The Sixth Dragon Rider

Part 12

*A/N: I changed Heaven's name to Nirvana so when you see that in this chapter that's who Nirvana is! It might take me a bit to change it in every chapter though, so give me time! Now, enjoy the chapter!*

Aura sat on a dusty chair, her knee bouncing, with Salarah by her side as Gera carefully turned the journal, slowly reading the words etched on it's cover. There was an air of silence in the room and a feeling of tension as the girls sat with bated breath. Gera squinched her eyebrows together for a moment, as if considering something, before turning to look up at the girls.

"Now, you must remember," she began, "all languages change over time and Dominarum Script is no exception. What you have asked me to translate is very ancient, as I believe I have told Aura before, and this is only a rough translation-"

"Just get to it!" Salarah yelled out inpatiently, though not unkindly, then quickly covered her mouth, "sorry."

"Mind your manners, darling, many of the young masters would not be quite so forgiving if you interrupted them, and we don't need trouble. Now, as I was saying, this is only a rough translation, but I believe the words to be something along the lines of 'Key of air, locked in mind, waiting for, only the brightest, to find'. Now this makes little sense to me and it probably makes even less to you but I'm sure in time it will come to you. Cassandra was famed for her riddles but, difficult as they were, there was always a solution."

"Key of air, key of air? What could that possibly refer to? And locked in mind? How do you find something if it's in someone's mind?" Aura murmured as she mulled over the words.

"Hmm, could it be referring to telepathy? Telepaths can see into people's minds," Salarah suggested.

"But that wouldn't explain the key of air and that wouldn't explain that line about the "brightest" being able to find the key," Aura said, "were there any powers that allowed Cassandra to lock things away or hide them?"

"A little time to think may tell more than we could ever come up with now. You both should hurry back to bed now, being out and around after curfew is a serious offence and could end in suspension or expulsion for you Aura, and possibly loss of your position Salarah."

"Really? For a curfew infraction?" Aura inquired, incredulous, "I'll just be getting along then, see if you can come to the library tommorow Salarah and bring Kalia if you can, we can try to work out the riddle together."

"Alright," Salarah said, a ghost of a smile creeping across her face, "I'll send a note to tell you when I can come, goodnight!" And with that she was out the door and down the hallway is a whoosh of wind.

"I'll be getting along too, goodnight Gera, and thank you for your help," Aura said standing to leave.

"Goodnight dear girl, I'll tell you if I find anything, and do not be discouraged if the answer is hard to find, sometimes it is when we least expect it that the answer comes," Gera said, rising from her seat as well and quietly sweeping past Aura out the door.

At her desk in her room Aura sat, playing with the tip of her quill. She was desparetly trying to rember her first lesson in Dragon Teachings where they learnt about some of the more uncommon powers for dragon riders to receive. She was sure there had been a section on powers that it took one's mind to use but she just couldn't rember what they were.

"Telepaths and telekinesis and tele-, tele-, agh! Is there even another type of tele- power?!?" She cried out in annoyance, slamming her hands on the desk.

"Who even cares? Who even cares!?!" She said, her voice taking on a hysterical note, "I'll just do my homework and attend my classes like any other cadet here. Yes, and I'll give up all this special powers and locked journals and crazy ancient woman who probably just spewed nonsense and threw the key down a river and convinced herself that it was "locked in her mind" and be normal!"

Aura finished her rant and collapsed on the desk sobbing. Letting the quill fall from her hands and then tossing them over her head Aura sucked in deep hiccuping breaths as countless tears escaped from her eyes. She did not feel Nirvana creep up onto the desk and curl up next to her sobbing form, nor did she pay attention to the first ticklings of Nirvana's voice and it began to swirl through her mind.

"Why?"

"Wh-why what?" Aura asked, lifting her head from the table and wiping a hand under her eyes.

"Why give up so soon? You haven't given up proving that you can be as good as everyone else else yet, why give up this?" Nirvana clarified.

"Well it's, it's obvious isn't it? Me and you we're bound together and that means being a dragon rider is my destiny, you can't give up on destiny," Aura hiccuped.

"Is there a way to tell your destiny?" Aura inquired.

"Well, no, but sometimes it's obvious," Aura said, flushed.

"And sometimes it's not," Nirvana replied in a singsong voice, if dragons even had a tone like that.

"Look, what're you getting at," Aura said, annoyed.

"Oh, nothing really just trying to make conversation, without this mystery all we'll have is your homework and conversation to busy ourselves with, so we might as well get good at talking," Nirvana replied, still in the same singsong-y voice.

"Well, I'm still quitting and that's not gonna change," Aura said, getting up and beginning to walk across the room.

"Ok," Nirvana simply replied in an even tone.

"Is there something you want to tell me? It feels like there is," Aura demanded.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you want me to tell you something?" Nirvana asked.

"No," Aura said firmly, then turning around, " maybe?"

"Oh, well then follow me. That is if you're considering not giving up?"

"I, I'm not giving up, just cutting my losses."

"What losses?"

"Be quiet. I guess I'll go with you, just to see, I'm still not entirely stuck on going back to Cassandra's world of riddles and mysteries," Aura said.

"Alright," Nirvana replied and bounded across the room to go perch on the bookshelf.

"You wanted to take me to the bookshelf?"

"Well, these were Cassandra's books, as this was her room, so if any books have the answer these ones will," Nirvana explained, walking across the top of the shelf.

"Ok," Aura said slowly, walking across the room to sit in front if the bookcase, "from the bottom up then."

A/N: I'm back! And I am truly sorry for the two month wait, I was on a little hiatus, bit now I think I may be able to update a little more regularly. I'll probably start with twice a month updates, and try to work my way to even more updates. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as you probably saw above if hanged Heaven's name to Nirvana because I liked the sound if it better. I hope this is a change mutually loved across my readers. Also the cover contest is over, so I will be announcing the winner in the next chapter. Finally to all my faithful voters, commenters and followers I love you all with my entire heart and I will see you in the next chapter!

Bye for now, Kat