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

  “Hayden, you may now enter,” Elizabeth said.

  He limped his way through the door and it closed behind him. He was in a large chamber, just like the one they had all been in when they had first met Benet. This time, however, there were three giant dragons sitting in front of him.

  A copper sat to the left, a gold in the center and a silver the right. They were the biggest dragons Hayden had ever seen. He would need a ladder to climb on to their back if he wanted to ride them. The copper was the smallest and the skinniest. Its wings sat flush on its back and it had an elongated neck. Its legs were short so it looked like when it would walk its underside would be very close to the ground like a lizard. Its tail was longer than its body and thin, and even though the copper sat still as a statue its tail was constantly moving and twitching about. The copper had thick claws sticking out of its paws that had a slight curve to them. The dragon’s head was smooth and almost snake like with two small horns growing out on the tip of its nose. It had thin fin like appendages on either side of its head growing right past the jaw line. Small stud like spikes jutted out on the top of the dragon’s head.

  The silver was the biggest in the room and Hayden could see the bands of muscle bulging beneath its shinning silver scales. Were the copper’s tale was thin the silver’s was thicker, and it wrapped around the silver and came to rest in front of it. The silvers legs were also much longer, and the way it was sitting made its chest bulge out. Its claws looked just like a birds talons, long and skinny, but with a high arch in the middle.

  Its wings sat just like the copper’s did, but the silver’s wings were much larger so that the tips stuck out past were the colossal dragons body stopped. Its head was wider around the jaw, and instead of a thin fin it had a thick short fin that three large spikes grew out of. It had two large horns growing from the top of its head that leaned back slightly and one horn on the tip of its nose.

  The golden dragon was in between the other too when it came to size. Its neck was almost nonexistent, the head seeming to jut out of the shoulders. It also had no spikes of any kind any where Hayden could see. Its body was longer than the coppers and still had the shorter legs so it would stand lower when on all fours. Its tail was thick like the silvers but on the end of its tail where two fins. The gold dragon’s feet fit its body size but Hayden could barely see its claws. They each stood like statues, the copper with its head lowered slightly and the silver standing as tall and straight as it could. The gold seemed as if it was comfortable and relaxed as it sat.

  Hayden stood in front of the three giants, none of them seemed to even notice his presence or if they did they did not show it. What am I supposed to do now? He thought. Maybe I should talk to them or something.

  “I am Hayden,” he said; his voice coming out squeakier than it had in years. As one, the three dragons lowered their gaze at him, which just succeeded in unnerving him more. They then each put their right foot forward and turned it up so the back of their paws where on the ground and their claws face up. They then opened their paws to reveal they each had a piece of equipment in their paw.

  The copper had a sword which had a cooper hilt and matching scabbard, and Hayden guessed the blade was probably copper as well. The silver had a silver shield that blended in with its scales; the shield came to a point at the bottom and had two points at the top making a V shape. The gold had a helmet, gold of course, that was ornately made to look like it had a crown on top; it was one of the most beautiful things he had seen and before he could speak he was already seeing himself atop a golden dragon, much like the one that stood before him, wearing that helmet and leading a sky full of dragons.

  He started walking towards it and reached out his hands to grab the helmet. His fingers were about to touch the helmet when his talk with Fendrel rang through his head. “A man who does not want to rule but would rather serve has a very rare trait. You might actually make a rider worth having boy.” He heard Fendrel’s voice in his head as if he was standing right behind him. He pulled his hands back like the helmet was on fire and about to burn him. The golden dragon nodded and closed its paw, placing it back at its side where it was to start with, taking with it the helmet.

  Hayden walked over to and stood looking between the sword and the shield. I could do either, I would be a good copper rider and I think I would be a good silver rider too, but which one is right for me, which one was I meant to pick.

  He continued to look back and forth between the two, not being able to see a clear choice. He thought long and hard about and finally spoke as he picked.

  “When I started out on this journey, I wanted to ride a silver. Fendrel told me not to sell myself for an egg. I promised him I wouldn’t; the sword would be the easier of the two, the ones with the less responsibilities. The shield would require everything I am and would be the harder of the two, but it would also be what is right.” He walked over to the silver as he spoke; the copper had already pulled its paw back the moment Hayden began to move away from it. The silver dragon began to slowly close its own paw and at that moment Hayden knew he had chosen wrong; but the silver did not close its paw all the way but turned it over so it could hand the shield to Hayden.

  He took the shield in his bandaged right hand and gingerly placed it onto his left arm, it fit perfectly. It was long enough to guard him from his knees up, wide enough to cover his body, and the V shape that was made between the two horns allowed Hayden to guard himself and still see. As he placed the shield on his arm the silver dragon nodded to him and a door to his left opened up, spilling light into the room.

  He walked through the door and found Shane with a copper sword and Cass holding a golden helmet. Both were so happy their faces could barley hold their smiles.

  “Hayden, you are going to be a silver dragon rider, you’re going to get your dragon egg!” Cass shouted with glee, and three friends couldn’t help but jump around and shout for joy.

  Chapter 7

  Hayden, Shane and Cass stayed in the room outside where their third trial had been to celebrate with each other. Hayden watched Shane pull his copper sword out of the scabbard. It was a beautiful sword that looked like it had been scratched by a dragon going down the whole length of the blade. The blade reflected the light coming from the torches and blinded Hayden whenever it caught the light just right. Shane was so excited he wasn’t really listening to his new friends complement his sword and congratulate him. He just kept staring at it and inspecting every inch of the blade while repeating to himself over and over again, “I did it, I did it.”

  Cass was reluctant to show off her golden helmet. Even in her hands, Hayden could still feel the desire to wear it and have a golden dragon. Ha, it’s not even an option anymore and yet I still want it. That just reassures me that I made the right decision, Hayden thought as he looked at his reflection in the helmet.

  “Let me see your shield, Hayden The Silver, ha ha,” Cass said with honest humor. She took the shield off of Hayden’s arm and turned it over in her hands until she had seen every inch of the shiny silver shield. Once she had looked it all over she took in her reflection and moved a few strands of hair from in front of her face to behind her left ear. “You have a very nice mirror here, Hayden The Silver, you should be proud.” She handed it back with a smile.

  “You are so funny, and quit calling me that,” Hayden responded to Cass’s poke at him. He took the shield back and used his shirt to wipe off the smudges Cass had left on it.

  “Quit calling you what, ‘The Silver’? That’s your new name Hayden. You had better get used to it because that’s how you are going to be addressed from now on. You are ‘Hayden The Silver’ and Shane is ‘Shane The Copper’. Once you become a rider, you take up the color of your dragon, it’s like you are joining a new family here,” she said.

  “Oh, ok, so that makes you ‘Cassidy The Golden’, right?” Hayden asked. Hayden The Silver; hmm I like it. I don’t know who my family was and I have never had a last name, but if I was
going to choose one I think this would be it.

  “No, I will be Cassidy The Gold.”

  “What’s the difference between gold and golden?” Hayden asked.

  “Gold is just like everyone else, even Elizabeth is just gold. To become golden takes a self sacrifice for the greater good of Arvain. It can’t be something every day, and it has to be recognized by all the riders. If even one does not agree with it, you don’t get the title,” Cass said.

  “I don’t know any of this stuff; I feel like I’m behind everyone else.” Hayden’s high spirits had started to drop as he was reminded of his lack of knowledge on the subjects of dragons and their riders.

  “You might be, but that didn’t stop you from making it through all three trials, and now you’re going to get a silver dragon. You will learn all of this stuff and more during your first year of training, so don’t worry about it too much.” Cass reassured him.

  There were benches lining the walls of the room they were in. Shane had already made himself comfortable on one of them and he still had his bare sword resting on his lap. He still had not released the hilt from his grasp. Hayden still remained standing in the center of the room, holding onto his shield with both hands.

  Before he could inquire more about what their training would involve, a door at the end of the room opened. Giles walked in carrying a silver shield matching Hayden’s. He looked at each of them in turn and shook his head.

  “So you guys are the other three, huh?” he said to them as much to himself. He then looked at Shane holding his copper sword. “That fits you alright, the serving class, right where you belong.” Giles then looked at Hayden’s shield and shook his head for the second time since he had joined them in the room. “I guess they are just handing those things out to anyone, I thought they never made mistakes when it came to picking the eggs but I guess you are their first.”

  He then turned to Cass to see what she had gotten, but while Giles had been talking to Hayden she had placed her golden helmet behind her. “Well where is yours? Let me guess, you got a copper sword too and you don’t want to be embarrassed in front of me. Come on let me see it, I won’t laugh too hard at you.” Giles stood near enough to Cass that he had to almost put his chin on his chest to look down at her. He was wearing an arrogant smile until his eyes grew wider as he saw gold as Cass pulled her helmet from its hiding spot. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he could say anything.

  “It’s been years since there had been a silver egg hatched and now there are two. It’s been even longer since there was a rider of a golden dragon chosen; most people hoped to even get a silver egg, no one has even tried for a gold that I know of.” He just shook his head as he looked at the helmet. For just an instance Hayden thought he was seeing the real Giles, as he spoke almost like a normal person. “I guess they made two mistakes with both of you. They must really be slipping.”

  Guess not. Hayden thought.

  “So what happens now? How long do we wait here until we get our eggs?” Hayden asked.

  “They will make us wait to get our eggs. They like to make a big event out of the whole thing,” Cass said as she replaced the helmet behind her; even though Giles had made a joke about the helmet, he hadn’t stopped staring at it since he had first seen it. “Right now we just wait till they come to get us I guess.”

  They had to wait almost an hour until the riders finally came to get them. Before Giles had come in, they were very talkative and building off of each other’s joy about getting their items, but after Giles had joined them all that changed. They sat it complete silence while they waited; after their initial exchanges, no one spoke anymore. They just sat there, each staring at their own item and listening to the faint crackling sounds that came from the torches on the walls.

  The door that Giles had come through finally opened again and this time Benet walked in. He gave Shane, Cass and Hayden warm hellos and congratulations on their accomplishments, but only nodded at Giles, which he returned in kind.

  He led them out of the room and through a hallway, then making their way up a long set of stairs and ended before the most decorative door Hayden had ever seen. The door looked to be made out of solid metal like all the other doors that were in Celestial City, but this one had detail carvings of what looked like the three dragons Hayden and the others had just seen. Each one was carved in the exact color of their scales in real life. The carvings seemed to be alive and Hayden was worried that if he stared too long they might come to life and fly away.

  The door opened through a crease Hayden had not seen in the middle of the door. He looked around to see if anyone had noticed when he had jumped back slightly; however no one but Cass was even looking at him but she was laughing quietly to herself. This caused Hayden’s face to feel like it was on fire as he blushed.

  Benet ushered them all in to a giant room that was just as elaborately decorated as the door they had just passed through. It had vaulted ceilings that were high above them. There were four large columns that seemed to support the structure, and every inch of the room was covered in beautiful carvings depicting dragons and fights that, if the pictures were even half way accurate, must have shaken the ground with its ferocity. There were even small torches hanging from the ceilings and the walls were almost completely covered in fire places that were all lit so that the room danced and sparkled with the reflections of all the fires.

  On the opposite side from where they had entered was a door three times the size of the one they had just entered in from, big enough to fit a dragon. To their right, and all the way up against the far wall, stood a platform where upon three large thrones sat the Rulers of Three.

  Each was dressed in the same armor, but more decorative and cleaner than when they had first met them. They were entering the Hall of Stories, named after all the battles and histories carved on every surface, Benet told them. They walked towards the thrones, shoulder to shoulder, until they were only feet away from the stairs in front of the platform that led to the thrones.

  They stopped and they tried to bow in unison. Giles was left standing alone with his chest pocked out for a few seconds before he realized the others had dropped to one knee. They kept their heads hung low and did not make eye contact as they stayed in this position until they were told otherwise. They had each laid their items in front of them so that the Three could see them outright. Benet said they would act surprised but they did not like real surprises.

  Hayden heard what must have been the giant doors open and a rush of hundreds of metal boots walk in and come to stand behind them, but even with so many people in the room no one spoke and Hayden dared not look behind him to see who all had entered. The next sound was that of a couple hundred armored people all bowing down. Hayden heard their armor clink together as they bowed and all their knees hitting the floor at the same time making a giant thud. Hayden still waited with his head bowed and his eyes closed.

  “Brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the first flight from last year’s trials. They have shown bravery, loyalty, and determination and shall from this day forth be recognized everywhere as Dragon Riders of Arvain!” Elizabeth spoke over the hushed crowd that Hayden could not see. “As we welcome our newest members, let us also welcome this year’s trial winners. They have taken the first steps to joining our ranks. Let us wish them luck that next year we will be welcoming them into our ranks also. Now arise brothers and sisters, and see our new first years.”

  Hayden heard the people behind him stand up, but he did not move. Benet had told them that all of this was based off of very old tradition and it had to be done exactly right or bad things would be following the wrong doer, bad things like angry dragons. Benet had told them: wait until Elizabeth calls you by name to stand up and then do exactly as she says, no more and no less.

  “Cassidy, my dear, stand and present yourself.” Elizabeth spoke like a mother to her child after her child told her she had a gift to give her.

  Hayden heard C
ass stand up and climb the first few stairs to the throne. Benet told them not to go any more than halfway up and he assumed Cass did exactly as Benet had told her.

  “I am Cassidy and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a golden dragon.” She spoke strong and sure, and Hayden heard more than a few people gasp as she told them she was to ride a golden dragon. They were told to show their items as proof of their claim to an egg, therefore he knew she was holding her golden helmet aloft for everyone to see. Amongst the gasps, there were a few hushed whispers spread throughout the crowd, but only Elizabeth spoke out.

  “It has been some time since a golden has been chosen, but in just one year, you may truly be my sister. All welcome Cassidy The Gold.” Cheers and clapping came thundering from behind Hayden and were magnified off the walls. Cass made her way back to the lineup, but she did not bow again. “Giles, stand and present yourself.” Giles stood and walked to the stairs as Cass had done before him. Hayden listened to his footsteps as he climbed.

  “I am Giles, and I have, by right of the three trials, been chosen to ride a silver dragon.” With that said he raised his shield for everyone to see. Giles had spoken loud but almost bored. His pride of having a silver seemed to be wearing off as he realized all eyes were going to be on Cass and her gold.

  “A silver is always needed in our city. All welcome Giles The Silver.” More cheers rang as he made his way back down the stairs and to the line. Hayden was beginning to feel his heart racing again as he waited to hear his own name called. He would much rather climb the outside of a giant pyramid than stand up in front of a large crowd and speak. His palms got sweaty and his stomach began to feel tight as he anticipated his name to be called next.

  “Shane, stand and present yourself.” Elizabeth spoke after a few seconds of silence, only after the cheering had subsided. Hayden listened as Shane’s heavy feet hit the ground while he lumbered up the stairs. Hayden heard him take far fewer steps than the others.