Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

They waited until nightfall to skirt around Bolandri’s village. Somehow, Eliana doubted he would believe them to be a small family of travelers if he were to see thousands of soldiers marching past. Oriens and Eliana flew wide and high over the Kaers, enjoying the cool mountain air. Caelum kept his mind close to hers, consistently interrupting her ecstasy with his own worried thoughts about Rocs and the Dark dragon. She did her best to ignore him.

By the time the sun had risen, their band was out of sight of the little village, and the Rider and dragon were once again restrained to walking beside Caelum at the head of the line; they couldn’t risk being seen from the air. The landscape seemed to remain unchanging as they continued on their long march. The plains stretched on continuously, and the mountains were an impenetrable wall beside them.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the jagged teeth of the western ridge, Caelum signaled the company to halt. A general feeling of relief swelled through the ranks as the soldiers immediately began pitching their tents and starting small cooking fires. They had marched all through that day and the previous night without halting, and every soldier was grateful to finally have the chance to stop, eat, and sleep.

Eliana followed the smell of vegetable stew, which was coming from the tent she shared with her mother—when she wasn’t at Oriens’ side. The dragon tried to follow her.

“Oriens, go hunt,” she ordered him. “You haven’t eaten since we entered the Kaers.”

“I’m not hungry,” he said, with a shrug of his huge, scaly shoulders.

She put her hands on her hips and scowled at him like a scolding mother. “You can’t lie to me, Oriens. You should know that by now. I can feel your hunger.”

He gazed down at her with those big, emerald eyes for a moment. She could both sense and see the worry in his expression. “Very well,” he answered at last. “But I will return quickly. I don’t like leaving you alone when we’re close to the human army.”

“I’m not exactly alone, Oriens. I’m surrounded by thousands of soldiers.”

“Still,” he responded, shuffling his wings as he prepared for flight, “as long as I am away from you, you must be careful.”

“I am always careful.”

The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile, then he spread his wings and lifted himself into the air, turning towards the base of the mountains. Eliana headed towards her tent to find her mother sitting in front of a small fire, stirring a pot of stew. Dozens of soldiers waited outside the tent, bowls in hand.

Ispera served her first, then the other soldiers, then herself. Eliana ate eagerly, emptying the bowl in a few short minutes and holding it out for me. Thanks to the supplies they’d gotten from Bolandri, rations had been loosened for this one night. When she’d eaten her fill, she kissed her mother on the cheek and set off to find Caelum. She found his tent empty, and so searched the perimeters of the camp instead.

She found Caelum where she suspected she would—taking the first watch on the western edge of camp. His back was to her, his sword resting across his knees as he gazed in the direction they were marching.

“You should be resting,” he said without looking up. They were more than familiar with each other’s subconscious presences.

“So should you,” she answered quietly, sitting beside him. “And yet you give yourself first watch.”

He smiled softly. “Actually, I’ve given myself this end of the camp for the entire night.”

She made an exasperated noise. “Why?”

Caelum turned to look at her, his face serious. “Because I would not be able to sleep if the edge closest to our enemies was protected by someone else. I can’t entrust your safety to anyone else.”

Eliana sighed and rested her chin on her knees. “I am not made of porcelain, Caelum.”

He set his sword aside and slid to sit close behind her. His arms wrapped around her stomach and she leaned back against his chest. His voice was soft in her ear as he whispered, “No, you’re not. Porcelain can be replaced if it is destroyed. Porcelain is a mere thing. You are much more than that. You could never be replaced, not at any price, so I won’t risk losing you.”

“And what about you?” she asked quietly. “Do you think you could be replaced if I lost you?”

He buried his face against her neck, breathing deeply. “You know you smell like pine needles?” he asked. “It’s lovely.”

“Caelum,” she prompted quietly.

He kissed her neck softly once, then twice, before answering, “No matter what happens to me, I will always be with you. Always. I could never truly leave you, Eliana. So long as some part of me exists, I will be with you.”

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of his breathing. His chin rested on her shoulder as he pulled her closer to him, his heart beating against her back.

“Can I ask you something?” she asked suddenly.

“Mm?” he replied, encouraging her to go on.

“Why tell Bolandri we were married? Why not say I was another sister, like Shyli?”

“I suppose,” he said slowly, “it was merely the first thing to enter my mind. Or rather, it was the first thing that came to my tongue. It is very often on my mind as it is.”

A bubble of happiness welled inside her, though she knew his words should have unsettled her. She turned her face towards his so that their noses brushed. She couldn’t repress the smile that rose to her lips. “Do you want to marry me, Prince Caelum?” she asked softly.

His answering smile told her all she wished to know, but still he spoke as he leaned closer to her. “Yes, Rider Eliana. Yes, I do.”

A sudden movement in the nearby woods caught Eliana’s eye. She immediately stiffened, gaining an inquiring look from Caelum. She gestured to the cluster of forest at the base of the mountains. There it was again—a flash of white between the dark trees. Caelum slid away from her and stood, grabbing his sword from the earth and moving slowly towards the trees.

“Caelum, wait,” she whispered.

He motioned for her silence as he continued creeping forward. Suddenly a white wolf stepped out from between the trees, his golden eyes glowing in the moonlight.

“No need for that, Caelum,” Astrum said softly.

She saw the muscles in the elf’s body relax, and he lowered his sword. “Astrum,” he breathed. “Where have you been?”

“Where I was needed—gathering the elves from the other villages.”

Eliana stood and moved to Caelum’s side. “You mean they’re here?” she asked.

The majestic head dipped once in confirmation. “Yes. They are waiting just a few miles ahead, in the forests at the mountain’s base. They will join us there tomorrow, and we can continue to meet Nocens’ army.”

“Do you know where they are, Astrum?” Caelum asked quietly. “Nocens’ men, I mean. Are they far ahead?”

“Yes, I know where they are,” the wolf responded, “and no, they are not far. You will see them before nightfall tomorrow.”

Fear crashed over Eliana like water bursting from a dam. Caelum’s hand reached out and closed around hers, clutching it tightly. Tomorrow… she thought, her heart racing. Will the army be ready? Will I be ready…?

~*~

Four spheres rose into the air from the thicket of trees that lay ahead of them—earth, wind, water, and fire, hovering side by side. The army raised answering spheres. No sooner had the elements disappeared than hundreds of figures began to appear between the trees. Slowly, as if still unsure, the elves from the distant reaches of Paerolia moved towards them.

Oriens and Eliana stood at the head of the army, beside Denio, Kana, and Caelum. Astrum sat in front of them, watching the growing procession from the woods with his golden eyes. A fair male elf dropped to a knee in front of them, his fist over his heart.

“Rider,” he said as he stood, looking at Caelum, “we have waited long for your rise.”

Caelum raised a pale eyebrow. “I am not your Rider. I am your king’s brother and your captain.” He gestured to the dark-haired girl at his side. “She is your Rider.”

The man looked surprised as his gaze drifted up and down her body, as if it took him several attempts to confirm that this Rider was, in fact, a woman. “You?” he asked incredulously.

Eliana crossed her arms over her chest and glared dangerously at him. “I. Is that disagreeable to you, Captain…?” She let the sentence trail off, waiting for him to fill in the blank.

“Medys,” he said, bowing his head again. “My apologies. No, of course I do not object. I was simply surprised. Astrum did not mention our Rider was a woman.”

“I did not think it to be of consequence,” Astrum answered smoothly.

Medys looked uneasy for a moment as they all watched him. At last, he seemed to collect himself and, in an attempt at redemption, he stood tall and saluted her. “My men are ready to serve you, Rider. Please, lead us as you wish.”

Eliana turned to the elf beside her. “Are we ready to move out, Captain Caelum?”

He nodded. “Aye, Rider.”

She smirked at the way he addressed her; he was overstating her place in the army, and she knew he was doing it intentionally. She followed suit. “Very well then. Let’s go. Captain Medys, your men may fall into the ranks.”

Caelum was chuckling slightly as they once again began their march. “You certainly made that man uncomfortable,” he muttered to her.

She smiled. “Well, I couldn’t let him assume I wouldn’t lead simply because I’m female, now could I?”

He shrugged. “No, I suppose you couldn’t. Though I must say I would not wish to be on the receiving end of that look you gave him.”

Eliana laughed and shook her head. “As long as I can fool everyone else into believing I am capable of leading them, we may have a chance at winning this war.”

Caelum brushed her arm gently. “Don’t say that.”

She sighed. “We have over fifty-five thousand men following behind us, Caelum. I can barely lead them now. What will happen when the rest of the dwarves join us? What about when it comes time to fight?”

He reached out and quickly squeezed her hand, dropping it before anyone nearby could see. “You’ll be fine. They will follow you.”

“But will they follow me because they trust me to lead them? Or because I sit astride a golden dragon?”

“Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters,” she snapped quietly. “It is the same reason you gave for forsaking the throne. You wanted people to follow you for your merits, not your blood. And I don’t want them to follow me because of a mark on my hand.”

“You forget one thing, Eliana,” Oriens interrupted. “A dragon does not choose one who is unable to fulfill a Rider’s duties. I knew when I was an egg what you were capable of. Now you simply need to discover it for yourself.”

“Perhaps,” she responded with a sigh. “I just hope I don’t discover it too late.”

As they continued their march, Eliana began to feel her lack of sleep catch up to her; she had not slept more than a few hours at any time in the last fortnight. Her vision began to become bleary, and her head nodded as they walked. Several times, her steps stumbled, her legs too weary to lift clear of the ground.

At last, Caelum stopped her. “Get on Oriens,” he told her. It was clearly not a suggestion.

Eliana didn’t bother to object. She tiredly climbed into the saddle and leaned forward on his neck. Still, she could not sleep. Her exhaustion kept her from functioning, but her anxiety kept her from resting. Caelum continued to look up at her, his face growing more concerned every time he saw that her eyes were open. The concept of time escaped her as she relaxed into the swaying of the saddle.

Suddenly, Oriens stopped. Eliana sat up, squinting blearily at the landscape. To the south was a large city surrounded by high walls—Thys, the great city of the Shyrn Plains. To the west, directly ahead of their army, stretched countless men in red tunics, all marching towards Thys. Nocens was preparing to take the city.