Dragon Rider (#Wattys2016)

Small Rebals

~~Theas POV~~

I collapsed into the bed, it was a thin mattress on the floor, did that count as a bed? I don't know, today had been a blur from the moment I went through those doors.

***FLASHBACK***

I walked through the doors and paused as they shut behind me, my eyes squinting as I got used to the light. I found myself in a marble hall; it reminded me a lot of a room in a palace. Which begged the question where am I? I looked up to find myself looking into the scowling face of, someone who looked familiar... He was the leader of the Magicians! He was not someone to be trifled with, I could tell that much. Everyone knows about his famous rage, this was definitely not someone I wanted to cross. The magician had small puny eyes that seemed to stare you and think of what was wrong about you. I took an instant dislike to him, his scowl had hardened and it seemed like he never smiled. I looked down at my feet and waited for the rest of the people in the hall to realise I was here. After a while, when nothing seemed to happen the Leader eventually coughed as if he was clearing his throat. It did the trick every stopped what they were doing, it seemed like no one was even breathing. Eventually the Leader started talking, "welcome Rider," he said the last word with obvious hate I tried not to roll my eyes. "You have got a dragon and are now accepted into the school, yadah yadah and no one cares! Everyone hates you and you are now one of us! You will never help your enemies, the people! You will help be in charge, rise through the ranks and you may become leader." His eyes flashed dangerously and I flinched, "though that is entirely impossible now be gone someone will help you."

I looked at him, and then asked "what about my dragooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnn????" I ended up screaming the last part as he had pulled a lever and the ground had disappeared from underneath me. I swear I hate that Leader and I will never do what he said! I will help the people, not kill them! I hadn't screamed on my way down, if he had wanted to kill me he would've done something magical. But this way it would be messy, bloody so he would have pulled the lever afterwards to dump the body.

I managed to pick up the gentle quiet whomphs of a dragon's wings; I managed to hear the sound muttering words. "Hey, a little help over here please!" I called out to the person and dragon, friend or foe I didn't care but a little help would be welcome here. I heard the persons mutterings get more and more confusing, I felt myself slowing down so whatever she did it was helping. Suddenly arms wrapped around me and I felt myself being pulled onto a dragons back. Then the dragon flared his wings and his back legs swung out from underneath him as he landed. I was dropped onto the floor, and landed on my feet, a girl about my age, 14. I looked into her hard, ice cold blue eyes; she was almost the exact same height as me with blonde hair. "Thanks," I told her, she glared at me but I don't think she meant to be mean.
"You were meant to scream, so I knew that someone was coming down the sky hatch!"
"Well I knew I wasn't going to die!"
"Well if you hadn't called for help you would've gone splat!"
"But I didn't," I pointed out smugly.
The girl looked at me and changed the topic, "did the Leader drop you down here?" She asked.
"No, I totally meant to fall," I told her sarcastically.
"Oh," She said confused.
"Dude! I was joking, but I really, really dislike that guy."
The girl smiled slyly at me, "I like you. My name is Spiritus, it means Spirit in the ancient words." I opened my mouth to tell her my name when she shook her head. I stopped confused, "whatever your old name was it isn't now as people can be controlled by their name. So once you choose a new name to be your name and then you can tell people your old name. My old name was Jazzamine, with a z," (said like Jass-a-min). "Come on, I'll show you around."
I looked around at the dark and desolate place, "that'd be nice, I take it you don't like the Leader?" We had started walking when Spiritus stopped, before walking forward again her eyes hard as stone.
"Yes, he is the reason I'm here," came her short reply.
"Is he your dragon?" I asked frowning; the vibe or aura of it all just didn't seem to fit.
"No!" Spiritus burst out, yelling angrily "the Leader and his 'trustee's,' don't trust us or our dragons so we have to use someone else's dragon! It is wrong I can feel it, eventually you lose connection to your dragon and die - if you don't meet with your dragon after 6 years. Although if you are about to die they take you away and server your bond and bond you with a new dragon!"
I meet her gaze, hard brown meeting ice blue, "that's not his fault though," I said gesturing to the dragon.
"I guess," Spiritus said, still annoyed at the dragon she pulled me up in front of her, "hold on," she warned.
Grabbing onto the neck spine in front of me I gripped with my knees, I felt the dragons muscles shift and heard his wings straining. He let out a grunt of frustration as he tried again to life off. "Fly you stupid dragon!" Spiritus shouted at the dragon, he roared in response as Spiritus kicked him in a weak scale.
I felt guilty for the dragon, although it wasn't my fault. 'Easy,' I whispered to the vast mind of his, 'you can do it, just take your time.' After a couple of beats his bulk was in the air, wings heaving to gain height as gravity pulled him back down. Then we were up and flying, he started heading down a dark tunnel that I didn't notice before.
'Thank you,' came a rumbling voice I looked down at the dragons neck, he had spoken!
'No, I thank you; my name is Thea, what is yours?'
I felt the dragons surprise as I revealed my name to him, 'names have power and yet you gave me yours?'
'Trust,' I whispered to him, 'something special and I put my trust in you.'
'Then I shall return the favour Thea, my name is Fire Storm.'
'And like a storm you shall attack your enemies and fire will be under your control.' I told him, slipping off his back after he had landed. 'May the wind before ever under your wings, watch out for Snow Storm, my dragon.'
'And may your travels be easy, watch for Fantasia, she is my rider.' I nodded and left the dragons mind and looked at Spiritus who was just coming off.
After smacking Fire Storm's shoulder she sent him off, I watched as his majestic red wings took him into the sky. "Well now that we're here I'll tell you some things and some secrets if you're lucky." I searched again with my mind for Snow Storm, but came up with nothing but strange dragon minds. I ghosted after Spiritus as she made her way cliff wall riddled with caves. "This is where the dragons live and us with our... Partner," she told me, her lip curling up with distaste at the thought of Fire Storm.
"So will my dragon be there?" I asked her hopefully.
"No, they will have a training course for your dragon to go through first that is the reason why we can't contact them." I nodded and she continued showing me around, the wash rooms for your dragon and yourself, they were more like springs with rough brushes and things though. Then there was the arena which was a giant hollowed out cave, everything here was rocks and basically the whole thing was a cave! Spiritus showed me other things but I couldn't get my head around the whole thing. Then she led me to a ledge, I walked over to the edge and looked down when suddenly I was pushed. Before I fell over completely Spiritus grabbed my wrist and swung me so I was facing her, but still over the cliff.
"Are you a spy for the Leader?" She asked me, I looked around worried and struggled to clear my features of fear.
"No, I am not," I told her calmly, well as calm as I can do hanging over a cliff.
"That's what they all say," she told me before letting me go.
I felt the wind scream in my ears, and this time I did scream, because I wasn't going to get help. "NO, No, NOOOO I AM NOT A SPY!!!" After screaming that, I fell quiet and screamed out with my mind the only thing I could think of, 'CAN I HAVE SOME HELP AGAIN? I'M KIND OF FALLING FROM A CLIFF!!' I opened my eyes and stared at the ground that was rushing towards me; I could make out blood stains, just a dark brown against the grey floor. I once again heard the wing beats of a dragon then they suddenly stopped and I felt a shadow come over me. A dragon must have flown in front of the torch I figured out. Just before I hit the floor and had accepted that I was going to die today and now, dragon claws wrapped around my waist and with a jerk I stopped. The dragon opened his claws slightly and I scrambled onto his back. Gripping the dragons blue scales with my knees, my hands holding tightly onto the spine in front of me. But my eyes were taking everything in, the dragon flared his wings and landed on the cliff I had been pushed off. It finally dawned on me how bug the dragon was he was twice the size of Snow Storm! But what surprised me even more was the red dragon there, there were a couple of other dragons but the red one was twice the size of the blue dragon. I jumped off the dragons back and landed on the ground safely, I watched as the red dragon opened his mouth and roared at the blue dragon as red flames poured out. The other dragon opened his mouth and blue flames that seemed watery came out, getting rid of the flames and leaving steam wisps behind. The two dragons then mind spoke with each other. (R stands for the Red Dragon, B for the blue dragon.

R: That was a spy you just saved Vispo!
B: You moron! Exactly like a fire dragon you didn't even think !
R: don't call me that you lazy river dragon! I did think!
B: I am a water dragon stupid not a river dragon and why shouldn't I call you by your species name?
R: Species?
B: point made, but it says in your words, 'you are to look after all riders unless spy, if rider is special or otherwise special treatment can be used.'
R: Spy! In your words, point made.
B: Otherwise idiot, you useless fire-breathing lizard! She is bonded to a spirit dragon.
R: of?
B: I don't know! He's young, name Snow Dragon, egg found abandoned, fire dragon female, Night dragon male.
R: *gasp* fine you take care of it.
B: her and why did you gasp? Oh wait is it? *R nods,* very well winds to you Desert Flame.
R: prey to you Vispo.
Desert Flame (Flame) flew off, Vispo turned to me 'come its time you get your dragon.' I looked at around at the other dragons as they took off, I could feel their worry for the dragon I was to bond with. But none for me, I thought, well except for Fire Storm (Fire) who was also worried for me as he flew with Spiritus, he was guilty for his non-bonded with Rider. Or Non ascensorem, Non Rider in the ancient words.

I got on Vispo as he flew off towards a small cave, pulling his wings close to his body he more or less dived through it. He suddenly landed and I slipped off onto the floor, I groaned and glared up at him pouting.
'No fair, no fair now I get to pull your hair!' I said using an old line from my childhood.
'I don't have hair,' he told me before walking forward I jogged to catch up with him.
'Smarty pants,' I got no answer.

***A RANDOM DRAGON YOU SHALL LEARN ABOUT SOON***
I felt a small tug in my head and groaned, it had been ages since I had last been awake, I thought had it been six years? I shook my head and opened my eyes. I found myself staring into a steel wall, I got up chains clattering around, fear crept into my mind. I looked around me, I was in a cage but they only did that to dragons who were about to have their links cut... I opened my mind link flying down it to where I entered my riders mind, I could feel him walking down the path to the dragon caves to be bonded. That's when I figured it out, my rider had changed, he had been trusted he was outa here! I felt him grinning as he looked at the big blue dragon in front of him. Twice the size of me the same size as Vispo, I knew I had to do something I would not survive the cutting of the bond. I retreated into my own mind and felt for the beginning of our mind link, I roared angrily for fate making me do this. I could here a rider coming for a dragon, strangely she was talking to them. I pulled my mind walls as close to me as possible and severed the link between my rider and me. I roared again opening my wings as they sliced clean through the chain, I wanted to end my life the pain was so bad! I growled gritting my teeth I heard the clang of the door opening as well as Vispo shouting. I opened my eyes to find myself looking into the eyes of a young girl.
'Easy now, it's hard just accept it it's easier that way,' she told me kindly I roared in her face.
She winced but didn't flinch at all, 'how do you know that? Do you know what it feels like?'
'Your blocks came off as soon as you cut the link, and of course I don't know what it would feel like, I haven't been unbonded or the link severed. Although may I ask what type of dragon are you? And why are you in a cage and with chains? You don't have to answer but I'm new here and it would be good to learn something new that's not dangerous.'
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and looked at her, she had dark brown eyes, that hardened as if they had seen to much. Her dark brown hair seemed to have a golden shine to it like it had been bleached by the sun. I closed my eyes and thought for a moment before opening them, 'well I am a Nightwing dragon, and I was in a cage because when a link is cut the dragon is known to go crazy with the pain. I'm in chains as I haven't lost my spirit and will attack anyone who comes by as I have been asleep the last six years and don't accept that I'm a prisoner and before you ask a Nightwing dragon is rare and hardly ever found, so people don't know much about us.'
'Can you tell me why I was accused of being a spy?'
'The people are planning an uprising and spy's are often planted to find info and gain their trust.' She nodded it made sense, she looked at me and a sense of peace and longing filled me.
'Small Rebals they should be called,' she chuckled, 'partners?'
'You mean Non ascensorem?'
'No I mean partners,' I looked at her she was defiantly different from most people.
'Partners,' I nodded agreeing 'but what is my name? A start if a new life needs a new name.'
'Star Sign, Zodiac, for the star sign for short, as Star seems a bit to girly for you,' I nodded of course.

***END OF FLASHBACK***
(Thea's POV now)

And that's how my day went, I spent the rest of the day with Zodiac, as we call him after the star sign.

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Vispo and his rider in the picture!