The Dragon Knight Order, page 5
The moment the Vorm became aware of Axcel, it lifted its head and glared at him. Into the Vorm’s mind, I said, "Don't attack him; he is here to help me.” Axcel was just a meter away from me, when the Vorm growled and whipped Axcel with its tail, sending him flying.
"Well… That didn't go well," he said with a loud moan. “And I think it broke two… Ouch... I think three of my ribs. Someone needs to get a teacher…. Ouch...”
“Don't move, let me take a look,” said Max lifting Axcel's shirt. One, two, three, four-
Another loud moan erupted from Axcel’s mouth.
“His fifth to eighth ribs are broken. Simple fractures but you still need to go to the infirmary. But first we need to get Alex. He's very tired and if he falls unconscious his Vorm might attack anyone. And by the looks of it that Vorm has enough energy to keep going for a few more minutes.”
Before I said anything Adria started walking towards me. The world seemed to slow down; I noticed how in the last two months Adria had grown taller. She seemed pretty... I must have hit my head hard, but her long brown hair with her deep hazel eyes and her tan skin. She was really pretty, maybe even beautiful. I must have hit my head really hard to notice that. As she got closer and things sped up again, I heard Max shouting for where Axcel laid.
“Are you crazy Adria? Alex is not in control of that Vorm! You might get hurt… Adria….Don't get closer to it!” said Max, the despair clear in the voice.
Is that what he thought of me? A Dragon Knight who cannot control his very own Vorm? I thought quietly to myself.
Then, as if the world's most natural thing she turned to Max smiling and said, “Don’t worry, Alex would never let it hurt me.” She said smiling as she extended her hand towards the Vorm and me.
Keeping her eyes on the Vorm’s tail in case it decided to attack her, she walked slowly towards me. The Vorm watched her intently, but otherwise laid still. She placed one of her hands on it and the other on me. A tingly sensation ran through me as the Vorm’s shape started to break up and melt into my shadow. As the Vorm began melting, he thought to himself that he liked Adria. I could tell Adria knew it because her facial expression was that of astonishment and amusement. I tried to get up and Adria extended her hand and helped me onto my feet. I felt a bit wobbly and almost fell again but Adria held my weight for me.
It was the first time in two months that she and I were this close and I couldn't help but feel blood rushing to my face. Was I sick? Maybe, I felt weak enough to be sick. Then the air becomes cold and the shadows started to give off more energy like they had when my duel stared. This meant I was in serious trouble, and then a tall man stepped out of my shadow.
“Master? Why are you here?” I asked knowing full well why he was here.
“News in the academy travels fast Alex, I heard you had gotten into a fight with the two Noble students from your battlemage class. Of course that alone would not bring me here. But then I sensed a darkness Vorm and that no matter, how far I am, merits my presence.”
“Look whoever you are, it can wait, he and Axcel need to go to the infirmary wing,” said Adria interrupting Master Shadow.
“Sadly little girl I have complete control in all matters regarding our young Dragon Knight and I will not let you dictate them as you please. Now be silent as this does not pertain to you,” said Master. I could tell he was very upset.
Sensing Adria’s reaction I spoke up. “Adria... He is Master Shadow, the Noble darkness dragon who has been teaching me how to become a Dragon Knight. He might look like a man now but that's only because of his magical powers. He says it’s more practical than walking around in his dragon body.”
“It is more practical when I want to walk around without a big crowd around me. You seem to be fine if you can come up with wise remarks. All four of you will come with me,” he said taking notice that Adria was about to protest. “There is a team of healers waiting for us in Sky Dome and they will take care of Alex and Axcel.”
Apology
When we got to the Sky Dome a few healers patched Axcel and I up, although Axcel would have to go to the infirmary later to check his ribs. Master appeared in his dragon form and ordered us to go to the fountain in the center of the dome.
I had never been to this part of the dome. It was made out of glass and white stones and you could see the entire Dragon Hold from up here. In the center was the fountain. It was made out of white marble and seemed to get its water from magic because I couldn't see any pipes or running water anywhere close to it. A very complex spell must power it. If that’s true, it must be very old.
“The reason I brought you four here is simple and completely unrelated to what happened today.” He took a pause and looked up as if praying to something, an outlandish idea considering dragons don’t believe in any deity. This worried me as it was unusual for Master to pause. “Two more Dragon Knights have been discovered in the academies of Halla and Dextra. One is a noble and the other is a commoner. Axcel, I brought you here because you are a Noble and unlike most, you are not arrogant, self-centered or incredibly stupid. You also happen to be an exceptional mage. I need you to keep the other Nobles in the Academy away from her. Given the history between your families, I won’t ask you to interact with her, but you have to make sure to keep other Nobles away.”
“So it’s a her? This is going to be a troublesome job Lord Shadow, but I shall try my best,” said Axcel.
“Good, now Max I need you to be the commoner’s friend since she will be assisting your classes. You are to help, and if need be, protect her. I know I am asking a lot from you and I don’t even know you, therefore I will also have Alex start attending healing classes. She had already begun training in the healer branch; even among Dragon Knights healers are very rare.”
When Max failed to answer because of shock, Axcel did for him. “Thank you Grand Master Shadow for trusting us with these missions. I promise we will not fail you,” said Axcel, as he bowed and pushed Max's head so that he would bow as well.
“Um.... We won't fail,” said Max trying to shake off the shock of being considered worthy of a mission given by a dragon.
“And I am sure you won't. Now go rest while I talk to Adria and Alex,” said Master, as the healer team escorted them out.
“Now, will you tell me what happened word for word? And don't worry you won’t be punished for what happened. I dislike most Nobles as much as you,” said Master with a playful tone I hadn't heard before.
After I told him what happened, he questioned me on how I felt and how tired I was. Adria filled in the blanks except for the Vorm’s thought of liking her and also gave the whole story from her perspective. I must say I sounded pretty cool.
“Well, it seems you are very fond of Adria. If not the Vorm would have attacked her the same way it attacked Axcel. It's amazing that you can form a complete darkness Vorm, something even the most experienced Dragon Knights struggle with, and only with two months of training. Had you not become a Dragon Knight you would have probably become the most powerful mage this academy has…” His thoughts seemed to wander for a moment before continuing. “Moving on to more pressing issues… Alex as the first of this new generation of Dragon Knights and the only current Knight to have a legendary attribute deal makes you the new Knights, Senior Knight. You will have to help them and protect them against others. You had little contact with your friends during these last two months and that’s going to change now, but your duties as a Knight come first. Ilena being noble born will be very powerful; she might even come to be on par with you sooner than what you would expect. That means you are going to have to train faster and harder to maintain your edge over her. You must master the darkness Vorm and start training on the next set of spells before she arrives here with her dragon master. Evey is also speculated to be a natural, so you will be pressed to keep your superiority over both girls. This is where you come in Adria. Since Alex's darkness Vorm runs the risk of attacking, and if the situation is right, killing its opponent even if it’s under control, you who are viewed by it and Alex as friends won't be harmed. That's why I want you to help him train and at the same time you will pick up new abilities that will give you a better chance at achieving second place in the upcoming exams. It will also improve your team skills. Given the risk there is in using darkness magic I will personally oversee your training. Also I believe we will have a visit from the Dragon Council in a few weeks I expect you to-“
“Who said I wasn’t going to win?” interrupted Adria clearly annoyed. “And a Dragon Council? We have been taught all dragons are free to do as they please and answer to no central figure.”
“I was going to ask about that Master. It’s what we are taught in class but that doesn’t concur with the Dragon Knights Order. From what you have told me, the Order has an elder council that is composed of the four Cardinal dragons and four human representatives who have achieved the rank of Dragon Rider and they dictate orders to the Knights and their respective dragon teachers. Since there is only one Dragon Rider, the council was absolved. But that still leaves the question of who our leader is and you have mentioned the Dragon Council before but never fully explained what it is.”
“You are a rude little human aren't you, Adria. If you must know, all 5 Academies belong to us dragons, even if the Noble houses and the Empire run them. The academies were originally built to better our relations with your ancestors and to teach them the inner workings of magic and the world, as we knew it. But as time passed and the Knights were established this particular academy became our home, thus we meet and live here if so we choose to. The academies soon became something all dragons hold on to dearly as it represents something we had never had in the whole of our history; a safe place to live and nurture our young. Secondly, all dragons are free to do as the please; roam the land as they please and eat anything they please so long as it is not a sentient being. The Dragon Council was established to correct wrong doings from rogue dragons and to make decisions that involve our whole species. We also count as the current heads of the Dragon Knights. As Alex said, there are usually four dragons, although not always the four Cardinal Lords, and four humans on the elder council of the Order. But since the number of Knights is so low, we voted to remove the human leaders of the Order. Now I think that is enough of a history lesson. Remember you barely have one month until you start the exams and the new riders will arrive in two weeks’ time. Both of you must rest and we will start with your real training tomorrow. I will have Alex walk you to your dorm. I think both of you have a lot to talk about.”
“Yes Master. Come on Adria, let’s go,” I said pulling her by the arm to walk along side me. She didn't speak until we had left the Dragon hold.
“I don't like him. He might be a dragon but he thinks too lowly of humans.”
“He is not always like that. He will eventually grow on you. I know because I felt the same. After the first three weeks of seeing him every day, he became more cheerful and even encouraged me to try different spells and other stuff. He sometimes acts like a friend rather than a teacher. Besides, I had just left the hospital. How would you feel if your student got into a fight right after leaving the hospital? And let’s not forget he has trained me well enough so I could beat Eric and Lester on my own,” I said smiling at her.
“Ha! As if that is an accomplishment… I can beat them too you know and I am not even one of the ‘legendary’ Dragon Knights. You have to hear what our classmates think of you,” she said laughing. It was nice to see that smile I was so familiar with.
“And what do they say about me?” I asked curiously.
“Are you kidding me, as if you don’t know? The first Dragon Knight in twenty-five years and he is in our class. ‘He is so cool!’ ‘He is so strong.’ I wonder if they would find you so wonderful if they knew all your bad qualities like I do?” she said nudging me with her shoulder.
We were silent for a bit. Then a dark thought made its way into my mind.
“So tell me Adria,” I said seriously, “In two months you have managed to only speak to me when you absolutely had to. Some would consider that as a sign of hatred towards me. Why have all of my friends avoided me? More importantly why have you, my best friend, avoided me?”
She stopped and grabbed my arm. “How can you even think that? I have known you since we were kids and you would think that I didn't want to see you? It's not just me, Max, Jack, Maria, and Evelyn, we have wanted to talk to you but with all the rules of how we are supposed to act in front a Dragon Knight, we assumed that if you wish to talk to us, you would make an effort. But after the first week went by, we figured you either couldn't talk to us because of your other classes or you were told not to by the dragon.”
“Well I don't have any other classes aside from my training with Master, battlemage training and now healing training and Master didn't say anything about my friends, I just didn't have much time. I guess it is both of our faults.” Remembering the long guide book of regulations and behaviors that were to be followed when a Knight was present and how a Knight should answer, it all made sense. ”I am sorry that I didn’t find a moment to talk to you, I promise it won’t happen again.”
“You bet it won’t happen again because I will not let it,” she said behind a small grin hidden by her hair, she squeezed my arm.
“I won’t let it happen either.” I said, glancing at her.
Again more silence as we started walking. “You knew who Master was when he first walked out of my shadow?” It wasn’t really a question as I just wanted confirmation.
“Well… I wasn’t 100% sure but aside from the Chairman, I don’t think there is anyone who could have done that except a dragon.”
“You have guts to interrupt, ignore and question a dragon especially that one. I have been with him for two months and he has shown me perhaps a fraction of his powers.”
“You sound like you admire him.”
I thought about it. Did I admire Master Shadow or was I simply in awe of his powers which was really the same thing.
“I guess I do admire him.”
Another long pause, “So looks like we will be seeing each other a lot more these next few weeks with us training together and all that?”
“Yeah I think so. It’s going to be fun, like the good old days when we were small,” I said smiling.
“Yeah.” Then she mumbled something I could barely hear, “Except we aren’t small anymore.” And then she looked down letting most of her hair cover her face.
Before I could ask her what she meant, we had reached the girls dorm, which was naturally off limits to the male students. This rule in particular is reinforced by a magic spell placed by the first chairman of the academy centuries ago. A lot of legends have risen of students dying from trying to break into the dorms, but those are just legends used to keep male students away. Master Shadow said so himself. ”It is just a rumor used to keep students away. All that spell will do is give you a nasty zap or frost bite if you try to force your way into it without the appropriate defense spells.” And since I wasn’t in any rush to be zapped or freeze a body part, I stopped a good 50 meters from the main entrance.
“Well, this is where I say goodbye,” I said. “I hope you rest well.”
“Yeah, I hope you do too.” And with that she left and so did I.
Fated meeting
As I was heading back to the Sky Dome, I decide to take a longer route and wait for night to fall. I had wanted to see the stars for a long time but never had gotten the chance to do so. I was always too tired at the end of the day and after today’s events had it not been for those magic healers that gave me a bit of their power, I would have been sleeping long ago.
The night was still. When I looked up to the sky and my eyes adjusted to the darkness and it began to glitter to life. Thousands of bright spots shined, some were blue, others red and a few yellow and white. Had it been really been that long ago that I last looked at them? The stars seemed to be so much more alive than before, so full of color. It was like an ocean, an ocean of stars. It then occurred to me, my eyesight should have also improved after the becoming a Dragon Knight, everything else had so why not my eyesight?
It was then I started to recall all that had happened in such a short period of time. Two months ago I was an orphan, living in an orphanage with my friends and the people I had known for all of my life. Coming to the academy had always been a goal for all of us at the orphanage, to escape the life of a simple peasant; here we could study to become anything, mages, battlemages, scribes, lawbringers and other important things. But I got the ‘distinct’ honor of becoming a Dragon Knight. Meant to serve all of humanity and protect it from its enemies and itself if need be. It wasn’t what I wanted especially when it had stripped me of all my friends, even Adria, my most precious friend.
My thoughts were disturbed by a voice suddenly coming from behind me. “Beautiful isn't it?” said the voice behind me.
I turn to see a woman standing behind me. I should have sensed her approaching, how did she get so close to me? Was I so involved in my thoughts; that I lost all perception of my surroundings or maybe she was an exceptionally powerful magician, powerful enough to hide her presence from a Dragon Knight with a darkness attribute in the middle of the night?
