The Column Racer

The Column Racer by Jeffrey Johnson

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Authors: Jeffrey Johnson
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meticulously detailed fixtures. And a statue in the form of Emperor Abhiraja stood proudly in front of the building.

    The stall room was nicely lit, as the ceilings were made of glass with metal webbing. The stalls were more detailed than Areli initially thought, as each door carried a specific story told in brush strokes. And each of the Hall stalls were empty, except for the final stall – her stall. Kaia was already on her feet, as she could sense Areli’s presence. A trailer was already waiting for them to use next to the stall door.
    Guards and servants funneled out of doors as the carriage came to a halt. Areli was introduced to the facility’s commander and his high-ranking soldiers. She also met with the head servant of the facility, who instructed her that she could go to him or any of his workers for anything concerning the care of her dragon.
    After Areli transferred Kaia into the trailer, they were led to the veterinary room where Kaia’s papers were scrutinized and updated if necessary. They didn’t need to wait long before a man with brown hair and a thin frame came to meet them. Like everyone else in Abhi, every blemish of his was masked by make-up.
    She handed him Kaia’s papers, her skoggins, and shot sheet.
    “Well, it all looks good,” said the vet, “I hope you don’t mind if we update the shots, and we should probably address her teeth and talons.” Areli nodded her head in agreement and stood next to Kaia as he prepared the needles. They were large, almost the length of her leg, and about just as thin. He dipped the needle into a large bottle sitting on a table. The bottle was full, but after the needle stabbed into it, its entire contents were transferred out.
    “Alright, Miss Roberts,” said the vet, “I am going to need you to keep your dragon calm as I do these.” She nodded her head and allowed the veterinarian room as he prepared to give the first shot, which was to inhibit the breathing of fire. He opened Kaia’s mouth and Areli closed her eyes, focusing all of herself on relaying relaxing and soothing feelings to Kaia. She didn’t once let the thought of a man she barely knew, with a needle of gigantic proportions, fill her with doubt or fear. The vet positioned the needle into the back of Kaia’s mouth and stabbed it into the oil sacks in order to halt the formation of the flammable substance used to sustain the lanterns at night.
    The next shot was to be injected into Kaia’s ovaries to prevent her from having babies. Areli continued to keep her dragon in a docile and sedated state to prevent any unnecessary movement that could cause the needle to go somewhere it shouldn’t, causing unspeakable and life-threatening consequences.
    After the shots were given, the vet had Areli calm her dragon as he shaved down and rounded Kaia’s teeth and talons, and then afterwards, she and her dragon were taken to the tack room. They traveled by trailer again, as the facility was just too large and expansive to wander by foot. Even before they entered through the large doors, Areli knew that this would be the only time she would ever be in there, as servants were the ones in charge of washing and transporting the tack to the training and competition areas.
    Inside the room, there were large gold lockers on both sides, which belonged to the Hall riders, followed by white-gold lockers for the Academy riders, and finally narrower wooden lockers for those housed in the condominiums. The trailer came to a halt in-between the first lockers, just in front of an older man with a thick white beard and a shaved head. Areli couldn’t help but laugh to herself. I guess that’s one way not to have to wear make-up , she thought as she was helped down onto the dark green marble floor.
    The man was sharpening tools with arms so massive they seemed to want to break his shirt. He wore a white-as-clouds top and a dark leather apron that dangled just below his knees. He smiled at her, and then at her

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