Beyond the Shadow

Chapter 3

I mount Blue's saddle sheathing my sword. I glance across the arena at Brenda atop her turquoise stormcutter, gripping a large black war hammer. Brenda shoots upward through the open sky door, and I follow behind her silently. We glide around in opposite ends of a circle before we hear a low horn signal the start of the fight.

Brenda's dragon shoots fire towards me and I soar upwards dodging the flames. She soars higher blasting blazing flames towards me, but Blue is much faster and we reach the clouds, enshrouding ourselves in white, becoming invisible. Blue is a Silent Gelid, which means as the name would suggest that he flies completely silent, making him a deadly hunter. Inside the clouds, not only are we unseen, we are also unheard making us an impossible target. Brenda comes to an abrupt stop hovering beneath the clouds, shooting a large burst of flames into nothing.

I dive beneath my white shroud behind her and slash at her arm before ascending back upwards. She shrieks in agony, and breaths more flames into the clouds, I had just ascended through, narrowly missing me. I soar invisible, and a faint flapping noise in the distance grows louder. I can feel the clouds around me grow thinner, and the intense noise fills the sky. The clouds grow so thin that I am able to glance down upon Brenda upon the back of her stormcutter flapping all four of her wings rapidly parting the clouds, and revealing me above her. I curse under my breath, at her wit and attempt to dodge a tunnel of flames shot towards me. I can feel my singed tunic catch fire, and my right leg is in blistering pain. But I have no time to tend my injury and I dive downwards.

Brenda shoots flames upwards once more, but this time I propel a blast of Gelid ice downwards. The fire and ice meet and a blinding light fills the sky. Brenda's expression is both one of shock, and worriment. I blast more ice towards her and it makes contact with the bottom left wing of her dragon. She plummets downward for a moment before she regains a lopsided hover, and I leap off of the back of my dragon onto hers drawing my sword.

She stands up and swings her warhammer upwards, striking my injured leg, bringing me to my knees. It's difficult to think of anything else besides my searing pain, but then I remember my father's words, don't ever lose hope, the fights not over until it's over. Just think! I instantly realize that the advantage of my weapon is that it has a cross guard on the hilt, while her hammer has nothing halting my blade. I stop her next stroke, striking the hammer's pole and I drive my blade downward slashing her hand. She cries in agony dropping her warhammer.

I can taste the concentrated sweat dripping from my forehead, as the wind howls around me. My lips curl into a smile and I feel like I've proved myself, and made my father proud. But something inside me compels me to not hit her with the pommel of my blade and return to the ground like I'm supposed to. That tiny voice seems to say,"Come on just toy around with her a little while, enjoy this." I begin to toy with her but she seizes the opportunity, and kicks me hard in the crotch knocking me backwards against the neck of her dragon. She takes her dagger and strikes me with the hilt on my forehead rendering me unconscious.

I hazily open my eyes, and start to panic. The wind is wailing around me while I plummet towards the ground. I try to whistle for Blue but my voice feels scratchy and dry, like sandpaper in my throat. I try again to no avail, the ground is rapidly getting closer. I push past the pain and make the loudest whistle I can. It's faint, but Blue hears it and comes diving down towards me, reaching me mere seconds before I'm about to hit the sky door, and hoists me upwards with his feet. The ash, and dust fills the arena in a cloud of smoke, and I lie on the cold hard marble unmoving, defeated.

I had failed. The legacy my family held proudly had shattered, and it was all my fault. I would forever remain in my father's shadow, a disappointment to Berk. Then I look up and I see a bleeding hand extended towards me. I gaze into Brenda's eyes but there isn't any hint of smugness, or pity in them. There's merely respect. If you're ever beaten, then don't feel mad, you've always been able to put up a good fight right to the very end. Reflecting back upon my father's words I find the strength to clutch Brenda's hand and pull myself off of the ground, beaten but not defeated.