Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

Caelum and Eliana followed Astrum's white form through the trees to the city's entrance, the little dragon swaying on her shoulder as she walked. The blossom-covered gates of Iterum appeared before them. The guard at the gate bowed briefly at Astrum, inclined his head to Caelum with the usual, "My lord," then looked at Eliana.

Immediately, his eyes widened, his mouth falling open as he saw the golden shape on her shoulder. The guard drew a sharp breath, as if prepared to shout the news to anyone within hearing distance. Caelum stepped in front of Eliana and raised a hand towards the guard, closing it into a fist, as if snatching something out of the air. The guard made a strangled sound, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly as he clawed at his own throat.

"You will not say a word," Caelum growled quietly. "Iterum will know of the dragon soon enough. Until then, you will remain silent. Am I clear?"

The guard nodded quickly. Caelum opened his fist and lowered his arm, and the guard drew in a raspy breath, coughing and sputtering.

Caelum touched Eliana's arm gently. "Let's go," he said. "The more quickly we get to the palace, the less likely we are to draw attention to ourselves."

The gates swung open for them. "What did you do to him?" she asked with a nod at the guard.

"I removed the air from around him," he replied absentmindedly. His eyes were scanning the city streets, searching for signs of elves. "Now, we should hurry."

His hand slid to the small of her back, pressing her gently forward. Eliana felt electricity dance across her skin, and her heart stuttered in its rhythm. It lasted only a moment, then he removed his hand again, staying close to her side as he searched diligently for anyone who might see her and the dragon.

The creature on Eliana's shoulder gave a questioning, curious chirrup in her ear, and she craned her neck to look at him. He was peering at her with large, green eyes, tilting his head from side to side. She felt his wordless questions in her mind, and realized immediately what had confused him.

Mara had said that dragons could feel their Riders' emotions. He felt the way I reacted to Caelum, she realized. The dragon turned away from her and looked at the elf who walked beside them. He lowered his head and eyed Caelum suspiciously, giving a low, unintimidating growl.

Caelum looked down at the animal and gave a confused laugh. "What on earth are you doing?" he asked the creature on her shoulder.

In response, the hatchling made a quiet snapping sound with his jaws and wrapped his tail protectively around Eliana's neck, drawing closer to her while still eyeing Caelum warily. Silently, Eliana pleaded with the dragon to stop, but he either did not understand her or simply had no desire to obey her.

They reached the palace grounds without encountering anyone else, and Astrum led the way between the flowered hedges, up the white steps to the wooden door. Caelum pushed the door open just enough to step into the opening, keeping Eliana from view.

"Is my mother here?" she heard him ask the guard inside.

"Yes, sir," the elf's voice replied. "She is in Domus with Prince Denio. They just sat down to supper."

"Will you take me to see her, please?"

"Yes, sir."

She heard the guard's steps move away from the door, and Caelum turned back to her briefly. "I will speak to my mother first. Wait a moment, then come inside. I'll bring her to you when she's ready to see you."

Eliana nodded in understanding, and Caelum disappeared through the door. She peered through the crack, watching as he followed the guard along the stone path to the great tree. When the pair of them had disappeared inside, Astrum slipped through the doorway and Eliana followed. The fox trotted out onto the grass and sat at the base of the tree.

She followed suit, and the hatchling scratched his way down her arm and curled up contentedly in her lap again. She looked up at the tree, where light was streaming through one round window. She could see the silhouettes of Queen Ivi and Prince Denio seated across from each other. Shortly, two more figures joined them.

The voice she had grown so attached to spoke, and she heard it clearly from where she sat at the base of the tree. "Mother, I need to speak to you."

The queen sighed in irritation. "Caelum, we've only just started supper. Can't it wait? You should join us. We hardly ever see you, what with you running around with that strange girl every day."

She could hear the agitation in his voice as he answered, "No, it cannot wait, Mother. I have to speak to you now. It's about Eliana."

She saw the queen's head turn towards him. Her voice sounded confused as she asked, "What about her, Caelum?"

Astrum stood from the grass and looked briefly at Eliana. "I should join them," he said. "Caelum may need my assistance." He darted around the edge of Domus and disappeared.

Above her, she heard Caelum's reply. "I've been keeping something about her from you. She's not... she's not an elf, like you believe her to be."

"Not an elf?" Ivi asked sharply. "Well, then what is she?"

"She's a halfling—half human, half elf."

The queen's silhouette rose quickly from her seat, and Eliana heard the chair clatter backwards to the ground. "I want her out!" she snapped. "I want her out of this palace, out of my city, immediately!"

Denio stood. "Mother, please, be reasonable," he said in a placating tone.

Caelum's voice rose above his brother's. "You don't understand!"

"I understand that she has human blood in her veins! I do not want a half-blood creature in my city. She is a danger to all of us!"

"She is one girl!" Caelum shouted back. "What on earth is dangerous about her?"

"Did you ever think that she may have been sent by the humans?" Ivi retorted. "We do not know where her allegiances lie! She could lead the enemy straight to our gates!"

"She has a dragon!" Caelum yelled.

The shouting match ended abruptly, silence filling the echoing palace. Eliana sat cross-legged on the grass, looking down at the sleeping dragon in her lap. Angry, bitter tears defied her best efforts of suppressing them and slipped down her cheeks, falling onto the dragon's folded wings. He awoke at their contact and lifted his head, chirruping at her in concern.

"A dragon?" Ivi repeated, barely loud enough for Eliana to hear.

Then Astrum's voice spoke from somewhere beyond her sight. "It is true, your majesty," his rich voice intoned. "Eliana's dragon hatched only a few minutes ago. She is outside now, with the hatchling, and she can hear every word we speak."

She looked up again and found four elves' faces looking down at her from the window. She met their gazes proudly and defiantly, despite the tears on her cheeks. Queen Ivi's expression was one of incredulity. The guard looked merely stunned, while Denio looked inexplicably excited. Caelum's expression looked pained and full of concern.

Almost immediately, Caelum withdrew from the window, followed shortly by the other three elves. Eliana stood quickly. She knew they would be coming to see her, and she had no desire to face any of them. Holding the hatchling in her arms, she ran around Domus and out through the rear doors. She entered her chambers and took the stairs two at a time to her bedroom.

She dropped onto the edge of the mattress, hugging the dragon to her chest, trying to draw comfort from his small, warm body. He nuzzled at her neck and hair, chirping his concern as she pressed her face against his wings.

You mustn't let their words hurt you, her father's voice said in her mind. Be strong, my girl. Be strong. Eliana pressed her lips together, wrestling back the tears.

"Eliana!" She heard Caelum's voice out in the courtyard, the palace door slamming shut behind him. "Eliana!"

She made no reply. After a moment, she heard his footsteps ascending the stairs to her room, and he appeared in the doorway. She lifted her head to look at him, hurriedly trying to wipe away the tears. They continued to fall.

He paused in the entrance to her room, looking at her uncertainly. "I... I apologize for letting myself in, but I..." He crossed the distance between them and came to kneel in front of her. "I didn't think you would let me in yourself... and I was worried about you."

She dashed away her tears again, angry at them for continuing to moisten her cheeks. "I'm fine," she grumbled stubbornly.

Caelum shook his head and put a hand on her knee. "Eliana," he said quietly, "I cannot apologize enough for what my mother said. She is..." He paused and made an exasperated noise, as if the words to describe his mother eluded him. "She is a stubborn, foolish old woman," he finally said. "And she is wrong about you." He reached up and touched her cheek, wiping away the tears there. "She has never been more wrong about anything in all of her life."

Eliana turned her face slightly, pressing her cheek more firmly into his palm, welcoming the unfamiliarity of a kind touch. She swallowed, trying to steady her voice, before asking, "Why are you so kind to me, Caelum?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She looked down at him. "It seems as if everybody hates me for what I am. But not you. You brought me here, defended me, are teaching me everything you can. You have been kinder to me than anyone else in my life."

Caelum sighed and stood, moving to sit beside her on the bed. He took her hand, holding it on the mattress between them. "Not everyone hates you for what you are," he said softly. "There will be many—both humans and elves—who will rally behind you when they find out about your ancestry. There are many of us who have been waiting for your arrival for years."

Eliana shook her head. "I don't want to hear more about this prophecy of yours," she replied irritably. She fixed him with a demanding look. "I want to know why you, Caelum, have shown me such kindness. Is it only because of what you believe me to be?"

The elf gave a crooked smile and shook his head slowly. "I will confess," he replied, "that when I brought you to Iterum, it was only because I believed you would fulfill the prophecy. But you..." He paused, lifting a hand to her cheek again, turning her face towards him more fully. "You proved to be so much more than that."

Her heart stuttered, the queen's hateful words forgotten as she looked into Caelum's gentle, blue eyes. From her lap, there was a screech, and the golden hatchling leapt upwards. His tiny jaws, filled with pin-like teeth, clamped onto Caelum's wrist. The elf yelped in pain and jerked his hand back, away from Eliana's cheek. The sudden movement shook the little dragon loose, and he fell back into his Rider's lap.

He coiled like a snake, obviously prepared to lunge at the elf again, but Eliana seized him, wrapping her arms firmly around the hatchling as he snapped and snarled at Caelum.

"No!" Eliana shouted at him. "Stop it! Stop!"

The dragon stilled, but continued snarling in his throat, glaring at the elf. Eliana looked up at Caelum, who was holding his bleeding wrist and looking at his attacker in a mixture of shock and amusement.

"Caelum, I'm so sorry," she apologized frantically. "I don't know what's the matter with him." That wasn't entirely true. She knew why the hatchling had attacked. He'd felt her panicked reaction to Caelum's touch, and he had leapt to defend her.

The elf just smiled and put his hand over the injured wrist for a moment. When he removed it, the wounds were gone, though blood still stained the sleeve of his brown tunic. "It's alright," he said. "See? No harm done."

In her lap, the hatchling lowered his head in a snake-like manner and hissed at Caelum. Eliana clapped a hand over his muzzle to silence him. "Really, I- I don't know what came over him."

He shrugged dismissively. "You were upset, Eliana. He could probably tell, and he simply thought that I was the cause of it. He was doing his duty as your dragon. I won't hold that against him." He looked down at the creature that continued glaring at him around Eliana's hand, and he smiled. "Though I must admit that I do hope he'll warm up to me in time."

She laughed uncomfortably. "So do I." Hastily, she changed the subject. "Where are your mother and brother? I thought they would have followed you out here."

Caelum sighed and leaned back on his hands as he sat on the edge of the bed. "I asked them to wait in the palace. I wanted to speak to you alone. Didn't want my mother causing any more damage than she already had."

She turned her face away from him, looking out the doorway that led to his quarters. "I... I don't think I can face them just yet," she admitted slowly.

"I understand," he answered with a nod. "I can speak to them myself, tell them that we'll settle this all tomorrow." He stood from the bed, and she looked up at him.

"Caelum?" she asked quietly. He met her eyes, waiting. She drew a breath, then asked, "Is she going to make me leave Iterum?"

He smiled down at her crookedly and softly brushed a strand of hair from her face, earning another threatening growl from the hatchling. "You don't think I'd let that happen, do you?"

Despite all of her best judgment, she believed him. She believed that he would defend her, keep her here no matter what the queen wanted. She shook her head and gave a small smile. "I trust you."

He started towards the stairs, but paused in the doorway and looked back at her over his shoulder. "Please do not judge my mother too quickly, Eliana," he said. "She is a stubborn woman, but I know she will accept you, now that she can see who you are."

She gave a short nod of understanding, then he turned and disappeared down the stairs. The hatchling slipped off of Eliana's lap and stood on the foot of the bed, craning his neck, as if trying to see where the supposedly dangerous elf had gone. Then, apparently satisfied that the threat was no longer present, he wriggled his tail and hopped down onto the floor.

Eliana leaned over the mattress and watched him as he nosed his way under the bed, making a snuffling, snarling sound. "What are you doing?" she asked him curiously.

Her question was answered by a high-pitched squeak, as a brown mouse darted out from under her bed. The golden hatchling streaked after it, then pounced on it with a fluttering of his wings. The mouse squeaked in distress for a brief moment. The dragon clamped his jaws around it and gave it a shake, and the mouse fell silent.

Tilting his head back, he swallowed the mouse whole. Eliana gave a small smile of surprise. "I suppose I won't have to worry about feeding you," she remarked.

In reply, the hatchling gave a self-satisfied chirp. She pulled off her boots and clothes, and slipped into a nightdress before climbing into bed. The dragon quickly and easily clawed his way up the bed post and onto the mattress. He crossed over the comforter and climbed on top of her, curling up in a little golden ball on top of her stomach. She rested her hand on top of him, and the calm, peaceful blue filled her mind again.

She stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the forest around her, wondering what was happening inside the palace. What was Caelum saying? Would the queen really change her mind? Were they arguing about her?

Hours seemed to pass before she heard the sound of footsteps on the pebbled pathway below. She heard Caelum climb the wooden steps to his quarters, and she turned her head towards the bridge between the two trees. In the moonlight that streamed through his window, she saw him sit on the edge of his bed. His shoulders slumped forward with exhaustion, and he ran his hands over his face, through his pale, moonlit hair.

She could hear him sigh as he stood. He pulled his tunic up over his head, the moonlight making his pale torso seem even paler. Eliana felt a hot blush climb up her neck, and she closed her eyes tightly. But the image of his moonlit form remained imprinted on her eyelids.

The hatchling on her stomach lifted his head and looked at her, chirping curiously. She opened one eye and looked at him, willing him to be quiet. He stared at her, his emerald eyes seeming to glow in the darkness, then turned and looked towards the figure on the other side of the bridge, finding the source of her apparent distress. He let out a loud squawk, shattering the silence of the night.

She saw Caelum turn towards the sound and quickly shut her eyes again. She listened to his footsteps crossing the wooden bridge. They stopped just outside her doorway.

"Eliana?" he called quietly. "Are you awake?"

She remained still and silent, barely peering at him through her lashes. He was barefoot and bare chested, one hand on the frame of her doorway, looking at her. The flush on her face grew hotter, and she prayed he could not see it in the darkness. The dragon squawked again.

"Hush, little one," Caelum whispered at the animal. "Let her sleep."

The dragon gave a little snarl, but lowered his head, curling up on Eliana's stomach again. Caelum remained where he was, leaning against her doorframe in the moonlight, watching her. In the silvery light from her window, she saw a soft smile touch his lips.

"Goodnight, Eliana," he whispered from where he stood. "Sleep well."

He turned and crossed back over the bridge to his quarters. She watched him climb into bed and turn onto his side, facing the bridge between them. She could see that his eyes were still open, and he watched her with a strangely tender expression on his face, unaware that she was watching him as well.