Jahrra squished up her face, revealing a small dimple on her left cheek. When Hroombra used that phrase it meant he wouldn’t be telling her the whole answer. Why do adults always have to be so secretive? she wondered in frustration.
Jahrra forgot about her ire when Hroombra began talking once again, “I will tell you this however: the world is a large place with many people and many different ideas, and one of those ideas is that dragons are troublesome creatures. People hear stories and fear we might burn down their village or eat their livestock. Most dragons don’t do this but too many people believe the tales they are told. Most of my kind now live in secret places where we can be at peace, but not all of us. Does this answer your question?”
No, Jahrra thought ruefully even as she signaled her compliance, at least not all the way. She wondered why people believed the stories about dragons being dangerous but she withheld any other inquiries. When Hroombra ended an explanation with another question she knew he was finished with the topic.
Jahrra soon forgot about the distracted and disapproving townspeople. She was dazzled by the shops with their crooked hanging signs and intricate window displays. The stores had everything for sale from professionally tailored dresses and suits to garden tools and small wagons. Every so often she’d catch a glimpse of a grungy, gritty alley and just as soon as it appeared it disappeared once again. She was always amazed that buildings could be built so close together and wondered what it would be like to live so near to one’s neighbors.
Jahrra breathed a sigh of relief and leaned into Hroombra’s great neck for comfort, closing her eyes and allowing her other senses to take over. The sun felt like a warm fire as it beat down upon her face creating quite a contrast compared to Hroombra’s cool, scaly skin. She heard the clinking of harnesses, the clucking of chickens, the bleating of sheep and goats and the snorting of horses. She listened to the shouts of more children running away from the dragon walking down the street and she even heard the chinking of the blacksmith’s shop several blocks away.
Familiar smells of smoke and manure filled the air and the clean swish of a horse’s tail nearby finally convinced Jahrra to open her eyes. The scene had changed; there were no longer crowded stone and wooden houses surrounding them but a few compact cottages propped up between small groves of young redwood trees. They’d left the main road and were now on one of the more narrow paths leading away from the center of town.
Jahrra blinked and glanced over her shoulder. Gieaun and Scede looked distracted by the stables on the left but directly behind them Jahrra saw life returning to normal on the main road. The people who’d been avoiding Hroombra quickly filled in the space he had created, leaving behind no evidence that three children riding a dragon had ever passed through.
The lane Hroombra took rose gently, twining between the redwoods that dappled the path in shade. Soon the dull red walls of a stone cabin pushed their way through the ruddy brown and deep green of the trees. The cabin was rather large and Jahrra noticed that it had a steep sloping roof, a towering chimney, and great dust coated windows. Oak and laurel trees gathered in the gully around the schoolhouse like chilled campers hunched around a fire and several large chunks of granite littered the yard.
“Well, children,” Hroombra said, sounding slightly out of breath, “welcome to your schoolhouse.”
Hroombra stopped just outside the front of the building and allowed the children to slide off of his back. Once on solid ground the three of them gazed around in wonderment. Although the structure was built amongst trees, there was a small hollow and a tiny meadow on one side of the yard. To the building’s right, in another small clearing, Jahrra spotted tables and benches. The whole scene had a musty and shaded atmosphere, but Jahrra smiled brightly anyway, feeling for the first time that she might truly enjoy school.
“It looks like we’re the first ones here,” Hroombra commented casually, taking in the dormant scene.
The schoolyard was vacant and the road below was deserted, but soon the emptiness was disrupted by the sound of a horse and carriage drifting up the main road. The children and dragon looked in the direction of the faint clatter and saw a very clean and beautiful yolk-colored carriage emerging over the small incline of the road. This cart was much nicer than the hay wagon Jahrra always took to the Castle Guard Ruin. It was obviously a well-maintained family vehicle and was drawn by two matching snowy horses fitted with intricately carved leather harnesses.
Once the carriage pulled up to the path in front of the schoolhouse, Jahrra found herself gaping in surprise. Now that the horses were closer she saw that their harnesses were encrusted with tiny, yellow rhinestones. Gieaun and Scede shifted behind her and she turned her head to see what had caught their attention. Right behind the first carriage were four or five more exactly like the first, also drawn by two white horses.
The lead carriage came to a complete stop and a young footman hopped down and opened the door, completing his task flawlessly despite the shocked look he flashed towards Hroombra.
A matching girl and boy, both with hazelnut brown hair and clear, brown eyes, stepped out of the carriage. They were shortly followed by a dozen or so other children. The twins, for there was no mistaking that fact, wore the same uniform that Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede wore but theirs looked to be made of silk and satin.
Jahrra could only imagine that these children came from a palace and she hoped, with a small thrill that they might even be pure elves. Their ears looked pointed at the end, and they had an air of richness and importance floating about them. As she stood there gaping in wonder, the other carriages unloaded more blue and white clad students of various ages.
Despite their intimidating appearance however, Jahrra was glad to see the other children and couldn’t wait to introduce herself. She’d gotten along so well with Gieaun and Scede that she figured it would be wonderful to make friends with all the new students, especially if these children were really true elves. She quickly ran over to greet them, Gieaun close behind and Scede trailing back.
Before Jahrra could say anything at all, however, the brown haired girl looked up from fussing with her uniform and let out a blood-curdling scream. Jahrra froze and felt her heart jump into her throat. What’s the matter? she thought as she stood staring at the girl in confusion. Only, the girl didn’t seem to notice Jahrra; she was standing with her eyes fixed on something just over her shoulder.
Jahrra turned to look and then realized what had caused the girl to scream: Hroombra. Hroombra stood back, still as stone and blending in with the gray shadows of the trees. Jahrra almost laughed. How could these children not have noticed Hroombra before now?
“A dragon! We have a dragon teaching us? This can’t be right!” the girl shouted, sounding half outraged, half frightened.
Jahrra was taken aback and quickly jumped to Hroombra’s defense.
“He- he’s Master Hroombra and he teaches me once a week,” she faltered. “He only wanted to bring us to school on the first day.”
The girl finally noticed Jahrra and looked her up and down, sneering rudely. “When did they start letting Nesnans in to study with the Resai?”
The hazelnut haired boy sniggered along with most of the other children. Jahrra inched away, feeling the full blast of the girl’s acidic tone. She had thought school would be an exciting adventure where she’d make new friends, but it seemed she was making enemies before class even begun and she didn’t even know why. By now all of the other children had started murmuring and backing away from the dragon and the three children that had come with it. Jahrra looked back at Gieaun and Scede for support but they only let their eyes drop, moving away charily from the crowd of upset students.