The Broken Scale (The Dragon Riders of Arvain)

  The Dragon Riders

  of Arvain.

  Book 1

  The Broken Scale.

  By Nicholas KR Clausen

  Chapter 1

  The sun was just beginning to rise in the small town of Erskine as a young man stood packing everything he owned. He stopped only momentarily to view the sun from his window as he would miss these quiet mornings when the world still slept. He shrugged off the thought and turned back to his work. When he had finished packing, he turned to observe what had been his home for all his life thus far, for one last time.

  It was a small room with a straw mattress lying on the floor against the back wall. It had one window that had become worn with age and the constant use of the young man going in and out during the night. There was just one small cabinet, and it was missing its doors. He smiled at the simplicity that had been his life, and he did not mind the fact that in eighteen years he had only been able to accumulate enough material possessions to fill a small pack.

  He had been raised an orphan, never knowing what happened to his parents or where any of his family lived, if they were still alive. All he knew was that they named him Hayden.

  That thought of being alone had bothered him most of his life, but now it was just a simple fact, but he was going to change all that. He was convinced that he was going to become a dragon rider.

  He wanted to climb the ranks of legends and heroes, to help rule and uphold the laws of Arvain. Hayden was about to try his luck at a dragon egg as he leaves everything behind to head north to the Celestial City, were the metallic dragon eggs are kept.

  The land of Arvain was divided up into six states: the northern mountain range, known as Bergelmir, home to the dwarf clans and the red dragons. The western coast line is a thick overgrown forest called Eytherka where elves and green dragons live together. Past Eytherka is the Burden Sea, where humans have formed a vast pirate nation known as the Sea Serpents with the help of their blue dragons. The southern part of the country is a frozen wasteland where there is virtually no life except for a handful of nomadic human tribes and their white dragons. To the east is a long stretch of land covered in high hills and steep valleys that casts long dark shadows over a naturally grey landscape, and it is there that the Bone Thieves first appeared with their black dragons; although nobody knows how they got there or what is beyond the Shadow Desert. In the center of the land, where the states all meet, is a flourishing town known as Celestial City.

  Celestial City was founded by humans that fled through Eytherka and made it to the plains on the other side. They continued east until they found a river that they named Savior, because dehydration had set in and they were on the brink of death. The surrounding land stretched for miles, made up of smooth plains and dense patches of forest. The first settlers began to build a town, and as more and more people started to migrate towards them, they soon had a large city.

  They soon discovered the metallic mines full of gold, silver and copper as the city began to grow. As they mined out these precious minerals, they discovered metallic dragon eggs hidden deep within the mines. Their metallic dragons were bigger and stronger than the dragons of the other races; thus putting the humans on a seat of power over the land.

  It has been many years since Hayden learned about the history of Arvain and the dragons. Everyone knows about the metallic dragons because they are the heroes that fly around the land, protecting the people from the other races rising up with their dragons. No one knew much about the other races or their dragons, though people told rumors about the dwarves stealing children in the night with their red demon dragons, and tales of people going into the elves’ forest never to return. Hayden wanted to protect everyone from the nightmares that were plaguing the lands.

  When Hayden was a small child, he had seen a large copper dragon land in a field just outside of Erskine. The dragon had labored across the sky, and once its feet touched the ground, it collapsed, leaving its wings draped open on the grass. Hayden had run to the dragon to get a better look when he realized the rider was hunched over in his saddle and struggling to breath.

  He noticed that the rider’s armor was the same color as the dragon’s scales. It even looked to be made up of small scales. Hayden gently maneuvered around the dragon’s back legs to get closer to the rider, when he heard the town’s guards come running onto the field. He reached out and touched the dragon’s side just as someone pulled him away, and he would never forget the warmth in that dragon’s scales.

  The guard who grabbed Hayden tried to pull him back to the town, but Hayden kept trying to steal another look at the beautiful creature as it lay there trying to catch its breath. The guards began to pull the rider off his saddle when they saw three long arrows sticking out of his chest. The rider spoke to the nearest guard momentarily, and then he slipped into an eternal sleep. At the same time, the dragon took one last breath and passed with its rider. All the shine and beauty in the dragon’s scales left, to give way to a deep grey color.

  Later on that night, a group of dragons came to pick up their fallen comrade. The dragon had turned to stone and became a giant statue to remind all who saw it that a dragon died here. They spoke with the guards, specifically to the one who had heard the rider’s last words. After which they gathered the town’s folk together to explain what happened.

  Hayden was too young at the time to understand all that was said, but he was later told that the rider had been patrolling in Eytherka and was attacked by the elves for no reason, and when he tried to reason with them, they shot at him and three of the arrows found their mark. The scene of the dying dragon had haunted his dreams for many years to come, and in the darkness he saw the dwarves hunting and killing innocent people, and the elves raiding peaceful villages. These dreams helped drive him to want a dragon of his own, so he could right the past wrongs.

  As Hayden got ready to leave, he passed by a bowl of water and went to wash his hands. Before he submerged his hands in what he could only guess to be near freezing water, he stopped to look at his reflection. Hayden had a long thin face with dirty blonde, almost brown hair. He had a bit of a large nose that fit his face well and deep brown eyes. Hayden was taller than most of the men in the town, almost six feet four inches, but he was very skinny, despite how much he ate. He was strong, but was not built or toned like some of the guards in town.

  He smiled at the thoughts of his past, realizing he had a nice life here, but he wanted more. He dunked his hands in the freezing water, and left his room, making his way down the hall to the front door. Once he made it to the door, a wave of doubt came upon him. His mind yelled questions at him. Am I doing the right thing? Can I make it in the city? Or should I just stay here and do what’s safe and try harder to fit in somewhere?

  By the time he asked himself the last question, Hayden was already walking down the main road that led out of Erskine. Hayden already decided in his heart what he was going to do, even if his mind did not quite agree with it.

  “This is what I want to do, no matter what.” Hayden spoke in a low whisper. He was not trying to convince anyone of his intentions, he was just trying to calm himself down. He kept his eyes on the ground as he walked. He could feel the rough ground and rocks under his old worn out shoes. No one said anything to him as he passed. Everyone was going about their daily lives, working through the same repetitive motions they had done every day before this one. He felt like he was walking against a river’s current.

  Three days, Hayden thought, three days and I will be there, ready to take a dragon egg and start my training. He continued his pace until he reached a point where the farmers’ fields ended
, marking the end of Erskine and the beginning of Star Light Plains. Hayden paused as he realized this was as far away from Erskine as he had ever gone.

  With a deep breath, Hayden pushed forward, still not looking back as he pulled on the worn leather straps of his pack. He mentally checked off everything he had taken with him: a blanket, flint, two full water skins, a throwing knife he got as payment for a summer’s work in the fields, and three fist size pieces of hard bread wrapped in cloth napkins.

  Hayden had seen many travelers passing through Erskine from this way and he had even asked a few of them where Celestial City was located. They all told him the same thing: get on the main road and follow it north, never turn off of it and you will always get to the city. Celestial City is the capital of Arvain, it is the largest human city, and because of its precious minerals, it has prospered well beyond the other cities. It was also where the metallic dragons have their stronghold and where they keep the dragon eggs.

  As he topped a particularly tall hill, he turned to gaze at his home town. Although he never had a real family, he still liked to think that they had all became like one. It had saddened him when he made up his mind to leave, and realized that he had no one to enjoy the news with. The majority of the townsfolk that he told just kept on with their work and grumbled at him when he told them of his intentions.

  Hayden turned and continued on the road towards Celestial City and from that point on he did not turn back. The road that he walked upon had once been just a trail carved into the fields by the constant coming and going of people. Soon it became the fastest way to get in and out of town as more people started using it, and with the people came carts and cattle. It wasn’t long until the little path had grown into a wide dirt road. There were a few travelers that he could spot further along the road. Hayden noticed that some had carts full of goods while others just had the clothes on their backs.

  As he walked, he spent his time enjoying his surroundings. The grassy fields moved and swayed like a river as the wind swept through them. In the sea of grass, he saw a few islands of trees fixed sporadically across the plains. He found himself, more than a few times, looking at the sky to see if he could catch a glimpse of a dragon.

  “How do you plan to get where you’re going if you keep looking up instead of where your feet are taking you, boy?”

  Hayden stopped suddenly, sending a little cloud of dirt up over his shoes. In front of him stood an older man, now with a large toothy grin on his face. The man was slightly hunched over and his clothing had become worn out from use. He did not carry anything with him except for a large walking stick.

  “Well, boy, can you not speak. “Do you understand me?!” The old man yelled the end of his statement with elongated his words

  “Yes I can speak, and yes I understand you,” Hayden replied

  “That’s good, boy. Now, it seems to me that we are going the same way, so why don’t we give each other a little company?” Before Hayden could even respond, the old man started walking and was waving for Hayden to follow.

  “My name is Hayden, not boy, and how do you know where I’m going?”

  “Simple, you were going north and this road cuts straight to Celestial City, no detours of any kind branch off to somewhere else, it’s just straight to the city.” The old man smiled at his own cleverness and continued walking. Hayden had to jog to catch up to him.

  “Well I’m heading that way, and I guess it couldn’t hurt to have someone to talk to along the way.” Hayden was reluctant to travel with the old man, but since they were going to be walking the same way for three days, he supposed he may as well enjoy the company.

  “Well, boy, since I know where you’re going, that leaves only one question: why are you going to the city in the first place?”

  “I am going to become a dragon rider. I will uphold the laws and protect the people of Arvain.” As Hayden said it he stood a little straighter and poked out his chest with pride. This was his dream, and it was about time everyone knew it.

  “Ah, a rider, eh? Well, we could definitely use one of those around here. Not like there are already enough of them to keep us safe. Which color will you be trying for: copper, silver or gold?”

  Hayden remained silent for a few moments as he pondered the question. Copper dragons and their riders are the working class, they deliver messages and do most of the fighting. They are the most common of the metallic dragons. The silver dragons are bigger but less common. With their riders, they lead the coppers during flight and are are the overseers of the territories. The final breed of metallic dragons are the gold dragons. They are smaller than the silver, but they are wiser than any of the other breeds. They are also the rarest of the metallic dragons and it is always a gold that sits on the high throne and rules over Arvain.

  “I don’t know what my life will hold, but I know I’m not meant to rule. I would like to have a silver dragon.” Hayden had never put much thought into which color he would like to have, he just wanted to be a rider, but if his choice mattered, then a silver would be what he picked.

  “A man who does not want to rule, but would rather serve. That is very rare trait. You might actually make a rider worth having, boy.” The old man stared at nothing in particular, deep in thought as he spoke. “A real rider worth having.”

  “What are you talking about? The riders are brave and noble men and women who put their lives on the line to keep us safe.” Hayden would not stand for some old man to slander the riders.

  “Boy, you are in for a rude awakening if you ever get an egg. You don’t know half of what you think you know, and the half that you do know is wrong.” The old man began to raise his voice as he spoke, as if he were speaking to a child. Hayden watched the old man’s face start to turn red, and a little dot of white foam appear at the corner of the old man’s mouth. “Just wait until you get to the city, you will see that what you’ve heard about the riders is little more than just fairy tales, nothing more. You will see when you get there, it’s better for you to see the truth than just hear it.”

  Hayden, having no response, continued walking in silence for the remainder of the day. It passed by in a blur for both of them and it wasn’t until they broke off the main road to set up camp that the old man finally spoke.

  “I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you earlier, the words are true but the way in which I spoke was wrong.” The old man said while trying to set up the wood for the fire.

  “It’s ok… I just realized I still don’t know your name.” How could I not have realized I didn’t know his name after a whole day of traveling together? Hayden thought.

  “Ah, you don’t, do you. Well, boy, you get to have the pleasure of saying you have met Fendrel.” He made a mock bow as he spoke from his hunched position over the now smoldering pile of wood. He then put his attention back to nursing the growing flames as they began to lick their way up the wood.

  “Well, Fendrel, it is a pleasure to meet you. So what takes you to the city?” Hayden sat on the ground and let the warmth of the fire begin to wash over him. He looked around and watched the elongated shadows that the dancing flames cast about him with slight amusement.

  “Well I have family in the city that I have not seen for many years and it would be nice to spend a little time with them.” Fendrel, having gotten the fire to a comfortable size, took off his overcoat and rolled it up to use as a pillow. He stared up into the dark sky and gazed at the sparkling stars that smiled down upon them. “What about you, boy, what does your family think about you leaving home and going off to become a dragon rider?”

  “I have no family. I grew up going from house to house living with the people who could support me until they wanted me to leave. The last few years, I rented a room at the inn in Erskine and worked it off cleaning and taking care of the stables where the travelers left their animals.” Hayden did not like talking too much about his family, or lack thereof, but if he was going to tell someone his history, he wanted to get it all out at once
so he would not have to elaborate too much.

  After Hayden spoke, Fendrel sat up and faced him. He thought long and hard before speaking to the young man. “I know how you feel, my brother and I tried to join the riders when we were both eighteen. He thought he could handle anything, and as it turned out he couldn’t. He was killed not to long after his first year as a rider.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” His brother was a rider Hayden thought to himself.

  “It’s ok, it happened a long time ago.” Fendrel eased down and went back to staring up at the stars.

  “So your brother was a rider, huh? Did you not want to be one?” Hayden leaned back also. He spoke in a joking manner, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Ha, boy, I wanted to be a rider ten times more than you want to. It was all me and my brother dreamed about for years, all we ever talked about. When other kids were outside playing games we were running obstacle courses and practicing fighting, getting ready for when we turned eighteen and got our chance to become riders.” Fendrel placed his arms behind his head and just smiled. He turned to look at Hayden and was surprised to see him staring back at him.

  “Well, what happened? Why did you not pick an egg?” How could someone want a dragon so bad and not pick one? Hayden thought.

  “How do you think someone gets a dragon? Do you think that they just waltz up to the Metal Pyramid and just say ‘hey I want an egg’ and they just hand them out?” Fendrel chuckled to himself.

  “What’s the Metal Pyramid?” Hayden felt embarrassed by his lack of knowledge about the dragons. If I can learn a lot from Fendrel, then it might give me an advantage over anyone else who wants an egg. Hayden smiled at the thought. He wanted an egg, and it seemed Fendrel could help him achieve that goal.

  “’What’s the Metal Pyramid?’ You really don’t know? Well what do you know about dragons and riders besides the legends? What do you know about them that are facts? Do you know how they pick the riders or how you get which color ?” Fendrel got back up and sat crossed legged in front of Hayden as he spoke.