Dragon Riders

Chapter 3: The Trade

Serafina POV:

I broke the surface of consciousness as if I had belly-flopped into a lake. My whole body groaned as I tried to open my achy eyelids. After I pried my eyes open, I tried to move my arm. My body protested and rendered me motionless. I moaned loudly which got the attention of Juniper. She wandered over and looked down at me. Tsk Tsk Tsk, she scolded. I tried to move my wing, but a jolt of pain rushed through my body and terminated that path of action.

"Don't move!" Juniper commanded. "You've done so well! Just give it a couple days and you'll be on your feet again." I sighed but took her advice to heart.

A FEW DAYS LATER

My body no longer ached. I shifted my wings so that I could stand without stepping on them. I threw my body weight to the side and thrust out my front paws to catch myself. I then rose to all four legs. THUMP! My head crashed into the ceiling of the Wiop.

"OW!" I complained loudly. Why did I have to speak, I kicked myself mentally. Juniper yawned from her bed and began to sit up. Now I've woken her up! She carefully rose then turned to see me. She stood up tall, but I was twice her size.

"How magnificent!" she gushed. "I mean, you're huge! Let me just..." She rushed to her station in the corner and fumbled around in her belongings until she pulled out a measuring stick. She measured me quickly and squealed, "twenty and a half feet tall with a forty one foot wingspan!" Suddenly her voice became stern, "flap your wings!" I did as was told and created a billowing breeze. "Majestic," was all she could say. "Okay," she perked up. "Let's get you out into an open area so that you can fly."

We hurried out off the Wiop and into the meadow. The other Wiops were empty, so the beating of my wings would not bother anyone. I slowly began to wave my wings up and down. My momentum increased until a great ball of wind grew beneath me. The ball grew and grew until I could not suppress it. It lifted me right off the ground then I doubled my wing flaps and tilted forward. Zoom! I was an arrow leased from a bow, whizzing through the air. I shot myself upwards and rocketed into the clouds. I banked and tunneled through the moist fluff. I suddenly realized how stupid I must have looked. I slowly drifted down and landed calmly.

"What a rush!" I exclaimed. "What now?"

"Now, I take you to a Trader Elf," she answered.

"Wait," I said. "I have to leave you?"

"You knew this was coming," she reminded me. "As well as how soon, you have all the knowledge of the world."

"I know," I proclaimed. "But it feels too soon! It's all happened so fast! Will I do alright in Tura or wherever I end up?"

"You'll do great!" she promised. "Come on." She led me out of the Wiop meadow and back into the forest. We remerged in a larger meadow, this one infested with Dragons. We swam through the crowd and found a herd of Dragons huddled around one point. We joined the pack and found an Elf in the middle chatting it up with the Dragons. He was short, maybe three feet tall, with pointy ears and thick red hair atop his small head. I knew what would happen next.

We were going to be sold to humans. We could end up as workers, companions, pets, or even attractions. Our first stop would be Tura and then Del. Anyone not sold then would be given for free back on the outskirts of Tura for any type of work. The elf terminated his sidebar conversation and turned to the group.

"Hello," he beamed. "My name is Blithe. As you can probably tell, I am an Elf. Now, before you assume you can't trust me, you should know that I have been trading Dragons for quite sometime! Twenty years as of last month! Nothing to scoff at, mind you! Now, before we venture off, some of you have been selected to stay here in Beliu to perform tasks necessary to the up-keeping of this beautiful place. So, if I call your name, step forward and my friend," he gestured to another Elf beside him who waved enthusiastically, "will guide you to where you are needed." He paused and looked down at the list. He began to rattle off names, "Willow, River, Kiki, Saige, and Orion."