“This is Dragon’s Egg Lake,” Islwyn informed her.
“It is so peaceful here,” Evie said.
Their dragons took off into the sky.
“Wait,” she said, surprised. “Where are they going?”
“To hunt,” Islwyn said, sounding unalarmed.
“Oh,” Evalina replied in relief. “What do they eat?”
“Meat,” he said. “Wild animals.”
“Have you ever known any dragons to eat humans?” Evie asked curiously.
“Before they were trained and bred…yes,” Islwyn said. “Which was a long time ago. Dragons have been bred for centuries now. I don’t know about your red-and-black dragon though. He didn’t come from the breeders and isn’t trained. Now, if you come across a wyvern, you will be in trouble.”
“Wyverns are like dragons though,” Evie commented.
Islwyn chuckled. “Sort of. They are descendants and look similar, except they have two legs instead of four. Wyverns have smaller arms with claws attached to their wings. We have never been able to train the taste for human blood out of them. They can be trained to ride and use in battle, but it is risky for the rider. It would take harsh training or a lot of magic to get a wyvern under control. They have been known to eat their riders. They don’t bond with them like dragons do.
“Dragons have a connection with their riders, a gift from Yng and Gyr who made the first dragon riders. Wyverns are almost impossible to control. Goblins and orcs use them sometimes. In the past, dark wizards flew them in support of Gwythr. They used their magic to control the beasts. They liked the wyverns’ thirst for blood. It makes them a deadly opponent.
“Wyverns live in caves and on high mountaintops. You can sometimes see them flying around the Forbidden Lands and in the Dragon’s Teeth mountain range that borders our lands. Naturally, they will keep to themselves unless they are hungry or feel threatened. Some might even still be living up in the Whispering Mountains in the north controlled by the dwarves, but they are rarely spotted now around villages. Dragon riders and the King’s Army tried to rid the land of wyverns to make it safer for the people of Eryieth.
“There is also a descendant of dragons and wyverns called a wyrm. They’re a bit more common than wyverns, partly because of how quickly they breed. A wyrm looks more like a giant serpent with the head of a dragon. Sea wyrms have no legs and slither low to the ground or swim. They live in seas, swamps, and some rivers. I have come across some. Nasty creatures. They’re venomous and quick to strike. They’ll wrap you up in their coils and squeeze the life out of you.”
“Are there wyrms in Dragon’s Egg Lake?” Evie asked nervously as she glanced over at the dark blue water.
“Not for over half a century,” Islwyn replied. “No need to worry about that. But there are also land wyrms that live in the deserts of the Everlasting Wasteland and in other dry sandy places like Boulder Valley and some caves. Then there are the drakes, smaller, fire-breathing versions of dragons that live in caves and in mountains, but you will learn about all of this in more detail at the dragon school.”
Evie was fascinated by the beasts. She listened to Islwyn intently. “Do you think I will have to fight one?”
“It is an inevitable part of the life of the dragon rider,” Islwyn admitted. “We are dispatched at times to protect a village or a harbor from a bothersome wyrm that starts killing villagers. I have only encountered wyverns when patrolling the Forbidden Lands. Mostly, I try to leave them alone unless forced to fight one. If they aren’t bothering anyone, I don’t see the point of killing them off.”
“You have a respect for all life,” Evie said.
“We are all children of Yng and Gyr,” Islwyn replied.
“Does that respect extend to everything banished to the Forbidden Lands?” Evalina asked.
Islwyn paused. “There is always an evil for every good. While I might have a respect for all life, not all life returns that respect. I strive to uphold all that is good in this world.”
“So what else will I be learning there?” Evie asked.
“During training, you’ll learn survival skills in case your dragon falls and you find yourself far from any village or in the Forbidden Lands. You’ll be trained in physical fitness and dragon aerial combat as well as hand-to-hand combat with and without weapons. You will train with all weapons to have a general knowledge of them, but you’ll be observed, and you’ll focus more on training with what you seem naturally inclined to use. For me that was archery, but I also fight with a sword. Of course, you’ll know how to use any weapon you come across in battle should you lose yours and have to pick up another.”
“I used to mock sword fight with Áedán as a child,” Evie said with a laugh. “Other than that, I’ve never handled a weapon before. I’ve never even chopped a piece of wood with an axe on the farm. Father and Áedán always cut all the firewood.”
“They will train you well. Not to worry. You will also study basic combat healing, geography, and history. You’ll learn about the strengths and weaknesses of your enemies. You’ll also learn enough about magic to use the potions and powders that will aid you on missions and quests. The school has several mages who prepare our magical tools for us.”
“It seems like so much,” Evie remarked apprehensively. “How will I ever do this?”
“You will,” Islwyn said matter-of-factly.
“How much longer until we arrive?” Evie asked, looking out over the lake again. She wondered how long their dragons would be off hunting.
“A few more hours,” Islwyn replied. “Are you ready to fly again?”
Evie nodded. “Yes.”
Islwyn whistled for Saria using his dragon whistle. They scanned the horizon and waited. Saria came moments later with Emrys, playing as they flew toward them. The dragons swirled around in the air, nipping playfully at each other. Then they dove down toward the lake, skimming the water with their feet before flying up again.
Islwyn laughed. “They remind me of Yng and Gyr.”
Evie smiled, “Do you think they love each other?”
“He follows her around like a puppy,” Islwyn remarked, smiling. “Yes, I think they do.”
A rush of wind hit Evie’s face as her dragon flapped his wings, landing before her. He let out a loud screech, greeting her. She and Islwyn mounted their dragons again and commanded them into the air.
CHAPTER 12
Evie lost track of time as they flew toward King’s Citadel. She was too busy admiring the view of the land below as they soared over green pastures, rivers, and mountains. She always wanted to see more of Eryieth, and now she was. They crossed the Winding River after some time, and soon King’s Citadel was in sight.
A large, protective, gray stone wall surrounded the city. It was enormous, extending high up. The walls were so thick they would be difficult to penetrate without a large force to knock through them. Several tall, rounded watchtowers were placed evenly on the top of the wall, allowing guards to keep a total watch on anything oncoming. A wide moat extended the entire length of the wall, but it was oddly empty of water.
“That’s the King’s Wall,” Islwyn shouted. “It borders and protects all of King’s Citadel. And just inside is a secondary wall for extra protection.”
As they passed over the wall, Evie saw a second, smaller wall a short distance from the main wall. It had no watchtowers but was thick enough for archers to stand on top and take out anything that breached the first wall.
She wasn’t born in the times Eryieth was constantly at war. She couldn’t imagine needing the safety of two walls. It made her home in River Town with its simple wooden fence seem so vulnerable. And it had been. She recalled the attack last night.
The clouds were dark in the sky to the northwest portion of the city. A storm was coming their way.
Evie saw the palace in the distance and got excited, pointing ahead. Islwyn smiled and nodded his head.
The actual palace was large and perched upon a cliff ov
erlooking the ocean. A high, arched bridge connected the palace to a large tower sitting upon a rock island in the water, overlooking the ocean. Its purpose eluded Evie. A watchtower maybe? She was curious about it and wanted to ask Islwyn when they landed.
Homes and businesses started just inside of the wall and continued to the flat bottom of the city center and then all the way to the coastline. The main gate into King’s Citadel was heavily guarded. The sturdy, thick iron gate of the massive stone archway was closed.
Evie saw a large fortress within the flat part of the city center. Another wall with a heavily guarded gate surrounded it. Inside, various buildings were scattered around. She saw more dragons within the walls and riders flying around the city.
“That’s the dragon school,” Islwyn said, pointing to the large fortress she had been looking at.
“It’s almost as big as the king’s castle!” Evie shouted across to him. “What’s that over to the north?” She pointed to another large fortress with its own separate protective wall.
“That is the training and living quarters for the King’s Army. Some soldiers live there all the time. The rest train and move out to various outposts, villages, or within King’s Citadel itself.”
Evie was amazed. She had never imagined King’s Citadel was so large. “This is incredible!” she exclaimed. “It’s so big!”
“Follow me!” Islwyn shouted, smiling.
He took her around in a circle, surveying the city. They swooped up by the king’s palace and back down to the ocean where they flew so low, their dragons’ claws skimmed the water. Evie laughed with delight, feeling free as she flew around. They came back up over the wall and flew low over the city. Little children ran down the street after them, watching them fly by and waving excitedly.
Evie and Islwyn landed in the middle of an open area beyond the walls of the dragon school. Islwyn dismounted his dragon and walked over to assist Evie off of her own.
Evie took Islwyn’s hand and hopped off her dragon. Emrys and Saria moved closer together and nuzzled their snouts. Evie took a look around. A crowd was beginning to form. The dragon riders had stopped their various training exercises and were staring in their direction.
“I should have warned you to expect some curiosity,” Islwyn said suddenly. “After all, there have been no new female dragon riders chosen in decades. Most of the women dragon riders are old and retired, though some do come by the school and teach a course or tell stories of their glory days.”
Evie was worried. Would they accept her? “What now?”
“How about a tour?” Islwyn said, smiling as he put his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her in the right direction.
“All right,” Evie said eagerly.
“The other chosen riders have also been called in early to begin their training. The boy chosen from your village, Colwyn, should be arriving soon with another dragon rider escorting him. The rest of the initiates should be arriving over the next few days. There are still three more days of dragon-choosing ceremonies left after today as the dragon keepers make their way back to the citadel. Then we’ll have an official ceremony and dinner,” Islwyn informed her. He guided her to the combat area where the riders had resumed training but eyed them occasionally.
“How many dragon riders are there?” Evie asked. She counted about twenty training with weapons.
“A little over one hundred active riders and even more retired,” he replied. “Most of the active riders live at the institute, as we train for several years. Some of the retired riders serve on the dragon-rider council and run the school. After initiate training is complete, some of the active dragon riders stay on to help train for half of the year, and the others are deployed on patrols with the King’s Army. Then they switch for the other half of the year; however, riders at the institute can be called out on a quest at any given moment. There are quarters for dragon riders and their dragons at any of the King’s Army outposts.”
Evie nodded as she listened. So at any given moment she could get called to fight some orcs or defend a town from a bothersome wyrm. She had always known dragon riders led exciting lives.
“Islwyn,” a voice called out from behind them.
Evie turned her head and saw Zeb, Islwyn’s closest friend, jogging up behind them.
“Zeb,” Islwyn said cheerfully, embracing his friend in a quick hug. “Chased the horde all the way back to the border?”
“Yes,” Zeb replied, his voice full of excitement. “Killing a few members of the horde in the process.” He turned to Evie and smiled. “Can you believe they shot an arrow at my dragon?”
Evie laughed. “How foolish of them!”
“I made them pay for their mistake,” Zeb bragged.
Zeb and Islwyn laughed.
“I bet you did,” Evie remarked, laughing.
“I was just about to give Evie a tour,” Islwyn said. “Do you want to join us?”
“Sure,” he said, walking next to them as they walked to the weapons-training area.
Islwyn pointed to a small building by the training grounds. “Over there is the armory. You can check out weapons and practice on the wooden people until you are ready to do live training with another rider. There are several instructors out here to show you how to grip a sword, aim a bow, and throw daggers and axes, among other weapons.”
“Islwyn is an archery instructor,” Zeb added. “Best archer around.”
“Something else I didn’t know about you,” Evie said teasingly.
“Zeb isn’t too bad with a bow and arrow himself,” Islwyn said, laughing. “But yes, I will be instructing you how to shoot with a bow and arrow on the ground and from the air on your dragon.”
“This is so overwhelming,” Evie admitted.
“You’ll be fine,” Zeb assured her.
They paused to watch a pair of riders dueling with their long swords. A tall, strong, handsome young man moved swiftly, striking blow after blow. He knocked the sword out of the other rider’s hand. All of the riders watching cheered in response.
The good-looking young man noticed Evie and walked toward her, smiling from ear to ear. “I heard we have our first female dragon rider,” the young man said. “I assume that is you.”
“You assume correctly,” Zeb said, sounding defensive.
“Yes, that would be me,” Evie said. “My name is Evalina. Evalina Voll.”
“Trystan,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “Prince Trystan the First, second eldest son of His Majesty King Brendyn the First.”
“Uh,” Evie stuttered awkwardly. She didn’t know one of the princes was a dragon rider, though it wasn’t unusual. Several royal family members were usually dragon riders. “Pleasure to meet you, Your Royal Highness.” Evie curtsied quickly and awkwardly, almost falling over.
“Please,” Trystan said, chuckling. “At the institute, I am just another rider. The institute does not acknowledge titles amongst their riders outside of their own established ranks. You may simply call me Trystan.”
Evie giggled to cover up her nervousness. Trystan seemed nice enough, slightly arrogant but pleasant. He was extremely good looking as well. He was everything she imagined a prince to be like and look like. He wore a blue dragon emblem on his training garb. It was the same emblem Zeb and Islwyn wore, but they were different colors. Zeb’s was white, and Islwyn’s was blue, the same colors as their dragons.
Evie pointed to Trystan’s emblem. “You have a blue dragon.”
Trystan looked down at his emblem. “Yes, a metallic-blue male dragon. He has the power to breathe lightning bolts. I call him Taranis.”
“Oh, so he doesn’t freeze like yours does, Islwyn?” Evie asked.
“No,” Islwyn confirmed. “But yes, you will notice the riders wearing the color emblem that matches their dragons.”
“Well, I better get back to training,” Trystan said, interrupting them.
“Nice work with the sword, Trystan,” Islwyn said. “If you’ll excuse us as
well, I need to show Evalina the rest of the grounds and get her settled in her quarters.”
Trystan put his hand out, signaling for them to carry on. “I’ll see you later, Evalina.” He winked as she passed by, causing her to blush.
They walked through the rest of the combat-training area and then over to the dragon shelters. Evie was amazed at how many different colored dragons there were: white, blue, green, black, red, purple, copper, and silver, among others.
She found where her dragon had made himself comfortable. Emrys was snuggled up in the hay with Saria. He would stay in the dragon shelter with the other dragons to sleep while she was in training.
Zeb said good-bye and left them to go see his own dragon, Eira, for a while.
“Wyn, do the dragons leave to hunt, or do the keepers feed them?” she asked.
“The dragons are fed while they are here at the institute; however, we let them go off to hunt for a while whenever we take them out flying. They need to keep those hunting instincts sharp,” Islwyn explained.
As they left the dragon sanctuary, Evie wondered when she would get to fly Emrys again. She followed Islwyn to the next and last part of the tour, the main building.
The large fortress was constructed using stone and wood and was several stories high. Two large stone dragons stood on either side of the arched doorway they entered through. The dragon-rider emblem, the same as they wore on their rider clothing, was engraved over the large, double-doored entrance.
They entered the institute doors and passed into a great open room. Staircases on either side led to different places she had yet to explore, and a grand main staircase spiraled upward to the floor above. Hallways led off from the doors on either end of the great room.
“You will use this staircase to get to your room, Evie,” Islwyn said, pointing to the main staircase. “If you want to get to the dining hall, take that doorway on the right of the great hall and follow the hallway down to the last door. The mage’s infirmary and the library are also down that hallway. All of your classes will be through the doors on the left over there.” He pointed to the decadent double doors on the left side of the great hall. “There’s another hallway by the stairs leading to the far side of the fortress. It leads to the dragon-master quarters. Most of them are old and can’t make it up the stairs anymore.”
Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth Page 9
