The Column Racer

by Jeffrey Johnson

  In front of Areli, walked Kiley Rose, a recruit from a Hall in Sector B. She shocked the world last year by finishing ninth and joining only a handful of riders in the history of the sport that weren’t from Abhi or Sector A to finish in the top ten in the World Race. And then there was Areli. The first rider ever to be chosen from Sector D. Also, among the company of Aquilina Hawkins and Fidelja Bird as the only riders to join the Abhi team their tyro year. There were high expectations for her to succeed, and she was sure that the Emperor was expecting her to have the same results as Aquilina, rather than Fidelja.

  The girls were brought to their individual locker rooms, where they were instructed to wear everything except their armour and their headgear. They were then told to stand in front of their lockers until their individual trainers came to get them. As Areli stood there waiting, her head swiveled around like everyone else’s, except for Fidelja, who stood motionless, facing forward as if staring off into space.

  Riders scowled at the rest of their teammates, mistrust on their faces. Some of the eyes landed on Areli, greeting her with both disgust and abhorrence. Areli was prepared for this. Aubrie told her that most of the girls would find her presence annoying, given that she is from a sector not known for having any sort of talent – ever, and also because she has no Hall experience. Areli tried to wipe their glaring eyes away from her memory but was glad that she had more time to study her competitor’s faces.

  Fidelja had the face similar to that of a hawk; she had piercing blue eyes and dark blonde hair. Tegan’s skin was fair, the ends of her blonde hair were teased, and her stares at Areli were by far the most sinister. Perla had skin as deep as coffee, her thick black hair was wrapped in a bun behind her head, and her eyebrows were next to nonexistent.

  Areli thought Amira was the prettiest. Which was quite a compliment, since everyone in the room was beyond beautiful. Maybe it was because the length of her brown hair, which was similar to what Areli’s used to be. She couldn’t help herself – she was jealous. Areli had to quickly look away from Nadia, though, as the young rider knew she was being watched and raised a questioning eyebrow towards Areli. The features that Areli caught sight of, before she hastily cast her eyes to the floor, were Nadia’s shimmering blue eyes and blonde hair with streaks of dark browns.

  Areli was more careful now as she looked about the room, stealing glances at Dulce and Kiley. Dulce had skin as white as pearls and hair as black as night. And her wide dark eyes showed nothing but kindness, which is uncommon for a column racer. Kiley’s densely freckled face looked as stubborn as Fidelja’s, as a thick set of eyebrows rested above bluish-green eyes. All of the riders were tall, as riders were supposed to be, and all of them weighed no more than a feathered pillow.

  Areli wondered if they were studying her as well. She wished she knew what they were thinking. She imagined the most ridiculing and demeaning statements that were floating around her teammate’s heads – and all of them directed at her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the tapping of heels against ground, which turned into soft thuds against carpet, and then tapping again as they found hard surface.

  A woman walked through the locker entrance and looked at each of the girls, slowly. Her eyes stopped on Areli the longest and then she continued to the center of the room. Areli instantly knew who the woman was. Her name was Saniyah Flynn. She was a retired professional rider and would have certainly been the most successful rider on the World Circuit if it wasn’t for the emergence of her teammate, Aquilina Hawkins.

  She had olive-green eyes, skin that clung to her bones, and long golden brown hair.

  “Ladies.”

  “Coach Sani,” said the rest of the girls, including Areli, acting on the instructions given by Aubrie the day before.

  “You are all here, because you are the greatest riders in the Empire. The Emperor has brought you here to give you a chance to become the greatest riders in the world. Even though this is my first year as the coach of this team, I expect nothing less than the best from each of you. Get a good look around this room, ladies. Even though you are teammates, the people that occupy the edges of this very room, are your fiercest competition.” Each rider looked about the room; all of them had hard and fierce looks on their faces, except for Fidelja.

  “As you know, there is only one spot open on the professional team each year. There are three riders here that only have one season left. Also, in this room, is a rider that only missed winning the previous World Race by a couple of points. All of you have World Race experience except for one. And among you, is a rider that is coming off an undefeated season, and on average beat her nearest competition by a total of three beats.” Eyes flickered towards Areli. She could feel the coldness and smell the sourness that their stares contained.

  “Now, I will have you pair up with your trainers and we will gather in the team meeting room, as this will be the custom at the start and end of every practice. When your trainer comes and gets you, you are dismissed.” Coach Sani exited out of the room and Areli looked to the door, wondering who Fidelja Bird’s trainer would be, as the trainer that belonged to the highest ranked rider always came through the door first.

  As the first trainer came through the door, Areli was more confused than shocked. She looked at Aubrie with a gaped mouth, and gave her a slight, hesitant wave. Areli was sure that Fidelja’s trainer would be the first to enter the room. Areli looked at Fidelja, and then back at her trainer. She scanned her eyes around the room, and found that everyone else was as surprised as she was.

  Tegan scowled at Fidelja, and then burned her eyes through Areli. Dulce was covering her mouth with her hand, looking as if the whole situation amused her. Perla only crossed her arms, shook her head, and rolled her eyes. The rest of the girls wore the same perplexed expression as Areli, as Aubrie continued to look at Areli and gestured her forward.

  Areli looked from rider to rider, and then at the motioning arms of her trainer. Areli took a step forward, and as she did, Fidelja took a step to match hers.

  “Come on girls,” said Aubrie lightly, “I know we’re not allowed to wait on you two forever.” Areli took a deep breath, still confused, still apprehensive, and moved with Fidelja towards their trainer. Their trainer! Areli thought riders were only allowed to have one trainer, and trainers were supposed to be assigned to one rider. Heat started to rise in Areli’s neck, as she became angry, jealous, and mad that Aubrie didn’t tell her that she was also training Fidelja, her greatest competition.

  Had she been spying on me? thought Areli, is Fidelja worried that I may actually beat her? Does the Emperor know about this? How can Coach Sani even be okay with this? Questions started to circulate around Areli’s head with such force, she felt dizzy. She felt like she might faint, or at least puke all over herself or whoever and whatever was positioned in front of her.

  Fidelja paced her steps to that of Areli’s so that they came to face Aubrie at the same time. She smiled at them.

  She’s smiling, thought Areli, how can she be smiling, can’t she tell I’m mad at her? That I hate her right now. That I hate them both! Areli hardened her jaw and clenched her teeth as she looked deep into Aubrie’s eyes, wondering if her trainer could see the steam that was building up inside her.

  “Not here,” whispered Aubrie into Areli’s ear before turning to walk-away, “now follow me . . . the both of you.” Areli did as she was told, even though she felt betrayed. The hurt was enough to pierce her heart. She didn’t even look at the other trainers that were lined-up outside the door. She didn’t care. The only thought consuming her now was that she needed a new trainer . . . and fast.

  Areli walked behind Aubrie next to Fidelja. She tried to keep her eyes trained on whatever objects were to her left and focused intently on any passing walls, couches, and fireplaces. The main thing she wanted to avoid was looking at Fidelja. It infuriated Areli to no end that one of her favorite riders, someone she actually felt sorry for when she had lost the World Race in the short-go th
e season before, was okay with the situation they were in. Areli never thought she could hate someone so much. There’s an explanation, Areli, she told herself, just don’t lose it . . . not yet.

  They entered into the meeting room, which had soft green walls, a soaring ceiling, and giant paintings of dragons. In the back of the room was a large portrait of Emperor Abhiraja, and in the front were three elegantly framed pieces of large, unused, parchment. The floor of the room was arranged like a small stadium, as the second row of oversized chairs, were elevated above the ones in front of it.

  Areli, Fidelja, and Aubrie sat in the front row next to the entrance. Aubrie sat to the left of them, followed by Fidelja, and then Areli. Tegan and her trainer found chairs next to Areli, who were followed by Perla and Amira, along with their trainers. The rest of the new recruits filed into the back row. Everyone seemed happy, except for Tegan. As the team waited for Coach Sani, small sparks of conversation filled the room, correlated with giggles and hushed laughs.

  The mood between Areli, Fidelja, and their trainer remained cold. Areli felt uncomfortable sitting in the front, and she kept her eyes facing forward. She didn’t want to look at Fidelja on her left, and she definitely wanted to avoid the mass of evil stares she envisioned on her right.

  “Hey you . . . Degendhard’s whore,” whispered Tegan viciously at Areli. Areli turned to look at her. Her eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you would respond to that . . . slut.”

  Before Areli could say anything, Coach Sani stepped into the room and stood at the front of the rows, looking at every face in the crowd. Again, her eyes rested on Areli’s longer than anyone else.

  “Column racing,” started Coach Sani, “the only thing that matters, and the only thing that will ever matter is that the fastest time wins. You don’t win by performing stunts bursting out of the alley or even in through the alley. If you want to be a professional rider then the only thing you will concern yourself with is being the fastest rider in here.

  “During a run, it’s not the stars that judge you, or me, or even the Emperor. During a run your judge will forever be the drums. During a run, you need to be vigilant to the smallest of details, you are moving at enormous speeds and I will warn you that the alley and the columns are set higher here than anywhere else in the world. If you are not careful, centered, and focused you will without a doubt be severely injured or killed.

  “Every movement you and your dragon makes need to be crisp and exact. Flying by a column will result in a ‘no-time’ and a disqualification. Diverging from the pattern will result in a ‘no-time’ and a disqualification. As always, you will be given sixty beats to complete the pattern after the initiation of the drums, and judges will be switched after every three riders.” Coach Sani continued to talk about the dangers that they would face in trying to complete a pattern in the only measure that counted – being the fastest.

  Column Racing was a simple sport, but at their speeds, it could be a deadly sport to anyone not quick in their reactions and trusting of their training and instincts. A run always starts from an elevated point. In Oroin, the arena was an elevated tower. In Abhi, the elevation was a gold and marble platform near the apex of a mountain.

  When a horn sounds below, a rider is given the signal that the judge in the arena is ready. A horn sounds from the elevation, as a guard informs that the start signal was received. The rider commands her dragon off the elevation, into a dive, keeping the wings tucked into her dragon’s sides. In Areli’s first week, with the elevation being vastly taller than the one in Oroin, she was pitted into speeds that made it difficult to see, react, and judge her position in the descent. With the time constraints, Areli and Aubrie were forced to work on a counting system, which made her effective in the dive, but also made Areli extremely vulnerable. Her count had to be perfect every run, or that run would be her last.

  A rider then cues her dragon to expand its wings, just a hair, to begin to flatten their descent. A second too early, and Areli is getting her head decapitated by the gold of the alley. A second too late, and she is soup on the ground. A rider wants to maintain as much speed as they can from the dive, through the alley, and into the arena.

  When they first enter into the arena, there is a booth on the right, for a judge who holds a flag in both hands. The flag in his left hand is held up, and the flag in his right is resting by his side. When a rider flies past the judge, he alternates the position of the flags. Lowering the left and raising the right.

  This signals the composer across the arena, in a large booth full of drums to start playing. During the run the composer instructs the drummers to beat together in a rhythmic beat. Now, the pattern has started.

  A rider directs their dragon towards the first column on the right, and they execute a right turn around the outside of the column, performing the first leaf of a clover-leaf pattern. They then kick their dragon to the second column, which is on the opposite end of the first. The second leaf of the pattern is a quick left turn around the second column, so that they exit facing the third column which is directly facing the alley.

  The last leaf is another jarring left turn around the column that makes the point of the triangle for the columns, and then a rider heads back down the middle of the triangle, towards the alley, as if completing the stem of a clover-leaf. When the rider and her dragon pass the judge again, he throws down the flag in his right hand so that both flags are resting at his sides.

  The composer halts the beating of the drums. The rider exits the arena back through the alley, and their time is tallied up by two separate recorders who have marked how many beats were sounded by the drums. Their totals are collected, verified, and then handed to the announcer, who relays the information to the crowd.

  During a regular season, there are twelve competitions, four competitions a month, and only during the last three months leading to summer. The competitions are always on the day before the last of the week, no matter what the weather, even if lightening is threating to set everything on fire.

  A competition consists of two Halls. A Hall team has eight riders, six are premier riders and two are auxiliary. The premier riders are the ones that compete, and the auxiliary riders are the ones that race if a rider is sick, injured, or killed.

  The six premier riders from each Hall are given two open runs before the short-go. The times from the two opens are averaged for each rider and the top six riders compete in the short-go. The short-go is only one run, and the rider with the fastest time wins.

  For each open run a rider competes in, they are given two points. A rider that wins the short-go is awarded five points, the rider that places second gets four points, third gets three points, fourth receives two, and fifth and sixth receive no additional points. Meaning that a rider that competes in a regular season competition, and wins the short-go, will come away with nine points.

  At the end of the season, a rider’s total points will be calculated based on all the events they competed in during that season. The fifteen riders with the most points are extended invitations to the biggest competition of the year, the race that can extend the life and ownership of your dragon. Devastatingly important if you are in your final eligible year, and the race that can give you unlimited wealth and fame if you win it. The race has been a long standing tradition of column racing and has always been known as the World Race.

  There was only one other catch. A riders total is supplemented based on the sector they compete in, as it is thought that the higher sectors had greater competition and better riders. Which made it impossible for riders in Sectors C and D to ever receive an invite, as Sector A was given five points more than B, B was awarded five more points than C, and D had zero added points. Making undefeated seasons the only way the two lower sectors could make it to the World Race, as those types of seasons are automatic invitations.

  There have only been two riders with undefeated seasons in the two lower sectors, both in their Academy years. And Emperor Ailesh made sure to recruit
them both before they entered into their Hall years.

  Coach Sani finished her talk about the importance of a rider not losing their focus for a single second. To stay aware until they are safely on the ground of the holding pen.

  “Are there any last comments or questions?” asked Coach Sani, “if there’s not, then you can return to your lockers, grab your armour and headgear, and we’ll head for the arena. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get everyone prepared for the sorting competition that will be at the end of fall.”

  Everyone stood up quickly and excitedly. Tegan still relishing in her last comment to Areli. Each rider was led out of the meeting room by their trainers, or in Areli’s and Fidelja’s case, their shared trainer. On the walk back through the hallway and in through the great room, Areli cleared her mind of Tegan, knowing she had more pressing concerns. She knew she had to just accept the fact that her trainer would be splitting time with her and Fidelja. But the fact that Aubrie spent so much time with her was the most confusing part about the whole ordeal. Aubrie was with her from sun-up to sun-down. How is she able to train both of them if she is always with her?

  Areli started to feel panicky. Is Aubrie going to do to her what she did to Fidelja? Was she going to be left to train alone? Was Fidelja’s dragon lame? Was that the reason she couldn’t train? But that didn’t make sense, because there was always a trailer next to Fidelja’s practice arena. Is Fidelja not flying her dragon in there? Is she just lying around? What in the stars is going on? thought Areli. All she knew now was that she wanted answers. Truthful, honest, and genuine answers.

  When they entered into the locker area, Fidelja parted from their group. Areli tried to let the swiveling of her head go unnoticed and she was shocked to see that Aubrie was still leading her towards her locker, not suspecting a thing. Areli looked over her shoulder as Fidelja entered into locker number one, flanked by the hands of her servants.