Call of the Dragon Rider

Chapter One

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. For most of my life, the heavens have been empty of beasts, humans, and Gods. Only the great ash clouds scudded across the crimson sky.

But one day my uncle saw a butterfly, flitting between the stalks in the wheat field. He described the moment to us with tears in his eyes. How he followed its chaotic flight for several seconds before losing it. How each flap of its wings flashed an iridescent blue so brilliant, he saw it in his dreams.

A few months after that, a dead bee was discovered in the barn. The whole village lined up to see it, waiting hours in the sun to lay eyes on a creature that had not been seen for generations. Whispers spread about the bee’s magical powers: that their presence caused crops to grow and flowers to bloom, that they were the source of a sweet golden nectar, that their sting could kill.

By the end of that year, insect sightings had become common. Ants found their way into our food stores, moths flickered around our lanterns. The skies, once empty of life, were literally buzzing. We wondered where they were all coming from, and why now, after being absent for so long?

The following year, a pair of ducks landed on the southern end of the lake. They only stayed a few hours, but the following summer they came back, and now they return every year.

“I think there’s more of them this time,” said Joko excitedly, trying to count the flock as it glided down and alighted on the pond, sending up plumes of water. She quickly sketched the birds in her well-worn notebook, while I lay on my back beside her, staring at the sky.

“Teeya, you awake?” asked Joko, jabbing me in the ribs with her pencil.

“I’m awake,” I murmured.

I was fascinated by the ducks. Insects were one thing; they hovered in haphazard patterns, stayed close to the ground, and were easily buffeted by a gentle breeze. But the ducks were masters of the sky. They soared high above us, carved through the air in their V formation, and effortlessly crossed over the jagged peaks that encircled our valley. I longed to be up there with them, to be held aloft by the wind, to escape over the mountains and see what lay beyond. A dream I’ve held as long as I can remember.

I rolled over onto my side and propped myself up so I could watch Joko. She has a tendency to chew her lip when she’s concentrating, and her soft brown eyes oscillated between the lake and the page as she drew. Though we’d been born two years apart, people often confused us for one another. We share the same long auburn hair and slim figure, the same oval face and strong cheeks of our mother. Lately Joko had taken to wearing her hair in a tight braid to avoid being mistaken for me. I guess she’d gotten tired of being accused of my various crimes.

While Joko was diligently following the path to becoming an artist, it’s fair to say I was well on my way to becoming a thief. I suppose it grew out of boredom as much as anything else. We live a simple life here in the Valley, every day pretty much following the same routine. Surrounded by impenetrable peaks, there was no possibility of ever leaving, and I was pretty sure I knew how my entire life was going to go. Soon I’d be old enough to marry, then I’d spend my days raising my own children. When the time came, I’d take over running of the farm from Mother, then one day the same thing would happen to me. My whole life would be lived within the confines of the world I could see from this very spot. If I wasn’t careful, it would be over in the blink of an eye, no excitement, no adventure, and no surprises.

The first time I stole it was a complete accident; a loaf of bread I thought Mother had already paid for. But the thrill I felt when I realised I had gotten away with it was something I couldn’t stop myself from trying to repeat. Over the following seasons I honed my skills, teaching myself to pick locks and pockets with equal affinity, and mastering the art of infiltration.

There are several buildings in our village that children are forbidden from entering, and I had gradually been making my way into each one. The Armourer’s Guild was my first target, and it didn’t disappoint. The great foundry at the heart of the guild operated from dawn to dusk, but only a single blacksmith was needed to keep the fire going overnight. When I slipped in through a window I found him fast asleep, his back resting against the main furnace.

Risking a candle, I crept through the guild, marvelling as my flickering light drew long shadows over strange tools and machinery. Alongside the basic farming implements I already knew the guild was responsible for, I found shirts of burnished metal plating, and helmets able to deflect a sword’s blow. A small collection of weaponry yielded one item I had to have: an elegant bone handled knife, with a wickedly sharp blade as long as my hand. I tucked the knife into my boot and was ready to leave when I came across a locked, unmarked door. A few seconds with my lock pick and I found myself in a room dedicated to making a strange silvery cloth, which was being fashioned into full body suits. The material was very light, and would have no chance of stopping a blade. There were matching helmets created from the same material, with a clear membrane that covered the face. I couldn’t understand the purpose of these suits, and even if I had found one small enough, I certainly couldn’t have worn one unnoticed beneath my tunic. Fearing the blacksmith could wake at any moment, I slipped out of the guild, leaving the puzzle of the suits for another day.

My next incursion was into the Hall of Electrickery, which proved an even greater mystery. I knew this was where the Elecktricians practised their powerful magic, but I could make neither head nor tail of their strange instruments. I almost got caught when I accidentally activated one, filling the Hall with a blinding light. I was so shocked I dropped the device and fled, jumping out of a window and hiding in the bushes outside as guards came to investigate. I held my breath as I crouched in the shadows, but after a few minutes the light went out, and the guards returned to their stations. I hurried home to our cottage, where Joko and Mother were still sleeping soundly, and snuck back into my bed.

After such a close call I resolved to take more care with my next escapade. Situated on a small hill in the centre of the Valley, the Tower of the Ancients was the most secure building in the village, and my greatest challenge. I knew almost nothing about what went on inside the Tower. The adults spoke of it only in whispers, and only when they thought no one could hear them. The Tower was heavily guarded night and day, and the only reason I had a chance to get inside was that I had already stolen a key.

Suddenly conscious of its whereabouts, I patted my hip, then removed the key from the hidden pocket I’d sewn into my tunic. I ran my thumb over the cold metal teeth. I’d discovered it by accident while poking around the mayor’s office, and knew it was valuable the second I’d found it in the secret compartment in his desk.

“What’s that?” asked Joko, continuing to sketch the ducks.

“This? It’s just a key,” I replied.

“Oh yes, and who’s house will you be breaking into tonight?”

I ignored Joko’s disapproving tone.

“It doesn’t unlock a house,” I answered. “It unlocks the Tower.”

Joko’s pencil froze and she turned to stare at me, her eyes wide.

“You wouldn’t,” she said breathlessly.

I twisted the key around my fingers and made it vanish using a sleight of hand trick.

“No, of course not,” I replied.

“Teeya, promise me you won’t break into the Tower okay?”

“What’s the big deal?”

“Just promise me. That place scares me. And anyway, it’s forbidden. You know what happened to Father.”

“No, actually we don’t know what happened to Father. That’s the point,” I countered, my voice getting loud.

The only thing we knew about our father was that he had been an important member of the Tower staff, until he disappeared twelve years ago. Joko is too young to remember him, and my memories are hazy. When I try to picture him, all I see is a vague outline, with a dark shadow obscuring his face. I can hear the sound of his voice, but not the words, only a muffled question that he keeps repeating. I feel like he expects an answer, that he is still out there somewhere, waiting for me. The Tower must hold some clue as to his fate, and I was burning to know what went on in there.

“Teeya, please? Promise me?” I could see she was getting upset.

“Okay, I promise I won’t break in,” I assured her. After all, it’s not breaking in if you have a key, right?

Suddenly the ducks erupted from the lake in a panic, quacking and flapping the water from their wings as they took to the air.

“What’s spooked them?” asked Joko, clearly not feeling the low rumble that was reverberating through my chest. The rumble quickly became a distant roar echoing around the mountains, as something big appeared over the mountain range.

“That’s…not…possible…” whispered Joko, blinking in disbelief.

“Nothing that big can fly,” I echoed, equally amazed. We scrambled to our feet and watched the object. Streams of flame shot out periodically, and it left a trail of smoke in its wake.

“Is that… a dragon?” Joko asked.

“I don’t think dragons are actually real, sis.”

“What is it then?”

I had no answer for her. Whatever it was, it looked like it was going to fly right over the Valley, until it abruptly turned and dipped below the peaks, flying down the face of the mountains.

“It must be from… somewhere else. Somewhere beyond the Barren Lands,” I speculated.

“Don’t be foolish,” said Joko. “Everyone knows there’s nothing beyond the Barren Lands.”

“Clearly there’s something out there!” I retorted.

Joko pointed, her hand shaking. “It’s… coming towards us.”

She was right, the creature was heading in our direction.

Though I was fixated on the oncoming threat, I could hear distant shouting behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder.

Across the fields, people in the village were yelling and running, trying to find shelter. A few people seemed to be waving their arms at us, trying to get our attention. I looked at the fully grown wheat fields between us and the village, the golden stalks rippling in the wind. We were too far away, we’d never make it back to the buildings in time. I drew my knife from my boot.

“Where did you get that?” demanded Joko.

“Now is not the time!” I yelled, the shrieking howl of the beast overwhelming now. “Get behind me!”

Joko huddled at my back as we faced the dragon creature. It thundered towards us, and I could feel the intense heat radiating from the flames. I lifted my blade, knowing it was useless against such power.

The ground shook beneath us, and my final impression was that there was a man riding the dragon.

He raised his hand at me, like he was waving.

Then, we were engulfed.