Gauntlet

Chapter 1

Rieka's POV:

I woke up early in excitement. The ceremony would start at eight. I quickly got dressed and rushed downstairs.

When I got downstairs I saw my step-mother in the kitchen cooking and my step-brother and father sitting at the table. It appears my father is having a good day.

"Good morning Rieka" my step-mother, Margaret greeted me in a sweet voice that I knew was fake. I greeted everyone and sat down. Cirila was still sleeping or getting ready for the day she wasn't interested in the ceremony after all she was fifteen.

Myself and Xander were fourteen meaning we had the chance to be chosen. Last year when Cirila wasn't chosen she wasn't even phased.

By the time Margaret was done making breakfast Cirila finally came down.

When everyone had eaten, we started making our way to the town square for the ceremony.

Once there father suggested we mingle with our friends until the ceremony starts. Xander and Crila quickly rush off to find their friends.

I go over to my favorite tree and sit at the trees base looking up at the clouds.

I don't know how long I've been sitting here but I'm brought out of my thoughts by the sound of talking. The voices cause me to look up, I see Cirila along with Larissa and their friends. Apparently they had been talking and laughing about how 'weird' I'am.

Before they can say anything more we hear the sound of dragon roars signaling that the ceremony will be starting soon.

We all quickly make our way back to the town square, getting there just in time to see the four dragons land. Cirila and I reach our family as the riders dismount their dragon's, one of them I notice is holding a small ornate chest.

The riders all gather on the stage along with the mayor of our village. The dragon's stand behind their respective rider.

The dark haired tall rider holding the ornate box opens it as a blonde haired rider who is also very tall takes the shard from the chest and places it on the pedestal in the middle of the stage.

I can feel myself buzz with excitement at the idea of being a potential rider.

Our mayor steps up behind the pedestal to start his speech that he says every single year. "Hello everyone, it's so good to see you all here today" he says. I roll my eyes, where else would we be. "I'm very excited as I'm sure you are to meet the next generation of rider's, who will do their very best to bring pride and honor to they're families and our village".

I'm so bored of his speech that I almost yawn. "Now before we begin I want two lines boy's on the left and girl's on the right". His words get my attention and I quickly get in the already forming line.

I'm so nervous our village isn't known for producing many rider's in fact we always produce the lowest amount.

I'm confident that I will be a rider though. I'm broken out of my thoughts by our mayor speaking "we will be starting with the boy's, I would like you to come up one at a time and touch the shard. As you know if the shard glows you are a rider if it does not glow you are a regular human".

I watch as the boys go one by one and start to get bored. Looking around I see I'm round about in the middle of the girl's line, that's also when I notice Larissa at the very back of the line shaking like a leaf in the wind.

I watch as she locks eyes with one of the dragon's, a beautiful burnt orange dragon with red eyes and if it's possible she starts shaking even more.

I have to stifle my laugh at the sight. I tune back into the ceremony at the mayor announcing the name of the first new rider "Sebastian Abbott". A tall boy with light brown hair and a cocky smirk stands on the stage.