I followed the knight, who I found out to be Lord Kevlar, one of the so-called Dragon Lords. He is high on the ranking system within the Order, not as high as Knight Commander, but close enough to be a commander.

Lord Kevlar led me down several alleyways, leading me to the mountain wall. Sketchy as it appears, leading a young man down alleyways, I only trusted Lord Kevlar because if anything happened, all the Dragons Riders would hear me. Or I hoped.

Before I knew it, we were approaching one of the pillars that held up the mountain. It was huge. Many people, nobles and riders alike, walk in and out of the base of the spiral.

On the spiral itself were engravings of Dragon Riders and Knights battling the horde of the Blight; even pictures of Titan Riders were one of them.

Titan Riders.

The peak of the Order of Drake. Nothing can go higher than them. The apex of dragons. Out of the whole Order, there were only, like, what, ten or fifteen Titan Riders. Only the best knights can become a Titan Rider, and that's rare. According to urban legends that Aunt Silfe told me, Titan's are supposed to be god-like creatures.

"Never been to one of the Spirals?" I turn my head to Lord Kevlar, staring at me, his eyes glaring right at me.

"No, I haven't, my lord," I responded quickly, running back up to him as he led us into the spiral.
The base door was almost five times my size, nearly twenty-eight feet. Passed the doors, there was a stairway that everyone, even dragons, could use. The staircase was long and cracked, ruined by all the dragons that walk up and down the spiral occasionally. The stairs circled upward around the spiral walls, leaving a hole in the center for dragons to fly up and down from.

"Or if someone wanted to take a leap of faith." I couldn't help but smile at my thoughts, remembering that Barren used to say he would jump off the top and land at the bottom occasionally.

Luckily, there are railings, just in case. The walls were thick enough to keep riders and dragons inside them like a small house if I recall Barren correctly. Heck, I could see one now.
I saw a young woman in a yellow dress riding on a wingless dragon; both legs were on the same side. She looked incredibly tacky sitting like that. It is as if she is trying to establish something to others beneath her.

Her dragon was just as on board with the tackiness. Its brown, thick scales withered by age but still had a spark to its elegance.

But now is not the time to be distracted.

"Where we going, my lord?"

"Just keep quiet and follow." Lord Kevlar was blunt, his words punching me in the gut as I stepped back from him.

Following him up the staircase, many dragons and their riders, along with some fancy nobles, all dressed up in armor and fancy silk cloths, walked up and down the stairs. They were carrying goods and weapons along the way.

I lost track of how long I'd been walking, but my legs throbbed.

"Dang, lots of steps," I spoke out loud, my legs beginning to cramp up. Sure, I can almost run down a raptor, but stairs are killers, especially when it's been like, what? Ten minutes. I almost stumbled as a dragon landed right outside the spiral wall.

At some point, I grabbed the railing because hell. Walking up massive staircases that can fit dragons the size of buildings is challenging. Even if my father said I was stronger than the average person. Stairs are still stairs. Lord Kevlar doesn't even look tired.

At some point, a large passageway appeared up a few more steps. I suppose this would be the first floor if it were like any other building.

"Welcome to the Bridge Level One." Lord Kevlar spoke as he walked by the open passageway.

"Bridge?"

I was stunned by what I saw. The bridge was humongous, like an underground fortress, fortified by both man and dragon. Riders rode on their dragons as they either marched or flew over. Armed soldiers guarded every door that didn't have a rider and their dragon.

Not only that, but the design was. Well. Ancient from what I guess. Like something you see in a ruined castle. Support pillars lined up throughout the cavern, with each pillar at a clear frame wrapping around the top and bottom, where they connected to the ceiling in a symmetrical display, like a flower. I couldn't tell if the walkway was ancient, as it looked darker than any other cobblestone path but simple, probably due to all the scratches and cracks and the need to replace them.

"Don't enjoy it too much; we got ten more bridges to go up." Lord Kevlar spoke out as I turned to see him walk up the stairs.

Ten more! Is Kevlar insane? I'm already tired.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You find out soon enough."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

I continue to follow Lord Kevlar up the stairs. Minutes go by, and I eventually lose track of time.

Lord Kevlar eventually walked into what I assumed to be our intended bridge. I was climbing the stairs with my arms and feet, almost like a dog. I was just tired. However, Lord Kevlar didn't seem to care as he walked onto our target bridge.

I stood up and began to stretch out my aching arms and legs. A few bones popped in a glorious, ow, that hurt but also felt good kinda way.

The bridge was somewhat empty, not many riders were up here. A few guards were standing at their post. As Lord Kevlar walked by the guards, they stood straight up, arms to their sides and feet together, bringing their right hand to their chest where their heart would be, as they gestured a salute—putting three fingers out and connecting the pinkie and the thumb over the heart.

Lord Kevlar didn't seem to care much for them as he marched past them. His face was cold and distant like they weren't worthy of being recognized by him. "Keep quiet from here on out." He didn't even turn to speak to me, keeping his attention ahead.

I nodded quietly, walking past the guards, not wanting to displease him. Continuing down the bridge for what appeared to be hours to me, the interior slowly turned into a rocky cavern. The once so walkway that we followed vanished, along with the fortress design architecture.

Tripping over a few rocks, Lord Kevlar somehow lit a torch and tossed it into the cave. There, I realized we were in a massive catacombs-like cave. I couldn't see the walls of this cave. But I could make out what was near the torch that Lord Kevlar threw. There laid a foundation of giant stones. Each stone had its color and pattern that separated one from another. That's when it hit me.

"This is a Dragon's Nest," I said out loud, completely forgetting what Lord Kevlar told me.