Chapter 1

                                         CHAPTER 1

Kennera stepped out into a clearing, pausing only when she had completely stepped out from the woods to look behind her to see if anything was following her. She wore a green linen dress with short sleeves, it had a slim fit bodice of the tunic that emphasized her breast and waist while wide skirt with four additional gussets drapes with soft pleats. The dress had lace fastening at the fore part of it. Over the dress she wore a brown corset that had a sloping shoulder line and stand-up half-collar, her waist is tightly swifted while her breast remains almost free and front lacing gives necessary flexibility and fine fit. Underneath it she wore a white chemise that emphasized her breast and waist while softly draping over her hips. She wore brown leather high boots that laced up, and to complete her outfit was a green wool robe cloak and shooting gloves with wrist bracer that would protect her arms from her bow when she fired it. Strapped to her back was a leather quiver full of arrows and it also carried her bow safely secure next to her arrows, attached to a belt on her waist was a sheathe with a dagger inside it. Her clothing offered her camouflage whenever she was in the woods, which she was in often because it was her home and all the animals were her friends for some reason she was able to communicate with them even if she didn't speak their language. She tucked a strand of loose black hair behind her ears, that had a slightly pointed tip, the rest of it was pulled back into a long, messy side braid that was draped over her shoulder so that it hung over her chest. Her gold eyes were bright with her intelligence and spirit; black arched eyebrows were drawn together in concentration as she scanned the horizon for enemies.

Her dragon, Fraener, stomped his front left foot into the ground, cracking a fallen tree trunk in half causing Kennera to look over her shoulder at the large dragon that was behind her that had been her friend since she was a baby, now he served as her mount as well. 

Fraener is covered with dark, red scales that almost appear black when he was in dark areas. He was a stocky, compact with very strong muscles and limbs; Fraener wasn’t very tall though if he was standing on his back legs he was. His legs were not very long compared to the rest of his body. His legs, in fact, are rather short so it was easy for her to perch on his back. His talons and spikes on his head, neck, back, and tail were bone-white. He had two serrated fangs that jutted out of his upper jaw onto his bottom lip slightly, and with all dragons, had white, sharp, knife-like, meat-shearing teeth. His head was roughly triangular, and he also possessed four cheek spines, slightly curved horns, and forehead spines between his horns that go down his back to the tip of his tail. His yellow eyes are split by black, vertical pupils. Fraener has large bony wings resemble a bat's, with rippled tips. Additionally, Fraener has four hind legs with four toes facing the front and one facing sideways like a humanoid thumb. His toes were topped by very sharp claws. He was able to grasp objects in his feet, like weapons and sometimes even Kennera. 

On his back was a saddle; it wasn’t like a horse saddle since it was mostly made for dragon. This was the very saddle used by the Dragon Lords and Riders of Krydáin

“Greetings, Fraener.” Kennera said as the dragon moved to stand next to her, lowering his head to be at eye level with her. 

Fraener fluttered his wings in annoyance and said, “Kennera, you have strayed too far from home!” Kennera chuckled and started to walk again, Fraener following after her.

“Fraener, you worry too much…I know these woods well because you and Kerrich had showed me everything that is there to be seen here so there is no way I can stray too far from home.” 

Fraener snorts and shakes his head, the sales on his neck and head glistened in the sunlight. “I know that! But you know that there have been ugly, nasty things that have been walking in our woods!”

Kennera sighed heavily and shook her head, “You worry too much, Fraener…besides who would dare attack me when there is a dragon such as yourself close by?”

Fraener chuckled at that, which sounded more like a growl and would have made most people very nervous but Kennera was raised by the dragon since infancy so she could tell the sounds he makes apart by now.

Kennera turns to face Fraener and said, smiling widely, “It’s a nice day so let’s not waste it by walking!”

Fraener crouched down, bending his right leg to allow Kennera to climb up onto him and into the saddle. The saddle was made of leather and a block of wood that made up the seat was curved to fit her, it too was covered by leather. The strap of the saddle fits snugly but not tightly around Fraener, just above his wings. The front of the saddle was higher than the saddle itself; this was for grabbing hold especially whenever Fraener goes into a dive. Rings of iron hold the strap to the saddle; the buckle is fastened beneath Fraener’s belly.

Once Kennera was sitting in the saddle, Fraener crouches down again and leaps into the air, he snaps his tail downwards and pushes off the ground with his strong hind legs. With two powerful strokes of his wings, they were airborne and gaining height within seconds they were above the forest and going up into the clouds. Fraener extends his neck, tail, and hind legs, and tucks his front legs up beneath his chest. His wings moving slow and steady, not like the wings of a bird when it flies.

Kennera lifted her arms up and tilted her head back, closing her eyes and smiling as she felt the wind snap her hair and cloak around behind her. Oh, how she loved flying, it was an amazing feeling with the wind in your hair and in your face, she felt free when she was flying.

She lowered her arms and raised her head, opening her eyes and leaning forward to grasp the front of the saddle with one hand as she rested the other hand on Fraener’s neck.

Fraener tucked his wings close to his body as he went into a steep dive; Kennera lets out a loud whoop and held on. Kennera watched as the ground quickly rose up to meet them but just as they would have crashed into the bushes and rocks, Fraener snapped his wings open and with one powerful stroke he was once again high in the air.

Fraener turned his neck so that he can look at her, his scaly lips pulled back to reveal his teeth, that was a dragon’s version of a smile and she smiled back at him.

“Having fun, little one?” Fraener asked even though he really didn’t have to ask that, Kennera always loved flying and nothing Fraener did while flying scared her. Kennera was about to reply but she stops when she sees a smoke cloud coming from the cottage that she lived in with Kerrich, a former Dragon Rider. That was the sign for her to return now because Kerrich wanted her for some reason so Kennera tapped Fraener lightly with her heels and the dragon responded to her silent command by flying over there.

Within a matter of moments, Fraener was landing in the clearing around the cottage. His wings folding against his sides as Kennera jumps down from his back, walking towards the man that was heading towards them. Fraener started to walk towards the back of the cottage where the dragon barn was. Like all dragons, he walks much like a cat, lifting one front foot and the opposite hind foot at the same time, his tail was raised gently moving from side to side as he walked.

He was an older man with black hair that was starting to grey; his black beard wasn’t as long as some of the men that also lived in the forest. He wore a leather jerkin over a green tunic and brown leather breeches that were tucked into soft boots. Kerrich had kind green eyes with smile lines around his mouth and at the corner of his eyes.

Kerrich was leading his horse, Diatrem and her horse, Berenger, sure signs that that they were hiding into town. Fraener wasn’t allowed to go near the town since he scares the townsfolk.

She smiles at Berenger when he neighed and walked over to her, bumping his head into her chest. Like Diatrem, Berenger was a large warhorse but while Diatrem was white Berenger was pure black. Berenger had wide nostrils, small ears and with a straight facial profile, his mane was always roach so that it wouldn’t get caught in the branches. His neck was thick, muscular and arched. Berenger’s shoulders were broad and angled, his chest was deep and his withers were pronounced. His body was compact and stocky, with a short, strong back. The hindquarters of the warhorse were powerful and the croup muscular and sloping. His legs were short, muscular and strong, with thick bone. Berenger’s feet are round, wide and solid which could be used as a deadly weapon as Kennera had seen the warhorse kill wolves with a well-aimed kick to their heads.

“Berenger,” was all she said as she rubbed his forehead with her fingers. “I’ll see you when we return, Fraener.”

Fraener just twitched his tail as he continued to walk away but she knew that he heard her as Kennera and Kerrich climbed onto their respected horses and rode away at an easy but quick pace. Riding through the forest was not safe during the night so Kerrich wanted to get into town and sell his furs before night fell.

Kennera had a firm grip on her horse’s reins as her legs held tightly against Berenger’s sides, sitting astride her horse’s back. She had seen how the noble women ride their horses but Kennera had thought riding side saddle was dangerous as bandits and horse thieves could easily pull you off your horse and kill you before you could even scream. So Kennera rode her horse like a man even when she was wearing dresses, she kept a dagger strapped on her calf over her boot just in case she loses her bow and arrows.

They rode into town in silence, Kerrich tosses Diatrem’s reins to her when he dismounted when they stopped in front of the fur store and he gathered up the furs of the animals that he had trapped and killed. When he walked into the fur store, Kennera drew up her hood so that it covered her face, casting the upper part of her face in darkness.

Kennera looked over her shoulder when she heard the thundering of many hooves, gently moving Berenger and Diatrem so they wouldn’t be in the way and she then angled the warhorses so that they were facing the sound. She watched as the first rider pulled his grey warhorse to a stop, like the other riders, he wore an intricate suit of blood-red enameled scales with black chasing and clasps. When he removed his helm, Kennera saw that he was a man that was in his mid to late twenties but that wasn’t what drew her attention to him. It was the fact that the right side of his face was burnt, she could see that he still had both ears. From his wide and muscular shoulders hung the black cloak of a Dragon Lord. As he and his men drew near, she noticed that he could still be considered handsome but only if a woman was willing to overlook the burnt side of his face. She also saw that he was muscled like a bull and broad of shoulders and back, she knew that his armor was customed made for him since there was no man in Krydáin was as tall or built like this man. His face was gaunt, his cheekbones sharp and he had a heavy brow. He had long thin black hair and a light beard.

A large shadow flew over her and while it didn’t last long, she had looked up then and saw a dragon flying, and it wasn’t alone there was other dragons flying with it that matched the number of men that were here on the ground so that told Kennera that they were these men’s dragons.

I wonder why they are here, Kennera thought as she patted Berenger’s neck to calm him down, even though he had been brought up with Fraener her warhorse got skittish around unknown dragons.

“Lord Brales, how nice of you to visit us!” said the Innkeeper, Kennera hated that man with his shrewd, greedy eyes that gave Kennera the goose bumps especially when he turned those eyes on her.

The burned man, Lord Brales, smiled, or his version of a smile since the lips on the burned side of his face wasn’t there and it pulled at his scars so it was an ugly thing to see, and said, “Thanks for having us, Innkeeper.”

Kennera watched the exchange, curious about how and why they didn’t come in on their dragons since Dragon Lords rarely rode on anything but their dragons though the Innkeeper was a sly old man so he probably figured out a way to.

Berenger snorted and tossed his head, which drew the eyes of the Dragon Lords and the Innkeeper to the sound and since the Inn was next to the fur store and they were standing a few meters away, Kennera saw that the burnt Lord’s eyes were a steel grey though the eye on the burnt side was a paler grey.

“Ahh, why if it isn’t Kennera…is Kerrich in there selling what little fur he had collected?” asked the Innkeeper with a smile full of malice.

Kennera shrugged her shoulders and said, “He could be.” She didn’t like talking to the Innkeeper so whenever she did have to talk to him, she kept her replies short, curt and vague. Kennera knew that he hated it when she replied that way but that was why she did it.

The Innkeeper huffed and looked away, saying to Lord Brales who was still staring at her even though she knew he really couldn’t see her face that well but it still made her uncomfortable by how intense his stare was, “Kennera is a woman of a few words and rude mannerisms so please excuse her when you talk to her, Kerrich didn’t really raise her as well as I would have thought.”

Kennera had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, he knew that she was nice and kind to everyone else in town but he liked turning people against her whenever someone new rode into town and even though Lord Brales and his men were not new, they were new to her and the Innkeeper wanted to cause trouble.

Lord Brales took a step towards her, which caused Berenger to snort and step away, bumping into Diatrem who snorted and moved away from the black warhorse.

“Shhh, Berenger….Shhh, Diatrem,” Kennera said soothing the horses first before saying to Lord Brales, “Beg pardon, m’lord but could you not get too close? The horses smell the scent of unknown dragons on you and your men and it is making them skittish.”

It was her comment and not her tone that drew Lord Brales short, even though her tone was a little rude but she didn’t care to make it kinder since she really didn’t want to be thrown off Berenger again.

“And how do you know what a dragon smells like to know that is the cause of their behavior?” Lord Brales asked motioning towards the Innkeeper to be silent when it looked like he was going to scold Kennera for her behavior towards the Lord and waited for Kennera to respond to his question.

Though she never got to respond because Kerrich had walked out of the fur store at that every moment and climbed onto Diatrem’s back, settling into the saddle and taking the reins from Kennera. Ignoring the Innkeeper and his guests though Kennera knew that Kerrich knew that they were there, he nudged his horse into a trot and Kennera quickly did the same and followed after him.

And when she looked back, she saw that Lord Brales was still looking after her but he soon lost sight of her when Berenger turned around a rock and into the forest. She pushed the burnt Lord from her mind and focused on riding, she doubted she would see him again so she didn’t need to know why he stared at her the way he did.

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