by E. W. SALOKA
“Concentrate” Zach kept saying to himself, “balance.” Xandar-Sym tucked his wings close to his body, immediately picking up great speed. Zach leaned forward to streamline himself as much as possible. The rushing wind whistled past his ears. They banked to the right so close to the first tower, he could see a pair of monk’s eyes peering out for a second. They banked to the left past the second tower while the third and fourth towers went by faster still. All the other raceriders followed nose to tail. There is some drafting going on here, Dredd thought smiling, good race! So far it was a clean contest and he was a little surprised by this, but the race had just begun. Anything could happen and he was ready for it. The racers continued at full speed banking towards the left around a large six-mile expanse of forests and open fields. They were coming up toward the Devil’s Claw Mountain. As the forest thinned, craggy ominous peaks started coming into view. Any mistake could mean a painful end. The out-cropping of rocks jagged as knives, jutted out at odd angles.
“Stay low as you can Zach,” bellowed Xandar, “don’t want to see you lose your head over your first race now do we?” The boy gripped hard, fists clenched and knuckles white. They soared between two large towers of rock at least several thousand feet high.
“So these are the Dragon’s Teeth, no wonder they call them that.” Zach yelled to the dragon. The Dragon’s Teeth were the name given to the entryway of the Devil’s Claw Mountain. No sooner than he said it, the entry way split into two separate routes. If you were not careful, you would miss the split and plunge headlong into the center rocks, which protruded forth like stone spikes. Just before they turned, Zach thought he caught a glimpse of two orange-red orbs flashing by. No, it must be the light reflecting off something, he thought. The riders took the split; three went to the right and two to the left. Zach, Dredd, and Alghern were on the same path. Ilsa and Lash took the other way. Dredd reluctantly took the lead away from Zach, zooming past him as they navigated through the mountain course. The orc and his dragon trailed both of them closely. The race through the mountains was not as treacherous as it appeared, the only problem was the occasional falling rock. Light tremors shook deep in the ground beneath, and this would cause bits of mountain to fall. As long as the racers kept to the center of the course, they could avoid the falling shards. Ilsa and Lash, who took the southern path, traded places a few times. Both were determined to win and were riding hard. Dredd, Zach, and Alghern were fast approaching the end of the northern pass and the other two were coming to the merge point at the same time. An overhanging of sharp rock loosened and began to tumble toward the ground, while lash and Ilsa weaved for position, pieces of the falling shards sliced through the thin membrane of Azzreen’s wing. It wasn’t a dangerous tear, but enough to slow him down. Ilsa took advantage as she and Sennah rocketed ahead. The three riders from the northern pass merged with Ilsa and Lash and they were all together again, taking a tight banking turn to the left. Ilsa was keeping pace with Dredd, followed by Zach, Lash, and the orc. The painful tear in his wing made Azzreen wince, and his wing beats were now uneven causing him to lose the ability to maneuver efficiently. Alghern’s dragon saw this and powered by. Lash and Azzreen didn’t fall far behind, but the injury was now a handicap. Lash cursed and pounded his thigh in anger. Just keeping up is our challenge now, he thought bleakly.
Coming out of the turn was a vast darkness, shriveled and dead trees reached into the skies. The thick black branches intertwined as grotesque hands. Everdark Forest was a most unfortunate place to have any sort of problem, there was an evil presence and foreboding that permeated throughout.
Zach looked down with a shudder. He could sense the evil and he shook it off, turning his concentration back where it belonged. Xandar shouted hoarsely, “Stay focused boy! I am with you.
That’s it Zachary, stay with me.” They soared above the gnarled trees, slowly descending but still keeping a rapid pace. Three miles over the forest the ravine appeared. This was the beginning to the entryway into Greenstone Cavern. A large opening resembling a mouth with fang-like teeth came into view. The Demon’s Jaw was the doorway leading into the long narrow cavern. As the five raceriders neared it, a thick, grey mist seemed to envelope everything, it had a liquid way of moving. The dragons and their riders plunged down into the cave opening and Zach was quite surprised that it wasn’t as dark as he originally thought. Emanating from within was a neon green glow, the light in actuality was coming from the mossy slime covering almost everything. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at the awful stench that seeped throughout. It had a musty thickness that seemed to close in on him, but the cavern was beautiful in its own unique way.
He was grateful to be flying through rather than on foot because many crawling things slithered along the cavern floor. They passed through and around unusual rock formations and were occasionally buzzed by flying insects that he didn’t recognize from his walks through the Brandiss-Dor forests.
“It will be nice to get out of here Xandar, can we make this a little faster?” But he knew to be patient, it was simply too narrow and one wrong move could spell a wreck. It was single file going through here for all; there wasn’t any room for maneuvering. After what felt like forever, Zach could finally see daylight.
As they neared the end of the long tunnel, he smelled fresh air again. Xandar-Sym flexed his wings in a sudden powerful downbeat as they accelerated out of the great opening and flew over a large mist-covered lake. He almost wanted to ask the dragon to take a plunge into the water so he could wash off the stench. The mist swirled as the dragon riders flew overhead. Cheering fans urged the racers on. Wooden boats of all sizes and bright colors dotted the waters, and small cottages lined the vast lake, their docks jutting out from the shore.
Dredd and Payne swooped low toward the fans on Boggs Lake. The spectators liked this, waving and yelling wildly as the other raceriders did the same. They continued on, picking up speed.
The only turn-marker was a giant hot air balloon hovering motionless. They all made a wide bank to the left and powered out towards the large balloon. Turbulent wake caused the race official to fall in the basket. It was a comical sight with his spectacles sliding off his nose and his windblown hat askew on his head.
Gigantic waving purple and gold flags marked the last leg of the course. A multitude of people lined this part of the race, which they named the Crunch. Nearby, vendors sold crunch crisps and fans were waving their chocolate treats proudly. They enthusiastically showed support for their favorite Race Riders with Choco-Dipped Dredds, Ilsa Almond, Lash Caramel, Zippy Zach Mint, and even Chewy Coconut Orcs.
The youngsters couldn’t buy enough of the yummy treats while Thomas chuckled waiting patiently in line to purchase his Zippy Zach Mint. The name Crunch, given by previous riders was because of the fast, tight race lane. The name stuck. A rider and dragon would pick up as much speed as they could. This was the part of the race that determined the winner and loser, it was an all-out sprint. Contestants moved dangerously close to each other and the threat of hard contact was almost inevitable.
The sound of the Race Riders overhead was like a whistling freight train and as they passed. People covered their ears, and held on to their hats. Small children screamed and laughed, their eyes bright with excitement. Thomas loudly cheered as Zach and Xandar thundered by. “His mother and father would be so proud,” he said through moistened eyes. “Be safe boy.”
They were quickly nearing the start of the second lap as the fountain came into view.
“Ready to go again Zach” yelled Xandar-Sym.
“Lets go, I’m ready! It’s an awesome ride” Zach shot back. Still, as he said this he remembered Andi’s warning at the start of the race. “Xandar, I think there’s going to be trouble coming,” Zach said looking straight ahead.
“I know,” the dragon exclaimed. “I heard Andi too, Stay ready!”
Zach gave him a quick nod as they made their next turn around the fountain towards the start of lap number two. The R
ace Riders soared over the sea of cheering people, while the horn sounded the start of their second pass through the course. Feeling confident Zach reached for his water, took a quick, refreshing gulp and slung it back over his shoulder. All were keeping an even pace except for Lash and Azzreen. The tear in Azzreen’s wing membrane was flapping painfully at these speeds, and rider and dragon were falling behind. Lash was quite upset trying to urge the dragon on by digging his heels into Azzreen’s side. The injured dragon glared back at Lash Beckett with a menacing snarl. Beckett thought it best to stop, and he did.
Nineteen - Danger Over Everdark Forest
They all rocketed down the straight; this time there was more jockeying for position, it was best to advance position before obstacles came into play. Dredd, Ilsa, and Zach each held the lead for brief moments.
Alghern the orc was holding a steady position just ahead of Lash and Azzreen. Lash thought it a little odd that the orc didn’t seem to be concerned with challenging. He just shrugged and shook his head. All took Monks Turn swiftly, and soon approached the first of the four towers of Ohlinnia.
Weaving between these magnificent towers at speed was a wonderful feeling thought Zach. It was like a beautiful, serpentine winged-dance. Through the turns and around the sweeping wide left loomed the mountains once again. The entryway of two sharp peaks, the Dragons Teeth pierced the sky. Ilsa was leading; Dredd was a close second, their wings tip to tip. A wry smile was on Ilsa’s windburned face, and she was in her glory matching Dredd. The treacherous split was ahead and approaching fast.
“This is my race Dredd!” She shouted in a determined, almost maniacal way. Dredd had to admit that she and her dragon Sennah were racing as true champions.
“The race isn’t over yet sweetheart!” He shot back.
Ilsa let out a war cry and leaned in closer to her dragon. Dredd and Payne did the same and they once again took the split through the northern pass. The orc and his black dragon Razorback, went north following Dredd and Ilsa. Lash Beckett and the struggling Azzreen were lagging badly behind. They took the southern route as well as Zach and Xandar-Sym.
Andi was puzzled, she knew she had to take matters into her own hands to ensure Dredd’s safety. She couldn’t understand why anyone would want to harm him; he was a loner and chose to keep it that way. Except for his Dragon Master Champion status, he really kept a low profile. Andi tried to voice her concerns earlier to Zach, but he was oblivious due to his anxiety of the upcoming race. He was preoccupied at the time and rightfully so. Of course, she could enlist the aid of dear Faazen, he always came to their rescue, but this time she chose to handle it herself. At least give it her best effort, after all this was her brother. Still the question loomed on her mind, was it possible that this orc was an assassin hired by someone else? As her mind entertained these thoughts, she didn’t notice someone speaking to her.
“Hello there Andi Domino, is something troubling you?” Andi turned and saw Marquor. The dragon had a serious look as she folded back her enormous wings and wrapped her tail around.
“I’m fine, really, it’s Dredd I’m concerned about, I overhead a plot from one of the orcs planning to kill my brother. I’m trying to come up with a plan to stop him.”
“Please let me help dear girl, I absolutely despise those filthy creatures. I am at your service for whatever plan you may have.”
“Thank you Marquor, I believe I could use your help more than you know but I’m not sure what to do! I know I must get to Everdark Forest. Their plan is to attack him there.”
“Fine, I’ll take you. Let’s go now!” Marquor said. “Are you going in your race day finery?”
Andi looked down at her beautiful dress and held up her gloved hands. “You are quite right, this will never do,” she smiled ruefully. She snapped her fingers.” I have an idea, I’ll be right back.”
Marquor nodded.
Andi ran off to the stables and there in one of the stalls she found a pair of riding pants and a jacket. She quickly gathered them in her arms and returned. Quickly changing behind a tree, Andi then stood and brushed herself off. “Will I do now?”
“Wonderful” the dragon said. “We will ride now young lady.”
“Wait “Andi said as she cut the fingers down from each of her gloves and fastened her hair in a low knot. She pulled the hood from her jacket and climbed upon Marquor.
They soared over the treetops at a fast pace, but it took a while because Everdark Forest was a distance away. Once they arrived, Andi found her courage waning, for everything about this place was musty and dank. An eerie presence seemed to permeate throughout. They were only at the entrance, and going any further was truly out of the question. Marquor advised they stay in the thick brush of overgrown bushes. It was a perfect spot to plan their strategy.
The dragon looked around the forest, she never liked this place and did her best to avoid it, but Andi was a friend and needed her help.
Andi’s gaze fell upon a bow and arrow leaning against one of the trees. Next to it was the skeletal remains of a fallen warrior, possibly a hunter who lost his way. It looked in fine condition.
“Lucky for me,” she mused to herself. Andi had been practicing with Dredd’s bow lately, and was becoming quite proficient. Either way she was keeping it. “Marquor, look!” proudly waving her find in the air. “This should do very nicely, don’t you think?”
“Very good Miss Domino, who knew you were a lady archer?”
“Yes,” Andi said in a demure voice. “Maybe lately, Payne gave me a strange elixir and although it has medicinal properties, it’s given me abilities which I didn’t have before.”
“Bravo Andi, rescuing your little brother is quite heroic indeed. Payne is one of our most respected and ingenious dragons.”
“When do you think the orc will make its move against Dredd?”
Xandar was quick to reply at Zach’s question. “I believe it will be over the Everdark Forest or in the caverns. Both places could easily eliminate any trace of you, because of the creatures that dwell there. This way there would be nothing left to prove what happened.”
Zach thought of the ugly, wriggling things he had seen in the Greenstone Caverns. “I see your point Xandar, and being injured in that forest would not give you much of a chance would it?”
The dragon shook his massive head. “One would not have much of a chance at all.”
The cruise through the southern pass was so far uneventful. Zach relaxed a little for the first time since the race began. The mountain range was awesome from a distance, but flying through was truly incredible. Not many of the inhabitants of Brandiss-Dor ever experienced them this way and he felt privileged to be here. Patches of evergreen dotted the deep valleys and this added to their severe beauty. There were glimpses of horse-like animals running, which were almost too quick for the eye. Large and powerful birds flew the updrafts coming from the craggy cliffs. Every so often one would approach but peel away quickly, going back to fly the thermals lazily. Zach lost himself for a minute watching their graceful maneuvers.
“Zach, Zach, snap out of it!”
“Sorry Xandar,” he yelled back slightly embarrassed.
“We are going to cross through a very tight passage in order to rejoin the others on the northern route. We need to be close to Dredd. Whatever the orc is going to try, I sense it will happen when we are over Everdark Forest. Lean in close, or the rocks will tear you to pieces.”
Zach shuddered at the thought.
The hard beating of wings came up from behind rather quickly. Lash’s dragon must be feeling a lot stronger thought Zach.
Zach turned around thinking it was Lash, but instead his eyes widened as saucers when he saw what was behind them. He screamed, “You’re the shadow rider! “
“Yes boy, I know” the spectre shot back smiling widely through thin stretched lips. “I rather like that name. It has a good sound to it, don’t you think?” he winked at Zach, his eyes fiery, glowing orbs in deep-set darkened sock
ets. “No need to fear me boy. I only seek your help.”
“How can I help?” Zach inquired. The shadow rider’s dragon swerved to the right of them and pulled alongside the pair.” Xandar, do you see what’s going on here or am I seeing things?”
The noble dragon calmly looked back and said, “It’s fine I knew of him when he was alive and he was a good man. He’s just dead now.” The dragon turned back to the task.
The dragon was more bone than flesh; its wings were tattered and torn. The shadow rider himself wore a long, flowing grey coat over heavily worn leather trousers and tunic. Rusted and broken thin chain mail hung over the tunic. As the rider moved, bones peeked out from under his ragged clothing. His face showed human features, but he was more skeleton than not. The dragon made a quick move toward Zach and Xandar as if to collide with them. The boy raised his hand and flinched expecting the worst, but it was if a cold, damp mist passed through him.
“Ah, now we don’t have to shout,” grinned the ghost.
“You do have a little fun with this, don’t you?” Zach asked with a smirk.
“Yes, I must confess I do. Do not be upset, it’s the most fun a dead man can have! The truth be told young man I would like to finish the race. Then after that I can move on to the ever after, joining my beloved wife Tassie who passed on years before. I am thinking you are the one who can help me. You boy have an integrity and depth of character I seek.”
Zach spoke up, “Well I would like to help shadow… what’s your real name?”
“My name is Tarr Zahda.”
“Tarr Zahda, I have to go and help rescue my friend now. He’s in danger!”
“I know boy, but you will come back won’t you?”
“I give you my word. I will try.” Zach was solemn as he spoke.
“I have waited three years, so I can wait a little more. Be on your way then and help your friend.”