Chimera Ryder

Chapter 1 - Ryder

Jessa looked up at the sky and saw the royal paddle steamer sail towards the Olivine Tower. Although they officially changed the name to the Olivine Tower for more than a decade now, people down here still referred to it as the Green Castle. Jessa often looked up at the colossal chains draping from above. These were the chains that saved them from the whirlpool below, but these were also the chains that separated them from us. Sure, it would be nice to live up there, born with magic in your blood and have all the rich crystals under your feet, but Jessa knew home was down here.

"Jessa," her father yelled. "Time to go."

"Papa. I found a dial glove and a big propeller here."

Her father walked over and tousled her hair. He picked up the giant propeller and carried it on his shoulder. Jessa quickly gathered a few junk scraps and threw them into her pouch. She tapped the clock on the back of the mechanical glove. Yep, it was broken alright. She slid the glove on, but the glove was too big, so she extended her fingers to prevent it from falling. A drop of rain made contact with the top of her scalp. The sky was now thick and rain was on its way.

"Hurry up now, or you'll miss the Royal Kingstening broadcast," said her father.

"I don't care about the Kingstening. When does the race start?"

"It's only the preliminary race today," he said. "You should care about the Kingstening. It's a big deal. The queen finally gave birth to a boy."

Jessa rolled her eyes. She could care less about the royal affairs.

A thin red line high above the clouds caught her eyes. She tried very hard to contain her excitement. It was a dragon, a wingless red emperor dragon  from the East! What excited her the most was the steamship behind. Team Qing-Long  of the Mei  empire just docked their carrier next to the Green Castle. They were the first team to arrive for the Western Royal Cup.

"You really should cheer for the team here in Gem Haven," said her father.

Her father was not a Qing-Long fan. Ever since team Qing-Long and team Dark Clouds  of the Serp Imperial Union  made their unofficial pact, they had been first and second in all the races, winning all four majors in the last four years. However, there was a rumor floating, saying that the Dark Clouds' winged dragon riders were tired of playing wingmen.

This piece of gossip gave Gem Haven's own Ivory Wings  a lot of confidence going into tomorrow's Western Royal Cup. Gem Haven was hosting this year's major. With the moon aligned with the capital, Queen Aria giving birth to her fourth child and Ivory Wings having home field advantage, the elders of Gem Haven had loudly declared this the year of the Pegasus, predicting the Ivory Wings winning the Western Royal Cup!

Jessa did not pay much attention to the press. She cheered for Qing-Long because that was the last happy memory she shared with her mother before her mother passed. She feared the idea of forgetting her own mother. Even walking these familiar streets, she would remind herself of how she used to hold her mother's hand, danced on top of the steam and played hide and seek in the fog. Her father tried his best to be her mother's replacement, but his big hand was just too different. He could never hold her long anyway. The line in front of their mechanic shop was getting out of control like usual. He had to leave and go tame his customers.

The rain picked up again. Jessa parted ways with her father and gathered her steps towards the fish grill takeout place. This was where they had lunch almost every day. Uncle Drewy was behind the grill today. Jessa looked a bit relieved. This meant she didn't have to listen to Uncle Drewy's tall tales while she waited. Her father did confirm that Uncle Drewy was a naval captain before. But the stories about him sailing across all four skies and seas, even traveling to the New World, were those real? Her father would then say to her, "Well, sometimes stories are better told when you put logic away."