Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

“Eliana,” Ispera said, handing the girl a piece of parchment, “I need you to get me these herbs. They may help Prince Caelum heal faster.”

Eliana lifted her head from the couch, where it had been resting beside Caelum, and read the short list. She looked up at the elf woman. “You want me to go out?” she asked in surprise.

She had not even considered allowing the villagers of Vegrandis to see her. She didn’t know how they would react to her. And, deep down, the little girl inside of her trembled at the idea of facing their hatred and cruelty again. She had grown used to acceptance in Iterum, and did not want to face the cold reality of what she had grown up with.

Ispera placed a hand on her hip and looked down at her. “Will you just do as I tell you?” she said, a small smile on her lips.

Eliana smiled as well and chuckled, “Yes, Mother.”

She stood obediently from the floor and, grabbing a cloak on the way, headed out the back door. She stopped by the woods first, but Oriens was nowhere to be found. She frowned to herself, naturally worried; the hunters that had killed his family were living just yards from where Oriens had been hiding.

She reached out with her mind and found his presence. “Where are you?” she asked.

“Relax,” he laughed, sensing her anxiety. “I’m out hunting. I need a few deer to regain my strength after last night’s ordeal.”

“Okay. I’m going into the market to get herbs for Caelum. You be careful.”

“I am always careful.”

Eliana turned back towards the village, pulling her hood up so that it shadowed her face from the winter sunlight. If she was lucky, nobody would recognize her. After all, it wasn’t as if they were expecting to see her after nearly a year. They had probably all celebrated her death long ago, she thought.

Still, she tensed as she neared the market. There were dozens of people bustling about, darting from one seller’s stand to another, trying to haggle over the prices, chatting with friends and neighbors. Eliana tightened the cloak around her. Miala’s cart was absent from this week’s market, and so she sought for an herb farmer’s stand, hoping to purchase what she needed without being noticed.

She spotted what she needed and headed towards the stand that was hawking the wares. She had nearly reached it when someone bumped into her shoulder. “‘Scuse me,” a familiar, gruff voice said.

Her eyes lifted automatically, and she found herself looking into a rough face beneath fiery red hair. Teleas glanced at her, started to turn away, then looked back, his green eyes wide. Eliana quickly hid her face beneath the hood of her cloak and turned away, forcing her way through the crowds, heart pounding. She listened, expecting him to call after or follow her, certain he’d recognized her.

When she chanced a glance backwards, however, there was no sign of him. He must have thought himself mistaken. With a sigh of relief, Eliana glanced around and once again located the stand selling the herbs she needed. She hastily made her way to the man, who was busy shouting prices at the passersby.

He looked down at her curiously when she approached, cloak up, face concealed. “What can I get for you, miss?” he boomed in a loud voice.

Eliana smiled beneath her hood. She knew that voice too well. That booming voice was the one that always shouted at the village boys when she beat them in archery. It was Garo’s father, Licito. He was a hard-working farmer with a bad attitude towards women—Eliana in particular. But, she supposed that was because she could beat all five of his sons at everything from horseback riding to swordsmanship to archery.

Without a word, she handed him her list. He frowned at her hooded, unspeaking form in confusion then, with a shrug, turned and collected the items listed. He tossed them into a brown sack and handed them to her, telling her the total. She pressed a gold piece into his hand, which was much more than the lot was worth, and walked away.

As she turned, Eliana directed her hand at his feet. She twitched her fingers slightly, and the earth under Licito rippled. She heard his bulky frame hit the earth with a thud. He cursed as he stood, uttering something she couldn’t hear under his breath. She chuckled quietly, and continued on her way.

She swiftly headed away from the market, back towards the north end of the village. She kept her head low so that no one she passed could see her face. For the second time that day, somebody bumped into her. Does nobody in Vegrandis know how to walk? she thought irritably.

“Sorry about that, love!” somebody called rudely.

Eliana stiffened at the voice, and attempted to move quickly away.

“Hey, hey! Hold on there, sweetheart!”

A hand grabbed her cloak and pulled back on it. Her hood slid back, and she turned to face him, the old anger boiling to the surface.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you, Caedis?” she snapped. “You’re still a rude, pretentious pig!”

The young man’s brown eyes widened in surprise, and he took a startled step backwards as he gaped at her. “You!” he stammered. “But- but… That’s impossible!”

Eliana crossed her arms over her chest and sneered. “Yes, clearly an impossibility, since I’m standing in front of you,” she said sarcastically.

Caedis seemed to collect himself, donning the familiar, cool confidence with which he had always harassed her. “Just surprised is all,” he said calmly, matching her stance. “Everybody thought—well, everybody hoped—that you were dead.”

She narrowed her eyes angrily. “So sorry to disappoint you.”

He smirked, his brown eyes lighting up with the joy of infuriating her. “Perhaps you should make it up to us. Go feed yourself to a dragon, you filthy half-breed.”

A slow smile spread across Eliana’s face. Her mind touched her dragon’s. “Oriens, I need you,” she called.

“Oh, wonderful,” he groaned. “Just as I was about to sink my teeth into a nice, fat buck.”

“Please, Oriens!”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”

“I suppose I could oblige you, Caedis,” she said slowly. “Any particular kind of dragon I should look for?”

He blinked in slight confusion at her sudden, smiling countenance, then shrugged. “As long as it doesn’t mind the taste of filthy elf meat.”

Eliana tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to ponder this suggestion for a moment. She could feel Oriens getting close. He was listening to Caedis through her, and he was furious.

“I believe I know just the one for the job. A big one, with lots of teeth, long claws. Does that sound about right?” she asked of the confused young man in front of her.

He frowned slightly, trying to figure out her angle. “Yeah,” he said slowly. “Sounds just perfect.”

“Alright then, Caedis,” she said, her smile growing wider, “meet Oriens.”

A ground-shaking roar echoed across the valley and, seemingly from nowhere, the great golden dragon swept low above the houses. The villagers in the market screamed and scattered at the sight of the low-flying dragon. Caedis screamed as well and made a frantic dash for the nearest hut.

Oriens landed on the ground in front of his Rider, who was laughing hysterically. She hugged his head and cried aloud, “That was wonderful! You should have seen his face, Oriens!”

A dragon’s laugh rumbled deep in his throat. “My pleasure. Nobody threatens my Rider. Tell me, was he one of the hunters?”

She pulled back to look into his intelligent green eyes and nodded. “Yes. He’s a sorcerer. He was one of the two who destroyed the eggs of your siblings. It was his sword that pierced your mother’s heart.”

A low growl emitted from the dragon’s throat as he turned his head towards the hut where Caedis had disappeared. As he did so, the man emerged, a trembling hand raised in front of him. Eliana leapt into his mind immediately, and she heard him think the spell before he said it aloud.

“Jhol thosi!” he cried.

Flames leapt up around the dragon and Rider. Water quickly dropped from thin air and doused the fire. Steam rose up around them as Eliana stepped forward, her next spell already working. By the time Caedis noticed, the earth had already crept past his knees. He screamed and tried to pull away, but it held fast.

Suddenly, twenty arrows flew from the tops of the houses, soaring towards them. Eliana quickly deflected them with the wind, letting the earth around Caedis solidify below his waist. Oriens roared in anger as they both spotted the archers on the rooftops.

“Wait!” Eliana shouted, both of her hands raised to get their attention. “Stop! It’s me! Eliana! Don’t shoot!”

She half expected them to fire again, now that she knew who she was. But surprise seemed to get the better of them. The bows were lowered, and they stared at her with startled expressions. More faces appeared in the windows and doorways of the huts around her.

She lowered her left hand, but raised the right higher, showing her mark to all who were close enough to see it. “This is my dragon!” she shouted so they could all hear. “His name is Oriens. I am his Rider! I am a dragon Rider!”

There was a collective gasp and an immediate buzz of whispering. A tall form stepped out from between two houses. She turned, prepared for another attack. As the man stepped from the shadows, the sun caught his red hair, making it blaze like fire.

“Teleas,” she said quietly, holding her right hand out in his direction, “I am telling the truth. This is my dragon. He marked me.”

The man who had led the hunting party eyed Oriens warily and stepped towards her. When he was close enough, Teleas took Eliana’s right hand between his own, his right index finger tracing the flame-shaped burn.

After a long while, he looked up at her with wonderment in his green eyes. “You really are a Rider,” he whispered in awe.

Eliana nodded. “Yes. I followed you and the hunters into the dragon’s den. I watched you kill her and destroy the eggs. But she managed to save one and entrusted it to me.” She gestured at the golden form towering above them. “That egg was Oriens. We fled to Iterum, and I’ve been training with the elven armies. We want to end this war, Teleas.”

He released her hand and stared down at her for a moment. “You’ve been with the elves?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’ve learned much. One of the things that I learned is that we have been wrong about how this all began. This war started because of the emperor’s desire to rule Paerolia. Everything we believed was a lie. The elves want to form an alliance and overthrow the emperor, create a new, peaceful government. I believe it can be done, if you are willing to join us.”

Teleas seemed to consider this for a moment, then he turned to the faces who were peeking out of their homes. “Come!” he called to them all. “Come and meet the first Rider!”

People immediately began to creep out from their huts, inching towards Eliana and the dragon cautiously. Their eyes were wide with fear and amazement as they gazed up at Oriens. He crouched low, trying to look less intimidating. Eliana placed a hand on his shoulder, demonstrating that it was safe. Still, they all stopped a yard away, forming a respectful semicircle before them.

Teleas turned back to her, and she was surprised to see a smile on his face. “Eliana,” he said, “I never expected to see you in Vegrandis again—much less with a dragon! Who could have imagined it? You—the first Rider!”

She smirked a little. “I’ll admit, I never quite pictured it myself.”

“I suppose it makes sense though,” he said, surprising her. He saw her expression and explained, “I don’t feel the need to be ashamed of saying this now, but I have always thought you to be one of the most courageous creatures I’d ever met.”

She blinked at him, startled. “Really?”

He laughed a little. “Of course. You never did back down from a challenge, Eliana. I admired you more than I ever dared to admit. But tell me, what’s your plan?”

She frowned. “Plan?”

He nodded encouragingly. “Yes, your plan. Your plan to end the war.”

“Well, we need to start by building an army against Prince Nocens—he plans to kill his father and make himself emperor,” she said, recalling Nocens’ imaginings of his father’s death and ascent to the throne.

“You want us to fight the emperor’s armies?” one man called from the crowd.

She turned to the people who were watching her expectantly. When did I—the village monster—become someone they listened to? she thought to herself.

“I’ve heard you all whisper about revolts,” she told them loudly. “Why do you let it end there? The emperors have done nothing but reign with a cruel hand for centuries. Why do you allow it to continue? If we can gather recruits from other villages—even from Vereor—and join with the elven soldiers, we can bring down the emperor and end his tyranny over the land!”

Many people around her nodded, apparently agreeing. She could see the excitement in their eyes at the idea of finally being free, no longer living in fear that the emperor’s soldiers would march through their village, raiding it to their hearts’ content. But as she looked around, she found several other pairs of eyes watching her doubtfully.

She spoke again. “I know that I am the last person you want to come here to lead you. You have been taught to hate and fear the elves, and so you have hated me since my birth—and… I have learned to hate you. But that hatred is a lie! Everything you believe about them is as wrong as my hatred was for you. We have spent centuries shedding the blood of those who would have otherwise been our friends, because of the emperors’ lies and deceit.

“Nocens, Corpanis, and their ancestors have sacrificed innocent lives in their attempt to hold power over Paerolia, but I say it cannot continue! I know you may be afraid of what you could lose. But think of all we can gain! We can reclaim our homes as our own! We no longer have to live in fear!”

Still, the villagers looked unsure. Desperately, she turned to Oriens. “Can’t you speak to them?” she asked. “Perhaps they will listen to you.”

He shook his head sadly. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“They’ve forgotten how to listen. Their minds are closed to me. I can… I can sense it.”

“Please,” she begged. “Just try. Maybe some will hear you.”

His scaly shoulders heaved with a deep sigh. “People of Vegrandis, if you can hear me, please raise your hand.”

Eliana glanced around hopefully. Slowly, Teleas’s hand lifted. Her eyes scanned the crowd and, with a burst of excitement, she saw other hands begin to rise. Their neighbors looked at them curiously, trying to figure out why they were lifting their hands. After several seconds, a total of seventeen hands were in the air, out of the hundreds around them. The rest remained down.

“For those who can hear me,” Oriens continued, “please tell those near you what I am about to say.” The people who could hear turned to those next to them and whispered frantically. Their neighbors’ eyes grew wide with surprise. “Your race has been trying to obliterate my own for centuries. And yet I stand here before you, unprotected, entirely at your mercy. You tormented my Rider in her youth, and yet she has returned to you, seeking your help.

“As much as we have been divided in the past, we must be united towards our future. Whether you wish it to be true or not, our futures are intertwined—elves, humans, and dragons alike. You believed my kind to be mere beasts, but you now see that I am more than this. Will you now believe that, perhaps, you were also wrong about the elves, about my Rider?

“The future of Paerolia rests with us—all of us. Now, the time has come for you to choose the side you will stand on. I ask you now, people of Vegrandis, to stand with us! Stand and fight!”

As those that could hear the dragon finished relaying the message to those around them, there was a long silence. At last, Teleas stepped forward. He fell to one knee, his right hand clenched into a fist over his heart.

“I will stand with you,” he said loudly, bowing his head.

After a pause, the sixteen others that had heard Oriens’ voice stepped forward as well, dropping to a knee and repeating Teleas’s words. Slowly, the rest of the population followed until all of Vegrandis knelt before Eliana and her dragon, their heads bowed respectfully.

Only one form remained upright, and he had no other choice. Eliana had completely forgotten about Caedis and the predicament she had left him in. She turned to him and made a quick motion with her wrist. The earth around him fell away, catching him by surprise, and he fell forwards onto his hands and knees.

Eliana stood in front of him, and he looked up at her through the brown bangs that hung in front of his eyes. She held out a hand to him. “Caedis?”

“What?” he growled.

She did not withdraw her extended hand. “You helped to kill my dragon’s siblings. It was you who killed his mother. You have tormented me all of my life. But we are here, asking for your help.”

“You don’t need to say it all again,” he snapped. “I heard the whole speech from the dragon.”

Her hand dropped to her side in surprise. “You did?”

“Yes,” he answered so quietly that she barely heard. He turned his face away, as if he were ashamed to admit that his mind had been open to the dragon.

She paused, looking at the young man who hated her more than any other—who she hated just as vehemently in return. She swallowed hard, repressing the years of anger and pain, fighting the urge to turn her back on him. If she were truly going to let go of the hatred in her own heart, then it had to start with Caedis. She held out her hand to him again.

“Then I believe we have both misunderstood each other for many years,” she said. “Please, Caedis. Will you help us?”

He turned his eyes to her again. Caedis looked at the extended hand, his head tilted to one side to study the mark that was there. After a long pause, his hand closed around hers, and he stood.

He gave her the first genuine smile he’d given her in nineteen years and said, “It would be an honor, my Rider.”