Ghost in the Roses

Chapter 2.

"Let's begin shall we!" the elf says slyly.

I can't imagine how many times he put cadets to the test and by the look on his face, it doesn't seem to ever get old. Like livestock, we follow our metal shepherd.

There they are. The dew shimmers on the rows and rows of black scales and their wing span twists and twirls the mid-morning mist. I stand there in awe and feel their low growls in the soles of by black boots. Such majestic creatures, but still very scary. Their beauty commands respect.

"These dragons are going to be your ride the rest of the way to the Academy," the elf raises his voice for all to hear. "You'll have the rest of the day to do that. Don't bother if you won't be able to show by nightfall. If you do, then the dragon you choose is yours to name," he then climbs on his dragon and takes the reins.

"This is your test! Good luck!" with those last words, his dragon pushes off the ground and vanishes into the fog. There's no one else left to give us any farther instructions. We're on our own.

I don't understand why he gives us so much time. The castle is right past the valley, on top of the hills. I can see its silhouette standing tall. By the looks of it, it shouldn't take no more than half an hour to get there. Something's up and Kai looks just as confused.

"Let's do this together," I nod at him.

"But we've never flown a dragon before. None of us has," his eyes size up the massiveness of his chauffeur.

He's right. All our knowledge about them comes from books and now it's time to put what we've studied to the test.

"Come on, let's go say 'hi'," I pick out a fish from one of the barrels and stand in front of one of the dragons.

It pays no attention to me and remains busy cleaning under its scales with the razor-sharp teeth. I wait till the creature is done. The last thing I want to do is to startle it. Then, I present my peace offering and wait for the smell to catch its attention. It does.

On the knuckles of its wings, it moves like a ribbon in the wind towards me. Its shoulder and hip muscles rise and fall like the waves of a restless sea. With great care in each step, the dragon slowly starts to shift towards me. The massive body is low to the ground.

Is this predator stalking me?

I stand my ground, hoping that the monster is only messing with me for its amusement.

To my relief, the dragon decides not to pounce on me and instead, gets close enough to properly examine my smelly gift.

"Do you want this?" I say as its nostrils force out the air and blow my hair back.

Between the gaps of those teeth drool sips right on top the fish. The dragon does want it.

"I have a proposition to make; I'll give you this fish and you fly me to the Academy. Sounds like a deal?"

The dragon nods.

"Thanks. Here you go," I sigh with a smile and throw the fish into the air. My arranged ride swallows it whole with ease.

Kai follows my lead and soon we both climb onto our dragons' saddles. As we become airborne, other riders join us too. The cadets who're still on the ground are less lucky and we leave them to figure out that respect and kindness goes a long way.

One of the cadets finds that out the hard way; the dragon she tries to tame picks her up and throws her like a rag doll. That girl's back hitting a train car is the last thing we see happen as our view below melts into the fog.