Ghost Rider

CHAPTER IX: The Spy

I drearily trudged up the long path that led to my cave. I didn't know why, but thoughts about Threk seemed to constantly invade my normally peaceful mind.

His friendly demeanor confused me. Normally us viking kids keep to ourselves, and don't introduce ourselves to random strangers; Valkaydans, or not.

I wanted to ban this queer boy out of my head, but he seemed to consistently tear down my mental barriers.

Why had he been so nice to me? What are his ulterior motives? I mean, someone that friendly has to have at least some. Right? Was he really sick for all that time? Or was he just a spy seeking to slither through the cracks of Valkayda's impregnable icy wall? Wait, no, that's so STUPID they would never send in a ten year old spy into one of the most secure dragon sanctuaries in the whole archipelago! Right? But then again, we did.

It's true. Dragon Protectors often dispatched children to carry out stealth missions.

Us children are small, and light on our feet. Not to mention we can fit into small cracks that grownups would normally find impossible.

Sometimes, if we're lucky, we even get to carry out an inside job mission. No one would ever suspect a child as being a spy.

In fact, carrying out a mission is our form of initiation for becoming a Dragon Protector. We have to choose our target, plan the attack, and plan our get away if one is necessary.

Anyway, back to the present.
I finally reached the cave, however, a quite opposite complexion was plastered on my face than my usual giddy self.

My eyebrows were furrowed, my lips were twisted into a thoughtful frown, and my face was contorted into a confused expression.

"Something go wrong today, love?" My mother queried in a concerned tone.

The sound of her voice startled me, and I jumped slightly as the imaginary dagger of her voice interrupting my unusual silence, sliced through my befuddled musings.

I thought she was just talking with the other elders! I thought in wonder.

I decided to voice my bafflements. "How, in Thor's name did you get here so fast?!" I asked in wonderment.

My mother chuckled at my question. "Cloudjumper, remember?" She asked rhetorically.

"Cheater." I mumbled

"Finish Dragon Riding, and you can do it too." She smirked.

I rolled my eyes. "What's with the attitude?" My mother inquired.

dang it! She must have saw me.

"I don't know. I guess it's just this boy that was at the graduation meal today. He kinda bothers me." I admitted.

"do you want to tell me why?" She offered.

"Well, for instance, he's ten but he's graduating a six year-old class, but he should be in combat. He said that he was sick for a long time, and was too weak to begin classes at the age we normally do." I started, stating every word slowly so my mom would understand the immensity of suspicion in this situation.

"What are his ulterior motives? He seems innocent. Too innocent. Not to mention he was nice to me today. Don't you find it a little suspicious that he's just randomly nice to the chieftess' only child? Don't you think it's a little weird that he's four years late to class?! Don't you think it's just a little odd that he just gets this random disease to be his alibi concerning his absence?"

My mother was laughing at my grilling, but I wasn't finished.
"I bet he's a spy, trying to defeat us from the inside out. I bet that he's trying to befriend me, just so I'll tell him everything I know about Valkayda so he can take information back to his evil masters, so that they can rage war against us and be the first to defeat us! Oh, the sinisterness. Oh, how dare he! Well, by golly I'm gonna get him a one-way ticket to Valhalla! Oh, yes! I'm gonna-"