The League of Dragon Riders

Midnight

I watch the shadow, completely dumbfounded. How could this be? I go through every explanation in my mind but nothing makes sense. It isn’t a cloud. It isn’t some kind of spell because wizards have been dead long before even the dragons. I have heard of some scientists across the sea...could they have made some sort of flying machine? 

“Inside!” a slightly familiar voice orders from my window. I glance over and find Maxwell leaning out of my window. I open my mouth to question him just as the dark shadow dove toward me. I scream as I scramble toward him. I start to slide down the slanted roof but he catches before I could fall to the ground. He pulls me in just as a large blast of fire hits the part of the roof I had just been sitting on. I fall against him with a scream. We look at each other for a moment before he pulls me to my feet. 

“You know,” he says as he grabs my hand and pulls me toward my newly open doorway. I let him drag me forward as I attempt to get a better look at what had just attacked. It can’t be what I think right? Dragons haven’t been seen in years. Sure, there have been rumors. Maxwell clears his throat as we start to push through a crowd of terrified people. I turn my attention back toward him as we make it to the first floor. He turns toward me and smiles mischievously as he speaks, “you shouldn’t lie. It’ll get you in trouble.”

“What did I lie about exactly?” I ask him though I know exactly what he’s talking about. The bigger question is, however, why it matters right now. That thing is a dragon. What else could it be? 

“Come on, Alaina,” he pauses as the building shakes. He pulls me toward the front door as he continues, “...Jordan.”

“So, you caught me. What do you want?” I ask him as we stumble outside. I ignore the other people crowding the road with me as I look up. The underside of a giant red beast greets me as it blows yet another blast of flames at the inn. I couldn’t form words as he pulls me away from the extreme heat that was radiating off the burning wood. I glance around all of the slightly familiar faces. Where was Madam Carmen? Where was Potts? 

“Right now?” he says, attempting to answer a question I had long forgotten, “I just want to save your life. Follow me.”

“That’s a dragon,” I tell him as he pulls me away. Potts could still be in the building but I can’t bring myself to let go of Maxwell and approach the fiery mess. I don’t stand a chance against a dragon. I’ll die before I even get close to it. Maxwell looks worried but he doesn’t seem scared. Has he faced something like this before? Does he know how to handle a dragon?

“Acute observation,” he mutters as he pulls me toward the forest line. He whistles loudly but I pay him no mind. My attention is on the actual dragon currently laying waste to the place I’ve called home since I was born, “we have to get out of here.”

I turn toward the sound of something large moving in the trees. I stumble back but Maxwell’s hand keeps me in place. I look at his bright green eyes and he smiles before turning his gaze toward the treeline. 

“What is it?” I ask, moving to stand behind him. I peer over his shoulder and hold onto his biceps as whatever it is comes nearer. 

“You’ll see,” Maxwell says with a wide grin. I gasp as a large creature steps out of the trees. Even in the darkness, I can see it’s obviously reptilian. Its scales reflect off the moonlight and its bright eyes looks like that of a snake. I was curious if he knew how to handle a dragon...I never would have guessed he had one! 

“Come on,” Maxwell says and pushes me forward. I stumble onto the body of the dark dragon. Fear overcomes me and I try to stumble back but Maxwell’s hands on my shoulders calm me. He says, “don’t worry, Alaina. I got you. He is safe. The one up there, however, will kill you if I don’t get you out of here.”

“But it’s a dragon. It’s an actual dragon. They’re supposed to be extinct!” I argue as I stumble back. He laughs slightly at my discomfort before pushing me toward it. I resist until the sound of the other dragon’s roar shakes the ground. I groan as I stop resisting and allow Maxwell to push me toward it. 

“Dragons aren’t inherently evil. They’re just animals, much like horses,” he answers as he helps me climb onto its back. There’s a saddle, much like that of a horse, and I sigh in relief when I realize I’ll have something to hold onto. Maxwell climbs on in front of me and pats the monster’s head. I grab onto the saddle as I wait for the beast to jump into the air. I have ridden horses before. 

This had to be somewhat like that, right?

“Up and away, Midnight,” Maxwell calls out. I feel it’s back arch as it jumps into the air, pumping dark wings I hadn’t noticed before. I scream as I hold onto Maxwell, ignoring the leather handle that I had previously thought would be enough. I watch as the trees below grow smaller and smaller as Midnight flaps his wings upward. 

“We’re riding a dragon!” I scream out. I couldn’t believe I’m on a dragon. I know I should feel scared or terrified but...being here on the dragon feels strangely...exciting. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was meant to do something like this. 

“Yes!” Maxwell yells back as we fly higher and higher into the dark sky, “he doesn’t bite! Well, not usually.” 

“This is crazy!” I scream out as we start to head away from the large dragon. I turn back to the burning inn and realize that most of the village is still intact. I’m on a dragon. An actual dragon. A dragon can face another dragon, right?

“We can’t just leave them,” I yell, “we have to help them!” 

“We can’t, Princess,” Maxwell calls back without looking back at me.

“You’re just going to leave those people to die?” I scream at him. I look down and groan before tightening my grin on the teenager before me. I don’t want to see if this man is willing to ignore the screams of needy people but I also don’t see how I could get down without falling to my death. 

“I’m not the only dragon rider here!” he yells back and I glare at the back of his head. Sure, he might not be the only one there but I don’t see anyone else trying to help the village. Perhaps they have the same plan as he does. Save one and run. 

“Maxwell, please,” I cry as I hear screams, “I’ll do whatever you want just please don’t let my people die.”

“Hold tight, Princess,” he yells as the dragon swerves to the left and we start heading back toward the large beast. I smile for a moment before I think about his words. 

“Don’t call me that,” I say after a moment of silence.

“Don’t call you what? Princess?” he asks and I could tell by the sound of his voice that he knows exactly what he’s doing. I hit him in the shoulder before immediately wrapping my arms back around him. 

“Yeah,” I grumble, “don’t call me that.”

“Why not? Doesn’t every little girl want to be a princess?”

“I’m not little,” the retort turns into a scream as the dragon dives under a blast of flames. The inn is collapsing under the weight of the giant beast. It turns its large head as we fly around it. Midnight dives and the large dragon loses sight of us as we glide close to the ground. People dive in terror as we fly past them but neither of us look over at them. 

“Hang on!” Maxwell yells as we burst up. I feel the dragon, our dragon, heat up under me. Before I could question it, the dark dragon lets out a huge blast of bright flames at the underbelly of the big one. Need I mention the fact that the red dragon was three times larger than ours?

The red dragon let out a roar as the flames scorched it’s underside. I tighten my grip in Maxwell as we roll to the side to avoid another blast. The red monster falls back and crashes into the barn. I gasp as I think about the poor animals that must have been trapped in there. 

“Come on!” Maxwell taunts the dragon as if he expects it to understand him. The beast raises its face and lets out a roar before raising its large wings. I hold my breath as we twist in the other direction and start speeding away with the dragon right on our hypothetical heels. I turn and watch for a moment before turning forward. 

“What now?” Maxwell asks after dodging past another blast of flames. 

“What? You’re the dragon rider!” I yell back at him.

“You made me turn back, Princess!” he retorts as he glances back at the beast. 

“Call me that again and I’ll throw you off this dragon!” “

“I’ll like to see you try!” I roll my eyes as I turn my attention back to the more pressing matter. The dark forest looms before us and I look forward as I try to figure out how to get this dragon off our tail. I narrow my eyes as I catch something reflecting the moonlight. It’s a large break in the thick forest...

“Look! Is that water up ahead?” I ask, pointing toward it even though I’m fairly certain I’m right. 

“Yeah, have a plan, Princess?” he asks, glancing back at me with a grin. 

“Stop it,” I reply absently. 

“What’s the plan?” he asks without a retort. 

“We’re going to dive in the water,” I reply. The water, Lake Macobar, I believe comes nearer and clearer. Don’t dragons have something against water? Could a dragon like that swim?

“What?” he asks. 

“Will the dragon follow us in?” I glance back at the angry beast. 

“Probably not,” Maxwell admits and Midnight begins to descend. The dark water comes closer and closer. I glance back one last time before we hit the water. I’m torn away from Maxwell and I struggle to orient myself in the water as I spin about. I can’t figure out which way is up or which way is down. I scream against the liquid that threatens to be my end as I swim upwards, or so I hope. 

The surface never reveals itself to me no matter how desperately I try. My lungs burn and with each movement I tire more and more. Black dots dance across my vision as I struggle to figure out how to escape this watery death. My vision starts going all black and I reach forward, imagining a hand reaching out to me...