Flightbound

CHAPTER 1

The sun was beating down on the city of Sefara. The men lumbered across the desert dunes, heading off to work in the outer banks of the city. The women prepped for morning tea, leaving their bread out to bake on the window sills, loading trays with honey cakes and coconut water. The children ran amok in the streets and houses, playing games of tag, sneaking sips of palm wine, pointing and shrieking whenever a gryphon went by. 

And I was above it all. Perched atop today's gryphon, Indiris, I could see the rolling expanse of the city laid out before me. I shifted in the saddle, then motioned for Indiris to fly higher. Once his wings brushed the clouds, I pulled us in for a dive. We pulled up at the last moment, Indiris' wings beating furiously. We tipped upside down and into a loop, before managing a few tight turns and spirals, and landed triumphantly in the training yard.

I've heard many stories about the thunderbirds that belong to Drakemire, and Thalmarie's pegasi, but I still believe gryphons are the superior creature. Well almost. Wyverns will always win, in my opinion. But the gryphons of Kemelia come in a close second. I've never actually flown a wyvern, I'm not allowed to. But, if I get in to the AWA (Alliance War Academy), my dream might finally come true.

"How was that?" I ask, still perched atop Indiris. I need to get inside soon, beads of sweat were starting to pool at the bottom of my neck. 

"Good." My mother replies. "You could work on a more powerful dive though."

My mother, Aphadra, is probably the toughest person I've ever met. And the complete opposite of me. We have the same long, dark hair, dark skin and enchanting brown eyes, and that's where the similarities end. Aphadra is loud and commanding, I'm quiet and definitely a rule follower. Aphadra is feared by the other kids in the palace, I'm just the girl who's there. Aphadra is tall and muscular, I'm small and delicate. While my mother has perfectly toned arms, my muscles are smaller. If you looked at me, you would not think I wrestle with baby gryphons, and spend many hours in the sky in the boiling heat every day. You certainly wouldn't think I know how to subdue a full grown gryphon, and those can be scary. 

"Are you coming? You've been flying since the crack of dawn, don't think I didn't notice you leave the room." Aphadra tilts her head to get a better look at me. "Your posture is perfect. You've been practicing."

"Mum, my posture was perfect twelve years ago." I roll my eyes. "I just happened to be an overeager five year old."

Aphadra smiles and gestures for me to come.

"Put Indiris back in his den, then come and get changed." She looks at my filthy flight gear and sighs. "I have something for you."

I dismount and open the gate of the training yard, leading Indiris to the Skystone Hall. It's a stone building just to the side of the palace, with two levels. The bottom is for the riding gear and other equipment on one half, and the other half is lockers for the riders and stalls to prep gryphons for flight, and clean them up after. The second level is where we keep the gryphons. Each one has there own little "den" for them to sleep in. 

I find an empty stall for us, and begin removing the saddle and reigns from Indiris. I rub the feathers in between his shoulders, the spot I know he likes. He squawks and nuzzles me affectionately with his beak. I brush down the feathers and fluff, then take him up to his den. I fill up the troughs with food and water, make sure the hay doesn't have any annoying bugs in it, then call out a goodbye and shut the door, making sure to lock it. We will not have another incident.

I leave Skystone Hall and enter the palace. Why am I living in the palace, you ask? Well, I'm certainly not a princess, that title belongs to one Liema Banjola, a girl I am content to never speak to. I'm an official trainer. My mum is the Royal Gryphon Trainer, and when I was born, my services were apparently required too. I get to ride gryphons all day long, but I never get to keep one. They all go out to the royal family, high nobles, or the king's personal guard. There are training stations all over the kingdom, but those are for Kemelia's army.