The dragon’s weakest rider

4

He reached into a pocket, pulled out a fountain pen and tossed it right onto the table.

“Sign it!” Caleb ordered coldly. “This isn’t a discussion.”

Before Eryx could respond, Leo moved behind him, towering over him with an intimidating stare in his eyes.

“Looks like you have forgotten where you live. You have no say here, dead beat.”

Eryx’s breathing grew uneven as his eyes darted around the room. His brothers were not backing off and his mother wasn’t even looking his way, she was busy with the food as though forcing her son toward a death sentence was no different from preparing supper.

His father and Neri, their sister, still hadn’t returned. There was no one else he could look up to help.

“Caleb, Leo, I’m not signing it.”

Caleb’s face darkened. “I was already hoping you would make this difficult.”

He lunged forward and gripped Eryx’s arm tightly, making him wince in pain.

“You either sign the easy way with your hand or we will move your hand for you!”

“Caleb, don’t do this…” Eryx said, his voice breaking as he stared into his brother’s eyes.

That seemed to annoy Caleb even more. His fist landed on Eryx’s stomach. Eryx clutched his stomach, his face distorting with pain, his knees buckled as he fell to the floor, groaning and coughing violently.

Pain spread through his abdomen like an angry fire. He barely had time to recover before Caleb grabbed a fistful of his hair and forced him upright.

“You think this family owes you anything?” Caleb snarled. “Sixteen years, Eryx. For sixteen years, we have clothed and fed you and yet you still decide to be selfish?!”

“I never asked to be born! I never asked to be this way,” Eryx said between gasps.

For a beat, the room went silent.

Then,

SMACK!

The sound echoed in the little house.

Eryx’s cheek burned as he lifted a trembling hand to it. A palm was imprinted on his face in red lines, he felt the metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

He managed to look up and standing before him was his father, Victor.

Victor’s work clothes were coated with coal dust, a battered toolbox hanging loosely from one hand. His chest rose and fell, his expression hard and cold as he stared down at Eryx.

“Watch your mouth,” he said, his voice low but carrying through the room. “No matter what happens in this house, you do not speak like that.”

Hope seemed to flicker inside Eryx. Perhaps, his father would stop this from happening.

“Dad…” his voice trembled. “They want to send me to conscription.”

Victor turned slowly toward the table. The official envelope lay open, the academy seal staring back at him.

Caleb folded his arms. “He’s refusing to sign it.”

Silence filled the room as Eryx stared at his father’s face full of desperation. He remembered being seven years old when his father had told him he was special and would be known for great things then surely he wouldn’t let this happen.

Victor let out a weary breath as Clara said, “The district officials will collect the forms tomorrow morning.”

His eyes met Eryx’s.

“We can’t ignore the summons.”

At those words, the tiny spark of hope in Eryx’s eyes died instantly.

“Dad…” he muttered a plea.

“This family has no other choice. After all you have been rejected everywhere and I’m sure you have been rejected today, this is a good choice not just for us but for you.”

Before Eryx could answer, the front door burst open.

“I’m home!”

A bright voice filled the house.

Neri skipped inside with a woven basket hanging from her arm, strands of hair sticking to her forehead from the afternoon heat.

“I traded Mrs. Elin’s herbs for—” she stopped halfway in her words, the basket slipped from her fingers, the small vegetables she had packed rolled across the wooden floor.

Her eyes darted from Caleb to Eryx. His face was red and almost swollen with the sign of a big sized palm on one send of his cheek, blood was seeping out of the corner of his mouth and his shirt was torn.

Her face instantly went pale.

“Brother?” She immediately rushed towards him, reaching for his bruised face with shaking hands. “Eryx, who did this to you?!”

Eryx gave no response, still shattered by the responses from his family members. Neri slowly turned around, her eyes got a glimpse of the conscription form lying on the table and they widened with fear and shock.

Then, she looked at Caleb and shook her head frantically.

“No…no,” she whispered. “You are making him sign it?!”

Neri immediately reached for Eryx’s hand.

“No. You can’t do this! He’s not going anywhere!”

Eryx glanced at her, surprise etched on his face. He never expected Neri to stand up for him.

Caleb sighed, ceasing his head. “Neri—“ he began.

“No!” She yelled, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at the others. “He will die!”

“And if he stays, who will feed this family?” Clara asked, her eyes narrowing on her daughter. “You?”

“I will work harder!” Neri blunted out. “I will help Ms. Erin everyday. I will go to the upper market too. I will earn enough—“

“That's enough, Neri!” Victor said, cutting her off. “Your brother has received rejections from all factories. No one wants to hire him and we can’t handle a burden. It’s best that he leaves.”

“Even if he dies!?” Neri cried. “He doesn’t deserve this!”

“No one is saying he deserves anything,” Leo chipped in, picking up the pen from the floor and placed it on the table. “But someone has to think about this family.”

“We are done arguing now,” Caleb said, reaching for Eryx but Neri immediately stood between them both.

“No. You can’t make him, you can’t!”

“Neri, that’s enough out of you already!” Clara warned.

But, Neri didn’t budge until Eryx tapped on her shoulder, she turned around and saw the look of resignation in his eyes, her shoulders slumped instantly.

“Let it go, Neri,” he said softly with a sad smile. He had watched everything unfold and his family had all lost hope in him.

If his family sees him as a burden and wants him gone, then he will leave. He didn’t want to be seen as selfish anymore, easing them of their pain would be the right thing to do.

“No…” Neri’s sob came as a weak whimper behind him.

As he picked up the pen, his fingers trembled slightly. If this was going to be his death, so be it.

An end to his suffering.

He slowly scribbled down his name.