The Dragon Horde: Chapter One

Chapter One

         The flights from Terra Lux to Terra Ignis were short, only an hour from atmosphere to atmosphere. Terra Lux, commonly called Lux, filled only a third of  Ignis’ sky at all times, but the visibility of the moon remained at a quarter full with Lux’s slow rotation. The small satellite moon orbited around the larger planet in a slow dance, not too close or too far from one another. The close proximity of the bodies made colonization of Lux easy for the Terra Tria Formation, building the intellectual playground that would become the crystal city of Lysaa.

         Shira Mork had called Lysaa home for severals years, but her return to Janda made her wonder what her life could have been had she chosen to attend school in the capital of Ignis, rather than on Lux. Refocusing, Shira sighed as the shuttle broke the clouds revealing the towering metropolis in the distance. Ignis held a mythical quality that drew in so many tourist from the planets and galaxies beyond, “the thrill of life” filled the air and urge to find danger coursed through her veins as she stepped off the shuttle. I’d be in jail, she mused, most definitely in jail. “Ma’am, you're bags,” the porter intoned waking her from her thoughts. “Ah, thank you,” she whispered, embarrassed that she had spaced out again she moved swiftly through the shuttle port. Shielding her eyes, the automatic doors slide open revealing the true monstrous size of Janda and her driver holding a placard with her school, Hondal Science and Arts Academy, on the front.

         The car maneuvered through the labyrinth of streets with automated precision. Years of expansion and progression created multi level bridges, highways, and shuttle paths moving between the skyscrapers that arose from the city floor. Obscured by the clouds the building continued up to dizzying heights, mostly for easy access for company owned shuttles. A dazzling array of restaurants, theaters, high end shops, and condos extended from the metallic monsters. The original city of Janda was built over a hundred years ago when cars moved with oil and felt the pavement under their wheels and the only remnant of its former glory was its name.

         The Janda of the Terra Tria Formation: Terra Ignis was formidable and alive.

The street level held the senses in a tight vice as smells, sounds, and sights assaulted them in an erratic dance. The shop lights blinked neon greetings of fun and pleasure to passing customers on the street. Old style theaters converted into bars and casinos filled the air with alcohol, cigarettes, and shrill laughter of people hoping make it rich. Fried fish thick with spices hung from street vendors on corners. Further back, down forgotten dark alleyways the claustrophobic apartments of Janda’s lower level arced to meet each other. Daytime activities showed the hard working nature of its inhabitants. School children running to catch the train home, adults clocking in to work second shifts, and store owners opening shop windows for the lunch crowds. The lower level held itself together with pride and dignity and in the sunshine they remembered they were more fortunate than those outside the city.

         Peering out from the car window, Shira could see the TenWa Pagoda and the street shops below her. The highways floated above the apartments as if held by invisible hands. “It’s lively. The people down there, they live their life like its their last day. Sometimes it is.” Louis Onten drove Shira through Janda towards her hotel. “They understand what it means to live. My mother often told me to sing when the sun shone and smile when the rain drops fell to the earth, at first I didn't understand why or what she meant, but as I grew up and saw my friends struggle and face their problems head on I understood that if your problems become your only focus you miss the beauty around you,” he disclosed with reverence. Louis was a guarded man, everything from his favorite food to his birth ID were top secrets, but he trusted Shira. “You’re mother is a wise woman, Lou,” Shira said smiling for the first time since she heard that she was needed in Janda. It was rare for him to speak so candidly to her about his family, so she took his words to heart.

         The Garden was Janda’s top hotel and the best place in all of Ignis to get deep fried foods. The Garden was a 1,248 foot engineering marvel that won seven interstellar awards for aesthetic beauty. Each floor holds its own self sustaining garden of exotic plants, quartz fountains, and snaking crystal clear streams. The deep rich pigments of the foliage and reflection of sunlight off the windows leave guests in a stupor and a heavenly haze. The Garden truly was heaven on earth. It was a nice place, classy and clean, swanky too, Shira noted with mock apathy as she tried to hold in her giggles. She wasn’t one to lavish herself with the finer things in life, but damn did she love this hotel.

         Shira’s only thought was the doughnut shop. Shoving her way through the crowd Shira moved passed the check-in counter, the over-sized fountain in the center of the lobby, and a really weird group of tourist from Lanttle. The Lanttle’s were a strange bunch, the only important thing worth mentioning about them was that they made good perfumes, “guaranteed to get you a date from the scent alone” good. Shira didn’t care about the perfume, unless the Lanttle’s started bottling the scent of fresh powdered doughnuts. She could barely control herself as she saw the doors to doughnut shop. Moving into a sprint, not even heels could hold Shira back from deep fried happiness. 

         “Lou, what time is the ceremony again?” Shira mumbled with a mouthful of doughnut and powder. “7 o’clock and your luggage is in the room and… you're spitting again,” he jested from the seat across from her. Louis enjoyed his job, he drove nice cars, stayed in fancy hotels, attended cool functions, and he got see to Shira. Louis knew she was under a lot of stress with her last year of school requiring internships, exams, and papers. For the last month and half, Shira had flown between Janda and Lysaa for her business internship and he suggested getting an apartment multiple times, only to be shushed with a look and a wave of a doughnut. Cleaning up the powdered mess, Shira sang “the internship is over, and after tonight I have two meetings to run solo and I. Am. Done!” punching the air over the trash can in celebration. The ceremony marked the completion of her internship, but he knew Shira didn't enjoy ceremonies or the idea of seeing her brother, Warren, a board member of the company.

         Returning to her seat they lapsed into comfortable silence, Shira watched as man and woman flirted by the over-sized fountain. Bleh couples.

         “It’s not polite to stare, Shi.”

She looked at Louis with a cutting glare for not warning her and turned to face the man to her left.

         “It’s  not polite to stalk people, Loft.”

         The afternoon sunlight filled the lobby with warmth, but the intense stare off sent chills to anyone paying attention to the table in the corner. Lou cleared his throat breaking the ice age brewing before him. Loft slide a chair over to the table much to Shira’s annoyance.

“You know I wouldn’t have to stalk you if answered my calls,” he said airily, waving a hand around for emphasis as he sat down uninvited. Shira assessed the man in front of her with a cool gaze. He had put some muscle on and cut off that awful braid he sported the first time they met. Now, the dyed snow white hair was left only at the top and the sides and back were shaved low. He could pull off an undercut, she admitted, since the natural black hair was a sharp contrast to the white. “Shi, you cannot ignore me anymore. I know you're still mad for me dragging you into that mess, but it was over two years ago. Besides, you act like exploring a dragon horde is “sinful” or something,” he continued lazily. Shira sighed ignoring the thrill of danger that crawled up her spine at the memories. The chocolate brown of her eyes darkened as he mentioned the dragon horde. No, it wasn't “sinful”, but searching for hordes earned people bad reputations and the mess Loft got her in almost got her expelled from Hondal.

         She sipped the lemonade Lou had bought, “don’t drink my drink when you're wearing lipstick,” he mumbled to himself. Ignoring his comment, Shira set down the lemonade with a perfectly manicured cinnamon hand. This black is a good color, just the right amount of “No” in it, reminding herself to buy the color next time she went to the salon. “Loft. I almost got expelled from Hondal and I did get kicked off the taekwondo team. I got a bodyguard assigned to me and I had to beg to get my internship, because you decided to drag me into your little man quest,” she explained through clenched teeth, “searching for hordes attracts trouble on an intergalactic level and I don’t need that.”

         The dragon horde was the only one near Janda and someone had told Loft the location of it. At the time Shira and Loft had only met once before, through a former roommate of Shira’s at Hondal. She still had scars from the damnable trip, most notably the deep brown scar on her collar bone and the burn mark she tries carefully to hid on the back of her shoulder.

         Rising, Shira straightened her creme jumper and grabbed her bag from the seat next to her, “Loft we are not friends, like damn I don’t even know your last name. I don't care about what you want and if your asking me to go to another dragon horde with you, the answer is no.” She had grown since their trip into the horde, although still 5’2 in height she had filled out her curves and trained harder to keep fit after her expulsion. The ovular shape to her face and high forehead highlighted the exotic genes her mother had given her, but her father’s genes were prominent in the frown she held and in the downturn of her eyes. As she walked away Loft could see edges of where the flames of the dragon had burned her. Louis trailed closely behind the strong willed eighteen year old with just enough presence to show she wasn't alone.

         Loft pushed his hair back as he realized that it would take a lot more than phone calls or an ambushed meeting to get her to join this team.

         “You said you could get her to agree.” The tall man appeared beside him with palpable anger. His looming 6’2 figure blocked the sunshine streaming in from the skylight.

Loft sank into the chair with frustration. “Warren, maybe you should speak to your sister. Besides, I said would try,” he grumbled. Warren Mork had the same features his younger sister did, but was only slightly lighter than her with dark brown eyes. “She hates you. She doesn’t like me, which is understandable, but this is a serious problem we are facing. If she doesn’t join the team we will be missing the only person to actually communicate with a dragon,” Loft said sharper than he wished.

         “Shira,” Warren paused, restraining himself from hitting the punk, then continued, “is not aware she communicated with the dragon. You were informed of this. She believes she was hallucinating from the pain she was in. We need Shira, because she is the only one to describe a possible two way link. The neural link will allow us to find the Original dragon horde.” Loft knew there was more to the reason than he was being told, but Warren had Terra Cruor clearance. Only military personnel and their families lived or accessed Cruor. Warren had clearance and command on Cruor, which was practically unheard for a civilian. Loft shook his head to dismiss any doubtful thoughts and stood.

         “If its fine by you, I’ll take my leave.” Not waiting for an answer, Loft crossed the lobby leaving the doughnut shop and the annoyingly over-sized fountain and the annoying, overly affectionate couple Shira had been watching only minutes earlier. Shira why must you be so stubborn, whining as he hailed one of the cabs passing by The Garden.