A Fifth Daughter [Book 1: The Dragon Rider]

Chapter ~ 10

~ Chapter 10: I'm Wounded, Cranky and I don't Know What a Jade Is ~

Day two of Dragonmage and it's about as gloomy as yesterday as we trudge through the thick mud the rain left for us. Filly gives out a great, big yawn as the morning sun tries to dry the ground on our way to The Arena. Eaton and Mandy walk in front of us exchanging words in joke like some people might arrows or fists. When around those two it's like Filly and I are by ourselves. Not that we mind. If any stranger were to look at us they'd think we'd been friends long before starting school yesterday – or meeting for the first time the day before.

"What exactly does mia fenghi mean?" I ask, biting into the apple I saved from breakfast. It's been a little thought nagging me lately. She's used it a few times since yesterday. She says it like 'ma fun guy' but I can't seem to roll the right letters for that combination to work out.

Her little sly smirk tells me of how bad it must have sounded tumbling over my tongue. "Little one."

I frown. "How exactly is that associated with you?"

She sighs and kicks a rock. It bounces and rolls and finally rests. "Because of my linage – half human, half Elf – I'm considered the runt of the tribe, even with my royal upbringing."

I blink a couple times. Royal upbringing? Instead of asking, I move to the next word she likes to say. "And cal'in?" Which sounds exactly as it's spelled.

She huffs a little laugh. "It's a word without meaning. Basically it's a child's "bad word." Instead of 'crap' or 'shoot' like you like to say in place of choice words, we learned cal'in. It can mean anything in the negative since but isn't insulting because it doesn't have a true translation."

"That's... very interesting."

She shrugs. "Different cultures have different sayings. Even among Elven tribes there are words similar and completely different. Honestly I wish everyone knew one language. It'd make life so much easier." There's a pause and then she completely changes the subject. "You've given me a nickname, what's yours?"

I stiffen. The word Miracle resounds through my head in a baritone voice with the hint of humor. I shrug to hide my reaction. "I don't really have one. My brothers have teasing names for me, but nothing ever really stuck."

"Well, what'd they call you?"

I smirk. "Chase has called me Oak for as long as I can remember, and when Ry was younger he misheard it and renamed me Coke."

Filly nearly smiles and it has the hint of fondness. "Must be nice to have such loving brothers."

I smile at the pleasant memories I have of home and of my brother's affection. "Yeah, it's nice knowing they have my back, no matter how annoying they can be." I nearly laugh as I remember being thrown over Chase's shoulder and him ignoring my protests and elbows into his back.

Filly looks sad for a half a moment when I come back to the present. "I won't steal their names, so I'll have to think of a new one."

I nod.

A huge circular building made completely of stone arches and columns that take to the sky like the skyscrapers of Myth, comes into view. It can only be The Arena. The many wooden doors are open and the sloshy ground underneath us becomes hard stone; the heels of our boots slipping as the mud slowly swipes off.

"Wow." Filly says, spinning in a slow circle and gazing at the ceiling where curved stone crisscrosses its way up. "Is this an Original?"

"Yep." Eaton answers. Mandy continues on down the passageway having found someone else to nag. "Historians believe that's the only reason it's still standing. Although we all know it's from Legend's magic."