The Broken Scale (The Dragon Riders of Arvain) Page 10

  “I am Shane, and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a copper dragon.” His voice rang out with great pride for what he had accomplished. Hayden listened to the sound of a sword being drawn swiftly out of its sheath.

  “We can never have too many coppers, dear, we need riders willing to do hard work.” Elizabeth spoke down on him in a way that she had not spoken to the others. “All welcome Shane The Copper.” There were fewer cheers for him than anyone else and there were even a few laughs at what Elizabeth said. Shane walked back into line and now all of them were standing with the exception of Hayden.

  Knowing that he was next made him so nervous he almost started shaking as he knelt there. His legs were already cramping from having done all the trials and then having to bow for fifteen minutes.

  Why hasn’t she called me yet? She didn’t wait this long with the others. He thought to himself after Shane had gotten back in line.

  “Hayden, stand and present yourself,” she said smoothly.

  Finally he thought. Oh no, now I have to speak in front of everyone.

  He slowly rose and made his way to the steps. He held his shield out in front of him as he had been instructed to do. Once on the middle step, he turned and faced the crowd that, up until this point, had been a mystery to him. Now he saw that there where hundreds of people looking at him, but they weren’t ordinary people. They were all dressed in armor of either copper, silver and even a very few gold. They were all dragon riders.

  He did not remember opening his mouth to speak but he heard “I am Hayden, and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a silver dragon.” Then he realized it was him talking.

  When he finished, he raised his shield up so everyone could see the proof that he made it through the trials. Everyone cheered loudly, but not as loud as with Cass. He watched as some nodded their heads and some smiled at him.

  “Well, this has been the best trial since I earned my golden dragon. Another silver: my my, this will be an interesting year to come. All welcome Hayden The Silver. All welcome our four new first years!” she shouted. Her speech is accompanied by roars and cheers from the crowd.

  Suddenly a shout came from amongst the riders. “Wait! Where is my son?” The man inquired whilst lost in the crowd.

  “Step forward rider, so we may see who speaks. Who is your son and why do you ask now, during our ceremony to welcome our new riders?” She asked as a man clad in silver armor made his way in between the four new first years and the riders behind him.

  He was tall and well built. He had a thick mane of black hair that flowed freely over his shoulders and down his back. He wore brilliant silver armor, showing himself a rider of a silver dragon. His face was red with anger as he stood in front of the crowd.

  “I am Ricen The Silver, rider of Fennet the dragon. My son’s name is Sebastian and he participated in these trials. I am wondering why I do not see him amongst the four victors?” He shouted, even though they could clearly hear him.

  “Well Ricen The Silver, if your son does not stand up here, then obviously he did not make it through,” Elizabeth said. She did not respond to his shouts and yells, but instead spoke in the same calm tone that she had with the others.

  “That cannot be. He has been preparing for this his entire life. One of them has done something to cause him not to make it; one of these four is a cheater.” He pointed at each of the four as if his finger would cause them to admit to the crime he assured them they were guilty of.

  “Did any of you see what happened to this rider’s son?” Elizabeth asked the four first years.

  “I did, ma’am,” Giles spoke up, and the moment he started making a sound Ricen’s finger found its way pointed at him.

  “Go ahead and tell me what happened to him.” Giles turned around so he could face Elizabeth. He took a deep breath and started telling her what he witnessed.

  “He had made it through the first trial with no problem, then we both made it through the maze with a few tough spots. Then we made our way up the stairs that we found while Hayden and Shane decided to leave us behind to whatever evil lurks in the darkness of that labyrinth. The climb took a mighty toll on us and once we found out we had to climb the outside of the pyramid, he told us he could not endure such a task. That is where he failed the trial,” Giles told her.

  It infuriated Hayden to hear him hint around that Hayden and Shane might have been to blame.

  “See, it was his own doing that did not place him here. Before you ask, there is nothing we can do about it. These are the rightfully chosen and we would never place one person from our glorious city above another no matter who their fathers are.” Elizabeth cut Ricen off before he could try to argue another point, but the next person to speak was Giles.

  “He is not from here, ma’am,” Giles said. No one made a sound, they just looked between Hayden and Giles’s outstretched hand that pointed at him.

  “What?” Elizabeth said.

  “While we were climbing the stairs we heard Hayden and Shane talking. Hayden told Shane that he was not from Celestial City, he said he was from some small town some three days out from here.” Giles spoke louder than he had since they first entered the hall, although he wore a mask that showed he was only trying to help.

  It was clear by the look in his eye that he was enjoying every minute of the story he was telling. Hayden was not worried about it though. He had won his dragon egg, so he wasn’t from the city, what did that matter? He felt calm until he looked at Cass and Shane. Shane held his head low and Cass was looking into his eyes, while hers were full of tears and she was biting her lower lip to keep it from trembling.

  “Is this true, Hayden?” Elizabeth leaned over her throne to look closer at Hayden, as if his appearance would give her some hint to where the truth lay hidden.

  “It is. I am from Erskine, but why does that matter? I have passed the trials; therefore a silver egg is mine.” He did not know what was going on, but he knew something was not right. The other riders in the crowd started to whisper amongst themselves. The Rulers of Three were also talking to each other in hushed tones. Something was spinning out of control and he was not sure what it was.

  “Bring in Sebastian,” Elizabeth told the copper riders closest to the door. They nodded and hurried off through the giant door. They all waited in silence, not even a whisper. Hayden’s heart was jumping out of his chest. He was sure he could see his own chest moving with every beat.

  Finally, the riders returned with Sebastian, who tried to walk tall and proud even though he lost the trial. “Here is his son,” one of the riders said when they reached the platform.

  “Good. Welcome to my Hall of Stories, Sebastian son of Ricen. It has come to our attention that your father believes it should be you up here and not one of these four who have earned their spot. How do you feel about this?” Elizabeth asked.

  “I would have to agree with my father. He is a rider and it is my destiny to serve and bring honor to the riders. I have more right to be up here than any of these four.” She leaned back in her throne and thought about what all had transpired in front of her.

  “My my, this is turning out to be a very interesting year already,” she said to herself but loud enough so that everyone heard it. Whether or not that was her intention was unknown to Hayden.

  “What do you intend to do about it?” Ricen growled at her.

  “What should I do about it? Your son has failed his trial, and the riders by not getting an egg. These four have earned their spots up here and have done nothing wrong while seizing their prize. So I ask again: what should I do about it?” she replied, her voice now showing the evident dislike that she was feeling for the situation and possibly some of those that were involved.

  “You need to give my son an egg. With anything less than that and my wing and I will leave the riders numbers!” There was a gasp throughout the room, letting their shock be heard.

  “I don’t understand. Why can’t h
e get an egg and there be five of us?” Hayden asked while the room was still trying to recover from Ricen’s last outburst.

  “It’s the way it has always been. We have that rule so we don’t overpopulate and become too much of a burden and dry up the land. There has always been four and there will continue to be four.” Elizabeth leaned back in her throne and rubbed the skin in between her eyes as she spoke.

  “And what happens if more than four people should pass the final trial? How are the four picked then, or if there is less than four, then what happens?” Hayden asked as desperation began to set in on his heart; although he wasn’t sure if there really was a chance that after all his hard work and passing all the trials that they might be discussing him losing his egg.

  “The riders choose as they always have. If more than four pass, then the riders pick the four, if less than four pass, then the ones that do are guaranteed an egg and the riders pick out of the ones who made it the furthest in the trials to fill in until there are four.” The golden ruler answered his question like a person explaining to an adult what food is. She acted like he was dumb for not knowing that.

  “Let’s listen to the boy. Let the riders pick as if there were five who passed. If Sebastian is not picked this time then I will not leave the riders or try to fight it in any way.” Other riders voiced their agreement with shouts and cheers for Ricen. Elizabeth did not want to have a fight or have half of her flying army leave; therefore the only choice was to do what they wanted.

  “Fine. Bring forth the eggs. If Sebastian is picked over one of these four then he gets their egg, no matter if it’s copper, silver, or gold. Understand?” She pointed at Ricen, to which he held out his hands and nodded in agreement. Eight riders came through the giant doors, carrying one egg between two riders. The eggs were suspended between them on a stretcher, just like Fendrel described it. The eggs were being carried in a straight line: one egg right behind the other.

  The first was the golden egg. It looked like a shimmering golden chicken egg that was almost as tall as Hayden. Hayden saw Cass shiver as she saw it and he knew she wanted it more than anything.

  The next were the two silver eggs. They were identical to the golden in size and shape. The only difference being the color. Hayden’s heart jumped into his throat and it hurt to swallow for a few seconds. He did not know how he knew it but the silver egg that came in last was his. His world melted as he saw the egg, he knew what was in it and that it was meant for him to have. He barely registered that they had also brought a copper egg forth and he did not see what Shane’s reaction was to it.

  The riders carrying the eggs brought them in front of the platform: in between the Rulers of Three and the five potential riders. Sebastian had gotten in line with them. Hayden’s silver egg was placed directly in front of him and he kept his eyes on it the whole time it was being moved. He wanted so badly to feel the egg and see the dragon that was to hatch from it. The dragon that was to be his.

  “You know how this goes, Dragon Riders of Arvain. You will come and stand behind the one that you feel should get an egg. The four with the most people behind them will get their egg; where as the one who has the least will be escorted out. Now the five of you spread out, good good just like that. Now riders, go and stand behind whomever you support.”

  Hayden stood in the middle, where he had been standing the before. He did not want to move away from where his egg was. After the others had moved and Elizabeth finished speaking, he heard the room come alive with the sound of shuffling feet as the riders moved behind who they wanted to get an egg. Hayden and the others had their backs to the riders, so they could not see who had more support. When the noise finally died down, Elizabeth spoke again.

  “The decision has been made. Cass; you will get the golden egg you have earned. Shane; you will get the copper egg you have earned. Giles; you will get the silver egg you have earned. Hayden you have lost your silver egg and it will be given to Sebastian. I am sorry.” Hayden turned around to see who was standing behind Sebastian opposed to who stood behind him. He was shocked to find almost everyone standing behind Sebastian with one behind Shane, five behind Giles, ten behind Cass, and no one stood behind him.

  Hayden yelled at the top of his lungs. He yelled so fiercely that his voice crackled back down and gave out as his throat began to hurt immensely. He did not care about his pain though. He earned his egg and now they were taking it away from him just because Sebastian’s dad was a dragon rider.

  It was not right and Hayden did not want to give up his egg but there was nothing he could do. He fell to his knees and stared blankly at his bandaged hands, trying to think of a way to save his egg, but his mind was as empty as the shield he had dropped in front of him.

  “I am truly sorry, Hayden, but the riders have spoken, escort him out please.” Sorrow actually seemed to come from Elizabeth’s voice, which seemed to puzzle Hayden.

  “No, let him stay and witness the birth of what would have been his dragon. Let him at least have that, my queen.” Cain spoke up for the first time since he had been in the room. Elizabeth looked at him for a moment and waved off the riders that had come to carry Hayden out.

  Cass was moved to her egg first. She looked at Hayden with tears flowing freely down her cheek as she made it closer to her egg. She faced her egg and laid a hand on it. A light washed over the room, and when Hayden could see again Cass was on all fours hugging the neck of a golden dragonet the size of a small hoarse. She leaned back to see the dragonet’s face, and her tears for Hayden lay forgotten on the ground as she became lost in the eyes of her new dragonet.

  Shane did the same as his dragonet, a thick copper, was hatched for him. He forgot about Hayden as well when his eyes fell upon his dragonet and soon he was holding on its neck and petting it softly.

  Giles never even looked at Hayden as he made his way to his egg. He slapped his hand on the egg and when the light was gone he was standing over his dragonet, there was no love and no hugging like Shane and Cass had done. They were both still holding onto their dragonets while he walked away from his to stand where he had been, his dragonet clumsily crawled to stand beside him; it tried to touch the tip of its snout to Giles hand, but the look it received from him stopped the dragonet.

  As Sebastian walked slowly to Hayden’s egg he kept his eyes greedily fixed upon Hayden in his broken state. Trying hungrily to take every bit of Hayden’s pain in before it was over. He walked around Hayden, licking his lips like a hungry mutt in front of a slice of meat; but when he made it around to the side of the egg that had been turned away from Hayden, his eyebrows met almost together in a look that changed from greed to confusion to disgust.

  “This egg has a mark on it; look, just there it’s a deformity in the egg. I don’t want to bond with this egg; the dragon will probably hatch without a wing or something.” Sebastian shouted out his distress while pointing at a spot on the egg. His father walked over to where he was pointing and apparently saw the same thing.

  “This is unacceptable; bring my son another silver egg right now!” Ricen shouted. Cain got off his throne and went to inspect the egg. He knelt down and placed a hand on it, looking closely at it.

  “He is right; I haven’t seen an egg with a deformity in a long time. Bring out another egg for him,” Cain said as he stood back up. Two riders ran out with a stretcher and returned quickly with another silver egg. They placed it before Sebastian and he repeated his walk around just as he had done with Hayden’s egg.

  He found no fault in the new egg, neither did his father who walked around the egg with his son, and placed his hand on the top of the egg. The light was the same as it was with the other eggs and once the light died off there was a silver dragonet in front of him.

  Sebastian laughed as he gazed upon the silver hatchling, at his victory. Instead of spending time with his new dragonet he grabbed the discarded egg that had been Hayden’s and rolled it over to where Hayden still knelt. One of the riders that had helped bring
the eggs in made a move to stop him but Ricen blocked his path.

  “Leave him alone; let him feel what it’s like to win over a foe,” Ricen said. The rider who had tried to stop Sebastian looked to the thrones for help but the three just sat as statues. Sebastian turned the egg so Hayden could see the deformity.

  “See Hayden, your precious egg was doomed to fail just like you were; it’s a reject just like you are. Neither of you are worthy to serve me, as rider or slave. I should let you hatch this dragonet just so we can be done with it.” He pushed Hayden to make sure he was listening to him; Hayden was rising up to strike him when his eye caught the mark on the egg. It was a diamond shape slightly darker than the rest of the egg. He stopped to stare at it, his egg did have a mark, the same mark that Fendrel had said was on his egg. This egg was the same egg Fendrel was supposed to have gotten.

  Chapter 8

  Hayden stared at the diamond pattern; he had lost all the anger for Sebastian, all his rage was replaced by immense sadness. This poor egg has been waiting for over forty years to hatch, and now it’s being tossed aside because they think it’s not worthy to hatch for them.

  “What’s going to happen to my egg?” Hayden asked, never taking his eyes off the silver egg.

  “You have lost everything and you are worried what’s going to happen to an egg that you’re never going to get? Ha, how foolish you really are.” Sebastian laughed and pushed Hayden so he fell on his backside.

  “That’s enough boy, he is defeated, leave him alone.” Elizabeth spoke with a ring of authority in her voice.

  “WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TO MY EGG?” Hayden shouted as loud as he could. Everyone stopped to look at him and he finally allowed his eyes to wonder away from his egg and see what everyone else was doing.

  Elizabeth was no longer hiding her anger for the situation getting out of control; Sebastian was still smiling, knowing he had gotten back at Hayden. Shane was the only person who was moving, with his broad dragonet following right at his feet, and he was heading to Sebastian with a look on his face that showed Sebastian was not going to be smiling for long.