Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

Everyone’s nerves were frayed as they continued on their weary journey through the thick forests of the Kaers. Any movement around them sent arrows flying into the shadows. Every soldier had his weapons at the ready. Nobody was ready to face another ogre attack.

As the sun began to set and they still had not escaped from the darkness under the massive trees, Eliana began to worry. “Caelum,” she asked quietly, “I thought you said we would have reached the Shyrn Plains by now.”

He nodded grimly. “We’ve been traveling more slowly than I would have liked, and that ogre made us lose some time. We have several more hours ahead of us before we’re free of the mountains.”

“Should we stop for the night?”

Caelum hesitated, considering this. “I think we should keep going into the night. I don’t want to be in these cursed mountains any longer than is necessary, and I don’t think anyone else does either.”

Denio piped in from behind them; it was the first time Eliana had heard him speak in several days. “Not that I think you were going to actually ask for it,” he jested tensely, “but you have my permission to continue to lead my people through these forests of hell until we are free, nightfall or not.”

Caelum gave a smile over his shoulder. “Thank you, little brother.” Then, he shouted to the rest of the company, “Light more torches! We will continue into the night until we are out of the Kaers!”

The message was passed along the ranks. There were no murmurs of complaint; every man and woman was eager to be out of the forests as soon as possible. New fires flared up in the increasing darkness until there was a line of torches on either side of their company. The sun completely disappeared behind the jagged edge of the mountains, plunging them back into the familiar blackness of night that permeated the Kaer Forests.

Suddenly, Caelum jerked his head skywards, his blue eyes trying to glare through the thick canopy above them. Instinctively, Eliana opened her mind to search for a disturbance in that direction. Caelum must have had his mind expanded a great distance, because it took Eliana a long time before she sensed anything. Finally, she came upon a massive creature suspended in the air on broad wings.

“What is it?” she whispered to Caelum.

It was Oriens who answered, his golden head also turned up towards the trees. “A Roc. A large one. It feels large enough that it could carry away one of our horses for a meal.”

“What should we do?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Caelum responded silently. “Perhaps it will leave us alone.”

They continued on their journey, saying nothing to those that followed them. If anyone else in the company sensed the creature, they weren’t saying anything either. As they walked, they came upon a small clearing. With no trees to block their view, Eliana looked up to find a large part of the stars blotted out by the Roc’s wingspan. In the pale light from the moon, she could just make out its form, floating above them.

It seemed to be circling the clearing, watching their procession closely. Eliana prayed the torches would be enough to deter the creature from trying to take one of their horses—or worse, one of their soldiers. Others soon noticed the presence in the sky, and frightened whispers trickled down the line of soldiers. Eliana heard a few of them wondering if it was a dragon. A few of the horses snorted in fear, prancing beside their handlers, who tried to calm them.

The head of their line soon reentered the forests on the other side of the clearing. They continued forward quietly, and Eliana began to relax, thinking the Roc had let them pass. Screams suddenly rent the air from the tail end of the ranks. Eliana reacted automatically, swinging into Oriens’ saddle. There was only one way to fight a giant bird, and that was with a dragon.

“Go!” she screamed at Oriens.

He immediately threw his body upwards, the talons of his hind legs ripping into the mossy, wet earth. Thick branches threatened to tear her from the saddle, but Eliana clung on with all her strength, wincing in pain as the branches clawed at her arms and face. At last, they burst into the sky and turned immediately towards the clearing.

The troops had nearly made it through the gap in the trees; only the very end of the line remained in the open. They were now in disarray, shouting and pointing at the sky. Eliana turned in the direction they pointed to see the Roc beating its great, red-feathered wings as it flew towards the tops of the mountains. A horse dangled from the beast’s talons, screaming in pain and terror. A saddle was on the horse’s back, and in it, a female elf clung to the animal’s neck.

Oriens and Eliana raced after the Roc and its prisoners, quickly closing the gap. But they didn’t dare to attack the bird in the air; the horse and woman would fall straight to their deaths if they did. They followed the Roc at a safe distance. It continued to fly up the face of the mountain until the atmosphere became chill and the air grew thin. At last, the red wings folded and it landed in an enormous nest that seemed to be constructed from full branches.

They hovered over the nest for a moment, trying to decide on the best course of action. The Roc was nearly as large as Oriens, and he was still battle-worn from his struggle with the ogre that morning. Eliana worried about his ability to fight another monster.

“I can handle it,” he assured her, as the Roc eyed them from its nest. “If we can lure it away from the girl and the horse, some fire should send that feathered tail flying as far from us as possible.”

Eliana was still unsure, but they had few options. “Okay. Let’s get that thing out of its nest.”

Oriens folded his wings and dove downwards towards the bird, snapping at the feathers on top of its angular head. The Roc shrieked in protest, trying to grab Oriens’ tail with its sharp beak. They pulled up out of its reach and circled back. Still eyeing them, the Roc seized the horse with one clawed foot and pulled the animal to its chest. The horse’s scream was cut off as the Roc’s sharp beak snipped its throat.

The dragon unleashed a roar and dove downwards again, this time seizing a mouthful of the feathers as he passed. The Roc screeched loudly and threw its wings outwards. The woman screamed and cowered against the edge of the nest, barely avoiding the massive wings as they began to beat above her head.

“Hang on, Eliana!” Oriens warned her.

The Roc flew up at them, beating with its powerful wings. Oriens darted away from the open, screaming beak with a roll to one side, making Eliana’s world spin. The great bird was quick to recover, and it was soon diving at them from above. It was faster than either of them had anticipated, and Oriens once again barely avoided the sharp beak and talons. The dragon set off at full speed, wings pounding, the bird close at his tail.

“What happened to a little bit of fire taking care of it?” Eliana asked frantically.

“It’s too fast!” Oriens replied in frustration. “I have to get around it somehow without it closing in on us.”

An image leapt into her mind of a maneuver—one they had done before, in their first airborne battle. The thought crossed their mental link, and she strapped herself into the saddle.

“Ready!” she called to her dragon.

Just as he had done when they had face Peior on that first day they’d flown together, Oriens bent hard backwards, sending them looping over the top of the Roc. By the time the bird realized they were behind it, Oriens opened his mouth and released a massive jet of flames. The Roc’s soft feathers lit up like a thousand miniature torches. The scream that came from its beak was almost human as it writhed in pain in midair for a moment. Then it plummeted to the distant forest like a phoenix falling from the sky.

Eliana and Oriens gazed down at the spot where the beast had disappeared amid the trees, both of them breathing hard. When they were certain the Roc was not going to rise back up out of the forest, they turned back towards its nest. The elf was trembling when they arrived, staring at the body of the horse in front of her. It was one of the wild horses that the elves had called to serve them in battle, a large and beautiful animal with a snow-white coat.

When Oriens landed in the nest, she looked up at them. Her voice shook as she whispered, “Thank you. Thank you for coming for me.”

Eliana smiled at her reassuringly. “Of course. You didn’t think we would leave you, did you?” She extended her hand towards the woman. “Come. There’s nothing we can do for the horse. We have to get you back to the troops and safely out of these mountains.”

She stood shakily and took the Rider’s hand, allowing herself to be pulled into the saddle behind Eliana. Once Eliana was certain the woman was secure, Oriens lifted them into the dark sky and carried them down the face of the mountain. The air slowly became warmer and more breathable as they descended, and Eliana inhaled it gratefully.

As they neared the spot where they’d left the troops, Eliana’s eyes searched for the numerous torches they had lit. There were none. They circled above the clearing for a moment. On the grass below, in the dim moonlight, Eliana spotted several dark forms splayed on the ground. Panic welled inside of her as shouts reached her ears. Something had happened.

“Eliana!” Caelum’s voice sprang into her mind unexpectedly. “Are you alright? Please, tell me you’re alright!”

“I’m fine,” she answered immediately. “What’s happened? Is everyone okay?”

“Just stay in the air!” he barked. “That’s an order!”

“If something is happening then I should help!”

“STAY IN THE AIR!”

The Rider and dragon both let out a snort of defiance. Captain or not, Caelum would not order them to do anything. Oriens immediately increased the angle of his descent and brought them gently to the ground in the center of the clearing. Eliana and the elf woman both pulled their swords from their sheaths as they dismounted. Eliana linked her vision with Oriens’ so she could see better in the suffocating darkness.

Dozens of bodies lay in the clearing around them, but only a handful belonged to humans, elves, and dwarves. The others were creatures she didn’t recognize. She cautiously approached one and rolled it over with the blade of her sword. Wide, black eyes stared up at her without seeing from a large, round face. Two great tusks curved up from the overly large, protruding lower jaw. The creature’s body was small, but muscled, and it probably would have stood about five feet tall—shorter than most humans, but taller than most dwarves.

A sudden, piercing howl made Eliana jerk her head towards the woods. One of the massive Kaer mountain wolves was charging towards her, howling as it approached its prey. Oriens was immediately beside her, snatching the beast up by the throat and hurling it towards the trees. The wolf slammed into one of the wide trunks with a yelp, making the tree shudder from the impact.

As the wolf struggled to its feet again, Eliana pulled her bow from her back and tugged an arrow out of the quiver. She quickly knocked and fired the arrow, hitting the creature directly in the throat. It fell, gasped for air briefly, then lay still.

She turned to the woman, who stood with her sword in her hand, her blue eyes searching the woods for any sign of another attack. “Search for the rest of our company,” Eliana instructed. “If you find any wounded, bring them to the clearing. If you find our captains, our king and queen, or our Healers, bring them to me.”

The woman nodded, then took off into the forests, her blade flashing in the dim moonlight of the clearing. Eliana moved toward the dead Kaer wolf and removed her arrow from its neck, bending quickly to wipe the blood from the black shaft. A burning pain suddenly tore across her lower back. Her scream of agony was drowned out by Oriens’ roar of fury.

She fell to the grass, immediately rolling over to face her assailant. One of the creatures stood over her, grinning behind his tusks. He held a curved sword in his hand, the edge of its blade tinged red with her blood. His grin disappeared as her dragon came thundering towards them, fangs bared.

Oriens snapped at the creature, but it was more agile than it appeared, and leapt to one side, swiping at the golden snout with his sword, leaving a long, shallow cut. A twinge of pain made Eliana’s nose ache as she struggled to her feet, ignoring the burning pain in her back. As the monster danced away from Oriens’ swiping claws, she lifted her palm and sent a blast of wind that knocked his feet out from under him. A curved white claw immediately pierced his chest, pinning him to the ground.

Another figure came racing towards her from the left. As she spun to face him, she felt the earth ripple beneath her, and she fell to her back, a stab of pain tearing another scream from her lips. The moment she hit the ground, an arrow flew above her up-turned face, piercing the air where she had been standing a moment before.

She rolled onto her stomach and tried to push herself up, but the earth shifted again and Caelum’s voice shouted, “Stay down!”

His boots raced past her head, and she lifted her eyes to see his sword clash against the curved sword of one of the monsters. He quickly felled his opponent, but two more were already charging at him. He immediately reached for an arrow and shoved it through the neck of his first assailant. As he pulled it back, he knocked it onto the string of his bow and fired the arrow into the forehead of another.

More of their army’s soldiers had appeared from the trees. It was apparent that their forces were dominating their opponents’. They outnumbered them greatly, and all around the clearing, the creatures fell to the earth beneath swords of men, arrows of elves, and axes of dwarves. The only struggle seemed to be against the wolves, but Oriens was making short work of the four-legged beasts.

Once Caelum was clear of any more attackers, he raced back to Eliana, who was once again trying to stand. He placed his hands on her back and forced her back to the ground, making her scream in pain.

He immediately jerked his hands away, seeing the long gash across her back. She heard him curse under his breath. Eliana lay on the ground for a moment, whimpering as the pain slowly subsided to a dull ache, then tried to stand again.

“Stay down, Eliana,” Caelum instructed, pushing gently on her shoulders.

Her head whipped in his direction, and she snarled like a feral animal. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hands and she stood, reaching for another arrow. The last of the creatures were already retreating into the night, and she fired after them. Her arrow struck the last of them in the back. He fell at the edge of the trees as his comrades disappeared into the forest.

Eliana picked her sword up from where it had fallen, and marched to where the monster was struggling to his feet. When she reached him, she raised her sword to his throat. He glared at her down the length of her blade and gave an amused snort from his pig-like nose.

“What will you do?” he asked in a low, guttural voice. “Kill me? I do not fear death, Rider.”

“I want to know who and what you are, and why you attacked my men!” she demanded.

A low chuckle escaped his wide mouth and she pressed the point of his sword to his neck, cutting off the sound.

“I will kill you slowly if I have to,” she snarled. She felt a small amount of satisfaction at the fear that flickered over the creature’s face.

“I am Gilgarn,” he answered her. “I am a goblin of the Kaers. We attacked you because that is what we were sent to do.”

“Who sent you?”

His black eyes met hers defiantly. “That, I will never tell.”

Suddenly, his long-fingered hands grasped the blade of her sword, and the goblin shoved the point into his own neck. His lifeless body fell to the grass at her feet, and she stared at it for a long moment. Sudden pain throbbed across her back again, and Eliana groaned, trembling. Caelum’s arms appeared around her, lowering her carefully so that she lay on her stomach on the grass.

“Go fetch the Healers,” he instructed someone nearby.

“But, Captain, they’re Healing the other men,” a voice responded.

“Do it now!” he shouted. “Our Rider comes first!”

Without another sound, the soldier darted away to find Ispera and Laurus. Oriens’ massive golden head suddenly filled her vision, his snout red with blood. His large green eyes were filled with concern.

“Are you alright, little one?” he asked.

She managed a pained smile. “I’ll be fine,” she responded. “What about you?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Good. Oriens, you need to help patrol the area. Your vision is better than anyone else’s. Keep an eye out for any sign of a second attack.”

“Are you sure you want me to leave you?” he asked uncertainly.

“I told you, I’ll be fine. The men need your help more than I do.”

He sighed, his warm breath caressing her face and ruffling her hair. “Very well. You are my Rider, and I will do as you bid me.”

His golden form trundled away, his scales reflecting the moonlight in a strange mixture of silver and gold. After his tail had disappeared between the trees, she turned her face towards Caelum. His eyes were on her back, studying the wound with a look of deep concern.

“Come now,” she said quietly, trying to force some humor into her voice. “It can’t be that bad.”

His eyes turned to her face, his expression tight and anxious. “Why didn’t you stay in the sky like I asked you to?” he asked quietly.

His voice was not angry or scolding. It was worse; he sounded wounded. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing his pained expression. “Caelum, I am a Rider. From the moment you met me on that riverbank you knew who I would become. You knew what would be expected of me.” She opened her eyes again and met his gaze. “So why do you insist on trying to prevent me from doing what my duty requires?”

He turned away from her direct gaze and stared off at something on the other side of the clearing. His voice was soft when he finally spoke. “I know what is expected of both of us, Eliana—you as a Rider, me as captain and the king’s brother—but that doesn’t mean I like it. That doesn’t mean I will simply allow you to do the kinds of foolhardy things you’ve done tonight, flying off into every danger that presents itself. That doesn’t mean I can, or will, stop myself from loving you. I tried that. It didn’t work.”

Caelum looked back at her then, his blue eyes hard and serious. “Every other man can protect the woman he loves. He can shelter her, provide for her, care for her. But me? I can’t do that for you, Eliana. I know that, and it’s a terrible feeling to not be able to protect the person you love, because she is meant to protect you and all of your people. Do you know how hard that is for me to accept?”

There was a long pause in which the voice of the men gathering the dead and the wounded echoed around them. Taking a deep breath, Eliana pushed herself up with her hands into a sitting position and turned to face him, trying to keep herself from grimacing in pain.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I know I often rush into things without thinking. I know I put myself in danger more often than I should. But I have to fight, Caelum. What would you have me do?”

His hands cupped her face as he answered, “Just let me protect you.”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry… I can’t.”

“Why?” he asked, his voice full of pain and pleading.

She could see by the look in his eyes that there was no way to make him understand that she felt the same way he did. She had been called to serve and protect, but the person she loved most continued to put himself in harm’s way to protect her isntead. She didn’t want anyone to lay down their life for her—Caelum, least of all.

But he would never understand that. “Because I love you,” she answered, and before he could ask for further explanation, she pulled his mouth to hers and kissed him for the first time since they began their trek from Amiscan.

After a moment, he pulled away, turning towards the sound of fast-approaching footsteps. Eliana squinted through the darkness for a moment before recognizing the form of her mother rushing towards her, a basket cradled in her arms.

“Lie down, lie down!” she instructed the moment she was at her daughter’s side. As Eliana slowly and painfully lowered herself back to the grass, Ispera waved her hands at Caelum like she was trying to chase away a pesky fly. “You’re no good here,” she told him with a hint of protective motherliness in her voice. “Go do something captain-like.”

Caelum slowly stood, as if hoping Eliana would protest and ask him to stay with her. She didn’t, and he turned and regretfully plodded off to help light watch fires around the clearing.

“Oh, you silly girl,” Ispera was muttering as she cut open the back of Eliana’s tunic, “what have you done to yourself this time?”

Eliana winced as the Healer covered the wound in a salve. “Can’t you just Heal it with magic?” she asked. “He didn’t cut me very deep, did he?”

“No,” she answered, her face grim, “but Laurus has already discovered that goblins lace their blades with viper poison. If I Heal the wound without removing the toxin, it would remain in your blood and poison you.”

Eliana grimaced at the thought. “What about the other men? How many were killed? Is Laurus Healing the other wounded?”

“Hush,” she silenced her, with all the authority of motherhood. “Don’t worry yourself over that. You just lie still and stay quiet until I’m finished with you.”