Through Smoke and Ashes

Three||Council

As if a spell had been placed over the people, all too soon, it was gone as an uproar of shock and delight rang through the crowd. I didn't have much time to register what had happened before I was pulled away from the center of attention and shoved behind a closed door. Chay and Keaton were by my side, as well as the man with golden honey hair. Outside, I could hear the bustling crowd's volume, their voices pounding on the door to see the female dragon rider.

"What happened?" I croaked out, confused and in awe.

Ahren paced before the closed door, not answering me as he battled his conflicting thoughts.

I turned to Chay and Keaton, who stared at me in bewilderment. The shock on their faces made me realize the events that went about just before. I looked down at the stone in my hand, recognizing its call to me. It's as if I had never been without it as I heard its whispers float through my head.

"I need to get you to the Academy. Immediately. We'll leave right now through the back," The golden-haired man said as he moved through the building. I just now realized we were in someone's shop. Leather gloves, saddles, and reins adjourned the wooden walls and boots of varying sizes were placed on shelves as high as the wall would go.

"Wait just a minute," Keaton stepped forward, stopping the man in his tracks. "You can't just take our sister away from us like that." He snapped his fingers in the air. "She has a family and parents out there who have no idea what's happening right now."

I silently nodded in agreement, not quite fully in the real world yet, as I heard the stone's songful cries of peace race through me.

"I'll find them," Chay said, moving toward the door. "You. Stay. Here." His stern voice had the man reluctantly agree in silence. Chay was gone through the front door, where people awaited him. Their cries were quieted down when the door closed, and the three of us were left to listen to their chanting.

I sagged into myself, realizing the weight of the situation. "How could this be?" I questioned aloud to no one in particular.

"One of the reasons we need to make our way to the Acadamy as soon as possible." Ahren moved toward the front door, peering out through one of the curtained windows. "The Council will need to be informed. Arrangements need to be made. The sooner we leave, the faster we can figure this out, and the faster we can get you to your bonded."

I perked up at the last part. My bonded. My dragon. I was a dragon rider. I fell against a seat, grasping at it with a weak hand as my other was still clutching the stone for dear life. I sat down, my knees weak from the news. A female dragon rider, me. Who would have thought?

Ahren moved away from the curtain and opened the door just as Chay reached it. Mom and Dad came in behind him, and the door was shut once again to the prying eyes outside.

"What's going on here?" Dad said, immediately turning his attention to the golden-haired man. Mom came to where I was, pushing my hair behind my ears as she knelt down to stare into my eyes. Her sapphire blue eyes stared into my dark brown ones that had a piece of hers haloing the edges. Concern pressed her features into a tight frown as she pressed a hand to my cheek.

"You're freezing, Navi dear." She said as she wrapped her black shawl around my shoulders. The colourful flowers decorated into the material gave me something to look at as Ahren explained the situation to my family.

Once hearing of the stone, my mom's eyes went to my hand that was clutched into a fist. Her hand wrapped around my own. Even though I knew I could trust her, something in me stirred at the thought of her stealing the stone from my hand.

"Oh, my baby," Mom said as she squeezed my hand.

I sighed roughly, "Mom, I'm twenty years old. I'm not a baby."