Dragon Riders

Chapter 15: Beautiful Memories

Cade POV:

I like pretty things, huh? Well, if there was anything more pretty than Aspen running at me, sword at the ready, I think I might do a double take. Her braid was billowing in the wind, her silver top flowing out behind her. If she wasn't carrying a sword, I could have sworn I was supposed to catch her and spin her around like in one of those romantic comedy plays. But, yet, she sliced at me with her blade; I deflected, but knew I couldn't hold her off for long. For several minutes we went back and forth. She was on offense, then me, then her, then me again. Finally, after all the slashing, slicing, jabbing, and whacking I could muster, she disarmed me. I threw my hands up in a silent surrender. She smiled triumphantly at me, with her sword pointed directly over my heart.

"Aspen is the winner!" Iris announced. "She will be my second in command! Cade will be my third." Aspen's teeth glimmered in the glow of the setting sun.

Man, I sighed. Why can't I just tell her how I feel? The sharp metal point in my chest reminded me. Oh yeah, she's really intimidating.

Tell me about it! I looked up to see a red blob passing over the sun. He dove down and landed right next to me. Serafina was next. She swooped down and took her place at Aspen's side. Then, a rainbow of Dragons appeared, all returning to their Viys. Aspen still had not removed her sword from my chest, so I gently pushed it aside. Orion chuckled. I returned the favor by elbowing him in the neck. Serafina watched us with amusement. A small gray Dragon landed next to her. She was probably a third of Orion's size.

"This is Gwen," she introduced the Air Dragon. That kid Aspen fought.... What was his name again? Oh yeah, Eli! He raced across the meadow and burrowed underneath Gwen's wing.

"Eli!" Gwen shrieked. She lifted her wings up to reveal the little boy. "This is my Viy!" Serafina quickly explained their relation to Gwen.

"That's so cool!" I admitted after she finished. "What a small world, huh?" Just then, Iris crossed over to us with Shade. I could feel Orion's contempt building. What's up? I asked.

Tell you later, he promised.

"Hey you all," Iris greeted us. We smiled and waved at her. "Make sure you're back to you're meadow by sunrise. Alright?" We all agreed to these terms and then decided a night time fly would be cool.

"Orion," Serafina called. "You want to come?"

"No," he sulked. "I'm not really in the mood!" I furrowed my eyebrows. What was wrong with him? He would never turn down an opportunity to be with Serafina. He sensed my confusion. Don't worry about it, he warned. It's none of you concern.

Okay! I gave up. Geez! Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the forest this morning. He snorted at my attempt of humor. I felt his annoyance. Instead of bothering him further, I just dropped it. "Mind if I ride with you all?" I asked Aspen and Serafina. "My ride isn't in the mood." I mimicked his snort and annoyed expression. They giggled and nodded eagerly. Aspen flipped onto Serafina. This time, I was determined not to make a fool out of myself. I leapt into the air and landed perfectly on the back of Serafina's saddle. I wrapped my arms around Aspen's tiny waist. I could feel the heat radiating from her body. She cued Serafina and we took off, alongside Gwen and Eli. I watched Orion get up and shuffle into the woods. I had a bad feeling about this, but I chose to ignore it. I was with Aspen.

She was always pretty, but now she was beautiful. She was never truly happy until we arrived here. When I woke up in the Wiop, I saw her the happiest I ever have seen her. She had just become a Viy and she gave me that smile. Apparently she saved my life several times that day!

I don't remember much about the fall of Tura, except what happened right before. I had just arrived home from the castle and I saw shooting stars. I made a wish that I might get up the courage to court Aspen, but then I felt it. A massive wave of heat hit me and knocked me off my feet. I fell through the doorway. My siblings had huddled into the corner. I ran back outside to see a giant, black, Phoenix perched on the roof of a house nearby.

"Oh my!" I remember yelling. I ran to our small yard and untied our mules from their post. I lifted Alex and Jason, my brothers, onto one and then ran inside to grab my mother and father. I pulled them out of the bed and rushed them downstairs. Quickly, I aided my mother onto the mule and ordered my own father to hide in the outskirts of the city. If I didn't meet them there in an hour, they were to go to Del without me. He, surprisingly, obeyed me. Then, I remembered my scrolls. I quickly ran to my room under the stairs and retrieved them in a shoulder bag, but, before I could exit, the ceiling collapsed on top of me.

The crushing weight of the stones knocked the wind out of me. I gasped for breath and couldn't move a muscle. Then, I heard a high pitched scream. It sounded like my name. A large thud resounded outside. I heard someone enter the house. Footsteps echoed through my debris littered home. My name was called again and again; the second time I got enough breath to respond. Then, I saw her. My guardian angel. Aspen tried to dig me out, but couldn't. Suddenly, the roof was ripped away.

Serafina flapped downwards. She lifted the fallen staircase off of me and Aspen tried to lift me up, but the wall fell over. We both tumbled to the floor. She hoisted me onto the Dragon's back. The last thing I remember was looking down on my burning house. Of course, Aspen told me what happened next. They ran into Inferno twice and did some amazing acting. Then they arrived here and sent me to Juniper.

Hanging upside down woke me from my daydreams. My grip on Aspen was the only thing that kept me on Serafina. Using my legs, I latched myself tighter to the Dragon. Today, I really tried to impress Aspen. Hopefully learning to use weapons worked, because if it didn't I had no idea what to do. I looked into the night sky and saw the stars shimmering, giving light in the darkness. I was completely content. My best friend, and the girl I like, was with me along with her Dragon. Suddenly, I felt a feeling of true contempt inside me. That couldn't be me, I was totally happy! So it had to be... I looked down as we turned right side up and saw Orion wrestling with some massive black Dragon, surrounded by a circle of fire.

Shoot! I cursed mentally. Orion! What did you do? I quickly nudged Aspen.

"What Cade?" She wondered, deep in thought herself.

"We have a problem!" I confessed, shaking her shoulder and pointing down at the two Dragons fighting. She glanced down quickly, then did a double take.

"Is that Orion?" She gasped turning to me. I nodded sharply. "And Shade?" Serafina, of course, read her thoughts and was staring down at her friends. She answered the question directed to me by giving a loud growl. We held on tight as she dove down to end the nonsense playing out beneath us.