Firestorm (25 page)

Barnabas raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, but said nothing. He acknowledged Nolita with a slight nod and turned to lead the way into a labyrinth of caves.

The young riders quickly lost track of the way as they zigzagged through numerous caverns and tunnels, which all looked the same. But the old man led the way without hesitation, as if their path
were marked with clear signs.

‘Do not worry, Elian,’
Ra assured him.
‘All is well. All say Barnabas is an honourable dragonrider. He and the others of this enclave will want us to succeed in our
quest. You need fear no one while you are here.’

‘That’s good to know, Ra,’
Elian replied.
‘Thank you. Enjoy your rest. I suspect we’ll need your strength to take us through a gateway back to the Oracle
if we’re to stand a chance of getting all four orbs in time.’

‘I’ll be ready,’
Ra assured him.
‘It all depends on Nolita now. If she cannot gain the first orb, then we will fail before we begin. Listen carefully to
Barnabas’s words. He is considered wise even by dragon standards.’

High praise indeed from a dragon, Elian mused – particularly from one with such strong notions of dragon superiority. The old man looked the part of the wise old dragonrider, but
appearances could prove deceptive. Nolita was a prime example.

He automatically turned to look at her and she met his eyes with an expression full of fear and distrust. He gave her an encouraging smile, but when Nolita’s expression did not change, he
looked away hurriedly. The last thing he wanted was to make matters worse. If their interpretation of the Oracle’s words were correct, then something was going to happen here that would test
her bravery. Nolita needed all the encouragement that he and Kira could give.

Please let it be enough, he prayed silently.

Barnabas led them to a huge underground hall. Long lines of tables were set with cutlery, ready for a meal. A few men and women were already taking their places as a huge gong was rung to
announce the meal. The three young riders were led to a special table set aside from the main lines.

‘Please, take a seat,’ Barnabas urged them. ‘Anywhere at the table will be fine. Other, senior riders will join us shortly.’

As if on cue, a stream of riders poured into the huge dining hall from every entrance. The tables filled rapidly, including theirs. When all the places were taken, Barnabas got to his feet and
the assembled riders fell silent. With simple dignity he offered a short prayer of thanks to the Creator for the food they were about to eat and the diners muttered ‘We agree’. There
was a momentary silence as Barnabas took his seat. No sooner had he sat down, however, than lines of serving men and women entered bearing platters of steaming food and the buzz of animated
conversation and laughter built in a rapid crescendo.

Elian could barely contain his excitement at being in the presence of so many experienced dragonriders. He had a myriad of questions about flying and about what it meant to be a part of the
dragonrider community, but he was desperate not to show his ignorance in such revered company. As he struggled to frame a worthy question, he caught sight of Nolita out of the corner of his eye.
She had chosen a seat at the end corner of the table, as far from the centre of conversation as possible. Her head was down and she was pushing at her food with a fork. Elian felt a rush of
sympathy for her as he tried to imagine what was going through her mind.

Come on, Nolita, he thought, willing her to be strong. Hold yourself together. You’ve come too far to fall apart now.

Nolita had never felt so wretched. Feeling so alone, like a solitary island in the midst of a sea of riders, rated as the worst moment of her life. Her fears had always set her
apart – yet, curiously, the feeling of isolation that gripped her now was not the sort of fear with which she was familiar. For once the gut-twisting terror that so often ruled her life was
not the issue. This fear was more of a deep worry – a concern that even if she did
attain the orb
and
vanquish the fears
she still might never feel at home with these
people.

A gentle touch on her arm made her jump. The rider next to her was a woman of middle years. She had strong, angular features and was sitting proud and straight in her chair.

‘Are you all right?’ the woman asked.

‘I’ll be fine,’ Nolita mumbled. ‘Thank you, anyway.’

‘Is it the fears?’ she whispered.

Nolita’s eyes snapped up to look at her. What did she know? Who had told her? Nolita glanced swiftly around the table for Elian and Kira to see if she could identify which of them had told
tales behind her back.

‘What do you mean?’ Nolita asked quietly, her tone wary as she brought her attention back to meet the woman’s sympathetic gaze.

‘The trial – the test of bravery required to claim the orb,’ the woman answered. ‘I hear you’ve come on the Great Quest. You are Firestorm’s rider,
aren’t you? If so, then I salute you. I wouldn’t like to have to face my worst fears. I don’t think I’d fare very well. I don’t blame you for being daunted. It’s
a huge responsibility. Particularly this time, as failure will mean the end of dragonkind as we know it.’

‘Thanks for the reminder,’ Nolita said sourly, though no sooner had the bitter words passed her lips than she regretted them. This woman knew something about the orb and how she was
supposed to get it. Any information she had might be critical.

‘Sorry! I didn’t mean to make it worse,’ the woman rider said quickly, her hand flying to her mouth. ‘That last bit slipped out before I could stop it. I just wanted to
say that everyone here is willing you to succeed. I apologise if it didn’t come out the right way.’

‘Forget it,’ Nolita replied, forcing a wan smile. ‘No harm done. Do you know anything about the trial? Is it a secret, or is there anything I can do to prepare?’

‘How can anyone prepare against coming face to face with their worst nightmare? All you can do is steel your heart and do your best when the time comes. I’ll be there. We all will,
though we won’t experience what you will. All we’ll see is your success or failure. I pray it will be the former.’

‘Thank you. Do you know when the trial will happen?’ Nolita asked nervously.

‘Tomorrow at noon in the Chamber of the Sun’s Steps, but they’ll have to do an assessment of your fears tonight in order to give the dragons a chance to prepare.’

‘They?’ Nolita did not like what she was hearing. ‘Who are
they?
And what are the dragons going to prepare?’

‘If you don’t know yet, then it’s not my place to tell you,’ the woman answered, looking around furtively as she realised she might have said too much. ‘Don’t
worry, dragonrider. I’m sure you’ll do fine.’

That’s easy for you to say, Nolita thought, clenching her teeth to prevent an outburst she knew she would regret later. You won’t have to face the dreaded trial.

For the rest of the meal she sat in silence. The isolation she had felt when she first sat down became more complete, yet more bearable. Her thoughts and feelings swung wildly. One moment she
felt a sensation of contentment in her solitude and the next she wallowed in the loneliness and vulnerability associated with treading her own path.

Did she want to be a part of this society? Yes . . . and no. She did not know. There were too many factors to consider. To be a dragonrider like these folk meant riding regularly on a dragon for
the rest of her life. The thought made her stomach churn. Yet, like it or not, she was bonded to one of the creatures. There was no escape, save through death. She had briefly considered suicide
after running away from home, but had soon decided she was not ready to give up on life so easily.

The meal ended after what seemed to her like an eternity. Barnabas rose from his seat, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘follow me.’ Amidst the
confusion of the after-dinner rush for the doors he began to lead her across the hall to one of the doorways on the other side.

‘Wait! We want to come too.’

The voice was Kira’s. Nolita’s heart leaped. Once again her companions were sticking by her. They never gave up.

‘That’s not permitted. Go with Leto. He will see you to the guest rooms,’ Barnabas replied, his voice stern.

‘Why can’t we come?’ Elian asked. ‘There’ll be others there, won’t there? We won’t interfere. We just want to support our friend.’

‘There is a strict protocol involved with the orb. I dare not break it. To gain the orb, Nolita must prove herself worthy. This is her task. If she’s successful, then your turn to
face trials will come soon enough, dawn dragonrider. Go. Your friend will be fine. You have my word that no harm will come to her before the trial of bravery tomorrow.’

‘And at the trial? What about at the trial? Will you guarantee her safety then as well?’ Kira asked, her eyebrows knitted together in a deep frown.

Barnabas met her frown with an even expression. ‘The trial should not involve grave physical danger, but Nolita’s safety will depend on the nature of her deepest fears. Once the
trial begins, the outcome will be dictated by her strength of mind.’

‘Then she’ll pass it easily,’ Elian said firmly. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll do it, Nolita,’ he added, looking her in the eyes. ‘You’re stronger
than you think.’

Nolita gave a weak smile in return, but held her silence. She did not feel strong. She felt nervous and her knees felt so wobbly that they might give way at any moment. Her two companions gave a
final wave and turned to follow their guide. Barnabas placed his hand gently on her shoulder and steered her across the hall and out into the maze of tunnels.

The assessment did not take long. She stood quaking in the middle of a large chamber with Barnabas at her side while three blue day dragons regarded her with baleful stares. Mingled with the
usual feelings of fear and revulsion, which she struggled to control, there was a tingling sensation inside her skull, but yet she felt no pain. Were the dragons looking into her mind? Firestorm
could do that, but his presence in her mind was some-thing tangible. This was strange, as she could not identify another consciousness.

A minute passed in silence before the dragons turned and looked at one another. The tingling stopped and Barnabas squeezed her shoulder.

‘All done,’ he said kindly.

‘That’s it?’

‘They have what they need from you,’ he said. ‘They’ll assess Firestorm separately.’

‘Firestorm?’

‘Yes,’ he said, smiling in his gentle way. ‘You will not be alone. Did you think attaining the orb was just your responsibility? You seek a dragon orb. Both dragon and rider
must be found worthy to claim it. Come. I’ll take you to your room now and you can get some rest. I know you’re nervous, but try to get what sleep you can.’

Chapter Twenty-Two

A vast cave within the volcano formed the Chamber of the Sun’s Steps. Enormous shelves of rock, many times the height of a man, climbed from the centre of the cave with
remarkable regularity to the opening at the upper end. It was easy to see why they were referred to as steps, though one would have to be a giant, far larger even than a dragon, to make use of
them.

With a bare few minutes until midday, Nolita stepped from an entrance on one side of the giant cave. As she entered, she saw Firestorm appear through a much larger entrance diagonally across to
her right, on the far side of the chamber. Nolita’s heart seemed to pause in her chest as she saw the dragon move into the centre of the cave floor. Just the sight of him made her stomach
begin to knot.

Gods! she thought. How am I going to get through this?

‘
I will be with you,’
Firestorm said firmly.
‘We will get through it together. Do not panic. I know how hard it is for you to accept that you are my rider, Nolita.
But nothing you say or do can change that. I know you are frightened of me, but try to see past that today. I’m sure we will both make our companions proud.’

Although brave and full of confidence, the dragon’s words brought little comfort.

Barnabas was waiting for them. On a vast shelf of rock to one side of the great cave, all the dragon-riders presently staying at the enclave were standing in orderly lines. If Elian and Kira
were among them, Nolita could not pick them out. On the other side of the cave, crouching on tiers, were a host of day dragons. Despite herself, Nolita could not suppress a shudder at the sight of
them. Aurora and Longfang were in prime position on the lowest tier, their colours standing out against the lines of blue dragons.

Nolita and Firestorm walked forwards into the chamber until they were facing one another about forty paces apart in the centre of the great cave. Barnabas raised his hands in a gesture to stop
them where they were. He then bowed to each of them in turn. Firestorm dipped his head upon his long neck to approximate the motion of a return bow and Nolita followed his lead by giving an awkward
bow of her own.

‘In a few heartbeats your trial will begin,’ Barnabas announced in a strong, clear voice. ‘Last night the Council of Senior Dragons looked deep into your minds to find that
which you fear most in this world, or any other. When the sun’s rays strike the first step, the Council will seek to test you, projecting what you most fear into your mind so that you are
forced to confront it. The experience will feel very real, but will not be shared by anyone else present. Your joint objective is to overcome your fears and retrieve the orb. As part of your test
the plinth on which it rests has been moved to the peak of the sister volcano a few miles to the south of here. It is on the most southerly rim of the peak. You will find it clearly visible. Good
luck.’