by Ramy Vance
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. They are very dignified, just not all on the same side. We assumed all the dragons would want to stand with us against the Dark One. We were wrong. There are some dragons on the Dark One’s side, even one golden dragon.”
Alex couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Golden dragons were the epitome of dragon purity. It was said they were born of the alchemical gold in the veins of the earth. They were creatures of great integrity and compassion, wiser than the other dragons.
Primerose was now working her way up Alex’s midsection. The armor she was being tailored into fit as snug as another set of skin. It was lightweight and seemed to stretch with every one of her movements. “How can that be?” Alex asked. “Aren’t gold dragons… Aren’t they kinda the best?”
“Forget all that stuff you’ve read about dragon hierarchy, kid. It doesn’t really work like that. Sure, that’s what people say, but trust me, I’ve worked with a lot of dragons, and all are trying to make their own destiny. Raise your arms. We’re almost done.”
Alex did as she was told and Primerose continued, stretching the fabric over Alex’s arms and chest, working her way up to Alex’s neck, coming back to her hands, and ending at her wrists. Once done, Primerose smiled as she pulled out what looked like a gun.
Alex sucked in a deep breath as her body tensed. “What’s that?”
Primerose looked at the tool and smiled as she shrugged. “Oh, this? It’s the last step. Still gotta give you your dragon anchor,” she explained. “Ties into the rest of the suit. It’s mostly tech, very little magic. Made to survive nearly any atmosphere or climate. Don’t try flying into the sun, though.”
“So, I’ll be tied to a dragon?”
“That part’s still coming. There you go. Go ahead and take a look.”
Primerose moved to the side so Alex could see herself in the full-length mirror. Her outfit really was like a second skin. There was no bulk, unlike the armor she’d had in-game. There were electrical nodes on her shoulders, spine, and kneecaps.
Alex turned and admired Primerose’s handiwork. “It looks great!” she exclaimed.
Primerose went over to the desk and grabbed two nodules, which she pressed to Alex’s temples. “There you go,” she said. “Those are for your HUD. You’ll find out about that later. Now we gotta get you going. I think the rest of the recruits are having chow about now.”
Primerose shooed her out of the room as Alex tried to catch one last glance of herself in the mirror. Once Alex was out the door, she turned and nervously picked at her knuckles. “I’m really sorry about earlier,” she murmured quietly. “Really sorry.”
Primerose slithered over to Alex and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry about it,” Primerose hissed. “You’ve got killer instincts. Now get out of here and get some food. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask ol’ Rose, all right?”
“Gotcha!”
Alex turned as Manny slowly floated ahead. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll take you to the mess hall.”
Alex heard the doors to Primerose’s studio shut as she followed him. The sheer excitement was almost too much for her to hold in. She kept looking down at her dragon anchor. This was really happening. What was next?
Chapter Five
Manny and Alex made their way down the winding corridors of the Wasp’s Nest. The allure of the crystals changing around Alex had not worn off, but she was already getting used to the magical tech of the place ebbing and flowing. It was comforting, like being hugged.
Manny seemed to know his way around, so Alex followed him, content to be lost in her thoughts without worrying too much about the Beholder. She wondered how different riding a real dragon was going to be.
Already, meeting creatures of other races was not what she had expected. Samara, the griffin, was much more down to earth than Alex would have guessed. Everything she’d read about griffins emphasized their royal, perhaps even haughty, nature. Samara was anything but.
The same could be said of Primerose. Anytime Alex had come across a naga in the game, it had been an enemy, something that needed to be defeated. Primerose was one of the sweetest people Alex had ever had the joy of meeting. After the brief period of time they’d spent together, Alex felt like she could tell Primerose anything.
And then there was Manny. Beholders were ancient creatures who had been born at the beginning of time and possessed ancient knowledge. They had grown bitter toward the worlds they’d watched grow old around them.
Manny seemed like a slightly disgruntled paper-pusher. Definitely not the thing of nightmares she’d heard Beholders were supposed to be. If Manny was an eldritch creature, she wondered what the rest were going to be like. Manny reminded her of a grouchy, well-meaning uncle more than anything else.
The two turned a corner and Manny stopped, causing Alex to bump into him. One of his eyes swung back and stared at Alex. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “I was caught up in my thoughts. You know, all the new stuff.”
Manny spun around, smiling for the first time since the two of them had gotten off of the plane. The color had come back into his face, and he was the picture of perfect health—or at least, Alex assumed this was what a healthy Beholder looked like. “Don’t worry about it, kid,” he said.
Alex stared long and hard at him. Even though he did look like he was in a better mood, there was still something off. He looked like he might be nervous or keeping a secret. “Hey, Manny, what’s going on?” she asked.
Manny flipped one of his tentacles in the direction of the cafeteria. “Just wanted to give you a few words of encouragement,” he finally said. “We’re about to step into the real Wasp’s Nest. The mess hall is where all the dragonriders go to blow off steam.”
Alex shrugged as she tried to peek around Manny’s shoulder. “Okay, so what’s the big deal?” she asked. “It’s just a bunch of people.”
“I mean, well, people can be very cliquish. You got your vets, who tend to only talk to other vets. And you got your recruits. A lot of them have already split into the parties they think they’re going to be with.”
“What does any of that have to do with me?”
“I’m not going to say this is going to get as advanced as office politics or anything like that. Myrddin just mentioned that, you know, you haven’t done the whole high school thing. I’m just saying, don’t let anyone get under your skin. Especially if they’re trying to.”
Alex nodded as she crossed her arms and smiled. Manny did sound exactly like an uncle. “Yeah, no problem,” she assured Manny. “I’ve got pretty tough skin, and it’s not like I’ve never been around anyone my own age. I’m not some sheltered hermit. I think I’ll be fine.”
Manny floated toward the door as he turned away from Alex, one of his eyes still over his head so he could watch her. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he cautioned. “You know how they say kids are cruel? That doesn’t have anything on the cruelty of teenagers. Rivals the Dark One himself.”
The cafeteria doors opened for Manny, and he practically flew in before stopping himself abruptly. “Also, you need to stay kinda close to me. There’s only a certain range I can provide you with my sight. If you go too far away, you’ll lose it,” he explained.
Alex sighed loudly, hoping Manny could hear her, then instantly regretted trying to make Manny feel bad. “Well, how am I supposed to get to know anyone if I have to stay right next to you?” she asked. “I assume you don’t want to hang out with a bunch of high schoolers.”
“Actually, I couldn’t care less who you’re sitting next to, but I’m going straight for the food. I’m starving. There’s not really a whole lot of food in me right now. So, let’s hit the chow line, and then I’ll just follow you. Also, don’t bother trying to talk to me while I’m eating. Trust me.”
Manny was already in the mess hall, so Alex followed him. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. She’d read about military mess halls and school cafeterias and had worked out the rest in her
imagination. This was nothing like that.
There was a large crystal fountain in the middle of the room, spouting the clearest water Alex had ever seen. A statue extended from the fountain, depicting an elf, a human, and a dwarf crouched beneath a dragon on its hind legs, breathing fire.
The fire was captivating. Even though it was made of crystal, it must have been enchanted to give the illusion of real fire. Alex almost thought she could feel the heat coming from it.
Around the fountain, there was a lush garden with benches spread gracefully throughout it. A variety of folk occupied them, intermingling with each other. Alex couldn’t see any rhyme or reason to who sat with who. None of the races seemed to be keeping to themselves.
Alex leaned over and nudged Manny. “Which ones are the recruits, and which ones are the vets?” she asked.
“Oh, recruits are in gray and white, and those who’ve passed their courses are in black and red. Now, keep up. I need to eat!”
Manny wasn’t kidding. He took off to the right as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Alex had to jog to stay with him. She tried not to get distracted by everything going on in the room but didn’t do a good job of it.
As Alex tried to keep pace, she saw a ball flying through the air. A small group of pixies zoomed past, chasing the ball. The pixies left a trail of bright light behind them, and Alex wished she could have gotten a better look at them.
Suddenly, the world around Alex started to scramble the way a television flickers when it’s losing its signal. Alex instinctively reached for something to hold onto. Her hand found a rail on the wall. “Manny,” she shouted, a little too loudly.
Her vision righted itself just in time to see a group of people about her age staring at her, obviously annoyed at her outburst. Two pairs of eyes stood out. The first belonged to a drow boy. His skin was as dark as midnight, and his eyes were a deep purple.
The second pair of eyes were those of a gruff-looking gnome. Alex couldn’t tell how old the gnome was due to the scruffy beard that obscured most of his face. All Alex could see were his pitch-black eyes staring from underneath a mass of white hair.
Manny came floating over to Alex. “Sorry, I thought you were right behind me,” he said. “Come on.” Manny took Alex’s hand and guided her to the lunch line on the right side of the room.
Alex didn’t need Manny to hold her hand, but she appreciated having someone familiar to ground her. Even though she’d gone her entire life without seeing anything, she’d already begun to rely on her eyes. The brief moment her vision disappeared had been more unsettling than the first time she could see.
The lunch line looked more like what Alex had read about but much fancier. It reminded of her of the time her father had gotten a promotion, and they’d gone out to a fancy brunch restaurant to celebrate.
There were rows upon rows of buffet-style dishes floating in the air, with a magical flame floating beneath each. Next to them were trays.
Manny quickly moved around, grabbing whatever he could get his tentacles on and piling it on his tray. Alex took a little more time as she looked at each of the dishes. She hardly recognized any of them. Each dish had a tag that stated which race it was a delicacy for.
Alex wanted to try one of the elvish dishes, but at the same time, she really needed something familiar. The look the drow boy had given her had left her shaken. There was something in his eyes she didn’t quite understand.
A plate of mashed potatoes and fried chicken was going to have to do. She grabbed her food, went over to a beverage-dispensing machine, and was once more overloaded by the number of options. She chose cola to make her life simpler.
Manny arrived beside Alex, already shoveling food into his mouth. “All right, where do you want to sit?”
Alex looked out over the sea of people talking to each other over their meals. Yeah, this is going to be easy, she thought.
Chapter Six
Alex wandered around the mess hall, trying not to spend too much time staring at the different groups of people. Instead, she focused on the magical and technological wonders around her. She stopped near the fountain and marveled at the garden growing around it.
The garden was filled with flowers that bloomed in colors that almost put the rainbow of the crystal ceiling above to shame. Alex couldn’t tell exactly because she was seeing muted color through Manny’s eyes, but he let her know that the true sight of them was beautiful.
Alex didn’t feel like she was missing out. She could smell the aromas of the flowers. Some of them reminded her of home, and others were vaguely reminiscent of scents she’d caught in Middang3ard but were stronger here.
Manny floated away from Alex, giving her space as she stared down at her plate. She knew she was going to have to reach out to someone. No one ever approached the new kid, according to teenage literature.
Alex finally forced herself to look up. The drow and gnome who had heard her shout earlier were sitting within earshot, and both were staring at her. Neither said anything, but as they turned to look at each other, the drow sneered while he pointed in Alex’s direction.
She ignored the obvious snub and turned to see what else was going on. Even though she was trying to put on a brave front, her insides were squirming. She felt like her neck was very hot, and she had the odd desire to walk around.
A ball flew over Alex’s head. She instinctively yelped and ducked. A few feet away, the gnome and the drow snickered, not bothering to hide that they were laughing at her. Above Alex, the pixies chasing the ball zoomed by.
One of the pixies abruptly stopped, trickling pixie dust on Alex’s head and causing her to sneeze harshly. The pixie floated down in front of Alex. She was roughly as long as Alex’s hand and seemed to be about Alex’s age. Her hair was cut short and she wore the white of a new recruit, although her armor had floral touches. She smiled at Alex as her skin seemed to glow. “Hey, I haven’t seen you here before,” the pixie exclaimed. “My name is Jollies!”
Jollies twirled in the air and curtsied politely. Alex laughed at the enchanting young pixie. “I’m Alex, pleased to meet you.”
“Are you eating all by yourself?”
“Yeah, well, I’m sort of new here. I didn’t know who to sit with.”
Jollies skittered around Alex’s head and asked, “Mind if I join you?” Jollies landed on Alex’s shoulder before she could answer and pulled out a small sandwich. “I haven’t seen a human in the program before. Didn’t think you could ride dragons, to be honest.”
Alex straightened up. She wasn’t sure if she was comfortable enough for Jollies. “I was told I’m the first one,” Alex explained. “We can ride dragons, but Myrddin told me we have a steeper learning curve.”
“You got to meet Myrddin? That must be why you’re here. Sounds like you might be a little bit special for a human.”
“Why? Didn’t you meet him when you were recruited?”
Jollies stretched out her wings, and one of them tickled Alex’s cheek. “Nope. I don’t think anyone has,” she answered. “But that’s probably because there are lots of pixies in the dragonriders.”
“I hope you don’t think this is rude, but I didn’t know pixies could ride dragons. Aren’t they a little bit large for you?”
Jollies jumped to her feet and leapt off of Alex. Alex winced, expecting to be slapped for upsetting the pixie. She remembered what she’d read about them in Peter Pan—only room enough for one emotion.
But Jollies was beaming.
Literally.
She flew close to Alex’s face. “Yeah, you would think, right?” Jollies exclaimed. “Turns out they’ve been breeding a special dragon just for us pixies. Super small, and they’re used for special recon missions. I would die to be part of the Hairballs crew. Oh, I’d friggin’ die to ride with them. They’re so cool, and they’ve been on all sorts of insane missions, and they only accept the best pixie riders.”
Jollies stopped talking and held her hand over her mouth as she blush
ed. Her whole body turning bright red. “I’m sorry, sometimes I rant when I get too excited.”
Alex giggled and waved away Jollies’ worries. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I think it’s pretty cute. So, it’s an all-pixie squad?”
“Yep, and it’s the only one like it. It’s mostly because we’re so small. I’m pretty sure if you found a way to shrink yourself, you could join. Their motto is ‘Size doesn’t matter, talent does.’ But, I mean, you kinda have to be tiny to get on the dragon, so maybe size does matter. Either way, it’s gonna be me who sets the Dark One’s ass on fire with the fury of my dragon.”
Alex took a bite of her mashed potatoes. They tasted like home but not as good. As she put down her spoon, she caught the drow staring at her. “What’s up with them?” Alex asked, jerking her head in the direction of the drow and the gnome.
Jollies looked at the duo, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. “Oh, them.” Jollies sighed. “The drow is Gill Lowborn, and the surname says it all. The gnome is Brath Gimbel. They think they’re tough guys is all. Ask them, and they’ll tell you how they’re going to be the next big heroes of the war.”
“They seem like dicks.”
“Ignore them. They’re just stupid kids who like to pick fights.”
Manny floated over to Alex and said, “I’m going to go grab seconds. You’ll be okay for a little bit?” he asked. “Because of, you know.” He winked a couple of his eyes at her.
Alex nodded and shooed Manny away. “Yeah, I’ll be okay for a couple of minutes, don’t worry.”
As Manny walked away, Alex’s eyesight started to fade until it was completely gone. This time, it wasn’t a shock; she was prepared to descend into her personal darkness. It almost felt comfortable, taking a break from the sensory overload.
Jollies’ voice came from Alex’s right side. “Hey, are you okay?”
Alex could smell the pixie dust floating off Jollies as she spoke. “Yeah, I’m cool,” Alex replied. “Why do you ask?”
