The Broken Scale (The Dragon Riders of Arvain) by Nicholas Clausen Read Free Book Online

thinking he was about to hear something wild and farfetched.
                  “You could actually get a dragon egg.” Fendrel was able to sound serious while he spoke but as soon as he finished he rolled over on his side and began laughing loudly at Hayden’s expense.
                  “That’s not funny,” Hayden replied quietly as he turned and tried to fluff his pack the best he could. He laid back down, but this time with his back to Fendrel, hoping it would help drown out the laughter. It did no such thing, and for the next few minutes all Hayden could do was listen to Fendrel cackle like a child and repeat the same line over and over again. This would in turn cause another laughing fit to erupt from the old man.
                  “He he, you could actually get a dragon, good one, he he,” Fendrel spoke to himself.
                  “Shut up, it wasn’t that funny,” Hayden replied angrily and tried in vain to go to sleep.
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                  The following morning was spent mostly in silence. Hayden was so lost in his thoughts that he cleared the camp without realizing it. He continued to work, and when he was finished he just picked up his pack and started walking without any kind of acknowledgment to Fendrel’s existence. Fendrel sat back and watched Hayden, only moving to follow him when he started to walk off.
                  “You aren’t still mad about the joke last night, are you, boy?” Fendrel asked causally, but Hayden could hear he tried to cover a laugh as he spoke. Fendrel tried coughing after he spoke so he would not start laughing out loud.
                  “No, it’s not that, it’s just that the whole world seems a lot darker than I thought it was.” Hayden let Fendrel walk up beside him and put his arm on his shoulder.
                  “I know what you mean. It is always dirtier and darker than what we had imagined it to be. Don’t let it get you down, though. You can always help shed some light on it. Plus, don’t forget we will be at Celestial City today, so that should cheer you up a bit.” Fendrel seemed to have cheered himself up, he walked with a little hop in his step and a smile on his face.
                  Well there is that. It will be nice to not have to walk nonstop for a while. I wonder how long I will have to wait until I can try to get an egg. I can’t wait for the trials, I know I will fly right through them thought Hayden. Hayden, without thinking about it, started smiling also. As they continued on the road, they started running into more and more people. Most were traders with large carts full of goods. Luckily the road had widened so that they did not have to run off the road every time a cart came by. Many of the people were pleasant towards them, asking basic questions about how their trip was going.
                  At midday, Fendrel told Hayden that they were only a few hours away and that they would be in the city by dark. Hayden did not have to wait long to know that Fendrel had been telling the truth. As they came through a bend around a thick group of trees, Hayden saw a sight that made him stop mid-step and almost caused him to fall. He looked up with awe and beheld a scene that he would never forget: dragons flying in a giant V shape. They had not made it even a hundred feet in the air and Hayden could still hear their wings beating as they gained height. 
    Hayden quickly counted the dragons and their riders and tried to get a good look at each one. There was a silver in the front of the “V” formation and there were two copper dragons flying behind him on both sides. As they began to get some distance from Hayden and Fendrel, the silver dragon turned and let out a roar that Hayden