Lotus and Lila

The faded roars of dragons woke Lila from her sleep. She’s always had the same dream.

         A white dragon egg, milky, and sparkling with other colors when the sunlight played across its features. And just before she touched it, she would wake.

         “Lila! Your father wants you to fly Night into town to buy some brimstone! Breakfast is ready!”

         Breakfast? The war had made food materials nearly impossible to get. How could there be breakfast?

         She tugged on her riding jacket and boots, and leggings that made it easy to ride and run when needed. Her queendom’s symbol embroidered onto all of her clothing. A wolf paw.

         She grabbed her purse, filled with 200 crowns, and strapped her dagger to her belt. It would make combat easier, and plus, riding a dragon with a sword buckled to your hip was awkward.

         That done, she braided her white hair into a braid nearly reaching her waist. And bounded down the stairs.

         Porridge. To Lila’s nose it smelled heavenly after eating soup all the time. She noticed her older brother, Alec, sharpened his blade. He was going to Tymon’s School for the Juvenile Military. He wanted to become part of the Royal Guard who protected the queen. He was only a step down from Dragon Riders, who were a close protecting. Lila was gifted to be a rider; Alec was not.

         He grinned, and she rolled her eyes. She may only be seventeen, but she was by far more mature.

         It’s not like you were trained to be a rider, you had to have the one mark that lets you really connect with dragons. The Eyes.

         Her eyes were blue with sprinkles of gold. Every rider had gold in their eyes. Hers were more prominent against her white hair, and her Rider Mark. A tattoo of a dragon circling the royal crown next to the Queen's symbol on her clothes.

         She gulped down the cold mush, and hurried outside, “Alec? I might need you to come with me,” she said. She was no good with swords, but her knife skills made up for that.

         He shrugged and returned his blade to its scabbard before following her across the lawn to the Barn. Where dragons were kept.

         Dragons were about the size of over-grown horses. And their necks made them seem taller. Night was Lila’s town dragon. Friendly to other people, but not too friendly.

         She grabbed the saddle, and headed to the stall near the end. A big, black dragon watched her through slitted pupils, and she heard in her mind, we are going somewhere? Yes?

         And riders were born with telepathic abilities, “Yes, girl. We’re going to the market to get more brimstone.”

         We are running low?

         “Yes.”

         Night nodded her head and adjusted herself to where Lila could fit the saddle on her back and adjust the straps to her liking.

         Alec stood watching. He stayed away from the other stalls; dragons did not react well around him. But Lila made sure Night never snapped at anyone. He had his hand resting on the hilt of his blade, “I don’t get it, what is brimstone for?”

         Lila rubbed Night’s nose, then turned to her brother, “brimstone is what enables dragons to create the gas to start fire. You didn’t think they actually breathed it, did you?”

         Alec stared at the ground, but Lila saw his cheeks redden with embarrassment. Next year, I’ll be going to Tymon, she thought, and I’ll learn magic and riding skills Alec could never even begin to imagine.

         She led Night outside, and boarded the good-sized dragon, strapping herself in. She told Alec to get behind her and do the same.

         When they were both ready, Night took off, easily carrying the weight of two riders, you are so light that the boy makes up for it. Night said.

         Lila was small, but she was super quick, and Alec was all height and muscle. And his hair was black. He favored their mother, who was a clan member, and Lila favored her father, a rider.

         When they landed, Alec was gripping the spike in front of him so tightly his knuckles were white. He never liked flying, he preferred horseback. Lila gently landed Night outside the stables just outside of town. Townfolk didn't take kindly to being knocked around by dragons, so the Queen established stables outside for Riders to park their dragons until they left. Royal Guard dragons had it easier, so Night had is own stall. She handed the stable boy the reins, and told him, "Run him down and make sure he eats."

         The stable boy gave them a curt nod, and loaded Night next to a male green.

         She gave him a crown, “We won’t be long.”

         They went into the market, full of people performing and buying and selling, and some pick-pockets. Lila made sure to keep one hand on her dagger.

         They went to the brimstone seller; Lila was oblivious to the smell of brimstone. Dragons didn’t mind it either, but Alec wrinkled his nose and covered his nose and mouth with a cloth.

         The seller, Jazz Rumson, saw her, “Lady Lila! It’s so wonderful to see you! How can I help you?”

         “I need fourteen bags of brimstone powder, Jazz,” Lila said, “And don’t call me “Lady”.”

Jazz took her order, “Just in time. I got a new shipment from the mines just this morning. That’ll be 32 crowns.”

         Lila paid the price, and then said, “Night’s lodged in the stables. Get somebody to send it there.”

         He nodded and returned to customers while Lila and Alec walked away. Suddenly, Alec froze.

         Lila followed his gaze, and screamed.

         A body, a bloody, hanging body hung from an iron fence. Sightless eyes faced the sky, brown swimming with gold.

         She placed a hand over her mouth, shaking, “Somebody!”

         People from the street rushed to where they were, and froze when they saw the body, “It’s bloody Deroon!” someone shouted.

         Deroon; the goldsmith.

         Alec covered Lila and they struggled through the crowd to the main square. Lila shook with fear, tears streaming down her cheeks.  Deroon created magical gold pieces for wizards and riders, and Lila recently had an amulet made that would let her run faster to and from the Church Schools. It had worked so far.

         She sat on a burlap sack of flour, “Oh my god, who could have been so cruel?”

         Alec sat next to her and rubbed her back in a comforting way, “The Guard will find whoever did this. But, I think-”.

         Lila had a vacant stare, something Alec recognized, saying a dragon was speaking to her, “they brought a tracker dragon there. It found the scent- a street lord. Someone by the name of Jolie Harmon.”

Alec froze in horror.

         Jolie, his old friend? His partner in sword fighting? That innocent, beautiful Jolie?

         Alec knew where to find her.

         “I’ve got to go, meet me in the stables around noon,” he mumbled to his sister, who had red eyes from crying.

He ran down the street, shouldering people out of the way, and headed toward North wedge alley.

         There, a lump covered in a deerskin blanket. He pulled it away.

         The lump shouted, “Hey! Who do you think you are?”

         And then it raised its head.

         Jolie frowned, “Do I know you?”

         Alec realized he was a lot taller than her now, and his hair was longer, and he was muscled a lot more. She seemed the same, except for the bump in her nose where it looked like it had been broken once.

         “Jolie?”
         Her eyes widened, “That voice… Alec?”

         He didn’t answer, just stared at her in amazement.

         She got to her feet and they watched each other warily, and then she spoke in scorn, “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m lying here in the streets, huh? City-boy.”

         His eyes flared in anger, “what happened to you? You were at the top of the class, but this, murder? It’s beyond you.”

         She looked confused, “Murder? What are you talking about?”

         “Deroon was murdered on Lou Avenue. Stabbed and then impaled into a fence. The Guard had a dragon catch the murderer’s scent, and it was you. How are you going to explain that?”

         Jolie looked scared, “Oh crap, he kept his promise.”

         Alec frowned, “who kept their promise? Jolie, answer me!”

         She paled and slid down the wall, “I cheated a wizard at blackjack, and his was peed off. Said he’d give me a warning before he came after me. I thought he was bluffing.”

         Alec stood there, trying to sort out the situation, “So you’re saying that you cheated a wizard, he said he’d kill you, and this was your warning?”

         She nodded soundlessly, “I joined this life because I had nothing left after Basic Training. Dad had died from fever, and he was the only one there for me. I had to live on the streets for 4 years now. I’m street lord. I run these streets’, I can pull a gold bar from someone’s bag without them feeling a thing. I could nap that sword on your hip and you’d never know it was gone. I’m different now, Alec. I’m not fifteen anymore.”

         She’d begun crying, and then Alec noticed something. Something in her eyes…, “Jolie, look at me.”

         When she did nothing he said it again more forcefully, “Jolie, look at me!”

         She turned to face him, and he gasped.

         Her eyes were swimming with Rider’s Gold.