The Dragon Bearer {ON HIATUS}

Chapter 2 - Sorcerers and Fire

Eleri tumbled through a tunnel of swirling blue, her mouth open in shock. She tried to scream, but ice-cold air filled her mouth, choking her like clumps of cotton wool. Her arms and legs flailed in a crazy dance. She was being pulled towards something, yanked like a puppet and its strings –

Then it was all over at once.

She was weightless for a moment, then she landed on the ground, all the breath forced from her lungs in a strained "Oof."

She lay still for a moment, her grey eyes widening as they flickered up. Trees and clouds and sky... not the murky cream ceiling of her bedroom. Eleri sat up quickly. Her fingers clenched around wet grass and her nostrils flared at the overwhelming scent of earth on the wind.

A quick, sweeping glance of her surroundings only made her panic more. She seemed to have landed in the middle of a large clearing, for large trees stood all around her in a wide circle. Two large stumps protruded from the ground a few metres from her, and a ring of stones lay even further away. Apart from that, there was nothing really that gave any hints at to where she was. A small voice in the back of her mind told her she should scream for help, but she didn't for fear of the woods coming alive with attackers.

So she looked up again. The sky was a bright azure, marking early afternoon. Puffy white clouds floated by, and several birds chirped merrily above her head. In the distance, sailing high above the treetops, a deep red flag bore what Eleri could only describe as a coat-of-arms. The flag was connected to a turret that looked like it belonged in one of her medieval books.

"But there's no castles anywhere in Berkeley..."

Curiosity tugged on Eleri. Well, she decided, she didn't know where she was and there was no harm in heading towards civilisation. At least, she hoped there wasn't...

She scrambled to her feet, cursing as she saw a rip in the knee of her jeans. Her last pair of good ones, destroyed in a matter of seconds. Mr Lewis would have a fit.

She trudged through the woods, her nose crinkling as she inhaled the wet, musty reek of outside. This wasn't the smell of a typical reserve, fresh and vaguely like the dung of pets long since gone home, but the mouldy, ancient smell of an untouched forest. Soon her jeans were soaked up to the knees and she had been bitten by countless insects, leaving her itchy and sore.

"See," she muttered to herself, "this is why I don't like going outside. Wouldn't mind climbing a tree but I can't very well do that when half of them must be a mile high. Stupid bugs... must be dreaming... that'll explain things, won't it?"

After what seemed like an age, Eleri finally saw a break in the trees. She heaved a sigh of relief, her grumpy expression relaxing into a smile, and strode towards it with renewed vigour.

As soon as she stepped onto a path flecked with pebbles, she stopped to catch her breath and looked around. The path was quite wide, perhaps closer to being a road, and it was connected to a grassy field opposite her. A slight burning smell, like bread and meat, wafted towards her and her mouth flooded with saliva. Loud, cheery voices could be heard in the distance. Perhaps someone could help her find her way home. She swept a hand over her hair and set off again.

Before long she found herself amidst folk who milled about like they were out for an afternoon stroll. Their clothes were strange, heavy and woollen and covering nearly every inch of skin. The women and girls mostly wore flowing outfits and had their hair pinned back or in braids, while the men donned tunics. There was far more variety between the women; some wore boots and calf-length dresses over linen shirts, while others were more conservative, choosing long dresses and tunics and shawls. It was also quite obvious who was wealthy and who was poor, by the rich, flowing fabrics and the glittering jewels and leather pouches positively bulging with coins.