Dragon Makers-Sneak Peek

"Just a few more beads on this one and it's tail will be complete."
"What colors?"
"What colors do you think, my young apprentice?"
"Well...it's a fire dragon, so how about blue?"
"And what exactly is your reasoning behind that?" Goiya looked sharply up at his apprentice over the work table, tweezers and wires poised over a glistening mass of beads that had been worked together to form the shape of a dragon.
"Well, the hottest part of a fire is it's blue center." Kandra explained uncertainly, looking away from her masters stern eye, "And for a fire dragon heat is power...."
"Then why don't we make the whole thing blue?" Goiya asked kindly, moving towards the blue beads already.
"No!" Kandra stopped the elderly man with a sudden spasm of fear, "That would be too much power! If we just make the tail blue, it would be just enough to control properly." she explained quickly, "Besides, if we made it all blue, that would overpower our intent and a water or air dragon would emerge instead." there was a long pause in which Goiya just stared at his student, and in which Kandra bit her inner lip. She had talked back to her master, not only that but she had obviously suggested something terribly wrong and thus shown his that she had learnt nothing.
"Very good, Kandra, you've learnt your elements well." Goiya said into the silence, a smile of his weathered face. He continued to move towards the blue beads, but only pulled one string of them from a peg on the wall that held at least a dozen others like it. Kandra held her breath in disbelief for many moments more as she watched the old man break the string that held the beads.
"Well, don't just stand there, this dragon is not going to finish itself you know." Goiya said evenly without looking up from his work. Kandra smiled and picked up her own pliers.
Goiya had waited years to find the perfect apprentice for his craft. It was a test of patience, since once a Dragon Maker had taken an apprentice, the only way out of the magical pact was the death of either master or student. Many of Goiya's associates had taken on apprentices that were masters themselves before he even met Kandra. Everyone thought that he would never take on an apprentice and die with some of the deepest secrets of the craft. But on he lived, and as he clung to his last shred of hope to find the right apprentice, Kandra walked into his store.
She was young then, her straight, black hair falling only to her shoulders then when now it fell like a waterfall down her back. She had had bright blue eyes then that had faded to aquamarine over the years as her child-like youth fled her. She was taller now, with a slim form and modest build, her face thin and pale, and her limbs long and graceful.  Goiya of course looked to her as a daughter, since Masters were forbidden to have children and Students were often orphans. They had needed each other, but that did not mean that Kandra had wanted to be a Dragon Maker. In fact, that had been what sparked Goiya's interest in her. She had an obvious magical gift, but showed no desire to use it. It had been Goiya's task to show her the power she possessed. And he had done his job well.
He of course looked like the weathered old man he was by now. With a lazy back, he had developed a stoop to his stature in these later years, and often could be found with his gnarled cane to aid him in walking. His skin was tan, his limbs merely echos of the strength he once possessed, and his hair long, uncut, and ragged gray. Though his skin was wrinkled and his eyes had faded to a dusty gold, the man's hand remained steady when it came to his work. For all else, he seemed a shaking, feeble old man. But before the Loom, with his pliers and his beads, Goiya was a master artist.  
"The next dragon you make, you will be on your own." Goiya said calmly into the stillness, not even breaking in his rhythmic weaving. Kandra however, faltered, bringing her pliers together over a bead and shattering the GlassMagic.
"What?" she asked him blankly, staring at her teacher in shock, as though he had just betrayed her.
"You are ready to complete such a task on your own." Goiya stated, still as calm as the sea, keeping his eyes on his task and not on his apprentice. "I have taught you every step, every secret, every technique." Finally he met her eyes, "And you have learnt well. You are ready for this." Goiya didn't blink. Kandra did; many times.
"Will you at least be in the workshop with me?" She asked fearfully, hoping he would be there to at least offer some kind of support.
"No." Goiya said outright. Known for his honesty and bluntness, Goiya was. "I will come to inspect you work once it is finished and you have left the workshop."
"I won't even get to be here when you inspect my work?" Kandra repeated horridly.
"I will summon you once I have thoroughly checked every detail that may come into my mind." the old man told her steadily. There was silence, "Kandra, you must accept this." he reminded her gently after a moment.
Slowly, stiffly, the girl bowed low over the worktable to her master, "I do accept, Master Goiya." she said blankly, her expression as masked as her voice, "If you believe I am ready, I must respect your wishes to test me."
"Then so it will be." Goiya said, setting his pliers down and bowing to Kandra as well.
"When will it be?" Kandra asked with a bit of a squeak in her voice, looking up over the table with worry in her eye.
"I cannot tell you, it will be when I know you are prepared both mentally, and spiritually." He said, gathering up the lose beads and stringing them back onto their line. Kandra took the cue and also began cleaning up as Goiya continued speaking, "This does not necessarily mean that you will feel that you are ready, but when I see it in your soul." he warned her. That put the girl on edge, for it meant that even if she was still in a panic he would put her to the task. To build a dragon on ones own is quite a feat, and if Kandra's first one lived, it would be a miracle.
It was no surprise that they finished cleaning up in silence.
Goiya left the workshop first, leaving his apprentice to her usual duties of cleaning the workshop. It was large studio, but they had been working on one of the smaller tables, making of course a smaller dragon. The place had once been some kind of ancient coliseum or meeting hall, but the Masters before her had modified it, knocking down some walls and eliminating smaller rooms to make the whole place one giant, high-ceilinged room. In the farthest corner where Kandra was, there were the work tables, two of them, one medium, one small. Though what would seem like a small table to a Dragon Maker would be considered a huge one by anyone else. They were after all making dragons! There were none so small as the average kitchen table, no matter how large it may have been! Along with the supply shelves and the great wall of beads, the two tables took up a little less than half of the great building.
The rest was open floor, though it was bare for a reason. To make a full sized dragon, the entirety of this space was needed, and depending on the type of dragon, the chamber was sometimes too small. It was a feat to keep clean. But Goiya had had to clean the place when he was an apprentice, and his master before him had gone through the same trials. And when Kandra became a true Dragon Maker and Goiya passed into the beyond, she would inherit the great studio from the old man, then pass it on to her apprentice once she found one to teach. And so on and so forth, such was the tradition of these fine craftsmen.
Goiya had been kind enough to put the beads away, sometimes the chore could be a difficult task. One entire wall was filled with pegs, on which hung thousands of strands of GlassMagic Beads in every color and shade. Each could be put to different uses depending on where the Dragon Maker located it within the dragons slowly forming body. It also had much to do with the artisan’s concentration and magical ability. Goiya had always told Kandra that she had remarkable powers for one so young, and that she had much promise and potential. Now he was calling that promise and potential forth with this test. She was sure it would be her last test before he proclaimed her the youngest Master Dragon Maker in over a century. She had heard him tell tales of his final test. It was of course always the same; to make a dragon on ones own, and have it live. If Kandra’s dragon didn’t live, then years of hard work will have been for nothing, and Goiya would have to either start teaching her anew, or suffer the price of their broken bond. Kandra wouldn’t die, but Goiya would if she failed this test; for though she thought she would be disappointing her master, it was really the master that would have failed the student.
“Kandra?” a small squeak asked from the shadowed corners of the room. The girl jumped a little, nearly dropping the pliers as she spun around quickly to see who had spoken to her.  It was a small, white dragon. It’s name was Cross. Cross had large, purple eyes that glowed with the wisdom she was made for, she had no wings however since it had taken so much concentration on giving the little dragon the ability to speak. She could not fly, but was a rather fast runner, and had a powerful enough bite to make up for her lack of wings. Over her eyes and down her back were small spikes of brown, and her tail faded into a brown point. The colors of wisdom were very dominate in her, brown for the good earth, white for purity, and purple for insight, all brought together with Goiya’s strong magic and steady hand, and all blended to make this little dragon.
“Cross, you scared me.” Kandra smiled after she saw that it had been a friend that had snuck up on her.
“I’m sorry.” Cross came nearer as Kandra turned and finished putting the pliers away before giving the dragon her full attention. There were many dragons about the grounds, ones that had been made by Goiya and his master, and the master before him, but Cross was Goiya’s first dragon, the one that had gained him his Masters title. She was about as big as a wolf, and could easily take one on in a fight. But Cross preferred not to fight, she liked reading more than anything else. She even had a nest in the corner of the library, though her official bed was in Goiya’s study. “Do you know where Master Goiya is?” she asked politely, her voice soft and slightly husky. Even she referred to Goiya as her master, even if he acted more like a friend to the dragon, she was nothing if not proper, and would always call him Master. He had given her life, his magic had become her pulse, his image her eyes, his steady hand was her slender form, the title of ‘master’ was the least she could do in return. They had had adventures of their own, Cross and Goiya, but that had been many years ago, decades even. Cross of course would outlive her master, sadly enough, but she would be bound to the grounds to aid the Masters and Students that came after her master, and after Kandra.
“I don’t think I’ll know that for awhile yet.” Kandra sighed, sitting on the floor and leaning against the cabinet wall.
“Why is that?” Cross asked, coming up beside her and sitting.
“He’s going to give me my Masters test soon.” the girl said dryly, shivering at the thought, “But he says that it wont be until I’m ready. Even if I don’t feel ready, he’ll be able to know somehow.” she sighed, playing with the fraying fringes of her workmen’s belt.
“But you’re so young!” Cross exclaimed, sitting up a little straighter to meet Kandra’s squarely, “I know you’re talented, young one, but you’re not even a score old!”
“The youngest Master in centuries.” Kandra sighed with a half nod and a shrug. She laughed a little at the thought, turning her head to look at Cross, “What kind of dragon should I make?”
“One that complements you.” Cross said at once, though her expression darkened a little when Kandra laughed outright.
“How do you complement Master Goiya?” she asked incredulously, “You’re an amazing creature, Cross, but you and Master are nothing alike.”
“Thus, we complete each other. He is night and I am day, he is the wind and I the grass that bends beneath it. Look for faults in yourself, think of what traits would complete you, and put those into your dragon.” Cross said, settling down again more comfortably and staring steadily and gently at Kandra as she gave her advice.
“But...what completes me?” Kandra said after a thoughtful moment.
“A dragon that can hunt I’d say,” Cross said dryly, sighing wistfully, “Too bad our kind doesn’t have hands, else I would recommend someone who can cook and darn.”
“What about a dragon that can sing?” Kandra thought aloud, only half listening to Cross as she looked out at the far away ceiling.
“Sing?” Cross looked over at the girl and saw clearly that Kandra was not listening, “Do you like singing?”
“What I’ve heard of it down in the village.” the girl said to the dragon, “That’s why I never complain when Master gives me errands to run, there’s a field between the forest and the village where many of the children gather to sing. It’s beautiful.” she sighed, leaning her head back against the cabinet and closing her eyes, remembering the lovely sounds of the music, “Birds can sing too can’t they?” she asked wistfully.
“Yes, I suppose so.” Cross half shrugged, giving Kandra a side-long glance. She wasn’t particularly a dreamer, this little dragon.
“A dragon that can sing like a bird.” Kandra laughed, “I wonder what element base to use for it.” she opened her eyes again, back in the real world now and thinking more logically.
“What about clear beads?” Cross asked quietly. The suggestion got Kandra’s attention, she had never used clear beads before.
“How would I use them?” She asked hesitantly. Clear beads were filled with something called blank magic, meaning it held no particular trait whatsoever and could either boost other elements or stand on their own and give a dragon an independent start. Like a growing baby, that dragon would learn its talents, strengths and weaknesses and adapt to the world around it. It would learn and fail much like a human. The beads were rare and hard to make, Goiya only had three strands of them, few compared to his three dozen strands of aqua beads.
“I’m afraid I cannot help you with that. Every Master uses the clear beads in their own way.” Cross said, rising from where she sat and stretching a little, “You’ll find your own way, I am certain.” she assured the girl before nodding her head in farewell and turning to leave. She had originally been looking for Goiya after all.
“My own way....yes....” Kandra nodded blankly, looking out the windows thoughtfully and hardly noticing as Cross walked away. The dragon was sure to use her tail to shut the door of the workshop, leaving Kandra in the huge room with her thoughts. After a few moments of sitting in silence, Kandra stood and wandered over to the window. It was noon, a time when the workshop cast no shadow. The peak of the day. “Noon....” Kandra wondered thoughtfully, turning to look back at the wall of beads.

“Master Goiya?” Cross nudged the door to Goiya’s study open with her head, horns scratching the wood a little in well worn places where she had done the same thing.
“Cross.” Goiya smiled, looking up from a paper that lay flat on his desk, “Where have you been all day?” he asked, rising from his seat and walking around the desk to kneel before his dragon. Goiya’s study was more like a smaller version of the library more or less. Two entire walls were dedicated to bookshelves, and smaller, bench-like shelves flanked the doorway and sat under the one large window. That was Goiya’s favorite place to sit and read, since the window was behind his desk, it was something of his own private seat. On one of the benches to the side of the door however was Cross’ bed, nothing more than a nice mat that she found very comfortable. She liked sleeping in Goiya’s study rather than his own room or the library. This room was just the right mix of the two.
“Just wandering around.” Cross informed her master as she hoped up onto her bed, “The heather on the northern hill is in bloom, and the pond is full of fish and noisy frogs.” she told him, laying down on her mat and folding her forelegs before herself neatly, curling her tail around the curve of her body and turning her neck gracefully to look at Goiya.
He smiled at her in all her elegance and wisdom, “Good, good, we can go catch some of those fish tomorrow if you wish.” he offered her, moving to sit on the floor in front of his desk and lean his back against the front of it as he looked at Cross.
“I would like that.” the dragon smiled with a nod.
“Excellent.” Goiya nodded happily, looking forward to the little outing. The grounds of his Masters’ Estate were extensive, since they mostly grew their own food and hunted for meat. The forest was under the Dragon Makers’ name and the village had been started because of the business that a Dragon Maker often brought to a place.
“What were you reading when I came in?” Cross asked quietly into the peaceful silence that had descended between them. Goiya had even leant his head back and closed his eyes while still smiling, and even with Cross’ question he didn’t open them, he merely reached up and back, feeling around on the top of the desk for the edge of the paper and then grasping it. He held it out to the dragon, who took the paper gently in her jaws before flattening it out before her.
“Hanri of the Sages Academy.....” she mumbled as she read, looking up to Goiya with a question on her face, “Isn’t he-?”
“The Headmaster now?” Goiya interrupted her, still keeping his eyes shut. He looked so peaceful, even with a slight smirk on his face, “Why yes, Cross, he is.” Something in his tone told the dragon not to speak farther on the matter.
“Why does he contact you now? After all this time?” she asked, moving on to a different part of the subject.
“Read on.” Goiya invited with a lazy wave of his hand. Cross obeyed, bowing her head over the letter once again and reading. As she read, Goiya opened his eyes to watch her as her own eyes darted back and forth on the page. Finally she looked up at him, eyes wide with surprise.
“Kandra?” she asked, a bit shocked. Goiya’s odd smile remained in place as he nodded, “That’s nothing to smile about, Master.” Cross said exasperatedly, finding her masters sense of humor tiring at times.
“I know it’s not something to smile about, but it’s still funny, don’t you think?” Goiya narrowed his eyes a bit as he asked Cross the question.
“No, not Hanri.” she said, understanding his meaning without the need of it being spoken.
“I wouldn’t put it past anyone at that school.” Goiya said pointedly, slowly rising to his feet with a moan.
“You’re too old to be sitting on the floor still.” Cross commented quietly with a shake of her head, “Where is your cane?”
“Just behind my desk.” Goiya waved the matter off like a fly as he moved to sit next to Cross on her bed, “The thing that worries me is her age.” he commented, his smile falling and his face becoming more serious.
“About that.” Cross said, remembering her earlier conversation with Kandra, “When do you plan on setting Kandra’s Master’s test?” she asked indigently, still not too fond of the idea that a girl so young take on the task.
“Dear Cross, the test has already been set. I only wait for her to come to me.” Goiya laughed.
“But you’re suppose to tell her when to start, once you see that she is prepared.” Cross said in reprimand.
“And I will know when she is prepared when she comes to ask me if I would let her start the task.” he continued to laugh. Cross stared up at her master, horrified a little by this scheme against his own apprentice.
“Oh, Master.” she sighed, laying her head on his lap and closing her eyes. Not for the first time did Goiya’s odd thinking exhaust the little dragon, and not for the first time did she fall asleep to his ringing laughter.