Mountain Race

 

            Ty took a deep breath. Ah! The perfect day for Field Day! It was still winter, but it wasn’t snowing and the air was still. Maybe he wouldn’t have frozen fingers and toes when he finished.

            Looking to see who his competition was for the event, he groaned when he saw that Crystal was among the three other students. It’s not like he had anything against her, but Crystal was… a distraction. They had been friends since coming to the training academy at age 10, but that was six years ago. Ty wanted to be more than friends, but he didn’t want to ruin their friendship.

            Shaking his head, he focused back to the task at hand. They were supposed to retrieve the school’s banner from the lower mountain cave. Whoever reached it first won their team fifty points. Stepping up to the starting line, he waited for Master Nelson to start the race.

            With a noise that sounded like a gunshot, the race began, and Ty took off running. The cave was a little more than three miles away, and the four competitors bunched close together, each trying to take the lead. Crystal ran ahead of him, and Ty couldn’t help noticing how nice she looked today. She turned and gave him a quick smile before she used her first magic spell and summoned her horse from the stable.

            They were only allowed to use two spells for the race, so they had all been reluctant to use any magic, but once Crystal was mounted, she would reach the cave sooner than the rest of them. Not wanting to be left behind, Ty summoned his horse as well, and soon there were four horses running toward the mountain.

            Ty was glad when he mounted his stallion. He really couldn’t run the entire way to the cave. Lowering himself as close to the horse’s neck as he could, he urged it forward and took the lead. His horse was young and fast, and he reached the mouth of the cave first, several minutes before the others.

            Quickly dismounting, Ty instantly became more alert. The mountain caves were notorious places for dragons to take shelter during the winter. Not wanting to be burned to a crisp, he crouched in front of a boulder, carefully surveying the area. No sign of any dragons—yet. The cave was dark and went quite a way inside the mountain, full of twists and turns and plenty of places to hide. The banner was sure to be hidden well. He cast his second magic spell: one that would guide him directly to the banner. He entered the cave just as the other three competitors arrived. Ty was pleased to see that Crystal was leading them. Should he wait for her? No, he had to focus.

            Ty darted into the cave following his magic. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been watching very carefully where he was going and tripped over a thick rope.

            Ty landed hard on his hands and knees, narrowly missing a jutting rock formation that would have probably sliced his head open. He quickly jumped up and brushed himself off, embarrassed for tripping in front of Crystal. He chanced a glance back at her and was surprised to see a look of fear on her face. “Ty! Behind you!” she shouted, pointing.

            Whirling around, Ty was stunned to see a yellow dragon standing in front of him. It whipped its long, rope-like tail away from Ty. How could he have been so stupid? He’d actually tripped over a sleeping dragon. Flinging himself behind a boulder, he felt the heat from the scorching flames that issued from the dragon’s mouth. He had to move—fast.

            Ty darted to another bunch of boulders as he heard the dragon coming toward him. His first thought was, “At least it’s coming after me and not Crystal.” He’d woken the sleeping dragon, and now he had to take care of it. Drawing his sword and retrieving his shield from his back, he got ready to make a dash for the entrance. He had to lead this dragon out of here.

            Resolutely, he stepped out from the boulders and faced the dragon. Thankfully, it was on the smaller side—only about ten feet tall. “Come on, dragon!” he called as he banged his sword on his shield. “It’s time to leave!”

            The dragon regarded him with its orange eyes before it sent a white-hot stream of flames at him.

            Ty jumped out of the way just in time, and moved closer to the open air. “Come on, buddy. Move your feet and come get me.” He backed away, keeping his eyes on the dragon.

            The dragon didn’t budge, and Ty realized he had to try something else. Knowing he would be disqualified from the race, he cast another magic spell. A flock of sheep appeared and he herded them outside. A series of thumps behind him let him know that the dragon was moving at last. When he looked back, long ropes of saliva were dripping from the dragon’s mouth. With a roar, the dragon shot out from the cave to chase after the sheep.

            Ty watched the dragon with satisfaction as it took to the air to come at the sheep from above. Nodding, he turned his attention back to the race. He was just in time to see Crystal emerging from the back of the cave with the banner in her hand. Ty knew he should feel some remorse for not winning, but he couldn’t stop the grin that covered his face. If anyone had to beat him, he was glad that it was Crystal.