Chimera Ryder

Chapter 14 - Fire

The grass swayed gently to the breeze. The Juneberries were out in the field, picking fruits off of the rawberry trees. Zinny took off her sun hat and noticed Rand's airship landed next to the farm.

Jessa exited the ship and ran towards Zinny. They had so much to say, but Jessa couldn't stay. She handed Zinny back her dress and bid her farewell. Zinny's mother then dragged Jessa's luggage out from the house. She gave Jessa a big hug and handed her a packed lunch. Jessa waved goodbye to Zinny's father and brothers in the field. Some of them didn't see her, so they continued to work.

Jessa didn't tell Zinny about the instability of the lower lands. Bayheart was not chained up like the planes on the other coast. It was connected to the central mountain and no where near the whirlpool. This bay had always been a part of Gem Haven, unlike Jessa's home plane and the other lower lands. Jessa tried to casually ask Rand about the chains draping from above. She wanted to know what they were made of and how they were able to support the lower planes.

Rand didn't care to answer her. He kept his eyesight on the ship's windshield and continued to steer the ship up to the mid plane.

"Stop asking these stupid questions," he said. "Focus on how you got in the zone. That is more important than you trying to figure out these things you would never understand."

Jessa was quiet after that. She also didn't want expose herself as an eavesdropper on Rand and the queen's conversation, so she pretended she was busy cleaning her goggles.

"We're almost there," said Rand.

Rand wasn't talking to her. He was on the radio with Jessa's race team manager. Jessa got drafted by the Fire Pistons, a team owned by a small local steam engine company. Barbera Folly, the team manager, had been searching for a fire beast to complement their colchis bulls for a while now. Unlike the Prime League, teams in the Humble League were only allowed to have three riders and three beasts for each team. The league organizers wanted more race teams so they could promote more events around the world.

After carefully reading through this year's racing schedule, Jessa wasn't able to find her opponents anywhere on that list. She had to beat Demyan to prove her worth to the queen, but there was no way for her to know who she might be racing in each race. Unfortunately for Jessa, there were simply too many teams and too many races; it was impossible for this poorly organized league to keep track with who was racing where. They would only announce the team names a few days before each race. Her best bet was to earn enough points and face Demyan at the finals.

After a long exhausting flight, Jessa was ready to bolt out of Rand's airship. She felt dizzy from reading in the back. She was greeted by her race team manager outside. 

"Hello! You must be 'The Saddle-less Lass,' " said Barbera.

"Hi..."

Jessa almost did a curtsy. She caught herself and shook Barbera's hand instead. 

"And this must be your chimera," said Barbera.

Ryder let out a big yawn. She was not impressed by the steam engine factory. It was just an oversized garage.

"So you read the schedule I telegramed you?" Barbera asked.

"Yes."

"I scheduled all the races we could fit this season," said Barbera. "We'll be racing almost every day."

Barbera looked down at Jessa, not sure if Jessa could handle the tough schedule.

Jessa looked back and nodded. She looked confident. The fire in her eyes was burning bright.