The League of Dragon Riders

Surprise

“Where is Fergus and Maxwell?” I ask Erin as we land at the cave’s entrance. Neither Midnight or the other dragon waits for us as they usually do because I always come home bringing treats. Erin climbs off his dragon and I move to climb off mine but he holds out a hand. I freeze for a moment before settling back down on Jordan. The dragon sniffs the air and tilts his head to the side but I keep my eyes on the older man in front of me. 

As always, my dad’s words from my dream come to mind whenever I see him. I can’t stop them as they snake their way through my thoughts and force themselves to the forefront of my mind. I try my best not to act suspicious of him but there are times I can’t help it. 

“Fergus told you that training will be a little different today, right?” Erin asks as he leans against the cave wall. I tilt my head as I watch his facial expressions. He doesn’t seem happy with the arrangement. I wonder what Fergus has planned that would annoy him so much. Perhaps he asked if he could be in charge. 

“Yes,” I say as I fold my arms across my chest. I watch him suspiciously from across the small space between us. His dragon had wandered off a little ways but has since made his way back. Jordan bares his teeth momentarily and takes a step away from the both of them. Erin had once told me that my dragon will feed off my emotions. Maybe that’s why Jordan is acting in such a way. 

“Well,” he points toward a tree to my left. There is a red strand of fabric tied around it. Looking deeper into the forest, I can find multiple trees wearing the same thing, “you have to follow the trail. It’s impossible to see above so you’ll have to hike.”

“Okay,” I nod before narrowing my eyes at him, “you aren’t coming?”

“No.”

“Why not?” I ask him. 

“There are some plans that need to be made,” he bows slightly, “but you have fun. Training time is almost over.”

I don’t answer as I watch him walk deeper into the cave. As always, I think of my father’s words in that stupid dream everytime I see him. I shake the thought out of my head and slide off Jordan even though I know he’s going to follow after me. This could be a test to see if I am prepared for an attack at multiple sides. I glance back every so often as I follow the red fabric through the trees. 

It isn’t too long before I hear the swaying of water. I tilt my head and freeze for a moment until my eyes land on a break in the trees to my right. I turn that way and I find more ribbons leading that way. I smile as I follow them until I step out and onto the rocky shore of a large lake. The dark blue water beckons my sweaty body. The small island sitting in the middle beckons my curiosity. 

This place is gorgeous.

“Surprise!” Fergus calls out from behind me. I spin around while swinging my leg upward. His face snaps to the side and he stumbles back a step. He holds his face in his hand before holding up a blanket. Maxwell is in a fit of giggles behind him.

“Oh, no,” I say as I stumble forward with my arms outstretched toward him. He smiles as I take his face in my hand and wipe a drop of blood away from his lips, “I’m so sorry, Fergus. I didn’t think, I just did it.”

“I suppose that’s what we've been teaching you to do,” he says as he hands me the basket, “I thought we could eat on the shore and maybe swim. Today is a day for you to rest since you’ve been working so hard.”

“What do you think?” Maxwell asks, “we can have a little time off and enjoy the sun before the snow comes.”

“Or if you want to do something else,” Fergus says, “we can. We’d just have to sneak around Erin. He was annoyed at us even doing this.”

“Erin just needs to learn that there is more to life than sulking around,” Maxwell shrugs, “come on, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

I watch Fergus stretch out a blanket before setting the basket down on it. I kneel beside him and start helping him pull the food out. Apparently, they wanted to do more than provide a day off. There are fresh fruits, cheese, and actual nice bread. I smell it before setting it down with a wide smile on my face. Fergus laughs as I do so just as Maxwell comes to sit beside us. 

“You can swim, right?” Maxwell asks as he munches on the various bits of food. I smile as I eat, happy to be enjoying time with the two of them. Too often the time is spoiled by Erins sour and serious demeanor. 

I nod as I munch on an apple and wait for him to speak more. He doesn’t as we continue eating in silence. When the blanket is empty, Fergus folds it away and places it in the basket. Maxwell is off to the side but my eyes are on the trees. I can see Jordan pacing between them as if something is bothering him. I step forward until I hear a s***h.

I turn to look just as Maxwell starts heading out of the water. He must have jumped in. I hold my breath as I watch him step out of the water and I look away in an attempt to cover up my blushing cheeks. Obviously, he’s shirtless with only a black undergarment keeping him somewhat decent. In all his glory, he looks more slender than the leather he wore let on. Take that away and his slightly muscled pale chest is quite...attractive. His long black hair sticks to his face adorably so and his wide grin makes me feel safe.  

Of course, that is when Fergus notices me. I hear him chuckle as he glances over at the other teenager. I turn toward him just as he’s stripping down and I roll my eyes as he swings his shirt above his head. 

Let’s just say he isn’t as pleasant to look at as Maxwell.

“Why drool over him when you’ve got this?” Fergus asks as he pats his hairy belly. I chuckle and roll my eyes as he lets out a huge laugh. I watch him as he charges Maxwell and tackles him back into the water. I hear him yell before the water envelopes them both, taking them out of my sight. 

I make no move to join them as I turn toward the trees once more. Jordan seems to have calmed down but Midnight has taken notice of his uneasy attitude. They lay next to each other but their bodies are alert as if ready to spring up for anything. 

“Come in, Alaina!” Maxwell says, his breath tickling my ear. I turn toward him and find that his wet body is inches away from mine. My breath catches in my throat as I take a step away from his smiling face, “the water is great.”

“Fine, let’s go swimming,” I mutter and Fergus cheers from inside the water. I force Maxwell to look away as I pull off my loose white shirt to stand only in my breeches and my sleeveless undergarment. It’s tight and thick enough to hide what it’s supposed to hide. It stops right above my belly button so there’s a line of pale skin sticking out from the dark clothing. 

“Are you coming or what?” Fergus calls out.

“Of course she is!” Maxwell says and throws me over his shoulder. I scream at him for a moment as I bounce up and down as he runs toward the water. I giggle as I feel myself falling backward, my back slamming into the water. I let myself sit under the calm lake waves before kicking off the muddy ground and breaking through the surface of the water. 

“I regret this,” I say as I turn my attention toward the island. I smile as I try to figure out if I’d make the swim. I start swimming toward it anyway, “it is far too cold to be swimming.”

“That doesn’t seem to stop you,” Maxwell says as he swims after me as I paddle toward the small island away from the shore. I know I am not a fast swimmer, however, I do have the stamina to make up for it. 

“There’s an island to explore,” I tell him, gasping momentarily as water went down my throat. Maxwell grabs my arm and stops me. I swim there for a moment, struggling to keep my head consistently above the water, as I wait for him to speak.

“You aren’t a good swimmer, are you?” he asks. 

“Nope.”

“Come here,” he says and pulls me toward him. I blush as he spins around and wraps my arms around his neck. I hold onto him as he pulls me toward the shore of the island. I glance back and smile as Fergus waves from the beach. His wide smile is visible from where we stood. 

Maxwell stumbles onto the new shore and I fall on top of him with a giggle. I roll off him and he rolls onto his back, facing the sky as he struggles to catch his breath. I push myself to my feet and smile as my eyes wander over the small piece of land that is ours to explore. 

“That was too much,” Maxwell says between breaths, “wait a minute, please. Don’t leave me, Alaina.”

“We should have had our dragons fly us over,” I comment as I sit back down beside him. He stares up at the sky and I follow his eye line. There are a few clouds in the sky and I smile as I think about flying through them as I often do. Now, it isn’t exactly an experience you’d think you enjoy because you end up cold and wet. I do it because I now have the option to fly through an actual cloud. How many other people can say that?

Three. There are literally only three other people who can share that experience. 

“Probably,” he answers. I watch as he pushes himself to his feet. I jump up and he grabs my hand and pulls me toward the circle of trees. He glances back with a grin as he speaks, “let’s go explore. I didn’t carry you all that way for nothing!”