Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth

by Kristin Secorsky

Evie woke up early on her first day off from training since her arrival at the dragon-rider school. In fact, they had the next two days off. It had been a tough couple of weeks. Every inch of her body ached from their grueling training. She arrived totally out of shape. But in just a few weeks, she could see muscle definition forming in her arms and legs.

  Today, Evie planned to go to the market to buy gifts for her family. Then she wanted to go for a quick overnight visit to see her family and return late the following evening. She dressed and left without eating. She wanted to try some of the food from the villagers in the market.

  She had no idea what the other riders had planned, and she didn’t ask. Evie knew for certain that she wanted to go home. She skipped out of the gates of the dragon school excitedly. She didn’t know her way around King’s Citadel at all, but how hard could it be to find the marketplace?

  She soon discovered, with the help of a few people, the way to the main marketplace where traders and craftsmen from all over Eryieth came to vend their goods. The smells tantalized her nose as she approached. She sampled foods from the vendors until she was full.

  Next, Evie stopped to purchase loaves of bread, one round and one long. She imagined it would please her mother to not have to bake bread the entire weekend she was visiting. Then they would have more time together. Evie also purchased some exotic citrusy fruits that she had never seen before and some sweet pastries.

  Evie nibbled on an apple she had purchased as she walked through the marketplace, street after street. She wanted to find some special fabric for her mother to make a new dress. The fabrics in King’s Citadel were more varied. Sometimes traders came to her village, but most of the fabrics were expensive. Even with a successful farm, her parents could not afford the luxurious fabrics.

  Evie made more than she needed as a dragon rider. The king paid dragon riders a handsome salary. It was more than enough for her expenses and to help her family. She decided to give her father a sack of gold and silver dragons from her salary instead of purchasing a gift. He would appreciate the money more so he could afford to pay someone to help with the work on the farm in her absence.

  When she was finished at the marketplace, Evie returned to the dragon school to pack her purchases and retrieve her dragon. She sprinted up the spiraled stone steps to the third floor. Once she was inside her room, she grabbed a large travel sack out of the chest at the foot of her bed and packed her gifts and some clothing. She moved quickly, excited to return home. She closed her door to her chambers behind her and locked it, placing the key around her neck. Evie paused and stared at Islwyn’s door. I should say good-bye.

  She walked across the narrow hallway and knocked on his door. Islwyn answered quickly and smiled upon seeing her. He was topless, wearing only soft brown pants. She eyed him up and down quickly. She didn’t know whether to look away or not, and she found herself staring at his bare chest. He had been hiding some serious muscles under his rider garb. She glanced down, embarrassed, when he gave her an inquisitive look. That is when she noticed a book in his hand. She felt bad for interrupting him. He was obviously relaxing in bed reading. After all, it was not even noon yet.

  “Evie!” he said happily. “Going somewhere?” He nodded his head, acknowledging her travel sack.

  “Yes,” Evie replied. “I am going to visit my family overnight. “But I will be back late tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Evie,” Islwyn said softly. “Initiates are not permitted to fly their dragons alone. And I am afraid a trip from King’s Citadel to your family’s village by horse would take too long.”

  Evie felt let down. She thought the flying rule only extended to quests and not to family visits or for pleasure. “Oh,” she said, feeling disheartened.

  “But perhaps I can escort you,” Islwyn suggested. “I can sneak off for a few hours and visit my own family as well.”

  Evie smiled happily. Islwyn was a good friend to help her. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he replied. “Now give me a few moments to get dressed and pack a few things. Then we can go.” He opened the door wider and signaled for her to enter. “Please come in and have a seat. I won’t take long.”

  Evie followed Islwyn into his room, shutting the door behind them. Islwyn walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a few items. Evie noticed a long scar on his back.

  “How did you get that scar?” she asked.

  Islwyn chuckled. “I was fighting a wyrm in a fishing village up north. He struck me with his spiked tail. It stung a great deal from the venom. Luckily, there was a healing mage in town who was able to patch me up before it did more damage.”

  “Sounds very…scary,” Evie admitted. “Sometimes I wonder if I will ever be as good a dragon rider as you.”

  “You will be,” Islwyn said. He closed his bag and slipped on a shirt and vest.

  Evie looked away so he could change into rider pants. She too was in her rider gear so she could look impressive for her family. A few moments later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look.

  Islwyn smiled and spoke softly. “Let’s go.”

  Evie nodded and grabbed her sack, tossing it over one shoulder.

  They reached her village before dinner, flying low over the streets for the villagers to watch. The little children chased after their dragons as they swooped around in the air, putting on a little show for them. She could remember dragon riders passing over when she was a kid, displaying some kind of flying trick. Evie smiled at the memory.

  Her father was outside working alone when they landed. It was too late in the evening for him to still be working. He looked surprised to see her at first, and then he smiled.

  “Father!” she said, dismounting Emrys and running toward him. He dropped his axe and ran toward her, meeting her halfway and swooping her into an embrace.

  “My Evalina,” he said, patting her back. When he let her go, he looked at her with sudden concern showing on his face. “Is something wrong?”

  “Not at all,” Evie said, laughing. “I am back for a brief visit.”

  “A most welcome visit,” Áed said. “Your mother will be so delighted.” He nodded at Islwyn. “You are very welcome to stay for dinner.”

  “The pleasure would be mine,” Islwyn said. He walked toward them carrying both of their travel sacks.

  Evie glanced back as Emrys and Saria took off to the skies to hunt. She and Islwyn followed her father into the house.

  “They’ll be back,” Islwyn said comfortingly.

  “How did you know I was worried?” she asked with a laugh.

  “You always have the same look of dread on your face when you leave Emrys,” Islwyn said.

  “I do?”

  Islwyn nodded yes and laughed. He held the door open for her and followed them into the house. He closed the door behind them and set their travel sacks against the wall by the door. Evie’s mother was in the kitchen kneading bread and didn’t look up. Evie reached for her sack, removed the loaves of bread, and held them up in the air.

  “It smells wonderful in here. Whatever is cooking would go great with some bread,” Evie said, walking toward her mother.

  Her mother stopped kneading the bread and turned around in surprise. Her face lit up when she saw Evalina. She placed her hands over her face, laughing and getting white flour all over her cheeks.

  “Oh, Evalina!” she exclaimed, running toward her.

  Evie embraced her, trying not to drop the bread. “What are you cooking?”

  “Stew,” Freyda replied. She continued to hug Evie, not letting go.

  “I have missed your cooking,” Evie said, pulling apart from her mother. “I have been on a diet of roast chicken and vegetables since I left.” She laughed. “You remember Islwyn?”

  Freyda nodded and hugged the elf rider as well. He hugged her back in surprise.

  “Please stay for dinner,” she said cordially, brushing flour off Islwyn’s clothes.

  “I fully intend to,” Is
lwyn said, laughing. He sat down at the table next to Evie as Freyda served some bowls.

  “How long will you be staying?” Áed asked, sitting down at the table, picking up a knife and slicing the loaves of bread.

  “Only overnight unfortunately,” Evie answered. “These are our first days off.”

  “How is training?” Freyda asked.

  “Hard, but I am enjoying it very much,” Evie admitted. She looked around, confused. “Where is Áedán?”

  Suddenly, her mother burst into tears. Evie looked over at her father with concern. Her father looked angry.

  “Shortly after you left, Áedán ran off and joined the King’s Army,” Áed said, “leaving me alone to do all the work on the farm. I had to hire extra help with you and Áedán both gone. But I ran out of money to pay them quickly. So now I am doing all of the work alone.”

  “He will be all right,” Evie said. “But why would he do such a thing?”

  “Something about not wanting to live the boring life of a farmer and die without seeing the world,” Áed said, shaking his head. “And now, there is no one to take over the farm when I retire. I am not as young as I used to be. I cannot do this alone. I may have to sell the farm.”

  Evie pulled out the sack of money she had intended to give him. “No, Father. I was going to give you this as a gift anyway. Please take this to help.” She was so angry with Áedán. How could he leave their mother and father alone? How could he go make a life in the army without consulting her? She felt betrayed. She had been dragon-chosen and left, yes, but she had planned to return to him as soon as training ended. She had envisioned them living in a little home in the village where she could continue her dragon-rider duties. They could have even built a home on the farm. Apparently, Áedán had other plans.

  “Thank you, sweet child,” her father said gratefully, accepting the bag of gold and silver coins.

  Freyda set four bowls of stew on the table and then sat down with them. Evie took a bite of the delicious yet simple stew of meat, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onions. Her mother had thickened the broth with flour.

  Evie glanced over at Islwyn who was sopping up the gravy with his piece of bread. He ate it quickly, seeming to enjoy it. He looked over at her with a mouthful of food and winked at her playfully.

  After dinner, Evie and Islwyn sat at the small round table by the hearth and played a game of wyrre. That evening, Evie slept in her old bed. It felt comforting and familiar. She lay awake, staring across to Áedán’s empty bed. She wished he had waited to speak with her before leaving. He was in King’s Citadel now, training. She could try to see him somehow. Maybe Islwyn would be able to get her in for a few minutes.

  Evie dozed off eventually and had terrible nightmares. She dreamed that she was trapped inside a dark fortress, and Áedán lay dead at her feet on the cold stone floor. She heard evil laughter over her screams.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Evie,” said a male voice. “Wake up, Evie.”

  Evie sat up in bed with a frightened cry. She was distraught and looked around, forgetting where she was for a moment, only to realize she was back at home. Islwyn sat on the edge of her bed where he had been trying to wake her up.

  “Are you all right?” Islwyn asked. His brow was furrowed with concern.

  “Yes,” Evie said, though her heart was racing and she felt shaky. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

  “You were having a bad dream.” Islwyn reached over and hugged her.

  “It felt so real,” Evie said as Islwyn gently stroked her hair. “He was dead.”

  “Áedán?” Islwyn asked.

  “Yes.”

  Islwyn sighed. “I know you are worried about him. He will be fine. I saw him fight, untrained. He is tough. I actually think he will do very well in the King’s Army.”

  Evie shook her head in agreement, pulling away from Islwyn. “You’re right. It was just a horrible dream. He can take care of himself.”

  “I need to drop off a letter from the master rider to the dragon-rider outpost in another village on the way back. I was supposed to take it on my days off. Not much of a day off, I suppose.” Islwyn said, laughing. “We should get going.” He reached over and gently wiped a tear off her cheek with his thumb. He looked her in the eyes and smiled, and then stood up. “I will leave you to get dressed.” He went down the stairs from the loft.

  Evie got out of bed. She pulled her hair out of its messy braid and brushed it quickly, plaiting it again over her shoulder. She changed into her riding gear and packed up her travel sack.

  Out in front of the house, Evie bid her parents a sad farewell. The visit seemed too short. She missed her home and her family. On the other hand, she was also excited to return and continue her training. Her parents watched sadly as she mounted her dragon. She waved good-bye to them and smiled as Emrys took off into the air after Saria and Islwyn.

  They flew for several hours to Saltstone, a fishing village northwest of River Town. As they flew overhead toward the rider outpost, Evie saw that Saltstone looked similar to her own village, with the exception that it was on the coast. They flew over the docks on Fisherman’s Bay. The fishermen stopped what they were doing and looked up at the impressive sight, waving at them.

  “Each outpost is headed up by a superior dragon rider. They rank above regular dragon riders but below dragon rider masters,” Islwyn explained after they dismounted their dragons and walked toward the main building.

  “Do you not want to be at an outpost?” Evie asked curiously.

  “No,” Islwyn said. “I like training initiates. The life of a dragon rider isn’t always exciting quests. Not now anyway. We live in a pretty peaceful time compared to the dragon riders of the past. We haven’t been at war in decades, so it can get boring at outposts. At least during training, there is a lot of action to keep me busy.”

  “I understand,” Evie said.

  “Plus, I was chosen to be an instructor to teach initiates because of my superior archery skills. Being at the institute also puts me directly in line for quests.”

  “I hope I will get to go on a quest soon,” Evie stated.

  “You will. The dragon trials are coming up at the end of the year,” Islwyn said as they reached the door. “You’ll find out more about them in the next few weeks. For now, I can show you around the outpost, and then you can go see the village while I talk with the superior rider here.”

  Islwyn did as he said. He showed her around the outpost. The building was nice but not as nice as the institute. It was more basic, but they had plumbing. They still had servants to prepare their food and take care of the outpost. Each dragon rider had his own quarters. The riders had a training yard and a large shelter for their dragons. She could be transferred to the outpost in her village and be near her family after her training was complete. That would have been the plan, but Áedán had to leave and join the King’s Army. So she would try to stay wherever he was.

  Islwyn introduced her to the superior rider and then left her on her own for a little while. What they had to discuss was for privileged ears only. She decided to take a walk over to the docks. Fishermen were hocking their catches beside their docked boats. It smelled of salt and rotting fish. Evie stopped at a woman’s table who was selling oysters.

  “Fresh oysters?” the woman asked.

  “I have never had an oyster before,” Evie admitted.

  “You must try one then,” the lady insisted. “You won’t find fresher oysters in all of Saltstone.”

  Evie laughed. “Then I must try some!” She handed the woman a few silver dragons, and the woman began to cut open an oyster.

  “Well, look at this, lucky girl,” the woman said, removing a tiny black ball from inside the shell.

  “What is that?” Evie asked, studying the black ball.

  “A pearl,” the woman said, cleaning it off. “You have never seen a pearl? You must be from a farming village.” She laughed as she handed the pearl over to Evie. “Here, keep it. It
will bring you good luck.”

  “Thank you,” Evie replied, admiring the beautiful pearl.

  “You can have a jeweler in town put it onto a necklace or ring for you,” the old woman recommended as she forked the oyster loose in the shell and then handed it to her.

  Evie put the pearl in her pocket and then took the oyster. “How do I eat this?”

  “Just tilt your head back and swallow,” the woman said.

  Evie did as she was instructed. She cringed as the slimy meat slid down her throat.

  The woman smiled expectantly. “Well?”

  Evie didn’t care for the texture, but it was tasty. “It is good,” she replied.

  “Would you care for another?” the woman asked. “Perhaps this time with a little lemon?”

  Evie didn’t want to offend the woman, so she nodded her head yes. “Please.”

  The woman began cutting another shell open. Evie looked out over the choppy blue water of the bay that seemed to go on forever. Something in the distance caught her eye. A ripple of water. Then another. Then she saw blue humps moving above and below the water. “What is that?” she asked.

  “What is what, dear?” the woman said, smiling and turning around to look. The smile vanished from her face quickly as she caught sight of the creature in the water coming closer and closer to the docks.

  Evie could make out more of the body as the humps went up and down. Whatever it was, it was huge.

  The woman cried out, “Wyrm! Wyrm!”

  “No!” Evie cried in disbelief.

  The fishermen all heard the woman and shouted down to the docks. Suddenly, the village warning bell rang. People ran away from the docks as fast as they could. Evie didn’t move. She was frozen as she stared in awe and fear at the sea wyrm swimming closer and closer.

  “Run!” the old woman yelled as she left her table and ran away. “Run away, child!”

  Evie reached down to her dragon whistle and blew on it. The monstrous head rose out of the water as it swam closer. The wyrm let out a loud, screeching cry as it crashed upon the docks, knocking Evie off her feet. She fell with a hard thud to the wooden planks of the dock. She watched in horror as the wyrm stretched out its tail and slammed it down next to her. The spikes on the wyrm’s tail grazed Evie’s arm as she rolled out of the way, trying to get to her feet. She cried out in pain as the venom stung her flesh.