Wild and Out of Control

|chapter one|

A dragon without its rider is a tragedy.

A rider without their dragon is dead.

- ARTICLE ONE, SECTION ONE, THE DRAGON RIDER'S CODEX

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|danica|

The sunrise is breathtaking today, and it would have been a peaceful start to the day if it had not been for the fact that today was Conscription Day.

     I tilt my head up as I stare into the stair corridor leading to the Commander of Basgiath's—otherwise known as General Sorrengail—office. I tap my foot against the hard stone of the floor as I wait for my friend, Violet, to come down. She is the youngest of General Sorrengail's kids, and up until six months, was destined for the Scribe Quadrant. I am still pissed at her mother for making her join the Rider's Quadrant, but one does not go against the wishes of a general unless you want to take up residence in the brig.

     For the time being, I go through my pack again to make sure I have everything I would need in the rider's quadrant. Extra pairs of clothing, a few knives, and a pack of medicinal herbs and bandages. There were perks of having a mother who was a healer, like the free pain-killer herbs she snuck to me so that when I was injured, I wouldn't feel the full effects of it. When and not if, because I was destined to get injured in the Quadrant; whether it be on the mat or during the Gauntlet. By the time I repacked everything in my pack, Violet and her older sister, Mira, came down the stairs. 

     "Took you long enough," I said as I slung my pack over my shoulder. I noticed that Violet now had her hair in a braid and was wearing black leather. "Aren't you supposed to wear black after you've bonded a dragon, Vi?" I tease, knowing full well that this was her sister's doing. After all, Mira was a bit overprotective.

     Violet rolls her eyes and points to her sister. "Her doing," is all she said before she linked arms with me. "Supposedly, this is supposed to protect me." She poked at the leather. 

     My brows scrunch together. "What? The leather? I know it looks cool, but it can still easily cut through with a knife or a sword." I shook my head but felt a hand land on my shoulder. Turning my head, I see Mira with something that looks an awful lot like a corset in her hands. "What is that?" I ask, examining the corset. It was green, and if I looked closer, it looked like it was made out of..."That's made out of dragon scales!" I gasped loud enough for Mira to shush me.

     "Quiet, Dani. Before anyone can hear," Mira scolded. "And yes, it's made out of Teine's scales that were shed. I happen to know a rider whose powers can make big things very small." A devious smile plays across her lips. "And smaller things...much, much bigger."

     Violet rolls her eyes and I snort. "How much bigger?" I wiggle my eyebrows at her, which earns a laugh from both sisters.

     Mira sobered quickly and turned serious. "The cadets in the Rider's Quadrant are as tough as it comes. They will try to kill you only if it gets them a closer chance at bonding with a dragon." Mira handed me the corset. "Here, wear this. It'll protect you." I nod and grab it. "We'll wait out here for you, Dani," she said as she led me to the closest closet to change in.

     After I changed into that very tight corset, we began walking toward the Parapet, the infamous bridge that cadets must cross to enter the Quadrant. The area before the ascent to the death bridge was packed with candidates hugging their parents for what might be the last time. I felt a pang in my chest as I imagined hugging my mother...and my father, even though he wasn't always there for me. Plus all the horrible things he's done as General Hawthorne, but he was still my father. I shake, brushing the feeling off as if it meant nothing. They weren't coming.