Ch 2
In the morning Jarid
asked Smolder why he had intervened the previous night.
“I couldn’t just
let them keep hitting you like that. Besides, it’s not like they could hurt me
with those tiny pebbles,” Smolder huffed.
Jarid smiled and
went to rub the scales along Smolders neck, but Smolder pulled away.
Apparently, they weren’t quite there yet. Still, it was progress.
“Thanks Smolder. I
couldn’t have done it without you.” Jarid bowed gratefully. Smolder laid his
head on his talons looking a bit embarrassed.
If there was any
time to tell him about the deal he had come up with, it was now.
“Well. You know… In
that song I promised to help you and give you hope, right? So, I have a deal
for you to help you get out of here.”
Smolder’s ears
perked up. “What kind of deal?” he asked, still slightly suspicious.
“Next year I will
be able to choose a dragon to ride. When that time comes. I would like you to
be my dragon,” Jarid began.
Smolder snorted.
“As if I’d ever let a human…”
“Wait a moment,”
Jarid interrupted. “Once my time here is over, I will set you free. All you
would have to do is carry me around on your back for a year or two. Then you will
be free to do whatever you want. In addition, throughout the time you are with
me I will, at least try, to give you some measure of freedom. And I promise not
to force you to do anything unnecessary. I just want to finish my training here
to get the certificate that will let me journey with a dragon in human
countries. I just want to travel in the open without being worried that other
humans will harm my friend.
“But to do that I
need a dragon to ride while I’m here. So, if you become my dragon mount, I get
my certificate and you get your freedom. We both get what we want. If you think
I’ll betray you, just realise that I am also trusting that you won’t simply
drop me out of the sky at any point during that time.”
Smolder rubbed his
chin thoughtfully.
“I only have one other
condition,” Jarid said, pausing for effect.
“What is that?”
Smolder growled impatiently.
“You must promise
to be my friend from now on. No matter what happens. Even if our deal ends up
not working out. You must promise we’ll still be friends.”
Smolder huffed at
that but considered it for a moment before responding.
“Ok human. I will
let you be my rider when the time comes, but only so long as you release me
once you have achieved your goal.”
Then he turned
away. Jarid placed a hand on Smolder’s side eliciting an annoyed growl from him.
“Don’t think you
can just ignore me now that our deal has been made. I am honored that you would
allow me to be your rider, but I want to be your friend even more. So don’t
think I’m going to stop visiting you. Because if you do, you’ll be in for a
surprise,” Jarid said with a friendly smile.
Smolder turned and
looked at Jarid in confusion. Jarid grinned as he exited the stall and picked
up his music box.
“I’m going to be
your friend no matter what so you might as well just accept it. You might even
have some fun.”
Smolder snorted
derisively.
Jarid waved as he
ran to make it to morning training with the rest of Black Squad. “Goodbye
Smolder. I can’t wait to see you again… my friend.”
Jarid entered the dorm just as the others were coming
downstairs.
“Hey, man. What happened to you?” Steven asked, noticing
the bruises.
“Oh nothing. Just thought I’d get some fresh air and fell
down a rocky slope,” Jarid replied dismissively.
They didn’t need to know about what happened, and
honestly, he didn’t know what had come over him in that moment. He’d never felt
that way before. Not even when his father broke his things, or the other
villagers made fun of him.
Now that he thought of it, he couldn’t remember being
that mad at anything before in his whole life. He tried to shrug it off. It
didn’t really matter. It probably wouldn’t happen again. Yet, if he was honest
with himself, that kind of power scared him. He could just as easily hurt his
friends with it or even kill someone in anger that might have been saved
otherwise.
While the others got their shoes on Jarid noticed that
Airel was looking at him strangely. Maybe she got a bad mark on her test or
something?
Jarid shrugged it off. Today they were having another
team competition against the Red Squad flight that Reuben was a part of.
It was a simple drill testing their knowledge of
geography, ability to maneuver across different terrain, and work as a team. It
was basically a larger scale version of a scavenger hunt. The instructors had
hidden a sigil bearing the dragon academy crest somewhere in a given area they
were going to be flown to. Then both teams would be given a map with the
general location of the sigil marked on it. The first team to find the sigil
and return to the start were the winners.
Not only did they have to find the sigil first, but
they also had to make it back to the start without letting the other team take
it from them.
Jarid grinned. This was going to be fun.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The match was over quickly with Ethan and Felicia
playing star roles. Ethan with his amazing geography skills and Felicia with
her sharp eye and fast running. Jarid was still blown away by her nearly
endless stamina. Though her making it back so easily may have also been
partially due to the opposing flight not expecting her to be given the sigil
when they split up to make it back.
Now that the match was over the teams were brought
together to shake hands and congratulate the winners while they waited for the
instructors to give them a ride back to the academy.
“Hey Jarid!” Reuben called as he came up to him.
Reuben was a second year, about average size and build,
with a curly mop of blond hair and more than a few freckles. He was from a very
poor noble family that was just managing to scrape by. His family had done
everything they could to support him, and he wanted to ensure that he made
enough money as a dragon rider that they would never need to worry about things
like feeding their children ever again.
Reuben was a kind soul. When he heard that there was
somebody of even lower social standing than himself, he decided to befriend
them regardless of how it looked. Reuben knew how hard it was to be looked down
on and the two of them had quickly become close friends.
“Hi Reuben. That was a tough exercise. I mean, it was
lucky we ever found the sigil at all with how well hidden it was.” Jarid
offered his hand for Reuben to shake.
“Sure was. I totally thought we had you at the end
there,” Reuben grinned as he shook it. “Next time we’ll get you for sure.”
Jarid grinned back. “We’ll see about that.”
Everyone was getting on the instructor’s dragons and Jarid
waved goodbye to his friend as they climbed abord for the ride back to the
academy.
When they got back to their dorm everyone went up to
their rooms to study or get ready for their next class, but Ariel pulled Jarid
aside.
“Can I talk to you for a second?”
Jarid nodded and she took him to the back corner of
the magic range in the training hall so no one else could hear.
“Well, what did you want to talk about?” Jarid asked.
Airel took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Well, I
guess I should start with this.
“I saw what happened last night.”
Jarid felt his blood run cold. Was she scared of what
she saw? Was she going to ask him to stay away from her or threaten to tell
someone if he didn’t do what she asked? Before Jarid could speak she continued.
“And I just wanted to say that I am sorry for not
stepping in. I thought they had moved on to hurting that dragon and hoped
they’d just leave once they were done with it. Then, when you got mad and
scared those boys away, I felt so ashamed I ran back to the dorm. I’m so sorry,”
she apologised, bowing her head in shame.
Jarid quickly reassured her. “No, no. You don’t have
to apologise. I understand. But…”
Ariel stood again, her head tilted with a concerned
expression.
“Are you saying… you weren’t afraid of me?” Jarid
asked, feeling his eyes begin to water slightly.
“Well, you did look kind of scary, but you were mad at
them not me. Besides, you’re still you. I know you would never hurt your
friends.”
Airel smiled kindly and put a hand on Jarid’s
shoulder. “And if you want to keep what happened a secret. I won’t tell
anyone.”
Jarid didn’t know what to say.
She saw who I really am and doesn’t hate
me. Could the others be just as accepting? Maybe it’s time to tell them everything.
It had been a while now and every single member of
Black Squad had shown over and over that they were worthy friends. Friends he
could count on. They had shared many of their secrets with him and seemed to
trust him more than anyone else.
That was why it pained him to keep his life and true
purpose at the academy from them. This was the last straw. He just couldn’t
keep lying to them anymore.
He sighed. Man. I’m such a terrible liar. I
guess I have no choice but to place my hope and trust in them.
“Ok. I guess it’s about time I told you guys
everything. Could you please bring the others to my room in a few minutes? I
want a bit of time to get ready.”
Ariel seemed slightly concerned but nodded solemnly. “Take
as much time as you need.”
Then she left Jarid alone with his thoughts. Jarid
made his way to his room and sat at his desk.
What am I
gonna tell them? Hi guys. I just decided not to mention that the last living Night
Wing is my brother. Oh and, by the way, I can speak dragon too. Nothing
important.
No. I just need to be honest and sincere.
It’s going to be hard, but they deserve to know who, and what, I am.
Jarid heard a knock at the door.
“Are you ready?” Ariel’s muffled voice asked through
the door.
Jarid took a deep breath to prepare himself. “Yes.
Please come in everyone.”
The rest of Black Squad came in and sat on the floor in
a small semicircle facing Jarid.
“What’s up man? Airel said you wanted to tell us
something,” Steven asked.
Jarid nodded, looking at each of his friends and
wondering how they would react to what he was about to say.
“Ok. First off, I would like you all to wait till I’m
done saying what I have to say before you ask any questions. Then I’ll answer anything
you want to know. Second, if you feel any differently about me after this, I
won’t hold it against you. Lastly, I am about to tell you my most hidden
secrets and if you stay I need you to promise me that nothing leaves this room.
“If you can’t keep my secret or don’t want your
opinion of me to change, this is your last chance to leave.”
Nobody moved. They all sat patiently waiting for him
to continue. Jarid sighed.
“Very well. I suppose I should start from the
beginning.”
Over the next hour Jarid told them everything. How he
was an orphan, how his adopted mother died, his encounter with Shadow’s mother
and how he raised him. His training and magic, how hard it was growing up with
no friends except Shadow and even about making friends with Smolder and the
strange power that manifested last night.
When he was done, he sat back in his chair and sighed.
It felt good to let it out and be done with it, but now he anxiously waited for
their response. Ethen was the first to speak up.
“Let me be the first to thank you for sharing that
with us. It must take a lot of courage to even consider it.”
Jarid gave a small smile. It wasn’t easy that’s for
sure. But I didn’t exactly do it for your sake either…
“I must say that I do have a lot of questions, but we
can save those for later. For now, I just want you to know that I still stand
with you,” Ethen finished with an encouraging smile.
The other members each took their turn reassuring
Jarid and encouraging him. Jarid could feel his eyes burning as a weight he
didn’t even know about was lifted off his shoulders. He felt his hands start to
tremble as wave of emotion hit him.
“Thanks, you guys. I… I didn’t think anyone would be
my friend if they knew the truth. Yet you all… you…”
Jarid could hold back anymore. He cried, putting his
face in his hands as tears he could no longer hold back flowed down his face.
He felt a few hands on his shoulders. They had seen
him for who he was and accepted him anyway. In that moment he realised what having
true friends really meant.
Then another realization dawned on him, and he
chuckled somberly to himself as his cheeks grew wet with tears.
He couldn’t just leave them now to go off adventuring
with Shadow anymore. He had grown far too attached and shared far too much with
them. He cared about them just as much as Shadow at this point.
I’m sorry brother. I let them in, now I
can’t let go. Please forgive me. I don’t know if I can keep my promise anymore.
Jarid knew that if something threatened his squad, he would
do everything he could to protect them, even if it cost him his life. And if
keeping them safe meant never seeing Shadow again, he had no idea what he would
do.
After a few minutes Jarid finished crying. He took a shaky
breath and looked around at each of them.
“Thank you. You have no idea how much that meant to
me. I think… I think I am ready to answer your questions now. Just raise your
hand and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”
To nobody’s surprise Ethen was the first to raise his
hand. “How do you talk to dragons? Can you control them?”
Jarid smiled. “That’s easy enough to answer I suppose.
Hɛ ɪd͡ʒɹɹll dɹəcn,” he hissed with a shrug.
Everyone leaned closer curiously.
“I simply speak their language. And as for whether or
not I can control them. Not really. I mean, if a dragon asked one of you for
help, would you? It’s the same thing basically. They are no more or less
intelligent than us, and it’s not like I have mind control powers.”
“Fascinating. The dragons have their own language. How
did nobody ever notice this before?” Ethen remarked.
Jarid could tell he was trying to process how this
could revolutionised humanity’s understanding of dragons. Felicia raised her
hand.
“Does that mean that all those dragons in the stalls
are suffering right now?”
Jarid was a bit surprised that she would think of that
so quickly, and even more surprised when everyone lowered their heads in shame
for a moment. Even though they weren’t the ones responsible they still felt bad
for not considering how the dragons felt. He smiled kindly at her.
“It’s not your fault. The dragons with riders are
properly cared for at least, but many of them seem…distant. They are depressed
and have lost all hope of being free. I wish I could free them but there isn’t
much we can do except be kind to the dragons we pair with when the time comes.”
Then Ben raised
his hand. “Are there any other dragons besides your brother who can communicate
with humans?”
Jarid was about to say no when he suddenly remembered.
Vapor! She might only know a few human words, but she was still a great way to
show everyone that dragons were just as intelligent as they were.
But she had been missing from the tunnels for the last
few days. When he had inquired about this, Lt. Tekar told him the dragon tamers
were ‘breaking her in’. He had no idea what that meant, but they probably did
it behind that door in the cave at the back of the dragon stables. He looked at
Ben solemnly.
“I do know one, but right now she’s on the other side
of that door in at the back of the dragon stables and I don’t know when they’ll
release her. If you really want to see her it would mean breaking into a
restricted area.”
“About time something exciting happened around here,”
Steven said with a sly smile. “Let’s go see what they are doing to these
dragons behind the scenes.”
“I must admit I’m curious to see as well,” Ethen
added. Felicia hesitated for a moment then nodded. “Ok let’s do this.”
Jarid sighed. He knew they would get into a lot of
trouble for doing this, but he also wanted to know and the idea of doing it
with his squad was too good to pass up.
“Alright then. We’ll meet after supper and if anyone asks,
I am simply showing you how to clean a particularly hard stain off the door.
Then we can sneak in and see what’s going on. If no one is in there, I’ll get
her to talk to you. Then we’ll head straight back here. Ok?”
“Yes sir!” They all saluted with big grins. Jarid
smiled to. Black Squad was the best.
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