“I took his face into my hands. It was wet with tears, and I told him that I didn’t want that. That all I wanted was him. It didn’t matter what part of the world he was in. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t there at all hours of the day. I told him that I loved him, and that if he were to give me his love, it would be more than enough to keep me warm at night. Enough to fend off my nightmares. I told him his love would be enough to occupy the hours while he was away, because if I wasn’t with him, then I would be with nobody. Because I can’t love another, and I told him so. And he held me, Areli. He held me. And then . . . well, and then we kissed . . . and it was amazing, Areli. It was so amazing.” Areli was happy for her, but not even she, who loved Fides dearly, couldn’t help the jealousy rising within her.
Areli didn’t know how to respond. Fides got something she wished she could have. Love gave her the one she wanted. Areli desperately wanted to confront Talon one more time. She wanted to know his reasons for not loving her. Areli quickly pulled her friend to her and held her. She was happy for her. She truly was. But she was also sad. Sad that she will never find out Talon’s reason’s for not loving her. It would forever be up in the air. It’s something she knew she would have to come to terms with and just move on. She was with Yats now. She hated that she had to continually remind herself.
The following day, the four of them got together at Flame. Fides arrived with Amer firmly by her side, and Areli knew this time, he wasn’t going anywhere. A small pit tugged Areli’s stomach. She was with Yats, she reminded herself. Areli wrapped her hand around Yats arms, smiling, as he whispered everything he liked about her. She felt light, being filled with his words. He was making the best out of this chance. This chance Areli promised Fides she would give.
The gawky stares started again as people craned their heads to see the two couples. Even though Areli initially regretted having made the promise to Fides, the next three days were the best three days of Areli’s life. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard or had been surrounded by people her age she felt were as important to her as family. They just had fun. No talk of the murdering and burning beyond the mountain walls of the Valley. No discussions about Degendhard. Areli cherished these moments of just being able to be a teenager.
Yats, when not surrounded by his large group of friends, was actually sweet and not immature. She even found his charm a bit disarming. Amer’s coldness was gone. And Areli and Fides would look at each other knowing their friendship was more valuable than gold, and their eyes showed it, embraced it, and their hearts would hold on to each other beyond the bounds of forever. Areli thanked Fides repeatedly for making her promise to give Yats a chance. Her dreams and thoughts of Talon had begun to fade, making room for her new love . . . Yats.
During the week of the Sorting Competition, the four of them spent every evening together. Amer and Yats would clap after each performance of their girls choir song, in which they themselves could probably sing from memory after hearing it so many times. And during that week, Areli started to fall asleep in bed every night with a smile as she had started falling more and more in love with Yats. And on the final day of practice at the boarding facility, before the Fall Festival and the Sorting Competition, the riders were told they would have a special guest trainer. But no one thought it would be who it turned out to be.
Aquilina Hawkins walked into the locker room to gaped jaws and screams and applauses from every rider and trainer, all except Coach Sani. The rider with the most wins on the professional circuit, and the only rider to have gone professional after her tyro year, was actually standing in the middle of the room addressing the team.
She was everything Areli thought she would be. Her dark blonde hair was wrapped in a ponytail. She had lightly tanned skin and was the same height as Areli. Aquilina was beyond beautiful. Beyond elegant.
“Thank you, Coach Sani,” said Aquilina, “it’s an honor to be here today. I’ve been told Abhi has the best team that has ever been assembled. I’ve come to simply watch the final practice run you’ll take before the Sorting Competition. Afterwards, I will have a brief talk with each of you, telling you what I saw and some things you might improve upon before your final placement on the roster. Best of luck to each of you, ladies. I’ll see you in the arena.”
Aquilina took a quick look at each rider, and Areli’s breath got caught in her throat as Aquilina’s brown eyes rested on her. Aquilina nodded her head. Causing Areli to wonder if she was just seeing things. But she was sure it was real. She nodded back, her heart running sprints around her ribcage.
When Aquilina left the room, Areli looked back at Aubrie, her mouth open and her eyes wide. She looked over at Fides and made a gesture asking her if she saw that. Fides looked at Areli and tried to mimic the nod she received from Aquilina. Both girls had to cover their mouths from laughing hysterically.
Practice consisted only of a light routine in their individual arenas and then concluded with a run in the coliseum. Areli was the last to go. After her run, she had never been so excited. She knew she had a good run. She knew she did. Everything she and Aubrie worked on came through successfully. She never felt this good. For the first time since getting to Abhi, she knew, without a doubt, that she was one of the better riders on the team. If not the second best, after Fides.
She paced inside her locker as Aubrie stood watching her.
“No numbers!” said Areli for the hundredth time, “I didn’t use a single number, Aubrie! It’s like I knew what to do before I even got to it.” It was like racing in Oroin. Areli closed her eyes and then stretched out the fingers of her hands, as the adrenaline was causing her to shake. Areli was too excited to sit. She just wanted to keep flying. She wanted that feeling again. That feeling she was in absolute control. That she knew what to do, when she had to do it.
Aquilina was walking from room to room. Telling the other riders her comments about their run. It seemed like time was passing slowly as Areli kept looking at the door, wondering if Aquilina was going to come at all. She has to come, Areli, she thought, after a run like that. She just has to. Soon enough, there was a knock on the door.
Areli first looked to the door, and then to Aubrie, who instructed Areli to sit down. She took a seat on the couch, wondering if she should sit on her hands to stop them from shaking. Aubrie opened the door and greeted Aquilina. Areli stood up, trying to act composed, as if being in the same room as the greatest column racer ever wasn’t such a big deal. It didn’t work. Aquilina was too amazing.
Aquilina took a seat next to Areli, who couldn’t help but admire her.
“I first want to say,” said Aquilina, “that I very much enjoyed watching you ride. You’re the rider from Sector D, right?” Areli nodded her head, not able to conjure up a single word. “So close to home. How is Sector C? You passed through there, didn’t you?” Areli looked into her hands, and then to Aubrie, and then to Aquilina and shook her head. Her jaw clenched as she did.
“I’m sorry,” said Areli softly.
“For what?”
“It’s not good there,” said Areli, “at least not anymore.”
“The Emperor,” responded Aquilina. Areli nodded her head. A small silence sat between them. “Areli? Can you describe it to me? Can you tell me what it’s like beyond these mountains? What’s happened to my home? I haven’t been there in so long.” Areli looked down at her hands, knowing that her face had become insipid. The last year in her former sector and the carriage drive through Sectors B, C, and D were the last things she ever wanted to relive. But seeing the urgency in Aquilina’s eyes – the pain of not knowing – it would be unfair of her to not tell Aquilina everything she could.
Areli took a deep breath, looked into Aquilina’s eyes, and told her about the whole villages and cities that rose to the skies in a path of smoke and flames. She told her about the screams she heard in the distance, about how the cries and weeping have sunk into her dreams, and about the terrible smell of death she was onc
e sure had imbedded itself into every strand of her hair and every pore in her skin. A single tear escaped from Aquilina’s eyes. She sniffled back the pain, the hate, the regret, and the guilt of not being able to help her people.
“Thank you, Areli. Thank you for telling me.” Areli couldn’t look at Aquilina in the eyes anymore. The pain of those memories resurfaced like a vengeful maiden. She diverted her attention into the fireplace, wishing the flames could dry her eyes of the tears. “Don’t be ashamed of your tears,” said Aquilina, bringing Areli to her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. “Let’s talk about something else, okay?” Areli nodded her head in agreement, crying and sniffling. “Your dragon, it’s unusual, no. Is it a stalco or a mirea?”
“She’s a mirea,” said Areli, referring to Kaia being a female. She then used a heavy hand to clear away the wetness on her cheeks.
“And her colors,” said Aquilina, “I’ve never seen a dragon speckled red like that.”
“My mother says she’s unique,” said Areli, smiling though the pain, “like me.”
“I bet she is,” said Aquilina, “you two work well together.” Her arms were no longer around Areli, but resting on her hands. “So, how does it happen in Sector D?”
“How does . . . how does what happen?”
“Procuring a dragon,” said Aquilina. “In Sector C, we had to have three different batches sent to our house by wagon before I found the right one.” Areli thought back to the day Kaia became a part of her family. She was eight years old. It was the first of the week, and the first day of spring. The air was filled with the scent of newly bloomed flowers and freshly poured rain.
Areli couldn’t sleep for the entire month leading up to the arrival of her dragon, who was escorted in a heavily guarded wagon with built-in cages carrying other newly hatched dragons from the Abhi breeding facility. Even the night before they were supposed to come, she was found by her parents by the front door curled like a snail in a handmade blanket from market. In the morning, she paced back and forth between the front door and its neighboring windows in aniticpation for the dragon guards arrival. The second she saw the flag of the Empire break over the hill in front of her childhood home, she screamed for her parents that they were here and was out the door before either of them had a chance to hear her voice.
She sprinted to the front of the lawn, her heart shaking like the ground as the horse hooves slapped against the earth. Her lungs were useless to her as she watched the procession of gold and precious stones make their way closer to her home. Her parents stood behind her as the guard passed them, not even looking at them as they trotted past, pulling Areli’s hair with their movement. The horses slowed and continued to slow until they came to a full stop, leaving a gold carriage with elegant details parked in front of Areli and her family. A man with a youthful face but white wispy hair stepped out of a carriage, followed by his assistant.
The commander of the dragon guard stepped down from his horse, along with two other highly ranked soldiers, and they approached Areli and her family along with the Imperial dragon breeder and his assistant. The commander asked for their indentifying papers. They handed them to him. He then asked to see the certificate of sale, issued by the Empire. A piece of parchment that cost Areli’s family their entire savings. All in the hopes that column racing could lead them to a better life. Her father was kind and generous with his medical services, offering treatment at bargain prices and sometimes for free. He sought to make a difference for the citizens of Sector D. But even some of the most nobelest of deeds needs financial backing.
The commander handed the proof of sale to the breeder, whose eyes quickly scanned it and handed it to his assistant to officially file their visit. The parchment was then signed and dated and handed back to Areli’s parents. The breeder looked at Areli with a warm smile and then snapped his fingers. His assistant handed him a leather book, which Areli knew carried the birthdates of the dragons being contained in the wagon. It was imperative that each dragon be matched up with a rider born in the same birth month, to ensure no complications between the channel of feelings from rider to dragon. Each wagon carried several dozens of dragons born the same month, but it was the rider’s final decision as to which ones they were going to keep. Areli wished she could keep them all.
“You were born a month early?” asked the breeder, looking through his leather book. Areli looked at her mother, and then at the man, nodding her head. Her heart still pounded in her chest, and she felt like all her senses were stretched beyond their normal capabilities. The sun’s touch seemed warmer, the air damper, and the scents of dragon flowers stronger.
“Is that going to be a problem?” asked her mother, worried, “we were assured that the connections would still be okay, and that any dragon she chooses would be capable of absorbing her feelings.” There was a shakiness to her voice. This moment meant so much to her daughter. It meant so much to all of them.
“There is no need to worry,” said the man, “just confirming the paperwork. Actually, your daughter, being born like she was, is very opportunistic. You see, Mrs. Roberts, we just might have the perfect dragon for you here. It was born a month early as well.” The breeder smiled at her mother and then at Areli. He then handed the leather book back to his assistant.
“Let’s try B-Three,” said the breeder.
The assistant gave a nod of his head and then went to the wagon. When he disappeared around the other side, Areli heard the jangling of keys, the turn of lock, and the opening of a small, thick metal door. When he reappeared, wrapped in his arms was what looked like an oversized puppy with an overly long tail and an extremely long neck.
“As you can see, Mrs. Roberts,” said the breeder, “two colors. Her main color is the month Areli was born, along with blotches of the month she was actually scheduled to be born.” The assistant went to place the dragon in Areli’s arms, which seemed to be resting, but the second the dragon touched Areli’s skin, it came to life, filled with the same enthusiasm and excitement that consumed Areli.
“And as you can see . . . a perfect connection,” said the breeder with a genuine smile, clapping his hands together. “So, Miss Roberts . . . what will you call her?” Areli looked at the man with a smile, her lungs strangling whatever air she had. She had known what her dragon would be named ever since she first heard of column racing. The moment she wanted to be a dragon rider.
“Kaia,” said Areli, “her name is Kaia.”
“The same happens in Sector D,” said Areli, “Kaia was the first dragon handed to me.”
“Her coloring is definitely unheard of,” said Aquilina, “but I’m glad she found a home with you.” Areli smiled and looked down at her hands and then forced herself to keep Aquilina’s gaze.
“That’s very nice of you to say,” said Areli. Aquilina gave her a nod and smiled.
“You two are so good together that I found not a single fault with your run,” said Aquilina. Areli’s face brightened and she looked over at Aubrie.
“It’s all thanks to her,” said Areli, gesturing to her trainer. Aquilina looked over at Aubrie and smiled.
“You’re lucky . . . she’s the best trainer in the world,” said Aquilina, focusing her attention back onto Areli, “now, there is one more thing I wanted to ask you. Have you ever been on a free-fly around the Valley?”
Areli kicked her dragon upwards and followed Aquilina and Fides through the lanterns and rock, out into clean mountain air. Aquilina had picked only the two, whom she said were hands down the greatest riders on the team, to ride with her. Areli didn’t know how to respond to that, except to turn red and cover her mouth with surprise. And now she was flying, not in an arena, but in free air, a privilege given to only the best professional riders.
They flew over the city. The buildings looked like small blocks and the carriages looked like gold-colored ants roaming about. The sweep of the cool air was refreshing against Areli’s face.
They flew over the trees leading to Emp
eror Abhiraja’s forest, which looked like nothing but a tossed salad from their view. And then they were over Emperor Abhiraja’s trees. Back at the boarding facility, before they left, Aquilina told them there was only one rule if they were to ride with her . . . keep up.
Aquilina veered down towards the trees. Fides took after her and Areli followed. Areli sat hard into her seat and pulled the reins to her right. She leaned her leg into Kaia’s left shoulder and held on tight to the saddle horn. Kaia leaned her body and they knifed through the air. Areli shifted her legs and hands, chasing after Fides and Aquilina.
They slipped through a tiny gap in the tops of the massive trees. Areli saw the red of Fidelja’s dragon ahead of her, and then it disappeared. She saw shades of brown and green coming up fast. Areli pulled on the reins, keeping her hands light, and sunk into the seat, leveling off their descent into the forest.
She immediately started kicking Kaia forward as she saw Fides dragon’s tail wrap past a tree. Areli commanded Kaia in a way she never had before. Using every skill she ever learned, she cued Kaia right, then left, then into a roll to get through two narrowly placed trees, and then up, always following the blur of red in front of her.
They came out above the trees again and then they swooped back down. This time it was into the Columns of Abhi. They curved around the large rock structures like a knife full of butter caressing a freshly baked roll. Areli didn’t think she could feel this exhilarated. But there was something utterly breathtaking about flying without walls, without spectators or trainers. This was true freedom, according to Areli. Freedom from homework, freedom from fears, freedom from worries. This was the place where she could be . . . just to be.
The Column Racer Page 19