— Probably, Kris's logic is in a deep and dark place that even he doesn't even know how to find – commented the Wind Dragon, distracted by a glass globe filled with colored smoke that he lined up in groups, skirting the surface with his fingers.
— It's okay he wants to get ready with someone who has upset him. No problem – the Lighting Dragon tried to calm down. – But please do not compromise me! Why should I risk my reputation as the mentor of a foreigner just because she is a friend of her victim?
— She has her almaki – Nu'lian Gillion remembered him in a simple way, without paying attention to the board, in which he played a strategy game with the Metal Dragon.
— No need to exalt yourself, Vin – the girl commented, without taking her eyes off the board. – It's just to keep up the looks of good students.
— If so, then why don't you have protégés?!
— It is not obvious? – she asked with a huge smile. – It will be fun to go with you and see what happens!
This seemed to be the last straw for Zawhart, who turned to the leader, demanding, without words, that he give an immensely justifiable motive for his situation.
Krissin Dul'Maojin looked at the movement of the students and said solemnly:
— Be happy, Vin. This kodorin is running.
The Dragons stopped what they were doing and stared at the leader for a while.
— What's it? – he asked before the confused expressions.
— I pass! – Sfairul turned his attention to the globe.
— Hard – sighed the heiress Gran'Otto, putting aside the game and thinking.
— Why does he speak in codes? – Zawhart lamented with himself, dropping into an armchair.
— What? – the leader repeated, this time sounding angry.
— Exception – the Royal Dragon deciphered, at the same time that he made an elaborate movement with the pieces on the board. – I won.
— Heeey! – analyzing the defeated the board in disbelief.
— That's what I said! – Dul'Maojin exclaimed. – Exception! This kodorin is an exception!
— Very well, wise Fire Dragon. Enlighten us with the rest of your wisdom – Zawhart waved his hand indicating that he would continue.
Even though he seemed displeased with the provocative way of addressing him, the leader continued, convinced:
— She came from an Overseas Realms and it is important! – reported. – My mom said it's good to keep an eye on her.
— And does that mean keeping my eyes on her?! Why don't you ask Benar? – he pointed to his friend.
— I pass! – reported the Wind Dragon. – I don't take care of children.
He pointed his finger at Gran'Otto:
— Sumerin is a girl, it's easier to gain the trust of another girl.
— I don't like cats. She has a cat... a strange cat, by the way.
— Pure excuse – he grunted and tried to point to her play partner, who put the pieces back on the board and seemed not to care what was going on around them. Then, with a defeated sigh, he gave up:
— Right! – Zawhart crumpled the paper and tossed it into the fireplace, alerting the leader shortly. – But don't think that I will obey your mother in your place!
— It's only while I solve this problem – the leader turned his attention to the students on the landing below and watched intently the vilashi, who gave him a bewildered look and then was dragged out by the foreigner.
***
— It doesn't make sense! – Garo-lin shouted again, to no one in particular, as she paced back and forth in her refuge.
— Grunf – the cat with its wings snorted, demonstrating all its misery in having its nap hour interrupted by the two.
— Shion, problems – Kidari patiently explained as she held her head in her lap and rubbed behind his ears in a typical quiet pet scene with his mistress on a sunny afternoon.
But, just as she had said, the problem was in the plural: it referred to the two. After being shocked to find out who her mentor would be, a squeak from Kidari made her wake up and realize that it was not over yet.
Soon after Kodorin found her name on the list, she realized that she had fallen into the same trap and pulled her friend out of the building before the students around her were so disturbed by their presence that they began to beat them.
Now Garo-lin didn't know what was worse: the imminence of being dragged into a mission where she would be at the mercy of the dictator dragon, or surviving the fact that she has nullified any other student's chances of being the protégé. And Kidari was in the same situation, since the Lighting Dragon was the first choice of practically every girl of all levels. Both were officially declared enemies within the Institute.
— Shion protect us! – exclaimed Kidari contentedly, as if it were an excellent plan.
Garo-lin looked at the cat, who purred and licked its front paws, totally uninterested in anything but how long that interruption of his nap would last.
— I hope so... – she agreed, to make Kidari happy. – I hope so...
Chapter 4 – Mombelulas and the Fortress
— It is with great pride that today we give Almakia another opportunity to see our apprentices leaving to help her! – the deputy director of the Institute spoke from the top of the marble platform to the crowds of students attending the field of landing of mombelulas. – Once again, our Dragons will face dangers and demonstrate their strength in the face of the difficulties of this world! Force that will guide the future of Almakia and all of you here!
Garo-lin, in the first row next to those who were going to leave, could not avoid a yawn and had to rub her eyes full of sleep tears. She had stayed late the night before helping Kidari memorize her oath so that she would speak it properly, not the way she thought it should be – it was made worse by the fact that her backpack at the moment seemed to weigh tons. To contribute to her exhaustion, she had not been able to sleep at dawn, since it was full of nightmares about her having a fatal accident caused by the Dragons. But even though she wanted to run all over the property and flee by the walls of the Institute, she was there, ready to leave for her assignment, formally dressed in her special uniform – which the Institute provided so that the students would be glistening for the society of Almakia –, with her few belongings gathered in that backpack. Whatever her fate was with this Assignment, one thing she had concluded: it would be easier to flee while outside than within the Institute.
There was always that ceremony at the time of the students' departure, in which the masters and directors made a long homily, which usually said the same thing: it was a great step for any almakin and that when they returned with the task accomplished, they could already consider themselves fit to be among the greatest names in the Realm. During his time there, Garo-lin had heard it four times... but that year there was something different: the director was not present.
The director Dul'Maojin, the most important person in Almakia, was rarely present in the daily life of the Institute. Garo-lin had only seen her close once when she passed the corridors during an important meeting that had taken place with all the masters in the previous year, and since then she had wished never to have the same encounter, although at a glance. The look she had received from the old Fire Dragon made her shrink and hurry up, regretting to be reciting her notes for an evaluation rather than paying attention to the path she took. Just like her son, the current Fire Dragon, she had the same reddish eyes and the same seemingly friendly smile that hid a permanent cruelty.
However, the director was never lacking in an event like this, so important for the Institute. Although she did not utter a single word, leaving this service to the sub-directors, her presence represented all the grandeur of the Dul'Maojin Institute and the Great Family of the Fire Capital. Her vacant seat in the center chair of the marble stage left an uncomfortable sensation.
But the absence was not something that provoked questions, since she was also the Lady of the Fire Capital, that i
s, that represented the maximum power of the Almakin Folk. Along with the leader of the Royal State, she was the greatest name of Almakia and her main function was to take care of the interests of the Almaki Society. To be absent meant to be dealing with something far more important to the Realm than to preside over her heirs. Garo-lin didn't have a very clear idea of how important of that person's authority, because she was certainly beyond the comprehension of a vilashi. However, if the Lady of the Fire Capital was someone treated with immense respect even by the most illustrious almakins, who was she to think differently? Even without the presence of the headmistress, it seemed that everything was planned so that the Dragons would be the main stars there, not the fearful students who would leave the walls of the Institute after so long.
Garo-lin knew that the whole show was only a performance to please the families of the heirs, but Kidari did not seem to be close to noticing it, and she was certain that it was a great event. Unlike her colleague, who was annoyed by the pomp of that uniform – though she had never worn a better outfit in life – the stranger seemed entirely at ease. She acted as if she were in a political event that would have influence under all Realms and nodded to each endpoint in the sub-director's phrases. Twice, Garo-lin caught her by repeating the words, as if she were memorizing all of them, and she thought it best to leave her believing that all would be somehow useful. When the mentoring Dragons were announced and they rose on the dais, cheered by the other students, Garo-lin felt that all the forces of her knees were fleeing to the earth. That was the moment when there was no turning back: she would have to follow the steps of the ritual before all and give her word almakin that she would fulfill and honor her duties in the Assignment, following the orders of her mentor.
After some students, her turn had come:
— Third-Order Fire Handler, Garo-lin Colinpis – the master responsible announced for this part of the ceremony, reading a document from the Institute in which were registered and made official the relations of Assingments that year. – Under the supervision of the Fire Dragon, Krission Dul'Maojin.
— Hey! – Garo-lin protested loudly and then regretted it when several scolding glances turned to her.
— What? – Kidari asked disguisedly with a look.
— They didn't tell me where I'm going – tried to explain in a whisper.
— Garo-lin Colinpis! – called again to the teacher, this time with a tone of impatience.
Knowing that a flaw in the perfectly planned ceremony brought about by a vilashi would not have forgiveness, Garo-lin left the fifth-level training and headed for the stairs of the dais, avoiding the moment when she would have to look at her mentor. Then she stood before the teacher, who told her:
— Garo-lin Colinpis, fire handler, third order. You will participate in this assignment being instructed and supervised by the Fire Dragon, respecting the principles and knowledge of the almakin people that were transmitted to you, by the Dul'Maojin Institute and will return with your task fulfilled, able to receive the sixth level of almaki and to be part of those who will be Almakia?
Garo-Lin stared at her teacher for a while, feeling that this oath had never been uttered so loosely to any other student, and she was never so sure that she was despised by the masters too. Even her willingness to scream what she really thought about it all, in front of everyone, she took a deep breath and said the decorated oath:
— I will be a fire handler who will respect almaki principles and knowledge and will return with my task accomplished.
— So say hello to your mentor.
And now, being no longer able to avoid it, she boldly went to the front of the Institute's dictator and again recited, grinding her teeth:
— I count on your guidance in search of my almaki way – then bowed, symbolizing that she would only use her power at his command.
Krission Dul'Maojin stared at her with an unmistakable expression of contentment, for with those words she would be officially his protégé and her fate as a almakin would depend entirely upon him. Garo-lin chilled. Not wanting to give the dragon the taste of seeing how it terrified her, the now protected one gathered all the strength she had and stood dignifiedly one step ahead of her mentor, hoping with all of herself that her knees would not give in and she would not faint. A few more students were called to the podium and announced where they were going. Which only left Garo-lin more confused, since the others before her knew where they would go. But soon after the call of the mistress cut off her train of thought:
— Lighting Handler, third order, Kidari Chanboni. Under the supervision of the Lighting Dragon, Vinshu Zawhart.
Kidari stepped on the podium walking nervously, stumbling, also looking confused at not announcing where to do her assignment. That was enough to unbalance her whole rehearsal and make her get in the way of words. However, she received nothing more than a warning look from the mistress, which was strange, since if this disruption had come from the vilashi of the Institute it would be like signing her almakin death declaration. As she took the oath before the Lighting Dragon, Kidari cringed and no one else besides herself heard what she had said, though she perfectly complied.
— Then it happens? – Kidari asked quietly, still confused with the words, when she stood beside her colleague, in front of her mentor.
But before Garo-lin could say anything of what would happen, the unmistakable whine of very quick wings invaded the air and bursts of strong winds began to push the students to the sides.
— Mombelulas! – Kidari exclaimed, delighted, pointing to the creatures that lay in the field beside them, completely forgetting the formality and fear of the Dragons.
— This is always the fun part – Garo-lin commented, observing the damage that the sudden appearance of them caused in the impeccable appearance of the students of the Institute.
The giant mombelulas were the most fantastic creatures that Garo-lin had known after leaving the Inland Valley. They had eight broad wings, divided on each side of their body. They were thin, black, and fragile in appearance, like insects, and moved in a circular fashion, simultaneously, so fast, it created an illusion of cone. The body resembled that of a snake and its tail ended at a fine point, which gave them the whip-like movement, allowing for elaborate and swift turns in the air. The head, disproportionate to the rest of the body, was oval and almost entirely occupied by two large, round, colored eyes, and also had a trunk that allowed them to pick up food. In relation to the giant body, the legs of the creatures were thin and fragile, although large enough to stretch out beyond the height of the dais. When they landed, these legs retracted like those of spiders, looking more like a landing gear than legs themselves. Impressive were also its vivid colors, which ranged from lilac, orange, lime green, yellow, pink, and blue. It was said that at night they had the ability to shine and illuminate where they were flying, but Garo-lin had never seen one at night to confirm this information. There were also the much smaller mimbelulas, which could only be mounted by one person. These, although very similar, were a specimen that had two pairs of wings and two antennas and they looked like only small puppets near the giant mombelulas. But they were as fast as they were and were much easier in their movements because of the size and light weight they carried. In general, mombelulas and mimbelulas were a luxurious means of transport, since they were difficult to capture and complicated to tame. So few people had them, and even the Institute had only a dozen of the giants and just over a hundred small ones. For Assignments, only three of the giants were made available to students.
For use as a means of transport, giant mombelulas carried just behind their heads – being the part of the body that least suffered with the movements – a cabin of light material, with the capacity to accommodate up to eight people and a driver. The antenna was responsible for the sense of direction of the creature and was trapped by harness, which served to guide it while flying. All this apparatus also showed how the fragile appearance of the mombelula was misleading, since it ha
d sufficient strength to fly a whole day, carrying much more than its own weight.
That day, in addition to the three blue mombelulas of the Institute, an orange, bigger and much more impressive, landed next to the dais, which made all surprised. The first-level students, who for the first time saw the Institute's famous means of transportation, exclaimed fascinated, along with the elders, who commented in amazement on the new mombelula. Adding to the complaints revolted on the wind – coming from the girls who had their hairstyles blown – to the general chatter, the director's speech wishing good luck to fifth graders was barely heard.
— Walk, vilashi! – the Fire Dragon commanded roughly as soon as they received the signal to leave, passing by Garo-lin and pushing her to walk.
They descended from the dais, followed by the Lighting Dragon and Kidari, to the applause of the other students, and headed toward the orange moth. Realizing then that the creature no longer belonged to the Institute, but to the heir Dul'Maojin and that he had dismissed the driver, assuming himself the command, all that Garo-lin could murmur before ascending the retractable stairs of the cabin was:
— Unbelievable...
***
After flying for at least half an hour, Garo-lin was convinced that this was the worst form of displacement possible.
As Kidari leaned dangerously over the edge of the cabin and pointed, admiringly, to distant spots on the floor, she merely clutched herself as tightly as possible in her seat and held firmly against the safety bar of her seat. She felt something strange rise from her stomach to her head and a feeling of melting was raging through her. Although she did not know if this was caused only by being off the ground, if it was because she was too close to Dragons or if it was for both reasons at the same time, one thing was certain: she wanted so badly that this trip was over soon, no matter where they went down.
— Garo bad? – Kidari asked, seeming to notice her colleague's.
— Hum... – she ventured to respond, but the mere attempt to utter something made the edges of her vision darken.
Almakia_The vilashi and the Dragons Page 5