Chapter Forty-Eight

This chapter covers a twelve-hour ascent of the Cliffs of Dralor, where Aretian dragon riders and Poromiel gryphon fliers must climb together to build trust and mutual respect. The journey becomes harrowing as altitude sickness affects the fliers, a pressure trap forces a dangerous leap, and a catastrophic accident at the trap site leaves Ridoc critically wounded by arrows.

Violet and approximately two hundred cadets—half dragon riders, half gryphon fliers—depart at dawn to climb the narrow, treacherous Medaro Pass through the Cliffs of Dralor as a trust-building exercise. Brennan announces the twelve-hour hike will pair cadets with gryphon drifts, and Syrena emphasizes the gryphons bear greater risk on a trail designed to kill them. Violet is assigned to Cat's drift, paired primarily with Maren (a flier and Cat's best friend) and her gryphon Dajalair. Over the first three hours, Violet learns that the fliers' selection process—jumping into gryphon claws—differs vastly from the deadly Threshing. Conversations reveal common ground: Maren is from Draithus, Sloane begins opening up about Liam's genuine choice to protect Violet rather than force, and Maren explains fliers prefer lowland or seaborne service, not the Tyrrendor mission. Midway through, a boulder trap triggers above them; Tairn pulverizes it with his tail, saving the group. By afternoon, the group enters thick cloud cover near twelve thousand feet. The gryphons suffer severe altitude sickness—their wings drooping, breathing shallow—as they near the summit. Dain appears warning of a pressure trap that launches arrows; the trigger zone spans five to six feet and must be jumped. After Visia and Ridoc successfully leap across, Luella (a small, altitude-sick flier) struggles to swing from the makeshift sword hilt Ridoc has embedded in the cliff. When she lets go, she misjudges her landing and collides with Violet, driving both toward the cliff edge. Ridoc pulls Violet back, but Visia and Luella begin sliding off the cliff. Violet catches both their hands as her right shoulder dislocates from the strain. Cibbelair the gryphon rescues Visia, but as Ridoc rushes to help Violet pull Luella up, arrows from the triggered trap pierce Ridoc's abdomen. Violet screams for Brennan as Ridoc staggers backward, blood in his mouth, critically wounded.