Honey stood alongside Emmett, Carson, and Deema in a clearing in the woods. Much like the one Mary had her in about four days ago. The evergreens were thick and full. Life seemed to have returned to the forest since the death of the giggling creature. Oh, how things have changed. Honey could feel a glare from Deema's eyes but she wasn't sure why that was directed at her. Mary stood in front of them and muttered a few words before standing aside and telling them to walk on through the shimmering film. Honey was excited to see what awaited her on the other side.
She was not disappointed.
When they stepped through the film they were in a city; a huge, gigantic city! It was amazing. The streets were incredibly wide and it was clear to Honey that they were built for people and dragons. The street was paved in stone and there were markets bustling on either side. The houses were large and built from rock, with big, arched windows. The people were clearly elves, fae or something Honey couldn't identify. Everyone was cohabitating. It was amazing.
"So Honey, on this trip we're going to try and explain to you everything we can think you may have questions about whilst showing you our world. If at any point you want to slow down or stop, just pull my arm and we'll take a break. Ok?" Carson told Honey with a friendly smile and held his arm out for Honey to hold.
She looped her scarred arm through his gingerly as they began to walk forward.
Emmett started, "I think you've figured out now that we ride dragons, we haven't discussed it whilst you've been here because Mary thought it might scare you to know that that was your future and she wanted to break you in slowly."
Emmett dodged a person before continuing. "We have been part of the Reds a lot longer than you have, we got picked up around the ages of eight and nine. We came from very different backgrounds but around here, to have a dragon rider in the family is an honour so people gladly give up their children. Sure, we don't see our parents often but we have our soul mates, our dragons. I can't tell you how amazing it feels to be with them, Honey, but you feel whole - they take away your pain."
On every day apart from Wednesday, you will train. On Wednesday, you'll go to school. In class, you'll learn about dragon history, how to care for your dragon, social norms, the like. Apparently, dragon rider's have got to be able to kill but dress nice and know how to eat politely - makes no sense but whatever."
He dodged another person. "We thought about where to take you to show you all that you've got to learn so we decided to start here - where it all begins." Emmett pointed to a huge library looking place before Carson pulled Honey up the steps to go inside, Deema trailing behind.
A man greeted them all with a familiar smile.
"Good morning Mr Huntington, Mr Huntington, and Lady Hallewell. What a delight to have you all present in this building once again. And who's this?" The extremely old man had an incredibly happy smile on his face as he greeted Honey. Honey was still trying to process the fact that Deema was a Lady!
"And you are, Miss?"
"Her name's Honey, Mr Ainsley. She doesn't have a last name." The older man frowned like he was searching through an archive that could disagree with any common man's knowledge before the happiness took the light on his face once again.
"My, that can't be right, her father wouldn't have let her go without his last name - Charles Adire was one of the kindest and strongest riders I ever had the pleasure of meeting. You, Honey, are a spitting image of your father. Was he proud when you took after him in becoming a rider?" The old man was clearly thinking the boys were telling a joke when they said she didn't have a last name. Politically, she didn't. Her family name was stripped away and no one was to speak the name of them. Honey stepped forward from Carson to the man who'd spoken her father's last name and told her more about him than anyone ever had - her father was from here!
Please tell me more.
As if the old man could hear her words as his eyes took note of her burnt arm, he held her outstretched hand in his.
"I guess a fate Charles couldn't avoid took him? Did it take Lyra too?" Honey nodded in response and the old man shook his head gravely, still holding Honey's hand.
"He must have gone whilst you were young," Mr Ainsley signed his pity. "Last I heard, he was in the human world. No human I know could have killed Charles but dragon riders do get weak after their dragons have passed. There was nothing left for him here and so he went to the human realm to live out his days where the memories couldn't haunt him and raise you with Lyra. He was part of the Blue team. Now, look at you, part of the Reds - my, your parents would be so proud! Your mother was a wicked woman with daggers and Charles said there wasn't anything more beautiful than her when she fought. Crazy in love, that one." Mr Ainsley laughed and patted her hand.
"So, we getting this young girl an egg?" Mr Ainsley's smile reappeared but significantly less jolly than before. It was evident to Honey that this man knew her father well and was a friend, this made him a friend to Honey.
"No Mr Ainsley, he's already out of egg stage, we were hoping you could predict his age," Carson responded.
"Already out, how do you know that?" The old man frowned before guiding them into a room in the side.
"Her symbol had an incredibly heavy rash around it when we got her." The old man nodded.
"That does suggest he's active and already feeling emotions. If he's connecting enough with her without actually meeting her then I believe he's quite strong. This already puts his age in the hundreds."
The boys and Deema leaned back in their chairs, Honey was not brilliant at maths but if they got their eggs from here when they were eight then their dragons could only be about ten years old. Her's was meant to be over a hundred.
"What colour is your symbol, Miss Adire?"
Honey pointed at the gold frame on a picture.
"Gold? Oh, I shouldn't have expected anything less from Lyra's daughter - that woman did have a temper! Your father, though, as calm as water. However, he carried mystery with him. His dragon was grey, a storm like no other brewed when your father got challenged."
Mr Ainsley laughed loudly when he remembered her father - this made Honey smile. "Honey, have you ever felt any intense emotions when you've touched that symbol of yours?"
Honey nodded as she thought about just this morning with the Giggle." Hmm, I'd say you're looking at a two hundred to a three-hundred-year-old dragon. Possibly completely wild. As far as I know, the nearest wild island of dragons is hundreds of miles away. No doubt he knows she's in Irondale. I would bet anything he's coming for her."
"Which is why we're trying to teach her everything before he gets here and complicates things," Deema responded scowling.
"Good idea, well, this place, Honey, is where eggs are stored which have a symbol on their shell. Therefore, we know that they are destined to be matched with a soulmate and their dragon parents just drop them off. We have that kind of treaty with the dragons."
Honey nodded, her head feeling more than a little swamped with information but she wanted to continue learning this place and so when Carson thanked Mr Ainsley and they made their way out, Honey agreed with him to continue the exploration. Next up was the school. Honey didn't know what a school was but she had the idea it was like group tutoring. She thought only rich people did this.
The Reds weaved their way through the streets for quite a while before another excellently crafted building (which looked quite posh) popped up in front of them.
This is where I'm going to go to school?
Carson pulled Honey inside to the office at the front, it was bustling with people inside. Honey was surprised to see anyone at all - it wasn't Wednesday. "Others go to school here too, we riders just only go in on Wednesdays," Emmett answered her confused face.
This place sounded like Honey's version of hell - she was glad to be getting educated but this sounded tough. She thoroughly preferred the woods. Honey wistfully began to get lost in the enchanting thought of woodlands but Carson was quick to snap his fingers in front of Honey's eyes.
"Anyone there? Come on, Honey. We have to enrol you." He lead Honey to this tall elven woman who she immediately recoiled from. The woman had a long thin nose and big eyes, her hair was in a tight bun and she wore dark colours. This woman looked nasty to Honey.
"Miss Howard, can Honey please have the enrollment papers?" The woman did a one over of Honey's body before huffing and turning to pull out papers from a filing cabinet.
"Fill out these." She shoved the paper into Honey's hands.
Honey looked down at the writing on the page and realised she couldn't fill out this sheet of paper - she couldn't fill out any sheet of paper. She can't read or write. Impulsively, Honey glanced around to look for a way out of this situation but the boys just continued to wait for her to fill it out.
It was Deema that noticed. "You can't write, can you?" Honey shook her head.
"You can't read either, can you?" Honey shook her head slower. Deema sighed before sitting down next to Honey and filling the questions out herself - to the best of her abilities. A few times she had to look up and ask Honey the question, to which, Honey would try and mime out the answers.
It was exhausting.
