The Dragon Academy

The Armor

Smoke billowed in the dark room. Scentless smoke curled around shapes I could barely see the outline off. It felt like fog or mist rolling and twisting towards me. I could see vague shapes in the darkness, outlined by the faintest of lights. I could sense a presence. Strange as it was, an overwhelming feeling of something filled me, like I belonged here. The feeling caught me off guard and I was startled awake, the dream vanishing from my mind like tendrils of smoke through my fingers.

The smith was filled to the brim with smoke again. The smith within was working her magic and wove the smoke into an armor. I shook my head to clear it off smoke, but it was effortless. I looked more closely at the smoke. Judging from the smell and the dark color, the smoke was used for her never ending work on the dragon armor. It was one of the few things I was able to recognize. Yes, dragons are fierce, but they are not invincible. Some would need armor too. The heat from the work could be unbearable to most, but I stood and watched, learned. Well I might have fallen asleep, but it's not like smiting is the most exciting thing to watch.

I knew the smith well enough that I could see by the way she struck the metal, that the work was coming to an end. The smith's soothing chanting was reduced to whispers as the smoke around the hearth was lifted from the workplace. I hadn't been allowed to learn about the magical part of smiting, the part Sandra had just finished. Learning magic outside the Academy is strictly forbidden.

One day I would go through the magic-trial to see if I had magic inside of me. Perhaps I had magic, perhaps not, but I would probably end up a smith either way, unless I was requited at the dragon academy to become a Knight. Riding dragons all day, that would be a dream come true, but smiting was not a bad future either.

The smith, Sandra, was a tall woman. She had inherited this shop from her father called Hendro when he moved to the inner ring to establish a finer smith. She almost always wore a leather piece on her front to protect her, and it had various pockets where she kept most of her tools instead of letting them lay about everywhere. She had short brown hair in a ponytail and right now she was glancing my way as she swept some swear from her forehead. "Kaye, would you cool the metal please?" She removed her gloves and walked away from the piece of metal she had been working on. I eagerly stepped up to the metal to look upon her art. It was the last piece for the dragon armor she had been working on as I suspected. The armor was dark due to the smoke magic Sandra had performed just a few seconds ago, but I knew that it was still blazing hot even if it didn't show it. I moved and grabbed it with my own gloves and checked on the waterbarrel. It was ready to use.

While I cooled the piece, Sandra moved out to the part of the shop where customers could wander and look upon Sandra's beautiful craftwomanship. I smiled at the thought and carried the now cool plate to its place among the other finished pieces. Now all that was missing was the enhanced leather to connect all the new pieces.

I made sure everything was as it should before I strolled over to meet Sandra. I walked through the door, carefully closing it before scanning the shop with my eyes in search for Sandra. I located her swiftly, and noted how she was by the farthest wall, gesticulating at a sword. The customer seemed as into the conversation as Sandra was. I recognized the sword, as I did every sword in the shop. It was a nice sword, and I should know since I had been working on it together with Sandra. Instead of the usual sculptures of dragons adorning the handle, we had made it represent the four gods of the elements. Air as winter, Earth as spring, Fire as summer as Water as autumn. It was a wonderful sword, if I dare say so myself, and one that if it had been made solely by Sandra or Hendro would fetch a nice prize on the market. I was proud of it, and I knew Sandra was proud as well. But Hendro would never create such a "simple" sword. I knew for a fact that he had let Sandra take over this shop so he could give her all the lesser work. Not that I think she cares as much about that, so long she is free to smith whatever most of the time. It had been luck that landed the job with the academy, to make that armor.