Chimera Ryder

Chapter 22 - Sir Ironwood

The fear of missing the tryout stamped deeper into Jessa's brain. Her wounding steps were slow, and the sweat on her forehead kept reminding her that noon was almost here. She could see the Ivory Tower across the fashion district; that meant the racetrack was near.

Ryder noticed a small gathering of pegasi in a short distance. All the nation's top riders arrived quickly after the queen moved the tryout to this afternoon.

Jessa limbed her way to the locked gate and wrapped her hands around the bars! 

"Hello! Excuse me!"

None of the riders heard her plea. They were all bust tightening the saddles on their pegasi, doing their final test runs. 

"Please! I need to go in!"

An old sentry walked up to the gate.

"Can you open the gate for me? Thank you!"

The old guard didn't open the gate.

"Where's your recommendation letter, little miss?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"If you don't have a letter from a current or former Ivory Wings rider, you cannot come in," he said.

Just as her heart was about to drop, a familiar hand assisted Jessa from behind. That hand had a recommendation letter pinched between his index and middle finger. 

"Rand!"

Rand Ironwood and his preyton were right behind Jessa, looking over her shoulder. The sentry saluted to Rand and quickly unlocked the gate.

Rand glanced at Jessa's leg and then looked at his dial glove.

"Go find an archmage," he said. "Only a royal blood wizard can heal your leg before the tryout."

"Oh... Where do I--"

Rand ignored Jessa and handed the guard another recommendation letter.

"What is this...?" asked the sentry.

"This is my recommendation letter for myself," replied Rand.

Jessa opened her eyes wide!

"Sir Ironwood!" yelled the sentry. "This is madness!"

Rand walked his peryton into the racetrack. He was not interested in what the sentry had to say.

"First you recommend a lass without a flying beast and then you recommend yourself?!" the old guard yelled. "What's next? You're going to recommend a rider riding a hippalectroyn. This tryout used to be sacred! The name Ivory Wings used to mean something!"

Rand was already on the tracks, doing his warm-up drills.

"Sir Ironwood! Sir Ironwood!" the sentry continued to yell. "You're grandfather would be ashamed of you! Sir Ironwood!"

Jessa ducked her head and walked Ryder pass the guard. She didn't know she was going to race with her mentor today. She wasn't prepared to race him with an injured leg. Rand didn't tell her where to find an archmage, and even if he did, she wouldn't have the time to find one now. She limped into an empty resting pit and started putting on her gear.

Ryder looked very concerned. She didn't want Jessa to harm herself even more.

"Let go, Ryder!"

Ryder had Jessa's helmet strap tight in her mouth! The cat, the goat and the snake were all in agreement that Jessa should not race. Jessa grabbed the other strap on her helment and wrestled Ryder to the ground!