The Dragonriders

Chapter 2

Rising From The Ashes

Shirley

When I wake up I see white curtains. Where am I? Trying to sit up I realize my left arm has something strong and hard tied to it, keeping the wrist straight. It ends up being some type of splint. Wait. What? Why am I not buried under a building? I notice I still wear my hunter outfit but not my cape. The bow of my master, like my quiver and arrows, is missing. I don't feel my knife either. The bed I'm sitting on is comfortable and a bit bouncy. Now I take the time to look around. The room is mostly made from grey stone, with a mirror on one wall, one set of doors next to a window with closed red curtains before them, and another set of doors across the room from them. Next to the door sits a guy.

The guy seems to be in his twenties. His hair is on the longer side, brownish and with grey eyes only slightly peeking from below them. He wears a light grey woven vest and a black set of woolen trousers. When he sees me sitting up he nods approvingly. 'Good. You are awake.'

I look at him with slitted eyes. 'Who are you? And where am I?'

The guy sighs. 'The name is Reynold. I'm the one who saved you from the rubble when the dragon left. Well... Silvarius did most of the work. I cannot claim I did much until you were mostly uncovered. You are lucky, girl.'

I look at him unamused. 'I got a name, you know. I'm Shirley. And you didn't need to save me. I can save myself.'

He chuckles. 'Like you saved yourself from the dragon? That was courageous. Courageous and stupid. I'm impressed you even tried to take on that dragon, completely by yourself. Almost everyone in the town, including some hunters, tried to run away. Of course they all died in the process as running from a dragon doesn't help... but they made an attempt. You however, you stood and fought. You would not go any other way than die in the saddle. I admire that, huntress.'

I look down for a moment. 'Why didn't you leave me at Darkwoods Hope? I'm sure I could have helped the survivors rebuild.'

Reynold gets up but has his head lowered. 'I don't know how to best say this but... you are the sole survivor. That's why I brought you to the City Fortress of Celaris. The dragon left nothing but rubble and ash in his wake...'

Slowly it sinks in. Everyone I ever knew is dead. Not just my master whom I could miss like a bad case of toothache, but also the weapon smith, the sword teacher, the fellow Faceless I tried to teach a lesson for thinking I could be humiliated... they are all no more. 'Thank you for telling me...'

I get up from the bed and slowly walk to the doors he is sitting next to. I need some time alone to think. Wander around and maybe follow my friends and family eventually. I cannot rebuild my life from nothing far from home without anyone I know... That is when I open the door and see what is on the other side. It is a white dragon. I know it isn't the dragon that attacked my village but it wakes something up in me. I step back and ball both hands in fists. It does hurt my left arm but I don't care. I have to fight back. No more oppression from dragons! Then Reynold lays a hand on my right fist. 'Calm down. Silvarius won't hurt you. He is my dragon. He saved you.'

The white dragon, who is apparently called Silvarius, opens his eyes and looks at me with what seems to be a chuckle. Then to my surprise it speaks, though it is with a grumble. 'You were right, Reynold. A fighter indeed. Foolish but with a fury... it was indeed acceptable to spend my time digging her up.'

My mouth drops open from that as I realize what is happening. Reynold lays a hand on my shoulder. 'You understood him, didn't you?'

All I can do is nod. Reynold closes his eyes and takes a couple of deep breaths. 'Not all dragons are like the one you saw. The dragon that attacked your village was a Wild Dragon. Born in the wild they live by the rules of the woods. However, some dragons are not wild. Silvarius, like all dragons in Celaris, is a dragon of the Dragons Covenant. We guard the peace not just between humans and dragons, but between all races. Legend says that the first bonding between a dragon and a human, the start of the Dragons Covenant, was after the human lived through dragon fire. It is said that one who survives dragon fire can speak with a dragon without being bonded to one. Several elders have the same ability.'