Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

“Jhol thosi!” Eliana cried in irritation. “Jhol thosi!”

Beneath her hands, a flame flickered, then was blown out by the cold, howling wind. Frustrated, she knocked the pile of sticks aside and sat back on her hands, the golden egg resting in her lap. She had been walking for two days, and she had no idea how much farther she had to go. No human knew the true location of the elven city, but it was rumored to be somewhere on the eastern cliffs of Paerolia—inconveniently, almost as far from her starting point as was geographically possible.

She had only her father’s overly large sword, which was rather ineffective for hunting, and a canteen, which she’d emptied a few hours before. She’d eaten only berries and a few other plants she’d been able to dig up in the forest, and she was hungry, exhausted, and thirsty.

With a sigh, Eliana stood and put the egg’s sling over her shoulder again. There would be no resting in this cold wind without a fire, and her stomach was growling too loudly to sleep, so she might as well keep walking.

She continued in a generally eastward direction, using the stars as a guide. After another hour of walking, her keen ears picked up the sound of rushing water. With a thrill of excitement, she began to jog, licking her dry lips. The sounds of the river grew closer until Eliana finally spotted it winding between the trees. With a cry of relief, she dropped to her knees on the riverbank, setting the egg on the ground beside her.

She plunged her face directly into the stream and drank deeply. The water hit her empty stomach like an icy punch to the gut, but she continued to drink until she needed to come up for air. Then she cupped her hands in the water and drank some more.

Finally, she straightened slightly and reached for the empty canteen at her waist. She felt the unmistakable point of a sword press between her shoulder blades. She stiffened and froze.

“Stand,” a calm male voice commanded.

Eliana obeyed, rising slowly to her feet.

“Turn around.”

She turned and found herself looking down the length of a silvery sword. At the other end of the sword stood a tall, young man of slight build. His blonde hair looked nearly white in the moonlight, and he studied her with curious blue eyes. His ears were sharply pointed—an elf.

“Who are you?” he asked. It sounded more like a genuine question than a demand.

Eliana’s eyes darted towards the egg, which was on the ground to her left and slightly behind her, then back at the elf. “I… My name is Eliana. I’m looking for Iterum.”

The elf smirked in amusement, but he didn’t lower his sword. “Many humans have looked for Iterum. Many of them have died trying to get there… or died when they found it.”

He made the threat so casually that Eliana barely recognized it for what it was. She tried to measure the elf with her gaze, judging his size, his weapons, and the distance between them. In addition to the sword in his hand, he had a bow across his back. She’d heard stories about the elves’ deadly speed with a sword and their accuracy with the bow. Even if she did somehow manage to get away from him, he could take her down with a single arrow.

The elf spotted the fabric-wrapped, shining object on the ground beside her. He frowned and nodded at it. “What’s that?”

Her heart hammered. She had to do something now, before he could take the egg from her. She held up her hands in a motion of surrender and spoke, “I mean no harm to Iterum or anyone in it. I simply—.” Midsentence, she ducked under the elf’s sword and drove her shoulder into his sternum.

Surprised by her sudden movement, the elf stumbled backwards with a grunt, giving her just enough space to draw her sword. She gripped the heavy blade with both hands and swung it at the elf. He dodged it quickly and she swung again. This time, he blocked her blade with his own and began to counter, forcing her backwards as she struggled to block his quick strikes.

Despite the fact that she’d expected it, the elf’s speed and strength startled her, and she lost the slight ground she had gained very quickly. He looked mildly amused as he hammered away at her. She barely managed to block blow after blow, and never had another opportunity to counterattack.

She stumbled back one step at a time, towards the riverbank. She felt her heel strike something hard. From the corner of her eye, she caught the movement of the golden egg as it tumbled into the rushing water. Panic gripped her insides. Frantically, she blocked another of the elf’s attacks, then dropped her sword, turned, and dove into the river.

The shock of the icy water took her breath away, and she drove herself back up to the surface to refill her stunned lungs. Then she quickly dove back under. The current caught her immediately, sweeping her along. Straining her eyes in the dark, frigid water, she finally caught a glimpse of the egg, tumbling along the riverbed, its golden shell reflecting back what little moonlight reached the bottom of the deep river. Eliana kicked furiously, swimming towards the egg.

Her lungs began to burn, and she was forced to rise again for another breath. She heard the elf’s voice from the riverbank. “What are you—?” She dove back under, and the roaring of the water in her ears swept his voice away. She caught sight of the egg again. It was just ahead of her, the egg’s sling tangled in a growth of plants on the bottom of the river, holding it in place.

Eliana kicked towards the bottom and snagged the fabric just as the river’s current pulled her past the egg. She pushed off the riverbed and returned to the water’s churning surface, the fabric clutched tightly in her fist. She spotted the blonde elf, running along the riverbank and looking at her in confusion.

“Are you insane?” he shouted at her.

She ignored him, kicking wearily towards the shore. The rapid current forced her head under multiple times as she struggled against it, and she swallowed several mouthfuls of icy water. Finally, the river swept her against a large boulder several yards from the bank, and she gripped it, trying to catch her breath. She rested her forehead against the stone, panting heavily.

In the back of her mind, she knew she should be worried about what would happen when she reached the bank where the elf stood watching her, but her exhausted body couldn’t think beyond the need to get to land—and the other bank was more than thirty feet away.

After a few moments, Eliana looked towards the bank again. The end of a long bow hung in the air, less than a foot from her nose. She followed its length with her gaze. At the other end, the elf stood waist-deep in the water, holding the bow towards her with a slightly exasperated look on his face.

“Grab hold,” he called to her.

She hesitated for only a moment before gripping the end of the bow with one hand, holding the egg against her side with the other arm. The elf started walking backwards towards the bank, dragging her with him as she kicked tiredly against the water. He reached the shore and pulled her in, hand over hand, until her feet found the shallows of the riverbed.

Eliana crawled up onto the bank and lay on her back, her eyes closed, breathing heavily as she hugged the golden egg against her chest. Her arms and legs tingled with near-numbness. When her panting had subsided to deep breathing, she opened her eyes.

The point of a sword—her own sword—was inches from her face. She looked up at the elf. His expression was thoughtful, as if he was considering the simplest way to slit her throat. But then, to her surprise, he flipped the sword around and held the hilt out to her.

Eliana hesitated, then raised one aching, trembling arm and gripped the handle. She straightened to a sitting position and lowered the sword to her side, watching the elf warily. He returned her gaze, then seemed to sigh in resignation.

“Stay here,” he said flatly. Then he turned and walked away.

She didn’t want to obey him, but she had little choice. Her legs shook from cold and exhaustion. Even if she had been able to support her weight on her own two feet, she wouldn’t have gotten far. As the feeling slowly crept back into her body, she felt the full force of the cold water’s bite through every inch of her skin.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, trying to still the shaking that was now coursing through her entire body, clenching her teeth to prevent their chattering. Her body ached clear down to the bone.

The elf reappeared from the woods, silent and pale as a ghost, carrying an armful of wood. He set the wood at her feet and looked at her wet, shivering form, the golden egg cradled between her legs and her body. His blue eyes filled with concern, catching Eliana off guard. Hadn’t he just tried to kill her? He took a bag off of his back and pulled out a blanket.

She pulled away from him uncertainly as he reached towards her, but he didn’t seem to notice. He wrapped the blanket tightly around her shoulders without a word, then turned back to the pile of wood, rearranging it into a more organized stack.

She wanted to say something—to thank him, ask him questions, something—but her teeth were chattering too violently for her to formulate a response. Once he’d arranged the sticks into a shape of his satisfaction, the elf placed his hands at the base of the pile. His eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, then he pulled his hands away. Flames leapt into existence around the wood.

Eliana stared at them in surprise, then looked at the elf. She forced her chattering teeth apart and stammered, “How d-did you d-do that with a s-s-spell?”

The elf smirked at her. “Elves don’t need spells like humans do. We use elemental magic.”

She had no idea what that meant, but she couldn’t make herself force out another question. Instead, she drew closer to the fire, pulling the egg out of her lap as her shivering began to subside. Beneath the wet fabric, the golden shell felt cold. Anxiety gripped her gut. What would the cold do to the dragon inside?

She set the egg and its sling close to the flames, praying that the unborn dragon would be able to feel the warmth, that he would not be harmed by their plunge in the icy river. The elf eyed the half-hidden sphere of gold with his sharp blue eyes. Eliana watched him from the corner of her eye carefully, one hand on her sword. She felt a strange, almost maternal need to defend the egg; if the elf made a move to take it, she would fight again, futile as she knew it would be.

“You never did tell me what that was,” he said with a nod at the egg.

“It’s n-nothing,” she replied, one hand gripping the egg’s fabric sling.

He raised one pale eyebrow at her. “It would take a great fool to dive into a freezing river for nothing.”

“Gu-guess I’m a f-fool then,” she answered as sharply as she could around her stammering.

He eyed her disbelievingly, then returned his gaze to the egg. Eliana wanted to shield it from his eyes, but she didn’t want to move it away from the warmth of the fire. She prayed that he wouldn’t recognize it for what it was.

After a few minutes of silence, Eliana’s shivering had died down, and she shrugged off the blanket, beginning to wring out her hair and clothes. As she pulled her hair over one shoulder to squeeze out the water, she saw the elf’s eyes widen slightly.

“What?” she asked, wary of his expression.

He leaned in suddenly, coming very close to her face, making her pull back and reach for the sword again. He stared into her eyes briefly, then laughed, leaning back. Eliana sat still as he looked at her, slowly moving one hand towards the egg, prepared to grab it and run.

The elf just watched her with a small smile on his lips and a look of amazement in his eyes. “You’re not human are you,” he said. It wasn’t not a question.

Eliana hesitated. “Not exactly.”

“You’re half human, half elf.”

She frowned. “How did you know?”

The elf shook his head slightly. “I could sense that you were not an elf. But I could tell you weren’t human either. I thought perhaps you were a sorceress or something—I haven't encountered many of those, so it would have explained your strange presence. But now that I see your ears… and your eyes…” He gave a slight nod. “I know for certain what you are. And…” His eyes shifted back to the egg. “I know what that is too.”

Her hand closed around the egg’s sling.

“That,” he said, “is a golden dragon egg.”

She jumped quickly to her feet, but the elf was quicker. He stood as well, catching her arm before she could bolt. She jerked against him, trying to wrench free. He laughed at her. But it was not a malicious or menacing laugh. It was light, lilting, and relaxed.

“Calm down, calm down,” he chuckled. “I’m not going to take your egg.”

“Then what do you want from me?” she snapped. “Just let me go!”

“Will you relax?” he said, a little sharper now. “I want the same thing you want. I want to take you to Iterum.”

Eliana stopped struggling and frowned at the elf warily. “Why?” she asked.

He just smiled. “You’ll understand when we get there. But I promise you, no harm will come to you or your dragon.”

She hesitated, and the elf released her arm. Her eyes darted from him to the shelter of the trees and back again. She didn’t trust him, but he was an elf, and so he was the only real chance she had of finding Iterum.

“And if I don’t come with you?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I can’t force you to come to Iterum. But unfortunately, I will have to follow you like a loyal dog until you do come.”

She scowled at him in confusion, and he laughed.

“You don’t realize what a remarkable thing you are, do you?”

“Remarkable” was not something she had been called before. “Mutt,” “mongrel,” and “half-breed,” were words she was well acquainted with, but not “remarkable.”

The elf went on. “You’re a halfling with a dragon’s egg—a golden dragon’s egg. The blood in your veins unites two races who have battled against one another for nearly 500 years. And with that,” he nodded at the egg she held, “you unite three.”

She frowned. “I don’t unite anyone. I’m only seeking shelter in Iterum. I’ll care for the dragon until it’s old enough to fend for itself, and then I’ll release it and be on my way.”

“And you’re certain that’s what your future holds?” He was looking at her with a cocky smile on his face, like an adult who was laughing at a child’s naïve ideas about life. She just frowned at him. He gestured calmly at the fire. “Will you please just sit? You and that egg both need to get warm and rest. I can take you where you wish to go, and I can help you protect that egg. Is that not what you want?”

Eliana paused, then asked, “May I at least know your name first?”

He smiled, and she noticed for the first time just how beautiful his smooth, angular face was. He held out a hand towards her and said, “My name is Caelum, and I mean it whole-heartedly when I say that it is an honor to meet you, Eliana.”

She raised an eyebrow incredulously, then gripped his long-fingered hand. They clasped hands for a moment, then he released her and nodded at the fire again. “Sit,” he said. “I have some cheese and bread in my bag if you’re hungry.”

Though it wounded her pride to do so, Eliana nodded. As she sat back down by the fire and pushed the egg near the flames again, the elf dug into his backpack. He pulled out a bundle wrapped in burlap and handed it to her. She unwrapped it to find a chunk of soft cheese and a slice of hard bread, and her stomach growled. She bit into it eagerly, savoring the flavors.

The elf watched her eat without a word. When she had swallowed the last bite—which only took her a few moments—she took a drink from her canteen and wiped her mouth. He was still watching her, like she was a fascinating, exotic animal. It unsettled her.

Seeing that she was finished eating, the elf asked, “Where did you find that egg anyways?”

She could see no danger from answering the question, so she did so honestly. “The egg’s mother flew over my village, and I helped a group of hunters track her down. They killed her, but before she died, she made me promise to protect this egg. I couldn’t go back to my village with a dragon’s egg. They already hate me for being a half-blood. If I’d brought the egg into the village, they would have killed me and destroyed it.”

Caelum cocked his head to the side and scratched a pointed ear, looking confused. “They hate you for being a half-blood?”

She nodded and shrugged. “Of course. The humans and elves hate each other. So they hate me for having elven blood.”

He shook his head slowly. “They hate you because you bridge the divide between our people—a divide they want so badly to remain.”

Eliana smirked a little. “Guess I never thought of it that way.”

“Which of your parents was an elf?”

“My mother,” she answered. “I never knew her though. The villagers drove her out when I was a baby.”

“And your father?”

“He died when I was five.” She didn’t elaborate, a feeling of loneliness creeping over her. The memory was still too painful, even all these years later.

I look of sympathy filled the elf’s blue eyes. “You’ve lived a lonely life.”

His perception made her uncomfortable, and she shifted slightly, looking away from his gaze. The elf saw this and laughed.

“You don’t realize how poorly you guard your emotions, do you?” Eliana frowned in confusion and he shook his head. “Never mind. You’ll learn more in Iterum. For now, you should sleep. We’ll head for the city in the morning.”

Though she felt fairly certain that the elf would not kill her in her sleep, she was still wary of letting her guard down so completely. Instead, she decided it was her turn to do the interrogating.

“What do the elves know about dragons?” she asked.

“Not much,” he said with a shrug. “We’re familiar with the lore about them, and we don’t hunt them as humans do, but elves and dragons have not had any interactions since the Great War began 500 years ago.”

“How much farther is it to Iterum?”

“Not as far as you think,” he answered with a secretive smirk. “Now, you should rest. I’ll keep watch.”

Begrudgingly, Eliana laid down beside the fire, pulling the blanket up over her. Her face rested close to the egg, and she watched the reflections of the flames on the golden shell. The lights were hypnotizing, and her body ached from exhaustion. Against her will, her eyes slowly closed, and she slept. The elf Caelum sat close by, watching over her.