The League of Dragon Riders

Leader of Band of Misfits

“What is this?” I jolt awake to the sound of a familiar yell. I scramble up to my feet and come face to face with an angry Fergus. I stumble back and slam my back into the hard rock wall and struggle to calm my hammering heart. Fergus’s eyes are darting between me and Maxwell as he waits for an answer. 

“Hold on,” Maxwell says as he sits up in the bed roll. Fergus turns his gaze toward him and folds his arms over his massive chest. Maxwell runs a hand through his long hair and starts to stand up but the other man doesn’t let him finish. 

“Hold on? We thought you were dead!” Fergus yells and wraps his big arms around Maxwell. He pulls him up and squeezes, causing the teenager to moan as he tries to get himself free from the bigger man. I hold back a smile as I watch the interaction. It seems strange to watch it as if I’m looking into a life I don’t have but always kind of wanted. I shake my head and push the thought out of my head. There is nothing good to come from being jealous of other people, especially of things you couldn’t attain. 

“Glad to see you alive, kid,” Erin says, standing behind them with a wide smile on his face. He turns his gaze toward me and his smile shifts to a look of confusion. He raises an eyebrow at Maxwell before turning his attention back toward me. 

“Alaina, right? What are you doing here?” he asks but there is something in his gaze that throws me off. He doesn’t just look me in the eyes, no, he’s looking me up and down as if searching for something. 

“I...well…,” I don’t know how to respond. I don’t really want to admit I was lying before but I doubt there is anyway around it. 

“This is Alaina Jordan. She is the kid we were looking for,” Maxwell says, answering for me after he finally escapes Fergus. The older men turn their attention toward me and I hate being under their stern gazes. I fold my arms and straighten my back as I face them. 

“I thought you said you didn’t know him?” Erin asks, folding his arms over his chest just as I had. I glare into his dark eyes and try to keep my breathing under control. I’m not used to being questioned like this. I don’t think I deserve it. 

“I didn’t,” I start but let out a heavy sigh instead of finishing. I don’t have to feel guilty about trying to protect myself, “look here, sir, I am under the impression that most, if not all, dragon riders are criminals and I wasn’t sure I wanted to go telling those kind of ruffians who I am. Now, Maxwell, saved my life so I kind of owe him and I am a little curious as to what you want with me so...I’ll put those beliefs to the side for the moment to satisfy my curiosity. You three have some explaining to do. I only promise to listen. I won’t promise to stay and help.”

“Look here,” Fergus says, mocking my voice before erupting into a loud laugh. He moves past Maxwell to snatch up a loaf of bread and a stack of dried meat. He plopped himself down on a sleeping mat and repeated his mockery of me. 

“We don’t want anything from you. Well, I mean, I guess we do want you to join our merry band of misfits but that’s only because your father was our leader,” Erin shrugs, “without a leader, we’re kind of lost and we were hoping you could help us by-”

“Leading you?” I chuckled, “leading you? I’m not a leader. I’ve never led anything in my life!” 

“You a child,” Fergus replies, “you have plenty of time to learn.”

“My father was really your leader?”

“Yes,” Erin nods and bows slightly, “one of the greatest men I’ve ever served under.”

“Now, he’s the boss,” Maxwell says, pointing at Erin and gagging.

“Yes, someone had to take over. Anyway,” Erin grabs my arm and lifts my sleeve. He traces over the strange swirl birthmark I have right on the inside of my forearm, “your father had this mark as well. Only the true leader of our little clan bears this mark.”

“You must be joking,” I say, looking between the three of them 

“Afraid he ain’t,” Fergus says as he munches on some bread, “your father had it and so did your grandfather. It’s your destiny.”

“It would have appeared the day your father died,” Erin claims.

“How did you know that?” I ask as I hug my arm to my chest. I haven’t told anyone that. Everyone just assumes I have always had it. 

“Because it happened to your father too. I was there, I watched it happen.”

“You watched it burn into his flesh?” I ask him.

“We had just buried your grandfather. Right when we put the last shovel of dirt in his grave, Claif felt the mark. Of course, we hadn’t known what it meant until Uncle Fergus came and explained everything.

“Not me,” Fergus says through a full mouth, “Fergus Senior. I am Fergus Junior but I can still do this!”

“No!” Erin complains as Fergus pulls him into a headlock. I chuckle as Erin struggles to no avail. Fergus releases him with a chuckle and he shakes his head with a small smile. 

“The only one who could get out of that was your dad,” Fergus says as he looks at Maxwell with sadness in his eyes. Maxwell nods as he looks away from me. I raise my eyebrows and Fergus sighs before he speaks, “if you don’t notice, Lass, there aren’t very much of us left. We are the last league of dragon riders there is. There’s these masters in the south that are attacking villages left and right with their red dragons. We’ve lost many good people to those bastards.”

“Red dragons? They’re bad, right?” I ask, flinching as I remember the screaming from last night.

“As I’ve said,” Maxwell speaks up, “no dragon is inherently bad but…”

“Even without their masters,” Fergus interrupted him, “they wreak havoc to those who threaten their territory. Usually, they call the deep caverns of the south their home. No man smart enough ever enters their home but…”

“They are out and their attacks are planned and precise,” Erin says, “someone is sending them to attack peaceful peoples.” 

“What kind of dragon is Midnight?” I ask, hoping to steer my mind away from the screams of people I had grown up around.

“A black one?” Maxwell says in a questioning tone.

“The true names of the dragons have long been last after the first leagues fell,” Erin speaks up with a sad smile, “we call them by their colors as most don’t vere off. Red dragons are giant beasts that most other dragons fear. They are the biggest of the dragons.”

“Wait,” I say and wave my hands slightly, “how can I be your leader if I don’t have a dragon?”

“It’ll come to you when the time is right. For now, we have to get you ready.”

“Ready for what exactly?” I ask warily, “I only promised to listen. I didn’t promise to do anything else.”

“Don’t you want to find your dragon?” Erin asks. 

“I’m still not convinced I’m the one you need,” I shrug, “and why do you need me? You seem to be doing just fine on your own.”

“I am not meant to lead,” Erin bows slightly, “you are. I cannot take your place.”

“Come on,” Maxwell states, “don’t you want to avenge what happened to your people?” 

“That isn’t fair,” I point at him. 

“Life isn’t fair,” he shrugs. He turns toward the cave and nods toward it, “come on. Let’s go see how your village fared.”

“I-”

“I’ll leave you there if you don’t want to come with us,” he says as he starts walking toward Midnight. I groan as I follow after him, glancing back at the older two men once. Both look bothered at our leave but I ignore it. 

Maxwell is quiet as we fly toward the pillar of smoke. My stomach twists and turns as we dive into the trees so we don’t get seen by any of the villagers still living. I jump off Midnight and race through the trees, eager to find out how much destruction had been caused to my home. I burst into the clearing and gasp. 

The inn is just a pile of burst wood and stone. The barn is still intact but there is a large hole through the middle of it. I hurry toward it but make no move to look through the debris. Do I really want to find Potts’s dead body? I shiver at the thought before looking toward the rest of the village. Luckily, nothing else seems quite so damaged. A few scorch marks here and there but no real damage. I jump as I feel a chubby hand on my shoulder. 

“Alaina,” Madam Carmen says as I turn to face her. I smile and lung forward, forcing the woman to hug me as I hold onto her. She awkwardly pats my back before pushing me away from her dirty form, “I thought you had died. How did you survive?”

“I was helped by a kind...man,” I answer, making sure not to give away my actual whereabouts. I doubt she’d want to hear about me spending the night on a lake shore with a dragon rider. Especially after a dragon attack.

“Well,” she snaps, her dark eyes cold and hard, “perhaps you should stay with him.”

“What?” I ask.

“Alaina,” she sighs, “there’s no room for you here. You don’t belong here anyway. Just like your father. He never belonged here either. We’ll take care of ourselves. We don’t need or want you. Not even Potts.”

“What are you saying?” my bottom lip quivered as I step away from her. She smiles as she moves to grab my shoulder. I step away from it as I look back toward the trees but Maxwell is nowhere to be seen. She tilts her head and furrows her brow at my movement. She seems confused by my annoyance. 

“Alaina,” she says softly as she steps forward. 

“No,” I shake my head, “if you want me to leave, I’ll leave!” 

I spin on my heel and head back into the forest. I can hear her calling after me but I ignore her shrill voice. I sniff and wipe my eyes before I turn to where I know Maxwell and Midnight are waiting for me. He still sits on Midnight’s back and his eyes slowly find me as I step closer. 

“What happened?” he asks as I climb on behind him. I look over and I can still barely see Madam Carmen standing at the edge of the forest. Her hands are waving and she looks like she’s calling for someone. I groan as I turn my head and bury it into his back. 

“Nothing,” I mutter as I wrap my arms around him, “let’s just go.” 

Am I really so naive? Did I really think she’d be happy to see me?