by Jada Fisher
Chosen
The Brindle Dragon, Book 1
Jada Fisher
Fairfield Publishing
Copyright © 2018 Fairfield Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Contents
1. A Captive Audience
2. Trial Commencement
3. Race to the Finish
4. Riddle Her This
5. Rankings
6. The Hardest Part of a Dream is Letting Go of the Present
7. Ahead of the Curve
8. An Even Playing Field
9. Of Friends and Foes
10. Taken for Granted, Taken Away
11. Shortage
12. A Hand Revealed Too Early
13. The Final Test
14. Hello, New Friend
Thank You
Bonus Content: Story Preview
1
A Captive Audience
A dragon’s roar ripped through the air, billowing past the thousands of people clustered together to see its might. The force of the sound spiraled up each floor of the amphitheater, making skirts rise, tunics flutter, and hundreds gasp in awe. Even the dust and dirt that came from crowded city life seemed to flee in terror, kicked up into the air, sweeping over the heads of the citizens as they cheered or cowered.
It was terrible and wonderful, frightening and awe-inspiring all at once. That roar contained so much power and, more importantly, so many possibilities. A lifetime of challenge and saving those in need, falling in battle, or roaming the country side as a military aide.
One eleven-year-old girl watched it all, her mouth agape at the sheer wonder. As if the dragons knew they were shaping the direction of her entire life, they suddenly surged upward, their jaws snapping at each other’s wing.
Eist winced, but she couldn’t look away. After all, it wasn’t every day, or even every year, that one got to see the graduates of the Dragon Academy vie for a position on the council. In fact, the last one had been when she was but a wee baby, too young to remember even something as spectacular as this tournament.
Back when her parents had been alive.
Eist shook her head. This wasn’t the time to think about that. This was a time to admire and be enraptured. Goodness knew she had already spent so many years mourning. Now only eleven winters, she had lost her parents when she was somewhere between seven and eight. The time after that was a bit foggy, but she had her grandfather to help her through it.
The two dragons twirled up into the air, their claws locked in each other’s flesh. They fought viciously, each vying for the upper hand, but the great beasts were closely matched.
Eist gripped the stone barrier in front of her, watching with white knuckles as they dueled. It seemed that the two were so evenly matched that they were doomed to a stalemate, but there was one other important factor to consider.
Sitting atop each of their backs, held in place with straps and mechanisms, sat two dragon riders. They were too far up and armored for Eist to make out their gender or body type, but she knew that these were young graduates hoping to make the council.
Being a dragon rider was indeed an illustrious position, one only a select few were able to learn. It involved five years of school at the academy. While that wasn’t preposterous within itself, the first year of school was dedicated to learning about dragons, and at the end, one could end up with no dragon.
It was the dragons who chose their humans, not vice versa, and to Eist that seemed how it should be. Riders and dragons had a sort of symbiotic relationship, with the human gaining incredibly long life—at the few that weren’t killed in battle—and the dragon getting a lifelong companion and soulmate. While Eist didn’t understand why the dragons held human company in such high regard, she certainly wasn’t going to complain. The great, magical lizards seemed to linger somewhere between full human-like sentience and incredibly intelligent animals, with even her grandfather not being able to say which one was so.
The green dragon, the one that had roared so mightily just moments ago, was beginning to waver. It made sense, from what little Eist knew of the beasts. The red dragon it was battling was larger and stronger. And yet the green one kept on, fighting for superiority.
Just when it seemed like it was about to lose its hold on its larger opponent, its rider freed themselves from their specially-made saddle. Eist gasped, sure that the rider would fall to its death, but instead, the green dragon’s flat tail whipped under them, launching the rider into the air and over the red dragon’s head.
The rider landed somewhere around the dragon’s neck, grabbing onto one of its spines to keep from falling. The crowd went wild, whooping and hollering with absolute delight as the rider climbed higher.
The red dragon’s rider seemed so shocked that they didn’t know what to do, and that uncertainty was mirrored in large red dragon. Those few seconds of indecision were all the green dragon rider needed. They took their mock-dagger from their side and bopped the top of the red dragon’s head with the dyed tip.
It was over. The green dragon and its rider had won!
Cheers and curses sounded all around Eist, no doubt fueled by who had won and who had lost their bets of coppers. But Eist couldn’t care less about monetary wagers. She just wanted to see more!
She never knew that a rider could be so involved like that. It made her stomach twist with a kind of excitement that she’d never felt before, and her hands felt like they needed to do something before they popped off.
But before her thirst for more could be sated, a strong hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her around.
Eist tensed, dropping into a crouch like her grandfather had taught her, only to see the old man himself.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, voice gravelly but still full of love. He had lost so much in his many centuries of life, and yet he still had a warmth in him that could never be dulled. “I thought I told you to wait for me at the keep.”
“You were late,” Eist answered honestly, her head trying to swivel back around to see the winner take their champion’s walk. “I was going to miss the first fight!”
Her grandfather sighed but his chagrin quickly faded into a smile. “You may have a point, but here, come with me and you will see why it would have been worth your while to be patient.”
Now that sounded interesting. Eist gave a little nod then followed him, his long legs making it hard keep up.
Even after all his years working as a caretaker for the hatchery, her grandfather still had almost all of his get up and go. Although he always tried to keep Eist away from his work, she’d managed to visit enough times for the other caretakers to tell her some incredible stories. Like the time there had been a particularly hard to catch thief who tried to break in and make off with some of the eggs. Apparently, Grandfather had defeated him with his rake and a single torch. Eist wished she could have seen that.
But Eist’s reminiscing over her guardian’s centuries of tales came to a halt as he pulled her away from the seating area of the amphitheater and toward what looked like a servant’s door. Why was he taking her away from the fight? Sure, she knew he didn’t want her to be involved with dragons, but surely, he would make an exception for a once in a decade event?!
The Kingdom of Rothaiche M’or’s culture centered almost exclusively around dragons. That was where the dragon council resided, along with their special academy. Eist was happy to live in the wealthiest of kingdoms, where even servants
had full bellies and most beggars had a shelter they could go to for respite. So naturally, when the once-a-decade tournament for a council seat took place, the whole city turned out. It was a week-long celebration with dancing and offerings to the Three. There were performances, costumes, and most importantly, dragons.
Thankfully, the two events never coincided. Somehow perfectly timed by nature, the hatchings and the tourney were always five years apart. Eist fully intended to be in the academy by the next hatching. She could feel in her very bones that it was her destiny.
Her grandfather led her through an older, wooden door, then up a narrow flight of stairs. Eist remembered vaguely that he had once told her that Dragonrock Castle was riddled with secret passage ways for both workers and more…secretive endeavors, but she had always thought that he was putting her on a bit. As they ascended higher and higher, taking the occasional winding passage to another branch, she began to realize just how serious he had been.
Finally, they emerged from another decrepit-looking door to reveal a short length of floor, then nothing but thick rafters crisscrossing the open space. A quick look up told her that they were just under the crystalline ballroom that was the pride and joy of many Rothaichian social events. Which meant that…
Eist’s green eyes flicked downward and she saw that they were directly above the amphitheater, just above the Lord of the House’s royal box and the council’s own seats. It was an amazing view, and one she never thought was possible.
“Is this where you always watch from?” she asked, looking up at the grizzled man who was still holding her hand.
“When I deign to watch.”
“Grandfather,” Eist said in a lecturing tone. “Are you telling me that the most amazing tournament in all of Aithris is too boring for you to watch?”
He chuckled as he led her across the rafter to where she recognized several other caretakers. There was Morwenna, an incredibly fat woman who always looked like she had just discovered the secret to happiness and comfort, and Vrik, a muscled yet small man with golden skin who was from one of the southern kingdoms that Eist wasn’t very familiar with.
“I have lived hundreds of years, my dear. I’ve seen enough tournaments for even this spectacle to be a matter of course.”
Eist didn’t know what to say to that. She knew that close contact with dragons extended the lives of humans, but after existing for a lowly eleven winters, she couldn’t imagine a hundred years, let alone several of them.
“I suppose I’ll understand when I’m a dragon rider,” she said idly, sitting next to Morwenna. Almost instantly, the woman offered her some of her sweet-bread and patted her side for Eist to lean upon. Morwenna didn’t talk much, but she really didn’t need to.
“Must we really discuss that again?” her grandfather groused, lowering himself behind her. “There is a life beyond dragons out there, and I want you to go find it. Don’t waste your life away in the service of Rothaiche M’or without knowing all that you’re giving up.”
“It’s not a waste, Grandfather. Serving in the council is the highest honor anyone could ever hope to achieve! They live rich lives full of adventure helping the hopeless and protecting the weak. You out of anyone should know that!”
“I, out of anyone, know how much you stand to lose.” His hand found hers again and his tanned, gnarled fingers wrapped between hers. “I lost my daughter and her husband, and they lost you. The life of a dragon rider is littered with pain, loss, and betrayal more than anyone will ever admit. Please, promise me that you will forget this dream and go find something truly your own.”
“I...” It always hurt to hear her grandfather talk this way. He was such a strong, learned man who spoke in measured tones. Hearing his pain was like someone slicing her own wounds open all over again. “I will try.”
“Thank you, that is all I ask.”
A pang of guilt went through her, because she hated to lie to him, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that the spectacle below her was so much more than that. She could feel it right down to her bones that she was meant to ride atop a dragon, to feel her mind touch with theirs until it was difficult to say where one stopped and another started.
Like her mother and her father, she was born to be a dragon rider. And if death was the penalty for that destiny, then so be it. It wouldn’t be an easy journey, and there would no doubt be challenge after challenge after challenge, but that didn’t matter. The small, blonde girl was determined to move past them like she did everything else in life that tried to halt her.
Eist knew her path. The rest of Aithris just needed to get out of her way.
2
Trial Commencement
Eist looked up at the massive stone doors in front of her, her heart pounding in her chest. Thousands of other people surrounded her, no doubt full of their own hopes and dreams. But only a hundred or so would get through. After all, there were only so many eggs to go around.
“It’s not too late to change your mind,” her grandfather said after gently turning her to face him, his expression pained. “We could take a trip to Margaid, see all the incredible fabrics and works they have there.”
Eist smiled. She knew that his concern was born out of love, but it no longer bothered her. She offered him her hand, which he took gratefully. “You’ve been helping me train for four years, Grandfather. It would be quite the waste if I suddenly gave up now.”
“You’re still so young,” he argued, and she felt a bit guilty. “I know they accept as young as fifteen, but that doesn’t mean you have to start at fifteen. I know some riders who didn’t start until they were nearly thirty.”
“They may have done that, but that’s not my destiny. I’m sorry, Grandfather, but we’ve been over this a thousand times if we’ve been over it once.”
“I know…” He heaved a sigh and leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. “But don’t begrudge an old man for trying. A dragon rider’s life is a dangerous one.”
“I’m well aware. After four years, you’ve managed to tell me all the risks plenty of times.”
“Oh, you think that was all of them? No, my child, that was but a taste. I would be happy to regale you with all of the—”
Thankfully, a horn sounded, cutting him off. High on the parapets above, Eist looked up to see three figures of the dragon council that she recognized as Elspeth, Radoth, and Marquis.
“Greetings, citizens of Aithris,” Elspeth said, raising her hands. She was a tall, stately woman with long, gray hair and piercing blue eyes. She was quite far away, but Eist made sure to watch her ruby-red lips, never missing a single syllable. The young woman knew from all her research that Elspeth was the lone rider of the white dragon, and it was an incredible honor to even be spoken to by the likes of her.
The legacy of the white dragon was an incredible one. She was queen of all dragons and could influence other dragons, even call on their abilities when in dire need. There was only ever one white dragon in the world at a time. When she came to meet her end, another one would be born immediately, breaking the ten-year cycle of hatching. Few people other than her grandfather were old enough to know when the current white had hatched.
“Today you begin the first step among many to become a dragon rider. Not all of you will make it. In fact, most of you won’t, but do not be discouraged. There are many honors, and many great works that are available to those who were not meant to ride upon the back of our winged friends.”
Eist felt her heartbeat pick up. She couldn’t believe this was happening! After fifteen years of being alive, she was finally starting on the path to her true destiny.
“First you will face a series of trials to determine whether you are fit to enter for our school. Some will be physical. Some will be mental. None will be easy. Should you pass these tests, you will then be accepted into our first year of the academy. Of those that are accepted, a quarter of you will quit before summer arrives. Others will be too grievously injured to continue. Even if
you pass all trials, you might never be chosen by a dragon, for reasons that we have yet to understand. Only a dragon knows who they are meant to be paired with.
“But for those of you who make it through, those of you who are indeed chosen by a dragon, you are on a path that many can only dream of treading. Be strong. Be brave. And remember, we are only as mighty as our weakest brother or sister. We must watch out for each other as much as we watch out for ourselves.”
A cheer erupted all around Eist, the rumble of it vibrating the ground beneath her feet and rolling up her spine. Hopefuls and their family, all celebrating that this much-anticipated moment had finally arrived. Even Grandfather was letting out some happy whoops, the timbre of it rumbling by Eist’s shoulder.
“So, on behalf of all of us in the council, we welcome you! Open the doors to this new generation!”
Eist clapped her own hands, excitement bubbling up as the door opened to the crowd. However, much of the cheering seemed to stop as those around her winced in pain at what she guessed was the large doors’ hinges squeaking violently, but that soon passed, and the droves started to head in.
“I wish I didn’t have to say good-bye,” Grandfather said, catching her again and gently gripping her face in his hands. “You are more important to me than you could ever know.”
“I love you, Grandfather,” Eist answered, feeling so many emotions well up in her. She knew she would miss him. He had been with her through thick and thin, through incredible trials and painful experiences. He had taught her so much about dragons and the academy and life on Rothaiche M’or as well as the other kingdoms. “But I’ll still visit you down in the hatchery and caretakers’ halls whenever I can.”