Dragons Rising ✔️

Ch 13: The Talme House

"Since you are all here, I will show you the premises." The black-haired elent moved toward the room's interior doorway, which was more than large enough to accommodate a dragon. The last rider dismounted and came over as well. She was a good foot shorter than me and had short, cream-colored fur.

"I'm Sarafin, and I am your skills teacher," the elent continued. "For the majority of your time here, you will follow this schedule." He pointed at a sheet of paper tacked next to the door. "And these rules." He gestured at a five-page-long list hanging by the schedule. "I advise you to inspect the schedule and rules in depth later, but there are several things you should know now. Breakfast is at 6:30 sharp, so do not stay up late. There is a strict dress code that must be followed at all times when outside of this house. Your dragons are not allowed in the downstairs, as they will not fit."

He crossed his arms and sighed. "I am obligated to tell you that you will soon begin experiencing 'mental echoes.' As defined by the curriculum, mental echoes are your 'thoughts, mental images, or emotions that seem to come from an outside source but in reality are only a side effect of the magical bond between rider and dragon.'"

I'd heard of mental echoes before, but I'd never understood how people could seriously mistake their own thoughts as being someone else's.

"The Academy generals want you to rid yourself of these mental echoes," Sarafin continued with a raised eyebrow, "but I am tentatively allowed to tell you that we cannot force you to go through the extensive potion regimen and magical rituals needed to do so—and more than a few riders have found these 'mental echoes' to be indicative of their dragon's current mood, which, as you can imagine, often proves useful."

He waved at the doorway. "The instruction sheets and potions will be provided in your rooms, but I cannot stress enough that this process is not required, but it is permanent. I suggest you experience the mental echoes for a few weeks before attempting to remove them.

"Now for a tour of the house. Follow me." He went out into the corridor, and we all followed him with our dragons. The hall was wide enough that two class 8 dragons could've walked side by side without touching each other or the walls.

Sarafin gestured at a door to the left of the room we'd just left. "That is my room. If you have any questions for me outside of class hours, I will most likely be there." He moved past us to stand at the top of the stairs. "On the bottom floor, there are restrooms, exercise equipment, a lounge area, and a kitchen." He continued walking down the hall, pointing out our rooms as he went. We four girls had four of the five rooms to the right of the entrance room. Mine was the farthest one on the right.

Sarafin stopped at the end of the hall. "Any questions?"

"Where are our dragons going to sleep?" the cream-furred rider asked.

I was curious about that as well, seeing as he hadn't pointed out any stables during our tour of the island.

"Your dragons will sleep in your rooms."

I shook my head. "What do you mean in our rooms Isn't that dangerous? They aren't exactly kittens."

He stared at me for a second. "I forget, this is all new to you guys. Cohabiting with your dragons is perfectly safe. A dragon would never intentionally hurt their rider, and they are careful enough to avoid doing it on accident."

I nodded like I understood, but I wasn't so sure. No matter how careful an animal was, accidents were bound to happen sooner or later. I didn't want Leera to roll over in her sleep and crush me. Not to mention, she was used to relieving herself in her stall. No way could I get comfortable in my bedroom when she was busy pripping in the corner. I guessed I would have to take her outside occasionally like a dog.

"If there are no other questions..." He paused, but no one said anything. "I'm going to prepare dinner. It will be ready in an hour or so." He headed downstairs, and his dragon went into his room, opening the lever-like handles of the double-doors with his claws.

As soon as Sarafin and his dragon were out of sight, the cream-furred rider stepped up. "I'm Liz. What are your names?"

"Ella."

"Raven."

"Mine is Tawny."

"Aren't you excited?" Liz asked. "We're really riders!"

"Yeah..." Raven glanced at me. "All of us."

Great, I'd made an enemy already, somehow. Maybe she was jealous I'd gotten such a large dragon, or maybe she just didn't like skin mutations. Either way, I had to at least make an effort to befriend Tawny's twin.

"It really is great to be here. I'm sure you're excited too? I mean, you already look like you belong here, all warrior-like and stuff."

She scowled and drew a finger over the scar on her neck. "Oh, you mean this? A ferging paltor tried to slit my neck when I was a kid, but I guess it's cool, as long as it makes me look 'warrior-like and stuff.'" Shaking her head, she disappeared into her room with her dragon.

I turned to Tawny. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I just-"

"She always acts this way. It isn't personal." She paused. "Actually, it is somewhat personal in this case. My dear twin is under the impression that you had a hand in mind-jinking Leera."

"What?" How could she seriously think I was a criminal? I hadn't done anything. Anyone at the ceremony could've seen that. Leera was mind-jinked by a cinem man, not me.

Liz furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought the cinem guy did it and the dragon broke the spell."

Tawny sighed. "One of Raven's less-than-reputable friends kindly informed her that mind-jinking artifacts have the ability to not only force a dragon to bond with someone but also force them to act in a certain way, such as pretending to break a mind-jinking spell in order to eliminate any suspicion surrounding the chosen rider."

"I would never mind-jink a dragon." I frowned. "And even if I did, that doesn't make any sense. Wouldn't it be a lot less risky to avoid showing anyone that the dragon was mind-jinked in the first place?"

She gave me an exasperated expression. "As you can tell, Raven is paranoid. I don't believe you did anything wrong."

"I believe you, too," Liz said.

I glanced at her. It was strange she would say that, seeing as we'd only known each other for a few minutes, but at least she hadn't sided with Raven.

"I think I'll go unpack. Could you tell your sister I'm not a criminal?"

"I will attempt to convince her." Tawny rolled her eyes. "Emphasis on 'attempt.'"

I nodded and went to my room. As Soon as I opened the large double-doors, Leera pushed past me. I fell on my tail, wincing as a few scales cracked. As painful as it was, I was more worried about what the others might think of her odd behavior. Luckily, they were already in their rooms. I hurried inside my room and closed the doors behind me.

Leera had made herself comfortable in what looked like a huge, shallow depression carved into the middle of the stone floor. The room was so large that there was plenty of space for her to stretch out.

I marveled for a second at the size, then at the furniture. Each piece looked skillfully carved out of expensive wood, from the mahogany bookcase by the window to the high-backed chair and gleaming desk next to the door. Not to mention the canopy bed, which rested against the right wall and looked grand enough for a queen. I could hardly believe this was all mine.