Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

“Come on, Eliana,” she heard a quiet voice urging her. “Come on, wake up.”

She moaned, pushing away the hands that brushed her face and shoulders. Why couldn’t they just let her sleep? She was so tired.

“That’s it,” the voice said, responding to her movement. The hands gripped her shoulders firmly and shook her gently. “Come on, dear, wake up.”

She grudgingly opened her eyes to find herself gazing into her mother’s worried face. Ispera sighed in relief and hugged her.

“Thank goodness,” she sighed quietly.

Eliana rubbed at her eyes groggily. “What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up. “What happened?”

She glanced around. The sun was beginning its descent over the tops of the mountains. She was lying on the grass, close beside Oriens. She realized with surprise that she must have fallen off his back. The dragon was just beginning to stir as well, blinking his large, green eyes in confusion.

“You fainted,” Ispera answered, helping her to her feet. “Both of you did. Iocus said you were likely both exhausted from your flight.”

Images of the lake bottom flashed through her mind. “Raena,” Eliana breathed, her heart beginning to race again. “Is she okay?”

Ispera pressed her lips together in a grim line. “She’s still unconscious, and she’s very weak. I don’t know if we’ll be able to revive her. Laurus is with her now.”

Eliana looked at Oriens as he lifted his head. “Go on,” he said with a nod. “I’ll wait here for you.”

She turned back to her mother. “Take me to her, please.”

Ispera nodded obligingly. “This way.”

They skirted the edge of Amiscan and entered a hut that was slightly set off from the others. The small room inside was crowded with people. Raena lay on a bed, Laurus and Barus hovering on either side of her. Iocus and Caelum stood against one wall, talking in low voices; they looked up as Ispera and Eliana entered.

The anxious lines in Caelum’s face disappeared momentarily as he moved quickly to meet her. He pulled her into his chest, breathing a sigh of relief against her wet hair. “You’re okay,” he whispered.

“Of course,” she answered, pulling back and looking towards the bed where the pale woman lay. “How is she?”

Laurus looked up at the Rider’s question, shaking her head. “Not good,” she answered grimly. “She is on the very edge of death, and… I don’t think I can bring her back.”

Eliana stepped up beside the Healer, looking down at the pale face. Her hair and clothes still clung to her face and body with moisture. Her skin held the pallor of death. Eliana swallowed hard, fighting back the unexpected emotions that rose inside of her.

As she stared at Raena’s limp form, she felt something softly prodding at the walls she’d learned to put around her mind. Briefly, she strengthened the wall, stiffening at the presence in her thoughts. Then, she sensed something familiar about it. Slowly, cautiously, she lowered her defenses.

“Eliana,” a weak voice whispered, sounding tired and distant. “Rider Eliana, I must speak with you.”

“Raena?” she asked cautiously.

“Yes. Please, enter my mind. There is something I must show you.”

Eliana hesitated, then reached out with her right hand and placed it to Raena’s forehead.

“What are you doing?” Barus asked.

Eliana was plunged into Raena’s mind. She could sense how weak it was, barely hanging onto the threads of life, struggling to keep from drifting into blackness. As soon as she was submerged in the elf’s subconscious, Raena spoke to her again.

“When I was banished, I knew that I could not go back to Iterum; I couldn’t face my family’s shame. I knew that, if they discovered what I’d tried to do to their Rider, they would have never looked at me the same way again. So I stayed near Amiscan, hiding in the forest on the west side of the mountains.

“There is no need for me to lie to you—not now—so I will tell you that my intention was to wait for an opportunity to finish what I started. I wanted nothing more than to kill you, no matter the cost.”

Images from Raena’s memories began to play themselves out before Eliana’s eyes as the woman continued to tell her story.

“After a fortnight, I was discovered by human soldiers. They took me prisoner. I expected them to question me, to try to force information from me, but for some reason, they never did. None of them even spoke to me. So I watched, waited, and listened.

“I learned much, without them knowing I had learned it. They’ve been planning an attack on Amiscan for months, Eliana, just biding their time until they received the signal to attack.

“A week ago, they received a messenger from Vereor. He told them Emperor Corpanis had died, and Nocens now rules. It was the signal they’d been waiting for. They began digging. They’re digging now, even as we speak, tunneling beneath the mountain. They plan to surface outside your quarters. I heard them talking and planning.”

“How do they know where my quarters are?” Eliana asked.

“I don’t know how they discovered it, but they know. They know its precise location.”

Suspicion nagged at Eliana’s mind. Ater would have known exactly where her quarters were.

Raena continued, “When they surface in Amiscan, their orders are to send their strongest soldiers to capture you. If they fail, they will send a Rider. Eliana, they have a Rider!”

“Yes, Oriens and I saw them. Do you know when they will surface, Raena? How much time do we have?”

“I escaped from my bonds. I think it was a day ago, but I’m not certain; time was hard to follow at the bottom of the lake. But when I escaped, I snuck into their tunnel, marking the distance they had covered. I believe they will surface in Amiscan within two weeks. Their numbers are not large. Nocens has underestimated the power of the elven army; he sent only two thousand men.”

“But we just scouted the area. How did we miss them?”

“They have a sorcerer concealing their presence. He is the same who kept my magic bound in my mind, keeping me from fighting them.”

An image of Peior’s black eyes and pale face appeared in Eliana’s mind, and her heartbeat quickened with fear.

“The soldiers found me as I left the tunnel, and knew that I had learned of their plans. They needed to get rid of me or risk me escaping and warning you all. They tied me to a stone and threw me into the lake. Once away from the sorcerer, I was able to summon enough magic to breathe and put myself into a protective sleep, and I survived that way for a day, until you found me.”

There was a brief pause, and Eliana felt Raena’s strength waning. Finally, she continued. “You must prepare the armies. Tell Caelum what I have told you. I know you can defeat them. I don’t have much time left. I can feel it. This coma can only protect me for so long. I am going to awaken, and I will have but a few minutes to say my farewells.”

Eliana pulled back from the weak mind and opened her eyes, lifting her hand from Raena’s clammy forehead. She found all eyes in the room staring at her, wide with curiosity.

“What happened?” Barus snapped. “What were you doing?”

Before she could answer, Raena’s blue eyes opened, fluttering weakly. “Barus?” she whispered.

The burly elf’s attention darted from Eliana to his sister. He quickly reached out and took the hand that she was extending towards him. “Raena! Thank the gods, you’re alright.”

She shook her head weakly. “No… I’m not… I love you, Barus. You have always watched over me. Watch over our family when I am gone.”

Eliana saw Barus swallow hard, but tears began to slide down his cheeks as he shook his head in silent denial of Raena’s words.

Raena peered weakly around at those who surrounded her. Her gaze fell on Caelum, who stood just behind Barus’ shoulder. “Caelum,” she breathed. “I am sorry for any pain I caused you. But I hope that you know how… how much I loved you. And I will always… always love you, though I know you could not love me.”

Caelum nodded, but said nothing. At last, the bleary, blue eyes turned to the Rider sitting on the edge of the bed. “Rider,” she whispered, her voice growing weaker each moment. “I won’t ask you to forgive me for what I did… for what I tried to do… I was blinded by my foolish envy. But I see now… I see now that you are the one hope we have left.”

Eliana smiled weakly through the tears she did not fully understand. “You don’t need to ask my forgiveness, Raena,” she said hoarsely. “It is already given.”

She smiled back weakly. “Thank you.” Her gaze returned to her brother, who wept silently, clutching her hand. “Be strong, Barus,” she breathed. “I will watch over you, as you have always watched over me. I love you.”

The pale lids slid back down over those soft blue eyes. A sigh escaped Raena’s colorless lips, and her hand went limp in her brother’s grasp. Barus pressed the hand to his lips, his body shaking from suppressed sorrow. The room was silent, except for the ragged breathing of Raena’s grief-stricken brother.

Eliana’s hands trembled as she continued to fight against the sorrow in her heart—sorrow and guilt. Raena had been banished for her sake. For Eliana’s safety, Raena had been sent into the arms of death. Her life had become forfeit to preserve the life of the Rider.

Eliana was not the only one who seemed to share this thought. Barus’ blood-shot eyes leapt to her face. “You,” he rasped, his lips drawing up in a feral snarl. “You did this.” She stared back at him, unable to deny his words. “Get out!” he screamed. “Get out! Get away from her!”

She quickly stood and ran from the hut, heading for the safety and comfort of Oriens’ presence. She hadn’t yet managed to escape the edge of the city when a firm, gentle hand stopped her. Caelum turned her towards him and pulled her into his arms, holding her trembling body close to him.

“Don’t listen to him,” he whispered as he stroked her damp, dark hair. “This was not your fault.”

She pressed her lips together, holding back the denial of his words. She knew that Caelum would neither hear nor understand if she were to tell him the guilt she felt. She allowed him to hold her for a long moment as she gained control of herself, and the tears were no longer an imminent threat.

She took a deep, steadying breath and pushed away from his grip. “Thank you, but I need to see Oriens.”

He nodded understandingly, though concern still filled his blue eyes. She turned away from him, taking deep breaths so that she remained composed. At last, she returned to the field where Oriens still lay, waiting for her return. His emerald eyes met hers, filled with deep understanding and sympathy.

“I am sorry, little one,” he said quietly.

“Please, just take me home, Oriens.”

“Of course.”

She numbly climbed back into the saddle, resting her head against the golden scales as Oriens lifted them into the air. He carried her back to the cave, where he landed on the stone floor so gently that she hardly felt the impact.

She slid to the ground and slowly, mindlessly removed the saddle. Without bothering to put the saddle on its rack, Eliana slipped out of her damp, sticky clothes and drew the water for a bath. She slid into the steaming water from the hot springs below her, letting the heat seep away at her pain.

Oriens watched her silently, still looking worried, as she soaked in the tub. She allowed her mind to become completely open, holding nothing back from him. She felt him sift through her thoughts and feelings, allowing him to find the answers he was seeking without her having to explain. His compassion welled up inside of her, filling her senses. He understood. He always did.

“You must tell Caelum about the soldiers,” he said at last. “Even if the army is small, there is much preparation that will need to be done.”

“What’s the point of all this, Oriens?” she asked bitterly.

“What do you mean, little one?”

“It feels like we just face one battle after another. Constant pain. Endless bloodshed. How can we justify this war when it seems to cause more pain that it will end?”

Oriens sighed and rested his head on his front legs, still watching her with his wise green eyes. “Eliana, do you remember the people you saw in Vereor?”

Images of the starved, hollow-eyed skeletons in the city streets filled her mind. “Yes… I remember.”

“They, and millions of others, have been forced to live that way for five centuries because of the cruelty of Nocens and his ancestors. Would you let that continue?” When she didn’t answer, her dragon went on, “And what of the slaves? You saw one of them as well. They’re sold like livestock, ripped from their families and forced into lives of servitude and abuse—this, too, because of the emperors.”

Eliana thought of the young girl with the collar around her neck—a symbol of her slavery. She had seen others like her from time to time, brought through Vegrandis by traders and trappers from the city.

“Villages are raided at the emperor’s leisure to supply his armies. You have seen this yourself in Vegrandis. Would you allow these things to continue?”

“No,” she sighed. “We can’t let that go on…”

“Then that is how we justify this war. Yes, there will be pain and bloodshed, but we can end the suffering of thousands, even millions of people.”

She nodded in agreement, then took a deep breath and slipped beneath the hot water.

~*~

Eliana scratched a crude map into the dirt before her as Caelum’s eyes watched closely. She drew a jagged ridge for the mountains, then carved a large X, directly across the peak from Amiscan.

“Here,” she said, tapping the X with the stick she used. “This is where Raena showed me they were digging. She said we had two weeks, at most, before they broke through my quarters.”

Caelum scratched his chin in thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “It should be easy enough to defeat them once they arrive. We have more than three times that amount of soldiers, now that the humans are here, and they’ll be funneling themselves, making them easy to handle.”

Eliana nodded and lifted one shoulder slightly. “True, but why let them come to us and realize how much stronger we’ve become? If Nocens will continue to underestimate us, we can’t be defeated. We should take five hundred elves here—” she tapped a spot on the mountains, “—and drive them back to Vereor within a few hours.

“They won’t be expecting humans to be in our ranks, so we shouldn’t show them that we have any. We can have the elves collapse the tunnel. That will take out a large portion of their forces. Then the majority of our ranks come over the lower ridges here and here.” She indicated two spots on the mountain, which bordered the location of the army’s tunnel. “We take them from both sides, and we fight for as long as it takes for them to retreat.”

Caelum looked up at her with a teasing grin. “When did you become an expert in battle strategy?”

She simply smirked and shrugged, then stood, drawing her right foot across the map, obliterating it from the forest floor. “So you think it will work then?”

Caelum nodded, straightening as well. “I think it’s brilliant. But I have one suggestion to add.”

“And what might that be?” she asked, suspicion rising.

“You stay here.”

She scowled. “Absolutely not!”

“Eliana,” he sighed in irritation, “what good will it do for you to come? We can do this without you. There’s no point in risking you in a small skirmish. You are the only advantage we have over them right now, and it’s not worth the danger to bring you along.”

“But Raena said she saw Peior. He’s concealing their presence. He’s probably with them.”

He shook his head slightly. “All the more reason for you not to come. He will pick you out, target you. She said they are coming for you specifically. Why lead you into their waiting arms? Let our five hundred elves, with all their magic, handle him. We’ll be fine.”

She clenched her teeth, glowering at him, but she recognized the sense in what he said. As much as she wanted to be there amid the soldiers, she knew that she didn’t need to be. With their plan, the five hundred elves could easily defeat the two thousand soldiers, whether Peior was still with them or not. She didn’t need to risk injuring herself or Oriens, or being captured by the enemy when there was a much greater battle to come.

“Fine,” she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. “But your protective habits are really beginning to nettle me.”

He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. She turned away from him, annoyed by the fact that he was absolutely right. He just laughed softly, the sound like the quiet music of swaying wind chimes.

“We will need you to help plan and coordinate the attack,” he said after a moment. “It is your strategy, after all.”

It was an obvious attempt to get back on good ground with her, and she smirked. “Alright,” she answered, doing her best to still sound put out. “I might as well be of some use.” Oriens’ consciousness prodded gently at her mind, reminding her that she had somewhere to be. “I have to go. My mother wanted to speak to me.”

With a teasing grin, she dodged his attempt to kiss her and trotted out from between the trees. Oriens and Ispera were waiting for her in the field between the village and the trees where the elves now lived. The spring sun was bright, chasing away the last of the winter’s snow, leaving only a white cap high on the mountains.

Her mother embraced Eliana when she approached, smiling down at her brightly. “Ah, there you are,” she said happily. “Now we can begin!”

“Begin what?” Eliana asked in confusion.

“Now, I can begin teaching you the art of Healing.”

“But why? Laurus was already your apprentice.”

“Yes,” Ispera answered with a smile, “but you are my daughter. And, our traditions mandate that a mother should teach her trade to her daughter. Of course, it’s a little different for you, since you are a Rider and will always be more than a Healer, but I still have the right to teach you, do I not?”

Eliana smiled, excited at the prospect of becoming her mother’s pupil. “Well, what are we waiting for?” she asked.

Ispera sat cross-legged on the grass, a woven basket filled with salves, tinctures, potions, and herbs beside her. She gestured for Eliana to sit across from her, and she did. Oriens rested his head on the grass, watching carefully with his bright eyes. She could feel his interest mingling with her own.

Her voice filled with enthusiasm, Ispera began to explain to her the basics of Healing. There was much more to elven Healing than human remedies. Magic of one kind or another was involved in nearly every kind of treatment, and there was a treatment for nearly every kind of malady.

Eliana’s instruction in her mother’s art continued for hours, though she barely noticed the passing time. She soaked in every bit of information she could, fascinated by Ispera’s vast knowledge. More than that, she absorbed her mother’s presence. She relished in every hour she could spend with her, making up for the lost years they’d spent apart.

Ispera was just beginning to explain how to create a potion to heal broken bones when a young human boy interrupted.

“Rider Eliana, Oriens, Lady Ispera,” he said, bowing to each of them in turn. “I’m sorry for interrupting, but Captains Teleas and Caedis would like to speak to Rider Eliana as soon as possible.”

Eliana sighed. It seemed that those two always needed her for one petty thing or another. The day before, they’d summoned her from a magic lesson to ask about the way in which elves buried their dead. She understood their curiosity, considering Raena’s funeral two days prior, but there were much more important things she needed to tend to, especially with the approaching army, which neither of the men knew about.

“Did they say what it was regarding?” she asked the boy.

“No, my lady,” he answered with a shake of his shaggy, brown hair, “just that it was of the utmost importance.”

“Very well,” Eliana replied with another exasperated sigh. She stood. “Where are they?”

The boy gestured for her to follow him. “Just around the other side of the village. I’ll show you where.”

Oriens stood, rising to his full height and causing the boy’s face to turn a sickly shade of gray. “I will come as well,” he said to his Rider.

Eliana nodded, then turned to Ispera. “Can we continue the lesson later, Mother?” she asked.

“Of course, dear,” the Healer replied, placing her various objects back in her basket with a smile. “As I said before, you will always be far more than a Healer.”

Turning back to the boy, who was staring at Oriens with wide eyes, she said, “Lead the way.”

He shook himself, as if coming out of a trance, then turned and walked at a brisk pace around the edge of the huts. Teleas and Caedis soon came into view. Their eyes were already on her, as if they had been waiting for her arrival for some time. Something in their faces told her that this was not regarding more elven traditions.

When they reached them, Teleas dismissed the boy with a quick word and turned his eyes on her. Both men looked angry, which was not something she had expected.

“Any ideas what the problem might be?” she asked her dragon.

“Search me,” he responded. She could feel him tensing, instinctually preparing for confrontation.

“You called for me?” she asked the two men.

There was a pause before Teleas spoke. “Are the elves and the humans not equals in this war, Eliana?”

“Of course,” she answered, furrowing her brow in confusion.

“Then why would you keep vital military information from us?” His green eyes were narrowed at her, searching for an explanation.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, though she was beginning to understand where the conversation may be headed.

“There’s an army approaching,” Caedis snapped, making the statement sound like an accusation. “I heard that elf captain and their king discussing it. Two thousand soldiers are burrowing their way under the mountain and you didn’t see fit to tell us about it! Why?”

She sighed and ran a hand over her face. She should have known it was a mistake to keep this from the humans, but she simply hadn’t known how to tell them they would not be permitted to fight. It seemed, however, that the situation had only worsened in time.

“Because you won’t be fighting,” she said at last, her voice flat and quiet. “No human will.”

She’d never seen either man look so furious. Caedis took a step forward as if to grab hold of her, to shake her violently as he would have done back in Vegrandis, but Oriens growled menacingly, making him jump back.

“And why not?” Teleas hissed. “What possible reason could you have for keeping us out of the battle? Our men are just as capable as those elves!”

“I know,” she answered, groaning inwardly. “But we don’t want Emperor Nocens to know we’ve increased our forces this much. We want him to underestimate us. But if his soldiers see we have humans, and the message gets back to him, he will know that we are joining against him. And when he learns that, he will send his entire army to destroy us.”

Both men considered this for a moment, still glowering with indignation. Oriens crouched beside his Rider, his body tense.

“It makes sense,” Teleas admitted grudgingly.

Caedis looked at him in shocked betrayal. “I don’t care how much sense it makes!” he shouted. “I won’t let my men be kept out of a battle just because some mangy elf prince and his half-breed lapdog of a Rider tell me I should!”

With a furious snarl, Oriens jumped forward, knocking Caedis on his back. His right foreleg pressed down on top of the frightened man, his razor claws digging into the dirt on either side of his head and body, pinning him to the ground. The golden lips lifted menacingly as smoke roiled from the dragon’s nostrils.

“Call him off!” Caedis shrieked at Eliana.

“Oriens,” she said calmly, “let him up.”

An emerald eye flicked to her briefly, burning with anger. “Why should I let him live?” he asked her. “I will not allow this scrawny piece of meat to insult my Rider.”

He pressed down harder on Caedis, making him gasp in pain.

“Oriens!” she shouted aloud. “Let him up!”

The dragon hissed with displeasure and stepped back beside her, allowing Teleas to pull Caedis to his feet. Caedis scrambled behind the larger man, eyeing Oriens warily.

The dragon lowered his head in a threatening, snake-like manner as he glared at the brown-haired human. “You will not insult my Rider again,” he said, his rumbling bass directed at the man. “If you do, I will not hesitate to remove your head from your body, no matter what Eliana’s protests may be.”

Caedis made no response, but continued to stand behind Teleas, slightly trembling. Eliana ignored him and turned her attention to the burly, red-haired man in front of him.

“I have your agreement then?” she asked him.

He nodded shortly. “Your reasoning makes sense, but I want your word on one thing before I consent to your plan.”

“Name it.”

“The humans will not be held back from any more battles, no matter your reasoning.”

She nodded. “You have my word.”

With that, Teleas turned and proceeded to drag the trembling Caedis back into Amiscan by the arm. She sighed, twisting a lock of hair thoughtfully between her fingers.

“Keeping the peace between these people may be harder than I thought,” she mused.

Oriens eyed the retreating forms with unconcealed contempt. “If you’d like, I could remove one of the problems right now.”

She laughed and shook her head. Turning to face the mountains, she studied their base carefully. She wondered idly where Vereor’s soldiers were now, deep beneath the rocky monoliths. She sighed, realizing that it didn’t truly matter. In two days, the threat and their tunnel would be gone.