Cloud Lands Saga Box Set Books 1-3

by Katie Pottle

  “Problem, gentlemen?” An instructor from Air asked.

  Gregor shook his head before speeding forward. Cadin looked up at the tall instructor. “I think we are good, thanks.”

  They rounded a bend and stopped briefly in front of the Arena. They continued after a warning from Liaison Roger about attempting to fly over it.

  “Too little too late for that one, eh,” Lep said, nudging Cadin on the shoulder. Gur spit a small fire-ball his way.

  “Ha ha, right?” Cadin pet Gur on the head and thought of something. Turning to find the closest instructor, he made his way through the milling students to where Instructor Kade was chatting with his mom and dad.

  “Hi. Um, Instructor Kade?”

  “Yes, Cadin?”

  “What are the rules for pets in the Games?” Gur perked his head up, but stayed put in Cadin’s shoulder.

  “I asked on your behalf upon our arrival and I am afraid he is not permitted while you are competing and will have to stay with your parents or a friend. Other than that, he can be with you.”

  “Oh, okay. Thanks.”

  “No problem.” Instructor Kade stopped and pointed. “There it is.”

  “What?” Cadin and Lep both turned to follow finger.

  “The Competitors’ Village.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Competitors’ Village

  They stood at the top of a hill, where their entire group paused to take in the scene sprawled out before them. In the vast open space rose hundreds of colorful tent canopies with countless angels walking and flying between them. The noise of so many angels in one place washed over them like the buzz of a beehive.

  “Awesome!” Lep said. Sun and Bart had joined them to take in the Competitors’ Village for the first time.

  “The C.V. in Lance was not nearly this big,” Sun said.

  “Yes,” Instructor Kade said, “Contra Quad loves to do things the ‘biggest and best’.” He shook his head and moved to say something to Liaison Roger.

  Roger nodded to Instructor Kade before addressing the gawking group. “Everyone, this is the Calvarian Games Competitors’ Village!” He swept his hand across the skyscape. “As the name implies, it is set up to aid and entertain all competitors, though is open to the public as well.”

  “What is down there?” A girl with an azure Aura asked.

  Roger smiled. “The tents are split up between venders, games, academic studies, and cultural excursions of Condor.”

  Questions ensued, however, Roger held up his hands. “We could stand here all day talking about it, or we can go get you registered and let you find out for yourself! Follow me to the red tent just past the Blue Arch Entrance.”

  Cadin focused on the Blue Arch over the base of the path.

  Roger leapt in the air and flapped his wings several times before settling into a lazy soar towards the tents below.

  Cadin smiled as he took to the air and attempted to follow the red Aura in the now crowded sky. Several of the students flying next to him attempted twists and loops. Gur hissed and Cadin swerved to avoid two angels that collided and crashed to the ground. He turned to see that they were both smiling and helping each other up.

  Instead of landing, Roger flew up higher and circled above the Village, motioning everyone to follow. Cadin reached altitude and looked down. The top view was stunning, and he was shocked to see that the main paths were tinted with color.

  “To the Blue Arch Entrance!” Roger’s shout was muffled by the wind.

  Everyone spread out to land, folded their wings and congregated by the arch. Up close, Cadin marveled at how massive the Blue Arch was.

  The few students who chose to walk instead of fly down the hill slowly joined them. Cadin wasn’t surprised that the group consisting mostly of Araina and her team.

  “They didn’t want to mess up their hair that they spent all morning on,” Sun whispered to him.

  He giggled before turning his attention back to their tour guide.

  “Everyone accounted for?” Roger asked.

  Cadin found his teammates close.

  “The main paths through the Village are colored. This is to help you navigate both from the ground and the sky. There is a colored arch at each entrance with a main path. There are five main Arch entrances and several landing pads inside. You will each receive a map at registration. If you get lost or have a question, look for the bright yellow Information Booths.” Roger flexed his wings and took a breath.

  “After you register, you will meet up with your cloud-land group to explore the Village. Please note that you are a student representative and must follow the code of conduct while here on Condor. No cheating, violence, illegal substances, or rude and unsportsmanlike conduct will be tolerated. With that in mind, please enjoy your stay with us!”

  “Come on!” Sun said, rushing them under the Arch and into the red tent. A dozen stations were set up throughout the tent manned by angels wearing red vests with black trim.

  “Meet outside after we register?” Bart asked quickly. Students were pushing into the tent at an alarming rate.

  “Yes!”

  Cadin ran to the far end of the tent where a young woman behind a white machine smiled at him.

  “Welcome to registration,” she said. “Please place your blank I.D. card into the front slot to begin.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Cadin removed the card from around his neck and pushed it into the slot.

  “Please confirm that you are a qualified and official student competitor of the Warrior Path Calvarian Games by pushing that green button on the bottom.”

  Cadin read the screen and pushed the button. After filling in his name, cloud-land, and team name, he was asked to enter a six-digit security number.

  “Please note that you do not want to make it too easy, as this will allow you access to your money, but you also do not want to forget it.”

  “Got it,” Cadin said as he entered and confirmed the date he found Gur. He stroked his dragon’s head before turning back to the woman.

  “One moment please.” The woman pressed some buttons on her end and the machine made some grinding and pinging noises. Cadin hoped it was not malfunctioning and chewing up his card. A light at the base turned green. “There you are. You may remove your card.”

  Cadin pulled his I.D. card out and slung it around his neck before Gur could stop him.

  The woman laughed before asking him to verify that all of the information was correct.

  “Oh, wow!” The card now appeared significantly different with all his information printed in bold black letters on the front. The clear vertical stripes each had a light glowing at the bottom.

  “Those light bars will fill up with the credits you earn in the Village. The thin horizontal red line is the minimum that must be met by the end of the summer. For every light bar that reaches the blue line near the top, your Commons School will award you a reward of their choosing. Current aro balance is displayed on the back and can be refilled here or at any red tent at the beginning of every week. Questions?”

  “Oh, ah—no. Thank you.”

  The woman waved on the next competitor in the long line that had formed behind him.

  “Grab a map at the exit.”

  “Whew!” Cadin took a deep breath as he exited the crowded tent. Sun and Lep joined him shortly after.

  “Just missing Bart.”

  “I’m here!” Bart said, stumbling out of the tent. “It’s chaotic in there.”

  “Did you see? Twenty aros for the week!” Lep exclaimed.

  Cadin hadn’t looked at the back of his card yet and turned it over. Aglowing₳20 flashed. “Nice!”

  “Remember that must last you the week,” Instructor Kade said, ducking under the tent flap. “Whatever you don’t spend each week will roll over to the next week. However, whatever is not spent by the end of the summer will go back to the Glade Competitors’ Fund.”

  “Powahh!” Lep said.

  “Yes, Mister Leptan. I a
gree that you will find plenty of items, food and gifts to spend it on before the summer wanes.”

  “Exactly what I meant!”

  “Here come the rest of our students. Over here!”

  “Um, where did my parents go?” Cadin asked.

  “We will meet up with them later,” Instructor Kade said. “And now to begin the tour. Open your maps and locate our starting position.”

  Cadin unfolded the stiff piece of paper to find the bird’s eye view of the Competitors’ Village sprawled out.

  “Note that we are hear early in the summer,” Instructor Kade said. “Not all of the booths are fully set up yet. But our tour today should give you all a good taste of what is in store for you.”

  Cadin ran his finger along the paths on his map.

  “The Competitors’ Village is large, well organized, and well protected. In fact, due to the Summer Games—Condor is probably the safest cloud-land in the System. All neighboring clouds have lent support in the form of patrol angels and other resources to help keep all of you safe.” Instructor Kade ran his hand through his short hair. “Therefore, while you are in the Competitors’ Village, you do not need to be with an adult.”

  “Yes!” Lep said, as he stood on his toes, eyeing a nearby food cart.

  “You are free to go between our condos, the Arena and the Competitors’ Village on your own. However, any town or anywhere else on Condor requires permission or an adult to accompany you. You may fly no higher than G-level while traveling. Does everyone understand?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Excellent. Now before I set you lose, let me point out a couple of areas on your maps.” Instructor Kade set his map on the ground and attached magnetic weights to each corner. He pulled out a small rod. A soft light glowed in Instructor Kade’s palm, becoming more intense within the tool. Cadin glanced at the map where a green light circled the Blue Arch at the top of the Competitors’ Village.

  “This was the Arch we entered through, and we are currently here.” The green light paused outside of the red-topped tent. “The tops of the tents and tarps throughout the Village are certain colors and denote what you can expect to find.” Instructor Kade stood from his crouch and stretched his wings. “You are welcome to fly into and out of the C.V.; however, if you are landing, please use a dedicated landing zone. And all flight over should be at a C-level height or above to avoid crashing into the flyway racers. Any questions?”

  “How often are we allowed to come here?” Freddy asked, eyes wide.

  Instructor Kade’s forehead furrowed. “That is a good question, and I want you all to listen up. There are no restrictions other than the opening and closing times of the C.V. Obviously, you will all need to spend some time here to fulfill your minimum academic requirements noted on your I.D. cards. However, a word of caution…” he took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes. “The Competitors’ Village can be distracting and should not be the main focus of your summer. Take a moment to think about your goals and what you hope to accomplish while you are here. Enjoy what Condor has to offer you, but don’t forget why you are here.”

  “Got it,” Lep said. “Can we go explore now?”

  “Yes, go have fun. Everybody meet back at the rooms by six o’clock for dinner!”

  Cadin had to strain to hear the curfew as Lep had already grabbed his arm to drag him to the closest food cart.

  “Welcome to Yari’s Cuisine!” a man wearing a smudged white apron said. “We’ve got the best roshi balls this side of Condor! Five for an aro. What’d ya say?”

  “Ah, what’s a roshi ball?” Lep asked, squinting at the bowl in the man’s hand.

  “What! Never had a roshi ball before? Tell you what—first one’s on me. Here ya go.”

  He handed out small brown pastry balls that appeared to be rolled in something sticky.

  “Thanks!” Lep said, popping it in his mouth. “Soo good!”

  Cadin broke off a chunk and handed it to his dragon. Gur swallowed it down and waved his claws for some more.

  “Must be edible,” Cadin said quietly as he broke off another chunk for Gur before taking a bite for himself. “Hmmm!” The outside coating was sweet and tangy, surpassed only by the rich cake-like middle.

  “Already spending your money?” Sun asked, catching up to them with Bart close behind.

  “You guys have to try these!” Lep said, handing them each a roshi ball from a brown bag. Cadin hadn’t noticed that he had even made a purchase.

  “Those are awesome!” Bart said. Sun nodded in agreement as she fended away Gur from her last bite.

  “Yeah, but I think we should head away from this food corner so we don’t spend all of our money.”

  “Where do you want to start?” Sun asked.

  They all briefly consulted their map before Lep and Bart both looked up and said, “Games!”

  “Fine by me,” Cadin said.

  “Why would they color all the game tents pink?” Lep’s nose was scrunched at the thought.

  “Why not?” Sun said as she headed back the way they came to avoid the food corner route. “Pink is bright, easy to identify, and it’s pretty.”

  “That’s just it! Games shouldn’t be pretty.”

  Cadin laughed with Sun at Lep’s horror-stricken face as they approached the Main Stage.

  “Awesome!” Cadin said.

  In the center of the Competitors’ Village rose a circular platform with several rows of seating all the way around. A couple of dancers practiced a routine on one side, while a crew of construction workers were busy assembling a large tower on the other.

  “Look on the other side of the stage!” Lep tugged on Cadin’s arm.

  Cadin followed his friend’s excited pointing and saw several angels racing through hoops.

  “That is probably the Flyway and the entrance to the games section,” Bart noted.

  Cadin glanced quickly at a couple of the cultural tents on their way around the Main Stage towards the Flyway. There was a tent with unique cloud-creatures that he really wanted to stop at, but his team insisted that he visit it later.

  “Okay, okay!” Cadin laughed as Bart and Lep—both of whom were larger than him, literally picked him up and carried him to the Flyway.

  Gur chirped loudly and flew to Cadin’s shoulder from Sun’s when they set him back down. The dragon spat a couple of fireballs at the quickly retreating Lep and Bart.

  “Ouch! You got my ear, Gur,” Bart shouted as he spun in a circle.

  Cadin waved as Freddy and Cora approached, watching Bart dance around.

  “Eh, hi guys,” Freddy said. “Have you seen any of the vendor tables?” He waved a small green flag bearing the Glade symbol on it.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Are you alright, Bart?” Cora asked, reaching out to his singed ear.

  “Cora! Ah, hi!” Bart’s whole face quickly flushed to match his bright ear.

  Two angels zoomed overhead, twisting through an obstacle.

  “Whoa!”

  “There are seats over there—let’s go watch.”

  “Watch! I wanna race!” Lep exclaimed, opening his wings a fraction.

  “I’ll take you on,” Freddy said. “Let’s go find where to register.”

  They pushed through a crowded section of walkway to find a pink tent top with a large sign that said Flyway Races. A bulky man sat behind a table with a kiosk next to it.

  “Can we race?” Lep asked quickly.

  “That’s what we’re here for. You just have to decide what kind of race.” The man gestured toward a large, colorful sign behind him. “If you want to race for fun and get a handle of the track of the day—you can race anyone including someone from within your team. You can do a fun run with up to six racers at a time.” The man stood up and stretched toward the sign. “Now if you want to race for credit—you have to choose which type of race you want to fly. Races for credit cannot be run with one of your own teammates in the mix. However, there will be some fun team races tha
t will pop up throughout the summer that your whole team can race together—or you can piece together a team with other students.”

  “Okay,” Lep said while tapping his chin and gazing at the sign. “Do you have any empty slots coming up for credit?”

  “We have a straight heat coming up with two openings. Or there is an open slot in an hour that you can sign up for and choose to race for credit or fun.”

  Lep turned to Freddy. “Do you wanna try the credit race?”

  “Before we have even seen the field?”

  Lep shrugged. “Sure, what do we have to lose?” Lep’s face dropped as turned back to the large man.

  “Just my pride, I guess,” Freddy said, smiling. “Okay, you’re on.”

  “Okay, gentlemen,” the angel said. “Slip your I.D. cards into the slot there and I will get you set up. Note that with a six angel race you only receive full credit for first place, half credit for second place, quarter credit for third and a participation point for fourth through six place.”

  “How much is a participation point worth?” Sun asked from the corner.

  “One-tenth a full credit. It takes a while, but they can add up. You boys are all set. Present your I.D.s to Judy at the entrance to the Flyway. Good luck, and have fun.”

  Cadin took a seat next to Sun with Bart and Cora on the other side as they gazed up at the Flyway. There appeared to be a smooth track made up of cloud that spiraled up in the air above them. There were several much more solid-looking cloud-features that were in the shapes of hoops and one large tunnel suspended in the air along the Flyway.

  Lep waved to them from the starting stage before re-focusing on the smooth clouds in front of him.

  “What place do you bet he’ll get?” Sun asked.

  “I hope first, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be an easy one.”

  “Hmm, yeah. I would try to flap ahead of those two blue Auras as quickly as possible and then do my best to keep them behind me. Oh, here they go!”

  A woman holding a red flag waved it in front of the racers and they all took off. Most of them, including Lep, started by flapping their wings to lift up and power forward. One of the blue Aura angels dove off the starting platform which was only ten feet or so above the ground. It turned out to be enough to allow her to glide effortlessly under the other five before flapping forward to take a quick lead.