Rhiannon - Dragonrider

Chapter Twenty Five - The Challenge

When I came back to my senses, Zalibar was carrying me up to the dormitory. Somehow he was feeding some of his will across to me, kind of topping up my reserves which felt way beyond empty.

"I hear you've done really well, young lady," he said, popping me down, surprisingly gently, on my bed. "Not only did your swift action save the lives of two nonda but you also ensured a couple of my nags weren't lost or damaged. Thank you. You're excused chores for the rest of the week. That idiot Wastnonda can cover for you. You're also let off the run this afternoon. He can do a triple and be grateful."

"Oh yes!" he added as he turned back towards the door. "I'd also like you to eat with us in hall tonight."

I must have fallen asleep or passed out or something because, the next thing I knew, I was being woken up by Carodoc.

"So... you've decided our company isn't good enough for you!" he said with a grin. "You're dining in Hall with the nonda tonight."

"That's what Zalibar said. I'm not sure I'm all that keen, though!"

"Anyway, I mentioned it to Iola when I was down in the village and she asked me to give you these," he said, handing me a bag.

I looked inside and saw a beautiful silky red dress and a pair of elegant matching shoes with a bit of a heel on them.

"If you hurry, you'll have time for a bath whilst we're out on our run. Us tyros aren't worried if you smell, but it might be a bit much for the refined nonda sensibilities! You'll have to carry your own hot water, though."

"A bath!" I'd hardly had time for anything more than a quick wash since I'd been there.

Smiling my thanks to Carodoc, I grabbed the bag and hurried down to the kitchen to collect the hot water.

I was feeling pretty self-conscious as I made my way across the quad to the Great Hall. That dress was really posh and... let's just say that it displayed the little bit I had by way of attributes to their best advantage.

The Armenclethyfur was waiting at the door in a black jacket with his hair held back in one of those elegant coronets. And the whole self-conscious thing wasn't made any better by the way he inspected me when I arrived. "Who are you?" he asked with a smile, "and what had you done with that grubby little tyro?"

But at least he gave me a friendly smile to let me know he was only teasing.

"You know, I've never seen Zalibar looking so impressed," he added. "Now go and grab Wasty's seat. I guess he won't be needing it tonight!"

"What I don't understand is how one mind can possibly do a double grip," a noviate nonda was saying as I sat down. "I mean... you've only got one brain, haven't you?"

"We'll have to ask the expert," a Transitor boy answered. He shook his long hair away from his face giving me what, on one level, was a friendly smile. Then he dusted an imaginary speck of dust off his purple velvet jacket.

"Well, I sort of had Nero under control at the back of my mind," I tried to explain. "Then I could concentrate on Taloon, who was the real problem."

"I just don't understand how you managed to stop Wasty from smearing himself all over the rocks," Llynnonda said. "I was sure he was dead when I saw him falling like that."

"He was trying to slow himself down anyway. So all I had to do was to help him a bit and nudge him out to sea. The water did the rest."

"But how..." another nonda tried to ask but he was interrupted by the gong. We all jumped to our feet as Zalibar walked in.