Book 3: Chapter 2: To Save People... Or Cards.

    Arthur was unsurprised when a messenger dragon immediately dropped out of the sky to take him to Valentina.

    Usually, the purples and some of the smaller blues acted as couriers. This time, however, it was a young red dragon big enough to carry several people but lacking a rider.

    “Valentina wishes to see the Legendary pair at once,” he said with an absent nod to instructor Athena’s dragon, Brooks.

    With a start, Arthur realized the newcomer red was a Rare-strength dragon, just like Brooks. It wasn’t something he could put his finger on – no markings or badges to designate a Rare vs a lower-tiered Uncommon. It was just a feeling he had been coming to identify ever since bonding with Brixaby.

    Odd. Arthur thought that he recognized all the Rares in the hive by sight now, if not by name. He''d never seen this red before.

    “Of course,” Arthur said and turned to Athena for the last-minute instructions.

    It shouldn’t have surprised him much to find her staring at him expectantly, instead.

    There was a blank moment.

    “What are your orders for the class?” Athena said, pointedly.

    It was a tacit reminder that he was technically in charge even though he was as green as everyone else.

    Arthur paused and swept his gaze over the rest of the class. The expressions ran the entire rainbow of emotions between anticipation, anxiety, and dread for the upcoming scourge-eruptions. Then there were the two most downcast faces of all that belonged to the purple riders.

    Lilac would be out for the rest of the day even if she wasn’t dealing with the aftermath of being hit by Morrice’s card power. The other purple was too small yet to be able to carry his own rider. Everyone else was now old and big enough to fly.

    Arthur didn’t intend to sit this eruption out, so he wasn’t about to tell his classmates to do the same.

    And there was a saying that the best part of leadership was delegation.

    “Instructor Athena,” Arthur pitched his voice to carry to all surrounding him. “Please prepare the class to best help with the eruption. I’ll be meeting with Leader Valentina and will return shortly.”

    “Very good, sir.” Athena saluted him, and most of the others did too.

    The marked holdouts were the few he suspected were friends with Willard and Morrice.

    Paying them no mind – because he was certain Athena had noticed and would be chewing them out momentarily – Arthur quickly alighted up to the red’s neck. The red dragon had a saddle already fitted, though it was an impersonal one without any markings to show that someone owned and took care of it.

    Did this Rare dragon not have a rider?

    That was unusual for a hive as small as Wolf Moon. Rare dragons were thin on the ground and somewhat precious.

    Well, no harm in being friendly. Arthur waited until the dragon had taken off into the sky – usually the most labor-intensive moment of flight – before he spoke. “I’m Arthur and this is Brixaby. Can I have your name?”

    “Shadow,” the dragon grunted, which was an unusual name for a red whose natural magic usually involved high energy of different forms. Shadow had a deep ruby red hide with no hint of orange, which usually tended to energy manipulation.

    Arthur was trying to find a polite way to inquire about his card’s power and his rider – if any – when Shadow curtly spoke again.

    “Brixaby, sir. You’d better hold on.”

    Brixaby grumbled something under his breath – he didn’t like Arthur riding on any other dragons but couldn’t exactly carry him himself. He settled down on Arthur’s shoulder which was a tight squeeze.

    Arthur resisted the urge to sigh. The reminder of the loss of life was enough to remind him that every moment counted. Wanting her to get to her point, he cut to the chase, “Because scourgelings grow fastest when they feed on complex life, and especially magical life. An eruption in the middle of a field ready for harvest is much less dangerous than one in the middle of a town. The scourgeling''s corruption would destroy the harvest and sterilize the land, but there won’t be many people. More people are carded within a city, too. They might consume enough pure magical power in the form of cards to raise a demi-scourgeling.”

    Elissa spoke. “If that happens, you and your little dragon of yours must be prepared to fight.”

    “I can fight,” Brixaby declared. “I can’t wait.”

    “Then you’re a fool,” Elissa said.

    Brixaby hissed – though it was under his breath. He would never say as much, but he was intimidated by the older Legendary.

    Ignoring the byplay, Valentina nodded. “I’m glad you understand. Your main objective is to secure any large sources of cards and keep them away from the scourgelings. This is important, over and above rescuing civilians.”

    Arthur’s breath caught.

    Valentina must have noticed because she glared at him. “You understand why this is important.”

    “I do,” he said.

    But privately, he thought he could do both.

    “Hmm.” She didn’t look like she fully believed him, but that was not his problem. Every moment of delay was a moment too many. “You are to take Shadow for this run. He’s already been told what I’ve told you.”

    “What about his rider?” Arthur asked.

    “Dead. So, rest assured that the dragon knows the consequences of faffing around in a scourge eruption.” The direct look she gave him said she guessed his motivations.

    Arthur just looked calmly back.

    “Brix and I know our duty. We’ll act with integrity and honor.” Which to him meant putting people first, cards be damned.

    A deep rumbly voice spoke up from behind them. It was Shadow, who had, like his namesake, crept up in the shadows. “Pretty words from someone who hasn’t flown a scourge-eruption before.”

    Brixaby bristled. “What do you mean?”

    “It means to watch your tail, new Legendary. Everyone knows you two are newer than springtime lambs out in the field. Anyone who’s hoping to gain a Legendary card – or if the rumor is to be believed, two cards – will be coming for you.”

    Brixaby clenched his claws. “Then they’ll get a surprise.” He sounded like he was looking forward to it. “Meet us back down at the class, Rare.” Then he rested his claws on Arthur’s shoulder.

    In the next moment, Arthur was enveloped by velvet darkness only to emerge a moment in orange Brook’s long shadow. The class was still on the ground nearby, standing in formation and waiting for his return.

    “Was that necessary?” Arthur asked his dragon.

    “Only necessary until I copy the green portal dragon’s spell in a few minutes,” Brixaby said.

    His booming voice carried, and the rest of their classmates came to attention as they noticed them.

    Joyberry bounded up, her hide painfully pink in the bright sunlight. “Brix! Brix! I just got a quest to help you save a noble''s card library." She wrinkled her nose. "But... I don’t understand. Are we saving cards or are we fighting scourgelings?”

    Arthur answered for his dragon. “Both.”