“And the other stairs?” Evie asked.
“Those are for the servants,” Islwyn informed her.
“We have servants?” Evie asked in surprise.
“Yes,” Islwyn said. “We have cooks, maids, and workers who tend to the grounds. Don’t forget we have royal dragon riders.” Islwyn laughed.
“I thought the institute didn’t acknowledge titles,” Evie said.
“Not officially. But the king takes good care of his riders.”
Evie looked around at the ornate, wood-paneled walls and ceiling of the great room. She followed Islwyn to the main staircase, admiring the paintings of dragons and their distinguished riders along the walls. A fire was blazing in an oversized hearth on the right side of the great room. Sofas, chairs, and tables surrounded it. She assumed it was an area to socialize or speak with visitors.
Islwyn looked back at her as they headed to the stairs. “I’ll show you to your quarters, and then we’ll head to the dining hall. Training is almost over, and it is almost time for dinner.”
“I am starved,” Evie said with enthusiasm. She had built up an appetite on their long flight to King’s Citadel. As they climbed the spiral staircase, Evie glanced out of the small, stain-glass windows on each turn. The storm had made it over the institute, and rain was now gently hitting the windows. She wondered how high up her room was.
Islwyn stopped on a landing and took the door to the hallway.
“Which floor is this?” she asked.
“The third floor,” he replied.
“Which floor are you on?” she asked.
“I’m on the third floor as well,” he said, smiling. “Normally, the new riders have rooms on the higher floors, and the more seasoned riders get the larger quarters on the second and third floors with the private bathing chambers. I requested that you be placed on the same floor as I am, so I can watch over you. Also, you will need your own private bathing chamber.”
“That I do,” Evie said with a laugh, “But what do you need to protect me from here? Isn’t the institute safe?”
Islwyn stopped and looked at her seriously. Evie stopped laughing.
“From anything,” Islwyn said mysteriously. “You are the first female dragon rider chosen in decades.”
“I know,” Evie replied. “Everyone keeps telling me that.”
Although she had heard it several times since the choosing, Evie felt the specialness of her situation for the first time when she heard Islwyn’s serious tone. They stopped outside a door midway down the hall on the right. Islwyn unlocked the door with the key that was left inside the lock and handed her the key.
“Keep this safe,” Islwyn said. “And always lock your door upon entering and leaving.”
Evie took the key and placed the string that held it around her neck.
Islwyn opened the door and walked inside. Evie followed him into her chamber and set her bag down on the chest at the foot of her bed. All of the furniture was made from a dark wood. There was a wardrobe along the wall by the window, and a full-length mirror stood beside it. The window was open, letting in a fresh breeze. The rain splattered inside and was making a puddle on the floor. Islwyn went over to the window and shut it, latching it securely.
A fireplace with an ornate mantle was near her bed, and a small table and cozy chair was beside the fireplace. On the other side of the room, there was a sturdy wooden writing table and a chair. Next to the table was another wooden door.
“Where does that door lead to?” Evie asked as she walked about her room, examining every piece of furniture.
“The bathing chamber,” Islwyn said. “There is also a vanity with a mirror in the bathing chamber. The fortress is equipped with plumbing.”
“We didn’t have that on the farm. It is a very nice room,” Evie said. It was so much bigger than the loft she shared with Áedán.
“Well, I will let you settle in. I’ll be back in half an hour to show you to dinner,” Islwyn said, turning to leave. “Don’t forget to lock the door, Evie. Better start making it a habit.”
“Thank you,” she said, walking over to the side of her new bed. It was big enough to fit two people comfortably. She explored it, touching the soft blankets and pillows. Her room was not lacking comfort in any way.
Islwyn shut the door behind him as he left. Evie locked it and then walked over to the chest and grabbed her bag. She unpacked it quickly and put what little clothing she had brought with her in the wardrobe. She saw some rider clothing already hanging up for her. It was similar to Islwyn and Zeb’s but cut for a girl, and it had no emblem yet. A few pairs of boots were sitting on the bottom of the wardrobe. She wondered how they knew her size. She decided to change out of her clothing and into the rider gear so she would fit in more at dinner.
The clothing fit her well she decided as she slipped on the black leather boots that went up just short of her knees. The boots were more comfortable than she thought they would be. She walked over to the full-length mirror beside the wardrobe to admire herself. She felt a little more official wearing the rider uniform. The black pants were slender-cut, and the material was flexible yet clung to her legs. She had never seen or felt fabric like this before. She had never been to King’s Citadel before and figured they had more to offer in the big city than in her tiny village. She wore a long-sleeved, gray, fitted tunic with a black vest layered over it. She couldn’t wait to receive her red-and-black dragon emblem to wear on her uniform.
Evie was not used to wearing clothes like these. She had worn dresses her entire life. The material clung to her, outlining every inch of her body. She figured this clothing was more practical in battle because it wasn’t loose and hanging everywhere to trip her, and it flexed as she moved.
Evie grabbed her hair, ran her brush through it quickly, and plaited it to one side, letting the braid hang over her left shoulder. She looked so different already from the farm girl who arrived at the institute a short time ago. Evie walked over to her bed and unpacked the remaining items in her bag. She came across the small package that Áedán had left her. She was about to open it when she heard a soft knock on her door.
Evie set the package back in her bag and walked to the door. She opened it and smiled when she saw Islwyn. He had a strange expression on his face.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Islwyn shook his head no. “Sorry. You just look so different.”
Evie smiled. “Like a dragon rider?” she teased.
“Yes,” he said, chuckling. He looked her up and down again. “The clothing fits?”
“Like a glove,” Evie replied.
“Good,” Islwyn said, sounding relieved. “I sent a raven ahead to tell them about you being chosen so they could prepare for your arrival. We had no rider clothing for girls. These belonged to another rider many years ago. She kept them to remember her glory days. She was only too happy to pass them on.”
Evie stood there stunned. “That is incredibly generous. I would hate to ruin these in training.”
“Not to worry. A seamstress for the institute will measure you tomorrow and make you more clothing. They will also make your emblem.”
“I can’t wait!” she exclaimed.
She closed the door behind her and locked it. She tucked the key into a pocket of her vest and followed Islwyn down the hall to dinner.
CHAPTER 13
Evie walked side by side with Islwyn down the hallway toward the dining hall. He pointed out the doors to the healing mage’s infirmary and the library as they passed by as well as other rooms of importance. When they entered the dining hall, the room became silent. Everyone stopped talking and stared at her. She stood there awkwardly for a moment until Islwyn nudged her hand.
“Just ignore them, Evie,” he whispered. “Come. Let’s go sit down over there.”
Islwyn led her to a table where Zeb was sitting, reserving two seats for them. She took her seat beside Islwyn and smiled across the table at Zeb. She looked around the room. I
t was as large as or even larger than the great hall. Giant candlelit chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and dragon emblems of every color decorated the walls of the room.
Every chair at every table in the dining hall held a dragon rider. Several elderly men and a few women sat at a large, long, rectangular table at one of the ends of the rooms. Evalina assumed they were the dragon masters who were on the dragon-rider council. They sang songs about the heroic deeds of these men and women from their days as dragon riders before the time of peace.
Servers came by and placed heaping plates of roast chicken and vegetables in front of them. Evie looked down hungrily at the delicious-smelling food and began to eat. Islwyn introduced her to a few of the people at the table, more of his elf friends. They ate and talked until one of the dragon masters stood up from the table and called for everyone’s attention.
“I’m sorry to inform you that the high dragon master was feeling unwell this evening and asked me to make the announcements in his place. I would like to welcome all of the initiates who have arrived so far,” the dragon master said. “We will have a more official welcoming as soon as the rest of the chosen have arrived.” His voice was old and hoarse. “It has been brought to my attention that we have among us the first female dragon-chosen in some time.”
The dragon master and every other person in the room turned to look at Evie. Her face flushed in embarrassment. She was growing tired of the attention she was getting for being the first female chosen. Not all the stares were pleasant, either. She knew many people were worried about the rumored prophecy. Evie looked down at her plate and fiddled with her fork. The dragon master continued his welcoming speech. When Evie looked back up, all eyes were on the dragon master again. With a sigh of relief, she continued eating. Islwyn was listening intently to the dragon master too.
Once the dragon master concluded his speech and sat back down, the talking in the dining hall resumed. Evie finished her food as the servers came back around collecting empty plates and replacing them with a sweet pastry made from apples. Evie took a bite, savoring the sweetness. It reminded her of the pies her mother made at home. As she was eating her pastry, she heard Zeb laugh. He popped the last bite of his pastry in his mouth and chewed it.
“What?” she asked. Islwyn chuckled too. Evie turned her head toward him, giving him an inquiring look.
“Sorry to laugh, Evie,” Islwyn said, reaching over his hand to her face. He wiped some apple filling off her chin with his finger. “You just have a little bit of pie on you.”
Evie felt her face flush. “Oh.” She giggled. “Thank you. I didn’t even feel it.”
“So,” Zeb said. “What do you think?”
“I definitely could get used to eating this well every day,” Evie said, feeling full and satiated.
“Good,” Zeb replied. “Because the cooks don’t change up the menu that much.”
“You jest, right?” Evie said.
“No,” Zeb commented. “They feed us a pretty regular diet of roast chicken and vegetables. However, on holidays and special occasions, we get a variety of meat and fish along with the chicken.”
“Did you get enough to eat, Evie?” Islwyn asked.
“Yes,” Evie replied. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”
“Then I can escort you back to your room if you like,” Islwyn said. “You must be exhausted from your long journey today.”
Evie shook her head yes. “I am, and I wouldn’t mind a hot bath before I go to bed.”
Islwyn stood up and scooted Evie’s chair out for her. She stood up and pushed her chair back in.
“Sleep well, Evie,” Zeb said.
“Good night, Zeb,” Evie said, smiling. She liked him and understood why he and Islwyn were such good friends. They thought a lot alike; however, she could tell Islwyn was the more serious of the two. Zeb had a more playful, relaxed personality.
Evie held her head high and avoided looking at anyone in the dining hall as she and Islwyn left the room, though she could feel their stares as she walked by. They will just have to get over it.
Back in her room on the third floor, Evie said good night to Islwyn and locked the door behind her. She walked through the dark room with only the moonlight shining in the small window to light her way to her bedside table where she lit a candle. Then she pulled a sleeping gown from her wardrobe. Evie took the gown and the candle to the bathing room and closed the door behind her. She laid the gown over the back of the chair of the vanity and set the candle down. She held a few other candles up to it, lighting them one by one and placing them around the room.
Evie had never used a tub with plumbing before and wished she had asked Islwyn how to work it. How complicated could it be? She set the plug in the drain and then studied the knobs by the faucet. She turned them both and waited. The water took a moment, but then it came out cold. After a few moments, the water became warmer.
She let the tub fill with water as she stripped out of her rider clothing. She folded the clothes and set them on the chair of the vanity while she waited. She noticed a basket by the tub containing a bar of soap, bottles of some kind of liquid, and several small cloths. There was also a round sponge.
Evie stepped into the tub and sank down into the warm water. It was absolutely delightful to take a bath without having to haul buckets of water back and forth and heat up her own water over the hearth. Her mother would love plumbing. Evie felt a pang of sadness as she thought about her family. She shook the sad thoughts away and tried to enjoy the bath.
Evie reached over and grabbed the little bottles from the basket. She opened them one by one, smelling each one. They were bath oils. How luxurious! She had received bath oils for her birthday, but they were so costly, she only used them sparingly to make them last longer. It appeared that Evie would have an endless supply of bath oils here at the institute.
She poured some of the scented oil into the bath water. It smelled like flowers. She lathered the soap and scrubbed her body and hair clean with the sponge. After she was clean, she rinsed off and sat in the tub relaxing for a few more minutes until she became drowsy. She climbed out of the tub reluctantly and dried off with a large bath towel from the shelf next to the tub. Then she put her sleeping gown on and sat at the vanity to brush and braid her wet hair. Before leaving the bathing chamber, Evie reached down into the tub and pulled on the chain of the plug, lifting it out of the drain. The water drained out of the tub. She blew out the candles except for one that she used to make her way back through her dark bedroom.
As soon as she was in bed, Evie blew out the candle. She lay in bed in her dark chamber staring up at the ceiling. She was having trouble falling asleep. She would have felt completely alone here if it weren’t for Islwyn and Zeb. During dinner, she had felt all eyes upon her. There had been plenty of girl dragon riders in the past. There were some retired women riders on the council; however, none of the currently active riders had ever trained with a female rider or fought with one. Some of the instructors had, so they weren’t as surprised. Nevertheless, she knew people were worried about what it meant that a girl had been chosen. She didn’t want to be associated with a return of a great evil. She felt as though people were mistakenly blaming her as the cause of the predicted return of the evil instead of the indication. For all she knew, the prophecy was complete nonsense, and no evil was going to return. Only time would tell.
Evie was homesick already. She missed the farm and her family. She missed Áedán. Suddenly, she remembered the gift in her bag. She threw off the covers and sat up, lighting the candle on her bedside table again. She took the brass holder in her hand and walked to the chest at the end of her bed, grabbing the gift from the bag. She returned and sat on the edge of her bed, setting the candle back on the table. She opened the little package and saw a silver chain necklace with a dragon charm at the end. It was beautiful. Evie figured that Áedán had meant for the gift to remind her of her dreams of being a dragon rider together when she was off in her arrang
ed marriage. The gift was still suitable, as she had actually been chosen as a dragon rider.
She smiled and put the necklace around her neck, fumbling with the clasp for a moment. She picked up the charm in her hand and looked down at it admiringly. It would be safe under her rider gear. She decided she would write him a letter in the morning, thanking him. Evie lay back down on her side and tried to picture Áedán as she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER 14
On her second day at the dragon school, a few seamstresses came to Evie’s chamber to measure her for her rider gear and a few other pieces of clothing. She also had a brief private meeting with the dragon council, who welcomed and encouraged her. Then she had a pleasant lunch with a few retired female dragon riders who told her stories from the past. She wouldn’t start training until all the initiates arrived, so she passed the days reading books from the library and taking her meals with her friends, Islwyn and Zeb.
A week passed before all the initiates arrived. They had a welcoming feast the night before training was to begin.
Evie awoke early on the morning of their first day, eager to begin her training. She dressed quickly and joined the other dragon riders for breakfast in the dining hall. She sat with Islwyn and Zeb again.
Zeb was excited and teasing her about her first day. “Be careful you don’t get charred by your dragon today!” Zeb teased.
Evie laughed nervously. “Emrys would never burn me.” How do I know? “H…has that happened before?”
Zeb and Islwyn laughed heartily at her.
“Relax,” Islwyn said, chuckling. “Zeb is just being an ass.”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” Zeb added. “You probably won’t get burned right away.”
Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth Page 10