Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

"You'll need to give him a name, you know."

Eliana lowered the bow she held and looked towards Caelum's voice. He lay at the edge of the archery range under a tree, looking up into its branches.

"What?" she asked.

He lifted one hand and pointed up at the branches of the tree, where the little golden dragon had climbed. "Your dragon," he replied. "He'll need a name. Have you thought of one yet?"

"Not really," she replied, raising the bow again. She sighted down the length of the arrow and drew it back. "Honestly, I haven't thought about it at all." She paused, then released the arrow from the string.

It struck the third ring of her target down range. She gave a frustrated shout and stamped her foot. "I don't understand!" she cried in irritation. "I was the best archer in Vegrandis. I've been able to hit a bullseye from thirty yards since I was eight years old, and I have not hit it once in the last five days!"

Caelum shifted in the grass, and she looked over at him. He propped his head up on one fist and surveyed her with a thoughtful expression. "Eliana," he said, "what are you trying to prove, and to whom?"

She sighed and pushed her hair from her face, looking back at the target. It was littered with half a dozen arrows, none of them in the center. "I don't know," she answered quietly. "I suppose I just... want to prove that I can do something right. Ever since the elves have started hearing about the dragon, seeing this mark on my hand, they've been giving me these looks like... like they think it was all a mistake. Here, they've been waiting for this great hero to arise, and all they get is... me..."

The elf pushed himself up into a sitting position and frowned at her. "Don't be ridiculous, Eliana. Dragons don't make mistakes. You were chosen for this."

"Well..." she let out a sharp breath. "Well, maybe Astrum was wrong then." Caelum did not respond to this, so after a short pause, she went on. "I don't know if I'm the person he talked about, but I just want to prove to everyone that I am somebody. That I can be worthy of that dragon. I want to prove it to everyone—to Mara, to Denio, to the queen... even to you..." She bit her lip, immediately regretting the confession and her momentary vulnerability.

Caelum stood and crossed the archery range towards her. She dropped her gaze, but he slid his hand under her chin, gently coaxing her face upwards so that their eyes met. His thumb grazed her jawbone, caressing her skin. He smiled at her in his laughing, teasing way.

"Don't you see, Eliana?" he asked with a chuckle in his voice. "You don't have to prove anything to anyone. Least of all to me. I already have faith in you, as do many of the other elves. The only person you need to convince is yourself. When you have faith in yourself, the others will follow suit."

His hand left her skin abruptly, and he walked down the range to the arrow-covered target. He pulled the arrows out one by one, then returned to her side. Dropping five into the grass with their arrowheads buried in the earth, he handed her the sixth arrow.

"Place it on the string," he told her.

She did as he instructed, stationing her feet, placing the shaft against the bow, and knocking the end against the bowstring. He stepped up behind her, starling her as his chest pressed against her back. His arms rested against hers as he placed his hands over her own. Eliana felt frozen by the warmth of his skin, the caress of his breath on her cheek.

"You grasp the bow too tightly," he whispered, close to her ear. "Hold it like a bird—tightly enough to keep it from escaping, but not so tight that you would harm it."

One of his long fingers stroked the tender skin on the inside of her left wrist, and she loosened her grip slightly.

"Good," he said. "Now, draw the string." He caressed the back of her right hand, and she drew back on the string until it touched the corner of her mouth. "Feel the tension in the bow. Do you feel its energy? Calm your mind and focus on that energy."

She was struggling to focus on anything but the feeling of his body so close to hers. Still, she calmed her rattled mind as best she could, feeling the tension in the string.

"Now, draw a breath."

She felt his chest rise against her back, and she breathed in rhythm to the movement.

"Exhale, and release."

He breathed out, the air warm on her cheek, and tapped the back of her right hand with one finger. She exhaled with him and released the string. She dimly noted the passing of the arrow through the air, distantly saw the arrow strike the center of the target, but she did not react to it.

"Well done," Caelum whispered, his lips nearly touching her ear as he spoke.

The task was completed, but he did not move. He remained where he was, his body curved around hers, and Eliana did not attempt to break the contact. She drew a shaky breath, leaning into the strength and security of his chest. Hesitantly, she turned her face towards him, their noses nearly brushing. His blue eyes were intent upon her face, and she felt herself flush under his gaze, her breath hitching in her chest.

"Caelum!" a voice called sharply.

Eliana jumped in surprise, her head whipping towards the sound. Mara stood at the edge of the range, watching them with a stern expression. Eliana's face burned with embarrassment and guilt, like a child caught muddying her best dress. Caelum calmly took a step backwards, putting a small amount of space between them, apparently undisturbed by the position they'd been found in.

"Good morning, Mara," he called back to the archivist calmly.

The woman nodded, then asked, "Caelum, may I speak with you a moment?"

It was then that Eliana noticed her dragon waddling towards her across the grass. Still flightless, he had scrambled down from the tree and was coming towards her. She could feel his presence in her mind, trying to muddle through her confusing emotions.

She knelt as Caelum crossed over to where Mara stood, and offered the hatchling her arm. He climbed onto it, then scrambled up onto his favorite spot on her shoulder. Astrum had been right about the dragon growing quickly. In the five short days since he'd hatched, he had nearly doubled in length and weight; it would not be long before he would no longer fit on his favorite perch. He nuzzled at her questioningly, searching for the cause of her apparent distress.

Eliana let her thoughts mingle with the dragon's, which had become almost as natural as breathing, and pushed her thoughts into his. "Hush," she said soothingly. "It's alright. I'm fine."

The worried sensation in the back of her mind settled slightly, and she turned her attention to the side of the archery range, where Caelum and Mara were deep in a discussion. Mara was speaking seriously, though she did not appear angry. Caelum was listening silently, but something in his expression hinted at the fact that he was not truly taking any of it in.

Mara seemed to notice too, and she raised her voice. "…can't afford this, Caelum! She doesn't need... only distract her from her purpose! ...hurt everyone, including her!"

Caelum frowned and gave an unheard reply with a firm shake of his head. Mara lowered her voice again, continuing their heated conversation quietly enough that Eliana could no longer hear, though she still watched them curiously. They continued in this matter for a few moments longer, then Caelum turned his face towards Eliana, meeting her eyes across the range.

He said something to Mara while holding Eliana’s gaze across the few yards that separated them. Something in his eyes made Eliana anxious, and she shifted worriedly, yearning to interrupt the conversation and demand to know what was happening.

Whatever he said, it made Mara smile with a slight look of relief. Caelum looked back at the archivist and spoke, to which she replied with a nod and a smile. He smiled as well, but Eliana could see that the expression was forced. The archivist turned and walked away, heading back towards the palace.

Caelum remained at the edge of the practice range for a moment, his arms crossed over his chest, looking down at his boots. His brow was furrowed in thought. Eliana was about to go to him when he turned and came towards her instead. He looked weary—sad, even, she thought.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

He gave another forced smile, which did nothing to ease her concerns. "Of course. My mother simply wanted to speak to us."

"Now?" Eliana asked, anxiety knotting in her gut. She had not seen the queen since the day the dragon had hatched, when she'd heard her cruel words through the window.

"Well, soon," Caelum replied. "I want you to take a few more practice shots though, to make sure you have it down." He was playing at getting back to business, and Eliana did not press the matter.

Caelum held out his forearm to the dragon on her shoulder. The hatchling looked at the girl, giving a nervous, questioning chirrup.

"It's alright," she told him in his mind. "Go with him."

With a worried sound in his throat, the dragon stepped from her shoulder and onto Caelum's forearm. Though he hadn't attacked the elf since that first evening, he still became nervous and skittish around Caelum. Eliana could only attribute that to her own nervousness around the elf. But at least she no longer had to worry about her young charge taking off one of Caelum's fingers.

Caelum returned to the edge of the practice range and sat beneath the tree again. The dragon hopped to the ground and began nosing through the tall grass in search of some small prey. Eliana pulled an arrow out of the grass beside her and turned her attention to the target down range.

She knocked the arrow to the string and forced all thoughts of Caelum's conversation with Mara from her mind. She drew the string back to her lips, feeling the energy in the arrow. It quivered slightly, ready for release. She breathed in, then out, and let it go. It sailed straight, and struck the center of the target.

"Well done!" Caelum called cheerfully. "Now, again."

Eliana repeated the drill with each of the four remaining arrows. By the time she was finished, the bullseye was crowded with purple and white fletching. She was smiling by then, cheered by her ability to shoot well again. As she turned to Caelum, however, she saw that his expression had turned serious once more, and she remembered with a sinking feeling the task that lay ahead of them—a conversation with Queen Ivi.

Caelum had not said much about his conversations with his mother ever since she had demanded Eliana leave Iterum. She assumed, of course, that he had convinced her to change her mind, but she could not be certain what the queen truly thought about her. She felt as if her fate were hanging on this conversation.

She returned her dragon to her shoulder, then followed Caelum silently back to the palace. The guard opened the door for them and they stepped inside. As they approached Domus, a wave of nausea swept over her. What if the queen still wanted her to leave? How could she leave Iterum? It was as near to a home as she had ever had. And Caelum... What would she do if Ivi ordered her to leave Caelum...?

Her dragon curled his tail around her neck and nuzzled her comfortingly. As if he, too, could sense her fear, Caelum reached across the space between them and took her hand. She looked at him and he gave her a small, sad-looking smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "You won't be going anywhere."

The way he emphasized "you" set her on edge. He led her around the base of the tree to the entrance to the royal family's quarters.

"Are we going inside?" she asked

"Of course." He said it as if it were commonplace for her to enter the queen's personal quarters—it was not.

The inside of Domus was very similar to the inside of her own quarters, but on a much grander scale. The furniture was covered in lush fabrics, and richly colored paintings covered the walls. The curving staircase at the center of the room had a banister carved with intricate designs and studded with the occasional jewel.

They followed the curving staircase upwards past several rooms until they reached one that held only two large thrones. Queen Ivi sat in one. As usual, the throne to her right was empty. The queen surveyed them with narrowed violet eyes as they entered, sitting tall and proud in her throne. Eliana felt as if she were trying to burn a hole through her with her eyes. Briefly, she wondered if she might actually be able to do that.

As they stepped into the room, Caelum gave her hand a gentle tug, pulling her closer to him and stepping ahead of her in a protective gesture, partially shielding her from the queen's sharp eyes. Though she looked as dignified as ever, it was clear that Ivi was irritated.

"You certainly took your time in coming," she remarked coldly.

"Mara didn't make it seem as if it was a matter of great urgency, and I felt Eliana should finish her practice session," Caelum replied, his voice flat and formal.

"So Mara did give you my message then?"

"Obviously," he answered with disdain.

"All of it?" the queen asked, with a glance at the girl hidden behind her son's shoulder.

Eliana met the gaze proudly. She did not know what was happening, but she refused to shrink under the woman's glare, no matter how much she wanted to.

"All of it," Caelum answered.

"Then you are willing to accept my terms and—."

"No," he interrupted sharply.

The queen's dark eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline at the brashness of her son. "Are you claiming my assumptions are groundless then?"

Caelum did not respond, but Eliana felt his hand tighten around hers.

Queen Ivi nodded, as if his silence had given her all the answer she needed. "I did not think so," she said, tilting her head slightly. “Since it is so apparent that my assumptions are true, then I believe it is best that you step down and allow Mara to—."

"No!" Caelum interrupted again, louder this time. His mother flushed angrily at this second interruption. "I will not abandon Eliana so easily."

Abandon? Eliana thought, looking between Caelum and Queen Ivi in confusion. What are they talking about?

"Don't be so dramatic, Caelum," the queen snapped. "She's not going to be abandoned. Mara is perfectly capable."

"I do not deny Mara's capabilities, but I made a promise and I will not simply cast that aside."

Ivi's voice was now dangerously low, her small, pale hands clenched into fists atop the throne's arms. "Caelum, once again you are proving to be stubborn and unreasonable. You are allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment, and so you put yourself at risk."

"I would rather put myself at risk than leave her."

The queen rose suddenly from her throne, and her voice rose with her. "This is your final chance, Caelum!" she shouted. "Step down as Eliana's teacher, or I will forcibly remove you from the situation!"

Caelum released Eliana's hand and stepped forward defiantly. "This conversation will not go any further until you give Eliana what she deserves!"

"And what might that be?"

"An apology! An apology for the things you said when you discovered she was a halfling."

Queen Ivi looked surprised for a moment, then she sighed and sat back on her throne. "Very well," she said. "I suppose it is only appropriate. Eliana, please step forward." The queen motioned at her with a curl of her fingers.

Eliana glanced at Caelum, who gave her a slight nod, then stepped up to stand in front of him, with nothing between her and the queen.

The queen spoke, her bell-like voice sounding tight as she did so. "Eliana... The words you heard the other evening were... hastily spoken. I was too quick to judge you and I... regret having spoken so rashly. You are, after all, now a Rider, and I failed to give you the respect that position deserves. I must, therefore, ask your forgiveness."

Though the words were forced, it was clear that it was the queen's pride that restrained her, rather than a lack of sincerity. Eliana swallowed and gave a short nod. "Consider it forgotten, your majesty."

The queen nodded in return, and Eliana recognized the gesture as a dismissal. She stepped back to Caelum's side. This time, her hand sought his, and she held to it tightly, as if he might drift away from her if she let him go.

Ivi turned her attention back to her son. "As I was saying—."

"I will be forcibly removed," Caelum finished for her coldly.

"Yes."

"And how do you think to force me away?"

She sighed and adjusted her circlet of golden leaves. "We are sending a fresh group of young soldiers to Amiscan. You will accompany them and help to train them."

"Is that your answer for everything?" he demanded loudly. "Amiscan? When I fought the betrothal with Raena, you sent me there for six months. When I gave up my rights to the throne, I was gone for nearly a year. Now I am barely home for a month, and you want to send me back again! When are you going to see that Amiscan will not make me into the son you wish I was?"

"Caelum, I am doing this for your own good!" Ivi shouted back at him. "I do this for you!"

"And what about her, Mother?" he asked, gesturing towards the girl whose hand he held. "You worry about what you must do for me, but what about the things I must do for her? She is going to change our world!"

"And you will not be a part of it!" Ivi yelled, slapping her hand against the arm of the chair. "Not as long as I am queen! You will leave for Amiscan at dawn, and that is my final word!"

It truly was the final word on the matter. Without responding, Caelum turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, pulling Eliana after him as he descended the stairs. She didn't try to speak to him as he dragged her out of Iterum and through the forest. Her mind was still reeling from the queen's final statement.

Dawn... Caelum is leaving at dawn...

They had reached the edge of the river, and Caelum released her hand, moving to stand by himself on the riverbank. The dragon on Eliana's shoulder squawked loudly, irritated by the jostling ride, and hopped down from her shoulder, fluttering his wings to soften the landing.

She watched the little golden creature as he found a small inlet of calm water and slipped into it up to his shoulders. He buried his head in the water, then shook himself vigorously, splashing the water with his wings and sending droplets of water into the air. The spray caught the glow of the setting sun, glistening in its rays.

The sun was already setting, she realized abruptly. When it rose again, Caelum would be gone.

The elf gave a loud, irritated groan, and she looked up at him as he turned towards her, his hands in his hair, nearly tearing at it. Their eyes met, and she found his to be full of emotion—anger, sadness, defiance, yearning. Eliana's own heart was still blank with confusion.

He stepped up to her and put his hands on his shoulders. "Eliana, please," he said quietly. "I am asking you to trust me."

She shook her head slowly. "Trust you in what?"

"I promise you that I am not abandoning you. I wouldn't leave if I felt I had any choice."

She looked up at him, her expression disbelieving. "Don't you though?"

He sighed and looked down at the ground that separated them, then back up at her. One of his hands softly touched her cheek. "That's a bit complicated. I know I could refuse to go but... both of our lives would be hell if I did so. My mother would make sure of it. This is the only way."

She stepped backwards, pulling away from his touch. "You promised you would teach me."

"I know," he answered, rubbing at the back of his neck. "But... you're ready for magic now, and Mara would be a better teacher for that anyways."

"But your magic is so much stronger than Mara's," she countered. "I've seen you do remarkable things."

He shook his head. "That is why Mara would be a better teacher than me. She is more… controlled than I am. My magic may be stronger but I... I let my emotions control my magic far too often. And around you..." he paused, then finished quietly, "that could be disastrous."

There was a long silence, and Eliana stared quietly at the dragon playing in the water as she tried to let the truth of the situation sink in. Slowly, she forced herself to accept that there was no way to persuade him from leaving.

She turned her face to him again. "How long?" she asked.

"Just until Mara finishes your training," he answered. "Three months at the most."

Three months... she repeated in her mind. Three months without the one friend and companion she had in this world. Three months without seeing his face, feeling his touch, hearing his voice. Finally, she began to feel the emotion rising in her chest, clawing its way out of her heart. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to contain the raging, wailing animal inside of her—the creature she had contained so carefully over the years since her father’s death.

"Okay," she answered quietly.

Despite her efforts to repress it, he seemed to hear the ache in her voice. He immediately took her into his arms, pulling her tightly against him. She wrapped her own arms around his back, pressing her face into his tunic as his embrace repressed the savage sadness trying to break from her chest. His cheek rested atop her head, and she felt him press his lips to her hair.

She breathed in his scent—the smell of the forest after a rainstorm—and willed herself to remember it. She tried to press this moment, this memory firmly into her mind—the way his arms felt around her, the way his heartbeat sounded beside her cheek. It would be all she had for the next three months.

Too soon, Caelum pulled back, and looked down at her, his hands resting warmly on her shoulders. She took in the way his face looked in the fading sunlight, committing his features to memory as well, willing herself to capture a perfect image of his face in her mind as he looked down at her with gentle eyes.

"I will be back," he promised her quietly. "I swear it to you. And when I return, I will take you back to Amiscan with me, so you can train with the soldiers there."

"Amiscan?" she repeated.

He smiled, caressing her cheek. "When I get there, I will tell them about you, the beautiful dragon Rider with the golden dragon. They will be eager to meet you both. After all, we've all been waiting for you for a long time."

Eliana gave a short, unamused laugh. "I still don't know that I believe any of that."

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and softly kissed her forehead. "You will."

~*~

Eliana awoke the next morning with the sensation that something was wrong. The warm pressure against her stomach, which she'd grown used to over the last week, was gone. She sat up with a jolt, looking around frantically for her dragon.

She found him standing on the edge of the large, round window near the bed, staring out over the trees at the distant sunrise over the eastern mountains. Its burning rays reflected off of his golden scales, and he closed his eyes, soaking in the warmth. With a soft rustling, the hatchling spread his wings wide, and the light filtered through the thin membrane, turning a brilliant gold as it fell onto the comforter.

In her mind, Eliana could feel the hatchling's pleasure at the caress of the sunlight. She smiled to herself and whispered, "The rising sun... Oriens..."

The hatchling opened his green eyes and folded his wings, looking towards her curiously.

"Oriens," she repeated, more loudly this time, a sure smile spreading across her lips.

A voice she had never heard before spoke in her mind. "Oriens," the voice repeated. Despite its unfamiliarity, she felt that she knew the voice as surely as she knew her own thoughts. It was a warm, smooth voice, and it danced through her mind.

She laughed. "Was that you?" she asked. But she already knew; she could feel it in her very soul.

He turned around to face her completely. "Oriens," the voice repeated to her mind. And then, "Eliana."

Suddenly, he opened his wings again and jumped from the window ledge, swooping low, then rising to hover above where she sat in the bed, still singing their names in her mind. "Eliana. Oriens. Eliana."

She laughed loudly, staring up at his fluttering form. "You're flying!" she cried excitedly.

He chirped in response, then darted out of her bedroom door, flying across the bridge that connected her room to Caelum's. She leapt from the bed and ran after him in her nightshirt, shouting, "Caelum! Caelum, come and see! He's flying! My dragon is flying!"

Oriens flew into the elf's room and settled lightly on the foot of the bed. Eliana came to a halt in the doorway. The room was empty. Caelum was gone. And he had not said goodbye.

She stepped slowly into the room, her bare feet not making any sound on the wood. The room felt entirely deserted, as if it had not been inhabited for weeks, rather than mere hours. She sunk down onto the edge of the bed, feeling tears gathering in her eyes. This time, she did not fight them. She curled onto her side on Caelum's bed as the first sob clawed its way out of her, leaving a ragged hole in her chest.

Oriens crossed the bed to her and nuzzled at her face. "Eliana? Eliana?" his small, worried voice said in her mind.

"He's gone..." she whispered through her tears. “He left without saying goodbye..."

The young dragon seemed to sense that whatever ailed his Rider was not something he could defend her from. Oriens turned and curled up against her chest, pressing his snout up under chin. She welcomed the feeling of companionship and wrapped her arm around his small form, pulling him into her chest. Then, she closed her eyes and let the pain come.