The red-headed woman introduced herself as Lena. She motioned to the scarred man and said, “That’s Nandor. He’s a bit of a hothead and relentless in battle.”

He nodded in response and she pointed to the older, dark-haired woman and said, “this is Wynne. She’ll be the one you want to ask any riding questions to. She’s the best of us up there.”

She nodded as well and gave him a formal greeting. The younger woman still eyed him suspiciously. She had blonde hair and bright eyes. It felt as if she was digging holes into him as she studied his every movement.

“And this lovely lady,” she snickered as she said the words, “is Vixenta. Say hello Vix.”

She rolled her eyes and said a hello. They all laughed that she did it and she tossed a fork at Nandor. They welcomed him in and asked if Eloise had given him the tour yet. Laughing about how she loved to describe the most mundane things. They explained it was fortunate that it she was the one on patrol to have met him because he would have got used to her eagerness beforehand. She would have still been the one to give him the tour, they teased.

“Tell us about your dragon,” said Wynne in what almost felt like a demanding tone.

He let out a little awkward laugh and described Zuma as best as he could. Her deep blue color was what intrigued them the most. He learned that two of them had the lighter blue dragons he had seen flying about, but Wynne had one that looked more green. She corrected and specified it was a turquoise color. They all laughed again at each other, and Kaden finally eased a bit around them.

No one else in the room would fully understand the bond he was forming with Zuma. They couldn’t because they didn’t have that tie. The matriarch may have blessed them, but not all of them could connect and bond with a dragon. They were on a different level than the rest of the mages, and that was probably why they were sitting off to the side by themselves.

Lena snatched his hand and turned it over, examining the lightning shaped scars. She ran her finger across the healed scar tissue and shivered. “They healed this, didn’t they?”

“Those are not old,” Nandor stated flatly.

With a raised eyebrow, Vixenta said, “the dragon wasn’t just hurt, it was hurting. What was hurting the dragon, Kaden?”

He looked around frantically to see if anyone else was near. Revealing what had truly happened with the rune traps felt like a secret. One that they weren’t ready to discuss publicly. They could tell. They already knew there was something more to his tale.

“I… I…” He couldn’t find the courage to say more.

“Spit it out, boy,” commanded Nandor.

“I can’t… I can’t say. I’m not allowed…”

Wynne shook her head and sighed. “Who said that you couldn’t tell people? Was it Iratoi? I heard that brat brought you in.”

Vixenta kicked her, and Wynne laughed.

Lena patted his hand and said, “it’s okay, we won’t tell anyone. We, of all people, need to know what could hurt our dragons.”

He looked around for one of his original companions, but could find either of them. A knot was growing in his stomach. He didn’t want to violate the one order they had given him on his first day. He swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. Lena was right. The dragon riders needed to know.

He opened his mouth to explain when the grand doors blew open, and the entire hall hushed. They all turned their heads to look at who was entering. Both grandmasters entered, followed by Lord Loratyk and his son. Anders wasn’t making eye contact with any of the mages. He was just looking straight ahead with his head held high. They walked past their table toward an ornate table at the back of the room.

As they passed by, Lord Loratyk made eye contact with Kaden and nodded. Wynne turned to Kaden and gave him a look of disbelief. Blinking her wide eyes slowly, she licked her teeth and waited for them all to pass before saying, “Let me guess, it involves our visitor.”

Nandor shook away his thoughts and said, “you have to be kidding. Not only did you find a wild matriarch who blessed you with magic, who even blessed you to be a dragon rider, you also had a run in with one of the most powerful lords in the entire country?”

Laughing awkwardly, he sheepishly said, “yeah… it’s been a baffling few days.”

Vixenta threw her head back and said, “Days? You’ve only had the blessing for days and you’re already riding a damn dragon?”

Kaden wanted to crawl away. He didn’t like this much attention being given to him. Vixenta shook her head while pursing her lips. Lifting her hands, she gave a what motion and just shook her head more in frustrated disbelief.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Lena rubbed her face in her hands and said, “next you’re going to say you’re having issues with the darkness too.”

He gave her an awkward smile of acknowledgment, and all four of them groaned in unison.

“Son,” Nandor placed a hand on his shoulder, “how old are you?”

“I’m 17.”

Collectively, they all groaned again. Wynne got up from the table, grabbed her cup, and said, “I’m too old for this. I need another drink,” before walking off.

“Well, I mean I’m almost 18, if that’s any better,” he tried to explain himself.

Lena laughed while shaking her head again, “no honey. No.”

Wynne came back with a handful of plates for him that were loaded down with various types of food. They made fun of him for a bit because of his age, but went on to actually ask him about his life, about his family. They didn’t broach the topic of his blessing while still in the great hall. He was happy to talk about his family and life.

His brothers wouldn’t believe what had happened to him. Kaden wondered if they would ever be allowed to come visit. His mother had to see the wonder that was the temple. She would be excited about all the plants that they grew. She was always trying to grow flowers around their home, but the sheep kept getting out and eating them every year. Part of him thought his brothers would let them out intentionally just to mess with her.

They explained a bit about themselves to him as well. Most of them had been blessed when they were young, only Wynne having been his age when she was blessed. Vixenta was actually Iratoi’s older sister, which surprised him. He wondered how that relationship was with only one of them becoming a dragon rider. He had seen Iratoi’s powers, though. She was an incredibly capable mage in her own right.

They all came from wealthier, more urban families. Kaden felt a little out-of-place having been a rural farmhand. They asked him again about his dragon.

“Zuma has been great,” he said.

“You’ve named them,” scoffed Vixenta.

Lena shook her head and said, “they were okay with the name?”

“Yeah, they don’t mind it. Would they not be?”

Wynne let out a surprised laugh and said, “Honey, they don’t like any names. It usually takes years for them to settle on one. Here you are, a week into it, and you’ve already named them.”

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment. It felt rude of him to call them ‘Dragon’, so of course they had to figure out a name. More teasing and prodding happened from the group of older riders. He was laughing along with them, feeling more comfortable. His eyes drifted back over toward the table that held the important people of the temple.

Lord Loratyk’s eyes met with his. He shared an uneasy moment as he felt the Lord’s gaze drilling into him. Heat rose in him, anxious at the reaction, and it caused him to look away. The Lord was far too intense for him. He couldn’t handle that. He much preferred the laughter of his own table.

The doors crashed open loudly, and every head whipped toward the noise. A blonde man entered with an entourage of noble knights. The riders all stood abruptly as the men made their way across the room toward the Grandmasters. The four riders didn’t hesitate and made a quick step to intercept.

Nandor, with his size, positioned himself directly in the way of the marching men. With his hand out, he said, “Lord Enderton, what is the meaning of such an intrusion?”

Leaning around him, he pointed toward Lord Loratyk and said, “I don’t know. Ask him! I was summoned under the pretenses that I’m trapping dragons? This is blasphemous, and I demand to confront my accuser.”

Kaden couldn’t help but let out a frustrated groan. Only, the room had been quiet. Several heads turned toward him and he tried to shrink back into himself to avoid the attention. Several people continued to watch him. Their eyes sizing him up.

Lord Loratyk calmly walked around the table and met the riders and Enderton’s entourage. He calmly pushed the riders out of the way before he said, “Garvin, I didn’t accuse you of such an act. I sent my men to alert you that it was happening and to join me here so we could solve the mystery of it.”

“If that was the case, then why did a mage not come to greet me?” he whined.

Several disheveled mages were following behind. Wynne shook her head, motioned to them, and said, “like the ones you’re ignoring behind you?”

Lidvus stood up and said, “Enough! Riders, please escort the Lord’s men out.”

All four of them didn’t hesitate and started moving in around the knights. Unsheathing their blades, the knights took defensive stances.

Dalphina shook her head and stepped around the table herself and floated toward the group, placing her hand out to ease the knights. She said, “now, now. There is no need for that behavior. I do insist, though, my lords, that we take this to a more private location.”

Lord Loratyk turned and looked at Kaden. He made a motion and said, “Young rider, join us.”

Kaden looked around, but all the eyes were on him once again. He spotted Eloise not too far away. Giving her pleading eyes, looking for her help, she gave him a grimace and a shrug. She didn’t know what was happening, either. He was going to have to obey the Lord.

Trying to keep his head down, he slowly and awkwardly walked over toward the group, trying to keep his eyes down on the ground as to not meet any of his peers own. It felt as if there was a pressure in the room as he knew everyone watched him intently. Being the celebrity of the day wasn’t what he was intending for his first day’s impression at the temple.

There was only so much he could do to hide and being called down in front of two bickering lords was definitely going to make that harder. The two men were glaring at each other. Dalphina rolled her eyes. She called out for his original mage companions, and the three of them showed up without as much fanfare.

He noticed as Iratoi and Vixenta shared a curious look before the other four riders started escorting the knights out. They still tried to act defensively, but Lord Enderton ordered them to stand down. Sheathing their blades, they glared and let the riders push them out of the room.

Kaden wasn’t sure what was going on but with the mention of the framing and now one lord behaving such a way to another openly at a temple, he knew he was involved in something that was way over his head. It worried him. When rich men bicker, the nation suffers.

Lidvus came up behind them, ensuring that they felt his presence. Enderton let out a frustrated huff and followed Dalphina out of the great hall. The moment the doors closed behind them, a rush of voices was heard muffled through the massive wooden doors. They were the talk of the evening.

Jaxtor leaned over to Kaden and whispered, “this is going to get interesting.”