The Column Racer (16 page)

Kaia flapped her wings, entering into a tunnel that was carved into the mountain itself. It curved and twisted, and lanterns guided their way through the darkness. Lighting up the straight points and guiding them through the curvy ones. They weaved their way around the tunnel until it leveled out; bringing them to the part of the tunnel that was parallel to the ground.

The only light in the tunnel was that of the lanterns. Areli could feel her heart rising in her neck. She felt the rumbling in her lungs, the forced inhale, followed by a staccato exhale. She was amongst the stars, she was sure of it.

At the end of the tunnel there were two large statues on either side facing one another. And next to them was a small group of servants. They weren’t as lightly dressed as those below, as each had on elegant furs that drooped from their shoulders like a cape. Areli could see their breath filling the air next to the fur covered lanterns that they held. She had made it to the holding arena.

A large double-door exit faced her. Dragons swam in the luxurious material, covered in precious stones to give them color. In the corners of the doors were moldings of battle dragons, spewing harsh flames from their mouths, brought to form by elegant red, yellow, and orange stones. And now all Areli could do was wait.

She kept her dragon steady. Quickening her grip on the reins as her dragon had become fidgety. She could feel the cold in the tunnel kiss the tips of her fingers, hug the curves of her ears, and caress the tip of her nose. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as servants took turns pointing at her or her dragon, whispering into each other’s ears.
Focus, Areli. Just focus.

A door swung open next to Areli that she didn’t even realize was there. A servant exited the room, covered head-to-toe with furs, and told the others that the horn had sounded. The servants went to work, and the door in front of Areli started to open.

First, she heard a jolt, and then a creaking noise, and then a crack of light busted through the line between the doors. And then the doors were completely opened. She didn’t know how far she had traveled up inside the mountain, but she was high enough to look out over the entire city of Abhi. As she neared Kaia close to the doors, she could see the two lakes that made up the two elegant communities and also the river that bordered the city. She could see the green forest beyond the cut grass of the city lawns, the edges of Emperor Abhiraja’s tree’s, and the Columns of Abhi.

“Miss Roberts,” interrupted a servant, who had removed the furs on her head and mouth, “they’re ready for you.” Areli tried to swallow, but it was forced and a bit painful. She nodded her head and took one more look outside before she kicked her dragon forward – and out into the open mountain air.
For Emilee, Areli. You owe it to her to do well. You owe it to yourself.

With the height, Kaia simply had to spread her wings and let the air steady them from beneath. Areli motioned Kaia using her legs and hands up towards the elevation that was near the top of the mountain. Areli instantly recognized it by how its diamond edges shimmered as it collected sun.

Areli and her dragon soared above it and landed firmly on the gold surface, where she was surrounded by a small cluster of servants. She let her eyes scan the elevation. At the far end, there was an elegant limestone building with marble pillars and several chimneys exhaling smoke from the multiple fireplaces used to keep the interior warm. Along the four corners of the platform were statues of dragons, each faced towards the open valley below.

Areli followed their gaze. Again, her breath was taken away. She felt like she could see the entire valley from there. They were so high up that she could see the tops of the valley’s natural rock columns, flushed with dense forests, and the tops of the Emperor’s tree’s, which created a near endless sea of green. Areli tried to take a deep breath to soothe her nerves, but they were too far up. The air was thin, thinner than a slice of parchment. Areli should have known. She adjusted her breathing to the measures that Aubrie taught her. Quick in – quick out. And then there was the sound of a horn, funneling through the air from below, so distant sounding it could have been blown by a bug.

A servant next to Areli sounded his horn as well, and the arena was ready. Quick in – hold – quick out.
Be fierce, Areli. Be brave. Remember the numbers. Just remember the numbers and you’ll be fine.
Areli tried to gather as much air in her lungs as she could hold. She knew once the run had started, her next breath wouldn’t come until the first column. She kicked Kaia forward with her legs. Her heart grew two times bigger in her chest, and her lungs shriveled to raisins.
This is it,
she told herself,
for Emilee. For Kaia . . . for me.

Kaia was bouncing between each leg as adrenaline was flooding into every organ, vessel, and vein. Areli could feel the same rush coursing through her body. She took breaths as deep as she could, doing it in multiples. She kicked her dragon just enough to get her filed claws on and over the edge. She breathed deep, quick, and then held, and kicked her dragon again.

Kaia’s entire body tensed, every muscle contracted, and then there was release. She lunged off the elevation, with her wings gathered close to her sides to gain as much speed as possible.

Areli fought with the thundering of the wind collecting around her ears. Cold burned and sliced at her hands, neck and face. Tears were being pried from her eyes. She focused on the numbers that would either save her or kill her.

She couldn’t be off. She had to be precise. The wind made it nearly impossible to see. Everything seemed to be black and grey, and it all seemed to want to swallow her whole. If she hesitated for an instance, or if she stayed on a number for too long or counted too fast, she would find herself amongst the stars. And there would be nothing left of her to bury.

Areli had to focus. She had to drown out the sensation that her bones and organs wanted to be ripped through the back of her body. Her lungs felt like they were tearing at her shoulders, her stomach was grabbing at her throat. She had to concentrate. Seven seconds . . . she couldn’t hesitate . . . Areli gripped the reins slightly and Kaia turned out of the dive. They flattened the decent slowly with Kaia’s wings only slightly spread. The air was warmer, but the wind was just as menacing. A tyrant trying to disrupt all her senses.

Shades of blacks, greys, and greens flashed before Areli’s eyes, until she saw the coliseum and the alley through her squinted eyes. Areli had to trust her speed, her hands, and her dragon. She had to trust that she and Aubrie worked out the right numbers.

Areli loosened her grip on Kaia’s reins, allowing her dragon to ride out the momentum into the alley and towards the first column. Nothing but darkness and lanterns surrounded her and Kaia as they entered the elegantly built tunnel that was braced at an angle.

Areli could see where the lanterns were no more. They poured into the arena, past the judge and the booths for the composer and his drums. Areli moved Kaia over with her legs, still holding the count, still holding her breath, and they glided quickly to the first column.

Two seconds sounded off in Areli’s head. She pushed her left leg heavily in Kaia’s shoulder, grabbed the saddle horn with her outside hand, extended the reins past her dragon’s inside shoulder with her right hand, and buried herself into the seat. Her dragon leaned her body to Areli’s command, forcing her back to face the surface of the marble. Areli held onto the saddle horn as tightly as she could, her knuckles the color of the stars, exhausting the rest of her air.

As Kaia slowed and turned around the column, Areli parted her lips and allowed oxygen to enter her lungs. Kaia came out of the other side of the column and Areli clamped her airways. She relaxed her grip on the reins, moved her other hand back to the leather strap, and kicked furiously into Kaia’s shoulders in an intense, synchronized fashion.

Three seconds . . . Areli exhaled through her nose, outside hand found the saddle horn, inside hand extended the reins beyond Kaia’s left shoulder, butt dug deep within the seat, and right leg pushed Kaia towards the massive marble column. Kaia curved her body around it, as if she thought to wrap herself around it like a rope.

Kaia then steadied herself, body parallel to the ground again. Areli released the pressure on her dragon’s mouth and face caused by the bit, and she encouraged Kaia to fly as fast as she could to the final column, jabbing her heels continually into her dragon’s shoulders.

Areli attacked the third column by performing the same commands as the second. All that was left now – was the stem. All that was left was the fly home. Areli kicked Kaia tirelessly, making smooching sounds with her lips that only her dragon’s pinned down ears could pick up. It was the sound that told Kaia to hold nothing back. It was the sound that told Kaia to fly like she may never fly again. Her dragon responded, moving her wings with such violent force that Areli thought they were back in a dive.

Areli maintained focus. She neared the alley. Lanterns, darkness, open air. She tightened her hold on the reins, gripped the saddle horn, and put pressure on the seat, signaling her dragon to slow down. Kaia positioned her body up a little; letting air gather gently into her wings, gradually bringing down her speed.

Once Kaia was moving at a moderate pace, Areli could still hear the pounding of her heart. It seemed to want to crack every rib she owned. Her lungs still had diminished use, as each breath was interrupted by the push of adrenaline that still inhabited her body. Her head felt light as she brushed the streaks of tears from her cheeks. She kept blinking her eyes, readjusting her vision to the details of objects, and a huge smile wore across her face.

When the black shadow of a battle dragon moved across the mountain surface in front of her, darkening the space around her like a cloud blocking the sun, Areli knew she had better get herself back into the holding pen. She maneuvered Kaia towards the dome that rose above the center of the travertine building.

She had to circle above the dome a couple of times as servants went to work opening the metallic center. When it was clear, Areli and her dragon flew through it. They circled around the top next to the glass and then eased their way back to the marble surface. When Kaia’s feet touched onto the ground, Areli was filled with such intense happiness that it took all her strength to keep from crying. She thought she might never experience such powerful feelings again.
Hopefully you are proud of me, Emilee
, said Areli to herself,
forgive me for not being strong. I’ll be strong, Emilee. For you. For me. I promise I’ll be strong
.

It took a moment for Areli to readjust to what was going on around her. All the other riders were back on the front seats of their trailers, ready to be brought back to the facility. She didn’t know why, but she felt embarrassed to have all those eyes upon her. Scrutinizing her. Judging her. A carriage came to the center headed directly towards her.

The carriage stopped, the door opened, and a tall, skinny person, with olive-green eyes stepped out of it.

“Well, Areli,” said Coach Sani with a smile, “I guess not every rider from Sector D is completely useless. Even though you fly a little brighter than an unwanted, I expected worse from one so . . . inexperienced.” Her smile turned flat. “Do it again. And learn how to fly . . . not count.” She turned her back, and then turned to Areli, casually looking at her over her shoulder. “I hope you don’t mind sharing the arena with the roping team.” She got back in her carriage, and Fidelja’s trailer followed her out, along with the rest of the team. The team’s number-one rider glanced at Areli, but Areli didn’t have the strength to hold her gaze and shifted her attention to the floor.

The rest of the trailers followed and at their heels were their trainers in carriages. After their departure, what followed was silence. Then footsteps, and soft murmurings as servants came next to Areli with a ladder. When her feet touched the ground, they asked what sort of treat she would want the cooks to prepare. She looked into Kaia’s eyes and she knew what her dragon wanted.

“Calf’s leg,” said Areli, seeing the sparkle in Kaia’s eyes and the shift in her dragon’s ears when she heard the words.

“And how would like that prepared?” asked the servant.

“Medium-rare,” said Areli.

“Sauce?” Areli looked back into Kaia’s eyes.

“Something tangy.” A smile flickered onto the servants face, and she left to deliver the order. Areli looked back at Kaia and let Coach Sani’s words ruminate in her head. She tried to shake them away while petting the side of her dragon’s face.

“You did good, girl,” whispered Areli, “I don’t care what that person said. You did good.”

Areli didn’t have to wait long to hear the squeaky wheel of a cart make its way towards them. On top was a lightly grilled leg of calf that made even Areli’s stomach growl. Riders are always given the cart to feed to their dragon so their dragon knows who’s rewarding them.

Areli shook her head lightly and laughed as Kaia quickly made the meat and the bone disappear. She gathered the reins in her hands and looked over to the warm-up pen to see if Aubrie had elected to stay, or left with her other rider, her better rider . . . Fidelja.

She just had a chance to look at the double-doors, when suddenly the entrance to the holding pen came to life. At first, Areli thought her team might have come back to get her, but one look at the carriage and Areli knew her initial thought was a stupid one. The carriage was a combination of white and yellow gold. Below the doors and windows were beautiful paintings dominated mainly by two different colored dragons . . . black and blood red. The coach of the roping team, the one in charge of a group of boys trying to earn their way into the Emperor’s flying army. An honor bestowed to those that don’t get roped by one of the Emperor’s warriors in a given amount of time. A special event held right before the first run of the World Race.