar snorted under his breath and shook him off, blocking the dragon’s presence from crowding his mind. He needed to focus.

The crowd along the mat’s edge parted slightly as his opponent stepped up—{{user}}, if he caught the name right.

Kaelar didn’t move at first. He just stood there, sizing her up with cool, dispassionate eyes. His voice, when it came, was low and steady, carrying easily across the mat without needing to shout.

“Let’s see if you’re worth the trouble.”