‘Why do you think I’d regret it, Little Flame? I should thank you for bringing my voice back. For awakening the part of me I’d forgotten existed. You brought me back from my slumber, and I forbid you to ever apologise for this.’

I was confused, but Vahin seemed overjoyed at becoming my anchor, so I asked out of sheer curiosity.

‘What do you mean by “awakening?”’

‘You gave a beast back his personality, his identity. Dragons live for millennia. I’ve seen countless races rise and fall. I witnessed the rise of humanity. I’ve carried countless riders and lost them all; one after another, they passed to the streams of time. Each time the bond breaks, it hurts. It is easier to be a beast, to not think, not remember, to only feel a little and soar through the sky where time doesn’t exist. When a rider dies, the dragon feels it all, and it breaks your heart every single time. So we hide. We let our minds slumber, giving control to the man on our backs, almost as if we were nothing more than winged ponies. You touched the part of my soul that lay asleep for centuries, and it feels good to see the world in all its wonder again.’