Dragon Chosen: The Dragon Riders of Eryieth

by Kristin Secorsky

  “Stop!” Evie said, laughing.

  “You will be fine with your dragon,” Islwyn assured her. “I am more worried about your hand-to-hand combat. You aren’t used to being roughed up.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Evie told them.

  “I don’t think the others will want to actually hit her either,” Zeb added. “She is too pretty. They will probably take it easy on her at first.”

  “I hope not. I want to be treated the same as any other initiate,” Evie protested.

  Evie noticed the time and finished eating her breakfast quickly. She said good-bye to Islwyn and Zeb as they left to begin training on the field. Evie got up and hurried to her first class.

  She had received her schedule the night before at the official welcoming feast for the initiates. She found her classroom and took a seat at the tables with the other new riders. She recognized the boy from her village, but she didn’t talk to him. They began studying the maps of Eryieth. Her father owned trader’s maps, so she had a basic knowledge of the villages and the main roads. Her mother had a large, detailed map of Eryieth as well. Freyda had schooled Áedán and Evie on geography as children; however, the maps in her class at the institute were more in-depth and detailed. They also had other maps she had never seen before of the Forbidden Lands, detailing known locations of tribes. The known parts of cave systems were also charted out.

  Their first lesson was easy. They learned all about the bodies of water of Eryieth. They were to have a test at the end of the week. She knew most of them already except for the new maps of the Forbidden Lands, so she took her book of maps with her to study in her room later.

  Her next class was languages. She only knew the common tongue. Here they would learn basic communication in Elvish, Dwarvish, and the common tongue of the Forbidden Lands. They would also study ancient runes. They began with Elvish. She was excited about learning it so she could speak to the elves, or at least greet them properly in their language, when Islwyn took her to Farryndell as promised.

  She took her notes back up to her quarters before heading to her next class, magic.

  Evalina walked into the small room and sat down at an empty table. The room even smelled of magic. She tried to ignore the stares of the other riders as she waited for their teacher to arrive. Colwyn, the boy from her village, came into the classroom and sat down at her table in the seat next to her.

  Colwyn smiled at her; his brown eyes were the same hue as his skin and twinkled with excitement. “Hello, Evalina. How do you like it here so far?”

  “Hello, Colwyn,” she replied cordially. “I love it. I just wish people would accept me.”

  Colwyn looked around the room and then back at her. “They will eventually. In the meantime, Áedán asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure no one gives you any trouble.”

  Evie laughed. “Thank you.” She opened the magic book in front of her as an old man emerged from another door in the classroom, which appeared to lead to a storage room. He moved slowly and carried a box full of little pouches.

  “Good morning, everyone,” the teacher said. “I am your instructor of magic, High Mage Garan.”

  Evie noticed how the high mage moved and wondered exactly how old he was. The mage set the box down on a table in the front of the room and began removing the tiny pouches, placing them delicately on the table next to the box.

  “I will not be teaching you how to conjure spells and boil potions. Most of you will not be innately magical enough to master them; however, I will be instructing you on how to use powders and potions to aid you on your quests. I will show you what each of the powders and potions available to you are and what you can do with them. You will practice using them in real life situations before you are allowed to go on a quest. For example…”

  The old man took a black pouch and threw the contents into the air. The room turned pitch black. Evie gasped at the sudden change of light. She looked around but saw nothing but blackness.

  “A darkness powder will allow you to evade capture or death by an enemy. The powder will darken an entire room or surrounding area of the user, not affecting the vision of the user so they may escape. Be warned, the effects don’t last long and there are powders that can reverse the magic, so you must move quickly.”

  Evie hated the dark. She couldn’t wait for light to fill the room again.

  “Next, a light spell,” said the mage. Suddenly, the room was lit again. The mage held a white pouch in his hand. “You can use this to counteract a darkness powder if you do not have magic-repellent powder or to lighten a dark room, cave, tunnel, or anywhere you need light.” The mage fumbled with the pouch as he placed it back inside the box.

  “The powder I just used turned the room back to normal light, but the mages also make a more powerful light powder that is more like a bright flash of light and is used to stun and blind your attacker. But we will cover that one on another day.”

  Evie examined all of the tiny pouches on the table. Each was a different color. She wondered what magic was in each one.

  “The mages guild has designated specific abilities deemed useful to dragon riders. They make all of our magic powders and potions, and they supply the dragon rider institute for all quests. It is your job in my classroom to learn them all and use them appropriately. Your life may one day depend on this knowledge,” he said in conclusion.

  Evie listened intently as the high mage continued his instruction. She paired up with Colwyn when it was time to take turns practicing with the magic.

  When they broke for lunch, Evie went alone to the dining hall. She didn’t see Islwyn or Zeb anywhere and figured they were still teaching out on the training fields. So she sat alone and began eating her roast chicken and vegetables. While the food was delicious, she realized Zeb was right. The menu didn’t seem to change much.

  Suddenly, a plate plopped down in front of her. Evie looked up in surprise to see Prince Trystan sitting down. A smile crossed his handsome face, showing off his perfectly straight white teeth. His dark-brown hair fell into his mischievous blue-gray eyes. He looked every bit the handsome prince from a children’s story that young girls dreamed about.

  “Hello, Evalina,” he said casually.

  “Hello, Trystan,” she replied after she swallowed a bite of her chicken.

  “You’re from River Town?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “My family has a farm outside of the village center.” Evie nibbled on her bread awkwardly. She never imagined eating lunch and training with a prince.

  He scooped up some mashed potatoes onto his fork and ate the bite hungrily.

  “How long have you been training, Trystan?”

  “I am a dragon-rider apprentice. We train all day long in combat, weapons, aerial tactics, and languages,” he said between bites of food. “That is once we pass all of our geography, magic, and other exams as initiates. We are even allowed to go on dragon-rider quests. At the end of this year, I will be a full-fledged dragon rider. I will be able to lead my own missions and quests and train initiates like yourself.”

  “I can’t wait to go on my first quest!”

  “Technically you will during the dragon trials,” Trystan said.

  “Dragon trials?” she asked.

  “It is part of training at the end of your first year,” he said. “It determines your skill level and if you can pass on to apprentice.”

  Evie was intrigued. She knew all about dragons and dragon riders but never knew what went on during training. They tended to keep it a secret, making the dragon riders even more prestigious. “What goes on during the trials?”

  “They have an aerial-skills demonstration and a weapons competition, and every year the dragon masters hide objects somewhere in Eryieth. The initiates divide into teams and are given clues to find their team’s object. The teams go on a quest to find it. It tests your geography, magic, survival, and language skills, as well as flying and fighting.”

  “How did you do?” Evie aske
d curiously.

  “We successfully found our object before the other teams,” Trystan boasted.

  They finished their food while talking about the institute and training. Trystan gave her some good advice and tips. He was as pleasant as he was handsome and a little less arrogant than he had been on their first meeting. He walked with her outside of the fortress to the training fields. She was glad to have another friend here at the school.

  CHAPTER 15

  Evie lined up outside by the armory with the other initiates. They would be assessed for weapons. She stood up front in the middle to show them she was serious about her training. There were stories of amazing female dragon riders who were both fearsome and skilled. She needed to prove to everyone that she would be just as good. It had been hard so far when everyone thought she was the reason for a prophesized war.

  Islwyn and Zeb were among the instructors along with the riders who had passed the initiate training. All riders assisted in the training of the initiate riders. They split the newly chosen into smaller groups, which would rotate between training stations: hand-to-hand combat, archery, and sword fighting, and a more varied group to learn spear throwing, axes, maces, clubs, dagger throwing, and more.

  Evie was sent to archery first. Islwyn showed them the longbow, the short bow, and then the crossbow. He told them about the different parts of the bows. Then he demonstrated how to use each one.

  Islwyn drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it to his bow. He focused for a moment and then loosed the arrow at the target. He hit the center black mark on the target. Evie was impressed. Zeb hadn’t been lying about Islwyn’s archery skills.

  “By the end of your training, you all will be able to hit your targets successfully. Some of you will be more skilled than others and become archery instructors once you pass on to dragon-rider level. Don’t worry if archery does not come easily to you. You will be learning many other weapons. You might find yourself skilled at one, or you may find yourself skilled at many. As a dragon rider, you will continue your training and practice as long as you are an active rider. Only when you retire and join the masters or when you die do you quit training.”

  He grabbed a handful of arrows and turned toward a target. He loosed arrow after arrow, hitting all of them in the center mark. Evie had never seen anything quite as impressive as his archery skills. “Now grab a bow and a quiver and line up in front of a target. One of the assistant instructors or I will come by to show you individually what to do,” Islwyn concluded.

  They broke apart in front of their individual targets and waited for instruction. Islwyn smiled at Evie as he walked toward her. “How is your first day going?” he asked.

  “Very well actually,” Evie replied.

  “Good to hear,” he said, smiling. “Are you ready to begin?”

  Evie nodded.

  “The first thing you need to do is practice your stance. Are you right-handed or left-handed?” he asked.

  “Right-handed,” Evie replied.

  “So you will want to hold the bow in your left hand,” he said, taking the bow and placing it in her left hand. “And turn your left side toward the target, forming an angle like so.” He positioned her body. “Keep your feet shoulder width apart and your toes in a straight line.”

  “Like this?” Evie asked.

  “Yes,” Islwyn replied. “Now stand tall, ribs down, shoulders down and relaxed.” He pressed on her rib cage and then on her shoulders. “Good.”

  Islwyn helped her nock the arrow to the bow properly. “Relax your fingers,” he commanded gently. “Now bring your bow arm shoulder height, and remember to keep your shoulders down. Draw the string along your bow arm and to the anchor spot on your face.”

  Evie followed his every command. She felt at ease with the bow and arrow.

  “Perfect. Now stay relaxed, shoulders down, and draw your shoulder muscles toward each other, keeping a straight line with your bow hand and draw hand. Aim, relax your fingers, and release.”

  Evie loosed the arrow, sending it flying toward the target. It missed the mark on the target but still hit the body. She shot pretty well for the first time. Better than she had expected to. Even Islwyn seemed pleased. The other initiates turned toward her, looking impressed as well.

  “Very good job, Evie!” he said. “Keep practicing just as I showed you while I go help the others. I will check back with you in a little while.”

  “All right,” she replied, drawing another arrow from her quiver. She took her stance and placed her arrow correctly. Relax; shoulders down. She took a deep breath and released it as she loosed the arrow. The arrow hit the target this time. She heard a clapping and looked around.

  Zeb stood there, smiling proudly. “Not bad for a girl,” Zeb jested.

  “Not bad for an initiate you mean,” she bantered.

  “I think you might be a natural talent,” he said, turning to look at another initiate as he fired his arrow. It landed in the ground halfway to the target. “But can you do it again, or was that luck? Keep practicing.”

  Evie smirked. She knew she was decent for a beginner. She continued to practice until Islwyn came back around. He watched her shoot, nodded his head in approval, and walked off again to help another initiate. Soon it was time to switch stations. She moved over to swords next.

  Evie found out quickly that she was not as good with a sword as she was with a bow and arrow, but she knew she would improve. She had nothing but time to practice and improve. Her muscles were weak. The instructor gave her a practice sword. The initiates were to train both arms equally, a daunting but necessary task. They did not pair up today. Instead they worked with their swords on wooden poles.

  During hand-to-hand combat training, Evie partnered with Colwyn. They worked on blocking and defensive moves. The instructor stressed the importance of defense.

  Next, Evie moved over to the last station. She learned how to hold and throw a spear. She practiced swinging and throwing an axe. This made her think of Áedán. He had used an axe to kill that goblin. She couldn’t help but think that he would have loved training here. He would have made an amazing dragon rider. There was always hope that he would still be chosen. There was no age limit to being chosen. The youngest rider on record was thirteen years old, and the oldest to be chosen was thirty-five.

  She was given a set of small, sharp daggers next. Evie placed the belt, loaded with daggers, around her waist. She saw that Zeb was leading instruction on dagger throwing. She took her place in front of a target similar to the archery targets. First, Zeb showed them the proper way to stand. She bent her knees and adjusted her shoulders back.

  “Keep your wrists loose, and throw on your exhale,” Zeb instructed.

  Evie drew a dagger from her belt and held it just as Zeb had showed them. She kept her wrist loose, inhaled, and then exhaled, throwing the dagger toward the target. It landed on the ground halfway between her and the target. She was not the only one who missed, though.

  Zeb made his way to each initiate, helping them individually until they could at least reach the target. When he got to Evie, he fiddled with her wrist for a moment.

  “Relax your wrist, Evie,” he said. “You’re too tensed up.

  She relaxed her wrist, trying to make it loose. Then she aimed at the target. Zeb watched as she threw another dagger, hitting the outer edge of the target. Evie smiled. I did it! Sort of…

  “Much better,” Zeb complimented. “But keep practicing.”

  Evie practiced throwing daggers for a while, finding it as enjoyable as archery. Still, she needed a lot of practice. Daggers were a lot harder.

  She didn’t care for the mace, club, or gauntlet. She preferred not to use such brutal weapons. Evie eyed the fearsome-looking spiked gauntlet. It was a favorite of orcs, goblins, ogres, trolls, ocduens, and koduens. However, she had to at least get to know the weapons. Her instructor told her that they would spend more time after the first week’s evaluations on the weapons they were more inclined t
o use. So she practiced dodging blows with Colwyn.

  After weapons training, Evie was tired, and her muscles ached. She headed toward the dragon sanctuary. It was time for flying. She knew this would be her favorite part of the day. Evie had been looking forward to it since the day they arrived. The other initiates had only ever flown their dragons to get to the school. Evie had gotten a taste for flying before the choosing ceremony. She missed Emrys and wondered how he liked his new home. She walked inside the dragon shelter and found him asleep in some hay.

  “Hey, big boy,” she said calmly.

  Emrys opened his eyes and puffed some smoke out of his nose. He lifted his neck and head and made a soft noise. The other riders were also retrieving their dragons for practice. She stroked Emrys for a few minutes and then led him out of the giant dragon shelter onto the field.

  Evie saw a large group of riders—instructors, apprentices, and initiates. Evie hadn’t realized they would all fly together. The initiates were split into groups with one instructor and a few apprentices. Islwyn was also a flying instructor and so was Zeb. Islwyn took charge of her group. He was protective of her and seemed to be placing himself with her however he could.

  Her new friend Colwyn was in Zeb’s group. She looked over at the other two initiates in her group: two boys from northern villages. They took their dragons up, following Islwyn as he taught them how to command their dragons to fly and how to land. It was a simple beginner lesson. Then Islwyn instructed them to follow him as he flew over the entire city, letting the initiates get used to the feel of flying, the wind, the height, the speed, the temperature, and how not to fall off.

  Flying lessons were over too quickly for Evie. She could fly Emrys all day and never get tired of it. They returned their dragons to the shelter so they could eat. The long day of training was over for Evie as well. She returned to the main building for dinner and looked forward to another hot bath before bed.

  CHAPTER 16