Elemental Dragons Book 1: Blood and Water Read online

  Jessica Turnbull

  Blood and Water

  Elemental Dragons Book 1

  Copyright © 2019 by Jessica Turnbull

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  First edition

  ISBN: B07VY4QZQS

  Cover art by Deranged Doctor Design - http://www.derangeddoctordesign.com/

  Editing by Nicola Hodgson - http://www.root-and-branch-editing.com/

  This book was professionally typeset on Reedsy

  Find out more at reedsy.com

  To my grandfather, Peter Fry.

  For always supporting me and encouraging

  me to keep writing.

  1

  Chapter One

  Dragons may have been the first to rule the world, but humans have ruled better.

  The large, terrifying lizards plagued the Earth with their constant territorial fights. Like most things in nature, they were responsible for their own downfall.

  I carefully close the old book in my hands. The cover is faded and worn, and the pages yellow from age, but I don’t care. It is the handbook for my next step in life. The chance to be more than just a regular girl. The chance to see my brother again.

  Ignoring the roar of the train around me, I flip to my favourite chapter, identified by a folded corner and a faded blue ribbon. This chapter is full of colourful pictures of dragons and people working together. Some of them build houses; others help with shopping. My favourite picture is of a silver dragon soaring through the skies, a middle-aged woman wearing a leather jacket confidently clutching its neck. I hope that my future dragon will be faithful to me, though I know that’s a stupid thing to worry about. As long as I treat my companion well, it will be loyal.

  Closing the old book carefully as the train shoots around a bend, I glance out of the window, watching nature zoom by. Gnarled trees and pastel flowers dot the landscape. I even catch sight of a fluffy brown rabbit rushing into the undergrowth. The outside world is hidden to us as children. We are hardly ever told what happens out there or what it’s like. They don’t tell us so that we won’t become curious, but it has the opposite effect. At nineteen we leave our town and are released into the wide world, a thought that terrifies me. There’s no way of knowing what’s on the other side. At fifteen, I only have four years left until I find out.

  “Hey, look! I can see the camps on the horizon!”

  Someone at the back of the train jumps out of their seat and excitedly taps a window. “Look! One of the Years is practising dragon flying!”

  Everyone oohs and aahs at the sight of a royal-blue dragon soaring through the air, its large wings slicing through low clouds. Its companion grips tightly on the reins, almost as if they are scared but trust the dragon’s judgement. The dragon is about eight foot tall, its scales covered in emerald-green squiggles, almost like patches of ivy weaving up a tree trunk.

  “It’s probably one of the older Years. Dragons don’t finish growing until Year Three.”

  I’m nervous.

  I’m going to a new area, with new people, new school lessons and I’m going to see my brother for the first time in a year. I’m moving to Aria, one of the best towns in the country. While in a Primary Town you can’t visit the people in a Secondary Town, and vice versa. The adults say it’s so we don’t hurt people if we discover our element early, but I doubt that. I’ve missed my brother, and my friends too – Marco and Maya the most. It’s been hard not having them around every day. But now that I’m moving to a Secondary Town I can see them again and hang around with them.

  Hopefully.

  That is, if they haven’t decided that they don’t want to hang around with a First Year, a girl who is younger and less experienced than them.

  “Okay, children. Five minutes to go. Make sure you’ve got your suitcases and books.” A tall blonde woman with small grey glasses stands up at the front, clinging to the rail on the ceiling for balance as the train zooms down the tracks. It’s Miss Fisher, the Last Year teacher for Primary Town. “The train will stop at the station, and you must immediately enter Camp One. There will be people there to assist you with luggage and directions.” She glances out of one of the windows before carrying on. “As soon as you arrive, you will leave your things in your cabin and go to the Square to meet your new teacher.” One of the boys at the front sticks his hand up eagerly, making her roll her eyes irritably and pinch the bridge of her nose. “Yes, Brandon. You will be given your dragon egg.”

  “Yes!” The boy punches the air in excitement.

  “I’m going to get an uncommon one!” the girl beside me, Ciara, cries.

  “Same! We’ll be twins!” Her friend, Naomi, waves her hands in the air excitedly.

  Ciara and Naomi have been my only company for the past year, since the others left. We will never officially be friends. They only talk to me because my brother asked them to before he left; he was scared I’d get lonely. I never wanted to hang out with them, but it was either them or be an outcast for a year.

  Both are the popular ones of the class, with their pretty faces and high-class tastes. Ciara takes pride in her long blonde hair and petite frame; she’s obsessed with her looks. Naomi has tawny brown skin and long caramel-brown hair. She isn’t as pretty as her friend but she has the nicer personality when she feels like it.

  “Remember though, kids,” Miss Fisher shouts above the chatter. “Your dragon egg will depend on how wealthy you are, so don’t get your hopes up too high.” She glances at me, and I quickly look away, clutching the hand-me-down book about basic dragon knowledge.

  “Yeah, Scargirl,” Naomi snorts, flicking her fringe out of her face. “Expect to get a crappy one.”

  Her mention of my cruel nickname makes me flick my hair over one side of my face, where a pink scar lies from my nose all the way to my right eyebrow, cutting through one hazel eye, which, thankfully, I can still see out of.

  Obviously this isn’t one of Naomi’s ‘nice’ days.

  “Just because it’s common doesn’t mean it’s bad,” I argue half-heartedly, knowing that I won’t be able to convince them otherwise.

  “No, it’s bad because it takes longer to learn things, duh!” Ciara waves her hand lazily. “Not to mention the damn things are as unruly as hell.”

  “Whatever. I bet Rocky’s doing fine.”

  Ciara lights up. “Oh yeah! We finally get to see Scargirl’s hot brother again!”

  Despite a poisonous glance from me, Naomi joins in. “Don’t forget Mason and Marco! Bet they’ve all got girlfriends already.”

  Ciara nudges me. “Hey, Scarface! Your boyfriend’s got a girlfriend. How does that make you feel?”

  “Marco is not my boyfriend,” I scowl, whacking her arm away, though my cheeks redden at the thought.

  “Of course he isn’t, he’s got a girlfriend now!”

  I roll my eyes as the two girls explode into bird-like squawks, and open the book at the page I left off. They’ll get bored soon, and I won’t have to talk to them anymore once I find Rocky and the others; I can hang around with them instead.

  I hope.

  This page is full of pictures of Avian dragons showing
the different tiers: common, uncommon, rare and premier. Your parents’ annual salary decides what dragon you get. My family is poor, so I will have a common dragon. Unfortunately, it seems I’m the only one on this train who will receive a common dragon, which might be grounds for teasing. Aria only accepts commoners in special circumstances, so I know I won’t be treated well by the other kids or the staff around the Town.

  Common dragons come in only three colours, according to the book: white, black and brown. Brown and white are the most common, with only five black common dragons on record. I wonder what colour Rocky got, and what it’s like. Would he teach me how to raise my dragon?

  Would he even want to see me at all?

  The train starts to slow, and my stomach churns. We’re here.

  “Alright, gather your stuff and get moving!” Miss Fisher shouts over the loud, excited chatter. “Older siblings are waiting for you at the gate, so keep an eye out for them!”

  I grab my small black suitcase and clutch my book close to my chest. Looking back at Ciara and Naomi, I’m surprised to see a flicker of nervousness in their usually cool eyes.

  Rocky could be there. He might have Maya and Marco there too. Would his dragon be there? What if it eats me?

  “There are a lot of dragons at the gate,” Ciara mutters, standing on her tiptoes to look over the sea of teenagers.

  “I hope they’re not hungry,” Naomi giggles.

  “Yeah, that’s how they get rid of the kids they don’t want – let the dragons eat them!” Ciara jokes, twirling a strand of blonde hair in her fingers.

  “Don’t say that!” a small girl with red ribbons in her curly hair shrieks.

  “It’s a joke, Clementine!” Naomi snaps.

  Kids start filing off the train, and dragons immediately jump into the air, flying overhead. A grey and black one dives down and lands next to one girl, and a tall girl wades through the crowd and hugs her.

  Is Rocky here?

  “Scargirl! Keep moving!” Naomi snaps, pushing me forward.

  Fresh, cool air blasts my face as I step off the hot, cramped train, but Naomi still clings to the collar of my shirt as she looks around.

  “Where is—” A large marble-grey dragon with blue swirls on its face lands next to Naomi, grabbing her arm gently in its teeth.

  “Naomi!” Ciara screams.

  “Help!” Naomi screeches, desperately trying to tug her arm free.

  “Calm down, sis!” A tall boy pushes through the crowd and grabs Naomi’s hand.

  “Alex!” To my surprise, she throws herself at the boy, hugging him tightly. “I’ve missed you.”

  “Hey, I’ve missed you too.”

  Something grabs my arm and I whirl around to come face to face with a dark brown dragon that has two small, stubby horns sticking out of its forehead. It looks at me curiously, nostrils flaring, before tugging me gently. Leaving Naomi and Ciara, I pick up my suitcase and walk next to the dragon as the crowd makes room for it to walk through. Its dark amber eyes glow with excitement and its thin tail waves happily. Golden markings in the shape of lightning bolts are wrapped around its tail, almost as if they were birthmarks. I soon realize that it’s the owner’s element: electricity.

  We reach the edge of the crowd and the dragon drops my arm, sniffing the air in confusion. It then swings its head to the left, watching someone excitedly. Following its gaze, I see a tall boy with jet-black hair running towards us.

  Rocky.

  My big brother came to see me.

  “Rocky!” I run and meet him halfway, clinging to his waist. “I didn’t know if you’d come!”

  “I was always going to come!” He ruffles my hair affectionately. “You know I love you.”

  His voice is deeper, and he’s had a growth spurt since I last saw him. He’s probably way over six foot, but he’s still got his signature cheesy grin with terrible crooked teeth.

  “I love you too. I’ve missed you so much, and the others.”

  “I’ve been worried about you all year,” he muttered. “I didn’t know if you were alright, if you were doing okay in class, if you’d made any friends...”

  Burying my face in his chest, I lie: “I’ve been fine.”

  We pull away, but he keeps one arm wrapped around my waist. “Can I take your suitcase?”

  “Oh.” I look back where I’d dropped it running towards Rocky. The dragon has picked it up by the handle, and is trying to work out how to carry it with the wheels moving in the opposite direction.

  “Cerberus!” Rocky calls.

  The dragon looks up, and half-waddles, half-clambers over to us, the suitcase knocking against its legs and chest.

  “Good girl,” Rocky takes the suitcase from the dragon and strokes its snout. “You can pet her; she doesn’t bite, only licks.”

  Cerberus leans towards me expectantly. I hesitantly stroke her cheek, which makes her growl happily. Her scales are surprisingly smooth despite their rough edges, and they are warm to the touch.

  “Cerberus is a weird name for a dragon,” I comment, grinning as the happy creature presses her snout into my palm.

  “I thought she was a guy. Plus, I wanted a cool name. In the end, we just decided to stick to it.” We make our way slowly through the gate. “You’ll have to start thinking of names. You’ll have a baby by the end of the day. As long as it’s not a human baby, that is.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” I tease; “that’s next year.”

  “No, you won’t!”

  It feels good to know that our bond hasn’t suffered; that Rocky hasn’t changed drastically. I’m happy we can still joke around and wind each other up. Since parents can’t visit their kids until they reach Secondary Town, he’s become the parental figure in my life. Some people think that our close bond is weird, but I don’t care. I look up to him; he’s my hero.

  “Is it hard?” I blurt out after a few seconds.

  “Is what hard, hun?”

  “Raising a dragon…. Controlling your element.”

  “I don’t want to lie to you; you’ll just suss it out anyway,” he grins. “It’s hard, yes. Cerberus and I decided to give a light bulb a little extra ‘oomph’ as practice for an exam. Long story short, we electrocuted three people and nearly burned the cabin down.”

  “Wow.”

  “Ironically, we passed.” Cerberus bounces beside him proudly as he speaks. “But it’s hard controlling your power. And electricity isn’t good when you’re starting out. Do you know what yours is?”

  “Water. I discovered it accidentally in the bath.” I smile sheepishly, remembering how one day I managed to raise the water in the tub over my head until it splashed down on the floor.

  “Water, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sounds cool. So, rain just doesn’t get you wet?”

  “I have to concentrate to make sure the rain drips off me.”

  “I’ll come to you if I ever need a human umbrella.”

  “Shut up!”

  “Your cabin is here; Camp One,” He points to a large grey building with a steel door and barred windows. “I know it looks like a prison but it’s all safety, promise.”

  The paintwork on the building is starting to peel off, and the guttering on the roof is dented. A line of white flowers snakes around the building with ivy crawling up to the windows. Four other buildings surround it, all alike. Rusted iron numbers hang above the doors. I’m in cabin three.

  “Do you want me to come in with you?”

  I don’t know many people in my Year, as it’s a collection of three different Primary Towns. Only a few people from my town chose to go to this one. I probably won’t recognize anyone in my new home.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Cerberus, go and see if any other kids have gathered in the Square. I don’t want Haze to be late.”

  Cerberus nods her small head, accidentally scratching my brother’s arm with her horns. She spreads her bat-like wings and leaps upwards, catching a wind current a
nd zooming off.

  “Show-off,” Rocky mutters, leading me towards the door, his arm still locked around my waist.

  He opens the steel door and we peer inside. Several kids have already gathered in the cabin, some talking with older siblings and friends who met them at the gate. Inside, the cabin looks a lot more inviting. The floor and walls are made of a dark cream wood, and bunk beds and drawers line up against the windows. Each bed has a brass plate with the name of a person on it.

  “Come on, Adams will be at the back.” Rocky ushers me in, and kids immediately turn around to watch us enter.

  “Is that the poor girl you were talking about?” one snickers.

  “Yep; only girl who’s getting a common dragon in First Year,” the other pipes up, putting her hand in front of her mouth to hide a laugh.

  “I’d hate that. She’s gonna stick out in classes!”

  Blocking out their mindless gossiping, I head for the back wall, glancing at each nameplate as I pass. Mine is the top bunk at the very back. I’m sharing with a guy called Wes Abbot.

  Rocky throws my suitcase on top of my bed, as I couldn’t reach without the ladder. “You’re the only person in your Year getting a common dragon?”

  “Yeah. It’s the most exciting thing going on at the moment, apparently,” I say sarcastically.

  “You don’t mind though, do you?” he asks carefully.

  “No. Cerberus is great. I don’t understand why they’re so undesirable.”

  “When you have money, you want the prettiest, strongest things. Common dragons aren’t pretty enough for rich people to want them.”

  “I don’t care. I just want a good companion.”

  Muffled yaps can be heard from outside. A second later the door swings open, making everyone jump. Cerberus squeezes her shoulders through the door, yelping urgently.

  “Fucking hell! Get that unruly thing out of here!” someone up front shouts.

  Everyone turns to glare at Rocky and me, muttering about how they’re going to hate living with me and my dragon.

  My classmates don’t like me already. Great.