For her part she was given a striking stick and a satchel full of fireworks. When the time came, she was to Burst around the coliseum, setting off the small explosives. It still made her sad that she would be ruining the Azzarrian’s festivities, but she tried not to dwell on it.
Min had to get to Seadryk Island, and she needed to kill the man who’d taken her mother and left her barren.
That’s all that mattered now.
Her father was gone. Powerful men were hunting her. She was alone.
You’re not alone. Not anymore.
Her daggers were in her hands in a flash.
“Who said that?” she asked, whirling in a circle, searching the deck. But there was no one around. The voice had been that of the dream dragon, but that was impossi—
Nothing is impossible. Well, almost nothing.
“Who are you?”
You know who I am.
The voice was in her head, as it had been in the dream. Am I going crazy?
The rest of the world is, said the voice with amusement. Why not you?
“Why do you torment me?” she asked, looking toward the city, where the dragon was being held.
I do not mean to torment you. I don’t have much time. They plan to kill me soon.
“Who plans to kill you?” she asked, but she knew.
I can say no more. When they think I’m awakening they—ahhh!
“Dragon!” She paced the deck, waiting for a response, but none came.
“What’s happening to me?” she asked aloud.
“Are you ready, Min?”
She straightened like a soldier who had been caught sleeping on duty. “Varis.” She said as calmly as she could, though her heart thumped.
“We’re ready,” he said with barely contained excitement. “Are you?”
The expression on his handsome face made her skin tingle.
“Yes,” she said, letting out a long breath and shaking her hands. “Time to steal a dragon.”
Chapter 14
Min barely noticed the revelers that clogged the streets. She hardly saw the fireworks that exploded over the water. The drums and the singing were background noise to her thoughts. She was alert, sharp, and bent on one thing.
The dragon.
It was her job to create a distraction after the executioner killed the beast, but all she could think about was seeing it. If she looked into her eyes, maybe she would see a stupid, tired beast ready to accept its fate. Then she would be able to carry out her part of the plan.
But if she saw intelligence, if she saw recognition, she didn’t know what she would do.
Varis and Faerek entered the coliseum with collars up, shoulders hunched and heads bowed, but Min floated through the crowd, her mind on the coming ceremony and the fatal blow at the end.
“Sit here,” said Varis and pointed to a wooden bench.
She was five rows up from the staging area in center of the coliseum. The place hummed with energy. The stomping feet and chatter of the excited, expectant crowd vibrated in her chest. She realized she was shaking and tried to relax.
Stay calm. Stay alert.
She focused on the performers down below. They were dressed in colorful garb and wore large papier-mâché heads that resembled devils and demons. Musicians danced around the demonic figures, pounding on drums and strumming instruments Min didn’t recognize. Performers juggled long curved swords or danced, trailing long colorful banners.
“Quite a show, don’t you think?” said Varis.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The festivities dragged on all day, and her initial apprehension slowly gave way to anxious waiting. By the time night fell, she just wanted to get it over with. After sunset, hundreds of lanterns were lit all over the coliseum, and a large bonfire was set aflame in the center of the arena.
A ridiculously colorful man wearing a large dragon mask strode across the sand and stood before the fire facing Min. He spread his arms wide and said something in Azzarrian, and the crowd fell silent.
“What is he saying?” she whispered.
Varis offered her a wry grin. “It’s time.”
Behind him, Faerek raised a suspicious brow.
“Good. I grow tired of waiting,” she said.
Shortly after the man in the dragon mask finished his speech, large doors on the east side of the coliseum opened, and the crowd rose to their feet, eager to get a better look at what was coming.
A dozen half-naked, strikingly fat men emerged, each wearing a thin piece of cloth that covered their genitalia. Over their shoulders were long, thick ropes they pulled on. Min stood with the rest of the crowd, anxious for a glimpse of the dragon. When a wagon with a flatbed rolled out on big wheels, she glimpsed of golden scales.
The dragon’s head emerged first. The scales were brilliant gold and smooth as glass, reflecting the lantern light like ice. It had once had two large horns protruding from each side of her head, but they had been sawed off and only dark stumps remained. The head was pinned down, and a large spike had been pounded through the snout. Its eyes had been stabbed with spears and plucked out, yet the eyeless sockets seemed to move toward Min.
As the dragon was wheeled in, the full extent of her torture was revealed in hundreds of long gashes and puncture holes. Dozens of thick chains held her body securely in place The tail had been staked with long rods, and only the thorny tip dragged in the sand, leaving a trail of blood.
I wish you could have seen me in my youth.
The voice echoed in her mind, and sorrow flooded through her. “You poor thing.”
“What did you say?” Faerek glared at her, but she ignored him.
“I agree,” said Varis, shooting his first mate a scowl. “They could have treated the beast better.”
The men pulling the wagon bed stopped and placed blocks against the wheels, then a set of stairs topped with a small platform was brought out and placed beside the dragon’s head.
The crowd grew silent once more, and the colorful man in the dragon mask bellowed something sinister. All heads turned to the eastern door. A massive man dressed in black appeared. He wore a horned helmet with an ugly, demonic mask, and over his shoulder he carried the largest axe she had ever seen.
You wish to go north, said the dragon. I can take you there quickly, but you must free me first.
But how can I? Min asked. Soldiers with spears were all around the dragon, and the beast was tied down so tightly that it would be impossible to free her.
You are Unbound, Min Varresh. The power lies within you. It always has.
“We’re going down now,” said the captain. “When the axe falls, we take the wagon.”
“Okay,” said Min, unable to meet his eyes.
Faerek and Varis descended the steps leading to the coliseum floor. The entire day had dragged, but now everything was happening too fast.
The executioner climbed the stairs to bring him level with the dragon’s neck, which was as thick as the trunk of an old oak. No matter how strong the man was, he would not be able to chop through that neck with one blow. It would take several, and the dragon would remain alive through most of it.
The man in the mask raised his arms to the heavens in supplication, and the axe man prepared for a mighty swing.
Varis glanced back at Min and mouthed, Be prepared.
Her hands shook as she discreetly pulled out the fireworks. She had a dozen of them in her lap, the striking stick in her left hand.
The masked man’s voice rose. He had almost finished the prayer.
Sister….
One last phrase was bellowed, and the masked man pointed at the executioner. The crowd fell silent.
“No!” Min screamed.
She Burst from the stands, over Varis, Faerek, and the shocked crowd. Varis called after, and the executioner turned to see what was happening.
Min came down and kicked him, then Burst once more, hitting him in the chest. He flew backward off the platform and
tumbled out of sight on the other side of the dragon.
She leapt over the dragon’s neck, and landed beside the executioner. He was already on his feet, but his axe had landed out of reach. Nevertheless he barreled toward her with a snarl, intent on tackling her. She stood her ground and waited until the last minute before Bursting again. She struck him in the chest with both fists, throwing him ten feet away.
The crowd was on its feet now, and their shocked cries were deafening. Soldiers closed in on her, and she scrambled to get to the axe. It was so heavy she could barely move it. She summoned her strength, slid under the long handle, and hoisted it onto her shoulder. Bursting toward the dragon, she brought the axe down on a spot where the chains stretched tight over the wagon bed. Metal screamed against metal, and the axe snapped the chains and sank into the wood.
These chains had been holding the dragon’s head in place; the dragon roared and shook her head violently. Another chain snapped, then another, and the dragon lifted her head off the spike that went through its snout.
When the crowd saw this, they frantically raced toward the exits. Min let off the fireworks she had with her, and the coliseum broke into pandemonium. A soldier with a long spear charged her, but she turned his attack aside with a small Burst through her daggers, leaped over him, landed in a crouch, and slashed him behind one knee.
Spears struck the dragon, and it roared in pain and rage. She held off the guards while the dragon plucked one long steel spear out of her shoulder with her teeth. She then wedged it under the chains, and with a jerk of her neck, snapped the chains that held down her shoulders.
Doors opened on either side of the coliseum, and soldiers raced out carrying massive dragon lances.
Climb up on my back, Hurry! said the dragon.
Min Burst over the head of a soldier and landed between the dragon’s shoulder blades. No sooner had she settled than the dragon unleashed a swath of dragon flame in a semi-circle that engulfed her captors.
One last effort snapped the remaining chains, and the dragon spread her golden wings and roared triumphantly. Min held on tight to a curved horn protruding between the shoulder blades as the dragon turned and spewed flames. The holes in her snout leaked flame, but the dragon seemed not to notice.
“Fly, dragon, before they kill you!”
She leapt into the air and beat her wings, and for a moment they hovered above the sand. She must have been weak from loss of blood and torture, and Min tried to encourage the beast.
“Freedom is near!” she yelled over the tumult. “Fly, dragon. Fly with all your might!”
The dragon roared and tried once more, beating her wings frantically, feeding the growing flames with great wind, and slowly they rose. A dragon lance flew through the smoke and hit the dragon in the belly. She roared and faltered for a moment, but she kept beating her wings, and soon they were high in the air and out of range of the spears and lances.
Min glanced back at the burning coliseum as the dragon went north, and she thought she saw Varis looking up at her.
She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he was smiling.
Pre-order episode 2 today!
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Dragon Rider Academy, Episode 1. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There are many more adventures in store for Min Varresh, and I hope you join me for the next episode. You can expect a new episode every three weeks!
I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a moment to leave a Review of book 1. The review doesn’t have to be long or even positive, just honest.
Book 2 is just around the corner. Pre-order it today and it will be delivered to your preferred device on January 12, 2020!
With humble appreciation,
Author Michael James Ploof
Ascension Page 9