Ruler of the Skies

Daarook

The Head Master was in his office. Elbert, the vulture, tilted his head to one side and said. “Your attempt to control the girl’s mind failed. Will you try again?”

“I have plenty of time. My focus is on the Gap for now.”

“The Duma has ended. Do you think Prince Tolgarn is ready?” Elbert fluffed his feathers.

“I have sent more Animoids to join his army. He will move on the Gap very soon. I will also be sending Calzar to support the attack on the Gap. It will not be long before Anastas feels the heat.” Tahmore smiled behind his mask.

There was a knock on the door. “Come in.” Tahmore sat back waiting for Tobias to enter. Tobias gingerly entered the office and bowed to the Head Master.

“Your Excellency, I have a message. I am sorry it is a bit cryptic.” Tobias waited for Tahmore to respond.

“Was it a note?” Asked Tahmore.

“No, Head Master. Just by word of mouth.”

“Well. Tell me what it is.” He demanded.

“The bags are full.” Silence fell in the room. Tahmore paused before sending Tobias on his way.

“Thank you, Tobias. That will be all.” He waved his hand to dismiss the Elemental.

Tobias shuffled out of the office none the wiser. ’What did the message mean? I should go and report to his colleague.’ He thought as he hurried along the corridor.

Elbert cocked his head to one side. “When will you use it?”

“I’m not sure yet. Maybe to blow Conaldra into the sea.” The Head Master chuckled behind his mask.

Mountains South of Utway

The sun was setting and Darwah was eager to get the search started. As he looked out from the cave, strong winds were blowing over the mountains and it looked like a storm was brewing. There was plenty of low-level cloud cover. He signalled for his team to follow as he took to the sky.

Jaymar had managed to get over the main part of the mountain range but the wind had not abated. Plus, the cloud cover was increasing and pushing him down closer to the ground. The last thing he wanted was to crash, way out in this remote area. All of a sudden, he was struck with fear. Below him, about a dozen Dark Ones emerged from a cave. At first, they didn’t see him, and he turned sharply towards a ridge in the hope he could get over and disappear out of sight. That was a false hope. The Dark Ones were climbing quickly, and several spotted him. They immediately signalled to Darwah and the chase was on.

Jaymar reached the ridge but realised dropping down behind it was no longer to his advantage. He had to stay above the Dark Ones. In fact, the clouds above, though dangerous, were his best option. He whistled for more wind and started to climb. A couple of Dark Ones were closing on him rapidly. Jaymar conjured up a fireball but found he couldn’t move his shoulder and arm well enough to throw it. He circled over the top of the pair and dropped his fireball. They dodged it easily and kept closing the gap. Jaymar was still some distance from reaching the clouds. He was desperately trying to think of how he could fight them off, if they caught up to him. He still thought fire was his best option.

The leading Dark Ones had almost caught him, he was panicking. He pointed his hand at the enemy and called for fire again, not sure what would happen. Suddenly his hand went red hot and then there was a blast. The force of the blast pushed Jaymar up and a jet of fire flew from his hand straight into the closest Dark One. The creature was engulfed and fell away screaming to its death. The other Dark One hesitated and fell away to keep out of range. Jaymar was shocked by what had just happened and had no idea he could do such a thing. Suddenly, he was surrounded by thick white cloud. He breathed a sigh of relieve but knew his pursuers wouldn’t be far away. Visibility was very low. He had to be careful not to crash into a mountain. So, he started to circle around trying not to lose altitude.

He held his hand out ready in case of a sudden encounter. A black shape flashed in front of him and he blasted a jet of fire in its direction. He heard a scream but saw nothing. Bang. He was hit square in the back. A Dark One had crashed into him and was now holding on. The pair started to fall under their combined weight. The Dark One was slashing at Jaymar’s wings with its free hand, damaging the feathers. The wind whistled passed as they were falling fast, then suddenly they broke out of the clouds. Two other Dark Ones came racing in, both grabbing Jaymar’s wings. Jaymar thought about using fire again, but they were now too close and he risked setting fire to his own wings. The three Dark Ones jointly worked together and slowed their descent, just in time. The ground was rising rapidly. They swung away and out over a cliff and avoided a crash. Darwah came gliding in and hovered in front of Jaymar. He studied Jaymar before issuing a command to his underlings. “Return to the cave.” He wheeled around and led the way.

Demarco had left his cave just in time to see the Dark Ones chasing Jaymar into the clouds. He landed on a rock ledge and hoped he would not be noticed as Darwah and his group flew past. He was puzzled. ’What was the Day Walker boy doing out here?’ He waited until Darwah and his group disappeared into their cave. He scanned the sky one last time to ensure there were no other Dark Ones. Then he launched into the air and raced back to his family cave.

“What did you see?” Ishant was at the entrance.

“Come.” Was all Demarco said, signalling for Ishant to follow him.

The small family group quickly gathered together to listen to Demarco.

“The searchers have captured a Day Walker. One I have seen before. He saved me from capture.”

“What will they do?” Delamere asked.

“The Day Walker is an Elemental. He will be a valuable prize for Calzar. If I was them, I would take him back to the Well.”

“Can we stop them?” Ishant asked.

“There are about ten of them. It’s too risky.” Demarco was deep in thought.

Alikara added. “We have our own family to protect. Why would we do anything for a Day Walker?”

Demarco glared at his brother-in-law. “He saved me.” He stormed off towards the entrance.

As Jaymar was being guided towards the cave entrance, he thought he would try one last thing. He started to whistle up some wind, hoping to blow them all off course. One of the Dark Ones immediately reacted and clasped his hand over Jaymar’s mouth. Once inside the cave, Darwah ordered Jaymar be bound and gagged. They stripped off his backpack and smashed the wings. Darwah gathered his followers together. “We are all eager to return to our families. We have searched in vain. Calzar will not be happy, but we have a gift for him.” He looked at Jaymar and his followers nodded and voiced their agreement.

“We will return to the Well now. Gather your things. We will take turns carrying the Day Walker.” His followers broke up and prepared to leave. Darwah walked over and stood in front of Jaymar. His red eyes were piercing. “We are returning to our leader. He will be happy to see you.” Jaymar squirmed under his stare.

Demarco was joined by Ishant at the entrance to their cave. “What do you plan to do?”

Demarco glanced sideways at his nephew. “I need to tell the one called Ambrose what has happened. But first, I need to be sure they are taking the boy back to the Well.”

“I want to help you.”

“Wait here. I will tell the others of my plan.” Demarco had made up his mind. He turned and marched back into the cave to inform the others. Alikara and his partner Ileana were not happy that Demarco was taking their son with him. Demarco exerted his authority and ordered Alikara to protect both families while he was away. He quickly said farewell to his partner and daughter.

Demarco knew where the other cave was. When he returned to the cave entrance, he ordered Ishant to follow him. They flew up to a ridgeline above Darwah’s cave and hid. They had only just got into position when Darwah and his group flew up out of their cave. Almost right over their position. Once they were far enough away, Demarco sprang into the air closely followed by Ishant.

The Cave Dwellings

Ambrose and Cargan had returned from Ravenshowl.

“Thank you Cargan. I may call on you again.”

“You know how to call me.” Cargan turned and was soon gone, back along the tunnel. It was dark as Ambrose left the cave dwellings and he noticed a storm to the North. Luckily his horse was where he had left it. Ambrose didn’t delay, he wanted to be back in Pukavan as quickly as possible.

North of Pukavan

Fineen had been running none stop along the coast. She had found no sign of Jaymar. Continuing into the night was not a problem with her cat’s eyes. She was just uncertain how far she should go. The storm had blown up while she was heading North, and it was any bodies guess as to where Jaymar might be. When she left Rosalina and Grimhilda, she said she would travel until the next day and then re-assess what to do next. Udolf had agreed to go to the cave dwellings and inform Ambrose as soon as he returned.

Grimhilda had found Raum at the docks and together they had returned to the house. Together they would wait for news. Rosalina eventually headed back to the palace. She would inform the Princess.

Between the Cave Dwellings and Pukavan

Udolf spotted Ambrose first because he thought Ambrose would be on his way back. On the other hand, Ambrose was not expecting to meet anyone.

“What brings you out here?” Ambrose called out as the two came together.

“Jaymar is missing.”

“What? Tell me everything.” Ambrose jumped off his horse.

Udolf was as brief as usual, besides there wasn’t much to tell. Ambrose immediately remounted his horse and was about to take off.

“Your horse needs a rest. No point running it into the ground. Plus, I will not be carrying you back to Pukavan. Rest it for a while.”

Ambrose conceded and dismounted again. He would walk the horse and let it recover. They set off for Pukavan together.

The Mountains South of Pukavan

Darwah sent scouts ahead to find another cave. He would prefer not to return to the cave dwellings. The remnants of the storm were heading North over the mountains, which made flying easier. However, carrying Jaymar was going to tire his men, so he wanted to find a cave well before dawn.

One of the scouts returned. They had found a cave. He directed Darwah and the others to their new home for the next day. Once inside Darwah had Jaymar positioned against one of the walls and he stationed a guard to watch over him.

Demarco and Ishant had kept their distance, well back from Darwah’s group. They had seen the group descend into their cave and now needed to find a place for themselves to hold up during the day. Demarco wanted to be as close as possible to the others cave. He spied a small fissure and directed Ishant towards it. It wasn’t exactly a cave, but it did have an ample overhang and would be enough to protect them from the direct sunlight. They settled down to wait.

Near Pinemarsh

Prince Tolgarn had finally assembled all his forces. More Animoids had joined his army in the last few days. Only small contingents had been left in Trameal and Aerie as a precaution. However, Tolgarn was confident that all the East was under control and he could now turn his attention toward the Gap.

As the morning sun started to rise, Tolgarn called General Loktah to his tent. They were standing at a table surveying a map.

“The next camp will be here.” Tolgarn pointed to a spot on the map. “From here we will be in striking distance of the Gap.”

“When do you expect the Centurions to return?” Asked Loktah.

“A day or two. They will meet us at the camp now the Duma has concluded.”

“What response do you expect from Prince Anastas?” Loktah scratched his head.

“Once we have smashed through the Gap, I would expect him to set up defences along the Sweetsprings River. Of course, if he has not started to do that already, then we will swarm over the river before he knows what has hit him.” Tolgarn laughed.

Loktah blinked and surveyed the map one more time. He was not as confident as his leader.

“That will do. Give the orders to break camp.” Tolgarn issued his orders and dismissed the General.

Between the Cave Dwelling and Pukavan

Ambrose was getting impatient, he wanted to ride again. The sun was up and the sooner he was in Pukavan, the sooner he would find out about Jaymar.

“Alright. Since you are so eager. Your horse is refreshed now.” Udolf had been studying Ambrose through his thick eyelashes and sensed his urgency.

Ambrose didn’t hesitate and was in the saddle in a flash. Udolf didn’t wait, he started jogging towards Pukavan. Ambrose was close behind.

North of Pukavan

Fineen had been searching along the coast. She had determined, she had gone far enough and would turn back. However, she would travel back closer to the mountain range in the hope of finding something.

Conaldra

Princes Anastas, Melville and Pelliman had been in constant meetings. The latest report was that an army was massing to the East of the Gap. Anastas had already sent word out to all available Water Elementals to proceed to Sweetsprings River. Their services would be needed to defend the river. Prince Pelliman had sent a message for a small contingent of his Middleton Marshals to be sent as reinforcements, but he refused to send for the numbers that Anastas was demanding. Pelliman would not leave his city unprotected. Prince Melville was still pondering if he should send a message to his son.

“Prince Tolgarn, I should have known.” Prince Anastas was sitting in what was known as the War room. Melville and Pelliman were studying the map along with several advisors.

“Once again, the biggest threat will be if the Dark Terror attacks from the mountains.” Melville restated his concern. He turned to Anastas and changed the topic. “How many navy ships can you deploy to guard the North end of the Gap?”

“I have dispatched another six yesterday. They will reinforce the four already in place.”

“Good. That will allow more of the troops to defend the centre. Now it’s all down to timing. When will Tolgarn make his move?”

“Being the impetuous young fool, he is, I imagine he will attack as soon as possible.” Anastas observed.

“The Duma is over. Will Daarook support you and send Centurions?” Asked Pelliman.

“I doubt it. The High Centurion will sit on his hands as usual. It’s not their place to get involved.” Mocked Anastas.

“That reminds me. Isabella and I must take our leave.” Melville turned to Anastas. “Now the Duma is over, we must go to Daarook and get our daughter.”

“I don’t like your chances, Melville.” Anastas was concerned for his friend. “Can I ask that you delay just a few more days. Once this war starts, I will need all the support I can get.”

“You know you can count on me.” Melville bowed his head slightly.

Pukavan

It was late afternoon as Ambrose and Udolf passed through the gate. They found Raum and Grimhilda at their house.

“I’m so sorry. I did make it very clear that Jaymar was not to go flying. Is there any news?”

“Nothing yet. In hindsight, we all should have known the temptation would be too much.” Raum didn’t want to blame Ambrose.

“Rosalina is devastated.” Grimhilda added. “Fineen may be back sometime later tonight. Depending on how far North she searched.”

“I will go see Rosalina and report to the Princess. I have some interesting news from Ravenshowl.” Ambrose left and headed for the palace.

The Mountains South of Pukavan

It would be night soon and Demarco was considering what to do about informing Ambrose. He calculated that tonight Darwah’s group would make it about a third of the way to the Well, because they were carrying Jaymar. He and Ishant could follow for another day and still be close enough to Pukavan to make contact with Ambrose. But how? It would be extremely dangerous to fly into Pukavan. The cave dwellings was an option, but there was no guarantee that Ambrose would be there or return any time in the near future. He didn’t want to be separated from Ishant for long.

“Uncle. The sun has set.” Ishant could see Demarco was deep in thought. Demarco didn’t say anything, he just scrabbled out from their hiding place to get a look at the cave entrance. Ishant was close by his side. They both froze as Darwah and his group issued forth from their cave. They didn’t hesitate and were quickly climbing into the air, Jaymar suspended between three Dark Ones. Ishant was eager to follow them. Demarco placed a hand on his arm. “Wait.”

Sure enough, one last Dark One came out of the cave. It scanned the area and then sprang into the sky. It did a couple of circles over the cave, surveying the surrounding area then it took off after the others. Demarco removed his hand from Ishant’s arm, they nodded to each other and then sprang into the sky.

Fineen was standing on a ridge. She had climbed it to get a better view of the surrounding area. It was her last attempt to scan a large area before heading back to Pukavan. Suddenly she crouched down trying to make herself less visible. Many kilometres away she spied two dark specks rising into the darkening night sky. ’Dark Ones.’ Something was jangling in the back of her mind. The next thing she was running as fast as she could towards the two specks.

Demarco decided to gain as much attitude before following the others. He wanted to be close to any cloud cover in case they had to disappear. Also, being above his quarry gave him an advantage. As they circled around one more time, Ishant spotted a movement on the ground. He hissed to gain Demarco’s attention then pointed towards the ground. It took Demarco a moment for his eyes to adjust and then he saw the fast-moving figure. He didn’t hesitate and dived towards Fineen.

Fineen saw them approaching and stopped. She strung an arrow to her bow and prepared to shoot them down. She held her shot as the Dark Ones didn’t fly in to attack her. They landed several hundred metres away and just stood waiting. She decided to approach them carefully. Fineen then recognised the larger one of the two and lowered her bow.

“You are the one from the cave. What do you want?” She stopped well short of the pair. Still on her guard, arrow ready.

“I must get a message to the one called Ambrose.” Demarco took one step towards Fineen. “The boy Day Walker has been captured. They are taking him back to the Well.”

“How did this happen?” Fineen interrupted, but Demarco raised his hand to stop her.

“Time is short. We are following them. Have Ambrose meet us in the Well.” Before Fineen could ask any more questions, Demarco turned and the pair sprang into the air. She watched as they climbed quickly into the sky. She didn’t hesitate. It was time to get back to Pukavan and pass on her news.

Pukavan

Ambrose had spent most of the time since his return with Princess Sienna. Ambrose told Sienna of his meeting with Princess Aliyah. He was studying the family tree once again.

“My instincts tell me that Dahlmor is Tahmore. It explains so much. However, I’m uncertain as to his motives.”

“I would have thought that was obvious. Use his Animoid Army and the Dark Terror to exact revenge.” Sienna observed.

“Yes. I get that. But revenge on whom? And then what’s next?” Ambrose was scratching his head. “I would have thought he wanted to get revenge on the Centurion Order, since they were the driving force behind him not becoming ruler of Ravenshowl. Yet it seems he has aligned himself with the Centurion Order. Was he behind the assassination attempts on Prince Anastas?” Ambrose posed the question.

“If he had succeeded, that would have thrown the High Council of Mikaia into disarray and made it easier for his Animoid Army to take control.” Sienna offered her opinion.

“Okay. If the Animoid Army does sweep across Mikaia and take control. Does that then mean, he usurps the High Council of Mikaia and replace it with the Centurion Order, with him at its head?”

“Sound plausible to me.” Sienna responded. “It’s getting late. I have some important matters to attend in the morning.”

“I’m sorry. I completely lost track of the time. This is so troubling, plus I was hoping Fineen would return soon.” Ambrose carefully packed away the family tree and said good night to the Princess.

As Ambrose was passing through the palace gate, Fineen came running towards him.

“By the Elements. Great to see you.” He was about to embrace her.

Fineen held up a hand and took a moment to catch her breath. She really had been running hard to get back so soon.

“Jaymar has been captured by the Dark Ones. I found Demarco. He is following them and wants you to meet him at the Well.” She blurted it all out in one breath.

Ambrose was shocked. “NO! How did this happen?”

Fineen was just shaking her head. For a moment Ambrose didn’t know what to do.

“Guard.” He finally called to one of the nearby guards. “Will you take a message to Commander Prahid?”

“Yes.” The guard stepped closer.

“Please inform him that, Jaymar is in grave danger and has been captured by Dark Ones. Have him inform Princess Sienna. Also, tell him, I am going after Jaymar with my friends. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Sir.” The guard came to attention. Ambrose didn’t wait another moment. He dashed out of the palace gate with Fineen by his side.

Raum and Grimhilda were just preparing to go to bed. Ambrose burst through the door, scaring both of them. They were hopeful when they saw Fineen.

“You have news?” Raum asked.

“Yes, but it’s not good.” Ambrose took a moment to gather himself. Raum and Grimhilda hugged each other in anticipation. “I’m sorry. The Dark Ones have him.”

“NO!” Both Raum and Grimhilda called out in disbelieve.

“I will let Fineen explain.” Ambrose turned to his friend.

Fineen quickly relayed what she knew and tried to answer Jaymar’s parent’s questions as best she could.

“What do we do?” Raum was ready to act.

“I will take my friends and go to the Well, via the tunnels.”

“I am coming.” Raum was determined.

“I wouldn’t dare stop you.” Ambrose replied. He looked at Grimhilda. “Jalen will be our messenger as usual. I will try to keep you informed as best I can.” He stepped forward and gave her a hug. When he stepped back, Raum embraced his wife.

“I am sorry, but it’s time to go.” Ambrose was heading out the door. Tears were welling up in Grimhilda’s eyes as she separated from her husband. “Bring him home safely.” They kissed one last time and then he was gone.