Crackerjack II

Chpt. 1: Interesting Entry

The wagon swayed heavily with the desert terrain, and Kristen's hand rested against the baby dragon to make sure he wasn't too unsettled. The woman, Holly, drove the cart and one other man sat in the back with Kristen. The other five men rode their mules beside the wagon, scanning the flat rust-red landscape that ran to mountains at the horizon. Lacking any conversation partner, Kristen was left to stare into the distance and wonder about this new life she was being forced to lead.

The unknowns about the school pressed against her attempts at optimism. Completely foreign surroundings, people, and assignments, yet she couldn't stop thinking about what she was leaving. Gray and them would be headed back, now. Maybe they were playing a game or telling stories. She sighed, glancing at her new companions, none of whom gave her a second look. How many times would she have to exchange everything she knew?

They were finally nearing the city when Kristen felt a tingling, like passing through a curtain of needles. Noticing her alarm, one of the men broke the long silence.

"It's our protective system. Alerts us to intruders. Keeps the critters out, too."

She nodded and sat back. She forced her stance to relax, but her nerves continued to vibrate. The unease grew when they stopped well outside the town's limits.

Again, the man explained. "We have a shield to protect us from pryin' eyes. Can't get through without serious damage."

When Kristen glanced around, Holly rolled her eyes. "You can't see it, jitterbit. That'd defeat the purpose."

A small click, and then Kristen had to block her face from a rush of air. When she opened her eyes, she gaped. The town that had seemed so normal moments ago was now swarming with dragons. They perched on every wall, stretched out on every open rooftop. They were in the sky, too.

Kristen squinted up in excitement, forgetting about the other passengers in the cart. Even though they were high above her head, she could see the tiny, black dots that clung to the beasts' backs. The dragons and their riders twisted and looped, dived and turned in all sorts of acrobatic adventures in the sky.

"Don't git yer hopes up."

Kristen startled and looked at Holly.

"Takes years of practice and bonding to git up there." Her glare was hard, even harder than Quinn's had been.

Kristen shrank back into her seat and avoided the colorful shapes in the sky. Her anxiousness returned. It rubbed against her heart string, though, and she sat up straighter. Breathing deeply, she smiled. She could do this.

When they finally breached the town's limits, she twisted every direction to take in the street, which, even though it was two cart-lengths wide, seemed small in the shadows of the massive brick buildings. The doorways were easily twenty feet tall. Kristen was confused until a girl passed through with her dragon behind her. Several such pairs roamed about, and Kristen's excitement spiked. That could be her.

Like in town, the people were widely varying, though more in skin and style than clothing. Most wore the same brown uniform with colorful outerwear like vests, skirts, boots, and even jewelry. She paid special attention, though, to the dragons. Some were like the baby with smooth scales and skin wings, but there were at least three other kinds: smaller feathered dragons, dust-colored stocky ones, and wingless dragons. With each dragon she spotted, her smile grew.

They stopped in front of the largest building in the center of the town. Except for its size, it didn't appear remarkable, though the doors were significantly smaller. The others stayed where they were, staring at Kristen. She finally got the message and hopped down. As she turned to get her things, the man put a hand over them.