The Sixth Dragon Rider

Part 17

"Alright class, today we will be learning a skill that takes patience, coordination, a good aim and most importantly complete and total control over your dragon.  I suspect there will be some of you who fail entirely in every way with this skill, and, that being said, I am sure there will also be some of you who prove you are not the complete imbeciles you appear to be.  Now I will need you all to head to the stables and get your dragons as they will be necessary for class today.  Once you have gotten your dragon you will immediately return, no, and I mean absolutely NO lollygagging.  Should you return early it will probably be within your best interests to take up a bow and practice yours shooting, unless of course you have intentions to fail today.  Now all of you hurry along and get those dragons, and do it before I die, won't you?" Jerald  demanded, then noticing that Aura had stayed in her place while the rest hurried to get their dragons he turned to her, "That does include you Miss Aura."

"Oh, but sir, I already have Ni-, my dragon here," she said, terrified he'd noticed her slip-up where she almost revealed Nirvana's name.

"I'm sure you do, you seem to think you  and your dragon above the rest, but I still must insist that you go, the best student wouldn't need to stay behind to get the extra practice time now would she?" He asked, his voice nasty, and then turning sickly sweet.

"Never," Aura answered in a strong voice, "In fact I think you're quite right, I ought to go with the rest of them, wouldn't want me to outshine them too much now would we?"

Steam practically poured from her teacher's ears as his mouth gaped open and he muttered out muted syllables, trying to think of a good response.  He could never admit she was the best and agree that was the reason she should go, but he also couldn't go back on what he already said and risk looking a fool who was played by a girl of only 15 winters.  So he just stood there, moving his lips with no words coming out as she walked away in the direction of the other boys.  Laughing quietly to herself Aura continued in her direction until she was sure she was far enough away that he wouldn't see her stop to talk to Nirvana.

"Alright, well, I guess we should go to the stables now, if only to prove a point, the question is, where are the stables?" Aura said.

"Ugh, must we go there.  I visited it our first night here and it is dreadful," Nirvana said.

"Truly?  Why?" Aura questioned.

"Oh, words can't even describe it.  I think if you wish to know, it would be best if we simply just went." Nirvana said in a dramatic and then resigned voice.

"By the Goddess, I'm starting to think we really should stay away.  Is it truly that terrible?" Aura said, doubt setting in.

"You must see for yourself, it is just past this grove of trees," Nirvana replied and hopped down from Aura's shoulders to lead the way.

Crossing her fingers that the dragon was just being dramatic Aura began to follow her through the trees.  The sun shined down through their leaves casting a pattern of shadows on the ground and making their leaves glow green.  Overhead there wasn't a cloud in the shining blue sky, and Aura wondered if that was what the great body of water known as the Cassandrian Sea looked like.  She even believed she saw a dragon swoop through the sky a one point, it great wings spread wide.  The ground beneath her feet crackled with the sound of dead leaves each time she took a step, and she watched as a pair of small squirrels chased each other around the forest floor, their bushy tails swinging around. And then there were mountains in the distance, known as the Goddess's Ridge, that were silhouetted against the sky in such a way that if Aura let herself stop thinking for a second she could almost believe she was in the forest at home, rather than far away in a place where she was so unwelcome.