Ruler of the Skies

Demarco’s Family Cave

The small group of Dark Ones had arrived without incident. They had explored the whole cave and settled into their new home. Demarco had now gathered the group together.

“We must be careful when venturing out into the night. The search parties will continue looking for us in the short term. They don’t know which direction we took but they know the direction that I had come from when we were attacked. There must be a guard at the entrance at all times. We will only venture out in pairs and only for a short period.”

“What if we are discovered?” Asked Ishant.

“We fight. You and I will go first.” Demarco was not in a mood for discussions. They broke up as he and Ishant headed for the entrance. Alikara, Demarco’s brother in law, also headed for the entrance. It was his turn to stand guard.

Pukavan

Fineen had secretly made her way into the city. It was easy for her as she was so skilled at moving quietly. She entered the palace looking for Rosalina. She evaded several groups of patrolling guards to eventually reach Rosalina’s room. She listened at the door before trying the handle. It opened and she did a quick scan of the room. It seemed empty so she slid inside and closed the door. The room had a nice fragrant smell, one that Fineen immediately recognised as belonging to Rosalina. She didn’t need any lighting to confirm that no one was in the room because of her excellent night vision. She walked across the room and took up a position against one of the walls and waited.

It was nearly midnight when Rosalina retired to her room. She was feeling the effects of a long day and evening. She yawned as she entered her room and closed the door. She lit a candle on a side bench and started to walk towards her bed when she heard Fineen whisper.

“Don’t be alarmed. It is Fineen.” Rosalina took a gasp of breath in surprise. She was almost looking straight at Fineen and hadn’t noticed her.

“Hello. It is a surprise to see you. How did you get in?”

“Your door was unlocked.”

“But, I meant into the palace, past the guards.” Rosalina was still recovering from the surprise.

“Oh, that was easy. Remember I’m mostly a cat.” Fineen smiled and walked up to Rosalina and gave her her usual greeting. They separated and Fineen asked. “Is the Centurion still here?” Rosalina was a bit surprised at having her ear licked but eventually answered. “Yes. For at least another day. Princess Sienna wants him out of the city after tomorrow, but I’m not sure he will go. He seems determined to find out about Jaymar.”

“Perhaps we should kill him and be done with it.” Fineen seemed to be casual about killing a Centurion.

“No.” Rosalina was horrified. “That would bring more unwanted attention.”

“Why. Pukavan is remote and besides does anyone know he is here?”

“I don’t know.” Rosalina sat on the bed. “But I will not have you kill him. We just need to stay firm and hopefully, he will leave none the wiser.”

“I need to return to Ambrose. What else can you tell me?” Fineen asked.

“Nothing else. Pryborg has finished his first round of interviews. I don’t know what he will do tomorrow.”

“I will leave you then. If anything changes, the Commander knows where to find us.” Fineen let herself out and closed the door, leaving Rosalina a little bemused by the surprise visit.

She then lay down on her bed. She needed to sleep and be refreshed for the next day.

Mountains South of Utway

Darwah and his group of Dark Ones had found nothing. Dawn was approaching, and they needed to find another cave. One of his group caught his attention and pointed to an opening. They all dived down for a closer look. They landed at the entrance of what looked like a reasonable sized cave and made their way in. After having a quick search within, Darwah was satisfied that they had found a base from which they could extend their search.

Abandoned farm outside Pukavan

Grimhilda and Udolf were up stoking the fire in preparation for breakfast. Udolf paused for a moment as if listening. “Fineen approaches.”

Sure enough, moments later Ambrose and Fineen entered the building. Ambrose had been outside on guard duty. The two settled by the fire and Ambrose commented. “No need to keep watch for the moment, as Fineen says, there isn’t anyone out there within her range of sight.”

“You were quick.” Grimhilda observed as she started preparing breakfast.

“That was nothing. Although I could easily curl up for asleep.”

Jaymar woke up with the sound of voices and joined the group by the fire. “Hi Fineen, you were quick.”

“Apparently so.” She started purring as Jaymar sat next to her.

“What did you find out?” Asked Ambrose.

“Nothing exciting. The Centurion has been questioning everyone connected to the Gymbala attack. He is trying to find out about Jaymar, but no one is telling him anything, so far. He has been ordered to leave by tomorrow.”

“Let’s all hope he does.” Commented Grimhilda as she passed around some breakfast.

“I’m sure Princess Sienna will make sure he goes.” Added Ambrose. “Anything else?”

“No. I only saw Rosalina.” Fineen concluded.

“Well looks like we are stuck here for another day and night. Hopefully, Commander Prahid will send us word as soon as Pryborg leaves and we can get back to the city.” Silence fell over the group as they tucked into their breakfast.

The Golden Swan

Jalen arrived shortly after dawn. Once he had reached the coast, he decided not to fly through the night as it was too cloudy. He rested and waited on the shore until the sky was just starting to brighten, then he continued his search for the Golden Swan. It didn’t take long before he was on board.

Rafeeq was excited to see his friend and wanted to know what was happening. He and Jalen were chatting away when Raum approached. “You two enjoying yourselves?”

“Eeek. Jalen has returned with news from Ambrose.”

“Yes, I gathered that. How about he shares the news with the rest of us?” Raum was not impressed.

“Aark. Master Raum, there is a Centurion in Pukavan. You need to stay away until at least tomorrow. Aark.” Jalen was looking a bit nervous.

“Calm down, I’m not angry with you.” Raum glared at Rafeeq. “Come back to the helm and tell me everything that has happened.” Raum indicated for Jalen and Rafeeq to follow.

As they headed for the rear of the ship, they passed Tabitha. She had her eyes closed and looked as if she was asleep. She opened them as Jalen approached. “Hello Jalen. It’s been a long time.”

“Aark. What are you doing here? Where have you been?”

“It’s a long story. I think you had better keep going. Looks like the Commander is waiting for you.” She indicated towards Raum waiting impatiently by the helm.

“Aark. I’ll be back soon.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Tabitha was not coping well with the movement of the ship. She closed her eyes again to meditate but she was also concentrating on Jalen’s mind to find out what had been happening.

Jalen joined Raum, Rafeeq and Topol at the helm and spent the next several minutes telling the group what had been happening. Occasionally Raum would interrupt to clarify what Jalen had said. Then he was finished.

“So, Jaymar is safe?” Raum asked once more for reassurance.

“Aark. Yes.” Jalen blinked his large eyes several times.

“The Centurion is the same one from Little Haven, Pryborg?”

Jalen ruffled his feathers and nodded his head in agreement.

“He is persistent. Let’s hope he finds nothing to keep him in Pukavan.” Raum spoke to Topol. “Let’s change heading and head west for the coast. Look for some shelter, so we can anchor overnight.”

“Aye, Commander.” Topol started issuing orders to the crew and put the ship on its new course.

The Gap

The Gap was a narrow strip of land stretching between Bundamook and the coast. Bundamook was a medium-sized town, which lay on the south side of the Gap at the bottom of a narrow mountain range that came up from the south. The town was a full days ride from Kaemoora.

Captain Diego and his company of Conaldra Royals had made camp at an old ruined guard post a kilometre outside the town. It was in the process of being rebuilt by the platoon of men already stationed there. Another platoon of men had been stationed at a similar guard post, a kilometre away on the coast.

Prince Melville and Captain Diego had ridden out at dawn with a small escort to inspect the work being done at the guard post on the coast and the bulwarks in between. Prince Pelliman had remained in the camp. He was talking to one of the Lieutenants when the party returned.

“How is it progressing?” Pelliman asked as Melville and the Captain dismounted their horses.

“Slowly.” Melville didn’t look impressed. “Captain Diego is going to dispatch two platoons from here, to go and speed up the restoration work. We will also leave a platoon here to work on rebuilding the bulwarks between the guard posts. The locals from Bundamook are taking too long. The remainder of the company will come with us to Kaemoora.”

“When do we leave?” Asked Pelliman.

“As soon as the Captain has issued his orders and had a word with the local militia commander. I want to be in Kaemoora tonight.” Melville took a cup of hot tea from one of the men and Diego left to issue his orders.

Aerie

Prince Levan and his family were enjoying breakfast together when Elemental Loretta and Commander Roxy approached. Loretta was a Fire Elemental and Roxy was the commander of the Aerie Eagles, the elite palace guard.

“May an eagle always soar above your head, Your Highness. The scouts were correct, the Lizard soldiers have arrived. They have taken up positions in front of both gates.” Commander Roxy broke the news. She was an Animoid with dog features including a long snout and floppy ears. Roxy wore an ornate metal breastplate with a flying eagle on the front. From her shoulders, she wore a red cape signifying her rank as commander. The lower ranks wore blue capes. On her head, like all Aerie Eagles, she wore a bronze helm with small brown feathered wings attached to the sides. Under her breastplate, she wore a white knee-length tunic and she had metal leggings up to her knees.

Prince Levan stood up from the table. “Are your troops in position?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Well let’s go and see if their commander will talk to us.” As he walked past his wife, Princess Pipa, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. Commander Roxy and Elemental Loretta followed Levan out of the room.

Aerie was built on the side of a mountain. It had four main levels. The ground level was small and surrounded by an impressive semi-circular wall. No one lived at this level. It had horse stables, workshops and an armoury. There were a number of guardhouses available for troops to bunk in as required. To get from the ground to the first level, there were two wide ramps running in opposite directions from the two gates in the wall.

The first level was cut into the rock and was full of market stalls. It was also walled with two gates and housed the majority of the local militia and their families, not the Aerie Eagles. Three Houses of Worship stood on this level; they were for Fire, Earth and Water. Wide ramps led up to the next level as well as many sets of stairs.

The second level was also cut into the rock but was much larger. The streets were laid out in semi-circles with large open flat areas interspersed between the houses. This level accommodated the people of Aerie. Most houses had two storeys with bedrooms on the bottom and the living area up top. There were also many fountains and water features running through the streets.

The palace was on the third level and it was walled. The royal family, Elementals, advisors and support staff all lived on this level. It also housed the Aerie Eagles in a number of barracks. Above it and on its own was the Air House of Worship looking down upon the city. Sheer cliffs separated each level.

Uparta stood looking up at this impressive city glad that he didn’t have to actually attack it. He and his Lizards had been in place since just before dawn. Now he waited for the inevitable negotiating party to emerge. He had split his force of about two hundred evenly between the two gates. Uparta was in position at the main gate which faced North West. The other gate was further around the wall to the East.

When Prince Levan and the others arrived at the main gate, Centurion Everett was already standing on the wall looking out at the imposing Lizard soldiers.

“Your Highness. No one has come forward. I think they are waiting for us to make the first move. They have conveniently positioned themselves just outside arrow range.” Everett was an Air and Earth Elementals and an independent. He didn’t align to either of the main Centurion sects.

“Will they attack?” Asked Levan.

“I doubt that, Your Highness. They don’t have the numbers or any assault engines for an attack.”

“What then?” Asked Roxy. “They surely cannot lay siege to the city for any length of time. We have two years worth of supplies. Plus, my Aerie Eagles could do them some damage if given the chance.” She looked at her Prince.

“No. That can wait.” Prince Levan responded. “Commander, you and Centurion Everett will go out and have a talk to their leader and see what you can find out. But let them sit there for a while longer yet. Wait until the sun is at its hottest.”

“Your Highness. I hardly think that will matter to the Lizards.” Roxy observed. Levan raised his eyebrows and then walked off the wall. “I’m going to have an ale in one of the guardhouses until then.”

“May an eagle always soar above your head, Your Highness.” Roxy bowed to her Prince as he left.

High above Aerie, sitting on a narrow ledge, was an eagle. She stood about one and a half metres tall with a wingspan of over two metres and she had been watching the Lizards since daybreak. She was a sentinel for a large community of eagles that lived in the mountains above Aerie. They had lived there for generations and were revered by the people of Aerie. She had seen enough, opening her wings she effortlessly glided out from the ledge. It was time to report on what she had seen to her chieftain.

Pukavan

Centurion Pryborg was standing in front of Princess Sienna and her son Prince Aravin. Elemental Rosalina and Commander Prahid were standing to one side.

“Your Eminence, have you concluded your investigations?” Sienna asked him after the formal greetings.

“Your Highness. I sense there is a conspiracy to mask the truth and keep this boy Elemental hidden from me. If I had more time, I’m sure I could get to the truth. But circumstances are working against me and the Centurion Duma beckons.”

“Centurion Pryborg. I assure you we are not hiding anything.” Sienna responded.

“Your Highness. I will not argue the point with you. Tomorrow I will be gone, but there will be consequences and in time I shall return and uncover the truth. A renegade Elemental cannot be allowed to roam free. The Centurion Order will mobilise its resources and then you will not feel so remote out here in Pukavan.”

“We have nothing to hide, Your Eminence. I will send a full account with you to the High Centurion. I wish you a safe journey to Daarook.” Sienna and her son both stood up signalling the end of the audience. Commander Prahid signalled Pryborg to follow him out. Pryborg gave the royal couple a short bow and then followed the commander.

After he had left Sienna spoke to Rosalina. “Draw up a full account of everything that happened in Gymbala and since the Centurion has been here, with the obvious omissions. I will sign it and send it with the Centurion. Prahid will keep an eye on him for the rest of the day. Also, make sure the ship is ready to sail first thing tomorrow. The sooner he is gone the better.”

The Princess then led her son out of the room. Rosalina didn’t linger either and headed for her room.

High above Aerie

The community of eagles had made their home on a rocky outcrop at the top of one of the highest peaks above Aerie. Individual nests for mating pairs were built all over the outcrop. A short distance away was another outcrop which had a large flat rock. It was used as a meeting place and behind it, juveniles not old enough to mate roosted on rocky ledges.

The sentinel was circling above the meeting place. She was issuing peeps and whistling calls summoning the females to a council on the flat rock. Female eagles are bigger than males, and in this community, they formed the ruling council. As she began to descend toward the flat rock the females left their nests to join her.

When she landed there was about thirty eagles congregated on the flat rock. There was lots of cooing and peeping as they welcomed the sentinel. The eagles communicated by calling but also by using their mind.

The sentinel’s name was Ella and she spoke first. “I have news from below.” The group fell silent. She was about to continue when one of the older eagles interrupted her. “Wait until the Chieftain arrives.” Esther added a high pitch peep. Ella nodded her head in acknowledgment.

One of the eagles had not joined the others. Evelyn was a matriarch amongst the community and she had flown off to get the chieftain. The chieftain had made her home in a cave not far from the nesting outcrop. She was sitting at a small wooden table reading an old book. The cave was furnished with the table and a stool that she sat on, a bed, a chest for her limited number of clothes and there was a water trough with slow running water that spilled over into a drain.

The chieftain’s name was Solana. She was of average height for a woman, but she was a bird Animoid with two beautiful white wings. Her head was that of an eagle also with white feathers. She had small dark feathers over her shoulders and chest down to her waist. Her arms were bare. From the waist down, she was like a female human. She wore dark tight pants and knee-high boots.

Evelyn landed at the entrance and cooed and peeped her arrival. Solana stood up and walked over the greet her. “Welcome Evelyn. What is happening?” The eagles didn’t disturb Solana very often, so she knew something was going on.

“The sentinel has called for a council. They are waiting for us.” Evelyn fluffed her feathers, turned and took off. Solana whistled, took a couple of steps and leapt into the on-rushing wind. They both landed gracefully amongst the waiting eagles on the ledge. Ella and Solana approached each other.

“You bring news?”

“Yes Chieftain. Lizard creatures are at the gates to the city.” Ella bowed her head slightly towards Solana.

Solana asked the broader group. “Does anyone know who these Lizard creatures are?”

Esther was the only one to reply. “Yes Chieftain. There is a tribe of Lizard people in the far West. They come from a place called Lockmort. They are fierce warriors.”

“I wonder what they are doing here.” Solana pondered. “Ella, take another and go keep watch. We shall post more sentinels until we know if they are a threat or not.” Many of the eagles screeched and made whining calls as Ella and another took off.

Aerie

It was early afternoon and the sun was beating down. Uparta and his troops had not moved. They enjoyed soaking up the hot sun. Finally, there was movement. The main gate to Aerie opened and out came two people. One was clearly a Centurion, but the other, Uparta was uncertain. The person wore an elaborate helm and armour.

Centurion Everett and Commander Roxy stopped a couple of metres in front of the Lizards.

“Who is your commander?” Roxy asked.

“I am Uparta. Ruler of Lockmort. Who are you?”

“I am Commander Roxy of the Aerie Eagles and this is Centurion Everett. This is a long way from Lockmort. Why are you here, Uparta?”

“Enjoying the sun and laying siege to your city.”

“What are your terms?” Asked the Centurion.

“I have no terms. Keeping you inside your city will do.”

“Surely you don’t believe you can maintain a siege with this many troops.” Roxy scoffed.

“Oh, I’m sure we can handle anything you might throw at us.”

Roxy took offence at this, urged her horse forward and went to draw her sword. Everett moved to block her. “That’s enough. Since there is nothing to talk about we are leaving.” He wheeled his horse and Roxy’s around and they broke into a canter back to the gate.

Many eyes had been watching the encounter. As Prince Leven watched on, he noticed two eagles circling high overhead. His attention was drawn back to earth when Everett and Roxy started cantering back. Soon they were on the wall with him.

“What are their terms?” Levan asked.

“They have none. Uparta, their leader, claims to be the ruler of Lockmort. He is laying siege to our city apparently just to keep us in.” Centurion Everett replied.

“Your highness. Let me take the Aerie Eagles out and shew them away.” Roxy snarled.

“No, commander. There must be a hidden agenda. Let’s wait a couple of days and see. I want everyone on a war footing and ready for anything that might happen.” Levan stared back out at the Lizards, full of uncertainty and then he glanced skyward again. The eagles were still there.

The two eagles had watched on with interest. But now as the meeting was over, they were starting to lose interest. “Nothing much to see here. We will stay only a little longer.” Ella suggested to her companion.

Trameal

A Company of Animoids and the Platoon of Kaemoora militia arrived that afternoon in Trameal. Mayor Boniface was happy for the reinforcements but very nervous about the Animoids, even though they were wearing Kaemoora militia livery, they looked out of place. Something was not quite right. He told Centurion Freya to instruct his local militia to be on full alert.

“I don’t trust this lot.” He expressed his concern to Elemental Tomlond.

“I agree. They have taken up strategic positions all over the town. Are we under house arrest?”

“It does feel like it. Send another messenger to Prince Tolgarn. I want an explanation.” Tomlond bowed slightly and left to carry out the Mayor’s orders.

Kaemoora

The sun was just going down as Prince Melville and Prince Pelliman with a small escort entered the West gate. They had left Captain Diego with his troop to setup camp outside the city. The city was overflowing and Melville felt an uneasiness in the people as they made their way through the streets. At the gate, in the wall surrounding the inner palace, they were met by the captain of the guard. He quickly ushered them into the palace for a meeting with Prince Xavier. When they entered a meeting room they saw Xavier with two Centurions. Melville was surprised to see Centurion Santina there, as she was second in command under Centurion Graguut in Daarook.

“Greetings friends. I am glad to see some friendly faces.” Xavier greeted them with a smile. “You have arrived in time for supper. Come and join us.” He directed the two visitors into a small dining room. Once they were all seated and wine had been served, Melville started the conversation. “The High Prince has sent us to find out first-hand what has been happening in your realm, Xavier. Tell us the latest.”

“Well, at last, my brother is taking interest.” Xavier scoffed. “The Lizard soldiers have been spreading fear across the land. “

“We heard of an attack on a village not far from Kaemoora. Where are they now?” Pelliman commented.

“The attack was shocking. But since my son set out with a large force, they have been on the run. Last we heard, they were heading for Aerie.”

“What of the Animoid raiders?” Melville asked.

“Disappeared. Too cowardly to face my son.”

“There has been no report of them raiding for some days now.” Added Centurion Fenzio.

Melville changed the topic and turned to Centurion Santina. “Your Eminence. I am surprised to find you here. The Centurion Duma is getting close. I would have thought you would be busy in preparations.”

“Your Highness. Thank you for asking. I came at Prince Xavier’s request to assist in these troubling times. Centurion Fenzio and I are due to leave tomorrow and return to Daarook.” She smiled at Melville.

As food was brought out, Xavier asked. “How many reinforcements have you brought? We could dispatch a force to Aerie straight away and give the Lizards a surprise.”

“None.” Melville was blunt. “We left the majority of our troops at the Gap.”

“WHAT?” Xavier slammed his fist on the table. “What is Anastas playing at? He is not under threat, we are.”

Prince Pelliman interrupted. “With all due respect, Xavier, he is the High Prince of the East and is looking at the bigger picture.”

“So, closing the Gap and cutting us off, is looking at the bigger picture. We are under attack. We need reinforcements to root these raiders out.” Xavier stood up and started pacing back and forth.

“Sit down Xavier.” Melville said calmly. “We need to know strategically what is going on here before over committing.”

Xavier resumed his seat. “I’ll tell you what is going on. My people are being killed by savages and my brother sits back pondering what to do.”

Centurion Santina directed a question to Melville. “Your Highness. What are you planning to do next?”

Melville eyed Santina with suspicion before answering. “I would like to talk with Captain Rawslee, if he is still here. If not, we will head to Pinemarsh anyway, to look at the damage before reporting back to Prince Anastas.”

“No point in looking at Pinemarsh. It’s in total ruin.” Xavier scoffed.

“You would be surprised, what can be learnt about an enemy, by looking at how they attack and destroy a town.” Melville countered. He stood up as they had finished eating. “Thank you for your hospitality, but now Pelliman and I will take our leave.”

“What? You are not staying here in the palace.” Xavier seemed annoyed.

“No. We will return to the camp outside and be away very early tomorrow.” Melville nodded slightly to Xavier and then left. Pelliman quickly said his goodbye and hurried after Melville.

After they had gone Xavier looked at the Centurions. “Will he find anything?”

“Nothing to connect you. Your Highness.” Santina replied.

High above Aerie

Ella and her companion had returned just on dusk. Evelyn and Solana were in Solana’s cave.

Solana was sitting at her desk when the returning eagles entered. The greeting consisted of cooing, peeping and whining to each other. Solana then asked. “What did you see?”

“Chieftain. There are two groups of one hundred Lizards each positioned outside the gates of the city. It looks like a stalemate. They are just out of range from the city walls. No one issued forth to attack them.” Ella gave her report.

“Prince Levan has done nothing?” Evelyn was surprised.

“The Centurion and the Commander ventured out to parley. They didn’t stay long.” Ella added.

Solana pondered the news. “I will go and talk with Prince Levan tomorrow. That will be all.”

The eagles all peeped and whistled before leaving Solana alone in her cave.