The Column Racer

by Jeffrey Johnson

  The carriage stopped, the door opened, and a tall, skinny person, with olive-green eyes stepped out of it.

  “Well, Areli,” said Coach Sani with a smile, “I guess not every rider from Sector D is completely useless. Even though you fly a little brighter than an unwanted, I expected worse from one so . . . inexperienced.” Her smile turned flat. “Do it again. And learn how to fly . . . not count.” She turned her back, and then turned to Areli, casually looking at her over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind sharing the arena with the roping team.” She got back in her carriage, and Fidelja’s trailer followed her out, along with the rest of the team. The team’s number-one rider glanced at Areli, but Areli didn’t have the strength to hold her gaze and shifted her attention to the floor.

  The rest of the trailers followed and at their heels were their trainers in carriages. After their departure, what followed was silence. Then footsteps, and soft murmurings as servants came next to Areli with a ladder. When her feet touched the ground, they asked what sort of treat she would want the cooks to prepare. She looked into Kaia’s eyes and she knew what her dragon wanted.

  “Calf’s leg,” said Areli, seeing the sparkle in Kaia’s eyes and the shift in her dragon’s ears when she heard the words.

  “And how would like that prepared?” asked the servant.

  “Medium-rare,” said Areli.

  “Sauce?” Areli looked back into Kaia’s eyes.

  “Something tangy.” A smile flickered onto the servants face, and she left to deliver the order. Areli looked back at Kaia and let Coach Sani’s words ruminate in her head. She tried to shake them away while petting the side of her dragon’s face.

  “You did good, girl,” whispered Areli, “I don’t care what that person said. You did good.”

  Areli didn’t have to wait long to hear the squeaky wheel of a cart make its way towards them. On top was a lightly grilled leg of calf that made even Areli’s stomach growl. Riders are always given the cart to feed to their dragon so their dragon knows who’s rewarding them.

  Areli shook her head lightly and laughed as Kaia quickly made the meat and the bone disappear. She gathered the reins in her hands and looked over to the warm-up pen to see if Aubrie had elected to stay, or left with her other rider, her better rider . . . Fidelja.

  She just had a chance to look at the double-doors, when suddenly the entrance to the holding pen came to life. At first, Areli thought her team might have come back to get her, but one look at the carriage and Areli knew her initial thought was a stupid one. The carriage was a combination of white and yellow gold. Below the doors and windows were beautiful paintings dominated mainly by two different colored dragons . . . black and blood red. The coach of the roping team, the one in charge of a group of boys trying to earn their way into the Emperor’s flying army. An honor bestowed to those that don’t get roped by one of the Emperor’s warriors in a given amount of time. A special event held right before the first run of the World Race.

  The trailers following the carriage filled into the empty sections, occupying twelve of the fifteen. Areli would have looked to see who was occupying the front seats of each of them, for she had never seen male riders before. It was a privilege only given to those that were in Sector A, those that the Emperor could easily keep track of. But somehow the image of Talon resurfaced in her brain. NO! Talon. You don’t love me. I can look if I want, thought Areli. So she did. She wished she hadn’t. They were beautiful, and she instantly flushed. Stop embarrassing yourself, Areli. She forced her eyes back onto the carriage, which made a circle around her and then came to a stop.

  Kaia moved closer to her rider, her ears raised to take in all the noises that circulated the room. She was ready to protect Areli if she had to, as her rider’s apprehensions flooded into her. The carriage door opened. A man stepped out of it wearing a shimmering black trench coat and leather pants that hugged every bulging muscle. He had long, soft brown hair and a light beard hiding his face. He looked over at Areli, adjusted his coat, and smiled.

  “Sani told me she left a present,” he said approaching her. Areli wondered if he could see her blush. The man was older than her, his features chiseled but refined. He looked into her brown eyes with his blue ones, and then outstretched his hand. “My name is Coach Braeden.”

  “Areli. Areli Roberts.” She wanted to punch herself for not being able to control the shakiness in her voice.

  “You wouldn’t happen to be the rider from Sector D, would you?” asked Coach Braeden, with a whimsical smile. She had to raise her head to meet his eyes, as he towered over her. And she thought she was tall.

  Areli nodded her head. He shook his head as he smiled, his hands on his hips.

  “Things not faring well with Coach Sani?” he asked, the smile still present as ever. Areli looked down at the ground. Get a grip, Areli, she scolded herself, be respectful. She lifted her head again, her eyes meeting his.

  “No,” said Areli, “not particularly.”

  “Well,” he said, “she can be a handful. Cruel as the Emperor himself.” Areli’s eyes found the ground again. She wanted him to change the topic of conversation. The last thing she ever wanted to talk about – with anyone – was the female version of the Emperor. “So, you have one last run for today?” Areli looked at him and nodded her head. “Well, we’ll work you in with the boys. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind,” said Areli. She had a hard time looking into his eyes, and she fought to control the rising emotions in her heart. She always seemed to struggle when approached by strangers. Especially, beautiful looking ones. He instructed her to go rest her dragon in the other room and to tell the servants when she was prepared to loosen her dragon’s wings. Afterwards, they would shift the flames when it was her turn. She thanked him, glancing briefly at his eyes, and then headed to the warm-up pen.

  She was almost past the sections of trailers when she heard a voice take notice of her. The coach demanded the boy come and apologize. Coach Braeden told the boy he should be thankful that he wasn’t his father, or the boy wouldn’t have been able to sit for a week, no matter how much cream he rubbed on it. Areli looked at the coach, who smiled and winked at her, and thanked him, silently wishing he was her coach. Why couldn’t there be a female version of him? thought Areli, but would I want a female version? Maybe just him. That’s right, Talon. You’re not the only male in the world. She shook her thoughts from her mind. She had to focus. She had to concentrate.

  Areli walked Kaia around the warm-up pen, staying next to the walls. She could hear the coach’s voice as he told the trainers and riders what he expected of them today. Areli had a smile as she circled the room. Her eyes occasionally glanced at the fine details of the paintings that covered the walls. She was glad Coach Sani left her there. Anywhere far from her would become Areli’s third favorite place in the world, the second being anywhere away from the Emperor, and the first . . . in the saddle, flying with Kaia.

  Areli was getting closer to the double-doors, as the roping riders were starting to walk in to get their dragons loose. The first boy that entered was tall, not nearly as tall as his coach, but his nose was above Areli’s head. He had light blonde hair that was finger-combed to the side. He took a slight glance towards Areli and then looked away. Areli smiled to herself, and then at the ground. An image of the blonde boy walking up to her and kissing her flooded into her mind. Knock it off, Areli. You don’t need love right now. You just need to win. Talon then re-entered her mind. Talon, leave me alone, said Areli to herself, please just go.

  The next boy that walked into the room forced her to stop where she was. He took one look at her, and she instantly looked away, as if deep-in thought with a particular detail of the painting next to her. She thought she heard his voice tell the other to wait up. But she must have been mistaken. She continued to stare at the small detail, as if trying to find some meaning in it.

  Her body froze. He was next to her. In front of her. Staring at her. Pract
ically breathing on her. Why doesn’t he go away? thought Areli, or at least say something? What is he doing? She tried to subtly lift her head, and anger shot through her, as he was looking at the same brush strokes she was. She continued to look at the lines more intently. Why doesn’t he get his own lines to stare at? she thought, can’t he tell that these are mine?

  “I am truly sorry,” said the boy next to her. She looked at him, furrowed her brows, and then went back to staring. “These are some interesting patterns, though. What do you think the artist meant by them?”

  “What is it that you want?” blurted Areli, not able to control her frustration. She dug her teeth into the inside of her lower lip. I’m sorry, she wanted to say, it’s just that I’ve been hurt once before. I don’t want the same mistake again. Ever.

  “To apologize,” said the boy, “I’m just not used to seeing female riders in the holding pen while we’re in it, is all.” Areli looked at him, crossing her arms. Kaia backed her up, blowing hot air in the boy’s face. The boy looked at Kaia, absolutely surprised, and then at Areli. He started to burst out laughing. Areli couldn’t help but laugh as well. She never knew Kaia to do anything like that, but she had never been put in a situation like that before either.

  Areli was sure her face was as red as his as they both struggled to compose themselves. The boy gave a few more soft laughs while shaking his head. They looked into each other’s eyes. His face looked young. His finger-length brown hair was lightly styled with his hands to create a messy look. And his brown eyes never left hers. She felt like her throat had something lodged in it, taking away the possibility of air. She’s felt this way before. With Talon. She forced herself to look away. She didn’t know this boy. She just met him.

  “I am sorry though,” said the boy, “forgive me.” He held out his hand. She hesitated, but she eventually took it. The feel of his skin, its warmth and softness, it was too much. She quickly took it away. Don’t complicate things, Areli, she told herself. A rider on the roping team. He probably had every girl chasing him. She didn’t want to get lost in the crowd. Her heart couldn’t stand to be broken again.

  She looked to the center of the room, where the tall blonde was staring towards them. She wondered if his furrowed brows would give the boy a hint. If she wanted to have a chance at winning the World Race this year, she would have to let the only breath-stealing be from the dive and the pattern. She couldn’t allow herself to fall for him. Talon had made her defensive.

  “Hey,” said the boy, “would you want to warm-up with us?” Areli looked at him. She was annoyed.

  “When Kaia’s ready, I suppose.” She looked from the glistening eyes of the boy’s to the stern look of his friend, who looked like he could hear everything they were saying from his position. His frown dug deeper between his brows.

  “We’re not all bad,” said the boy, “besides you’ve been walking this room forever. You know you want to get up there.” Areli looked up at him and forced herself not to look away. If he wasn’t going to leave, she was going to stare holes through his eyes.

  “YATS!” shouted his blonde friend, “COM’ON. Can’t you tell that girl wants nothing to do with you?” Yats looked over to him and gestured with his hands to leave him alone.

  “So, what do you say?” asked Yats, the lanterns from the walls creating stars in his eyes. Areli looked at him questioningly, and then at the empty space that should be filled with flying dragons. The boy’s friend yelled at him again, followed by a couple of the other roping riders. Yats didn’t move. His eyes only moved to stay fixed on her face. By now, she could probably draw every feature of his face by memory, down to the tiniest detail.

  She looked again to the unoccupied high walls, took a deep breath-in, and then out, knowing Yats wouldn’t move until she gave in. She looked into his eyes, a tingling sensation spread from her heart to the rest of her body, and then she nodded her head. Stop it, Areli. She had to look away. His conquering smile created feelings that were both agonizing and surprisingly elated. She didn’t want this. Not now, anyways.

  He gestured with his hand for her to lead the way. Areli took one more quick look into his eyes and then walked forward, swallowing any fears or apprehensions. As she walked, her knees felt weak. She instantly began regretting giving into his charms. All she could hear as she walked towards the boy in the center was the beating of her heart that pounded with the force of thunder. She couldn’t look at the blonde. His eyes too questioning, too fierce, too intimidating.

  Areli stopped in front of him, not sure where her eyes should be looking, where her hands should be located, or if her stance looked too . . . childish. Areli could feel his eyes examining her. Even though she was covered in tight leather and armour, she felt exposed. She felt naked.

  Yats positioned himself next to her. Though Areli couldn’t see it, and didn’t want to, she knew there was a wide smile on his perfect face. There were no words shared between the two on the matter. There was only a command . . . the call for servants. Footsteps scrambled onto the marble surface. Ladders were positioned next to shoulders, and then riders found the seat of their saddles.

  Areli felt like she was relying too much on her hands, as she tried to control her dragon with force, instead of with her emotions. Too many eyes were on her. Boys eyes. Ones she would see around her Hall. She had to control Kaia. Waterfalls and beaches, whispered Areli to herself, but she was filled with too much anticipation and adrenaline that it was nearly impossible to calm her emotions. And even though she knew it would calm her dragon, she didn’t want to, and she allowed Kaia to prance in place.

  “You’ll be between me and Amer,” yelled Yats. Amer thought Areli, who in the stars is Amer? Yats nodded his head towards the blonde in the front. The blonde boy took one look at Areli and then kicked his dragon several times on the shoulders. It stood up on the marble with its hind legs, wings opened with the swiftness of a blink, and with a quick, violent flap, it was up in the air. Subtle, thought Areli, trying to hide her excitement, typical . . . boys. Areli showed the rest of the roping riders how to do a proper accelerated take-off and flew after him.

  Chapter Twelve

  The following week, Areli relived those moments every night, falling asleep to the feel of the wind, the laughter, and the lightness of it all. The roping team was what a team should be. An atmosphere unlike anything Areli had ever experienced.

  It was populated with riders that liked one another, or at least appeared to be on sociable terms with one another. They rooted for each other when a number appeared below, calling the next rider. They wished for each rider to be successful, so disparate from a regular column racing team, as girls wished death to their teammates and their dragons. Just one less person to compete with.

  When Areli saw her number flashing below, she didn’t know what to expect as those present knew the other riders who worked their way from the warming-pen to the holding area. But they didn’t know her, not on a personal level. However, as she and Kaia flew down, flying in the middle of the circling riders, they screamed jubilantly and hollered, making her body fill with more adrenaline than she thought her slim limbs could handle.

  Areli even thought she might have gained the respect of some of them, as Yats and Amer hovered close to the arena to watch her run. She had never heard a male’s voice congratulate a practice run, and is still yet to hear one, but as she loaded her dragon, she received something close. When Kaia was trailered, Areli looked over to find Amer joking around with another rider on the other side of the room. Next to him, was Yats, staring directly at her, not even trying to cover it up. When she looked at him, he smiled, and then nodded his head. She felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She didn’t like how he looked at her. It reminded her too much of Talon.

  After every team practice, the long line of column racers would pass the roping riders going in the opposite direction. Amer would give her an acknowledging nod, but Yats, his eyes burned into her, in such an intense way that she foun
d herself trying to avoid them. One day, she felt brave enough to look behind her as the two passed one another. But she quickly turned back around. Her face was red with embarrassment. She saw that he was looking over his shoulder as well.

  Coach Sani was as terrible and vicious as ever, using Areli to bring about the faults of her teammates. She wanted to make Areli out as the weakest, the least talented, and the most undeserving of her spot on the team. But Areli wouldn’t let her. Coach Sani would never break Areli’s will, and ironically, she partly has herself to thank for that. With every evil glare, every spiteful word, every slap to the face, she thought of the roping team. She filled her ears with their encouragements . . . with their jubilant shouts that filled the walls of the warm-up pen, giving her strength she didn’t even know she had.

  As Aubrie focused heavily on training Areli, she told Areli that counting was a quick fix that produced good results with perfect weather. But after the first day of practice, Areli saw her trainer cringe as if the words were as foul as vomit as she forced herself to say that Coach Sani was right.

  “If we have inclement weather of any kind,” started Aubrie, “or if the count is off slightly . . . it’s just too risky . . . we are exposing you to too many variables.”

  As the week carried on, Aubrie watched from the platform as Areli did slow work from the morning until the afternoon. Aubrie wanted everything perfect. Areli did slow dives from the elevation using all her senses to register the distance and the height in which she was to pull Kaia out of it.

  This is what they spent most of their time on. But Areli was also put through a rigorous regimen of pattern work as well, doing back-ups and back-ups with a circle twist, as she approached the columns. After each, she directed her dragon through the column, collected and tight, as Aubrie wanted Areli’s spine guard to practically brush against the marble surface.