The Broken Scale (The Dragon Riders of Arvain) Read online

  He did not take the time to look down or he would have probably tried to talk himself out of it. Instead he just began easing up on his grip on the rope and slowly began walking himself backwards down the pyramid. The rider had done this only for a short distance, when he went flying down the pyramid he had laid down on his back and slid down while still holding on to the rope.

  Hayden was not comfortable enough to try that so he continued to ease his way down; taking small shuffling steps. He was about twenty feet down when Cass grabbed the rope and followed him down, using the same backwards walking technique that Hayden was using. After her came Shane then the others, and the last one to go over the edge was Giles. He was shaking the most, but that did not stop him from shouting insults at those below him.

  Each time another person grabbed the rope Hayden all but stopped because the rope shook so violently in his hands. He did not worry about it because, other then the rider that had gone down first, all the others were doing the same as him. They were making horrible time compared to the rider that had slid down before them. In the same amount of time that it took the rider to get down they were not even half way yet.

  All of a sudden there was a hard jerk on the rope that slammed Hayden against the pyramid, pulling off his feet. He held on with both hands till they hurt as his eyes were locked on the now spinning ground that was so far below him. His heart was not racing, it did not even feel like it was beating at all, the only thought that was running through his head was no no no no no.

  He stayed that way, dangling on the side of the Metallic Pyramid, holding on only with his hands as the rope that was gripped between his fingers continued to wiggle and squirm. He knew the others had suffered similar fates based on their screams and shouts that followed the initial jerk that had swept Hayden off his own feet. He even heard Cass vocalize what had been his first thoughts.

  When he began to regain his footing he dared to look up and try to figure out what had caused the tumble. He figured it out rather quickly because one of the Giles friends was shouting at him now and asking him what happened.

  “I slipped. One of them up front must have done something to the wall, they are trying to get rid of us before we can beat them in the last trial.” Giles tried to turn the blame on Hayden and his new friends but none of his friends were buying it. They continued to shout at him and tell him to be careful and not to let it happen again; but with much more colorful words.

  Giles’s reply was a high pitched yell as he slipped and fell again, but this time his grip on the rope slipped also and he slid down the wall ten feet and grabbed hold of the next guy’s waist to break his slide. They both fell, but they at least had their hands on the rope, not enough to stop their fall but enough to guide them down in a straight line. The straight line happened to go through everyone else.

  By the time that Giles had grabbed the second person in line the others had all turned and witnessed what had happened. Hayden knew what was coming down on top of them, but what he didn’t know was how to stop it. He all but released his own grip on the rope and fell much faster then what he was comfortable with.

  He tried to focus on his descent, but he found himself looking up every time he heard a grunt as the falling group hit the next person in line. Soon it was just Shane, Cass and Hayden left holding the rope. Shane was hit first and it looked like he might stop it, he had planted his feet and done his best to brace himself for the impact. He only managed to slow them down for a few seconds as they pushed his feet out from underneath him.

  Hayden watched as the tumbling ball of people came crashing towards him. He saw arms and legs pop out of the mix and then disappear back into the mesh of bodies. He knew if he tried to stop it he would just get hurt so instead he did his best to stay just a little ahead of it. In a final effort Hayden loosened his grip even more on the rope as he flew down the pyramid. It wasn’t enough though and he joined them in their free fall.

  Giles was still near the back of the group since he was the one who started it; he was able to get a hand on the rope and break away from the group, and slowly stunt his fall. His friends each tried to do the same thing but they kept fighting over who would grab the rope first and they kept pushing each other away from the rope in order to try to secure themselves.

  During their struggles Hayden watched as one of the guys pushed another one so hard that he slid away from the group; while the space that they were sliding down was free of the giant open mouth caves, the area he was pushed to was not. Hayden heard him scream as he fell at full speed over the opening of a cave. Hayden thought he might clear it and make it to the other side, but as Hayden continued to fall he heard a thick, wet crunching sound that ended the scream instantly.

  Hayden watched as the two remaining guys grabbed the rope in turns and began stopping themselves just like Giles had done. Hayden was able to look down at the ground long enough to try to judge the distance and fear gripped his heart as he realized they did not have enough time for all three of them to take turns to try to stop. They were going too fast and the ground was nearly at them; they had less than a hundred to feet to safely slow down before they each made the wet crunchy noise themselves.

  Hayden saw that Shane was trying to right himself as he was but Cass was sliding completely limp. She must have gotten hurt and got knocked out he thought. That killed just about any idea of the three of them saving themselves.

  “Shane, grab hold of Cass quickly!” shouted Hayden.

  Shane and Hayden had both righted themselves so that they were sliding down on their backs while facing the ground below. Shane looked puzzled at Hayden until he looked over and saw that Cass was falling as if she was asleep. She had slowed down slightly since they had righted themselves so Shane had to reach back to grab her and pull her in. They started pushing their feet against the slippery surface trying to help slow their fall. It did help but not nearly enough, they were still falling to fast.

  Hayden pulled his shirt up a little so he could bundle it around his hands. Once it was done he looked back to Shane to make sure he was looking at him. “Stop trying to slow down, speed up and get beside me.” Shane did not ask what he had planned; he just lifted his feet so that he sped up and came parallel to Hayden. “Ok, now grab hold of me and hang on to Cass.”

  Once again Shane did what was asked of him without hesitation. He reached around and gripped Hayden as hard as he could. They both began applying pressure with their feet again. When Hayden was sure that Shane had a good hold on him he reached up and grabbed the rope with his shirt-covered hands. He squeezed as hard as he could like his life depended on it, which in fact it did.

  Smoke began to steam from his hands; he felt the heat as soon as he grabbed the ropes. Pain erupted from his hands as the rope ripped through his shirt like it was not even there. His brain shouted at him to let go of the rope but by his determination alone he kept hold of it.

  His back began to become scraped up as his shirt rolled up higher, allowing his bare skin to touch the side of the pyramid. He wanted to let go and end the stream of pain that was coming from his hands and back, but he could tell that they were slowing down significantly. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he tried to concentrate at holding the rope and not on the pain. He could feel his grip lessening and blood beginning to flow freely down his wrists.

  With both of them using their feet, and Hayden gripping the rope, they were almost at a safe enough speed to hit the ground without being hurt too bad. Hayden cracked open his eyes to see how far away they were from the ground. Once he opened his eyes he hit the ground first and he barely realized that Shane landed on top of him and Cass went flying through the air.

  Hayden laid there without moving for some time; he was vaguely aware of people around him, all he could hear was the constant deep beating of his heart that continued to remind him that he was still alive. His body felt almost numb, he could feel pain but it seemed almost far away.

  He tried to remain motion
less, but someone grabbed him and gently rolled him over. They held his head firmly and tried their best not to cause him any more pain.

  “Hayden, Hayden are you ok, can you hear me?” Shane asked as he finished setting Hayden back down.

  “I am fine, just a little ugh...” As Hayden spoke he tried to sit up but all his muscles were sore and his hands felt like they were on fire; his back felt much the same. His legs felt weak and his pants legs were pulled up a little and he could see his right leg was already getting larger than the left and it was turning a deep red color. “How is everyone else, did anyone else get hurt?” Hayden asked as he lay back down and kept his eyes closed as his body began to awake and identify all the pain.

  “Giles and two of his goons are fine, just scared, and their hands are a little tore up. One of his boys hit an opening and I am guessing he didn’t make it. I am bruised up but ok; Cass is still out though. I think she might have hit her head while we were all rolling around, I can’t be sure how she is till she wakes up but Benet is with her now.”

  “Who is… who’s Benet?” Hayden asked as he started to feel like he was going to sleep, he was feeling like he was starting to float on top of a slow moving stream.

  “Benet is the rider that has been guiding us so far, he freaked when we started to fall and he has been hovering over the two of you till you started showing signs of coming around, then he ran over to Cass and he hasn’t left her side.” Shane was kneeling over Hayden and he kept looking over his shoulder where Hayden guessed Cass was laying. Hayden could only keep his eyes open for a few seconds at a time, he tried to fight to stay awake but he soon gave in and all went dark around him again.

  ------------------------------

  He woke up again, still at the base of the pyramid, but the sun was setting on the city. Hayden noticed that Cass was up and sitting next to him with Shane standing over them both. They watched him as he blinked his eyes over and over again. He started moving his legs and arms slowly to test how they were doing. Cass leaned in closer to speak to him.

  “Don’t worry, we are all ok, you are too just a little bumped up. Benet sent for a field healer, someone who works on wounds in a battle environment, and she came and took a look at all of us. She said your foot is not broken but it’s a very bad sprain, she said you are going to be hurting for a while. Your hands a cut up very bad and so is your back from where your shirt rode up while we were sliding.” Hayden had could tell that Cass’s words were true as pain rippled through his body.

  “She said you will be fine but you are going to be sore and in a lot of pain.” Cass had her hand on his shoulder as she spoke. Hayden was barely able to sit up on his own without succumbing to the urge to throw up. He looked down and examined himself and saw that someone had wrapped his stomach and back in bandages. As well as both his hands so when he pushed himself into a sitting position his hands did not hurt as bad as he thought they would have.

  His foot was wrapped up also but it had two large pieces of metal sticking out from either side of the wrappings to add support to his leg. He believed them when they told him a healer had said he was going to be ok, but he did not feel like he was going to be.

  “So what happens now, the trials must be over so we missed our chances?” Hayden asked.

  “Giles and his friends went through already, we saw them leave, but we haven’t seen them since, and when Benet came back we asked him how they did. He just told us there was at least one more spot open. We have been waiting on you to wake up; they still expect us to do the last trial tonight,” Shane said; he tried to look hopeful, but even in his injured state Hayden could tell he was ready to give up.

  “Help me up, Shane,” Hayden said. It took a minute to get him up and standing in a way that did not cause him more pain. Once up he looked at his new friends and tried his best to look sure and calm. “Well let’s not keep them waiting,” he said and they began walking slowly towards where they had taken the others earlier. They followed Shane, and Cass stayed by Hayden’s side and helped him limp his way forward.

  They made it to a door on the side of the pyramid, where Benet was waiting for them.

  “Good, you guys are just in time,” he said with a smile on his face.

  “No thanks to you, you could have helped us since we almost died back there following you.” Hayden was in no mood to pretend to be nice to him, rider or not he had done wrong and Hayden was going to hold him accountable for his deeds. Cass tried to tell Hayden to calm down and not to yell at a rider, but Hayden was having none of it; he was mad and that was it.

  “I know, and I am sorry but, it’s how it has to be during the trials. You make it or you don’t by yourselves, we can bandage you up, but only like it would be during a fight, you have to go from trial to trial on your own or it would be said that we helped you pass and favored you over the others. That’s why we had to leave you out there instead of bringing you in. I am sorry but that’s how it has to be.” Hayden calmed down after hearing what Benet had to say. He knew he was telling the truth even if he didn’t know how he knew it. He was sorry for what happened and there was nothing he could have done to change it and that, for some reason, made it right to Hayden.

  “Are you ready now? This is it; this is the end of your trials,” Benet said.

  “Yes,” all three of them answered.

  Benet nodded his head and opened the door to let all three in of them in. They walked into a large chamber with three tall chairs sitting against the far wall. There was one door to the right of where they entered, and besides the torches all around the walls to light up the room, it was empty and without decoration.

  Benet led them to stand before the three chairs and had them stand shoulder to shoulder; with Shane closest to door and Cass in the middle. They did not have to wait long after standing there till the door to their right opened and three people walked in. A short skinny man with dark bags under his eyes dressed in copper armor, a large muscular man who made Shane look like a small child and wore silver armor, and a beautiful woman clad in form fitting golden armor. She commanded the room when she entered; she was short and skinny, but the armor was made to show off that she was a woman and not so much for battle.

  The two men waited for the woman to sit before they sat down on either side of her. They sat there staring at the three of them. Benet quickly introduced the three potential riders and when he finished there was silence until Elizabeth spoke.

  “Welcome to the final trial; Shane, Cassidy and Hayden. I am Elizabeth The Gold, this is Caine The Silver and Bryce The Copper. We are the rulers of Arvain, we who sit upon the Thrones of Three.” She spoke with the power and authority. The two men might have influence and power, but only what Elizabeth allowed them to have.

  “The last trial is something different than what has been done in past years. You have to decide whether or not you have passed the trials thus far, and if you have, which color egg are you worthy enough to call your own. Are you a copper, brave and able to follow every order without fail, unmovable in your loyalty? Or perhaps a silver, a leader, willing to sacrifice oneself for the better of others, able to take command and find the best possible way to accomplish any goal even while facing adversity?

  “Or are you worthy to have a gold, wise beyond your years, able to understand the workings of the world around you and being able to influence it to shape it how you see fit.” She paused to let them think about what was before them. “Is being a copper below you, are you better than lowly grunt work? Do you have what it takes to lead, will they listen to you? Are you meant to rule over others, are you meant to sit above everyone else?” She laughed as she watched each of them squirm while trying to figure out where they each fell in at.

  “Your task is simple; each of you will go into the chamber beyond that door. Waiting for you in there are the three judges of the dragons. You will have to decide if you are worthy or not to become a rider. If you feel you are then you must decide which egg you have earned, the
n you just have to ask for it from the judges. If they agree with you then you get it, if not then you are out. So if you think too highly of yourself or are too humble then you might miss the mark. We want riders who can look into their own lives and know what they are without any illusions as to what they want themselves to be. Do this and you will have your egg.”

  She waved her hand at the door and it opened without a sound. She looked back at them and watched their reactions.

  This is harder than I thought it would be. I have to decide if I get an egg or not? And which one at that! I know I am brave and can do what I have to like a copper rider would, but I can also lead and take charge of a situation; but do I have the right to lead, have I earned that privilege. I know I am smart, maybe I was meant to rule with a golden dragon. I don’t know, I don’t know! Hayden thought to himself.

  “Shane, you first, my dear,” Elizabeth spoke softly to him. Hayden watched as Shane walked through the now open door, taking strong smooth steps with his head held high. The door closed behind him and it was less than a minute and the door opened back up, but Shane did not come back through them.

  “You’re next, Cassidy,” she said.

  “But what about Shane, where is he?” Cass asked worriedly. Elizabeth ignored her question completely and pointed at the door.

  “You’re next,” she repeated but this time not as softly. There was an undertone of anger in her voice that was not so subtle.

  Cass set her shoulders and walked through the doors just as Shane had done moments before; and just as they had done with Shane, the door closed, leaving Hayden alone with the three rulers of Arvain. No one spoke; there was nothing but silence between them that seemed to stretch on forever. The door opened again and Cass did not come back through it either.