Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth

by Kristin Secorsky

  Emrys swooped down, not even touching the ground. Evie stood up, ignoring the pain, and ran to him. She jumped on his side and held on tightly as he took off. She hung off the side of her dragon for a moment, struggling to pull herself up onto his back as the wound on her arm burned intensely.

  Evie looked down. The wyrm was destroying the dock. She knew the other riders would come, but she had to do something in the meantime. Ignoring the pain in her arm, she yelled out a command to her dragon. Emrys swooped down, blowing fire on the wyrm. The wyrm screeched as it was singed. Evie watched in horror as the dock caught on fire. She didn’t mean to set off a fire. The wyrm slithered through the flames, heading toward the boats.

  The other riders approached. Evie watched as a rider with a water dragon put out the fire on the docks before it reached the boats. Islwyn was next to her.

  “Evie!” he shouted. “Are you all right?”

  “My arm,” she said.

  “Go back to the village,” he ordered. “Now!”

  “I can help!” she said stubbornly.

  Islwyn nodded and gestured with his hand. “Follow me and stay close.”

  She flew behind him as he joined the other riders in the defense. A rider on a green dragon was getting ready to attack.

  “No!” Islwyn shouted. “Don’t kill it.” He flew overhead. Saria let out a stream of freezing liquid onto the wyrm. Evie watched in wonderment as it froze in place halfway in a boat it was destroying.

  Islwyn flew down and landed. He walked over to the boat the wyrm had been destroying and climbed aboard. Water seeped through the broken boat quickly, sinking it by the minute. Islwyn disappeared below deck and come out a few moments later, carrying a large, lustrous, blue egg.

  He handed it over to another rider who took back off into the air. “All she wanted was her egg. Relocate them both out to sea,” Islwyn commanded.

  The riders tied a rope around the frozen wyrm and then harnessed it to their dragons. The riders took off into the air, towing the wyrm out to sea.

  Evie landed and dismounted. She walked over to Islwyn. “Why didn’t you let them kill it?”

  Islwyn looked angry. “I need to find out whose boat that was. Sea wyrms don’t normally just come and attack a dock unprovoked. I knew she was looking for something. Some fisherman stole her egg, and she was angry.”

  “Why would anyone want to steal their eggs?” Evie asked. “I doubt they make very good pets.”

  “Back when Eryieth was at war, traders used to raise wyrms in captivity until they were adolescents and too hard to control. Then they killed them and sold their skins for a hefty price,” Islwyn said. “Their skins make for good armor. The king outlawed wyrm armor a long time ago because their numbers were depleting, and we had no need for such armor once the lesser creatures were banished to the Forbidden Lands.”

  “So why is someone taking an egg now?” Evie asked.

  “Exactly what I want to find out,” Islwyn replied. “Someone could be supplying them illegally to the orcs. The orcs could be building another army.”

  “An army as in the prophecy?” Evie commented aloud.

  “I hope not,” Islwyn replied, looking at her seriously. “Did you know that a long time ago, sea wyrms also used to be raised and trained to fight alongside the fleets during the wars of our land?”

  “I didn’t know that,” Evie replied. She felt dizzy and hot all over. Her arm was burning, and she swayed unsteadily on her feet as they stood there talking.

  Islwyn took her arm gently.

  “Evie, what caused your injury?” Islwyn asked, looking at the wound on her arm with concern.

  “The wyrm’s tail struck me on the docks,” she said. Her voice sounded like an echo to her as she began to feel nauseated.

  Islwyn stared at her wound in shock. “Evie we need to get you to a healing mage right now,” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me? You can die from the venom.”

  “I…I wanted to…help…” she said, struggling to get the words out. She fell to the ground. The last thing she heard was Islwyn yelling her name.

  CHAPTER 18

  Islwyn caught Evie as she fell to the ground. I need to get her to the mage. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Islwyn ran back toward the village to the dragon-rider outpost. The healing mage would have everything they needed to treat her wound.

  He ran through the outpost to the mage’s infirmary and threw open the door, startling the old mage. The mage had been sitting at his desk, mixing a potion, but stopped immediately when he saw the wounded rider.

  “Put her down over there,” said the mage as he pointed to an empty table. He walked over to inspect his patient. “What happened? I heard someone sound the alarm.”

  Islwyn panted, trying to catch his breath. “Wyrm attack. She was struck on her arm.”

  The mage leaned over Evie and lifted her arm. The gash was long, and she was bleeding. He walked off to collect some powders and potions.

  “Is she going to be all right?” Islwyn asked.

  “Not to fear,” the mage assured him as he returned to the table. He mixed a few ingredients into a bowl and then applied it to her arm. The mixture bubbled up into a white foam, and then a green liquid oozed out of the wound. “She will heal, but she will be knocked out for a while.”

  Islwyn breathed a heavy sigh of relief. When the wound no longer leaked the green venom, the mage cleaned it off and applied a special salve to her arm. Then he wrapped the wound up with white cloth and secured the bandage.

  “I would advise you to stay here for the night,” the mage said.

  “No, I need to return to the dragon institute,” Islwyn said. “I will fly her back with me on my dragon.”

  “As you wish,” the mage said. He handed Islwyn a bottle of the salve. “Apply this mixture to her arm twice a day until the wound is healed.”

  “Thank you,” Islwyn said, taking the bottle gratefully. He carried her over to a bed against the wall of the infirmary and let her rest for an hour before they needed to go back to King’s Citadel. He left her under the watchful eye of the mage while he went to prepare their dragons to return to the institute.

  When he was ready to go, Islwyn picked Evie up and carried her back to his dragon.

  As they flew back to King’s Citadel, Islwyn stared down into Evie’s beautiful face. He brushed a lock of hair off her forehead gently. He had tried hard to ignore his feelings for her ever since he first met her, knowing she was in love with Áedán. He would have died if anything happened to her today. Islwyn knew in that moment that this was more than an attraction to a beautiful human. He was in love with her.

  Evie woke up in her room back at the institute. She had no recollection of how she got here. Islwyn was asleep in a chair beside her bed. His feet were propped up on the edge of her bed, and his neck was bent in the most uncomfortable position Evie could imagine. Her arm no longer stung, but it was sore. She felt weak and drained of all energy.

  Evie needed to relieve herself, so she got out of bed and walked slowly and carefully to her bathing room. When she came back out, Islwyn was awake, sitting upright in the chair.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked, standing up and helping her back to her bed.

  “Weak, but much better,” Evie said.

  “Wyrm wounds need to be addressed immediately, either with a healing powder to slow down the venom until you can get to a healing mage or immediately by a healing mage.”

  “I thought I could to help,” she said. She climbed back into her bed.

  Islwyn tucked the covers back over her. “I had some soup and bread brought up,” he said, retrieving the tray of food from her table and placing it on her lap. “You should eat something.”

  “How long was I out? And how did I get back here?” she asked.

  “I carried you to the mage at the rider outpost myself, and he treated your wound. Then I flew you back with me on Saria while Emrys followed,” he explained. “You were out for t
wo days.”

  “Two days!” Evie cried out in disbelief. “What about training?”

  “Don’t concern yourself with that right now,” Islwyn assured her. “I made a full report of the event, and you were cleared to heal. You can resume training tomorrow if you feel up to it.”

  Evie nodded her head. “Yes. I don’t want to fall behind the others.”

  Islwyn laughed. “It’s more like you gave them time to catch up to you.”

  Evie laughed. Islwyn reached a spoonful of soup over to her mouth. She opened her mouth and ate the bite of chicken soup.

  “I can feed myself, Islwyn,” she said, laughing.

  “Of course you can,” he said, handing her the spoon. “I apologize for hovering. It’s just the elf instinct in me to want to heal you and take care of you.”

  Evie smiled and ate her soup quietly, reflecting back on the wyrm incident. Islwyn watched her silently, making her feel shy for some reason. He seemed to sense it and stood up.

  “Well, I better leave you alone so you can eat and rest,” he said, turning to leave her bedside for the door.

  Evie grabbed his hand. “Thank you,” she said, “for taking care of me.”

  Islwyn smiled. “Anytime. I will be in my room if you need anything.”

  She let go of his hand and watched as he left the room. Islwyn closed the door behind him gently. Evie felt alone now. The events from before she passed out flooded her memory. She ate her soup ravenously and cleaned up the mess, setting her tray of food outside into the hall for the institute servants to take away. She locked her door and went back to bed, falling asleep again shortly after as she was still exhausted from the ordeal.

  CHAPTER 19

  Evie resumed training in the morning with the other initiates. Prince Trystan was overly attentive of her, making sure she was well after the attack.

  News of the wyrm attack spread to the other villages. She wrote to her family to let them know she was not hurt.

  Over the next week, she worked hard on her aerial combat skills, after seeing what a wyrm could do. She was relieved when her monthly menses came, indicating she was not with child as she and Áedán had attempted.

  Today there was going to be an announcement. She was finishing archery practice when the instructors gathered them all around. Zeb was in front of the group, gathering their attention.

  “Listen up,” said Zeb in a loud voice. “At the end of your first year, you will partake in the dragon trials.”

  Evie listened intently. She had forgotten about the trials after the wyrm attack. Islwyn had said it would be announced soon.

  “The dragon trials test the skills you have learned in the first year of training. They will determine if you are ready to move on to apprentice, where you will observe and assist in actual quests along with your regular training,” Zeb explained. “All of the initiates will be divided into teams. The dragon-rider masters will organize and plan the quests for each team. You will work together on the quest to solve the clues and retrieve an object of the dragon masters’ determination. Of course, we wouldn’t leave you alone. So each team will be assigned an instructor and an apprentice to observe and score the team and also to make sure none of you get yourselves killed.”

  The group laughed. Zeb glanced over at Evie and winked. “The teams will work together, but you will be scored individually. Anyone who doesn’t receive exceptional marks will repeat the first year of training. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir!” the initiates hollered back excitedly.

  “Use your time wisely during the next couple of months to prepare for the dragon trials. Study hard. Train harder,” Zeb advised.

  Evie was also excited. She knew she would not fail. She was focused on her training and determined to succeed.

  The following day in magic class, High Mage Garan brought out a new set of powdered magic. He gave everyone a few practice bottles before he began his instruction. Evie enjoyed magic class and waited impatiently to hear what they would learn today.

  “Today, you will learn how to conceal and reveal,” said High Mage Garan. “You can conceal yourself, an object, a location, or even another person. With the reveal powder, you can find objects, people, locations, and messages. This will be valuable should you find yourself alone and surrounded.” He raised a bottle and threw the contents of the bottle above his head. He disappeared from sight. “Where did I go?” The old mage chuckled.

  “How long does the magic last?” asked Colwyn.

  “That depends on the size of the object. The larger the object, the quicker the magic is drained. You would have to reapply,” the mage said while reappearing. “If you don’t have any more to reapply, then I suggest you run as fast as you can while you are invisible.”

  The class murmured excitedly. Invisibility! Evie was amazed at the contents of the tiny bottle of magic sitting on the table before her. The mage instructed them to practice with each other. Evie wrote a message on a piece of parchment and concealed it with the contents in her bottle. Then Colwyn used his bottle to reveal the message. They did this with a variety of objects until it was time for their next class.

  Her other classes were going all right. Geography was easy for her, but languages was hard. She enjoyed flying with Emrys most of all. The physical fitness training was grueling. She ran daily in a group with the other initiates, led by a few instructors. In the beginning, Evie lagged toward the back of the group, but, after a few weeks, she was able to keep up in the middle of the group. She was lifting heavy logs and building her strength. She was able to hold the heavy swords now, and the muscles in her arms were becoming more defined. She would prove to everyone that she could make it. Most importantly, she would prove it to herself.

  CHAPTER 20

  Another week of training passed. Evie was getting dressed for a special event at King Brendyn’s palace. Today was Remembrance Day. On Remembrance Day, everyone honored the fallen dragon riders and the soldiers of the King’s Army who fought to drive back the evil armies that were now banished to the Forbidden Lands. The king was hosting a celebration feast at the castle for dragon riders and soldiers of the King’s Army. Evie was excited to finally see the palace, and she hoped she could get a chance to speak to Áedán.

  Her new rider clothes had been custom-made for her and delivered. They hung in her wardrobe. She chose her formal rider attire for such an event: a long-sleeved black shirt, black vest, black pants, and black knee-high boots. She looked down and fingered the red-and-black dragon emblem on her vest, smiling at it. Hers was one of a kind, as no one else had a red-and-black dragon.

  She plaited two strands of hair back and away from her face and then melded them together in the back, leaving some hair loose. They were not training, so there was no need to keep her hair up and out of her face.

  Unlike the soldiers who were to march in a parade the short distance to the palace, Evie and the other dragon riders rode their dragons so the king could show them off. Evie kept Emrys in line as they flew in succession to the palace. The sight of all the dragon riders flying over the streets of King’s Citadel was magnificent. Evie waved at the crowds of people who had gathered along the streets to watch the spectacle. Little children waved back excitedly.

  She dismounted her dragon eagerly, pet him good-bye, and followed the group of dragon riders up the castle ramp to the heavily guarded entryway. Soldiers guarded every few feet of the ramp, standing still and attentive.

  Inside the palace, Evie found herself in awe yet again. Prince Trystan came up beside her.

  “Impressive, isn’t it?” he said, admiring his own palace.

  “Unlike anything I have ever seen,” Evie replied.

  “I hope you will stay close to me this evening,” Trystan remarked, smiling at her with those perfect teeth. “I would like to personally introduce you to His Majesty, my father.” Trystan looped his arm through hers in a gentlemanly way and escorted her toward the banquet hall.

  Evie looked aroun
d for Islwyn. He was busy talking with Zeb and another instructor, so she let Trystan guide her inside. While the others took their seats at the tables, Trystan led her over to the king’s table.

  “Trystan,” Queen Rowena exclaimed happily. She stood up and rushed over to embrace her son.

  “Mother,” Trystan replied as he hugged her. When they pulled apart, the queen noticed Evie. She eyed her curiously but continued talking to her son.

  “It is so good to see you. How is training?” the queen asked.

  “Strenuous,” Trystan answered. “But, Mother, I would like you to meet Evalina Voll, our very own female dragon-chosen.”

  The queen smiled at Evalina, and her mouth hung slightly open in surprise.

  Evalina curtseyed low. “It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”

  “How do you do, Evalina?” the queen asked.

  Evie rose after being acknowledged.

  “She is very beautiful, Trystan, is she not?

  Trystan smiled. “Yes. She is indeed.”

  “Are you escorting her this evening?” the queen asked, smiling slyly at her son.

  “Yes,” Trystan replied.

  The queen smiled and nodded her head in approval.

  Evie said nothing. She didn’t want to insult the queen or Trystan. She had never thought Trystan was interested in her, but he was now making his interest so very clear. It was awkward. She didn’t know how to tell him she was in love with someone else.

  The queen waved her hand behind her at her other children. “Come meet our newest dragon rider!”

  The four of them stood up walked over immediately. A tall young man, slightly older than Trystan; two girls; and a boy younger than Evie.

  “Evalina,” Trystan said. “May I introduce you to my older brother, His Royal Highness Prince Rhys the Second, and my younger sisters? Her Royal Highnesses Princesses Gwyneira and Princess Elysbyth, and this strapping young man is my youngest brother, His Royal Highness Prince Brendyn the Second.”