Hayden looked over Celestial City and watched as the metallic dragons filled the air around him. He had never seen so many dragons in his entire life let alone at one time. His eyes were drawn back the city and he watched as the river Savior flowed peacefully through the city, shimmering slightly as it passed under the bridges.

              Hayden noticed that the people looked like small insects from so high up and the thought almost made him laugh, till he remembered that he was climbing up the side of the Metallic Pyramid. Even as he took his short break to take in the scenery he never loosened his iron grip on the cold metal slots. He looked back towards the top of the pyramid and continued his climb.

              When they got twenty feet away from the top of the pyramid, their muscles screaming at them from the stairs and now this climb, Hayden saw that the top of the pyramid was not at a point like he thought it was. Instead it was flat so that a large dragon and its rider could land on top of it. It still appeared to come to a point from the ground because it was so high up and the pyramid was so massive.

              They climbed the last few feet, each foot hole seeming a little further away than the last and each step seemed to be getting harder as they went. Finally, Hayden reached the top and pulled himself up, he did not turn to help Shane because as soon as his foot hit the platform Shane’s hand was already on it and he was rushing to end his climb.

Hayden stood there facing him, both of them were panting and out of breath, but with smiles on their faces because they had made it. Hayden began looking out at the land around them, but Shane tapped him on his shoulder and pointed at the opposite corner of the platform. Hayden turned around and saw the same girl whom he kept running into smiling at him.

              “Well it’s about time you boys got here; I was starting to get afraid that I was going to be the only one to make it through this trial. Have you guys been having fun?” she asked. She was sitting down cross legged with her back to the horizon; she had been facing where they had climbed up at like she had been waiting on them.

              “Loads of fun,” Hayden said; he broke eye contact with her to get a better look at her. He could tell she was well built if not a little skinny, Hayden had been correct about her dark hair and she had eyes the same color to match. As Hayden looked her over she noticed Hayden’s eyes wondering over her.

              “So do you see something you like?” she asked, being playful, but drawing a clear picture that what he was doing was not wanted.

              “Sorry, I uh, was just uh, sorry.” Hayden started to blush, which made her smile grow. “I didn’t catch your name; I am Hayden and this is Shane.” Shane gave small wave, and he was clearly uncomfortable and it wasn’t just from the height of the pyramid. 

              She jumped up and walked over to where they were standing. “Nice to meet you both, I am Cassidy, but please call me Cass.”

              “Nice to meet you too, Cass. So what are we supposed to do now that we are up here?” Hayden asked both of them. Shane just shrugged his shoulders.

              “We enjoy the view and wait for anyone else who might make it. Congratulations, you guys have made it through the second trial,” Cass said with a smile on her face. Shane and Cass both turned to face the city while Hayden couldn’t help but stare at Cass. He was enjoying the view.

 

 

 

             

 

 

Chapter 6

 

 

 

Hayden, Shane and Cass remained on the top of the Metallic Pyramid, which felt like being on top of the world, for almost another hour before anyone else made it up the side of the pyramid. While they waited, Cass and Shane took the time to explain to Hayden all the different parts in the city.

They had a perfect view of the whole city and it was easy for him to see where they where pointing to. Hayden was able to get a better idea of where everything was in the city and he wasn’t very surprised when he saw that it seemed like the whole city worked around the dragons and their riders.

              There where blacksmiths who worked for anyone willing to pay for their service, but there were some larger buildings that housed the smiths used only by the riders. There where farmers and herders who sold their harvests and live stock in the market and there where fields farmed just for the riders and herds that had the best grazing lands that were for the dragons.

              “Honestly, the riders can take whatever they want whenever they want it,” said Shane as they stood looking out over the Housing District. “There have been a few times in the past were they over used their power and took too much from the people. Sometimes they gave what they took back other times they gave the people a break for a while and then went right back to what they have always done.”

              “Why don’t the people stop them?” asked Hayden. Before anyone could answer a silver dragon flew past them and landed in one of the open caves in the pyramid bellow them.

              “That’s why; they have the power and they have the dragons,” Cass replied; he could hear sadness in her voice as she spoke, but Hayden thought it best not to ask for that story just yet. Hayden kept looking over the city as he tried to learn his way around it. More than once he caught himself watching the dragons flying over head, some seemed to have places to go, others where in formations practicing aerial moves while others seamed to just be gliding around leisurely above the city.

              “That could all change though, if the riders themselves tried to change it,” Shane said.

              There is more truth to that then you know, Hayden thought.

              Finally four more people made it to the top of the pyramid, none of them Hayden knew, but they all wore the same tired and irritated look that he knew he had worn when he first crested the peak of the pyramid. They began to ask, all at the same time, what they had to do next.

              “Just relax and enjoy the view,” Cass told them just as she had told Hayden and Shane.

              “Who cares about a stupid view, let’s get moving to the next trial!” the guy who had been the first to make it over the ledge said.

              Hayden looked them over and realized that Sebastian, the young man Shane had told him about, was not among them. “Where is Sebastian, is he still climbing?” he asked the four guys.

              “No, he was too scared to climb out of the cave; he kept going on about how this was too dangerous for a son of a rider to be doing,” one in the back of the group said.

Hayden learned from Shane that the four young men were close friends and they were part of a group that was always up to trouble. When Hayden had asked Shane how he knew all this Shane explained that they had wanted him to join because of his size; but once they figured out he did not like to fight they gave up on him.

              Hayden, Shane and Cass sat on the opposite side of the platform to the others. Hayden had made an attempt to be friendly with them, but his kindness was meet with cold silence. They had no desire to relinquish any information about themselves as they huddled together and spoke in hushed whispers. The one who had done most of the talking, Shane had told Hayden his name was Giles, kept looking away from the others and looking at Cass.

              They waited atop the building for another hour; during this time Hayden was able to feel the soreness that had crept into his muscles. He was also extremely thirsty and hungry. He could tell by looking at Shane’s and Cass’s dried lips that they felt the same as he did.

              They heard someone climbing up the steps and were surprised to see the rider who had started them on their trials. He looked each one up and down while showing nothing on his face.

              “Well it seems like you guys are all that’s left, two trials in and we have cut you guys down to seven. Take comfort in knowing that there are only three of you who will not be getting dragons. Now we have one more trial to go, so unless you guys have something to say… no? Ok, let’s move on then.” He clapped his hands when he had finished talking.

He walked over to one of the banisters and pulled out a long piece of rope that he had looped up and tied on his back so it would not get in the way as he walked. He tied one end to the banister and threw the other over the side of the pyramid.

              He then grabbed the banister and threw his legs over; with a firm grip on the rope he began to descend at a slow pace. He stopped and checked his footing as Hayden and the others leaned over the banister to watch his progress.

              “What are you guys looking at? Grab the rope and let’s go. It’s a long way down and we have to hurry, you don’t want to be late for your last trial.” He laughed as he loosened his grip on the rope and went flying down the side of the pyramid at a speed Hayden thought could not have been safe.

              This time it was Hayden who made the first move; he was not terrified of heights but his stomach would still tense up when it came to something like this. He did not let his nerves get the best of him as he grabbed the rope and threw his own legs over the railing, his grip on the rope tighter then Hayden thought he could grab.

He did not take the time to look down or he would have probably tried to talk himself out of it. Instead he just began easing up on his grip on the rope and slowly began walking himself backwards down the pyramid. The rider had done this only for a short distance, when he went flying down the pyramid he had laid down on his back and slid down while still holding on to the rope.

              Hayden was not comfortable enough to try that so he continued to ease his way down; taking small shuffling steps. He was about twenty feet down when Cass grabbed the rope and followed him down, using the same backwards walking technique that Hayden was using. After her came Shane then the others, and the last one to go over the edge was Giles. He was shaking the most, but that did not stop him from shouting insults at those below him.

              Each time another person grabbed the rope Hayden all but stopped because the rope shook so violently in his hands. He did not worry about it because, other then the rider that had gone down first, all the others were doing the same as him. They were making horrible time compared to the rider that had slid down before them. In the same amount of time that it took the rider to get down they were not even half way yet.

All of a sudden there was a hard jerk on the rope that slammed Hayden against the pyramid, pulling off his feet. He held on with both hands till they hurt as his eyes were locked on the now spinning ground that was so far below him. His heart was not racing, it did not even feel like it was beating at all, the only thought that was running through his head was no no no no no.

              He stayed that way, dangling on the side of the Metallic Pyramid, holding on only with his hands as the rope that was gripped between his fingers continued to wiggle and squirm. He knew the others had suffered similar fates based on their screams and shouts that followed the initial jerk that had swept Hayden off his own feet. He even heard Cass vocalize what had been his first thoughts.

              When he began to regain his footing he dared to look up and try to figure out what had caused the tumble. He figured it out rather quickly because one of the Giles friends was shouting at him now and asking him what happened.

              “I slipped. One of them up front must have done something to the wall, they are trying to get rid of us before we can beat them in the last trial.” Giles tried to turn the blame on Hayden and his new friends but none of his friends were buying it. They continued to shout at him and tell him to be careful and not to let it happen again; but with much more colorful words.

              Giles’s reply was a high pitched yell as he slipped and fell again, but this time his grip on the rope slipped also and he slid down the wall ten feet and grabbed hold of the next guy’s waist to break his slide. They both fell, but they at least had their hands on the rope, not enough to stop their fall but enough to guide them down in a straight line. The straight line happened to go through everyone else.

              By the time that Giles had grabbed the second person in line the others had all turned and witnessed what had happened. Hayden knew what was coming down on top of them, but what he didn’t know was how to stop it. He all but released his own grip on the rope and fell much faster then what he was comfortable with.

He tried to focus on his descent, but he found himself looking up every time he heard a grunt as the falling group hit the next person in line. Soon it was just Shane, Cass and Hayden left holding the rope. Shane was hit first and it looked like he might stop it, he had planted his feet and done his best to brace himself for the impact. He only managed to slow them down for a few seconds as they pushed his feet out from underneath him.

              Hayden watched as the tumbling ball of people came crashing towards him. He saw arms and legs pop out of the mix and then disappear back into the mesh of bodies. He knew if he tried to stop it he would just get hurt so instead he did his best to stay just a little ahead of it. In a final effort Hayden loosened his grip even more on the rope as he flew down the pyramid. It wasn’t enough though and he joined them in their free fall.

              Giles was still near the back of the group since he was the one who started it; he was able to get a hand on the rope and break away from the group, and slowly stunt his fall. His friends each tried to do the same thing but they kept fighting over who would grab the rope first and they kept pushing each other away from the rope in order to try to secure themselves.

During their struggles Hayden watched as one of the guys pushed another one so hard that he slid away from the group; while the space that they were sliding down was free of the giant open mouth caves, the area he was pushed to was not. Hayden heard him scream as he fell at full speed over the opening of a cave. Hayden thought he might clear it and make it to the other side, but as Hayden continued to fall he heard a thick, wet crunching sound that ended the scream instantly.

              Hayden watched as the two remaining guys grabbed the rope in turns and began stopping themselves just like Giles had done. Hayden was able to look down at the ground long enough to try to judge the distance and fear gripped his heart as he realized they did not have enough time for all three of them to take turns to try to stop. They were going too fast and the ground was nearly at them; they had less than a hundred to feet to safely slow down before they each made the wet crunchy noise themselves.

              Hayden saw that Shane was trying to right himself as he was but Cass was sliding completely limp. She must have gotten hurt and got knocked out he thought. That killed just about any idea of the three of them saving themselves.

              “Shane, grab hold of Cass quickly!” shouted Hayden.

              Shane and Hayden had both righted themselves so that they were sliding down on their backs while facing the ground below. Shane looked puzzled at Hayden until he looked over and saw that Cass was falling as if she was asleep. She had slowed down slightly since they had righted themselves so Shane had to reach back to grab her and pull her in. They started pushing their feet against the slippery surface trying to help slow their fall. It did help but not nearly enough, they were still falling to fast.

              Hayden pulled his shirt up a little so he could bundle it around his hands. Once it was done he looked back to Shane to make sure he was looking at him. “Stop trying to slow down, speed up and get beside me.” Shane did not ask what he had planned; he just lifted his feet so that he sped up and came parallel to Hayden. “Ok, now grab hold of me and hang on to Cass.”

              Once again Shane did what was asked of him without hesitation. He reached around and gripped Hayden as hard as he could. They both began applying pressure with their feet again. When Hayden was sure that Shane had a good hold on him he reached up and grabbed the rope with his shirt-covered hands. He squeezed as hard as he could like his life depended on it, which in fact it did.

Smoke began to steam from his hands; he felt the heat as soon as he grabbed the ropes. Pain erupted from his hands as the rope ripped through his shirt like it was not even there. His brain shouted at him to let go of the rope but by his determination alone he kept hold of it.

              His back began to become scraped up as his shirt rolled up higher, allowing his bare skin to touch the side of the pyramid. He wanted to let go and end the stream of pain that was coming from his hands and back, but he could tell that they were slowing down significantly. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he tried to concentrate at holding the rope and not on the pain. He could feel his grip lessening and blood beginning to flow freely down his wrists.

With both of them using their feet, and Hayden gripping the rope, they were almost at a safe enough speed to hit the ground without being hurt too bad. Hayden cracked open his eyes to see how far away they were from the ground. Once he opened his eyes he hit the ground first and he barely realized that Shane landed on top of him and Cass went flying through the air.

Hayden laid there without moving for some time; he was vaguely aware of people around him, all he could hear was the constant deep beating of his heart that continued to remind him that he was still alive. His body felt almost numb, he could feel pain but it seemed almost far away.

He tried to remain motionless, but someone grabbed him and gently rolled him over. They held his head firmly and tried their best not to cause him any more pain.

“Hayden, Hayden are you ok, can you hear me?” Shane asked as he finished setting Hayden back down.

“I am fine, just a little ugh...” As Hayden spoke he tried to sit up but all his muscles were sore and his hands felt like they were on fire; his back felt much the same. His legs felt weak and his pants legs were pulled up a little and he could see his right leg was already getting larger than the left and it was turning a deep red color. “How is everyone else, did anyone else get hurt?” Hayden asked as he lay back down and kept his eyes closed as his body began to awake and identify all the pain.

“Giles and two of his goons are fine, just scared, and their hands are a little tore up. One of his boys hit an opening and I am guessing he didn’t make it. I am bruised up but ok; Cass is still out though. I think she might have hit her head while we were all rolling around, I can’t be sure how she is till she wakes up but Benet is with her now.”

“Who is… who’s Benet?” Hayden asked as he started to feel like he was going to sleep, he was feeling like he was starting to float on top of a slow moving stream.

“Benet is the rider that has been guiding us so far, he freaked when we started to fall and he has been hovering over the two of you till you started showing signs of coming around, then he ran over to Cass and he hasn’t left her side.” Shane was kneeling over Hayden and he kept looking over his shoulder where Hayden guessed Cass was laying. Hayden could only keep his eyes open for a few seconds at a time, he tried to fight to stay awake but he soon gave in and all went dark around him again.

 

------------------------------

He woke up again, still at the base of the pyramid, but the sun was setting on the city. Hayden noticed that Cass was up and sitting next to him with Shane standing over them both. They watched him as he blinked his eyes over and over again. He started moving his legs and arms slowly to test how they were doing. Cass leaned in closer to speak to him.

“Don’t worry, we are all ok, you are too just a little bumped up. Benet sent for a field healer, someone who works on wounds in a battle environment, and she came and took a look at all of us. She said your foot is not broken but it’s a very bad sprain, she said you are going to be hurting for a while. Your hands a cut up very bad and so is your back from where your shirt rode up while we were sliding.” Hayden had could tell that Cass’s words were true as pain rippled through his body.

“She said you will be fine but you are going to be sore and in a lot of pain.” Cass had her hand on his shoulder as she spoke. Hayden was barely able to sit up on his own without succumbing to the urge to throw up. He looked down and examined himself and saw that someone had wrapped his stomach and back in bandages. As well as both his hands so when he pushed himself into a sitting position his hands did not hurt as bad as he thought they would have.

His foot was wrapped up also but it had two large pieces of metal sticking out from either side of the wrappings to add support to his leg. He believed them when they told him a healer had said he was going to be ok, but he did not feel like he was going to be.

“So what happens now, the trials must be over so we missed our chances?” Hayden asked.

“Giles and his friends went through already, we saw them leave, but we haven’t seen them since, and when Benet came back we asked him how they did. He just told us there was at least one more spot open. We have been waiting on you to wake up; they still expect us to do the last trial tonight,” Shane said; he tried to look hopeful, but even in his injured state Hayden could tell he was ready to give up.

“Help me up, Shane,” Hayden said. It took a minute to get him up and standing in a way that did not cause him more pain. Once up he looked at his new friends and tried his best to look sure and calm. “Well let’s not keep them waiting,” he said and they began walking slowly towards where they had taken the others earlier. They followed Shane, and Cass stayed by Hayden’s side and helped him limp his way forward.

They made it to a door on the side of the pyramid, where Benet was waiting for them.

“Good, you guys are just in time,” he said with a smile on his face.

“No thanks to you, you could have helped us since we almost died back there following you.” Hayden was in no mood to pretend to be nice to him, rider or not he had done wrong and Hayden was going to hold him accountable for his deeds. Cass tried to tell Hayden to calm down and not to yell at a rider, but Hayden was having none of it; he was mad and that was it.

“I know, and I am sorry but, it’s how it has to be during the trials. You make it or you don’t by yourselves, we can bandage you up, but only like it would be during a fight, you have to go from trial to trial on your own or it would be said that we helped you pass and favored you over the others. That’s why we had to leave you out there instead of bringing you in. I am sorry but that’s how it has to be.” Hayden calmed down after hearing what Benet had to say. He knew he was telling the truth even if he didn’t know how he knew it. He was sorry for what happened and there was nothing he could have done to change it and that, for some reason, made it right to Hayden.

“Are you ready now? This is it; this is the end of your trials,” Benet said.

“Yes,” all three of them answered.

Benet nodded his head and opened the door to let all three in of them in. They walked into a large chamber with three tall chairs sitting against the far wall. There was one door to the right of where they entered, and besides the torches all around the walls to light up the room, it was empty and without decoration.

Benet led them to stand before the three chairs and had them stand shoulder to shoulder; with Shane closest to door and Cass in the middle. They did not have to wait long after standing there till the door to their right opened and three people walked in. A short skinny man with dark bags under his eyes dressed in copper armor, a large muscular man who made Shane look like a small child and wore silver armor, and a beautiful woman clad in form fitting golden armor. She commanded the room when she entered; she was short and skinny, but the armor was made to show off that she was a woman and not so much for battle.

The two men waited for the woman to sit before they sat down on either side of her. They sat there staring at the three of them. Benet quickly introduced the three potential riders and when he finished there was silence until Elizabeth spoke.

“Welcome to the final trial; Shane, Cassidy and Hayden. I am Elizabeth The Gold, this is Caine The Silver and Bryce The Copper. We are the rulers of Arvain, we who sit upon the Thrones of Three.” She spoke with the power and authority. The two men might have influence and power, but only what Elizabeth allowed them to have.

“The last trial is something different than what has been done in past years. You have to decide whether or not you have passed the trials thus far, and if you have, which color egg are you worthy enough to call your own. Are you a copper, brave and able to follow every order without fail, unmovable in your loyalty? Or perhaps a silver, a leader, willing to sacrifice oneself for the better of others, able to take command and find the best possible way to accomplish any goal even while facing adversity?

“Or are you worthy to have a gold, wise beyond your years, able to understand the workings of the world around you and being able to influence it to shape it how you see fit.” She paused to let them think about what was before them. “Is being a copper below you, are you better than lowly grunt work? Do you have what it takes to lead, will they listen to you? Are you meant to rule over others, are you meant to sit above everyone else?” She laughed as she watched each of them squirm while trying to figure out where they each fell in at.

“Your task is simple; each of you will go into the chamber beyond that door. Waiting for you in there are the three judges of the dragons. You will have to decide if you are worthy or not to become a rider. If you feel you are then you must decide which egg you have earned, then you just have to ask for it from the judges. If they agree with you then you get it, if not then you are out. So if you think too highly of yourself or are too humble then you might miss the mark. We want riders who can look into their own lives and know what they are without any illusions as to what they want themselves to be. Do this and you will have your egg.”

She waved her hand at the door and it opened without a sound. She looked back at them and watched their reactions.

This is harder than I thought it would be. I have to decide if I get an egg or not? And which one at that! I know I am brave and can do what I have to like a copper rider would, but I can also lead and take charge of a situation; but do I have the right to lead, have I earned that privilege. I know I am smart, maybe I was meant to rule with a golden dragon. I don’t know, I don’t know! Hayden thought to himself.

“Shane, you first, my dear,” Elizabeth spoke softly to him. Hayden watched as Shane walked through the now open door, taking strong smooth steps with his head held high. The door closed behind him and it was less than a minute and the door opened back up, but Shane did not come back through them.

“You’re next, Cassidy,” she said.

“But what about Shane, where is he?” Cass asked worriedly. Elizabeth ignored her question completely and pointed at the door.

“You’re next,” she repeated but this time not as softly. There was an undertone of anger in her voice that was not so subtle.

Cass set her shoulders and walked through the doors just as Shane had done moments before; and just as they had done with Shane, the door closed, leaving Hayden alone with the three rulers of Arvain. No one spoke; there was nothing but silence between them that seemed to stretch on forever. The door opened again and Cass did not come back through it either.

“Hayden, you may now enter,” Elizabeth said. 

He limped his way through the door and it closed behind him. He was in a large chamber, just like the one they had all been in when they had first met Benet. This time, however, there were three giant dragons sitting in front of him.

A copper sat to the left, a gold in the center and a silver the right. They were the biggest dragons Hayden had ever seen. He would need a ladder to climb on to their back if he wanted to ride them. The copper was the smallest and the skinniest. Its wings sat flush on its back and it had an elongated neck. Its legs were short so it looked like when it would walk its underside would be very close to the ground like a lizard. Its tail was longer than its body and thin, and even though the copper sat still as a statue its tail was constantly moving and twitching about. The copper had thick claws sticking out of its paws that had a slight curve to them. The dragon’s head was smooth and almost snake like with two small horns growing out on the tip of its nose. It had thin fin like appendages on either side of its head growing right past the jaw line. Small stud like spikes jutted out on the top of the dragon’s head.

The silver was the biggest in the room and Hayden could see the bands of muscle bulging beneath its shinning silver scales. Were the copper’s tale was thin the silver’s was thicker, and it wrapped around the silver and came to rest in front of it. The silvers legs were also much longer, and the way it was sitting made its chest bulge out. Its claws looked just like a birds talons, long and skinny, but with a high arch in the middle.

Its wings sat just like the copper’s did, but the silver’s wings were much larger so that the tips stuck out past were the colossal dragons body stopped. Its head was wider around the jaw, and instead of a thin fin it had a thick short fin that three large spikes grew out of. It had two large horns growing from the top of its head that leaned back slightly and one horn on the tip of its nose.

The golden dragon was in between the other too when it came to size. Its neck was almost nonexistent, the head seeming to jut out of the shoulders. It also had no spikes of any kind any where Hayden could see. Its body was longer than the coppers and still had the shorter legs so it would stand lower when on all fours. Its tail was thick like the silvers but on the end of its tail where two fins. The gold dragon’s feet fit its body size but Hayden could barely see its claws. They each stood like statues, the copper with its head lowered slightly and the silver standing as tall and straight as it could. The gold seemed as if it was comfortable and relaxed as it sat.

Hayden stood in front of the three giants, none of them seemed to even notice his presence or if they did they did not show it. What am I supposed to do now? He thought. Maybe I should talk to them or something.

“I am Hayden,” he said; his voice coming out squeakier than it had in years. As one, the three dragons lowered their gaze at him, which just succeeded in unnerving him more. They then each put their right foot forward and turned it up so the back of their paws where on the ground and their claws face up. They then opened their paws to reveal they each had a piece of equipment in their paw.

The copper had a sword which had a cooper hilt and matching scabbard, and Hayden guessed the blade was probably copper as well. The silver had a silver shield that blended in with its scales; the shield came to a point at the bottom and had two points at the top making a V shape. The gold had a helmet, gold of course, that was ornately made to look like it had a crown on top; it was one of the most beautiful things he had seen and before he could speak he was already seeing himself atop a golden dragon, much like the one that stood before him, wearing that helmet and leading a sky full of dragons.

He started walking towards it and reached out his hands to grab the helmet. His fingers were about to touch the helmet when his talk with Fendrel rang through his head. “A man who does not want to rule but would rather serve has a very rare trait. You might actually make a rider worth having boy.” He heard Fendrel’s voice in his head as if he was standing right behind him. He pulled his hands back like the helmet was on fire and about to burn him. The golden dragon nodded and closed its paw, placing it back at its side where it was to start with, taking with it the helmet.

Hayden walked over to and stood looking between the sword and the shield. I could do either, I would be a good copper rider and I think I would be a good silver rider too, but which one is right for me, which one was I meant to pick.

He continued to look back and forth between the two, not being able to see a clear choice. He thought long and hard about and finally spoke as he picked.

“When I started out on this journey, I wanted to ride a silver. Fendrel told me not to sell myself for an egg. I promised him I wouldn’t; the sword would be the easier of the two, the ones with the less responsibilities. The shield would require everything I am and would be the harder of the two, but it would also be what is right.” He walked over to the silver as he spoke; the copper had already pulled its paw back the moment Hayden began to move away from it. The silver dragon began to slowly close its own paw and at that moment Hayden knew he had chosen wrong; but the silver did not close its paw all the way but turned it over so it could hand the shield to Hayden.

He took the shield in his bandaged right hand and gingerly placed it onto his left arm, it fit perfectly. It was long enough to guard him from his knees up, wide enough to cover his body, and the V shape that was made between the two horns allowed Hayden to guard himself and still see. As he placed the shield on his arm the silver dragon nodded to him and a door to his left opened up, spilling light into the room.

He walked through the door and found Shane with a copper sword and Cass holding a golden helmet. Both were so happy their faces could barley hold their smiles.

“Hayden, you are going to be a silver dragon rider, you’re going to get your dragon egg!” Cass shouted with glee, and three friends couldn’t help but jump around and shout for joy.

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 7

 

 

 

Hayden, Shane and Cass stayed in the room outside where their third trial had been to celebrate with each other. Hayden watched Shane pull his copper sword out of the scabbard. It was a beautiful sword that looked like it had been scratched by a dragon going down the whole length of the blade. The blade reflected the light coming from the torches and blinded Hayden whenever it caught the light just right. Shane was so excited he wasn’t really listening to his new friends complement his sword and congratulate him. He just kept staring at it and inspecting every inch of the blade while repeating to himself over and over again, “I did it, I did it.”

              Cass was reluctant to show off her golden helmet. Even in her hands, Hayden could still feel the desire to wear it and have a golden dragon. Ha, it’s not even an option anymore and yet I still want it. That just reassures me that I made the right decision, Hayden thought as he looked at his reflection in the helmet.

              “Let me see your shield, Hayden The Silver, ha ha,” Cass said with honest humor. She took the shield off of Hayden’s arm and turned it over in her hands until she had seen every inch of the shiny silver shield. Once she had looked it all over she took in her reflection and moved a few strands of hair from in front of her face to behind her left ear. “You have a very nice mirror here, Hayden The Silver, you should be proud.” She handed it back with a smile.  

              “You are so funny, and quit calling me that,” Hayden responded to Cass’s poke at him. He took the shield back and used his shirt to wipe off the smudges Cass had left on it.

              “Quit calling you what, ‘The Silver’? That’s your new name Hayden. You had better get used to it because that’s how you are going to be addressed from now on. You are ‘Hayden The Silver’ and Shane is ‘Shane The Copper’. Once you become a rider, you take up the color of your dragon, it’s like you are joining a new family here,” she said.

              “Oh, ok, so that makes you ‘Cassidy The Golden’, right?” Hayden asked. Hayden The Silver; hmm I like it. I don’t know who my family was and I have never had a last name, but if I was going to choose one I think this would be it.

              “No, I will be Cassidy The Gold.”

              “What’s the difference between gold and golden?” Hayden asked.

              “Gold is just like everyone else, even Elizabeth is just gold. To become golden takes a self sacrifice for the greater good of Arvain. It can’t be something every day, and it has to be recognized by all the riders. If even one does not agree with it, you don’t get the title,” Cass said.

              “I don’t know any of this stuff; I feel like I’m behind everyone else.” Hayden’s high spirits had started to drop as he was reminded of his lack of knowledge on the subjects of dragons and their riders.

              “You might be, but that didn’t stop you from making it through all three trials, and now you’re going to get a silver dragon. You will learn all of this stuff and more during your first year of training, so don’t worry about it too much.” Cass reassured him.

There were benches lining the walls of the room they were in. Shane had already made himself comfortable on one of them and he still had his bare sword resting on his lap. He still had not released the hilt from his grasp.  Hayden still remained standing in the center of the room, holding onto his shield with both hands.

              Before he could inquire more about what their training would involve, a door at the end of the room opened. Giles walked in carrying a silver shield matching Hayden’s. He looked at each of them in turn and shook his head.

“So you guys are the other three, huh?” he said to them as much to himself. He then looked at Shane holding his copper sword. “That fits you alright, the serving class, right where you belong.” Giles then looked at Hayden’s shield and shook his head for the second time since he had joined them in the room. “I guess they are just handing those things out to anyone, I thought they never made mistakes when it came to picking the eggs but I guess you are their first.”

He then turned to Cass to see what she had gotten, but while Giles had been talking to Hayden she had placed her golden helmet behind her. “Well where is yours? Let me guess, you got a copper sword too and you don’t want to be embarrassed in front of me. Come on let me see it, I won’t laugh too hard at you.” Giles stood near enough to Cass that he had to almost put his chin on his chest to look down at her. He was wearing an arrogant smile until his eyes grew wider as he saw gold as Cass pulled her helmet from its hiding spot. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he could say anything.

“It’s been years since there had been a silver egg hatched and now there are two. It’s been even longer since there was a rider of a golden dragon chosen; most people hoped to even get a silver egg, no one has even tried for a gold that I know of.” He just shook his head as he looked at the helmet. For just an instance Hayden thought he was seeing the real Giles, as he spoke almost like a normal person. “I guess they made two mistakes with both of you. They must really be slipping.”

Guess not. Hayden thought.

“So what happens now? How long do we wait here until we get our eggs?” Hayden asked.

“They will make us wait to get our eggs. They like to make a big event out of the whole thing,” Cass said as she replaced the helmet behind her; even though Giles had made a joke about the helmet, he hadn’t stopped staring at it since he had first seen it. “Right now we just wait till they come to get us I guess.”

They had to wait almost an hour until the riders finally came to get them. Before Giles had come in, they were very talkative and building off of each other’s joy about getting their items, but after Giles had joined them all that changed. They sat it complete silence while they waited; after their initial exchanges, no one spoke anymore. They just sat there, each staring at their own item and listening to the faint crackling sounds that came from the torches on the walls.

The door that Giles had come through finally opened again and this time Benet walked in. He gave Shane, Cass and Hayden warm hellos and congratulations on their accomplishments, but only nodded at Giles, which he returned in kind.

He led them out of the room and through a hallway, then making their way up a long set of stairs and ended before the most decorative door Hayden had ever seen. The door looked to be made out of solid metal like all the other doors that were in Celestial City, but this one had detail carvings of what looked like the three dragons Hayden and the others had just seen. Each one was carved in the exact color of their scales in real life. The carvings seemed to be alive and Hayden was worried that if he stared too long they might come to life and fly away.

The door opened through a crease Hayden had not seen in the middle of the door. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed when he had jumped back slightly; however no one but Cass was even looking at him but she was laughing quietly to herself. This caused Hayden’s face to feel like it was on fire as he blushed.

Benet ushered them all in to a giant room that was just as elaborately decorated as the door they had just passed through. It had vaulted ceilings that were high above them. There were four large columns that seemed to support the structure, and every inch of the room was covered in beautiful carvings depicting dragons and fights that, if the pictures were even half way accurate, must have shaken the ground with its ferocity. There were even small torches hanging from the ceilings and the walls were almost completely covered in fire places that were all lit so that the room danced and sparkled with the reflections of all the fires.

On the opposite side from where they had entered was a door three times the size of the one they had just entered in from, big enough to fit a dragon. To their right, and all the way up against the far wall, stood a platform where upon three large thrones sat the Rulers of Three.

Each was dressed in the same armor, but more decorative and cleaner than when they had first met them. They were entering the Hall of Stories, named after all the battles and histories carved on every surface, Benet told them. They walked towards the thrones, shoulder to shoulder, until they were only feet away from the stairs in front of the platform that led to the thrones.

They stopped and they tried to bow in unison. Giles was left standing alone with his chest pocked out for a few seconds before he realized the others had dropped to one knee. They kept their heads hung low and did not make eye contact as they stayed in this position until they were told otherwise. They had each laid their items in front of them so that the Three could see them outright. Benet said they would act surprised but they did not like real surprises.

Hayden heard what must have been the giant doors open and a rush of hundreds of metal boots walk in and come to stand behind them, but even with so many people in the room no one spoke and Hayden dared not look behind him to see who all had entered. The next sound was that of a couple hundred armored people all bowing down. Hayden heard their armor clink together as they bowed and all their knees hitting the floor at the same time making a giant thud. Hayden still waited with his head bowed and his eyes closed.

“Brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the first flight from last year’s trials. They have shown bravery, loyalty, and determination and shall from this day forth be recognized everywhere as Dragon Riders of Arvain!” Elizabeth spoke over the hushed crowd that Hayden could not see. “As we welcome our newest members, let us also welcome this year’s trial winners. They have taken the first steps to joining our ranks. Let us wish them luck that next year we will be welcoming them into our ranks also. Now arise brothers and sisters, and see our new first years.”

Hayden heard the people behind him stand up, but he did not move. Benet had told them that all of this was based off of very old tradition and it had to be done exactly right or bad things would be following the wrong doer, bad things like angry dragons. Benet had told them: wait until Elizabeth calls you by name to stand up and then do exactly as she says, no more and no less.

“Cassidy, my dear, stand and present yourself.” Elizabeth spoke like a mother to her child after her child told her she had a gift to give her.

Hayden heard Cass stand up and climb the first few stairs to the throne. Benet told them not to go any more than halfway up and he assumed Cass did exactly as Benet had told her.

“I am Cassidy and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a golden dragon.” She spoke strong and sure, and Hayden heard more than a few people gasp as she told them she was to ride a golden dragon. They were told to show their items as proof of their claim to an egg, therefore he knew she was holding her golden helmet aloft for everyone to see. Amongst the gasps, there were a few hushed whispers spread throughout the crowd, but only Elizabeth spoke out.

“It has been some time since a golden has been chosen, but in just one year, you may truly be my sister. All welcome Cassidy The Gold.” Cheers and clapping came thundering from behind Hayden and were magnified off the walls. Cass made her way back to the lineup, but she did not bow again. “Giles, stand and present yourself.” Giles stood and walked to the stairs as Cass had done before him. Hayden listened to his footsteps as he climbed.

“I am Giles, and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a silver dragon.” With that said he raised his shield for everyone to see. Giles had spoken loud but almost bored. His pride of having a silver seemed to be wearing off as he realized all eyes were going to be on Cass and her gold.

“A silver is always needed in our city. All welcome Giles The Silver.” More cheers rang as he made his way back down the stairs and to the line. Hayden was beginning to feel his heart racing again as he waited to hear his own name called. He would much rather climb the outside of a giant pyramid than stand up in front of a large crowd and speak. His palms got sweaty and his stomach began to feel tight as he anticipated his name to be called next.

“Shane, stand and present yourself.” Elizabeth spoke after a few seconds of silence, only after the cheering had subsided. Hayden listened as Shane’s heavy feet hit the ground while he lumbered up the stairs. Hayden heard him take far fewer steps than the others.

“I am Shane, and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a copper dragon.” His voice rang out with great pride for what he had accomplished. Hayden listened to the sound of a sword being drawn swiftly out of its sheath.

“We can never have too many coppers, dear, we need riders willing to do hard work.” Elizabeth spoke down on him in a way that she had not spoken to the others. “All welcome Shane The Copper.” There were fewer cheers for him than anyone else and there were even a few laughs at what Elizabeth said. Shane walked back into line and now all of them were standing with the exception of Hayden.

Knowing that he was next made him so nervous he almost started shaking as he knelt there. His legs were already cramping from having done all the trials and then having to bow for fifteen minutes.

Why hasn’t she called me yet? She didn’t wait this long with the others. He thought to himself after Shane had gotten back in line.

“Hayden, stand and present yourself,” she said smoothly.

Finally he thought. Oh no, now I have to speak in front of everyone.

He slowly rose and made his way to the steps. He held his shield out in front of him as he had been instructed to do. Once on the middle step, he turned and faced the crowd that, up until this point, had been a mystery to him. Now he saw that there where hundreds of people looking at him, but they weren’t ordinary people. They were all dressed in armor of either copper, silver and even a very few gold. They were all dragon riders.

He did not remember opening his mouth to speak but he heard “I am Hayden, and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a silver dragon.” Then he realized it was him talking.

When he finished, he raised his shield up so everyone could see the proof that he made it through the trials. Everyone cheered loudly, but not as loud as with Cass. He watched as some nodded their heads and some smiled at him.

“Well, this has been the best trial since I earned my golden dragon. Another silver: my my, this will be an interesting year to come. All welcome Hayden The Silver. All welcome our four new first years!” she shouted. Her speech is accompanied by roars and cheers from the crowd.

Suddenly a shout came from amongst the riders. “Wait! Where is my son?” The man inquired whilst lost in the crowd.

“Step forward rider, so we may see who speaks. Who is your son and why do you ask now, during our ceremony to welcome our new riders?” She asked as a man clad in silver armor made his way in between the four new first years and the riders behind him.

He was tall and well built. He had a thick mane of black hair that flowed freely over his shoulders and down his back. He wore brilliant silver armor, showing himself a rider of a silver dragon. His face was red with anger as he stood in front of the crowd.

“I am Ricen The Silver, rider of Fennet the dragon. My son’s name is Sebastian and he participated in these trials. I am wondering why I do not see him amongst the four victors?” He shouted, even though they could clearly hear him.

“Well Ricen The Silver, if your son does not stand up here, then obviously he did not make it through,” Elizabeth said. She did not respond to his shouts and yells, but instead spoke in the same calm tone that she had with the others.

“That cannot be. He has been preparing for this his entire life. One of them has done something to cause him not to make it; one of these four is a cheater.” He pointed at each of the four as if his finger would cause them to admit to the crime he assured them they were guilty of.

“Did any of you see what happened to this rider’s son?” Elizabeth asked the four first years.

“I did, ma’am,” Giles spoke up, and the moment he started making a sound Ricen’s finger found its way pointed at him.

“Go ahead and tell me what happened to him.” Giles turned around so he could face Elizabeth. He took a deep breath and started telling her what he witnessed.

“He had made it through the first trial with no problem, then we both made it through the maze with a few tough spots. Then we made our way up the stairs that we found while Hayden and Shane decided to leave us behind to whatever evil lurks in the darkness of that labyrinth. The climb took a mighty toll on us and once we found out we had to climb the outside of the pyramid, he told us he could not endure such a task. That is where he failed the trial,” Giles told her.

It infuriated Hayden to hear him hint around that Hayden and Shane might have been to blame.

“See, it was his own doing that did not place him here. Before you ask, there is nothing we can do about it. These are the rightfully chosen and we would never place one person from our glorious city above another no matter who their fathers are.” Elizabeth cut Ricen off before he could try to argue another point, but the next person to speak was Giles.

“He is not from here, ma’am,” Giles said. No one made a sound, they just looked between Hayden and Giles’s outstretched hand that pointed at him.

“What?” Elizabeth said.

“While we were climbing the stairs we heard Hayden and Shane talking.  Hayden told Shane that he was not from Celestial City, he said he was from some small town some three days out from here.” Giles spoke louder than he had since they first entered the hall, although he wore a mask that showed he was only trying to help.

It was clear by the look in his eye that he was enjoying every minute of the story he was telling. Hayden was not worried about it though. He had won his dragon egg, so he wasn’t from the city, what did that matter? He felt calm until he looked at Cass and Shane. Shane held his head low and Cass was looking into his eyes, while hers were full of tears and she was biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

“Is this true, Hayden?” Elizabeth leaned over her throne to look closer at Hayden, as if his appearance would give her some hint to where the truth lay hidden.

“It is. I am from Erskine, but why does that matter? I have passed the trials; therefore a silver egg is mine.” He did not know what was going on, but he knew something was not right. The other riders in the crowd started to whisper amongst themselves. The Rulers of Three were also talking to each other in hushed tones. Something was spinning out of control and he was not sure what it was.

“Bring in Sebastian,” Elizabeth told the copper riders closest to the door. They nodded and hurried off through the giant door. They all waited in silence, not even a whisper. Hayden’s heart was jumping out of his chest. He was sure he could see his own chest moving with every beat.

Finally, the riders returned with Sebastian, who tried to walk tall and proud even though he lost the trial. “Here is his son,” one of the riders said when they reached the platform.

“Good. Welcome to my Hall of Stories, Sebastian son of Ricen. It has come to our attention that your father believes it should be you up here and not one of these four who have earned their spot. How do you feel about this?” Elizabeth asked.

“I would have to agree with my father. He is a rider and it is my destiny to serve and bring honor to the riders. I have more right to be up here than any of these four.” She leaned back in her throne and thought about what all had transpired in front of her.

“My my, this is turning out to be a very interesting year already,” she said to herself but loud enough so that everyone heard it. Whether or not that was her intention was unknown to Hayden.

“What do you intend to do about it?” Ricen growled at her.

“What should I do about it? Your son has failed his trial, and the riders by not getting an egg. These four have earned their spots up here and have done nothing wrong while seizing their prize. So I ask again: what should I do about it?” she replied, her voice now showing the evident dislike that she was feeling for the situation and possibly some of those that were involved.

“You need to give my son an egg. With anything less than that and my wing and I will leave the riders numbers!” There was a gasp throughout the room, letting their shock be heard.

“I don’t understand. Why can’t he get an egg and there be five of us?” Hayden asked while the room was still trying to recover from Ricen’s last outburst.

“It’s the way it has always been. We have that rule so we don’t overpopulate and become too much of a burden and dry up the land. There has always been four and there will continue to be four.” Elizabeth leaned back in her throne and rubbed the skin in between her eyes as she spoke.

“And what happens if more than four people should pass the final trial? How are the four picked then, or if there is less than four, then what happens?” Hayden asked as desperation began to set in on his heart; although he wasn’t sure if there really was a chance that after all his hard work and passing all the trials that they might be discussing him losing his egg.

“The riders choose as they always have. If more than four pass, then the riders pick the four, if less than four pass, then the ones that do are guaranteed an egg and the riders pick out of the ones who made it the furthest in the trials to fill in until there are four.” The golden ruler answered his question like a person explaining to an adult what food is. She acted like he was dumb for not knowing that.

“Let’s listen to the boy. Let the riders pick as if there were five who passed. If Sebastian is not picked this time then I will not leave the riders or try to fight it in any way.” Other riders voiced their agreement with shouts and cheers for Ricen. Elizabeth did not want to have a fight or have half of her flying army leave; therefore the only choice was to do what they wanted.

“Fine. Bring forth the eggs. If Sebastian is picked over one of these four then he gets their egg, no matter if it’s copper, silver, or gold. Understand?” She pointed at Ricen, to which he held out his hands and nodded in agreement. Eight riders came through the giant doors, carrying one egg between two riders. The eggs were suspended between them on a stretcher, just like Fendrel described it. The eggs were being carried in a straight line: one egg right behind the other.

The first was the golden egg. It looked like a shimmering golden chicken egg that was almost as tall as Hayden.  Hayden saw Cass shiver as she saw it and he knew she wanted it more than anything.

The next were the two silver eggs. They were identical to the golden in size and shape. The only difference being the color. Hayden’s heart jumped into his throat and it hurt to swallow for a few seconds. He did not know how he knew it but the silver egg that came in last was his. His world melted as he saw the egg, he knew what was in it and that it was meant for him to have. He barely registered that they had also brought a copper egg forth and he did not see what Shane’s reaction was to it.

The riders carrying the eggs brought them in front of the platform: in between the Rulers of Three and the five potential riders. Sebastian had gotten in line with them. Hayden’s silver egg was placed directly in front of him and he kept his eyes on it the whole time it was being moved. He wanted so badly to feel the egg and see the dragon that was to hatch from it. The dragon that was to be his.

“You know how this goes, Dragon Riders of Arvain. You will come and stand behind the one that you feel should get an egg. The four with the most people behind them will get their egg; where as the one who has the least will be escorted out. Now the five of you spread out, good good just like that. Now riders, go and stand behind whomever you support.”

Hayden stood in the middle, where he had been standing the before. He did not want to move away from where his egg was. After the others had moved and Elizabeth finished speaking, he heard the room come alive with the sound of shuffling feet as the riders moved behind who they wanted to get an egg. Hayden and the others had their backs to the riders, so they could not see who had more support. When the noise finally died down, Elizabeth spoke again.

“The decision has been made. Cass; you will get the golden egg you have earned. Shane; you will get the copper egg you have earned. Giles; you will get the silver egg you have earned. Hayden you have lost your silver egg and it will be given to Sebastian. I am sorry.” Hayden turned around to see who was standing behind Sebastian opposed to who stood behind him. He was shocked to find almost everyone standing behind Sebastian with one behind Shane, five behind Giles, ten behind Cass, and no one stood behind him.

Hayden yelled at the top of his lungs. He yelled so fiercely that his voice crackled back down and gave out as his throat began to hurt immensely. He did not care about his pain though. He earned his egg and now they were taking it away from him just because Sebastian’s dad was a dragon rider.

It was not right and Hayden did not want to give up his egg but there was nothing he could do. He fell to his knees and stared blankly at his bandaged hands, trying to think of a way to save his egg, but his mind was as empty as the shield he had dropped in front of him.

“I am truly sorry, Hayden, but the riders have spoken, escort him out please.” Sorrow actually seemed to come from Elizabeth’s voice, which seemed to puzzle Hayden.

“No, let him stay and witness the birth of what would have been his dragon. Let him at least have that, my queen.” Cain spoke up for the first time since he had been in the room. Elizabeth looked at him for a moment and waved off the riders that had come to carry Hayden out.

Cass was moved to her egg first. She looked at Hayden with tears flowing freely down her cheek as she made it closer to her egg. She faced her egg and laid a hand on it. A light washed over the room, and when Hayden could see again Cass was on all fours hugging the neck of a golden dragonet the size of a small hoarse. She leaned back to see the dragonet’s face, and her tears for Hayden lay forgotten on the ground as she became lost in the eyes of her new dragonet.

Shane did the same as his dragonet, a thick copper, was hatched for him. He forgot about Hayden as well when his eyes fell upon his dragonet and soon he was holding on its neck and petting it softly.

Giles never even looked at Hayden as he made his way to his egg. He slapped his hand on the egg and when the light was gone he was standing over his dragonet, there was no love and no hugging like Shane and Cass had done. They were both still holding onto their dragonets while he walked away from his to stand where he had been, his dragonet clumsily crawled to stand beside him; it tried to touch the tip of its snout to Giles hand, but the look it received from him stopped the dragonet.

As Sebastian walked slowly to Hayden’s egg he kept his eyes greedily fixed upon Hayden in his broken state. Trying hungrily to take every bit of Hayden’s pain in before it was over. He walked around Hayden, licking his lips like a hungry mutt in front of a slice of meat; but when he made it around to the side of the egg that had been turned away from Hayden, his eyebrows met almost together in a look that changed from greed to confusion to disgust.

“This egg has a mark on it; look, just there it’s a deformity in the egg. I don’t want to bond with this egg; the dragon will probably hatch without a wing or something.” Sebastian shouted out his distress while pointing at a spot on the egg. His father walked over to where he was pointing and apparently saw the same thing.

“This is unacceptable; bring my son another silver egg right now!” Ricen shouted. Cain got off his throne and went to inspect the egg. He knelt down and placed a hand on it, looking closely at it.

“He is right; I haven’t seen an egg with a deformity in a long time. Bring out another egg for him,” Cain said as he stood back up. Two riders ran out with a stretcher and returned quickly with another silver egg. They placed it before Sebastian and he repeated his walk around just as he had done with Hayden’s egg.

He found no fault in the new egg, neither did his father who walked around the egg with his son, and placed his hand on the top of the egg. The light was the same as it was with the other eggs and once the light died off there was a silver dragonet in front of him.

Sebastian laughed as he gazed upon the silver hatchling, at his victory. Instead of spending time with his new dragonet he grabbed the discarded egg that had been Hayden’s and rolled it over to where Hayden still knelt. One of the riders that had helped bring the eggs in made a move to stop him but Ricen blocked his path.

“Leave him alone; let him feel what it’s like to win over a foe,” Ricen said. The rider who had tried to stop Sebastian looked to the thrones for help but the three just sat as statues. Sebastian turned the egg so Hayden could see the deformity.

“See Hayden, your precious egg was doomed to fail just like you were; it’s a reject just like you are. Neither of you are worthy to serve me, as rider or slave. I should let you hatch this dragonet just so we can be done with it.” He pushed Hayden to make sure he was listening to him; Hayden was rising up to strike him when his eye caught the mark on the egg. It was a diamond shape slightly darker than the rest of the egg. He stopped to stare at it, his egg did have a mark, the same mark that Fendrel had said was on his egg. This egg was the same egg Fendrel was supposed to have gotten.

             

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 8

 

 

Hayden stared at the diamond pattern; he had lost all the anger for Sebastian, all his rage was replaced by immense sadness. This poor egg has been waiting for over forty years to hatch, and now it’s being tossed aside because they think it’s not worthy to hatch for them.

              “What’s going to happen to my egg?” Hayden asked, never taking his eyes off the silver egg.

              “You have lost everything and you are worried what’s going to happen to an egg that you’re never going to get? Ha, how foolish you really are.” Sebastian laughed and pushed Hayden so he fell on his backside.

              “That’s enough boy, he is defeated, leave him alone.” Elizabeth spoke with a ring of authority in her voice.

              “WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TO MY EGG?” Hayden shouted as loud as he could. Everyone stopped to look at him and he finally allowed his eyes to wonder away from his egg and see what everyone else was doing.

Elizabeth was no longer hiding her anger for the situation getting out of control; Sebastian was still smiling, knowing he had gotten back at Hayden. Shane was the only person who was moving, with his broad dragonet following right at his feet, and he was heading to Sebastian with a look on his face that showed Sebastian was not going to be smiling for long.

              “Your egg has been here longer than any other egg, it has been here so long we are not sure it would even hatch any more, at least not completely healthy anymore. So we will do what we have done in the past with such eggs. We will shatter it. So rejoice in knowing that your egg will not wait any longer.” Elizabeth had calmed down, but she had no remorse in her voice to show she cared about the wellness of the egg.

              “What?!? How could you do this to an egg, what about the dragon inside?” Hayden jumped to his feet and Sebastian stood right in front of him with his chest bowed out. Shane had been stopped by Ricen.

              “If there is still a dragon in there that is, but you don’t understand how the hatching works and I won’t explain it to a non-rider. You have had your fun, Sebastian, it’s time for this boy to leave and his egg to leave also. Since you wanted all this Sebastian, you can take the egg down to the egg chamber and destroy it.”

              “With pleasure.” Sebastian went to turn around to grab the egg, his own dragonet was trying to get his attention, but he pushed it out of the way and reached out for the egg.

              “I don’t think so,” Hayden said to Sebastian. He lost his egg; he had failed and lost the only thing he had wanted. There was nothing left to lose so there was nothing they could do to him if he tried to stop him. What was the point of living a life were you could not be doing what you wanted to, what you loved to do? He had nothing to lose to them.

              Hayden struck Sebastian in the side of his head with his balled up fist. Sebastian made no sound, he did not even try to stop it, he smiled all the way to the ground where he laid there with his eyes closed and a fading smile across his face as he fell unconscious. Ricen pushed Shane back and ran at Hayden, the egg stood in between them, but that was not going to stop Hayden’s rage.

Hayden ran head long at Ricen, his adrenalin being pumped all through his body as his heart beat faster than it ever had before. He had forgotten about his injuries, he no longer felt them as he ran faster and faster.

              Hayden went to jump over the egg and pushed off the egg with both hands to throw his legs over it. In his rage induced state he watched Ricen slow his run and try to back up, but he was moving too fast so that he slipped and fell onto his backside and slid a foot towards Hayden.

Hayden barely saw the light that fell on Ricen, but he did realize that his face was now distorted with fear. Hayden tried to think as to why he was so scared of him, Hayden had hoped to knock him out like he had done with his son but Ricen had gone from angry to scared in just a second. He tried, but was too angry to focus on any one thought.

              Before Hayden’s feet touched the ground he saw a large silver dragonet streak across the short distance that remained between Hayden and Ricen. The dragonet lunged on top of the terrified Ricen. Hayden landed and ran the few steps to help whoever’s dragonet had attacked Ricen.

              “Control your dragon, Hayden, or they will kill it.” Cass spoke strong and loud, her voice broke through Hayden’s rage and shattered it like a piece of glass. He stopped and looked back to where his egg had been but it was gone. He looked back at the dragonet and saw that it had its maw open and, with rows of short but sharp teeth, was about to bite down on Rican’s throat. Hayden was confused and his thoughts had not caught back up to him but he had to stop the dragonet.

              “Stop!” he shouted. The dragonet closed its maw and slowly backed off the trembling Ricen. The dragonet had kept its back to Hayden so that it was facing Ricen. Hayden was amazed that a dragonet had listened to him. Why did it do that, he wondered, but then his heart that had been beating so fast just moments before now stood still in his chest as his thoughts started piecing together.

The dragonet turned to face Hayden and he saw the same dark diamond that had been on the egg was on the dragonet head, the bottom point of the diamond coming to rest in between the dragonet’s eyes and the top point was between where the horns would eventually grow.

              My dragon? Hayden thought because although he could think again he could no longer control his mouth that was hanging open. The dragonet continued to stare at him, it looked the same as the other two silvers did but it had full use of its body as if it had hatched weeks ago where the other dragonets, except for Shane’s copper, were still flopping around while they tried to walk.

              Hayden was aware of movement, and he looked away from his precious dragon to see Ricen getting back up and screaming at anyone who would listen to his ranting.

              “Someone do something about this! He cannot have a dragon, there are supposed to be four not five riders! Did you see how his beast attacked me? He needs to be punished! I demand it!” He shouted so loud that the echoes continued bouncing off the walls for a few seconds after he quit yelling. His face had turned a deep crimson as he looked from one throne to the next.

              The Rulers of Three leaned in around Elizabeth and conversed quietly amongst themselves for just a few seconds. Then Cain again got off his throne and walked down the steps of the platform; he walked past Ricen and walked strait to Hayden’s dragonet. He knelt down and looked the dragonet over, checking its wings to make sure they extended properly and examined it to make sure it did not have any deformities. 

He spent a few minutes alone looking at the diamond on its head. He did not make a sound as he worked, and Hayden was shocked to see the dragonet that had just been ready to kill Ricen was now letting this man pull its wings out and handle it without a single complaint.

              Cain stood up and looked back at the thrones. “The dragonet is completely healthy, he looks to be stronger than the others and he is completely in control of limbs,” he said.

              “No, you can’t be thinking about letting him keep this beast are you?” Ricen yelled at them.

              “He was provoked by you and your son, and it was your son’s arrogance and pride that pushed Hayden to such actions. He did not try to take the egg but instead just tried to hurt you and your son.” Elizabeth quickly placed blame on Sebastian and Ricen. She ignored the fact that she had allowed them to push Hayden so far.

              “My son!” Ricen interrupted Elizabeth and ran past Hayden and his dragonet, making sure not to turn his back on the silver beast, and ran to his son’s side. Sebastian was just starting to moan and ask where he was and what was going on.

              “As I was saying, since it was not his intentions to take the egg we will not take it from him. Hayden, you will be trained and continue on just like you were supposed to.” Hayden’s heart started to beat furiously as he looked into the eyes of his dragonet. His eyes were of the same design as a humans, but his eye color was silver that was too brilliant to have been any persons.

              “You can’t do that; look what he did to my son!” Ricen was standing over Sebastian and almost kicked him as he stomped his foot to show his aggression.

              “I can, and I am not done, I am the Golden Queen who sits on one of the Thrones of Three and you will not tell me what I can and can’t do. Your son has grown up with you fixing his problems and taking care of his every want and desire; that ends today. Your son will continue his training, but for the next year you will go to the Ice Tower in the southern territories.” The room went silent as Elizabeth’s anger poured out of her.

“There you will be stripped of rank and titles and you will be given to the lowest tasks. Should you complete one hole year without a single complaint from your betters then you will be given your rank and title back, but you will miss your son’s first year and first flight.” Elizabeth nodded to the silver riders that stood around Ricen and they grabbed him and dragged him out kicking and screaming.

Sebastian was sitting up, but looked like he had just woken up in a dream; he was very disoriented and looked like he wanted to cry. “As for you, young man, you will have to learn to survive without your father rescuing you every time you need him to. You will also be ranked as a copper rider instead of a silver, you did not earn it and it was a mistake to listen to your father. Should you earn your own honor, you will then be given the rank of silver as your dragon deserves. Now all of you line up in front with your dragonets.” Elizabeth spoke harshly to everyone; this was not a time to disobey her orders.

              Hayden walked to his dragonet and placed a hand on his scaled head; the beast pushed his head up like a cat and forced Hayden to rub his head. His scales were ruff but not thick, nothing like the armor that they would grow into. He especially liked to be rubbed on the soft scale-less skin around his eyes.  Hayden hated stopping showing his affection to the dragonet, but he did not want to abuse Elizabeth’s grace, so he walked slowly up to where the others were standing, his dragonet walking right beside him.

              He stood in between Cass, who was on the right and the last one in line, and Shane, who stood to his left and had Giles on his own left. Sebastian tried to get someone to help him up and played like he was still hurt, but when no one helped him he slowly rose to his feet and made his way next to Giles. 

              Shane’s copper was starting to show some of the same characteristics of a dog and kept standing on its back two legs and propping its front legs on Shane. He kept telling it no and quietly tried to get the dragonet to stay still.

Cass’s golden dragonet sat just like the giant golden dragon Hayden had seen earlier did, it was like a small golden statue. Giles’s silver was the only one making noise as it whimpered at his feet, Giles tried to ignore the silver beauty, but when it got to loud he stomped his foot right next to its head and scarred it so that it quit making noise. Sebastian’s silver was acting like a snake as it bobbed its head up and down and kept shifting its eyes from one person to the next.

              Hayden’s silver was playing as he sat beside his feet. The dragonet leaned against Hayden’s leg and was playing with his tail; he kept looking up at Hayden as if asking if he wanted to play with him.

              “Here is what we are going to do now; we are going to continue on with the ceremony and present all five of you and your dragonets to the people of Celestial City. Then, once that is over, you will each be shown to your new rooms, and there you and your dragonets will be fed and you will sleep.” Elizabeth looked at each of the five new riders as she spoke.

“After the celebration, someone will come fetch you and give you orders as to what you will do from now on. You have one year before your first flight, one year to prepare for the dangers out there, do not waste your time here.” She stood up abruptly and the other two stood right after her. They walked down the steps and made their way to the giant doors. An older man rider came and instructed them to follow him.

              Following him led them the same way that The Three had gone, but they made much slower time due to the dragonets. The dragonets were like small children in that they had to keep their attention and keep them moving or they would stop and play with each other. They finally made it to an archway that led out to the balcony they were going to be presented to the city.

              The rider instructed them to wait as he went through to see when they needed to come out. He poked his head back out and said it was going to be a few minutes till they were ready for them.

              Hayden, Shane and Cass kept their dragonets together and watched as they sniffed each other and proceeded to play with each other. They ran around each other and tried to roar but it came out as little squeaks. Giles and Sebastian’s dragonets obviously wanted to join the playing but every time they tried to join in they would get pulled back by their tails.

              “I am so happy for you; I got worried there for a while. I really thought that they weren’t going to let you get a dragon.” As soon as the dragonets were deep in their play Cass gave Hayden a hug and spoke just loud enough for the three of them to hear.

              “She is right, Hayden. Once they decided to let the riders decide I knew something was wrong, but I never thought they would actually try to take your egg away from you.” Shane seemed to be almost as distraught as Hayden had been when they first told him he was not going to get an egg. “But you still got your egg and that’s all that matters, right?”

              Hayden’s little silver looked up from the ball of dragonets that had been rolling around and looked at Hayden as if waiting for an answer. “Of course, he is all that matters now.” Seeming to agree with the answer Hayden gave, his dragonet went back to wrestling on the floor.

They did not speak to much as they waited; instead they watched the beautiful colors that were reflected off their dragonets. Hayden just stood in amazement as he watched his silver play with the others. He had wanted this for so long, and now it amazed him and made it feel like a dream now that it had arrived.

              The man came back through the door and he ushered them through quietly, as quietly as you could move five just hatched dragons. As they neared the edge the man told them to stop, and whispered to them to wait here until they heard their names called, and then they were to walk out beside The Three and line up with their dragonets. Hayden was last in line, but he could still hear what Elizabeth was saying.

              “This year’s trial has been an extraordinary one, testing the limits of tradition and going above and beyond what any past year has ever brought us.” Cheers from the crowd filled the air. “As I have said, tradition has been stretched and things that have not happened in a long time have happened today. Let me introduce the new riders; Giles The Silver, Sebastian The Silver, Shane The Copper, Cassidy The Gold and Hayden The Silver.” She yelled all their names out so close together that they all ran right behind one another.

              There was no more cheering as they listened to her rattle off the names of the riders and the colors of their dragons. From what Fendrel had told him just a day before it had been many years since they had a silver egg chosen. The past couple of years had all been four coppers and it had been longer than anyone cared to remember since a golden egg was hatched.

Hayden could tell that from when they had been in the Hall of Stories, there had been more copper armor then anything, but there were only a handful of golden armor seen. Now this year they were getting three silvers, a gold and a copper. Then they broke loose as one man cheered, Hayden knew the voice as soon as he heard it and it made a smile come to his face.

              Fendrel, he was cheering as loud as he could over everyone else. He had started everyone else clapping and cheering. The three new riders waved awkwardly at everyone, while Giles and Sebastian just stood like statues with grim looks on their faces.

              “Now that you have met the new riders it is time to enjoy the celebration of our most successful trial yet. To stick to tradition, the riders will be spending the night alone with their new dragons, and then tomorrow they will come and join the festivities.” Elizabeth had to shout to try to speak over the continued cheering, the crowd might not have heard what she had to say but everyone on the balcony did.

The man that had guided them this far was going to take them to their new rooms. They turned and left the cheering people behind and went back to walking through the torch lit hallways of the Metallic Pyramid. Their footsteps were muffled by the thick paws hitting the ground and the constant clicking noise made by the dragonet’s claws.

              “Since we only ever have four new riders each year we only have four rooms ready for you, but our queen has seen fit to allow you, Cassidy The Gold, to have a room with the other gold riders.” He stopped them at a side hallway where an older man wearing golden armor nodded to each of them and beckoned for Cass to follow him.

The gold rider was slightly hunched over with a white beard and long white hair pulled back in a ponytail. He turned and motioned for Cass to follow him as Hayden and the others continued on. She said good bye to Shane and Hayden and they watched as she disappeared with her golden dragonet down the corridor.

              After she had left their walk continued for a short while until they came to an open room that looked like a large circle. Four doors were evenly spaced apart and they all appeared to be identical. The man again stopped and instructed them on what to do next.

              “These will be your rooms for the next year; you will come back here every night unless told otherwise. There is food and drink in each room for you and your dragon. Tomorrow, someone will come to awaken you and take you to the city to celebrate your triumph.” The rider could not have been any less interested if he had tried.

“After tomorrow your training will begin full swing. You will be given a schedule and you will be expected to follow it every day. Are there any questions?” No one had any, or they kept them to their selves. “Good, now each room is the same so it does not matter which one you pick. Good night, good luck, and I will see you in the morning.” He gave a slight bow and turned on his heels and walked back down the corridor they had come through.

              “So who wants which room?” Shane asked. Giles gave an exasperated sigh and walked into the furthest room on the left, Sebastian then took the one next to him without a word or sound. They both slammed their doors as soon as their dragonets were through.

              Shane looked at Hayden and Hayden just shrugged his shoulders. “Well I guess that narrows it down, which one do you want?” he asked Shane.

              “I don’t care really, I wouldn’t mind the one on the far right though, if it’s ok with you.” Hayden had no objection to which room his friend took so he opened the door for Shane and ushered him and his dragonet in. Once he closed the door behind him he went to open his own door. He pulled his door open and let his dragonet go through first, and it led the way by sniffing all over the floor just like a hunting dog would.

              Once his own dragonet had made it through the door way he entered, and while closing the door behind him looked around his new home. His first impression was that it was much larger then he thought it would be. The walls were rounded from the floor to the ceiling so it appeared the whole room was an oval.

The ceiling was nearly thirty feet high and, like everything else in Celestial City, everything was made out of metal. The room that they were standing in seemed to be the common room and bedroom. The whole back side of the room was vacant and there was a bed that was a straw mattress lying on the ground with a few blankets that Hayden guessed were for him.

              The room was big enough to fit a large dragon, which Hayden assumed he would have by the end of the year. There was a large open mouth cavern near the vacant side, and when Hayden walked down it he found what looked like a drawbridge with chains and cranks on the side of the walls.

When he pulled the crank down the door slowly lowered itself and it lead to the outside of the pyramid so that his dragon could come in and out when it got too big to go through the door anymore. He continued to explore their rooms and found a small wash room off of the main room.

Hayden had found food in the main chamber and his dragonet was already gorging on the raw meat they had left, Hayden had been worried about the smell but he watched as the silver hatchling even licked the blood off the floor, leaving no trace that there had been anything there before.

              Hayden loved the almost vacant room and sat down on his bed to eat his own food. While he ate he looked at the clothes they had laid out for him. The clothes were very bland and plain, being nothing more than grey pants, a grey shirt and a grey cape. The cape would start on his left shoulder and clasp in the middle of his chest, leaving his right shoulder completely uncovered as the cape went underneath his right arm.

He already knew how it would look because everyone in Celestial City wore capes like this one. Hayden put the food down and was startled to see the silver dragonet sitting in front of him staring at him.

              “I had heard rumors about what dragons can do, I know you will get to be huge of course, and that you can fly and breath fire. I also heard that you can do magic, cause things to happen for no reason and with no explanation, I also heard you can read minds and talk to people through your mind.” Hayden leant forward as he spoke, knowing that most of the stories he had heard about dragons coming from the Harvest Tavern back in Erskine were just the ramblings of old drunks.

              Yes and no. A voice sounded in his head, it was not the normal voice that he heard when he talked to himself and he was sure he had not meant to think it.

              “Was that you?” he asked the hatchling.

              Yes. He heard, clearly in his mind, the same voice as before. It was a male’s voice, and deeper than his own by a little bit.

              “You can talk to me then?” Hayden was too amazed at what he was hearing to be concerned with whether or not he was crazy.

Instead of answering, the hatchling just nodded its head. Hayden felt his heart start racing again and his lungs fight for air as if he was under water or the air he was breathing just wasn’t enough. Calm down or you are going to pass out, Hayden, the dragonet spoke in his mind. Even though Hayden was not sure how to feel about what was going on, he did calm down and try to figure out what was happening to him.

              “If you have been able to talk this whole time why haven’t you? When you first hatched why didn’t you say hello or something?” Hayden had to keep telling himself to calm down and keep his breathing under control.

              Because if I would have done that then you would have reacted like you are now, but in front of everyone. This is how it has always been; the other riders are probably hearing from their own dragons now. His dragon’s voice was calm and soothing and it did help to ease the struggle that was ragging inside of Hayden’s mind.

              “What else can you do that I don’t know about, you said yes and no to my earlier questions.”

              Dragons can all mind speak with their riders, but only their riders and other dragons. No other human will ever hear me but you, and although I can hear them talk, I cannot hear their thoughts as I hear yours. We can breathe fire and fly like you said, but we have no magic or any kind of strange ability like that that I know of. As his dragon communicated with him, Hayden continued to calm down until he was normal and not on the verge of passing out anymore.

              “Oh ok, so you can actually hear my thoughts, I won’t have to speak in front of you all the time?” Hayden asked.

              That is correct, you can just think and I will hear it as if you spoke it.

              “This is amazing. I guess I have to name you now don’t I?”  Hayden asked.

              The dragonet made a deep muffled sound that Hayden figured was laughing. You don’t name dragons like you do children; dragons are hatched already knowing our names. My name is Draek.

 

             

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

 

Hayden and Draek spent the night talking to each other; Hayden did most of the talking by recounting some of his most prominent childhood memories. At first he was very apprehensive about sharing some of his past but Draek was his dragon now and Hayden did not want any secrets between them.

Hayden told him everything he wanted to know and did his best to answer all of Draek’s questions. He had a hard time explaining some things to Draek but he was more knowledgeable than Hayden thought a newly hatched dragon should be. When Hayden failed to describe some things he had to picture them for Draek to understand.

              Although Draek was too young for memories of his own, he did have a better understanding about dragons then Hayden did. Draek knew things about dragon histories that Hayden had never even heard about.

              So how long have you been waiting to hatch? Hayden had stopped speaking out loud hours after they had started talking.

              I don’t know. A dragon’s egg is a giant stone; there is no live dragon inside an egg. If you break an egg open it’s just like breaking a rock open.

When the egg is unharmed it can withstand immense heat and frigid cold with no affect to the dragon that it will one day become. If they would have broken my egg like you said they were trying to then they would have had silver. The dragons are the egg.

Hayden was having a hard time grasping the idea of a dragon being a stone. He had always thought that the outside was just a shell and that there was a dragon on the inside. They had spent some time talking about how dragons hatched but all they had accomplished was confusing Hayden even more.

              Hayden gave up on the subject and decided to change it to something different. So how are we connected? Hayden asked.

              We are connected in every way; when you touched my egg half of your life essence, what makes you you and what keeps you alive, went into my egg and is now what is keeping me alive. That’s why if you die then I die and it works both ways. Draek walked over to where Hayden was sitting and looked into his eyes.

Hayden thought about what Draek had said and he thought that he understood it. So not only are our thoughts shared with each other, but what drives us is shared too. If I wanted to do good or bad then you would have the desire to feel the same way? Draek nodded at Hayden and spoke in turn.

Our emotions now run off into each other also; if I am angry or cheerful or if you are mad or in a loving mood then it will affect the other. When I hatched you were in a fit of rage against that silver rider, so I felt the same way you felt and attacked him too.

Pain does the same in a way; if you break your arm then the initial shock and pain will transfer to me and for a few seconds it will feel like I have broken one of my front legs. Hayden sat listening with his mind to Draek’s mental voice.

              That would explain why I have always heard of riders fighting from dragon back and not fighting on the ground, because if one would get hurt during the heat of battle then it could prove fatal to the other, Hayden thought to Draek.

              True, and what proves fatal to one is also fatal to the other. Never forget that your life is no longer your own, it is now mine also. If you pass beyond this world then whether or not I am ready or if I want to, I will have to follow you there.

              Hayden thought about what Draek had said. He had never had to worry about anyone or have anyone counting on him before. Now there was someone who would be directly affected by whatever choices he made from this point on.

Being mad at Ricen could have cost Ricen his life and the life of his own dragon. Ricen deserved the beating he was going to get, but Draek would have killed him just on Hayden’s emotions alone. He would have to watch it to make sure he never lost control again.

              They decided it was time to go to sleep, it would be light out soon and they would be required to show up to the celebration. Hayden went and lay down on the mattress and moved around to get comfortable when he noticed Draek walking in circles over the cold ground in the middle of the giant opening.

              What are you doing over there? he asked and Draek stopped his walking and looked at him.

              The dragons always sleep over here. When I grow this will be the only place I will be able to fit. That’s what this part of the room is for; your bed is where you sleep and over here is where I am supposed to sleep, Draek answered his question.

              I understand that once your bigger you will have to sleep over there, but you are not bigger right now, why not come over here? There was not enough room on the bed to allow Hayden and Draek to lay comfortable, but Hayden would be much more comfortable knowing that he was near to him. He could tell by listening to their link that Draek was happy about it too.

              He did not pretend to come over slowly or take his time but instead he galloped and slid into the mattress. Hayden scratched the skin behind the fins on Draek’s head. Hayden lay down with Draek’s head on the bed and his silver body laying sprawled out on the floor. He laughed to himself thinking that for one so smart he was still just a child.

              Hayden closed his eyes and became lost in a world of flying dragons, a world he now belonged to, a world Draek and himself now fitted into.

              They were woken up by Benet beating on his door and shouting till Hayden responded. Hayden tried to stretch out the sore muscles and was painfully reminded about the rope burns and scrapes on his back that he had gotten the day before.

              I am awake, come in.

              There was no answer to his response so he said it again but the banging on the door kept coming.

              You aren’t speaking out loud you are still only thinking, I can hear you but whoever is on the other side of the door cannot, Draek said.

              Oh sorry, I was so used to this. “I am awake, come in,” he said out loud. Yes, Draek, I can tell the difference, he thought before his dragonet could ask his rhetorical question. Draek made the same laughing noise and began to stretch as Hayden got off his mattress and made his way to door to meet Benet.

              “Well good morning, dragon rider,” Benet said as he pushed past Hayden and made his way into the room, walking straight to Draek.  “And good morning to you, silver wings.” Draek nodded his head.

              “His name is Draek,” Hayden told Benet, not in a rude way but to inform him on what to call the silver dragonet.

              “Draek,” Benet said slowly, trying it on his tongue to see if he liked it. “It is a good name, you will wear it proudly,” he told Draek.

              “So what brings you down here this early in the morning?” Hayden asked.

              “Well, I have come to make sure the four of you are awake and ready to go; today we will be parading you guys around for the whole city to admire. You guys will have fun today, which is good because tomorrow your training starts, and trust me when I say that it is no walk in the park, for either of you.” He took his time looking at both of them in turn.

              “They don’t want us telling first timers what to expect so that you guys won’t have a jump on the training. The trials were nothing compared to what you have before you; how you do here will decide whether you become a general in the flying army one day or be nothing more than a messenger.”

              Although being a messenger was not the worst thing in the world to be doing, Hayden could feel the desire to be a great leader, flying in at the front of every battle, seeping over from Draek’s mind.

              “Now come on, you two, get ready and look your best. Hayden, clean up and put on the clothes they laid out for you. Once you are done, meet the other three in the corridor, I will be waiting for you there.” He bowed slightly to them and bid them both farewell.

              Once Benet was gone, Hayden made his way to the wash room with the garments he had been given. There he bathed and put on new clothes and examined himself in the mirror. He looked just like everyone else. Except a lot of the people he saw in town wore brilliant colors and his were a dull grey. That was ok with him though, he did not like the clothes that made someone stand out.

              He gently washed his hands and tried his best to keep the wounds from reopening. While he had been cleaning he examined the wounds and found that they were healing nicely. His hands hurt the worst and were going to take the longest to heal.

              Once he was finished he stepped outside his door with Draek and found that he was the last one to have gotten ready. They all had matching clothes, and Giles and Sebastian did not seem to like it.

              Shane’s little copper was affectionately rubbing its head on Shane’s leg. The bags under Shane’s eyes showed that he did not sleep that much either. Shane saw Hayden walk through his door and waved him over. Hayden had to walk past Giles and Sebastian to get to where Shane was standing.

              As he passed he noticed that they both still looked like they did not notice their dragons. They were not giving them any attention or showing any kind of affection towards them; it was almost like they did not care about their dragons.

              Those poor dragons, Draek said to Hayden.

              What do you mean? I know they don’t look happy right now, but their riders might warm up to them.

              No they won’t. Remember, I can see the dragon’s mind like I see yours. Their riders are evil and have no room in their blackened hearts for love or compassion. Those feelings are already beginning to taint the dragons; after one night with them they have already begun to turn towards darker thoughts and they are very short tempered, they heard me try to talk to them and they now want to fight because I “dared” to touch their minds. I am going to hate to see what they become after years with their riders.

              Hayden had no response to Draek, and his dragon wasn’t looking for one. Now Hayden had seen what could happen if their connection was abused. He was amazed that so much damage could be done within just one night.

              As he neared Shane he introduced his dragon to him.

              “Shane, I would like you to meet Draek.” Shane told the silver how happy he was to meet him.

              “Hayden, I would like to introduce you to my copper, Rilora. Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?” Hayden looked at the copper that was staring up at him, he could not tell whether or not it was a boy or a girl but he knew that she was a beautiful dragonet.

              “She is beautiful, she is a fine dragon.” Shane and Rilora both seemed to appreciate the complement and both Shane and Hayden watched as the two dragonets walked around each other in tight circles. Then all of a sudden Draek jumped and the wrestling match was on.

              Hayden had to move against the wall that Shane was against to avoid getting a painful tail whip to the legs. They both watched on with adoring eyes as their dragonets played together.

              “So you look like you had little sleep last night too,” Hayden said.

              Shane nodded to him, never taking his eyes off his copper. “We got settled into our room and started eating. Halfway through our meal she asked me how I liked the food and I about choked on what I was eating. We started talking, I guess that’s what you would call it, and we lost track of time. Then we laid down to rest and before we could get comfortable there was a knock on the door from Benet saying it was time to wake up. How did your night go?”

              “A lot like yours did actually; when we were done exploring our rooms we sat down to eat and the Draek and I started talking. It was very different at first and a little unnerving but we stayed up almost all night too, just talking about everything and anything.” Hayden straitened his cape as he stayed near the wall; it had become ruffled up with him trying to avoid the still fighting dragons.

              “Have you seen Cass at all?” Hayden asked Shane.

              Shane smiled at Hayden before he answered, “No I haven’t, when Benet left your room I was already ready and waiting out here so he told me he would come back in a few minutes, and that he had to go and get her.” Shane tried to keep a straight face the whole time, which made Hayden start to blush.

              “Good, you are all ready; then we don’t have to wait on any one.” Benet spoke loudly as he made his way back down the hall. Trailing behind him was Cass and her golden dragon. It was hard to figure out which one drew the most attention.

              Cass’s dragon was slightly smaller than Draek, and where Draek had a broader chest and was thick all around, the golden dragonet was thin and walked with its head held high and its legs moving like a cats, two by two, with smooth fluid movements. The golden also had no distinctive marks, just like the giant versions. Hayden noticed that Rilora was chewing on the end of Draek’s tail playfully, but he was sitting still, not paying her any attention and staring at the gold like he had never seen it before.

              Then Hayden’s eyes landed on Cass herself. She was wearing a version of the grey clothes that the four men were wearing. Were they had grey strait pants and their shirts the same color with long sleeves, she wore the same color clothes but her pants were slightly baggier, and they were worn lower than theirs. Her top was not a shirt but it looked like a large triangle piece of grey cloth that was tied around her chest, the point going down to her navel, allowing her stomach to be seen. She had no sleeves or anything on her shoulders but the same cape that went down the center of her chest and covered her left shoulder but allowed her right shoulder and arm to be free of the cloth.

              Her dark hair hung loose on her shoulders, except one strand that stayed in her face, and she wore the same grey shoes that went half way up her calf. Hayden had been unable to get a good look at her body when they had first met, but now that a lot of the mystery was gone he was impressed. He decided that Cass was the one out of the two to keep his eyes on.

              We should stop staring, Hayden thought to Draek.

              We should but in a few seconds, was his reply.

              But they might notice us looking at them, Hayden thought as he watched Cass slightly sway her hips as she walked, causing the point of her top to move from side to side like a pendulum.

              They already know and your mouth is hanging open, you have some drool on your shirt, Draek told him with just a slight hint of humor in his mental voice.  Hayden didn’t even try to hide his staring; he closed his mouth and used the back of his shirt sleeve to wipe the drool that he now felt off his face. Then, using the same hand, he wiped of the front of his shirt, never taking his eyes off her as she drew in closer to them.

              She is so beautiful, He thought.

              She is, just look how her wings fall on her sides so smoothly.

              How do you know the gold dragonet is even a girl? Hayden asked.

              She is, trust me, how do you know Cass is a girl? Draek responded with slight agitation.

              Look at her, of course she is a girl.

              Exactly the same with the golden beauty, you just don’t know what to look for.

              Before they could pass any more unheard statements, Cass and her dragonet where in the corridor that held all four of their rooms; Hayden tried to look over at the wall across from them as if he had not been staring the whole time.

              “Hi, boys, I would like you to meet my dragonet, Shaylin.” Shaylin bobbed her head up and down at the mention of her name. Draek was the first to move, Rilora had stopped chewing on his tail and was content to sit and watch what was happening. He walked tall and strong, never breaking eye contact with Shaylin. He started leaning his head forward and sniffing the air, she copied his movements until they both were standing apart with their necks stretched out as far they could with the tips of their noses barely touching.

              A short bugle sound erupted from Sebastian’s silver as it ran at Draek, more stumbling then actually running, and jumped on his back, pushing him to the floor in front of Shaylin. Draek tried to raise his head but the silver on his back swatted at him, forcing him to keep his head low to the ground.

              “Sebastian, tell your dragon to stop!” Shane yelled before Hayden could protest to Sebastian himself.

              “Why would I do that, if Hayden’s little pet can’t defend himself against a silver dragonet what’s it going to do against a dragon that really wants to hurt it. Plus, this is proof that they aren’t meant to be here, they aren’t meant to be dragon and rider.” Sebastian smiled at Hayden after he spoke, Giles stood beside him snickering in his hands.

              Are you ok? Hayden asked Draek.

              I am fine, he can’t hurt me, and he is distracted by Shaylin.

              Draek, get him off your back. Try rolling over and kicking with your hind legs, try to throw him into the wall. Hayden tried to send mental images with his words so that Draek would not get confused. Instead of an answer he just felt Draek’s anger building up inside him and his adrenalin began pumping through his veins. He felt him try to envision what he was going to do so he wasn’t just blindly attacking.

              Then, in a smooth yet aggressive movement, Draek rolled over onto his left side, causing Sullivan to expose his chest or get rolled over with Draek. Once Draek was fully over onto his back he kicked his hind legs into Sullivan’s gut, throwing him into the wall that was almost five feet away. Draek rolled back onto his feet to meet Sullivan, but when the other silver started to raise Shaylin slammed her tail to the ground, stopping them both in their tracks.

              “Did you see that? Hayden’s dragon viciously attacked Sullivan for no reason. He needs to be punished!” Sebastian had jumped from the wall he was leaning on as soon as his silver had hit the wall. He was running at the dragons when Draek growled deep in his throat; causing Sebastian to stumble slightly and move more cautiously to his dragonet. “This is only to be expected from a savage and his pet.”

              “All I saw was your dragon try to hurt Hayden’s, but as it turns out Draek knows how to defend himself,” Benet said with a look of contentment written upon his face; Sebastian knelt by Sullivan and glared up at Benet, never speaking the dark thoughts that lurked in his mind. “Quit playing around you guys and let’s get a move on; the whole city is waiting to grovel at your feet.” Benet turned and began to walk swiftly down the corridor, his leather boots echoing off the metal walls.

              Hayden walked next to Draek and inspected him, making sure he was alright, even though Draek continued to protest, saying that if he was hurt he would be the first to know. Convinced that Draek had not been hurt Hayden and Shane, with Draek and Rilora following close behind, made their way up to Cass and Shaylin. The six followed Benet; leaving Giles and Sebastian with their dragonets behind.

              “What were you thinking? Letting Draek get caught up in that fight, both of them could have been severely hurt,” Cass said as soon as they were turning down another corridor and could no longer hear Sebastian’s curses.

              “I did not let him get caught up in that fight, he was attacked and he defended himself.” I can’t believe we are getting yelled at by Cass about that fight, there was nothing we could have done to avoid it, Hayden thought to Draek after he had finished speaking to Cass.

              Cass had said something but Hayden had missed it because he had focused on relaying his thoughts to Draek. He felt like an idiot asking Cass to repeat herself, knowing it was more harsh words towards him. Draek did not reply to his statement, Hayden figured it was because Cass was still yelling.

              “I said you could have avoided it instead of encouraging it.” She walked a few steps in front of them and Hayden tried to pay attention as he watched her dark hair bounce up and down with her furious steps.

              “I did not encourage it!” Hayden defended.

              “Oh really, then why did Shaylin tell me that when she asked how Draek had come up with the idea to roll over and kick Sullivan. He told her you had told him what to do.” Hayden looked down at Draek, who was still walking beside him, but was now looking at the walls away from Hayden to avoid eye contact.

              Really Draek, you told her that? Hayden asked his guilty-acting dragonet.

              I might have let it slip, Was his response after a few seconds hesitation.

              “Ok, so I told Draek what to do, but how could I have avoided the fight? Sullivan was on top of Draek’s back, he could have really done some damage. What if he would have cut open his wings?” Hayden hated asking because it put the gruesome image into his head; he did not like the idea of Draek getting hurt.

              “You could have asked him to call his dragon off, you could have asked him what he wanted or asked Benet to stop it, but you didn’t have to fight.” Cass sounded more upset as she spoke.