Racing the Storm

Chapter 5

It wasn't long after Thalia and Avis' little free fall that they arrived back in Waikus. They flew over the port town of Duvaria and then over the smaller farm town of Blackwater Grange, which rested on the banks of the Arantxa River. That was where Avis was from, though Thalia had never been.

They coasted over Dellishall and landed in front of the main building. It looked like a fortress. Grey stone stacked high in to the sky with small but many windows, except for the ones on the first floor. Those ones stretched quite far, nearly floor to ceiling. The reinforcements in the glass criss crossed over each other like a lattice and prevented someone from breaking through the window. The grey lines matched the stone but contrasted against the dark blood oak of the frames and the door. The main door was intricately carved, telling a story to all those that stopped to look.

It told the story of dragons and humans, of adventure and triumph. How fascinating that so much emotion could be stored in a dead tree used to separate a building from its outside.

The handles were dark iron, forged in a dragons fire. The hinges matched. Legend said that if the hinges squeaked when you first opened the door, you wouldn't graduate. Thalia had never heard them squeak even once but maybe she was just lucky.

Tuuka's claws sunk in to the soft grass. His rider leaped down, nearly falling over from the sudden change. She had been sitting down for so long her legs forgot how to stand. She regained her balance with a laugh and scratched beneath her dragons' wing to reward him for a job well done.

"Go rest, I'll see you tomorrow," She planted a kiss on the dragons' shoulder and let him fly off towards the mountains. Five others followed him to do the same, they deserved it.

Thalia looked to the adults, "You guys may go to your dorms. Shower, change, and get to class. You're allowed to be late, not absent," Corrington barked.

The students nodded and right as they were about to all make their way to their dorms, another voice.

"You guys did good. Thank you for your help," Hastings said with a sweet, fatherly smile.

"Anytime," Thalia was the only one who said it loud enough for the man to hear. The others were already starting to walk, so Thalia did too.

Faintly she could hear dragons around, playing with each other or their riders. There are faint conversations as kids come back from combat or flight training. As she nears some of the dorms she spots some kids in the quad in study groups. Thalia passed the incredibly fancy dining hall and went to her dorm hall. 

"Hi Thalia," One girl sitting on the couch said as she came in. She had an arm on the back of the couch, resting behind another girl who Thalia didn't recognize in the moment.

"Hey Maddie," She replied as she briskly walked through the main room. 

She felt gross and needed to shower before anything else. She hurried up to her room and stripped, jumping in to the shower without even waiting for it to warm up.

Maybe she was high maintenance, but Thalia didn't like going more than two days without a shower.

She took her time scrubbing herself and let her legs get used to being up again. She let the water embrace her and welcome her stiff muscles back home. Thalia silently prayed she'd never have to do anything like that again. As much as she loved the adventure, she liked not being sore more.

When the water began to run cold again and her fingers became pruny Thalia finally got out of the shower. She wrapped herself in a towel and walked to her dresser, dripping water all over the floor in the process.