The Dragon Rider's Curse

The Cracks Start to Show

The next morning I tried again to reach some welts still on my back and rear with the cream but couldn't reach still. However, I left in my training clothes and cloak to eat breakfast with the twins, smelling amazing. The twins were both enchanted with the way I smelled. I should get them each something nicer for this winter's Eve holiday. They had settled in so well. They each were bubbles of news about new friends, the classes, clothes, etc. Gertty told me they were extremely intelligent and not far behind their counterparts. They were catching up quickly and showing real potential. I should have known that with such a great start to the morning my day would go downhill from there. Professor Callum gave me a test to check how far I was progressing myself, and I failed spectacularly.

"I told him this wouldn't work." Professor tisked as he paced in front of my desk holding the test. "You can't prepare someone this fast when they don't even have the basics most nobility grow up knowing all their life." Callum sighed.

My face fell. If I wasn't up to snuff I would have to leave. Atleast the twins had a future now but that would also mean we would be separated. I would never take them with me to starvation and poverty when they were getting an education and would someday have a vocation. But it would be heartbreaking to walk away. "Please Professor Callum is there anyway I can improve? I just have to succeed." I pleaded.

Callum slammed the test onto his desk making me flinch. "I told him! I told him it wasn't possible to do this. And now you have been given false hope." The Professor took a deep breath and then looked at me fully. "You can improve but there is no way to bring you up to the level of other students in the few days we have left." Callum gave me a soft sympathetic look I was all to familiar with.

I felt my blood sizzle again like it seemed to do all the time now when I got angry. "Listen I understand keeping expectations low especially for someone like me. But just this once, please teach me all you can and let me handle the rest." I said firmly keeping a lock on my anger.

Callum took a look at the test and then at me. "What four kingdoms make up Panthro?"

I paused, surprised at this response. "Um The Sunlight king has the southern east region. It's red on the map. His main commerce is fruits and the rarer red dragons favor his kingdom due to it's dormant volcano Flamishna. But the name of the kingdom I can't remember. Yoslaynum is the north-east kingdom with it's main commerce such as skins, clothing, rare fabrics, and overall fashion. It's king is the Ornamental king. It is said, this is because he sets all the trends but whispered it is truly because he has no power and his rule of the ten advisors are the true rulers. The south-west and north-west kingdoms are both smaller. Their names both start with a T... The north-west main commerce is jewels and the south-west commerce is crops. All these kingdoms can't exist without the other and so the treaty was formed after 400 years of fighting and hoarding. Now prosperity flows and no one goes hungry!" I proclaimed the last part I remembered learning, sarcastically. Perhaps the nobles of our four kingdoms truly did not know people were starving everywhere. Although war had been worse. "This school, battle fortress is nestled between the two northern kingdoms mostly on the north-west side. It had been a fortress to launch from during the war, however when the treaty was signed the kingdoms only needed protection from the other side of the mountain and this location is the best. It is halfway between either end of the mountain range and near the mountain pass wall and outpost. Our north-west kingdom is smaller but most of it was shoved up against the mountain range. It became a school for dragon riders because the dragons decided they liked it best. Whatever the massive, fire breathing beasts say goes unless we want a war with them. From what I heard they love their riders but barely tolerate others. The local nobles come here to learn to be other things too like mages or a high-level vocation. But schools where you learned things other than dragon riding are dotted all over the kingdoms. This is the only school where dragon riders are trained."

"What you wrote here, a single name of the one kingdom you can remember Yoslaynum; that isn't even the kingdom you live in Turbathin. Despite all that you have a decent grasp of the subject matter. Yet young nobles entering this school would know all the names, butthat would be the end of their knowledge. You know the real life applications of the kingdoms and their commerce. Perhaps I am biased being raised in a noble home myself and raised knowing all the names. What we teach in the classroom is the things you already know." Professor Callum stroked his small beard. "Maybe a change in curriculum would be in order." He moved to the stacks of books around us, shouting out a question from the depths about things I did or didn't know. He came back with an arm load of books and swept the other books on my desk into a rolling cart. We started again, this time learning along a different direction. It was a lot of memorizing and learning things I thought was completely useless. But Professor said I had a firm grasp on the reality side of things. I had to switch out the books he sent me home with in my satchel and we ended early so he could plan tomorrow's attempt and new test. I wasn't pleased with the later announcement. However, being out early I headed to the training yard. Dominic wasn't there but some young men were sparing with real swords. The other end of the training yard had equine mounted riders doing drills. I sat down on a stone and opened my book to begin studying but I kept getting distracted by the grunts of the men and clash of swords. It was like a beautiful dance. I also noticed where the one man was too wide spread like I had been before Dominic tightened up my stance. I gave up comprehending anything in my book and openly watched the match. The man on my left side was more muscled and looked like he depended on that, but it fell flat as his stance was wide and not under him to lend the power he possessed. The guy on my right side was slimmer and faster but had zero strategy. He missed several times the larger man left himself open. Muscles, the larger man, noticed me watching and flashed me a bright smile. His fighting became more violent and frenzied. It finally ended with him standing over his opponent his sword tip at his throat. They ended the match and Muscles came my way, that grin back on his face.

"My match, I dedicate to you fair maiden." Musceles said with a dramatic bow as he reached me.

"Ummmm....." I honestly didn't know what to say with that. Who dedicates matches? And how does he know I am a maiden. I guess this is why Professor Callum was changing the curriculum because I was woefully ignorant in these things nobles seemed to take for granted. "Your stance was off." I blurted out without thinking. I was desperate to just say anything more intelligent than 'ummmm'.

"My what?" Muscles startled, then turned agitated.

"Your stance. Your feet were too wide and you lost some of your strength by not having your core powering your strokes. Plus had your opponent noticed the openings you left by doing wider swings instead of staying collected and precise, the match might have ended differently. Furthermore, sword skills you show from instruction, any match or success you have, should be dedicated to your teachers and yourself."

Muscles had been on the other side of the fence but now climbed over and advanced toward me aggressively, his face red with fury. Now I had done it. No need to worry about learning enough when my foolish mouth was going to get me run through with a sword. I suddenly realized how patient Dominic had actually been with me.

"That pretty face, breasts, and hair doesn't matter so much when you open your mouth. Learn to shut it or a real man will fill it for you." Muscles sneered.

My anger flared up and my skin felt like it was prickling from my blood sizzling under the surface.

"You surely are not implying what I think you are Forbes." A low growling voice said a little behind me. I jumped. I had been so focused on Muscles or Forbes I guess I hadn't realized Dominic was standing behind me. Apparently Forbes had been as well since he jumped.

"I-I-I wasn't meaning. I mean." Forbes babbled.

"Save it Forbes. I know you're a slimeball. I also know you meant it exactly how you said it to her. I am only going to tell you this once. You come near her or spout anymore vile threats in her direction and I will be flossing you out of Bain's teeth." Dominic growled. Bain, who was somewhere behind me with Dominic, let out a massive huff surrounding us in hot breath that smelled of ash and roasted meat. Forbes bowed hastily and retreated. "I should have made him apologize to you but couldn't trust myself or Bain if he said more of the same ilk." Dominic mussed. Then he was in my face with that perpetual frown. "You need to learn to lay low! What would have happened if I hadn't been coming this way." Dominic paused and looked the way Forbes had retreated. "He probably would have been carrying out his threat. He is not known as a gentleman but no one levels accusations his Dad can't bury, we have no law to bar him from attending."

"Was that a threat?" I puzzled over what he had said.

"You can't be serious." Dominic stared at me with eyes wide and gave me a long look up and down. "He was talking about doing something with your mouth and a certain piece of his anatomy, though I doubt he would stop there." Dominic's hands clenched.

"Oh your talking about s*x!" I finally cottoned on.

"Gods woman!" Dominic gave me a long look. "You used to sell yourself?"

"Excuse me!" I huffed getting in his space. "I never sold myself or did that with anyone. Like the world needs more babies brought up in the gutter. And I saw how the women who sold their bodies were treated. I did hard manual labor. I didn't work laying on my back and being beaten after the man finished."

Dominic held his hands up in surrender. "I just couldn't reconcile you not knowing what he meant but also being so blunt."

"I'm not used to these fancy types. Where I come from a man would slap a woman so hard her head would ring and then if they were making the same threat it would be 'shut your mouth or I'll gag it with my c**k'. Where I come from people don't beat around the bush. Though from what I heard most men are too small to gag a woman." My fire dimmed as I thought about a particular time I myself had been in that position. I had said just that about him being too small. I saved myself from that fate but had suffered a brutal whipping instead. I still had the scars along with hundreds of other scars from other times I had been whipped, burned, beaten.

Bain had moved closer and gently touched my back in a comforting way. Problem was his nose was so big his small touch was my entire back and the welts I couldn't reach flared up with a vengeance. I sucked in a breath with a hiss. Turning I stroked his nose in thanks. Then impulsively tried to hug his huge nose. Bain chortled deep in his throat. But Dominic ever vigil, quickly touched my back in a couple places stopping when I cried out as he pressed hard on a welt. I turned and slapped his hand.

"Why are you injured?" Dominic demanded.

"I had couple welts I couldn't reach." I shrugged.

Dominic sighed. "Well lets get you healed up before we start. Already getting a late start." Dominic grabbed my shirt.

I pulled away. "What are you nuts?" I crossed my arms across my chest.

"You have undergarments on right?" Dominic took another step toward me closing in. "It probably covers more than a bathing suit right?" In a blur Dominic was in my space turning my back toward him and lifting my shirt. I protested but Dominic wasn't budging. Thankfully, the training clothes were stretchy enough it easily exposed my back while my front stayed covered. "I used too much force with you. I forget how fragile humans are."

"Humans?" I asked, flushing beat red.

Dominic got a good look at my back and his hand on my hip holding me in place clenched.

"That hurts." I gasped out now slapping at that hand.

"Huh? Oh sorry." Dominic gently rubbed my hip where he had been holding too tight seconds ago. He pulled his hand away quickly as if he was realizing what he was doing. He held up a glowing ball of magic in one hand and my shirt in the other. He guided the magic to my back. "Who did this to you?" Dominic growled.

"You. Your memory is going old man." I yelped as Dominic stopped his work to slap me on my butt.

"Your mouth is going to get you into trouble." Dominic went back to healing my back. "I meant who left these scars on you? They are so deep and old, my magic can't even heal them."

I didn't answer, I just pulled out of his hand holding my shirt and made to slap him again which he side stepped as a blur of motion. "How do you move so fast you are a blur?" Dominic just looked more upset. "Not nice being asked a bunch of personal questions is it? Also do NOT touch me without permission!" Although I did feel much better from his efforts. I stalked off to grab a wooden sword from the rack and tossed him another one. "The only way you are giving me welts this time is if it's through a match." I growled at him angry all over again.

"Be careful what you wish for." Dominic actually smiled as he walked into the training yard while Bain was already asleep where he had stood.

I did get welts. Quite a lot of them though not as painful. Thankfully I still had plenty of the cream. Seeing Dominic's healing magic I suspected there was some in the cream itself. Maybe he supplied the hospital. I also received a medium dagger Dominic had given me, with instructions to keep it on me at all times even at night. Nighttime it would have to be under my pillow. However, during the day it had a handy loop for the belt and leather thong to attach the bottom of the sheath to my thigh. It was plain but sharp and that was what mattered.