Dragon School_Initiate Page 3

  I followed in her wake, grateful for the added help in pushing through the crowd. The Magikas and full Dragon Riders were caught up in their own discussions, oblivious to the initiates trying to push through to obey orders. Savette kept her pace slow in deference to my speed limitations and we arrived with the last wave of girls flooding into the dorm. Grandis Elfar was standing on a crate at the back of the room, her hands making suppressing motions to calm the worried chatter before her. Starie was pressed in close, trying to get the Grandis’ attention.

  “Attention, Dragon School Initiates: Inducted, Sworn and Colors,” Grandis Elfar said, her strong out-doors voice booming across the open room. “You can stop trying to get my special attention, Castelans and High Castelans. You are included in this. There are no special situations. Yes, Starie, this means you.” She frowned, her hands pushing down again to suppress the murmurs. “We have been called up by the Dominar and we will do our duty and obey our vows. That means we are leaving Dragon School.”

  A gasp rushed through us and questions poured from every direction.

  “What will happen to us?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “How can that message have possibly meant that?”

  “We’ll be servants! That’s not fair!”

  “Calm yourselves,” Grandis Elfar’s voice boomed out. “All of you, calm yourselves. I’m not going to explore every detail of every message with you. That’s full Dragon Rider business and you are not yet Dragon Riders or you would know what it meant. That being said, this will mean changes that you need to know about.”

  “But how can we become Dragon Riders if you all leave?” Starie asked.

  Grandis Elfar raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. “You saw the Magikas and their apprentices?”

  “Yes.” Starie matched the Grandis’ posture. She really was impudent!

  “That is how they train their apprentices – in the field, learning from a master. That’s how we will have to train you because believe me, we will need every one of you for what lies ahead. Those of you who look excited – don’t be. There is no option anymore for you to opt out and become a servant. From now on, you pass or die.”

  A chill passed over us and I shivered. I’d never considered any other option, but that didn’t make this feel any less serious.

  Grandis Elfar continued, now that she had caught our attention. “You will be divided up among the full Dragon Riders present. Some of you might be with teachers, some might be with those who never wanted to teach. As of this moment, our curriculum and written tests are over. You will learn what you can as quickly as you can from whoever you are assigned to. They will be the final judge of when you are ready to move up in our initiate ranks. They will determine what you may do, what you will learn, and where you will go. Before you ask, no you may not choose who you are assigned to – not even you who came from Castelan families. Yes, your dragon will go with you. We are Dragon Riders.

  “Hopefully, you have learned enough in my tack and stables course to care for your Dragon and his tack. Your life will depend on your ability to apply what you have learned. Yes, some of you will have to stay here. A skeleton crew will be left to run Dragon School in our absence. It is an important fortress as well as a school. Hands down. I already told you that I wouldn’t hear requests for assignments.” She frowned at the luckless students who had raised their hands. “I am sorry not to be able to watch all of you journey to the completion of your studies, but I am loyal to the Dominar and I obey his decrees. You will, too, or you will have me to answer to. Now, pack your bags and prepare yourselves. You will be given your assignments tomorrow at breakfast. Get a good night’s sleep. Some of you may be dispatched to cities, towers, and Castels, but others will be roughing it in the outdoors. You’ll look back on these days of warm soft beds and full meals with longing. Best to enjoy them now.”

  She stepped down from the crate into the murmuring crowd. The murmurs grew louder as she strode through our ranks. I waved to her, trying to get her attention.

  “If she won’t listen to our requests, she isn’t going to listen to yours, Blight!” Starie called out.

  “Who said that?” Grandis Elfar spun around. She scanned the crowd before she sighed. “You are all Dragon Rider initiates. Remember that. Everything else is unimportant.”

  “Grandis Elfar?” I called.

  “Yes?” She looked tired.

  “Can I have a word with you.”

  She nodded and came to where I was, letting the crowd of initiates close behind her as their voices rose with a babble of speculation.

  I leaned in close when she reached me, wondering if Savette was listening in. Her eyes were elsewhere, but she was still at my elbow, brushing against me.

  “Grandis Elfar,” I said. “Can I bring the message to the Envoy? I couldn’t catch him in time in the banquet hall, but I really want to discharge this duty.”

  She frowned but nodded. “I understand that, Amel. Let me discover where he has gone and we will arrange it. For now, stay here so I know where you are. I don’t want to have to find you in a Dragon cote in the middle of the night.”

  So, they did know that I slept there.

  “Yes, Grandis.”

  She left and I slumped a little. With the future so uncertain I longed to be rid of the missive tucked in my waistband. How could I find another chance to give it to the right person? And what would Leng think if he knew that the message he risked his life for was in the hands of an initiate instead of being delivered properly?

  “I think it’s time we talked,” Savette whispered.

  Chapter Nine

  Savette pulled me through the crowds of girls and into the washroom in the back. It was as empty as I’d ever seen it, not a soul in sight. She looked around every corner before pulling me to the basins where water splashed continually and whispered so quietly that I could hardly hear her above the babbling of the flowing water.

  “I need to read that message you’re carrying. Leng Shardson brought it, didn’t he?”

  I swallowed. Why would she ask this of me? “I’ve been charged to give it to no one but another Purple or a Dominion Envoy.”

  Savette rolled her eyes. “You think I don’t know the protocols? They’re stupid traditions. Think, Amel. What if the message is dire and you’re just holding it here, doing nothing with it.”

  “That’s what I told Grandis Elfar!”

  “Exactly. If you let me read it, I’ll be able to interpret it and we can decide if we need to rush away to deliver it.”

  I felt sweaty, suddenly. Her words made sense, but if we tried to do that we’d be caught and that would end our careers as Dragon Riders.

  “Grandis Elfar is looking for the Dominion Envoy. I’ll give it to him.”

  “What if he isn’t here anymore?” Her tone was wheedling. “Shouldn’t you let me read it?”

  “I don’t think so,” I said, wrapping my hand around the cylinder. There was something strange about the way Savette was acting.

  “Listen,” she said, running a hand over her face like she was upset. “I need to see that, Amel. My life depends on seeing that message.”

  “Your life? That doesn’t make sense, Savette. It can’t have anything to do with you.”

  “It does, Amel. It does! You don’t understand.”

  “Then tell me.”

  She looked torn, her hands running over her clothing, like she was trying to wipe the sweat from her palms.

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Then I certainly can’t break my duty.” If only Grandis Elfar would return with the Envoy.

  Savette bit her lip and said, “They’re selling me for peace, Amel. Like a horse. A tribute to a foreign nation.”

  That didn’t make any sense. “No one would do that.”

  She scoffed. “How do you think we get the dragons we ride? They do the same thing to them.”

  Hadn’t Raolcan said the same thing? “Then you sh
ould run away.”

  She looked pained. “I can’t. Not until I know...Listen. If your message is about that, then I have to read it. I have to know...”

  “Know what?”

  “I’ve told you too much already. Please, Amel. You saved my life the night of First Flight. Please tell me you didn’t save it just to throw it away.”

  Her words stung. I, of all people, knew what it was like to be considered disposable. A twinge of pain shot through my leg and hip as it did every time I let my mind remember my injury. Why was it me who had to decide whether to help Savette? This shouldn’t be my burden, too.

  “What’s the Dominion ever done for you that you should be more loyal to its rules and traditions than to me?”

  If I agreed, then my honor was nothing. I might not have much – no title, no lands, no possessions, a broken body – but I had my honor. I couldn’t abandon it so easily.

  “I’m sorry-” I began, but her lunge cut off my words. She launched her whole body at me, striking me with her shoulder in my belly and knocking me off my feet. I threw my hands back to catch myself, the cylinder flying loose and spinning across the washroom to glance off a stone wall.

  “I am, too,” Savette said, pushing herself up and kicking my crutch away so I was forced to stay on my hands and knee. She spun, striding towards the cylinder on the floor, but her path was cut off by Grandis Elfar who had entered the washroom without either of us noticing.

  “You two need to be more careful,” she said, scooping up the cylinder and giving us both piercing looks. “It can be slippery in here.”

  How much had she seen? Did she see Savette attack me? She handed me the cylinder and helped me retrieve my crutch.

  “The Dominion Envoy will receive your message, Amel. Come with me.”

  Chapter Ten

  I followed Grandis Elfar, refusing to look behind me at Savette. Was she angry? Disappointed? Should I have helped her like she asked? Maybe if I had, I really could have prevented whatever bad thing she feared was coming, but what would that say about my loyalty and honor?

  I tried to keep my chin high as I hobbled behind Grandis Elfar. The girls in the dorm were busy packing. It wouldn’t take me long. I had nothing but the clothing, tack, and gear I’d been given by Dragon School. Packing it in a waxed cloth and tying it up into a bundle would be quick enough.

  Outside, it was dark, although the colored lights still burned like a painful reminder of our hope and joy only hours before. It felt like I was saying goodbye to home, even though I’d only been here a short time. When my parents thought of me, this is where they would imagine that I was. I had no way to send them word of what was happening now. No way to let them know that things had changed. So much of life was out of my control.

  We made our way to the Healing Ward – a strange place for a Dominion Envoy, but what did I know? Perhaps they always stayed with the Healers. Grandis Elfar’s steps were sure and she was careful not to get too far ahead of me. Any worry she felt over the drastic changes we all faced wasn’t present in her demeanor.

  We found the Dominion Envoy beside Leng’s bed, speaking quietly with the Healer I’d met before.

  “...recovering,” she said. “We are very hopeful. He woke once, but we gave him a draught to put him back to sleep. He needs his rest to heal.”

  I let my eyes linger on Leng. He was so alive and powerful usually, but he seemed small and vulnerable laid out on a bed with everyone talking as if he weren’t there. I felt a pang of worry rush through me and a protective instinct that longed to watch over him and nurse him back to health. It wasn’t my place, I reminded myself.

  Grandis Elfar cleared her throat respectfully and the Healer looked up. “Ah. They’ve arrived. I will leave you to it. Please try not to disturb his rest. If I am to comply with your request, he will need all the strength he has.”

  What did she mean? Should I be worried about what they were going to do with Leng? Truth be told, I knew little about him, not if he had family or friends or where he came from. I didn’t have much time to dwell on that. The Envoy turned to me, his long, drawn face looking ghostly in the flickering candlelight.

  “Inducted.” It was not a question. “You bear the message brought here by this Leng Shardson?”

  I nodded, shyly, and produced the cylinder handing it to him.

  “Have you read it?”

  I shook my head.

  “Or shown it to anyone?”

  I shook my head again. He nodded, gravely and cracked the seal, scanning the message before telling me: “Thank you for your service to the Dominion.” He turned to Grandis Elfar. “I’ll see High Castelan Savette Leedris now.”

  Cold filled me. Savette had been right. The message really was about her. I bit my lip, took one last look at Leng and as I followed the Grandis back into the night I couldn’t help the tear that trickled down my face. I had three friends here: Leng, Savette, and Raolcan. One lay injured in a bed, the other injured by my refusal to help and the last one would once again go out into the unknown without the certainty of return. What could I do to make things safe for all of them and would I be able to figure out how to do that in time for it to matter?

  Chapter Eleven

  Savette still wasn’t back from her meeting with the Envoy when my eyes could stay open no longer and I drifted into sleep. She was missing, still, the next morning as I rose, washed, and rolled my few clothes and bedding into a roll of waxed cloth and leather bindings. My roll looked the same as every other roll on every other bed as we filed out to breakfast.

  Breakfast, lavish as always, was laid out on the tables, but we ate with funeral-like moroseness and some did not eat at all. Whatever our next few years were to be like, we would find out here. I caught sight of Tamas in a long line of servants at the side of the hall. He had an air of satisfaction in the way he stood. It must feel very secure to be one of the servants right now. Perhaps he had made the right decision for his family after all.

  There was no sign of Savette at breakfast, though I scanned the crowds for her. The Magika Apprentice, from dinner the night before, sat beside me and made a show of being careful not to rub elbows with me or touch anything I had touched. She needed to forget herself. I had more important things to worry about than her.

  I ate as much as I could, despite my worry, glad for a chance to fill my belly and mindful of the words from the night before. This might be my last chance to eat like this. As we finished our meal, Grandis Dantriet stood and addressed us.

  “I wish prosperity and safety on all of you,” he said. “To our guests – we salute you. To our Dragon Riders, I fling you out into the world in hope for a return. To our students – I wish for fruitfulness and maturity. Don’t disappoint me. Following the orders from the Dominar, all required food, supplies and provisions have been brought to your dragon cotes. You will travel in knots of five – one rider and the assigned students. Each rider has been assigned students of his or her color to the extent that we could do that. Some of you will help to transport our honored guests and their apprentices. Grandis Elfar will read out the roll.” He paused like he wasn’t sure what to say to wish us well, but eventually he added. “May you all return here to us by this time next year. Peace be with you.”

  There was a cheer and I joined it. What could possibly keep us away for a whole year?

  Grandis Elfar stood and read off the roll. Savette’s name was not on the roll. I fought a knot of worry in my belly. Perhaps her fears had not been unfounded after all. Eventually, my own name was called.

  “Under Grandis Leman: Amel Leafbrought, Rais Tenpenny, Starie Atrelan. Bearing the injured rider Leng Shardson.”

  My heart leapt. He wouldn’t be left behind. He was coming with us and I would be able to keep an eye on him. I could hardly wait to get to Raolcan and share the good news. I didn’t even acknowledge the poisonous glance that Starie cast my way. That, I would deal with later.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Pack your dra
gons’ panniers carefully,” Grandis Leman chanted as he paced back and forth before us. “Include your own bedrolls and packs, but also the gear you have been assigned. You will all have extra passengers for the first journey, so pack accordingly. You will need room for their gear as well.”

  He seemed happier out under an open sky than he usually did in a classroom. His golden scarves and the long, woven metal strands that hung in his tied-back hair like feathers, made him look like a golden hawk about to take off. We were laid out on the top of the cliffs, preparing the dragons for our knot under his careful gaze. Five other knots were doing the same. All morning, they had been bringing groups of dragons and initiates up in waves to prepare and then launch on the journey.

  “Where are we going, Grandis Leman?” Starie asked, as she fitted the halter and saddle around her dragon. He snapped half-heartedly at her and she dodged the aggression. As trainees, our dragons were still too fresh to be anything close to civilized. Once again. I was grateful for Raolcan.

  I’d snap at her, too. She cinched that saddle belt too tight. You can see how it’s going to chafe him. He’ll be sore and irritated by tonight.

  Should I warn her somehow? Would she even listen if I tried?

  Let Asteven fight his own battles. He’s a golden dragon. You’ll reduce his honor if you fight for him.

  That just seemed crazy. But was it any crazier than keeping a message I knew nothing about from my friend when she needed it? I chewed on my lip as I hooked the panniers into the sides of Raolcan’s saddle and clipped them into place. I could see other initiates across the field readying their dragons. They were too busy to notice me.

  “We head north east,” Grandis Leman said. “Five days flight from here to the Ruby Isles. We carry Magika Hectorus and his apprentices Tred and Corrigan. Rais, as a Color – and the most experienced of the initiates in this knot, you will carry Magika Hectorus and apprentice Tred. Starie, you will carry Apprentice Corrigan.”