by Mike Shelton
After a silent moment, Jaimon spoke softly, “Cholena. I name her Cholena, meaning she who soars.”
The young green dragon blinked her light red eyes and emitted a deep purr.
“I can feel her in my mind!” Jaimon exclaimed to Bakari. “All her thoughts and strength.”
Bakari understood the feeling well. “Welcome to our ranks, Dragon Rider.”
Then Bug collapsed to the floor. “You mean Jaimon’s going to ride that thing?”
Bakari and Kharlia laughed.
“I knew climbing up here was the right thing to do, Bug,” Jaimon said. “But I really don’t know what a dragon rider is,” Jaimon said as he turned to Bakari.
“I’m still learning that also,” Bakari said. “But dragon riders have appeared throughout history when the need for peace is greatest.”
Jaimon looked deep in thought.
“The barrier around Alaris is down,” Kharlia said. “And Bakari needs your help to reestablish peace in the land.”
“The barrier is down?” Jaimon asked, seeming surprised. “You mean you are from Alaris?”
“I grew up in Alaris, but my heritage is from Mahli.”
“This makes three dragon riders,” Kharlia added. “Bak was the first, an elf named Breelyn was the second, and you are the third.”
Jaimon pulled his long ponytail forward and draped it over his shoulder. Then, he kneeled down on one knee, and bowed his head to Bakari.
“I will serve as a dragon rider,” Jaimon said solemnly. “But you must teach me what I need to know. I’m only a sheepherder.”
“Don’t worry,” Bakari said. “We are all learning. You’ll do fine.”
Cholena squawked again and moved toward the mouth of the cave.
Jaimon stood up. “She’s hungry.”
Abylar flew by, outside of the cave, and beckoned the young dragon to follow him.
“Abylar will help her find food,” Bakari said as he motioned the group to follow him back out of the mountain cave. “Dragons are always hungry.”
You need to eat more, Dragon Rider, Abylar admonished Bakari as he flew out of sight. You’re too skinny.
Ha, Bakari said to Abylar. Just don’t get so fat that you can’t carry me anymore.
I can always carry a stick on my back.
Bakari related this conversation to the group.
“Dragons have a sense of humor?” Bug asked, looking perplexed. “Those big things?”
“Oh yes,” Bakari said with a laugh. “They think very highly of themselves.”
I heard that! Abylar said to Bakari’s mind.
Bakari led the group back down the rocks to the valley that he and Kharlia had landed in earlier. The sun had warmed things up, and the early snow was beginning to melt, leaving the rocky terrain wet. Still, it took them a much shorter time to climb down.
“Kharlia and I will need to fly north to find the next dragon rider,” Bakari declared to the group. “Then we will be ready.”
“Our parents must be worried about us,” Jaimon said. “I need to check on the sheep also.”
Bakari was pleased with Jaimon’s sense of honor and caring. He would make a fine dragon rider. “Once the dragons eat,” Bakari said, “we can all fly back to your town on Abylar. You can stay there for a bit. It will take a week or so for your dragon to be strong enough to carry you. Then we will all gather and do what we must to bring peace to the land.”
Bakari’s ominous tone quieted everyone down and left them in their own thoughts for a few minutes.
They all turned as Bug began making a strange sound. He had put his hand on a rock and looked sick now. “You mean I’m going to fly on that…that big blue thing?”
Jaimon slapped his best friend on the back. “Yep, and I bet you’ll be telling the story to your grandkids until the day you die.”
They all had a good laugh and then settled down to wait for the dragons to return from eating.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Kolo, the son of the regent of Mahli, was hiking through the mountains that separated their isolated country from Turg, their western neighbor. Turg was one of the United Territories, along with Khazer, to their north, and Cyrene, to the northwest. These three sparsely populated kingdoms had joined together years earlier under three relatively weak leaders. By banding together, they had staved off troubles caused by other, larger neighboring kingdoms.
Kolo was accompanied by three other men and horses for each. The small group had set off from the city of Amar a week earlier. For Kolo had determined, after much threatening to their chief librarian, that one of the dragon eggs had to be in Turg.
“We may need to leave the horses soon, sir,” said Talib, one of Kolo’s three men. A multitude of weapons hung from Talib’s belt. “The snow is getting too thick.”
Kolo motioned for the men to push on. “I don’t care about the horses. We are almost at the summit.”
The two other men, Isooba and Jabari, pulled their horses along, their faces red with exertion.
Kolo didn’t care about the horses or these men. So he would drive them as hard as he could. His mind felt giddy in his anticipation of finding a dragon of his own. A dragon he could control and pull power from. There were already relatively few wizards or people with magical powers in Mahli, and being a dragon rider would put Kolo far above even any of those. He would be king!
Three hours later, they reached the top of the mountain. Clouds held to the tips of the peaks, and small flakes of snow drifted down onto Kolo’s clothing. Layered with tanned leather over wool, Kolo was still warm underneath. He saw a broad overhang close by, and he and the other men trudged over to it and escaped most of the snow under its protective roof.
“There is nothing to light for a fire,” Jabari said.
“So, after feeding some oats to the horses,” Kolo said to the three men, “pull out your food rations and chew them in silence.”
Not long after they had returned and started eating, Jabari asked, “How much farther, Kolo?” Jabari’s hair hung down in braids like the hair of the rest of their party, though Jabari’s braids were colored at the tips, in red, signifying he had recently had a newborn child—his first.
“As far as we need to go,” Kolo mumbled, and then he saw Jabari shoot him a dark look. “Is there a problem with that?” Kolo stood up and walked closer to Jabari.
Isooba nudged Jabari, and so the man only shook his head.
“Good,” Kolo said. “When I find the dragon and become king, those who have helped me will be rewarded well.”
“Maybe my own place to rule?” asked Talib, one of Kolo’s trusted advisers. “And a few women?”
Kolo laughed. “Talib, you may have whatever you want—once we find the cursed dragon egg.”
The group settled down for the evening, using the heat from the horses to warm the small area. As Kolo laid his head back onto his pack and closed his eyes, he thought about Bakari and his blasted dragon. Kolo hated the young man. The dragon rider had embarrassed him, and Kolo was sure Bakari was trying to take Kolo’s place. Bakari was not much more than a boy—a skinny specimen of a man—and was born in another country. So Kolo decided he would destroy Bakari the first chance he got.
Sleep began to take over, but then Kolo felt a slight nudge in his mind. A presence that was hardly more than a thought at first. It seemed to be feeding and agreeing with Kolo’s thoughts regarding Bakari and his dragon.
Who are you? Kolo thought to the voice inside his head.
I can be anyone you want me to be, it answered back. But, most importantly, I can help you become a dragon rider.
Now Kolo didn’t care who the voice was, and he asked, How?
The voice laughed, a haunting, low sound that shook the depths of Kolo’s dreams. Open your mind to me, and tell me your name.
My name is Kolo, regent-heir of Mahli and the next dragon king, Kolo said firmly.
Good. Good. You have aspirations, the voice said, speaking louder now. Names
have power, especially dragons’ names.
Kolo was intrigued. Where is the dragon egg, Master?
Master? the voice echoed. I like that. A half day’s ride into Turg, you will find a lake with a river leading to it. Up the river is a waterfall, and behind the falls, a cave. There you will find the dragon egg.
Will you be with us? Kolo asked.
I will be here, in your mind. I have a magical artifact that allows me to search you out and be with you, but my body is trapped in a cold, dark room.
Anger had flared in the voice’s last sentence, and Kolo’s mind recoiled from it.
After you find the dragon, the voice continued, you will free me, and together we will rule the entire Western Continent.
Kolo smirked. He would take advantage now of any help he could get, but he was not going to share his rule later with the voice inside his head.
Suddenly, pain exploded in Kolo’s mind, and he screamed out. Sitting up around him, the others must have heard his scream and woken up also. Kolo assured them he was all right and then settled back down to sleep again.
After a few moments, the voice came to Kolo’s mind again, but, this time, with more force and determination. Don’t think that you can double-cross me, Kolo. Now that I know your name, I can find you anywhere. I can even become you if I want to.
Kolo didn’t quite know what the voice meant, but the pain in his head got his attention. Then Kolo realized that he now couldn’t think anything without the source of this voice hearing him. So Kolo held at bay any thoughts of leaving the voice and going off on his own, making sure that these didn’t develop into actual thoughts that could be heard by the voice.
What do I call you? Kolo asked.
I have gone by many names, through the years, as I have gathered my power. Call me the Chameleon, Kolo. This is not my real name, of course. Knowing that would give you too much power over me. But this is what you may call me.
Kolo lay in silence for a few minutes, thinking about the Chameleon. Then he finally drifted off to sleep, thinking, Tomorrow, I will be a dragon rider.
* * *
“Chief Judge?” a man called to Daymian down the hallway of the governor’s castle in Orr.
Daymian turned toward him and smiled. “Marco, I haven’t seen you for a while.”
Marco shook the Chief Judge’s hand. “Is there somewhere we can speak privately?” He glanced around himself anxiously.
“Yes.” Daymian led Marco to a small private chamber, telling the guard there to stay alert. He kept a table with a few chairs in the small room. They seated themselves across the table from each other.
“Onius sent me.” Marco came straight to the point.
Daymian raised his eyebrows, but he let the man continue. Marco had been one of his stewards in the castle at Cassian. A very capable man, who had many friends and connections.
“Kanzar is unstable, sir,” Marco continued. “Onius has been pushing him slowly toward the edge. It is dangerous for Onius to maintain a connection with Kanzar while working against him. Only a few others besides me know of Onius’s true intentions. Now Kanzar has sent a delegation of wizards here, to Orr, in secret. They are to report back to him on the strength of your army and by what means they might attack.”
Daymian sat with his fingers held under his chin, his dark beard tickling his hand. “Kanzar is getting ready to attack.”
“Yes, we believe so,” Marco said. “He lost in Corwan, and there is unrest in Cassian. Unless he wins a decisive victory soon, the other wizards will turn away from him. There has already been a break in their ranks.”
“I believe I might have an idea,” the Chief Judge began, but, before any of his plans could be revealed, they heard yells fill the hallway outside of the room.
Standing up quickly, Daymian reached toward the door and flung it open. A group of his military advisers came marching down the hallway toward him, their faces flushed with obvious excitement.
“What is it?” Daymian asked. “Are we under attack already?”
“No, sir,” said one of the women in the lead. “It’s a dragon, sir. I think you better come with us.”
“A dragon?” Daymian smiled. It must be Bakari returning. That would surely help their odds against Kanzar. He picked up his pace, following the group back outside, with Marco on his heels.
Coming outside into the town square, Daymian stopped. It was not Bakari, as he’d supposed, but a woman instead. This beautiful woman, with long, blond hair and high cheekbones, sat atop a yellow dragon, its orange and yellow scales reflecting the afternoon sun. Never in his entire life could Daymian have anticipated seeing something so exotic and grand.
The yellow dragon lifted its head and roared, a flame of yellow and orange spilling out into the nearby air. Daymian stepped back from the flame’s heat and frowned.
“Are you Daymian Khouri, Chief Judge of Alaris?” the women asked. Her voice had a lovely musical quality.
Daymian nodded his head. “I am. And, who are you?”
“I am Breelyn Mier, protector of Elvyn, the betrothed of Prince Soliel, and a newly named dragon rider.”
Daymian paused, wondering at all those titles for a moment. The woman could be dangerous indeed. “And, do you know my friend Bakari?”
Breelyn’s face lit up, and everyone stood mesmerized as she said, “Yes, he is my master.”
The Chief Judge felt himself relax and then held his hand out to her. “Then, I bid you welcome, Dragon Rider. Will you join me?”
Breelyn nodded and slid gracefully down off of her dragon. She walked with poise and grace over to the Chief Judge. “Bakari asked me to meet with you on my way to meet up with him. There is much to discuss if we are to ensure the peace of our two lands.”
Daymian nodded and led Breelyn into the castle, thinking that his plans might come together even better now.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
Alli watched Mericus out of the corner of her eye. He was delegating the task of rebuilding the portions of the docks destroyed in the fire to a group of men. She wanted to hate the guy, but a grudging respect for him was slowly building inside her—he actually was good at what he did.
He glanced over at her and smiled, as if to say, See, I told you that I care. Was there something else in that look also? Or, was Alli seeing things that weren’t there? She turned her head to the side to hide her blush. The man was at least ten years older than her.
Soon all the visitors departed, and Mericus strode over to the chair that Alli sat slumped in, against the wall. Mericus seemed to like wearing black, and today was no exception: dark shirt, tucked into black pants, which, in turn, were tucked into black boots. A black-handled dagger hanging at his side.
“Bored?” Mericus asked.
Alli sat up a bit in the old stuffed chair. “Yes, I am—if you must know. I should be with the Chief Judge, preparing for the next battle, not here…” She stopped speaking, not quite knowing the right words to say.
“Not here, watching over me, like a babysitter?” Mericus said and then laughed, his dark eyes opening wider. “Then, why are you?”
“Because Bakari asked,” she mumbled, feeling heat creeping up her cheeks again.
“Ahh, the dragon rider.” Mericus stroked his short, dark beard with his fingers. “Quite a thing, to see a dragon, isn’t it? I’ve got to admit, I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it.”
Voices picked up outside, and then they heard a loud thud on the roof. Alli jumped up and pulled out a short knife, heading toward the door.
“Expecting trouble?” Mericus asked as he followed her to the stairwell leading to the roof.
“I’m always expecting trouble.”
They emerged from the stairs and peeked around the top of the building and together let out a concerted gasp.
“Not another one,” Mericus groaned.
In front of them stood a bright yellow dragon, its scales tipped with orange. Sliding down it was the exquisite, long-haired
elf woman named Breelyn.
“Her name is Miriel,” Breelyn said. Then she gave a slight nod to Alli and added, “Nice to see you again, Allison. I hear you are a wizard now.”
Alli gave her a broad grin. At fifteen, Alli had needed Roland’s generosity to be tested and named a full wizard. Thoughts of that arrogant Roland made her almost blush again. She had to get hold of herself. Alli wouldn’t let these men around her cause her to act like a weak, infatuated girl—she was a battle wizard!
“Not that I could have doubted it at all,” continued the elf, “from the way I saw you fight.” Turning to Mericus, Breelyn said, “Alli is a marvel to watch in a battle.” She took a few steps forward and added, “My name is Breelyn.”
“Mericus.”
“Breelyn, what are you doing here?” Alli asked. “Is everything all right with Bak?”
“Can we talk inside, with some refreshments?” Breelyn asked. “I am famished and sore from riding my dragon.”
Alli noticed that Mericus had not said much, but he ushered the two of them inside.
Alli took one more look back at the beautiful creature. “She is like the sunlight. So, you are a dragon rider also, like Bak?”
Breelyn nodded. “Dragon Rider Bakari is my master.” The elf took the steps two at a time, and Alli and Mericus had a hard time following her as quickly.
Arriving downstairs, they went into the judge’s office, and Mericus offered Breelyn a drink. She downed it in one long gulp. Sitting themselves down, Alli and Mericus waited for Breelyn to begin.
“The Chief Judge has a plan to trap Kanzar,” she started off, without any other preamble. Her soft blue eyes glittered with enthusiasm.
“What about Bak?” Alli asked again.
Breelyn turned to Alli. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just that being a dragon rider is so exhilarating; I hardly have time to think.”
