The Column Racer (21 page)

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 once 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 Emperor 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.

They circled around one of the naturally formed rock columns and then found a place to land on it. It was a sight that stole Areli’s breath away. They were on a column overlooking waterfalls and the blue waters they helped supply.

Aquilina motioned them to follow her over to a nearby tree. Areli was so distracted by the beauty of it all that when she turned back, Aquilina was no longer on the top of her mount. Areli positioned Kaia so she could better see. Aquilina’s dragon started to move. And then Areli saw Aquilina on the rock surface of the column where they were sitting. Aquilina instructed them towards a ladder carved into a nearby tree. She walked next to Areli and Fides and tossed them smoked ribs.

“They’ll be expecting a treat,” said Aquilina with a smile. Areli looked over at Fides, and gave her a look. She knew Fides was thinking the exact same thing. Both couldn’t believe they just did what they did. And both wanted to go
do it
again.

They climbed down from their dragons, using a tree with foot holds carved into it, and fed their dragons the ribs. They walked over to Aquilina, who was sitting extremely close to the edge, looking over the water at the waterfalls.

“This is my favorite place in the world,” said Aquilina, as they found a place to sit next to her.

“It’s beautiful,” said Areli.

“My first year as a professional,” said Aquilina, “I think I came to this spot every night.”

“It must have been lonely,” said Fides. Areli looked at her, surprised she would say such a thing, even though she found it true, especially since she had both Fides and now Yats. But to think it is one thing, to say it is something entirely different. Areli wondered if Fides words cut through Aquilina like an invisible knife. There may be no blood, but pain was pain. It’s just as brutal whether it’s physical or emotional.

“You’re the first people I’ve brought up here,” said Aquilina, seemingly ignoring Fides remark, “I – I don’t know what I’m going to do . . . when . . . when this is taken away from me.”