by T M Miller
‘Good evening, Jaron.’
Jaron mumbled a reply and hurried after his mother.
21
The talk amongst the students at the lesson the next morning was all about the blue firedrake.
‘There was nearly a fight!’ Racker was excited. ‘Did you see how our firedrake went for it? I thought it was a goner for sure.’
‘Too quick,’ Tench said. ‘Pity, I’ve never seen a firedrake kill another.’
‘Tench!’ Haley gasped. ‘Don’t be so cruel.’
The students were sitting on the outcrop of rocks near the lake while Parl checked Channon’s girth strap. Tench smirked at the blonde girl. ‘They’re vermin, Haley, and a danger to Rakenar,’ he folded his arms. ‘You know your history, they hunted us in the past.’
‘Yeah, eons ago,’ Marla stuck up for Haley, who had gone quiet. ‘We wouldn’t have the firedrake now if it wasn’t for them. What do you think, Wolf?’
The lanky youth reclined amongst the rocks. Even here he sat with his legs crossed as though he were on a comfy chair. ‘I say let it alone; eventually it’ll realise it’s not welcome and leave.’ His black eyes flicked across to the blond youth. ‘We’re not all as bloodthirsty as you, Tench.’
‘Don’t be soft. I was just thinking about the safety of our people. That’s what a good leader would do.’
‘And we all know your aspirations there, don’t we?’ Wolf replied quietly. Tench clenched his jaw and threw a glance Jaron’s way. He laughed then, but it sounded forced. ‘Yeah, right,’ Wolf muttered under his breath.
‘They’re rare nowadays,’ Hodge said. Jaron looked up at him where he stood at his shoulder. The large youth was smiling. ‘I’m glad I had the chance to see one.’
Tench pushed off from his rock. ‘Might be your last chance, my father told me they were out hunting it at first light. Carna, sorry, Lord Carna wants it dead.’
‘No,’ Haley whispered. Jaron saw her dip her head so her fine hair shielded her face.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said quietly to her. ‘It’s so quick it will probably get away.’
She looked up at him and he was startled to see her blue eyes were moist. ‘I didn’t know about the blue, Mother didn’t tell me.’
‘Your mother?’
‘Leraine Manta.’
Jaron remembered the short-haired blonde lady who had been so kind to him. He could see now the resemblance in the high cheekbones and blue eyes. ‘I expect she didn’t want you to worry.’
‘That’s enough talking.’ Parl was walking back. ‘Today, we are flying over more open land in the forest bowl beyond Mount Scarf. It will be a chance for faster flying.’ He paused, eyeing the students. ‘And, as the drakel are arriving tomorrow, I want to talk to you afterwards about the selection process.’
The students gasped as one. ‘Yes!’ Tench punched the air while Racker jumped up and down on the spot.
Jaron felt his heart drop into his boots. As the excited students gathered closer to their teacher he held back, trying to get his emotions under control.
‘Jaron?’ Marla was at his shoulder. ‘What’s up? Are you worried you won’t get chosen?’
He took her misapprehension and used it. ‘Well, you seem very confident.’
Marla laughed. ‘I mean, come on,’ she spread her arms. ‘What firedrake wouldn’t be able to resist?’ Jaron laughed. She looked at Jaron from under her lashes. ‘I suppose it’s harder for you, being Lord Carna’s nephew and all.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Well, you’ll be expected to net a red for yourself.’
Jaron stared. ‘Will I?’ He hadn’t considered it would have to be a red.
Marla was watching him. ‘Don’t worry – it is the firedrake’s choice after all, so nobody would blame you if a green chose you instead.’
‘I thought we had a choice too.’ How could he possibly tell her he wasn’t even sure he wanted any firedrake, no matter what colour?
‘We do, I suppose, but when it comes to it I think every rider worries about missing out and takes what they can get. It’s the higher ups,’ here she eyed Jaron, ‘who have the pressure to get the reds. They’re rarer and I heard there’s only one this season.’
He stared at her.
‘Red for the leaders, always has been that way.’ She was watching him closely as she said this. When he didn’t reply her lips pursed. ‘Jaron, you do want to be chosen, don’t you?’ She said it as fact but Jaron became still. He could feel his cheeks getting hot under her astute look. ‘Oh,’ Marla whispered, staring at him like she had never really seen him before. Dropping her eyes, she left him to go over and join the other students.
The huge forest bowl beyond Mount Scarf served to make Jaron forget his fears about the selection. It was in stark contrast to the wild mountain range the other side of Rakenar. When it was his turn to fly Channon, he enjoyed being out of the confines of the valley and flew Channon fast, intrigued to see glimpses of the villages below, half-hidden by trees. His flying time was soon up, however, and he found himself regretting going back. It occurred to Jaron that here he was flying Channon out on his own and he hadn’t felt any qualms about it at all. But to have a firedrake of your own was another matter. He watched as a dense flock of birds flew out of the trees in alarm at their passing. I’m just not ready.
Below them, the white birds below increased speed and the flock became denser. Jaron idly watched them, still musing about tomorrow’s selection. It was the finality, he guessed – having his own firedrake meant he would be unable to leave Rakenar if he chose. Yet again he felt like a pawn. Why wouldn’t they let him decide his own life?
The birds’ calls of alarm increased in pitch, distracting him, and he wondered about their noise when Channon was lifting higher away from them.
A blue streak flashed by underneath from Channon’s tail to head, scattering the flock. Jaron jumped in surprise. ‘What?’
Channon let out a snarl that turned his blood cold. She spun in the air and the boy was thrown to one side. He clutched at the saddle in alarm, shifted his seat to a more central position and searched wildly about. There was just blue sky with scudding clouds. Perplexed, he saw Channon’s long neck lifting high as she hovered and searched the sky, her nostrils flaring.
‘I think it’s gone, Channon,’ he leant forward and patted the hard scales. ‘Carna didn’t manage to kill it after all, did he, girl?’ Channon twisted her head back towards her rider and Jaron saw the green eyes narrow. He looked over his shoulder, and gasped. At that moment, he wished Carna had succeeded.
The blue was coming right at them, on a collision course with wings flat against its body. Channon lowered her neck and dove. Jaron, crouched in the saddle, ducked his head down, and his instinct saved him as a whoosh of air rushed over his helmet. He looked up in time to glimpse the white underbelly of the blue firedrake as it flashed over them. The long tail thrashed once and it arced higher, scorching into the air. He had never seen a firedrake move so fast. Channon sent a bellow of fury after it. The blue stopped at the highest point of its arc and angled itself, wings back against its body. It reminded Jaron of the falcons he had once seen the nobles fly back in Tiara. All wonder was snatched away as it began to fall back to them. A distant whistling filled Jaron’s ears.
‘Oh no,’ he whispered.
Another shocking jolt to his body as Channon took evasive action and banked sharp on a wing tip. Righting himself again, Jaron risked a look over his shoulder. The blue had adjusted its flight path and was still coming at them. So fast! Channon dived again, steeper this time, and Jaron, carried along with her, felt his seat leave the saddle, his feet slipping out of the stirrups. He shrieked, but the straps clipping him to the saddle stretched taut and saved him. Frantically, Jaron struggled against the pressure, his fingers hanging on to the saddle front, but the rest of him was left flailing in the air against the force of her dive. He squinted at the canopy of the trees below growing larger and larger. Just as it see
med a crash was unavoidable up she came again and his body banged back down on the saddle as the air went out of his lungs in a whoosh. She rolled in the air in the nick of time for a blue blur whistled past on their left. Jaron was nothing but a passenger and had to trust the old green would get him out of this. Feet scrabbling for his stirrups, he watched in horror as the blue winged around behind them. It easily caught a snarling Channon up and slowed to fly right beside her. A purple eye looked directly at Jaron before the wedge head turned towards him. Its maw opened, displaying a double row of white teeth.
‘Channon!’
She dropped a wing, tilting sideways in the air and taking him away from the blue. At the same time, she thrashed out with outstretched talons. Her claws must have hit home for the blue squealed and dropped away from Jaron’s sight. Channon didn’t linger but flew fast towards the safety of Mount Scarf, ears flat and dark smoke rising from her flared nostrils. Jaron cast frequent panicked glances back over his shoulder but there was no sign. Just as he was starting to hope they would make it the blue suddenly rose up in front of them. With a snarl Channon spilled the air from her wings.
The two firedrake faced each other, hovering in the air. Channon flapped to the left and it immediately mirrored her movement. It was a lot smaller than the green but it wasn’t going to back down. Channon growled in fury at this young upstart and Jaron hunkered down lower as he peered past the base of her neck. The blue cocked its head while the purple eyes locked onto him. It keened, an odd wheedling sound. Channon’s answering growl was so deep Jaron could feel it reverberate through her body. He noticed blood on the white belly of the blue and oozing between scale plates on its chest. Channon took a deep breath and the blue’s gaze snapped back towards her. She exhaled, and a channel of fire roared out of her mouth. Jaron quailed in terror. The blue dove down with a loud squeal. In the next breath Channon let out a rumbling call towards Mount Scarf.
A response floated over the bowl and Jaron saw a firedrake wheel out from behind the mountain, then another. His heart lifted, only for it to drop once more when the blue appeared before them again. This time the old firedrake didn’t hesitate. She tilted her wings forward, thrashed her tail, and charged, snarling. Jaron, carried along on her back, closed his eyes. He felt her roll just as something caught his shoulder and there was a sharp tug that nearly lifted him clean from the saddle. Cloth ripped as he cried out, his stomach lurching as Channon swooped down lower. He opened his eyes – half his jacket was in tatters, flapping madly across his chest. He twisted round in time to see the blue’s tail whip the air as it turned to come in again. So much quicker than Channon, and the old firedrake’s wings were more laboured now. Desperate, he looked ahead and saw the two greens racing towards them with their riders, too far away yet to help. Behind them more firedrake spilled from Mount Scarf. He saw the huge red in their midst: Carna was coming.
‘Come on, Channon!’ Jaron yelled.
Silver claws suddenly landed both sides of him, drawing blood from Channon’s back as they dug in between the scale plates. His horrified scream mingled with her roar of pain. Green and blue wing membrane flapped against each other as the two firedrake, locked together, fell from the sky. The silver talons unhinged themselves and a cage of claws ensnared Jaron around his middle, pulling his kicking, struggling body from Channon’s back. His mind froze even as he grabbed hold of the saddle; another yank and his hands lost their grip but the safety straps pulled taut and saved him from being carried away. Channon swung her head round and snapped at the blue, her teeth landing on empty air when it ducked but kept hold of its prize. The beasts tumbled through the air, their fighting screams deafening and terrible. Jaron felt himself being pulled away. ‘No!’ Teeth flashed before his chest as, with a snap of the blue’s jaws, one strap went. He screamed. Another flashing cut and the last straps fell away.
‘No!’ Jaron screamed again as his body lurched up into the air and away. He stretched his arms out towards Channon like a plea as she landed on her back on the cracking, snapping trees, leaves showering into the air at the impact. Two firedrake appeared, wheeled over her and looked up after him, their mouths opening as they roared and gave chase. Jaron felt the claws tighten, their edges digging into his rib cage as he was clasped to softer scales. A sobbing cry escaped his lips. He was boosted up into the air and the downward force pushed his chin onto his chest, cutting off his breath. The blue levelled out and Jaron, pinned against the firedrake’s chest and gasping, saw the forest bowl go past in a green blur underneath him before his mind mercifully closed down.
22
Thirst woke him, his mouth like wool. He mumbled and tried to move his arms. Something prevented them and sudden fear shot through him. His eyes flew open to a clear night with a full moon.
He was lying on his side and his ribs hurt; something was cocooning him. Jaron tried his legs but could only move them the tiniest of margins. He began to struggle as panic set in. Something shifted along one side of his body and instantly the boy went still. A breath of warm air came from behind, rippling over his shoulders.
His stricken mind remembered then, being pulled from Channon and snatched up into the air. He looked down and saw the thing imprisoning him was leathery membrane, the ridged veins glowing silver in the moonlight. A keening sound came from behind him and vibrated along the length of his body. Every nerve screamed at him to get away.
He panicked then, struggling and shouting incoherently, his voice breaking and rasping. The cocoon loosened a little and Jaron frantically kicked at it. He got his arms free and tried to get leverage, his hands reaching out behind him. Hard ridges of scales pressed against his palms. Cringing away, Jaron found the room to pitch forward onto his knees. Gasping, he crawled out of his prison and turned to face his attacker.
And trembled with fear.
The beast laid against a wall of rock and the blue’s whole body was rippled through with scales glowing silver in the moonlight. It was shocking to see. Luminous eyes stared down at him – shining orbs shot through with silver in the darkness.
A wing lay stretched out nearest to Jaron, who noticed his feet were still under the membrane and slowly drew them out. For a long while the boy and the firedrake stared at each other. When it still did nothing, Jaron edged just a tiny shift further away on his behind. The firedrake watched him. He did it again, then again until he had put a little distance between them. He risked a look behind him to search for his path of escape and groaned in dismay. He was on a ledge, a high ledge, with no visible way of getting off.
A slithering noise made Jaron jump. The long tail was travelling towards him. He watched in frozen horror as it slithered around, cringing as it touched his back. Then he was pushed, feet frantically scrabbling, across the ledge and back towards the silver-scaled beast. A long grey tongue licked along the ridges of pointed white teeth. Jaron whimpered and his mother’s face rose up in his mind’s eye. She would never get over his death, especially like this; a rabbit torn apart. The blue stood up and Jaron now lay cringing between its front legs. It brought its nose down and the boy screamed, throwing up his arms in terror.
The nose nudged him, cutting off his cries as the breath was knocked out of his lungs, making his sore ribs protest. It nosed down to his stomach. Jaron frantically wriggled, shouting something incoherent. The nose pushed and he desperately batted at it, knowing it was futile, silently begging the fates to be merciful and let him pass out before the teeth cut in. His death was always going to be by firedrake; somehow, he had known it in his bones and now here it was. He hit out in panic. The nose pulled back and the nostrils flared. Jaron squeezed his eyes tight shut against certain pain and death.
A gentle puff of air blew into his face; shocked, he opened them again. The blue did it again, and keened. Jaron stared as it cocked its head a little and a sudden image of Caliber came into his mind. The blue’s head filled his sight, waiting – for what? Not knowing what else to do, the boy did what he often had with the ke
lpra; he blew a shaky breath back, directly into the nostrils so close to his face. The blue started, then came in again and a puff of air lifted Jaron’s fringe. He swallowed painfully and summoned the breath to blow back harder this time. The blue snorted and shook its head. It yawned, and Jaron was left staring at rows of teeth. He lay still as a rabbit, heart pounding and mind frozen. The firedrake lifted a paw and he shrieked in terror, but it passed over and landed beyond his head somewhere. The white belly filled his sight as the firedrake walked right over him without stepping on him. The tail trailed last and he closed his eyes and cringed as it travelled along the length of his body, its tapered end slithering off his face.
For a moment longer Jaron lay there, unable to move until his lungs demanded air and he was forced to draw in a shaky breath. Slowly, he lifted his chin and saw the blue was settled against the cliff face further along the wide ledge.
Trembling, Jaron carefully sat up. The blue looked over at him. It unfurled a wing. Jaron stared, hardly believing what he was seeing; it was inviting him back. The boy drew his knees up and looked away. He heard the firedrake let out a big sigh and eyed it again. It lowered its nose onto its front paws and closed its brilliant eyes. Not dinner then, or am I breakfast? He put a hand over his mouth to push down his terror but an insane sounding laugh bubbled through his lips. He was dehydrated, exhausted, terrified, had cheated death – for now – and was losing his mind, obviously.
Not trusting to take his eyes off it, Jaron hugged his knees, watching the silver glowing beast while it slept. It wasn’t a wild firedrake; he was certain of it, or he would have been torn apart as soon as it had set down with him. Someone owned it, or had, once. Would that be enough for it not to kill him? he wondered.
The night passed on and Jaron sat out in the moonlight, arms wrapped round his torn jacket against the growing cold and fighting a burning thirst. He stared out over the land swathed in blue radiance, trying to see anything that seemed familiar. His eyes swept the distant mountainous horizon, dark silhouettes against the glow of the moon. But no firedrake flew there looking for him and the blue travelled so fast they could be anywhere. Whenever he looked back at the firedrake it breathed deeply in sleep. Jaron slid to the edge as quietly as he could and peered over. Far below he could just see the silver canopy of a forest gently moving in the faint breeze. Stretching out on his stomach and craning his neck out as far as he dared, Jaron studied just below the ledge. By the moonlight he could see it was a sheer rockface. Even if the daylight did reveal a possible way for him to climb down, he knew he couldn’t do it without risk of terrible injury. He thought about casting himself over and ending it there and then. Anything was better than being torn apart. His head stuck out over the edge, he considered it seriously for a time before letting out a sigh. He had to cling to the hope that he was right; the blue was not wild and was just lonely. Maybe it had lost its rider. Maybe there was another mountain city somewhere that favoured only blues, despite what the Raken thought of them. Whatever it was, he couldn’t give up. His mother would never forgive him.