by Martha Carr
“Fair fight,” she jeered at Bella.
A loud screech echoed in the distance. A few students heard it and looked at the sky. Everyone else kept watching the two girls in the center of the arena.
Bella swore under her breath and muttered something. Raven realized her right foot was stuck to the silt. She glared at Bella, her eyes narrowed, and shifted her weight as best she could, preparing to defend herself with one foot mired in the ground.
The screeching became louder. Some students covered their ears, many of them looking around for the source. It had everyone’s attention now.
“Look!” yelled a small girl with curly brown hair. “It’s a…” Her voice was drowned out by another long screech, and she clamped her hands over her ears, scrambling down the bleachers.
Bella raised her bō staff to swing it at Raven’s head as a shadow fell over them both. A stream of fire lit the ground between them.
Raven felt the air move around her and squinted up to see Leander overhead, his red wings flapping and a torn leather leader dangling from his back leg. He beat the air with his wings as he came down, still putting a line of flames between Raven and Bella.
Bella let out a scream and dropped her bō staff, breaking the spell as she ran for the bleachers. Everyone was trying to push toward the locked exits except the professor and Raven, who dropped her staff and held out her hands.
Leander landed next to her as the professor flicked his wrist, unlocking the doors. The students flooded out. Nina Quint ran for the main hall, yelling for help with several others trailing her.
“Leander! What are you doing here? How did you break free?” Raven tossed off her helmet and wrapped her arms around the dragon’s neck as he stood between her and everyone else.
“I could feel your distress. I knew you were in trouble, so I found a way.”
Henry lingered by the door with Murphy next to him. “Is that your dragon?” he shouted, his mouth hanging open. Maxwell peered out of his satchel, his tongue flicking. “Whoa! You are a legend!”
“I told you!” said Murphy.
Leander folded his wings, still standing alert, his ears pressed back and his tail in the air, the point aimed toward the professor.
“It’s all right! I’m okay, or I am now,” said Raven, laying her head on the shimmering scales. “You knew I was in trouble,” she whispered, her eyes shining. She took a step back until she could look into the dragon’s eyes. “How did you break out?”
“The pen is in pieces.”
“I didn’t know that was possible.”
“William seemed a little surprised too.”
“And the spell?”
“My will was stronger.”
There was a scuffle at the door, and Headmaster Flynn came running in with several other professors behind him. Several of them had bows and arrows, and Professor Ridley held a sword.
Raven moved in front of Leander with her arms wide. “Stop! Stop! He won’t hurt you!”
“Get out of the way, Raven Alby. A dragon who can get loose is a threat to all of us. He must be clipped.” Professor Fellows went to grab Raven’s arm, but a sudden curl of flames burning the edges of his sleeve made him draw back.
“If you don’t threaten me, he won’t threaten you.” Raven gave the professor the same cold glare she had seen him use earlier. “This is my dragon, my familiar, and I will protect him, as he protects me. No one touches him.”
Bella Chase wandered back into the arena and lingered near the door. She watched, her eyes wide as Raven stood tall, facing off against the Academy’s professors and the headmaster.
“I will ride him out of here,” Raven declared.
Several professors started protesting.
“But there’s no saddle. You can’t do it.”
“You could be harmed. We can’t let you do that.”
Raven stood firm in front of Leander. “With all due respect, I’m not asking. No one is harming this dragon.”
The protests kept coming, with several jostling forward, earning a low growl from the dragon and a scowl from Raven.
The headmaster had been silent the entire time, watching Raven and the dragon. He stepped forward with his hands open in front of him. “Silence,” he barked at the others, startling everyone.
He looked at Raven, a spark of wonder in his eyes. “I’ve waited long to see this again.” The edges of his mouth were forming the start of a smile. “I thought it was never to happen again. Dragons have become beasts of burden and tools.”
“I am no one’s tool!” growled Leander, smoke billowing out of his mouth.
Bella gasped but didn’t move from where she stood.
“No, I daresay you are not,” said the headmaster. “You are not even a soldier’s dragon.” He took a longer look at Raven standing under the dragon’s head, her jaw set and her arms out. “You look like your mother standing there, but with a twist. You know how to ride.”
Headmaster Flynn smiled and winked. He turned to face the others. “All right then, it appears the test is here. We will give Miss Alby the chance to show us what her familiar can do and if she has control.”
“You can’t be serious,” sputtered Professor Gilliam.
“Have you ever known me to jest?” The headmaster sighed. “Take a seat, everyone. You too, Miss Chase. You should find this very informative since you hail from a similar line.”
Bella hugged the wall, found her way to the bleachers, and sat.
“And we will talk about what you did in class later,” said the headmaster, giving her a serious look.
Bella swallowed hard and slid back on the bleachers, staring at Leander.
“All right, Miss Alby, the floor is yours. Take the dragon through his paces and show us you have him under control.” The headmaster took a seat, a tight smile on his face and his eyes narrowed.
The others reluctantly sat as Raven turned around and faced Leander. “We can do this if you want to, or we can fly home. Hell, we can fly wherever you want to,” she whispered.
The dragon nudged her with his head, pushing her back. “Let’s show them all. Climb on.”
“But there’s no saddle.”
“Do you trust me?”
Raven paused and stared into his eyes. “Absolutely,” she said and stepped onto his leg, climbing up his back. She took a seat right behind his ears, her legs hanging down around his neck. Some of the professors gasped as Leander opened his wings and gently took off.
“You can do it, Raven!” Henry punched the air, standing up on the bleachers. Murphy stood next to him with her hands pressed to her mouth.
“Circle left,” commanded Raven, loud enough for everyone to hear. She adjusted her weight on his back as he banked, the tip of his wing gliding over the heads of the spectators. Everyone’s head tilted to look up at the sun filtering through the red skin of the wing, their hair ruffling in the wind as the wing swept to change direction.
Headmaster Flynn went over, picked up a bō staff, and held it in the air. “Have him perch on the staff without pressing it down.”
Raven leaned forward and balanced her weight. “Alight!” Leander folded his wings just enough, pushing the air up and down until he was balanced on the top of the staff, holding himself there with Raven on his back.
“Circle right,” commanded Raven, and the dragon’s wings spread out, lifting them both as he swerved right.
“Now!” yelled the headmaster. Raven knew what he was asking and nodded, sitting up straight so it was obvious she wasn’t whispering anything to Leander.
She made herself take slow, even breaths as the dragon dropped his shoulders, glancing back at her. He came around to the right, blowing a stream of fire in a perfect circle in the middle of the arena around the headmaster.
Leander then banked sharply as Raven held onto his ears, digging her feet in as Leander made a figure eight, flying low to grab the pole from the headmaster with his claws.
Raven let out a relieved breath but
still said nothing. They rose into the air until they were well above the arena. The professors gasped and pointed, getting to their feet.
“I knew this was a bad idea!”
“Someone get the knives!”
Headmaster Flynn trotted out the main doors, a satisfied grin on his face, and kept running until he got to the courtyard in the front. He leaned back, shading his eyes with his hand, and watched as the dragon burst through the clouds and made slow, lazy circles before alighting next to him.
Raven was laughing, her red hair falling around her face. “He did it! He did it! Woooohoooo!” She punched the air, standing up on the dragon. Leander roared with delight, holding steady with the girl on his back.
“Come down here!” The headmaster waved, delighted, as the others caught up with him. Bella Chase stayed on the outside of the crowd, still watching in amazement.
Raven climbed down, jumping off the top of Leander’s leg and landing on the ground. “He did it! I knew he could do it!”
Leander leaned and nudged her with his head. “We did it.” His voice rumbled low, vibrating inside Raven’s chest.
Headmaster Flynn smiled. “Yes, Raven, the dragon is right. You both did it, and exactly as instructed. He sensed what you wanted without you saying a word. You, Raven Alby, have demonstrated that you have a dragon as your familiar.” The headmaster looked up at Leander and smiled again. “Welcome to Fowler Academy, Leander.”
“Not so fast.” Bella pushed her way to the front of the crowd. “That dragon hasn’t passed his tests. I’m right, aren’t I? If he can’t do that, he has to have his wings clipped, and he can’t be a familiar.”
“I told you Bella was spelled with an ‘h.’” Henry shot her an angry look.
The smile slid off Raven’s face, and she burned with anger. “Not a problem.” There was an icy edge to her voice. “Leander will pass the tests and be free at last!”
The headmaster hugged Raven and stood back. “Take the dragon back to the Moss Ranch for now. When he passes, and I know he will,” he said, nodding, “bring him back, and we can find a place for him to live here. You’ve done well, war mage in training,” he said with a wink. “Follow me. I have something you can borrow, but I’ll want it back.”
The headmaster led Raven and Leander toward the barns. “Wait here.” He disappeared inside for a moment and came out carrying a black leather dragon saddle with the symbol of the Wizard Riders burned on each side. The saddle was scarred in places, and it looked battle-worn but usable.
“May I?” He looked up at Leander and waited for a nod before slinging it over his back and reaching under for the straps, securing the saddle.
Raven stammered, “That’s a wizard rider’s saddle.” She looked at the headmaster. “That’s your saddle.” She felt her breath catch. “That’s from the great war,” she said in awe.
“Yes, it is, and I’m entrusting it to you. Bring it back in the same sorry shape it’s in now. I’ve grown rather fond of it. Congratulations, Raven Alby. The first of many successes, I’m sure.”
“Are you ready?” Leander dropped to the ground, waiting for Raven.
Raven clapped her hands, smiling, and put a foot in the stirrup, hopping up onto the dragon and settling into the saddle. “Thank you, Headmaster Flynn. I’ll bring it back as soon as I can. Thank you for everything!”
“You earned it, Miss Alby. Where is Bella Chase? Come along, young lady. You and I have a few things to discuss, like what you will be doing during detention.”
Leander spread his wings and lifted them into the air. Raven stood in the stirrups, cheering, her hand reaching for the clouds.
Chapter Thirty-One
Leander and Raven landed at the Moss Ranch, alighting near his destroyed pen. William came running with several hands, all of them holding weapons, some of them with arrows nocked to bows. Raven stood in the stirrups, holding up her hands. “It’s all right! Stop! Stop! He was coming to rescue me!”
William, ashen, stopped where he was and gawped at Raven. “Are you okay? Were you hurt?”
“I’m okay, thanks to Leander. He got there just in time.” She knelt on the dragon’s neck and swung her legs around, then slid to the ground and took up her position again under his head, holding out her arms.
“You want to harm this dragon, go through me.”
Leander let out a low rumble that sounded like a purr, steam blowing out his nostrils.
“He’s my familiar now,” said Raven, “and I will protect him with everything I have. My life if I have to.”
William stopped and put a hand on his hip, waving his other arm. “All right, I know that look. Put down your weapons. Let her explain. She’ll fight all of us if we don’t, and George, I know she can take you.”
“That’s a feral dragon that broke out of a pen! Fought off a spell. He’s more dangerous than all the others,” shouted a trainer.
“Yeah, I know, but my name is on that gate, and I say, stand down.” William looked at Raven. “What do you mean, he’s your familiar now?”
“He passed the test. Headmaster Flynn has given his blessing.”
“I thought you said he left for a rescue?”
Raven smiled, wiping her face on her sleeve. “It turned out to be both. One test down, one to go.”
William turned to face the others. “Go back to work. I heard that, Rowdy. If you don’t like it, you can take it up with my old man. Go on, you’re burning daylight. There’s nothing more to see here.” He turned and came closer to Leander. “Okay if I pet you?”
“Only if you’ve grown tired of that arm,” growled the dragon.
“Fair enough.” William retracted his hand. “Raven’s familiar, not mine. Can’t say I’ve ever had a dragon as a familiar.” He grabbed Raven in a tight embrace. “One test down! Congratulations!” He stood back and grinned at her. “It should not surprise me, Raven Alby. Something special about you.”
“Still one test to go, and not much time.” She reached up and rubbed Leander’s jawline.
“True, but I think I have something that will put your mind at ease, and it’s in just a little while. The level-one trainers get together the days before testing begins. It’s so they can scope out the competition and have time to test your dragon under the pressure of other new dragons. You can test Leander one last time before the trials.”
William looked at Leander. “You’re gonna have to come in on a leash and leads, or it’s a no-go. Agree to that now.”
Raven looked into the large eye right next to her head. “Not much longer,” she said.
“It must be done. I agree.”
William reached up and grabbed the bars of the nearby fence, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against it. “Here’s the thing. Competition is stiff every year. No exceptions. You don’t just want to be fast enough, you want to be the fastest one out there. The judges for the trials will be watching as well, and if you’re the fastest one, you get an exemption and pass automatically.”
Raven stopped brushing the silt off her pants, peeling off the pads she was still wearing. “A loophole! You never mentioned that before.”
He clicked his tongue. “Because I didn’t think you stood a chance of getting this far. You were a human marble for a while there. Besides, I didn’t want to get your hopes up for an early reprieve. If he’s not the fastest tonight, there’s still the trials. You have three more chances.” He shook his head. “But I don’t know. I think you could take the whole thing tonight. Maybe. Don’t forget, it’s a tough field. Everyone will be riding for their life.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “Because all the losers have their wings clipped.” She put her hand on Leander’s neck, feeling the scales ripple.
“Well, yes, sort of. There are about twenty trainers with dragons every year. The lost causes are the ones who get clipped. If a dragon does well but they didn’t win, they get a chance at the trials. They get three more tries.”
Raven bit her bottom lip and p
ressed her hand to her chest. She could feel his energy passing through her. “We can do it.”
William clapped his hands. “Good, but don’t get cocky. You’ll be up against some of the best who have been training dragons for years, and they want to win just as much as you do.” He looked at her, covered in silt and sweat, and he smiled. “You need to change. I have some old clothes from a trainer that should work. Be ready for anything.”
Raven paced next to Leander, waiting for William, her satchel banging against her back as she held onto the strap. She shook out her hands and took a deep breath, puffing out her cheeks as she blew it out.
“That’s not helping,” growled Leander. “I sense your heartbeat. You were calmer fighting that young mage.”
“I’m better in battle. It feels like I have more control. This time we’re at the mercy of the judges.”
“The fastest time wins. That seems simple.”
“The fastest team who also completes the course. The judges can decide who did a better job if it’s close.”
“We have three more chances after that. We can do this, Raven Alby. We are a good team.”
Raven jerked her head to look at the dragon, her brows knitted together and her long, thick red braid sliding over one shoulder. “Since when are you the philosophical one? Where’s the fire and threats? Why aren’t you promising to throw me in the middle of the program and fly off? Wait a minute, you haven’t made more than a casual threat in a while. Are you feeling okay?”
“You’ve changed over these past few weeks. You’re not doing this to prove something anymore. You truly care what happens to me.” The dragon took a few steps, muscles rippling under his scales.
“I’m sorry it took me so long. All I could see was what I wanted and how to get it. For a long time, it seemed like you were in the way. Now, I understand.”
“Tell me.” His low voice rumbled as he settled down, shaking the ground around Raven’s feet.
“I was trying to do everything alone. I didn’t trust anyone, not really, but we’re all meant to work together. We have to trust each other, and then we have the best chance.” She slid the strap of the satchel over her head and secured it to the saddle. “I’d like to say I’ve let go of wanting a particular outcome, but not for you, I can’t. I can’t stand by and see your wings clipped. You deserve to fly and soar and be a warrior, Leander.”