“You know I failed as well as I do. There was no excuse for what I did.”
“True, but you did just go through a traumatic ordeal. That has to be taken into account.”
Maren had a point, but still. The sinking feeling in my stomach was making me feel like I was going to vomit. Master Pevus said anyone who failed had their memory magically erased so that they didn’t remember being at the school or anything they learned. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I wouldn’t allow it to happen.
Maren was talking about her test, but I wasn’t listening. I was plotting out how I would escape the Citadel before Master Pevus could erase my memory. There were so many obstacles, though. I had to get past guards, not get caught outside of my room past curfew, and that was assuming they didn’t erase my memory without warning.
If this was going to work, I would need help. I looked at Maren and watched her lips move as she spoke. She loved breaking rules, so I had little doubt she’d be willing to help me. She noticed my stare and paused.
“If there something in my teeth?” she asked.
“No,” I replied.
“Then why are you staring at me?” she asked.
“I need your help.”
“With what?”
I glanced around and lowered my voice. “With breaking into the armory.”
21
The next morning, I awoke bleary-eyed and more tired than I had probably ever been in my entire life. Maren and I had been up all night devising my plan of escape and breaking into the armory to retrieve my father’s sword.
Maren had left the Citadel and somehow snuck outside the city of Autumnwick to hide my father’s sword in a thicket near the lake for me. She said it had been easy and had hidden the weapon so that only I would be able to find it. I assumed she used a spell of some kind. After everything had been planned, we parted ways and went to our rooms. I hadn’t slept much, though what little rest I did get had been dreamless.
I was both excited and terrified to find out if I had passed or not. Everything I wanted, everything I was, hinged on my results. I rolled out of bed and put my robes on, then headed down to the dining hall for breakfast. The thought that this could be the last time I knew I’d have a meal was a little disconcerting. It was funny how quickly I had grown accustomed to full meals in the short time I’d been here.
Maren eventually joined me at my table and we ate in silence. I was hoping I’d be able to give her a proper goodbye if I did have to escape the Citadel, but I also knew that might not happen. She had to be aware of that fact as well. I assumed that’s why she didn’t talk much.
After we ate, we headed back to our normal meeting place to await Curate Anesko. Normally, some of the other students straggled into the group last minute, but today was different. Everyone who remained was on time. There were less than twenty of us. Out of one hundred potentials, only a fifth were left. It was crazy to think I had made it this far only to potentially fail now.
Curate Anesko’s footsteps echoed softly off the stone walls as he joined us. His face was solemn, much different than his normal stern appearance. There were bags under his eyes, and I guessed that he had been up late with Master Pevus and the other Curates, deciding the fates of those few students who remained.
“Today some of you will become full students,” he said. He swept his gaze over everyone. “And some of you, sadly, will be leaving this place forever.”
The word forever sounded so …cold. Barren. Final. But of course, it was. It was all those things and more.
“If I call your name, you will follow me. If I don’t, then you will follow Curate Henrik.”
One of the students raised a hand.
“Yes?” Anesko asked.
“Are the groups divided into those who passed and those who failed?”
“They are, but if you’re expecting me to inform you which group you’re in, then you’ll be disappointed. Any other questions?”
No one had any. Anesko called out almost everyone’s name. Two people weren’t called and they left with Curate Henrik. It seemed obvious that the two who weren’t called had failed and were being led off to have their memory erased. It seemed surreal that I had passed. Without another word, Anesko led us through the Citadel to the temple where our first test had occurred.
Master Pevus stood beside the temple doors, welcoming every student with a tired smile. Maren and I were at the end of the line, and after Maren stepped through the threshold, Master Pevus stepped in front of me.
“Eldwin,” he greeted. “Please, come with me.”
My trepidation returned, but mainly because I had no idea why he pulled me aside. Maren looked back at me and I shrugged, then followed Master Pevus’s lead. We walked through several of the halls and eventually reached the servant’s door that Maren had shown me when we’d secretly went to see the dragons.
“I’m sure you’re curious about where we’re going,” Master Pevus said.
“Yes, Master. It does seem odd to me that we’re going out the servant’s door,” I replied before realizing my error. Master Pevus smiled.
“I see the princess has shown you this door already.”
“Please don’t punish her,” I said.
“I won’t. Besides, it’s not a secret door. It’s just how the servants come and go.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. Master Pevus pushed the door open and we stepped outside. It was still early in the day, and the air was cool. It felt refreshing to be outdoors. My curiosity started to grow as he led me around to the entrance of the dragon stables. The two guards at the entrance were playing dice and quickly stood up when they saw Master Pevus and I approaching.
Master Pevus ignored them and continued walking, leading me deeper into the stables. There were many more torches lit than when I’d been here before, and the details of the cave’s carvings were revealed. Long, jagged lines were scraped into the rocks that formed the ceiling, floor, and walls.
“Dragons created this system of caves,” Master Pevus said. “Long before the Citadel was ever built. It was a breeding ground, but as humans began to domesticate dragons, they stopped laying their eggs here.”
“I’ve never heard that before,” I said.
“This place holds a lot more secrets, though many of them have been lost to the centuries. Tell me, Eldwin. Did your father tell you the color of his dragon?”
“He rode a blue,” I said.
“Indeed, he did. Blues are known for their speed, as they are the fastest of all the colors.”
We stopped outside one of the caves. A large dragon head appeared as the massive creature moved into the light. It was the same dragon that had spit phlegm on me. The dragon sniffed the air and turned its glowing eyes on me.
“This is Phlandyr,” Master Pevus said. “She is a red dragon, though it may be hard to tell in this light.”
“Hello Phlandyr,” I said.
I felt something press against my mind, but it was faint.
“I thought we weren’t allowed near dragons until we were promoted to the rank of Adept?” I asked.
“As a general rule, you’re not,” Master Pevus confirmed. He went quiet and I stared into Phlandyr’s eyes. They were a yellowish hue with black pupils.
“Eldwin, I’m sorry to inform you that you have failed.”
“What?” My heart skipped a beat and fell into my stomach.
“You did well in the first test, despite the outside forces that affected it. The second test was interrupted, but not before we were able to see your skill with magic. Yesterday’s test, however, showed that you do not handle frustration and failure well. You allowed your anger to direct your actions. A dragon rider must always have a clear mind, empty of emotions.”
“Can I retake the test?” I asked.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Please, Master,” I begged. My eyes welled with tears. “I can’t go home. There’s nothing for me there. I hav
e to be a dragon rider.”
“I’m sorry, Eldwin. The only way you’ll ever ride a dragon is if you find your own.”
I felt a tear slip free of my eye. It trailed down my cheek.
“I thought long and hard about this, but I have decided to let you experience what flying on the back of a dragon is like. Your father was a hero, and to honor his memory, I thought this would be fitting.”
“Thank you,” I said. “But what’s the point if you are just going to erase my memory?”
Master Pevus remained silent, but he stepped into the cave and saddled Phlandyr, then led her out of the cave. I walked at his side, trying to figure out a way to escape. My plans with Maren had been based around being locked in a room somewhere, not out in the open on the back of a dragon. Master Pevus mounted Phlandyr and offered me his hand.
I accepted it and climbed into the saddle behind him, then gripped the horn of the saddle tightly. Without any verbal command, Phlandyr leaped into the air and flapped her enormous wings. We climbed higher and higher into the air, the castle below quickly shrinking. Phlandyr banked to the right and she issued a roar.
There were no words to describe the feeling of being on the back of a dragon, flying through the sky. I looked out at the vast landscape that stretched for miles in every direction. Trees that seemed enormous on the ground looked like small sticks, and I could see the entirety of the giant lake that spread out behind the Citadel.
The air whipped around me, pulling at my robes and making my hair ruffle wildly. We flew over the lake and I looked down. Phlandyr dipped lower, flying only a few feet above the water’s surface. The lake was crystal clear and I could see fish swimming about. As amazing as the experience was, I knew I was running out of time. Once we landed, the chances of escaping from the Citadel would be slim.
The only way you’ll ever ride a dragon is if you find your own.
Those words burned in my mind and I had an idea. It was crazy, foolish even, but I had no other choice. I let go of the saddle horn and swung my right leg over to the same side as my left. Master Pevus tried to turn around to see what I was doing, but he was having trouble. I did a silent countdown, then pushed myself off the side of the dragon just as she bounded upward.
I flipped end over end and saw Master Pevus’s horrified expression before he was too far away to see anymore. I tried to right myself, but I slammed into the water with jarring force. My body screamed in agony and then I was underwater, struggling with which direction was up. I pumped my arms furiously and kicked with my legs until I broke the surface of the water, then I gasped in deep breaths.
Time was my enemy. I turned and swam for the shore as fast as I could. I heard Phlandyr’s roars and they drove me to keep swimming even though my muscles wanted to give in. I reached the shore and sprinted to the thicket of trees that Maren had told me about. The air rippled, and then I saw my father’s sword. The sheath was attached to a belt and had been hung on a low hanging branch.
I grabbed it and strapped the belt on, then ran in the opposite direction of the Citadel. I had no idea where I was going, but I refused to let Master Pevus erase my memories. He said that the only way I would ride a dragon was to find my own. So be it.
I ran as fast as I could. Away from the Citadel and toward an uncertain future.
I was going to find a dragon of my own.
THE END OF BOOK ONE
The journey continues with A Bond of Flame, available now.
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