Dawn's Light

Chapter 7

Celia glanced between the disappointed stares of Master Peteah and Guild Master Orthos, feeling sick to her stomach with guilt that she probably would not have felt if she and Persephone had not been caught.

Master Peteah crossed his arms in disdain and it seemed to Celia that by crossing his arms, he was limiting the raw disappointment coming out of him to only his eyes instead of his entire body. "I expected more obedience out of two Chosen," he stated and looked between the two of them, "it was not your place as rankless to be snooping around in Masters's business. I told both of you to stay in the training area. Why exactly did you explicitly disobey my instructions and leave?"

Celia glanced towards Guild Master Orthos as if he was a pocket of calm amongst the rough winds of Master Peteah's tone, but the guild master seemed hard and unforgiving. After formulating her answer and deciding the raw, simple truth was the best option, Celia spoke up before Persephone had decided to. "We were curious, sirs," she started, "and wanted to know what was happening."

"We did practice riding our dragons at a walk." Persephone piped in, but Celia did not think it helped their case all that much. "So we at least followed part of your instructions." She smiled weakly in nervousness.

"You still disobeyed Master Peeta," Guild Master Orthos stated, "for that, you will face punishment and receive a strike on your record."

Celia was rather fine with being punished, but the prospect of receiving a strike worried her. Strikes were received when a rider did something beyond a simple mistake, miscalculation, or forgot something mostly unimportant. Such things strikes were given out for were disobedience, purposeful violence, or repeated minor misdemeanors. Once six strikes were received, then the person was kicked out of the guild they were previously in and sent to do the raw labor requirements of the town. After that, they could even be banished from the town itself.

Celia hoped that she would manage to refrain from receiving more strikes and losing her status as a dragon rider. Though Celia suspected she and Verbena probably wouldn't be separated, Celia had heard that the separation of rider and dragon had happened before.

"You will also receive extra training from me, and don't expect it to be easy." Master Peteah stated.

The two young riders nodded in acceptance of their punishment.

"First, you're going to help groom dragons." Master Peteah stated.

While Persephone looked dumbfounded on how that was part of training, Celia accepted it, as she and her mother had spent time brushing the two dragons that lived with them. Grooming was not only important to the dragons, but it was also important in bonding with dragons. Another perk was that the brushed off ejon was sent to the cloth makers to be spun into thread and woven into fabric.

"Both of you, come with me." He led them out to where the dragons were waiting outside of Orthos's office.

Verbena looked to Celia with a condemned expression, 'I'm sorry...,' she whimpered. 'Gretor Fen was very disappointed in me,' she pressed her head against Celia's side for comfort.

Celia masked her confusion for what a 'Gretor' was and instead focused on following Master Peteah as he led them to their destination: the washing area in the lower levels of the mountain where the water didn't run into drinking sources for the mountain. The water above was mostly just used for drinking purposes, so the water used for bathing was still relatively clean.

Once they arrived, Master Peteah turned and looked to them. "You two will brush the dragons for the riders as they arrive, starting with your dragons. Once they are clean to my satisfaction, then they will be taken to their special training away from you. Is that clear?" He asked, then proceeded to not give them time to answer the apparently rhetorical question.