The Broken Scale (The Dragon Riders of Arvain) (9 page)

             
If I would have just stayed back at Erskine I would have never have had to do this. I could have been normal and never had to go to such crazy places,
Hayden thought to himself. He tried to see the ceiling, and was staring deeply into the darkness when a jet of fire raced across his field of vision. He was able to barely catch a glimpse of the dragon that created the fire; it was a smaller copper that had probably just hit its first year.

             
Seeing the dragon reminded Hayden of why he was here. He heard many people scream when they saw the fire and the dragon, but Hayden was no longer afraid. He remembered that this was a trial and that the dragon was not an enemy. He began to calm down as he thought about all this; he then began to think of a way out. He decided that running around with no sense of direction clearly wasn’t working at all. He looked around and noticed that about twenty feet away, where two walls met, the walls were rougher and he might be able to climb them and get an idea of where he was going.

             
He walked over to the wall and began to climb. It was a little harder then what he had expected, but since it looked like no one had ever tried to climb at this spot before the stone was not worn smooth, so Hayden could still get a good footing. He climbed the walls and found a ledge that was big enough for him to sit on. He looked around from his vantage point and could see most of the giant room he was in. He could see where the torches were set up and that helped illuminate the smoke filled chamber.

             
Hayden realized that most of the chamber was full of the maze he had been lost in. He walked on the ledge and jumped over gaps as he made his way through the labyrinth. He made it to the center of the chamber, or as close to the center as he could guess and he could see the flaming doors behind him. He looked for a way out and it did not take him long to see the giant spiral stair case on the opposite wall. He could hear screams coming from the direction of the stairs, but he had to keep going.

             
As he made his way towards the stairs, still staying on top of the maze’s walls, he began to see people huddled in corners in the maze, sitting with their legs to their chest and their eyes closed tight, rocking back and forth, begging whatever and who ever to make it stop. The first few Hayden happened upon he tried to help but none of them even seemed to notice his existence. After that he stopped trying to help; he just did his best to ignore their screams and continue on.

             
When he got closer to the stairs he could make out a lone person climbing up the steps in sets of two. He did not try to move faster because that was the first person he saw that was still trying to move forward and hadn’t just given up. He heard some people start yelling, but it wasn’t the same scared screaming he had heard from the people earlier; it was a frustrated yell.

He took a slight detour away f
rom the stairs, against his better judgment, and tried to find the source of the yelling. It took him only a few minutes to find them because they were now arguing loudly about which way they thought they should go.

             
“You are as thick headed as a dwarf, we just went that way and it led to a dead end. We need to back track and find the last fork where there where two torches. You remember where I am talking about?” Came one of the voices as Hayden neared the shouting people.

             
“I am not dumb.” The other person responded in a deep thundering voice.

             
When Hayden came over the last wall he saw that there were five people standing around one crouched down person who had appeared to draw a crude incorrect map with his finger in the dirt. He saw that they all where males and they were all covered in sweat. He watched them a little longer, and without thinking he whistled to get their attention.

             
“Oy, what are you doing up there? We have to go through the labyrinth not over it,” the one who was crouched down shouted angrily.

             
“And who said that? I don’t remember any one telling me that; I do, however, remember them telling us to make it out of here, which is what I plan to do. I know the way out of here and if any of you wish to join me now would be the best time to do so.” Hayden spoke with a calm voice; he was no longer scared or worried but he did not want them to get angry with him or feel like they could push him around. He had been bullied around by his so called ‘friends’ for long enough, and he was not going to take it from complete strangers.

             
The one who had spoke sat there for a moment and right when he began to open his mouth to speak the guy, which Hayden assumed he had made fun of just moments before by how angry he looked, walked to where Hayden was standing and had Hayden help him climb up the wall. Hayden noticed that he was taller and had a much bigger build than him. With his help they brought every one up on the wall. The last one to climb was the person who had spoken to Hayden originally; he only took their help after he had failed to climb on his own.

             
Once everyone was on the wall Hayden began leading them towards where the stairs where. No one spoke while they walked and Hayden liked it that way; he was to into the argument he was having with himself to have had talked to any of them even if he wanted to.

You could have just very well helped one of the people who are going to get an egg over you. If you would have left them there then there would be a whole lot less people trying for the eggs and yo
u would almost for sure have gotten one,
Hayden thought to himself.
Yes, but it would not have been right. What kind of rider would I be if I had the ability to help people and never did for my own gain? I will always do my best to help people even if it could come back to hurt me in the end,
was his reply to his first thought.

             
That thought seemed to stop the argument right in its tracks. He did not have much time to dwell upon the subject much longer for they had reached the spiral stair case. While they were at the base of the stairs, Hayden looked up through the center of the spiral to see if he could see how high they had to climb. His stomach gave a slight twitch as he realized he couldn’t see the top.

Some of
the others began to groan and complain at the daunting task that lay before them, but Hayden and the bigger guy went to climbing the steps without a single word. After they had made it what they could only guess was a hundred feet, Hayden realized that the group was all falling behind except for the person who had started climbing with him.

             
“What’s your name?” The bigger guy asked.

             
After hearing his voice, Hayden was sure it was the same guy that had been made fun of earlier. “Hayden, what’s yours?” As they climbed higher and higher up the stairwell there began to be more lit torches on the walls. The torches allowed Hayden to see further ahead and get a better look at his new traveling partner.

             
“Shane,” was his answer; he was breathing heavily from fatigue. Hayden was sweating on his brow, but he could already see dark crescent moon shapes appearing under Shane’s arms and around his neck.

             
“Well, Shane, you’re from the city, right?” Shane just nodded his head and continued his deep breathing as they carried on with their strenuous climb. “What made you decide to try to become a rider?” Hayden asked. He was trying to take his mind off of his burning legs while also getting to know Shane.

             
“Well, my family is all bakers. I was beginning to cost too much to feed they said, on account of my size.” Hayden tried to look like he hadn’t noticed how big Shane was. “So my dad told me that when I turned eighteen I was ether going to become a rider or join the ground military. Either way he said he didn’t want me to eat him out of money. I figured that I would give this a try first; seeing how I can always join the military, but I can only try for an egg once. I am just hoping that if I get it that they feed the riders as much as they do the dragons.”

             
Hayden laughed at Shane’s joke, which in turn made Shane smile and try to get a few laughs in between his heavy breathing. Hayden took in just how big Shane was, he was only a few inches taller than Hayden but he was covered in thick muscles.

They continued climbing for almost thirty minutes until Shane finally asked Hayden if they could rest for just a few minutes. Hayden was more than happy to rest for his legs were also hurting him. He thought that Shane would have asked for a break much sooner than h
e did and that impressed Hayden; Shane gave it all that he had and nothing less.

             
They did not speak as they sat there, but instead tried to focus on their own breathing and Hayden was trying to listen to the others that had fallen behind. He could only make out a few words here and there, but for the most part he heard the one loud one complaining and the others telling him to shut up. Hayden was content to rest for a little longer and wait for the others to catch up, but Shane jumped up and was ready to go.

             
“What’s the hurry? We can just wait for the others and climb up with them,” Hayden protested as Shane helped him to his feet.

             
“The others I don’t mind so much, but it’s Sebastian I don’t want to wait for,” Shane said.

             
“Sebastian, which one is he?” Hayden asked as he took his place in the front and began forcing his already sore muscles to continue the climb. Sitting had caused them to get stiff which added to the pain he was already feeling.

             
“The one who yelled at you; his father is a rider and he thinks he will get a dragon’s egg just because of it. He thinks that he is already better than everyone else.” Hayden did not have to look at Shane to know that he was mad. He could hear the anger lain underneath the words that he spoke.

             
“I heard him while I was heading to the trials, he was bragging to anyone that would listen to him. Don’t worry though, at the rate that we are going and how much he is complaining back there, I don’t think he will getting an egg any time soon.” They both shared a short laugh as they climbed; Hayden was really starting to like Shane.

             
“So, Hayden, why haven’t I seen you around the city before; do you live outside the walls?” Shane was using the left hand wall to help support him as they climbed.

             
“You could say that; I am from Erskine, it’s a small village about three days walk from here.”

             
“You’re an outsider; no one from outside the city ever tries for an egg let alone gets one. It’s amazing that you have made it this far.” Shane did not try to hide his shock when he found out that Hayden was not from within the walls of Celestial City; it didn’t bother Hayden that he was amazed about where his home was, but Hayden hoped he would not get looked at badly just because he was from somewhere else.

             
“So I have heard. Is it a problem that I am not from here?” Hayden was already getting ready for some form of ridicule.

             
“No of course not; I am just impressed. Never before has someone not born with in these walls ever gotten an egg, most never make it past this trial, but here you are in front of everyone.” Hayden relaxed and was slightly amused by Shane’s answer.
If I get a dragon it could change everyone’s views on outsiders,
Hayden thought.

             
“Well I am not the first one up here, I saw someone else running up the stairs before I found you guys.”

             
“Oh well, what do you think the last part of the challenge is, the whole thing about going to the top of their home and seeing as they see?”

             
“I don’t know, but look up through the center, I can see a ceiling.” Shane ran to the railing and looked up through the center shaft that ran the entire length of the stairs. He looked up and let out a sigh of relief.

             
When they reached the last few steps they noticed that they could no longer hear the others bellow them. As they made it to the landing at the top, before them stood a door, this one normal size. Hayden went to push the door open and Shane put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

             
“Before we open the door, there has been something on my mind that has bothered me and I have to say it.” He kept his head down as he spoke. Hayden was worried that something bad was about to be said.

             
“What is it?” Hayden asked.

             
“When you found us and said that he never told us to go through the labyrinth, just to make it out. Well he did tell us we had to go through it.” Shane turned his lowered head to the side and scrunched his shoulders like he was expecting to get hit. The site of the bigger man cowering before him was very strange to Hayden.

             
“Ha ha ha, I know he did, but it was the only way to get you guys to follow me. Look, we made it out didn’t we, and now we are at the end so just forget about it, ok?”