Twins Nix and Flamma turned sixteen the day after the last academy test, so they were forced to wait for the next month. After almost missing it, they realized that they were Dragon Riders along with a childhood friend of theirs, Leo.
On the way to...
I'm on it. She didn't even need instruction, Nix and her dragon being so much of each other that they could feel what the other wants to do.
She darted next to the Sapling, pausing over her to look her over. The girl was pretty muscular, showing that she was clearly a fighter.
Nix didn't want to be too close to the Sapling, but she wouldn't have to be. Clara was already bringing the earth dragon to the ground, somehow winning its reluctant loyalty.
As they landed, the Headmaster calmly appeared next to Nix. He peered at the Sapling with curiosity, completely ignoring the fact that Nix had literally jumped three meters into the air in surprise, instinctively tapping into her Hurricane abilities.
"Well. This is interesting." The Headmaster's tone of voice was more appropriate with discussing the weather than talking about someone who wanted to kill the whole class.
"What is, sir?" Nix questioned carefully.
The dragon-masked man's head rose, and he turned to the young Rider next to him. "I know this girl. I suspect you might as well, but I digress. It appears that your dragon and hers has landed."
He wasn't wrong. When Nix twisted to look, a large, wary earth dragon was next to her tiny one.
The dragon had wings, which was uncommon, but not unduly so. What was surprising was how large they were. Each must have been at least twice its body's size. It was more rocky than earthy, but that merely signified the type of Sapling magic both of them excelled at.
Its eyes were golden, hard and unyielding. Its chin was much larger than most dragons, boulder-looking and rough.
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Nix slowly approached it, hands up as a peace sign. It glared at her, but didn't do anything.
When she was three feet away, she paused, looking back at the Headmaster for instruction. He shrugged. Great help, that Headmaster.
The Frost took one more step before stopping, now speaking directly to the earth dragon itself. "Hello. My name is Nix. I'm the Rider for that little chicklet next to you. I have the ability to read your thoughts if I touch your body. May I do so, so that we can communicate?"
The earth dragon studied her with newfound wariness, but it nodded reluctantly. Reassured, Nix took the several steps forward, reaching out with her hand to hover an inch away from its nose, letting him close the distance. At the same time their bodies connected and thoughts rushed into Nix's mind, they closed their eyes.
Fractured memories raced through the earth dragon's mind, his thoughts frantically flashing before he managed to get a hold on them and put up a wall between his memories and thoughts, only letting Nix see what he let her see.
She was surprised at the level of control this dragon had on his mind, but focused on the topic at hand. "Poi, please tell me why you're Rider tried to kill us all."
Surprise filtered through the shield he had put up. "She didn't," he replied, his mind voice surprisingly deep.
Confusion now swirled through Nix's mind. "But she did." And she showed Poi her memories of the attack.
He could have easily said that it was false, but even a Rider and mage as powerful as Nix simply didn't have yet the skill to forge memories. That took years of practice.
Poi's mind turned stormy. "I don't understand. All she told me was that she had to leave to do something, and next thing I know, there's a severe increase in her energy and magical reserves. I flew as fast as I could to where she was, only to find her unconscious on the ground with you standing over her. Only she can tell you what she was trying to do."
Even internally Nix was pursing her lips, but she sighed with resignation. "Alright then. I'm going to get out of your mind now, but if you remember something that could have potentially made her try to do this, please tell me."
After getting his agreement, Nix retreated back into her mind, back into the realm of reality.
Opening her eyes and blinking, she took her hand off his snout, instinctively reaching for Clara's reassuring mind space. Her dragon responded immediately, peering at her Rider's memories so that she could know what happened.
Turning back to the Headmaster, Nix walked over to him, her brow furrowed. The Headmaster tilted his head. "Well?"
Sounding confused, Nix replied. "Sir, it appears that he had no idea why she was trying to attack us. She apparently didn't tell him anything about it."
"Hmm. That's odd." He didn't say anything else for several more moments, making Nix shift uncomfortably on her feet. Right as she was about to blurt something, anything, out, he suddenly chuckled, shaking his head.
"Sir, may I ask what's wrong?" Nix asked timidly.
"Ah, it wouldn't be funny for you. I have an odd sense of humor. Anyways. I will bring her to the medical ward, and you should go to your next class. I believe Hurricane Control starts in a few seconds, doesn't it?"
On cue, the bells rang, their clear sounds echoing throughout the grounds of the whole school. Nix froze, and then, with a panicked goodbye to the Headmaster, raced away with Clara and the rest of the students on her heels, trying to get to class and not be late.
