Dragon Dreamer - S. G. Ricketts (best ereader for pdf and epub .TXT) 📗

his haughty tone. “Don’t you know that a good Lady can never come from royalty? High heavens, Man, look at Erikana. She was a drudge for, like, twenty years before she was found, and she was the best Dragon Lady Synyai has ever had! And Dragon Lady Elsie came from Hinx City Town. She was another wonderful Lady, and she was no royalty until she came here!” Johua nodded solemnly, and Moher grunted in disapproval. Grinning impishly, Terevoor leaned closer to her and whispered, “Ignore him! He just doesn’t like pale dragons or young Dragon Ladies. Can’t get the young ones anymore.” He winked again. “He must have been born under the darkness of Thricon for how he acts!”
Steephi smiled and nodded. Everyone knew of the horrid luck that Syrnyai’s third moon, Thricon, had for people born during its dark days. Turning again to Bryan, she smiled feebly. “I’m Steephi, rider of Talarth. It’s nice to meet you, Bryan.” The man nodded, his face growing a light pink, and he looked away. Trying to act more like a proper Lady, Steephi cleared her throat and said, “So, Johua, who will you make my mentor?” She watched him as he stared at her. She blinked politely when he didn’t choose. “You have gotten one picked, haven’t you?”
The dragonman broke into a wide grin, and she felt herself let go of a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. So he wasn’t really mean, just testing her. “It used to be that I would be your mentor, but times have changed. Now, the Dragon Lady—” he paused to let his words sink in, “chooses.” He leaned back in his chair and looked at her expectantly. Steephi sat dumbfounded. Of all the men in the room, she had to choose one? A slow smile spread across his face. “Well, aren’t you gonna choose?”
Talarth, what do I do?

Her rider’s frantic call awoke the sleepy dragonet. What? Why did you have to wake me.

The queen stretched, then spoke again. What do you have to do exactly?

Steephi’s irritated expression made some of the dragonmen laugh. “Your dragon can’t help you, Princess. Pales can’t never do nothing to help their riders. Their too dull for anything like that!” Moher snorted, and a few dragonriders laughed outright. He grinned again, and glared at her. “We all know how that pale queen of Sol’s did. About ruined the City with her pathetic clutches and weak flights. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if this one was even worse.” He wasn’t watching Steephi know. “She’s almost yellow! They’re called golds

, not yellows

!” he sneered.
Steephi stood up so quickly that her chair flew backwards and broke against the walk. She could see the startled expression spread across the older man’s face as he turned to look at her. “What did you say about my dragon?” Her voice was icy calm, as dangerous as a queen before her Flight. “What did you say, Dragonman

?” Now, she stood right in front of him, her feet moving so quickly and quietly that she didn’t even hear them.
Running a gnarled hand through his graying hair, the man grinned evilly. “I said that yore dragon’s too dull to help you.” His grin spread. “She is too pale to be a good queen. Now Elsie’s Winerinth” he shot a knowing glance to Johua, who had one eyebrow raised. “Winerinth was probable the best queen since Rainerinth! No stupid little dragonet can match up to her! She’s gonna be ashamed to even be around the weakest of greens!”
Steephi was shaking with rage, and she heard the green riders’ anger. She put her face right up next to his and hissed into his ear, “Your right, Moher. She never will be able to match up to Winerinth.” The big man’s eyes widened in surprise at his easy victory, and the room grew silent. “She will make her mother proud, but she will also make her look like, like, like a green just hatched!” The green riders muttered, and she apologized by nodding to them. “That is a compliment, to say your green is compared to the late queen,” she said, and the grumbling ended. “Unlike your poor brown. I thought dragons never chose a handicapped rider, and your brain sure seems to be.” Moher glared at her, and she continued, her anger flaring up again as the bigger brown challenged Talarth outside. “Oh, well. They always say that the dragon chooses those like him.” Moher was silent in shock and anger, and she stood up and glared around the room, Talarth’s bellow backing up her claim. So now you follow along, Love!

Steephi said, her mind’s voice still shaking with anger. Help me choose a good mentor for us.

She was not about to leave without finishing what she was supposed to have begun. Which would be best. Johua?

Bryan...

Choose Bryan. He’s nice and his dragon is nice, too.

Talarth’s voice was full of confidence, but Steephi wasn’t listening. It was that voice again. The voice that had spoken to her at the Hatching. It had been right then, so it must be right now. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Talarth has chosen Bomarth’s rider, so I choose Bryan.” With a thin smile, she turned on her toe and walked out of the silent room.
Good choice, Steephi! Bomarth is so nice!

Of course,

Steephi teased. It’s always about the guys with you, isn’t it?

Of course!

Chapter Three


The tunnels confused Steephi as she tried to get back to the outside. Oh, Moher annoyed her! The blue light of tunnels lit around her, and she absently turned to the left at a fork. She snapped out of her thoughts as she realized she was going downhill, not up! Oh, great! Talarth, do

you know the way around here?

There was something like laughter in her mind, and she stopped. Dragons didn’t laugh! Just the thought of it had her laughing, too. Well, if the queen could smile, why not laugh? But the stupid thing was laughing too much to answer. Talarth, can you help me on this and stop…laughing?

Yes, I am sorry.

Steephi snorted in disbelief. You have gone in one big circle around the dining hall. Go back up and take the right. Even the youngest dragon knows how to do that!

There was a fit of giggles, then, and she waited impatiently for the gold to continue. And then you’ll be in the dining hall. Can you get me a sweetmeat?

Despite herself, Steephi gave a giggle. You really are all about food, aren’t you?

As she started back up to the dining hall, she glanced back. Anywhere in that extremely intelligent dragon mind of yours does it tell you where this goes?

Of course!

Again, Steephi waited, but this time she continues to walk. A few of the men in the meeting pasted her, and she received polite nods and hearty handshakes for her exit. She almost ringed the last young man’s hand in anger at her dragon when Talarth spoke again. Don’t hurt anyone! I’m sorry. I was just waiting. It’s the back entrance to the Sands.

The dragon sighed in her mind, and Steephi stopped, luckily at the entrance of the dining hall. A few people waved at her, and the blue rider, Salone, and Morgan, green rider, waved her over to their table. Smiling kindly at them, she walked as regally as she could over to their table.
Why do you make it sound like that? The sands are a happy place!

The memories of her Impression swam in front of her eyes, and she blinked to rid herself of them. Anyway, don’t send me any more of your emotional stuff or your confusing riddles. How do you come up with all this? Sitting in the sun with nothing to do all day?

She smiled warmly at the two women and seated herself.
Yes,

came Talarth’s disgruntled reply.
Laughing, she looked over to the two other women. “Do dragons really just sit out in the sun and make up things to confuse us poor humans?” she giggled, and the others laughed, too.
“My Scarith did that as a young dragonet to me all the time until Thio came along. Then she just bugged him and poor Timoth. I’m surprised they didn’t go crazy!” Salone laughed, wiping tears from her eyes. A little mini blinked into the dining hall and lighted on her shoulder. Its hide gleamed a rich, deep green, and the blue rider absently patted the creature. Its forked tongue slid in and out as it looked at the others. “And then little Pawla came along, and she’s been almost attacked by Scarith’s riddles!” The green trilled for effect, and they all started laughing again.
Two young men walked up to the table. The one on the right bowed politely to Morgan and Steephi, then turned to face Salone. “Mother, Thio will come as soon as he can. Timoth got caught in a tangle of galas, but he’s fine. Just a few scratches,” the boy added at Salone’s worried look. “I’m going to get Rosealee to help him with the bandages. It’s difficult to bandage that brown, even without him trying to run away from the numbing salve all the time!” Salone smiled at him, and the boy walked away. The other slid in next to Morgan, flipping a loose strand of red-blonde hair out of his eyes.
Steephi looked inquiringly at Salone. “I was Impressed at twelve. At fifteen, I had Thilon, right after Scarith was flown by Timoth.” She grinned at the look on the Lady’s face. “I am only twenty-eight, Steephi. He just looks older at thirteen than the other boys.” She gazed off in the direction her son had taken. “Yes, and he shall stand for Impression this next time around. Too many were chosen, and he had been at the Academy when they were searching people.” She turned back to the Dragon Lady and the green rider. Her eyes widened slightly, and she leaned forward. “Steffan, have you introduced yourself to the Dragon Lady yet?” she scolded.
The man blushed and held out a callused hand. “I am sorry, Ma’am. I wasn’t thinking.” He shot a look at the blue rider and ran his hand through his hair again. “I am Steffan, rider of brown Salith. Katrionath was flown about a year ago by my Salith,” he added proudly. Morgan beamed up at him, her eyes shining with the love she felt for him. He grinned down at the green rider and then blushed as he looked back up to the Dragon Lady. “I’m sorry. I’ll go see if Mari has any lunch left over.” The man stood and headed for the kitchens.
Steephi smiled at the green rider. “He seems nice! And Talarth tells me that both you and your dragon love him. And with Katrionath so young!” The other