The Dragon Rider (The Alaris Chronicles Book 2)

by Mike Shelton

  There was a shelf, high up above the river, just big enough for Abylar to land on. As he did so, some of the cliff’s face broke off and splashed into the water below. The storm now picked up a notch, but it blew in from the Blue Sea, in the East, so the western-facing cliffs were dry enough still.

  Finding a useable cave, Bakari gathered some wood from under the larger trees and then moved into the cave. With a flick of his fingers, he lit the small fire. After a few moments, the cave grew warmer, and Bakari’s clothes began to dry. Dawn would arrive in a few hours. Then, rain or not, they would continue looking for the other dragon egg.

  Laying his head on his wet pack, Bakari drifted off to sleep while Abylar stood guard.

  * * *

  The next morning dawned dull and gray. The rain had continued, bringing with it a drop in temperature. So Bakari threw some more wood on the fire. The front part of his silk and cotton robes had dried, but the back was still soaked with river water.

  His stomach growled, and he dug through his pack to see if he could find something that wasn’t soaked. Pulling out a soggy piece of dried meat and a few carrots, he consumed them for the strength that he needed.

  “We’ll never find the egg in this weather,” Bakari mumbled. Then he paced the floor of the cave for a few moments, moving farther back in it.

  There’s a tunnel here, Abylar, Bakari said. But you can’t fit.

  I can fly overhead and stay with you that way, Abylar voiced to Bakari’s mind. But, if you get into trouble in there, I won’t be able to get to you.

  Bakari didn’t want to leave the protection of his dragon, but he felt something pulling him to enter into the tunnels. So, picking up his pack and dousing the fire, he began walking, holding a mage light out in front of himself to light the way.

  At first, the tunnel stayed fairly straight, with only a few turns. After an hour of walking, he stopped and drank a bit from his waterskin. Bakari stayed in constant contact with Abylar, and the dragon told him that there were people—elves, he thought—traveling not far from them.

  As the tunnel branched, a few times, Bakari would stop and push out his mind to see if he could tell where he was and where the dragon egg might be.

  Dragon Rider, Abylar spoke suddenly. The elves are in trouble. A trio of beasts are chasing them. I am going to try and help.

  Bakari took comfort in Abylar’s thoughts, but he hated being physically blind to what was happening above. What if his dragon got into trouble? Bakari picked up his pace and started jogging forward through the tunnel. Then the underground space opened up wider, and he found himself in an immense room, filled with old clothes and scattered bones.

  Bakari sensed Abylar shooting down fire at the beasts above but could also tell, by Abylar’s frustration, that it didn’t stop them. And the forest was too thick for him to land.

  The elves disappeared, Abylar said. I can’t see them anymore.

  Bakari stumbled against the wall as a loud rumble shook the tunnel. A scattering of dust and rocks fell from overhead. He didn’t like being this far below ground. He ran out of the room and back into another tunnel, now sprinting as fast as he could.

  Coming to a fork in the tunnel, Bakari abruptly stopped. Breathing hard, he tried to determine which way to go. He felt something pulling him to the left, but then he heard sounds coming from the right. And that was also the direction Abylar was in.

  “Which way?” the young wizard voiced out loud. “I feel like I need to go both ways, but I can’t.”

  The noises from the right grew louder. It sounded like people running. Suddenly a bright light erupted down in the tunnel. Into the light came two people—elves, by the way they were dressed. The light grew so bright it was hard to see clearly. They came up in front of Bakari, not seeing him until they had almost run over him.

  “Bak!” a woman called out, definitely caught by surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  Bakari was also surprised but was happy to see Breelyn, the first elf he had ever met. She held the bright flame of light in front of her slender, but strong body. Her straight, blond hair framed her bright blue eyes and pale face. Next to her stood Alair, sweat glistening off his skin, his muscles held taut.

  “I am here looking for you,” Bakari notified her.

  Surprise flashed across Breelyn’s face. “I thought that might be your dragon, trying to help us out there.”

  “He told me you were running away from three barrier beasts.”

  Breelyn’s eyes widened in awe. “Of course, I should have guessed you can communicate with him.”

  Alair nodded his head toward Bakari. They had met shortly after the barrier fell but before Bakari had left Celestar with Abylar for the first time. The man was a guard of sorts for Breelyn, one of King Arrowyn’s protectors. He was taller than Bakari or Breelyn, his long dark hair hanging down in Elvyn fashion. He looked like he could wield every one of the numerous weapons hanging from his belt, as well as the bow across his back.

  “I collapsed the tunnel opening so that the beasts couldn’t follow us, but I am not sure that will stop them for long,” Breelyn said in a quick clip. Looking at the other two tunnels, she then turned to Bakari and asked, “Which way?”

  Bakari pointed down the other tunnel of the fork.

  “Is that the way you came from?” Alair asked, looking down the other fork. “Where does it go?”

  “I came from the other direction, from the Dunn River,” Bakari said as he started down the other way, taking quick steps in front of the others.

  “What’s down here?” Alair asked, urgency in his voice. “Where are you leading us?”

  Bakari turned back around and shrugged. “I wish I knew, but this is the right way. I can assure you of that.”

  Breelyn put her hand on Alair’s arm. “He is the dragon rider. We can trust him, Alair. You know the histories. He is the first in one hundred and fifty years.”

  Alair grunted but then fell into line.

  Bakari spoke with Abylar, asking him to try and find out where they would be coming out.

  “You said you were looking for me?” Breelyn came up behind Bakari. “Why?”

  “I’ve been to see your king,” he said, not answering her question. “He thinks highly of you.”

  “King Arrowyn! You saw him?”

  “Yes, and Lan.” Bakari turned around and grinned at Breelyn, clearly surprising her with his words. She seemed flustered and stopped talking, and a small laugh came from Alair. “He said he wishes you well until you are reunited again,” Bakari added.

  Breelyn blushed and turned away from the two men.

  Up ahead, Bakari saw the tunnel widening once again into an underground room.

  “Do you feel that?” Breelyn whispered with awe.

  Bakari only smiled and continued walking. He appreciated what she now felt. It was the same thing that he had felt when he had first come into contract with the Dragon Orb in Celestar. Breelyn was feeling her connection to the next egg. Through his bond with Abylar, Bakari felt the same thing.

  Walking into the room, the three of them stopped in silence. Sitting in the middle of the underground room was a light yellow dragon egg about twelve feet tall. It rocked with small movements on a bed of ancient pine needles and dried oak leaves. The cavernous room was about fifty feet wide and at least that tall; its walls, a smooth rock.

  “Breelyn,” Bakari whispered. “The king suggested for you to be another dragon rider.”

  Her elf-maiden eyes opened wide, a small tear appearing in the corner.

  “But,” Bakari continued, “the dragon needs to choose its rider.”

  Up above them, a scraping sound was made. The group looked up only to have to shield themselves from falling rocks, leaves, and dirt. In a moment, there appeared a wide hole, about five feet in diameter, directly over their heads. In through that opening peered Abylar, his blue skin shining in the firelight that Breelyn continued to keep in front of them. He almost grinned down at Bakari.
Their bond shivered with excitement.

  No one spoke as Breelyn took a few steps toward the egg. Before reaching it, she turned her head back to look at Bakari, as if for his permission.

  He smiled and nodded his head for her to continue. “Go ahead, Breelyn.”

  As she placed her hand on the egg, it flared so brightly that the two men had to shield their eyes. After a moment, it settled down to a translucent shine. Inside the egg, the outline of a baby dragon appeared, its wings beginning to move. Without warning, the egg cracked, then shattered into hundreds of pieces, shells flying through the air, hitting, but not hurting them.

  Standing before them appeared a beautiful yellow dragon, about eight feet tall and already about twenty feet long, including its spiked tail, which saked around the room. Touches of orange and red covered the tips of its beautiful scales.

  The three gasped in delight, Breelyn laughing—a musical sound that filled the cave. Reaching up to the dragon, and with a joyful laugh, Breelyn touched its neck just below its substantial jawline.

  “She is a female dragon,” Breelyn said. “Miriel! I name you Miriel—meaning jewel.”

  The dragon emitted a small purring sound at the mention of her name. Her emerald eyes sparkled in the light.

  Abylar roared overhead, and Miriel eyed her fellow dragon up above. Taking a few steps around the room, to strengthen her legs, she flapped her wide, curved wings, and then lifted off the ground. She took one small circle around the room and then flew straight up and out of the hole that Abylar had created – breaking the ground open even further with her massive body.

  The room was quiet for a moment.

  Then Bakari turned to Breelyn and said with a toothy smile, “Welcome, Dragon Rider.”

  Tears flowed from Breelyn’s beautiful eyes. The feeling of reverence was only broken by the two dragons, squawking above them in the sky.

  Breelyn knelt in front of Bakari and, with words thick with emotion, said, “Now I know how you feel. The bond is amazing. I cannot believe I am a dragon rider, Master.”

  “Rise, Breelyn.” Bakari offered her his hand and pulled her up. “I am not your master.”

  “But you are the first. History is full of stories about the famed dragon riders. Always, the first is the master, referred to as the king or queen, and others come after.” She paused for a moment, as if realizing what she had just said. “Others? Oh, Bakari, will there be others?”

  Still not used to the deference being given him, Bakari looked around the cave nervously. “Yes, there are more, but time is running out. Alaris is on the brink of war.”

  “We must leave the cave, Dragon Riders,” Alair said with grave reverence to the two.

  Bakari pointed to an opening on the far side of the cave. “It’s only a few dozen feet.”

  Emerging once again into the open air, Bakari breathed in deeply. He didn’t like how long he had been underground and away from his dragon. The bond was just as strong, but being able to touch his beautiful blue scales made him feel more comfortable. Looking around, Bakari noted that the rain had stopped, but water still dripped down from the tall trees.

  Circling overhead flew two of the most beautiful creatures Bakari had ever seen—blue and yellow—Abylar and Miriel. Bakari asked Abylar to fly high across Alaris and come back by nightfall and report so that they would know what was happening there. Then the three of them found a place to camp for the night, where the dragons could land safely when they returned.

  Alair turned to Breelyn with uncommon mirth and a sparkle in his eyes. “Wait until the prince hears of this,” he said. His laughter boomed through the looming trees, echoing off into the distance.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Erryl Close, a former guardian of the Orb, sat on a white bench in the cool autumn air of the small park in the center of Celestar. He glanced up from the book he was reading—the one Bakari had given him, from Mahli. The leaves on the trees were turning orange and yellow and were starting to fall once again. This far up, toward the mountains, the cool weather began earlier than in the rest of Alaris.

  He had been reading about the deserts to the south and could hardly comprehend a land filled with dust, sand, and only a few trees. He stood and stretched his young body. At almost fifteen, he certainly didn’t have much experience in the world, outside of the schooling they gave all guardians. But he had touched a real dragon and met a dragon rider. That was something!

  A dragon! Abylar! It was still hard to comprehend. The Orb, which Erryl and his family and many before them had guarded and had given their life forces to, had—unknown to them—been a dragon egg.

  As he walked around the quiet garden pathways, he thought about the book he held in his hands. Its ancient writings talked about the prophecies of a dragon king. One that would come from Mahli and bring them back into the happenings of the world. But, most importantly, he would bring peace to all lands that he touched. It seemed that the dragon riders came whenever the need for peace was the greatest. So the land of Mahli had regents that watched over the land and waited until the next dragon king arose.

  There were multiple stories and historical accounts in the small book, of that same thing happening numerous times over the past thousand years. And, always, the first dragon rider became the leader. Always, he became the dragon king. Never once was there a discrepancy in the order of these things: One dragon rider would emerge. He would then find the others. And, together, they would establish peace and hope among the nations. Then they would name him king—a high king, in fact—one that would rule over all the southern kingdoms on the Western Continent. Erryl knew that this wasn’t what Bakari wanted to hear, but it was the truth.

  He saw a few elves walking with guardians outside of the garden gate. He liked how the elves treated them, almost reverently, for their part in providing life force to sustain the Dragon Orb. Erryl was thrust into a leadership role, too, with the rest of the guardians, even though he was one of the youngest. His part, in bringing Bakari to Celestar and in freeing the dragon, earned him a position of respect. One that he wasn’t all too comfortable with.

  He put the book into a small pocket of his white robes and walked back to the building that used to house the Orb. With his thoughts elsewhere, he walked around the corner of a building. Then a strong hand grabbed him from behind and shoved him up against the wall.

  “Where are all the guardians, boy?” A man, who was definitely an elf, held Erryl close, but his demeanor didn’t seem like that of any elf Erryl had met. The man still had the long hair, slanted eyes, and pointed ears of a typical elf, but his face was harder and cruel looking. And he was looking at Erryl with only a few inches between them.

  “The guardians?” Erryl stuttered. “What do you mean?”

  The man grabbed Erryl’s shoulder harder. “Tell me where they are!”

  “You’re hurting me, sir,” Erryl said, trying to stand up to the man, but Erryl had never been trained in fighting.

  “I’ll do more than that if you don’t tell me.”

  “They’re…they’re everywhere, sir. Since the barrier fell, we don’t have any other duties, but…” Erryl was cut off by a thin finger pointing in his face.

  “You mean you’re one of these guardians? So young!”

  “I was a guardian, as I said. We don’t do a whole lot now that the dragon is gone.” Erryl heard a couple of distant screams, and he tried to pull away. But the man held him tight.

  “So, there is a dragon…interesting,” the man said. Dragging Erryl away, the man continued, “The governor will be interested in you.”

  As he was pulled down a side road, Erryl thought about the book in his pocket. He didn’t know who this man was or what he wanted, but Erryl knew he couldn’t let him read what was in that book. Feigning a trip, on the walkway next to the garden gate, Erryl fell down. And, before the man could tell what Erryl was doing, he shoved the small book underneath one of the fence posts.

  “Get back up, boy!” the elf
yelled, grabbing him roughly.

  Coming up to an intersection, Erryl saw some of his fellow guardians and a few elves, walking together, and thought to yell. But, before he could, a small knife was pushed with a slight jab against his ribs.

  He heard more screams, coming from the other side of the city now. Then the air filled with crackles of lightning and fire.

  “Wizards attacking!” someone yelled, the sound floating down from a side street.

  As Erryl tried to pull away from the elf again, the point of the knife broke the skin on his side. The small slash brought a jab of heat and pain. So he decided to go without any other struggle.

  The two walked quickly down the hill, away from Celestar, and across the point that used to be the barrier but that was now only a line of trees. Soon they walked within the thick Elvyn Forest. Erryl heard sounds of fighting behind them and wondered if it was Kanzar’s men. Gorn and Bakari had both warned him that Kanzar might attack Celestar. What could Kanzar want now, though? The orb was gone.

  After walking for another thirty minutes or so, Erryl began to see other guardians, being escorted in the same manner. Most were older than himself. Erryl thought about his father and wondered where he might be. His mother had passed away a few months ago, not too long before Bakari had shown up. She had given everything to the Orb, including her final act of life.

  They walked for another hour. The sun had moved closer to evening. After passing a small stream, in the middle of the forest, they came upon a small gathering of men standing around a group of humongous oak trees.

  Looking up high, Erryl noticed platforms and buildings scattered among their branches, typical of an Elvyn village. When the barrier was still up, Erryl hadn’t realized he lived so close to the elves. But these elves didn’t seem like those that had come to Celestar to help. These elves seemed intent on causing trouble.