Dragon Dreamer by S. G. Ricketts (ereader for android .TXT) 📕

pupils were dilated, and the colors surrounding it swirled with the yellow of grief and the red of hunger. They searched through the crowd, and Steephi had to look around Kayti to see the young gold. She gasped as it stumbled, and silently urged it to get up. The dragonet glanced up at her and pushed herself up. Kayti was frozen in front of her, and the little gold stumbled towards the girl. Shrugging, Steephi turned to walk away. Kayti would get the queen. Step in front of her now a voice commanded. Shocked, Steephi froze. Hurry up, you dull glow! Do you want her to kill her?

Steephi gritted her teeth. That was the second time that day that she had been called a dull glow, and that Kayti might kill the poor little queen! Thinking of that, she shoved the candidate on the ground. “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t ever say that again! I am not a dull glow, and you can’t go around hurting poor defenseless dragonets!” she hissed, furious. The girl whimpered, scooting backwards across the hot sand. “Did you call me a dull glow?”
The girl shook her dark hair. “No, Steephi. I said that when you were going to miss the hatching of the queen.” Steephi glared at her, and Kayti whimpered, “I promise. I would never just call you a dull glow for no reason. And I would never hurt anything! Honest! Don’t you know me?” Steephi glared at the other candidate, and she sniffled. "I’m s-s-sorry…” Tears leaked down her face.
Kayti scrunched her knees up to her face and began to cry. Confused, Steephi held out her hand. “Sorry,” she mumbled and helped the other girl up, then turned around. The little queen was standing right behind her. With a little scream of surprise, she fell backwards, startling the golden creature, too. The dragon squeaked and fell backwards into the sand, and Steephi brushed the sand off of herself and crawled on hands and knees over to the little animal. She could feel the heat and sand grinding its way into her cuts, and her palms and knees were burning, but she had to make sure the little dragon was all right.
Someone to her right whispered, “She’s covered in sand. No queen in her right mind would choose her.” She gritted her teeth again and scooped her hand underneath the warm back and helped the creature up. She could feel one of the ridges poking into her hand, but she ignored the dull pain. The dragonet was as big as she was, but she wasn’t scared. How could Erika have been so afraid of something so harmless? She gazed into the swirly depths of the queen’s eyes and felt herself falling, falling into a pool of magic and calming darkness. There was something new in her. There was something that had never been there before that startled her. Gasping, she blinked. She felt complete now. How could her old life have ever been good compared to what it was now. Pride and fondness and contentment filled her, and she felt tears rise and flood her eyes. “Hello my queen,” she whispered.
Hello Steephi

, the Dragon City’s newest member replied. My name is Talarth

.


Chapter Two


My back itches. Can you get just behind my wing?

Talarth asked. Steephi spread the oils over the patches of flaking skin. Talarth sighed, her eyes changing, whirling with a contented blue-green. That’s better. Thank you!

At least you have manners today,

Steephi teased. Maybe I’ll let you see some of the other dragons today.

The dragonet snorted, flinging her beautiful head back in mock rage. And if you get an attitude, I might just stop oiling you now,

Steephi said sternly. Do you know how hard it is to oil a moving dragon?

She stepped back to glare at the young creature for emphasis, shielding her eyes from Solis’ rays. “Please stop moving! I can’t reach the top of your shoulder!” she complained, and the dragonet purposely moved away from her rider. Gasping in mock anger, Steephi slapped the dragon’s hide, slipping as her oily hands hit an oiled patch, and she fell onto Talarth’s foot. Picking herself up, Steephi groaned at the scratches in her hands. Now you definitely can’t talk to any of the dragons!

Talarth grumbled, but when Steephi tried again to reach the troublesome spot, the golden beast sidestepped, and Steephi stumbled. “Oh, you horrid little beast!” she hissed, and Steephi lunged again, missing as Talarth spread her wings up so that Steephi hit her side and not the shoulder. Slowly, Steephi lowered herself with a groan as she rubbed her forehead. “Thanks! I don’t think that knocked any more sense into me, but it sure hurt!”
Sorry,

Talarth mumbled. But I can see the other dragons any time I want to! You can’t stop me from doing that!

She turned her golden head to look at her rider, lowering the offensive shoulder for it to be oiled. Steephi couldn’t help but admire the golden curves. Some people on Syrnyai thought that there were “colors” that made a dragon better or worse than another dragon of the same color. A green had to be a perfect mix between green and blue, blues between the deep blue and indigo, browns the dark chocolate-colored brown, and bronzes the rich almost-gold bronze. All were extremely rare, but the rarest was for a queen to be a deep antique-golden hue. Winerinth, the previous queen had fit the rules, but Talarth had a beautiful light golden coloring, like the color of a Harper’s harp. Steephi loved the pale coloring, but others, such as stuffy old Mari, the head woman, hated it.
Mari hated the new queen and her rider because she had not impressed. Stop worrying about Mari. She’s just a fat old snidler.

Talarth sounded so sure of herself that Steephi laughed. And she could just picture one of the six-winged avians with Mari’s long, blonde hair, her curved beak chattering in the high-pitched, nerve-grating squawk of the snidlers. The golden head turned away from her now, the eye facing her spinning slowly blue beneath the black. Well, she is,

Talarth said indignantly. Keep oiling!

I know she is, Love. Who wouldn’t be, with what she’s been through! Being denied you, getting stuck with the headwoman’s job, and having to report to me all the time,

Steephi said sarcastically. She laughed again. She had known Mari for all of her fifteen years, but the girl had hardly been friendly to her. Mari had just recently been made headwoman after her mother died. Yet even at a mere sixteen years, she was a very capable headwoman. With the sun beating down on them, Steephi frowned. “Do you think you are well oiled now, Love?” she asked out loud. The dragonet rumbled a reply, and Steephi leaned wearily against her already-dry side, the pot of oil at her side. “I’m glad! Maybe I should have some of the youngsters oil you from now on!”
Someone chuckled behind her, and Steephi straightened, but couldn’t see past Talarth’s lowered wing. Move your wing, please?

The wing didn’t move, and Talarth feigned sleep. Smacking the dragon’s nose, she demanded in frustration, Move you wing, Talarth!

The wing was slowly raised, and Steephi turned to look for the mysterious person.
“You do a good job on your dragon,” a deep voice praised from behind her. Spinning around, Steephi lost her balance and fell, the arms of the young man catching her as the bucket of oil slipped from her hands and clattered onto the ground, spilling its contents. Wriggling out of the man’s arms, she bent down and picked up the bucket, frowning as the handle started to slip from her grasp. Hurriedly, she set it gently back down next to Talarth, but she was still unsure about what to do with the spilled oil. Shrugging and figuring one of the servants would take care of it, she used her elbow to brush a piece of hair out of her eyes, making sure that her oily hands didn’t touch her face. She hated working on days so hot and muggy. “You should do a better job with yourself,” the man quipped.
Surprised, Steephi looked up at the rider and gasped. It was Misson, one of the older bronze riders. Chagrinned, she smoothed her skirt and then realized that she still had the oil on her hands. “Great stars above! That was the last clean dress I had!” she moaned, touching the oily smudges on the dress’ light pink fabric. “Heavens, Dragon! You need to stop all this growing so that I don’t have to be doing this!”
It was your own fault that you wiped your hands on your dress, Steephi,

Talarth said offended. And you were the one to drop the oil, not me! I couldn’t have picked it up if I tried! And I can’t help growing.

She pointed her nose into the air. I’m only a couple months old anyway. I still have a long time to grow.

Yes, and unfortunately, I’ll be the one oiling you, you big oaf!

Steephi smiled and turned to Misson. “Sorry about that. Can I help you?” She had heard stories from some of the women in the kitchen and from some of the nicer dragonriders. Even though he was only twenty years old, he already had two children. He had been a dragonrider for three years, and yet he acted like he had been riding for ages.
Misson cleared his throat and tilted his head towards her. “You should probably change before you go to the meeting,” he drawled, winking and leering down at her.
Shocked, Steephi stepped back, and Talarth rose to her haunches to loom over her rider in defense. Curse her shortness! Steephi clutched angrily at the front of her dress and glared at him. “Excuse you, sir!” she exclaimed, feeling her face begin to burn with anger and embarrassment. He only widened his gaze, still slightly looking down at her, and Steephi almost couldn’t resist the urge to slap him. The dress was loose so as not to hinder her while she was tending Talarth, but that was no reason for this…this…this boy to be looking down her dress! Talarth trumpeted again, raising herself up off the ground so only her back legs touched the ground. A dragon bugled angrily in response, and Misson frowned, running a hand through his short, tightly curled black hair. Collecting herself, she told Talarth to sit back down, then turned back to the handsome rider. His dark brown face was smooth, and two bright green eyes stared out of the brown. “What meeting?” she asked, careful not to look directly at him. Without being asked, the dragonman slipped his arm through hers and swept her off to the center of the City, through the blue tunnels and deep into the heart of Siani Dragon City.
The heavy, wooden door was opened for her and Misson led her inside. What’s going on?

Talarth asked. I can’t see you!

It’s