class is in session

As Zander and Marc approached the great castle before them they could clearly see the ebony doors standing so tall neither of them could possibly imagine a world where either of them could open them. Something this massive must weigh as much as a dragon. Once they stood before the door, Zander noticed a small burning sensation in the palm of his hand. He quickly glanced down to find the silver flame there had begun to glow and, as if on instinct, he reached for the door.

"Ahhh...." Zander's face contorted in pain as his palm met the wooden door. Slowly the pain subsided and he realized that though he saw the door still shut in front of him, he could not feel it beneath his hand.

"Are you OK?" Marc ran to his side and grabbed him by the shoulder, knocking him away from the door.

"I'm fine," Zander insisted as he stared at the door. He moved towards it again with his hand out and pushed. His hand slid through the massive wooden door as though it was nothing but air and the two boys smiled at each other.

"That is unreal." Marc's voice had risen an octave with his excitement. They both hurried forward and passed through the door with ease.

"It's about time," a voice greeted them, "wait, they said there were three of you."

"She was still on the grass just past that death trap we had to cross last time we saw her." Marc looked around as he spoke, but Zander had already found the source of the mysterious voice.

"Well, that's great. Now we have to wait for her to catch up." A young man stepped into view from beside a ginormous statue of a man riding a dragon. He shook his head and sighed. "You two have officially made it to the grounds of the House of Flames. Behind me stands the great castle itself, where you will learn to become dragon riders, If you survive, that is." The last part didn't need to be said, everyone already knew what could happen to those who were marked. The young man stood there looking at the two of them when, a sudden surge of magic pushed past them.

"You guys could have waited for me," Wren announced her presence by berating them while oblivious to the new person in front of her. She continued to yell at them until laughter cut her off.

"So how long have the three of you known each other?" Wren's head whipped around and finally found the tall, slender young man standing in the shade cast by the statue.

"We met 'bout three days ago," Marc said while indicating Zander and himself, "but we just met her before we entered that cave just now."

"Really? The way she was yelling at the two of you, I assumed you grew up together." The man shrugged and continued speaking, "Whatever, I'm James and I have been assigned the task of showing you three inside." With this said, he turned and strode towards the castle. "I've been waiting for a while, so how 'bout we get some lunch real quick then I can take you to the Head Mistress' office?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Marc shouted. Meanwhile, Zander was looking everywhere as they followed James. He could see lush flower gardens growing in very well maintained areas surrounding the stone walkways that lead all over the grounds. The door they had entered through stood behind them just as imposing as it had been before.

"How exactly did we pass through that door just now, James," he asked.

"The gate is an illusion. It can stop anyone that doesn't have a mark from entering, but it's not actually there." James never broke his stride and as he reached the door to what seemed like the main castle he opened it and allowed the trio to enter ahead of him. "Honestly, there are a lot of enchantments on the gates. First is the illusion you see. Next, they have the one that stops anyone without a mark. Then, there is one that actually draws in mana from the dragons, who live in the surrounding mountains. The last one I know of actually forces this mana through where the illusion is and filters it, so not all of the mana is able to pass. If it weren't for that there would be a lot of problems for any villages close to the mountain range. From what I've been told, there are a few more just on the gates, but I have no idea what they are." As they entered, Zander stopped and stared at the sight before him. The walls were the same obsidian black stone as the outside, but here they were decorated with gold pairings depicting dragons flying through the air. Some showed them breathing fire while others were shown lying atop their hoards. In the main entryway hung a chandelier with crystals of many different colors hanging from it and reflecting the light of the flames that hovered over it. Just through this room was a large atrium its walls were decorated in a similar manner with glistening scones holding more floating flames lighting up the area. Its vaulted ceiling displayed a stunning mural of five dragons and their riders flying into battle against two other dragons. The five were beautiful colors, comparable to gem stones, while the other two seemed to be depicted as though they had arisen from the depths of the nine hells. "The first dragon rider king and queen, with their party flying into battle against the two dubbed as the Dark King and Queen. This was their last battle and afterwards they became known as the five heroes." James had stepped forward and was looking up to the mural. "They saved everybody on this continent and, even before that, they were the founders of the House of Flames. It's said that the Black Mage rider used her unique ability to bring this entire place straight up from the ground." His eyes were locked on the mural as if he were in a trance. "They say dragons have only gotten stronger over the last forty thousand years, but there are still none that compare to the power of the seven in that mural." Zander smiled at these words not a single dragon alive could claim the title of the strongest dragon ever. "Let's keep moving. They only serve lunch for another hour and a half." With that, James was off again at full stride. The group finally came to a set of double doors and James strode in. Inside, Zander, Marc, and Wren could see several tables covered with many platters over flowing with food. Chicken, beef, lamb, and several other meats took the entirety of two tables, while fruit took another and vegetables covered another. There were still more covered in food that Zander had never seen and even more covered in sweets.

"Have I died and gone to paradise?" Marc asked Zander as they stared at the seemingly endless food piled up.

"Riders need more food, especially before their dragon hatches, because the young dragons are drawing mana from them and it also drains their energy. Food helps replace that energy." The voice had come from behind James, and as he stepped aside he revealed a blonde boy, no older than Zander.

"Austin!" Wren's scream pierced the air as she lunged forward and all but tackled the boy in an attempt to hug him. "I'm here Austin! Look, I got marked!"

"I see that. Did you run the whole way here? I just got here yesterday, so there is no way you could have gotten here so quick otherwise."

"Nope, I didn't run the whole way. I got marked the day after you."

"Seriously," Austin said increaduoisly, "talk about poor planning. That guy could have gotten us both at the same time, but instead he had to go back for you."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing honestly."

"Whatever, you guys go get some food and come find me, then you can introduce me to your new friends, OK."

"Sounds good," Wren smiled and turned to walk away with Zander and Marc trailing behind her."

"Hey, Wren, I got two questions for you."

"What is it, Marc?"

"Question number one: Who was that guy? Question number two: Do you actually already consider us as your friends?"

"First, he is my cousin. Our mothers are sisters. Second, no. I just met the two of you less than an hour ago. At most I'm curious about Mr. Muscels over there considering I just watched him use daggers to climb out of that pit when he should have been burnt to death."

"I told you what happened. It's just as confusing to me as it is to you."

"That may be true, but if I keep a close eye on you, I might be in for a surprise." Zander threw his hands up in defeat, grabbed a plate and began to load various things onto it. Once the three of them were satisfied with their plates, they began to look around and spotted Austin on the far side of the room sitting with a dark haired girl. As they approached the table, they noticed neither Austin nor the girl were speaking. The three of them sat down and Zander and Marc wasted no time digging in.

"So," Wren began, "who's your friend here?"

"This is Bethany, she is pretty quiet and she is also the only one that made it past the pit yesterday aside from me. From what I understand, there were sixty-nine attempts, counting us two." Zander, Marc, and Wren all stopped to stare at the two of them. "Fortunately, today's batch seems to be fairing better than ours. Ten out of thirty isn't that bad."

"Wait, seven other people have made it through today?" Marc sprayed a few crumbs onto the table as he spoke.

"Yeah, they did."

"At least those that failed the pit don't have to worry about the burn out. From what I've found in my research, it burns you up from the inside out. The biggest problem with that is that it's a magical flame that is born from one's own life force. Anyone who experiences a burn out can and will experience every excruciating second until the last trace of them turns to ash." Bethany's timid voice rang out above the noise of the dining hall. The four of them sat silently for a second as her words hung in the air around them. None of them knew how to respond to what they had just heard.

"Th-that sounds horrible." Marc was the first to speak up. "I almost wish you had let me keep wandering around out there Zander."

"Don't worry, the rest of us do too," Wren chimed in with a smile. Austin laughed and soon the other two boys joined in. "Do you know why we have to see the Head Mistress?" Wren looked to her cousin with hopeful eyes.

"Relax. All newcomers have to see her to register and be assigned their dorms, its not a big deal. Honestly, though you three got here at just the right time."

"Why is that?" Curiosity had finally gotten the better of Zander and caused him to speak up for the first time since passing the gate.

"There is an introductory history class once a week for the newcomers that will be taking place today. Had you arrived yesterday, you would have had to wait like us and if you didn't make it 'till tomorrow you would have had to wait an entire week."

"Why do they only hold that class once a week?" Wren wondered aloud.

"The instructor for that class is the only historian employed at the House of Flames and also teaches the regular history class. If they were to hold the class every day, she wouldn't have enough time to teach her regular class." Bethany's matter-of-fact tone rang out as clear as a bell. Soon they had finished eating and rejoined James, and after wandering the ornately decorated halls for a while longer, they arrived at the door to the Head Mistress's office. Inside they found a warmly lit room with a large black desk at the center. Large windows provided a clear view of the mountain range beyond. Seated at the desk was a smartly dressed woman, her black hair tied back in a simple braid that laid over her shoulder and disappeared beneath the edge of the desk. She welcomed the trio to the House of Flames and told them their dorm numbers. Before she dismissed them, she informed them that their uniforms would be brought to their rooms that night and they were to wear them throughout the week. They were, however, permitted to wear whatever they chose during the weekend. The three left the office and proceeded to search for Austin once more. They found him and Bethany, along with several other people they didn't recognize, standing outside a plain wooden door as though they were waiting for something.

"Just in time, class is about to start," Austin greeted them as the door swung open. Inside they found eggs of various shapes, sizes, and colors. It was warm and every shelf and table was filled with eggs except for six podiums which held a single egg each.

"Good evening class. My name is Amerna. I am the history instructor here at the House of Flames and this is your introductory class. The room you have just entered is known as the hatchery." A tall beautiful woman stood beside the six podiums, with a stern look on her face. "Gather around and we shall begin." She waited patiently as the fifteen of them all moved into positions near her. "Now, as you all know forty thousand years ago dragons made a pact with the sentient races of the continent. This pact was magically enhanced beyond what the dragons knew at the time and prevented their eggs from hatching without pairing with, what would be later known as a rider. Riders soon became tantamount to the dragons' existence and were sought after in a feverish manner." She remained motionless as she spoke as though this speech was a chore she was forced to endure and she had practiced it to the least time-consuming degree possible. "The six eggs you see her," she indicated the eggs atop the podiums, "are the eggs of the five hero's dragons and the Dark King and Queen's. They are the offspring of the six strongest dragons to ever exist. Unfortunately, they have never paired with a rider and have since become petrified. No magic exists within them anymore and, as such, they will never pair with anyone. If they had, they would be the strongest dragons to ever exist, since dragons always breed to strengthen their bloodlines." A hand shot up and Amerna sighed. "What is it?"

"Why wasn't the egg of the Dark King and Queen's destroyed since it was known it could only be raised for dark purposes?"

"A dragon egg can not be destroyed." A look of surprise crossed Amerna's face as she answered. "I do appreciate that question though. That fact is not widely known and very few newcomers ever actually ask something worth knowing." The young girl blushed at the unexpected praise from this very strict-looking woman. "Now, each one of you has been selected as a rider for one of the dragons in the eggs in this room. You will attend classes here at the House of Flames in order to better inform you of what is expected of a rider, as well as improve your physical abilities. Both of these objectives are important, since you can not carry out your duties without understanding them and if you are not physically capable of doing so." She eyed Zander for a moment before continuing, "You may now take a few moments to look around and explore the hatchery, but do not touch any of the eggs. If you were to make contact with your paired egg now, you would most certainly experience a burn out." Zander began to look around and could suddenly feel something he had never experienced before. Faint whispers of power sprang forward all around him. He couldn't understand what this feeling was.

"Excuse me,  Miss, what are these whispers I'm feeling?" Austin had spoken up, asking the exact question that Zander had wanted to.

"Good. You are starting to feel mana in the air around you. As you all become more experienced riders, this ability will improve. Eventually, you will be able to extend your mana outside of your bodies almost entirely. This is a unique ability for riders. It allows us to locate sources of magic that maybe threats to our kingdom." Zander closed his eyes and focused on the whispers all around him as Amerna spoke. As he did, they intensified until he could feel emotions from each and every one. Passion, joy, determination, and many more. Still, the powers grew more clear and he could feel a dark intent mixing with the rest. Where he felt passion he also felt rage. Where he felt joy, he also felt misery. Where he felt determination, he also felt hostility. "Be careful not to focus too intently on these whispers for now, for all magic carries with it a dark intent and in your inexperienced state that darkness may draw you in and make you the next threat to the kingdom." Amerna's voice broke through Zander's focus and brought him back to the room he had been standing in, her eyes were locked on him with razor sharp focous. He smiled and held his hands up in surrender while he shook his head and she relaxed. He returned to looking around the room, but as he did he decided to also focus on the mana in his own body. He found it deep within his core, coiling around and around, folding in on itself as if it were trying to build itself up. He attempted to take control of it and found that he could move it with his will. It would flex and stretch as if it were a muscle that simply needed training. He began to work the mana like he had his arms when he first started training with his sword. As he did, it rapidly grew and soon he attempted to press it against the walls that bound it. The mana soon spread throughout his entire body and he found he could pass some out of himself with great effort. As he tested the limits of this new ability, a surge of magic struck him and, though it was forceful, it did not seem harmful. The magic that found him felt determined, more so than anything he had known before.

" You made it," the woman's voice said inside of his head. "You finally made it. I have been waiting for you for so long and you're finally here."

"Who are you," Zander asked the woman. "You saved me in the pit and I could see you in my vision just before I was marked, but I have no idea who you are." The green eye came into Zander's mind once more and his own mana began to reach for the outside force. The two began to wrap around each other and Zander could feel the determination darken. It began to feel as though it wanted to choke out all life, as though it was meant to survive and all others were meant to feed it in order to fuel its existence. Zander knew this was the darkness this magic carried with it and rejected it. He refused to allow himself to be drawn in by this dark intent. Instead of drawing away, he pushed his mana to follow the magic.

"Yes, come this way. Come find me, but do not touch me yet. We are not ready for that just yet." As Zander's mana reached the source, he stared in complete shock. There before him was a green egg, its color deeper than that of any emerald ever seen. It sat alone on a podium with five other podiums surrounding it.