Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

They entered the gates of Zwûrdgit Stöhl, flanked on either side by the hundred dwarfish soldiers led by Captain Felsen. Dwarves of all ages peered down at them from the windows of the towering stone buildings, curiosity lighting up their beady eyes. Elaborate tapestries hung between the windows, embroidered with the crests of different clans.

Felsen marched them along the narrow streets to the center of the city. There, another stone building rose in front of them, larger than the others. Wide stained-glass windows watched them carefully as they approached the only non-stone structure they had yet to encounter—the massive wooden doors to the apparent palace.

“Aufen!” Felsen barked to his soldiers. The men immediately stopped outside of the doors and stood at attention. He turned to them, a smile barely visible beneath his beard. “Fehr Zähmer and friends,” he said kindly, “please follow me to see the king.”

He turned and raised his heavy, mail-backed glove, pounding twice on the large doors. The wooden doors swung inward on some sort of hidden mechanism, exposing an elaborate hall. The stone floors were polished until they shone with a variety of colors. On either side of the path, larger-than-life statues of former dwarf kings lined the walls. Each was carved in a stone of different color with such detail that Eliana half expected them to spring to life before her eyes.

Directly ahead of them, a dwarf sat on a tall-backed throne. If it were not so apparent who he was, Eliana might have laughed at the sight of him. He was small, even by dwarf standards; if he’d stood beside her, Eliana guessed he would have barely reached her waist, even with the tall crown on his head.

The throne was too large for him. A stepstool of carved stone sat in front of his throne so that he could reach the seat. His feet, which were covered by thick boots, did not even reach the stepstool in front of him.

Felsen dropped to a knee in front of his king, placing his fist to his forehead. Eliana immediately mimicked the gesture and, at a look from her, Iocus and Caedis did the same. Even Astrum bent a foreleg and dipped his white muzzle to the ground.

“Arise,” King Stährklav said. They all stood and faced him. His dark blue eyes peered at them over the top of a well-kempt black beard. “Who are you?” he asked calmly.

“Your majesty,” Felsen answered, “these are the intruders that your spell-weavers sensed approaching.”

Eliana took a small step forward so that she stood slightly in front of her companions. Again, she removed the glove from her hand and extended her marked palm so that the king could see the shimmering gold flame.

“My name is Eliana. I am a dragon Rider. This is Iocus, Caedis, and Astrum. We’ve come seeking the help of the dwarves.”

The king’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at her palm. After a pause, he asked, “What kind of help would require an elf, an elven Rider, a human, and a wolf to unite with one another?”

“With all due respect, your majesty, I am only half elf; my father was human. And Astrum is no wolf.”

“Truly, King Stährklav,” Astrum interrupted, “your kind could not have forgotten me already. I thought the dwarves had long memories.”

The little king looked truly stunned at the sound of the wolf’s voice. “Astrum… the elves’ Seer? Why, my kind has not seen you since you were a weasel!”

The white wolf sighed. “Ah, yes. One of my less majestic forms. It was unfortunate that I should possess it at the beginning of the Great War. It was very difficult for me to get anyone to take me seriously. Plus, I had a tendency of getting my tail stepped on.”

Eliana saw a slight grin form behind the dark beard. “Yes, I remember the stories. My ancestor tried to kill you when he first saw you. He thought the elves had brought a rodent infestation into the palace!” Astrum grimaced as the king let out a booming laugh that did not match his stature. Then the king turned his eyes back to Eliana. “So, Lady Fehr Zähmer, you say you are a halfling.”

She gave a short nod. “Yes,” she answered briefly. A part of her wondered if this would pose a problem for the dwarves, as it had for many elves and humans.

To her surprise, the king smiled and replied, “Then who better to unite the two bloods? Now, what aid can I offer to you and your friends, Fehr Zähmer?”

She could suppress her curiosity no longer. “I beg your pardon, King Stährklav, but if I may first ask, what is ‘Fehr Zähmer’?”

“Why, you are!” he replied with an amused grin. “In our tongue, it means ‘Fire Tamer.’ It is a name our people have used for the Riders for centuries before their fall.”

She acknowledged the answer with a nod and, her question satisfied, returned to her original intention. “King Stährklav, the elves and the humans are finally uniting. The humans have grown weary of the emperors’ cruel reign, and the elves wish to come out of hiding, to not live in fear of being hunted any longer. We wish to overthrow Emperor Nocens, but we know that we cannot do this alone. We need as many allies as we can muster. This is why we have come to you. Will you join us in our fight?”

The blue eyes surveyed her from behind the black beard, looking very serious. He turned to Captain Felsen for a moment. “Captain.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“How many soldiers are under your command?”

“In Zwûrdgit Stöhl alone, there are three thousand mighty warriors,” Felsen responded proudly. “If we act quickly, we can summon near to ten thousand more from the other dwarf cities.”

Eliana felt her head spin at the numbers. How could so many dwarves live beneath the soil of Paerolia for so long without being noticed?

The king turned back to the Rider, “You see, you are asking me a great deal—the lives of thirteen thousand of my own men put at risk.”

To her surprise, Caedis spoke from behind her. “Your majesty, this would be an aid to you as well, a release from your captivity beneath the earth. You’ve been in hiding here since Nocens’ ancestors first took the throne. They hunted you and drove you underground permanently. Don’t you wish to see the outside world again?”

A distant, dreamy look came into the king’s eyes. “I never have seen the outside world,” he said airily. “Few dwarves have. But those that have ventured forth have returned with the most wonderful stories. We are lovers of stone, but what lies behind these rock walls fascinates my people, entices their wildest dreams. I should like to see it for myself someday.”

“Then join us,” Iocus interjected. “Help to free us all. You will be forever known as the king that led your people into the world above the earth, who made them a free people once again.”

There was a long silence as the king studied the Rider and her little band. Then Captain Felsen spoke. “If I might offer my advice, your excellency. It seems that joining them would be a wise choice. The Fehr Zähmer have returned! How would our people view you if they learned the first Fehr Zähmer offered to free us from beneath these mountains, and you did not aid her?”

Another pause, then the king said, “It would appear that you have gained a new ally, Fehr Zähmer Eliana.”

She bowed low, hiding the smile that bloomed on her face. “One that I am sure will be a most formidable opponent to our enemies.”

When she straightened, the king was smiling brightly. “I will send Captain Felsen and his strongest soldiers back to your camp with you. You can discuss strategies, and he will report back to me. We will send envoys to the other dwarf cities and gather those who will fight as well. When the time comes, the dwarves will be ready.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

King Stährklav immediately began to speak to Captain Felsen in their own rough language, giving him whatever commands he required. Then, the armor-clad dwarf turned and hurried back out the doors.

“He has gone to fetch his ten strongest men,” King Stährklav explained. “They will accompany you back to your village. You may go.” As they turned to leave, he spoke again. “And Astrum?”

The white wolf turned to him curiously. “Yes, your majesty?”

“I much prefer this form.”

A slight smile curved his muzzle. “Thank you, your majesty.”

They exited the palace and found Captain Felsen and ten other gruff-looking soldiers waiting for them. The others who had accompanied them to the palace had been dispersed. After briefly exchanging niceties with each of Felsen’s soldiers, the captain indicated that they were ready to depart, and they began their march back down the streets towards the long tunnel, which would take them back out to the beach.

Evidently, word of their arrival and exactly who Eliana was had spread throughout Zwûrdgit Stöhl. Dwarves crowded the narrow streets and hung from high windows, shouting, “Fehr Zähmer! Fehr Zähmer!” as if it were some sort of chant. Eliana managed a small, uncertain smile and waved to the crowds; this was an even more boisterous reception than she had received from the humans or the elves.

At last, they escaped the city, the chanting of its inhabitants still echoing around them. As they rounded the first bend in the tunnel, the stones around them muted the remaining shouts from Zwûrdgit Stöhl. Soon, the only remaining sounds were the tramping of the dwarves’ studded boots and the jangling of their mail.

At a fork in the tunnel, Captain Felsen turned his troops towards the left path. Eliana stopped, looking between the tunnels in confusion. He noticed her halt, and stopped the rest of the company.

“Is there a problem Fehr Zähmer?” he asked.

She gestured in confusion towards the right-hand tunnel. “Isn’t this the way back to the beach?”

He gave a short nod, dipping his braided beard to his mail-clad chest. “Yes, it is. Which is why we are not going that way. Dwarves cannot swim, m’lady. We have another tunnel to the surface world, though none of us has used it in decades.”

Eliana shrugged slightly and the company resumed its march; she didn’t doubt that Felsen would know these tunnels far better than she did. She made a silent note to return to the beach later and fetch their bows and quivers. The tunnel they traveled began to wind upwards, turning backwards on itself in a continuously climbing spiral at an increasingly steep angle.

The sturdy dwarves and Iocus, hardy elf that he was, had no trouble with the steep slope of the floor beneath them. Eliana and Caedis, however, continued to slip on loose stones, grabbing hold of the nearest dwarf to keep from falling. Finally, Iocus put a firm arm around Eliana’s waist and dragged her up the slope behind him while two dwarves pushed Caedis from behind. She could see the smirks behind all of their braided beards.

At last, the earth beneath their feet began to level out and soon, a distant light was visible. Eliana had never been so relieved to see the sun in her life. The dwarves hesitated, their small, dark eyes squinted in the direction of the unfamiliar brightness. Even Eliana was forced to blink, her eyes adjusting from the dim light of torches in the dwarves’ tunnels.

Eager to be out in the open again, free of the enclosed spaces, Eliana set out at a brisk trot towards the light, motioning impatiently for the cautious dwarves to follow. They exchanged brief glances, then followed, their small feet beating noisily through the stony halls.

A cluster of undergrowth blocked the tunnel, and Eliana cast it aside with a swipe of her hand. They broke from out of the base of the mountain into the brilliant spring sunshine. Gloved hands flew up to shield small, black eyes as the dwarves gasped in surprise.

Eliana watched them, smiling, as they took in their surroundings. They were standing just on the edge of the northern border of the forest, where it grew against the base of the mountain. Before them lay the wide expanse of green field, with Amiscan at the center.

The Rider opened her arms, gesturing to everything around them. “Welcome to the world above the stone!” she said with a laugh.

As the dwarves’ eyes began to adjust to the unexpected glare of the sun, smiles began to form behind the unruly beards. A small laugh escaped Felsen as he stepped towards a tree, touching its rough bark with his fingertips. He looked towards Eliana; she noticed that his eyes seemed to have grown brighter in the sunlight, and now showed dark green irises.

“Is this a… a tree?” he asked in apparent awe.

Eliana suppressed a laugh at his question, realizing he must have never seen one before. She gave a short nod. “Yes, it is.”

He and the other dwarves turned their faces up to gaze at the distant branches. “Incredible,” Felsen whispered. “Our stories tell that trees are tall, but I never imagined them to be anything like this. They seem nearly as tall as the palace!”

An earth-shaking roar startled the awe-struck dwarves, causing them to reach for spears and war axes. Eliana whipped around, turning her eyes to the sky. Oriens was diving at them, barreling towards the group at full speed, smoke streaming from his nostrils.

“Oriens!” she shouted to him. “Slow down! You’re frightening them!”

The dragon slowed slightly, but his approaching form was still a formidable sight. Eliana turned back to the dwarves, many of whom were drawing back their spears, ready to throw. Terror was apparent on their faces.

“No, it’s okay!” she reassured them. “He is my dragon. His name is Oriens. He won’t hurt you.”

They lowered their spears slightly, but she could see that they kept firm grips on the carved wooden shafts. The air around them shook from the impact of Oriens’ wings as he flapped backwards twice and landed in front of them. No sooner had his claws sunk into the earth than another form came sprinting up from behind him.

Caelum skidded to a halt in front of the group. His wide, blue eyes darted from Felsen to Astrum to Eliana. He gazed at her for a moment as he tried to catch his breath. At last, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” she answered warily, uncertain of his reasons for asking. Did he suddenly care again? “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He didn’t answer her. His eyes narrowed to angry slits and the brilliant blue darkened as he turned to Iocus. The child-like elf lifted his chin, tilting his head slightly to the side and raising his eyebrows.

In one movement, Caelum stepped forward and threw his fist forward, throwing his weight behind it. His knuckled collided solidly with Iocus’ chin, sending him sprawling onto the dirt. The elf pushed himself up into a sitting position and rubbed his jaw in surprise.

Eliana rushed forward and grabbed hold of Caelum’s arm, stopping the elf captain from charging in and pummeling his soldier. “Caelum!” she shouted. “What are you doing?”

He shrugged her off and pointed a threatening finger at Iocus. “Don’t you ever touch her again!” he snarled.

Iocus looked confused for a moment, then realization crossed his face. He gave a smirk, despite the bruise that was already blossoming on the side of his face. “So I assume the dragon told you I kissed her?” he asked smugly.

Caelum pulled his arm from Eliana’s grasp and grabbed the front of Iocus’ tunic with both of his hands. “Never do it again,” he spat.

The younger elf met his captain’s gaze calmly, his expression defiant. “She’s not yours,” he responded quietly.

Caelum’s expression tightened, making it apparent that Iocus had struck a nerve. The captain shoved his soldier to the ground, then turned and stormed back towards the village. Caedis helped pull Iocus to his feet as the dwarves gave them all surprised, confused looks.

Oriens took a large step forward until he towered directly over Iocus. He lowered his massive head, studying the elf with an angry green eye. Lifting one large, serrated claw, the great dragon pressed its tip to the elf’s chest. The blood drained from Iocus’ face.

“But she is mine,” Oriens growled, his silent voice limited to only Eliana’s and Iocus’ minds. “And you will never touch my Rider again. Now… go.” On the last word, he blew a cloud of gray smoke into Iocus’ pale face.

As soon as the claw was lowered from his chest, Iocus sprinted towards Amiscan as if a legion of demons were on his heels. Eliana crossed her arms and glared at Oriens, who was watching Iocus’ quickly retreating figure.

“There was no need for that,” she scolded him.

The dragon’s gaze flickered to her, but he made no reply. Felsen cleared his throat loudly from behind her, and Eliana turned to him with an embarrassed expression.

“I am very sorry, Captain Felsen,” she apologized. “I assure you, I did not expect this kind of greeting upon your arrival. I hope you will not judge our people too quickly.”

He nodded briefly. “Understood, Fehr Zähmer. I know as well as anyone that arguments arise in even the strongest of armies. But I do have one question I would like to ask.”

“Please, ask anything you like.”

“These two races—humans and elves—have fought like animals for centuries. What do you see for them in the future? What vision do you have for these people?”

His question caught her off guard. Of course, she wanted peace between the two races. But there was more to it than that—much more. She glanced around for a moment, considering, searching for an appropriate answer. Childish laughter in the distance drew her attention to a field outside of Amiscan.

She smiled. “There,” she said, pointing. “That is my vision.”

Their eyes followed her extended finger to where two children played. They chased each other about, shouting incoherently, their words overpowered by their laughter. One had brown hair and bright blue eyes. The other had violet eyes, his pointed ears showing beneath his shaggy, raven-colored hair.

“I want more than just peace between our races,” she explained. “I want companionship, friendship. Those children know no hatred towards one another. They don’t see an elf or a human. They see only a friend. They do not draw lines because of their race. That is what I want for us all.”