Sky Riders: The Rising Sun

Mara waved her hand, dissipating the steamy mist that Eliana had conjured with fire and water. She smiled at the Rider through the remaining wisps of steam.

“Well done!” she said cheerily.

Eliana smiled back at her. In only two days, she had learned to effectively combine and manipulate all four elements of magic. She had gained more control over all of them, and could perform the magic for much longer periods of time without needing to draw magic from elsewhere.

“What now?” she asked eagerly. She was enjoying the intensified pace of her lessons; they took all of her concentration and energy, which distracted her from the monster that quietly clawed deeper into her heart.

“Now,” Mara said, hopping to her feet, “we fight!”

Eliana stood as well, watching her teacher warily. “Fight?”

The elf gave a firm nod. “If you are to return with Caelum to Amiscan to train with the troops, you must go with some knowledge of how to fight with your magic.”

“Okay…” Eliana said slowly. “So how do I do that?”

Mara gave her a mischievous grin. “Instinct.”

She hardly saw the archivist’s movement before a ball of fire flew towards her. She yelped and leapt to the side, narrowly dodging it. The flames struck the trunk of tree behind her, leaving a black mark in the bark.

“No!” Mara chided. “Use your magic!”

Eliana saw the movement of Mara’s hands as she prepared to attack again, but her heart was pounding too frantically to think clearly about how to react. Everything in her body told her to avoid it physically, not magically. Another fire sphere flew towards her.

“Water.”

Her body obeyed Oriens’ silent instructions without thought. A stream of water appeared from the air before her and dowsed the flames before they reached her. Mara smiled and prepared for another attack. Eliana recognized the smooth, circular motion she always used before conjuring wind.

“Earth.”

As the tornado-like blast raced forwards, Eliana raised a wall of dark earth before her. Mara’s attack struck her defense and the wind roared over the top of the wall. Eliana let the earth fall back into place and smiled a little. She felt surer of herself with Oriens in her mind, telling her what to do—and she felt stronger.

“Attack with fire, then earth.”

Her thoughts were no longer her own. Oriens instructed, and her body obeyed. A blast of flame raced towards Mara, followed quickly by an earth sphere. Mara easily doused the flame, but she was unprepared for the earth, and it struck her squarely in the chest. She fell backwards, dirt exploding over her dress. She jumped to her feet and, with a sharp flick of her wrist, sent a vine snapping out towards Eliana from a nearby tree.

“Fire.”

She obeyed, but Mara was ready for her. Water immediately extinguished the flame, and the vine wrapped around her, tightening like a snake squeezing its prey. She gasped in pain and surprise as the coils tightened around her.

“Mara!” she cried out, but the elf made no movement to stop the vine from crushing her. Fear gripped at Eliana’s organs.

“You can do this, Eliana!” her instructor called out to her. “Control the vine. Use your magic. You make it stop.”

She focused her attention on the vine as it continued to squeeze the air from her chest, tightening every time she exhaled. She could feel its magic—the bright, powerful magic that only living creatures possessed.

She strained her mind, trying to manipulate the magic, commanding it to stop, to release her. The squeezing motion slowed, but continued just the same. She drew on the magic of her dragon, who stood near the tree line, watching anxiously, prepared to intervene; she pushed the magic onto the vine with all of the strength she could muster while her mind screamed, “Stop!”

The vine fell away, lying limply and harmlessly on the grass. Eliana rolled onto her side, gasping in pain. Every breath felt like a stab in her chest. Mara hurried forward and stood over her, looking down with concern. Eliana grit her teeth, resisting the urge to set fire to the edge of Mara’s blue dress.

“Are you alright, Eliana?” she asked anxiously. “I didn’t intend to injure you. I thought you would be able to control it. You were doing so well, I didn’t think you needed me to intervene.”

The Rider managed to give her instructor a very dirty look, but the effect was lost as she winced from another stab of pain in her chest. Mara looked extremely worried now—and guilty. She bent over the girl as if to pick her up, but Oriens had stepped forward now, and he let out a low, menacing growl. The archivist took a hasty step backwards as the great, golden dragon stepped to Eliana’s side, hanging his head over her prone form.

“Can you stand?” he asked in her mind. His voice sounded strained, and she remembered that he could feel her pain as easily as she could feel his.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” She pushed herself up with one arm, but gasped in pain and lay on the grass again.

“Never mind,” he said hastily. “Don’t try that again. It hurts terribly.”

She grimaced in bitter amusement. “So sorry to inconvenience you,” she answered sarcastically.

“You’re forgiven. And I’m happy to see that your sarcasm remains intact. Now, stay very still. I’m going to carry you back to Iterum.”

“Are you sure you can do that?” she asked, looking at him uncertainly.

“Just trust me. We need to get you to a Healer. It feels like you’ve broken a rib.”

He rested back on his rear legs and carefully slid his front claws beneath her, lifting her from the ground. She gave him a small smile. “Whatever you say, dear Healer.”

He gave a little chuckle and began to beat his golden wings. Eliana closed her eyes. She was beginning to feel sick, and she didn’t think that seeing the ground falling away from her would be of any help. The trip back to Iterum seemed very brief by air, and Oriens soon lowered them back to the ground. The landing jolted her, making her wince in pain.

“You’re going to have to stand now, Eliana. Lean on me for support.”

She groaned as she sat up and stepped onto the ground, resting one hand on Oriens’ leg for support. A flash of white caught her attention, and she was surprised to see Astrum running swiftly along the pebbled path towards them. She had not seen the fox for several weeks.

“You’re injured,” he said simply.

“How do you already know that?” she asked.

“Astrum is a Seer,” Oriens said in her mind.

“Oh… Right…”

Astrum turned so that he faced back into the city. “Follow me. I will take you to Laurus.”

They followed the white fox down the streets, around the outer edge of the city. She had only been to this area once, some time ago, with a much smaller Oriens riding on her shoulder. After several minutes, they came to a hut, and she looked at it in surprise. It was the first dwelling she had seen in Iterum, aside from the palace, that was not built from a tree.

Astrum started towards the hut, but Oriens stopped, forcing Eliana to stop as well. “Stay outside,” he said to her. “I don’t want you leaving my side.”

She nodded, then spoke aloud to Astrum. “I want to stay with Oriens.”

He gave a brief, respectful nod. “Very well. I will bring Healer Laurus out to you.”

His white tail disappeared in the doorway, and Eliana slowly lowered herself into the grass beside the pebbly path. She rested on her back, one hand pressed to her ribs, her teeth gritting against the pain. Oriens settled down beside her.

“I really do wish you would stop moving,” he said in a voice that was half complaining, half teasing. “It’s making me quite uncomfortable.”

She let out a little laugh, which made her grimace. “Oh, quit complaining.”

Astrum appeared from the hut again, followed by a woman carrying a large, woven basket containing various bottles, herbs, and other medicines. She looked flustered and slightly frustrated. It was apparent that she wasn’t accustomed to treating a patient outside of her hut, much less one with a large golden dragon hovering over her.

The Healer gaped at the prone girl and the protective form of the dragon beside her, then bowed low, nearly spilling the contents of her basket. “Veholum,” she whispered.

“Laurus,” Astrum said, “this is Rider Eliana and her dragon, Oriens.”

Eliana forced a smile. “Hello,” she said in a strained voice.

The woman’s dark hair hung in long, tangled curls, rather than the smooth sheet of most elves. Her purple eyes were very pale, as if she were losing her eyesight. She wore a red dress, belted at the waist in white. A black cloak hung from her shoulders.

She smiled shyly back at her, glancing anxiously at Oriens. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Lady Eliana.” Her voice was soft and whispery.

“So, um…” Eliana gestured at herself. “Do you think you can help me?”

Laurus jumped. She seemed to have forgotten why the girl was there in the first place, preoccupied as she was with observing Oriens’ golden form. “Oh! Yes, yes of course,” she stammered.

She set the basket down and knelt beside it, hastily pulling out a glass vial of a strange, blue liquid. The vial slipped from her hands and fell onto the path, shattering and spilling its contents over the pebbles. She jumped to her feet, apologizing profusely, and darted inside.

Eliana looked at Astrum with an expression of concern. “She does know what she’s doing, right?” she asked anxiously.

The fox smiled a little. “Indeed she does. Laurus is strange and a little clumsy at times, it’s true. But she possesses the Healer’s art. There is none better than her in Iterum, nor anywhere in all of Paerolia.”

Laurus reappeared with another vial of the blue liquid. “Here,” she said, thrusting it into Eliana’s face. “Drink this.”

The Rider took it, looking towards Astrum uncertainly. He gave a small nod and, trusting that the Seer would not try to kill her, she tilted the vial to her lips. She emptied it in two swallows. Immediately, the liquid began to burn her throat, and she coughed violently. The burning sensation traveled down to her chest, and she hissed in pain.

“Sorry!” Laurus said in a rush. “I forgot to warn you. It will burn for a few moments, but it will help to heal your broken ribs.”

Eliana looked at her in surprise, clutching at her chest still. “How—“ She grimaced, then went on. “How did you know that was the problem?”

She smiled shyly. “I am a Healer. I can simply sense it.”

She accepted the Healer’s answer without question, in too much pain to worry about the details. As she clutched at her chest, trying to suppress the burning, she asked, “Can’t you just Heal with magic? I’ve seen Caelum do it before.” Saying his name burned her throat more than the healing liquid had, and caused the old pain to return to her chest, along with this new burning in her ribs.

Laurus shook her head, causing her black, disorderly curls to bounce wildly. “That kind of magic is not strong enough for internal injuries. To Heal inside, you must use a potion.”

“Ah,” Eliana breathed in response. She clenched her teeth in pain for another few minutes and then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the burning was gone. She looked at the Healer. “Is that it then?”

Laurus smiled and shook her head again. “Sadly, no. The potion will only speed the healing process, not complete it. I will have to wrap your chest before sending you on your way, and you must be very careful the next few days. Too much activity, and you risk reinjuring yourself.”

The Healer had Eliana lift her tunic and sit up so that she could wrap a strip of cloth around her ribs. As she finished wrapping, Laurus glanced down at Eliana’s right hand. A frown formed on her face.

“Why didn’t I sense that before?” she muttered.

“Sense what?” Eliana asked. She looked towards her wrist, but Laurus was bent over it, blocking her view.

“You have a very bad sprain here,” she said quietly, apparently still disturbed by her failure to notice it.

“I do?” Eliana had not noticed either; the pain in her ribs was distracting enough.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” Laurus asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head slowly. “No… I—.” Laurus lifted the wrist, and pain shot up her arm. “Ouch!” she yelped. “Well now it hurts!”

“Sorry!” The Healer gently rested the hand back on the grass, still looking disconcerted.

There was a brief silence, then Astrum spoke. “It is her mark,” he said quietly. Both women looked at him, confused. He went on, “The mark that Oriens placed on her contains powerful magic. That is why you could not sense it, Laurus. Its magic interfered with your own, because the injury was on her marked hand.”

Laurus’ broad lips formed a silent, comical O shape. She then silently pulled a wooden brace from her basket and splinted the wrist. “Well, it should heal fairly quickly,” she explained, sounding confident in herself again. “The potion will help with this as well as your ribs. You can remove the brace tomorrow, but keep it wrapped in a bandage for a couple of days after that, just in case.”

She finished splinting the wrist and sat back, smiling at Eliana. There was a long pause.

“Can… I get up now?” the Rider asked tentatively.

“Oh!” Laurus exclaimed, jumping nervously to her feet. “Yes, of course, my lady! I’m quite finished now. Just, please, be very careful for the next few days.”

Eliana stood slowly. The pain in her chest had subsided to a dull ache. She acknowledged the Healer’s words with a nod, thanked her, and headed back towards the palace, leaning on her dragon’s leg.

~*~

She spent the majority of the next day in Oriens’ cave, resting with her back against his side, practicing her magic with her left hand. She had much less control over the elements compared to her right hand; it took more energy to produce and control the spheres, and she quickly tired.

“Why do you think that is?” she asked Oriens, after pointing this out to him.

“The mark,” he answered. “It is what connects you to me, and the magic you draw from me flows most steadily through it. So the mark makes your magic more powerful when you use the marked hand.”

The end of his sentence was nearly drowned out by a deep rumbling from both of their stomachs. Eliana laughed and looked up at him. “Go hunt.”

He heaved a heavy sigh. “If you insist,” he replied, sounding as if she had asked some great favor of him.

She laughed again and gave his large shoulder a rough shove. He did not move an inch. “Just go already!”

He stood with a rumbling laugh and sauntered out of the cave. Stretching his wings, which were now far beyond her estimation of span, he lifted into the air and disappeared. Eliana sighed and lifted herself up off of the cave floor as well. Oriens’ hunger was still growling in her stomach, and now she needed something to eat as well.

She scratched at her right wrist, which was now simply wrapped in a bandage, since she’d removed the splint that morning. When she’d arrived at her quarters the previous night, Mara had been waiting anxiously in front of her doorway. The moment she’d seen the Rider, she’d launched into a string of apologies and pleadings for her forgiveness.

“I feel absolutely awful!” she’d cried. “I can never forgive myself for injuring you. You! The first Rider in centuries, and I so foolishly harmed you!”

Eliana had dismissed the words with a wave of her uninjured hand. She knew that Mara had been testing her abilities, and she simply failed to meet her instructor’s expectations. Despite saying as much to her, Mara was still chewing anxiously on her fingernails when she left.

Eliana strode to the palace doors and pushed them open just enough to stick her head in. When the guard saw her, he immediately dropped into a low bow. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She now understood what Caelum had meant by “that infernal bowing.” It was beginning to irk her.

“Is there anything I can get for you, Lady Eliana?” the guard asked.

“Yes, actually. Could you have someone send food to my quarters?”

He bowed again. “Yes, my lady. Right away.”

She thanked him and shut the door, returning to her quarters. She sat cross-legged on her bed and stared across the bridge at where Caelum had slept. The room still seemed unnaturally empty, but she had grown used to the sight of it.

Suddenly, the white figure of Astrum leapt through Caelum’s window and trotted across the bridge to her quarters.

“Hello, Eliana,” he said in his rich voice.

She smiled as the fox leapt up onto the bed beside her. “Hello, Astrum.”

“Feeling better today?”

She nodded. “Very much.”

“And Oriens is out hunting?”

Eliana laughed a little to herself. Obviously, Astrum knew the answers to the questions he asked, but he was still trying to make polite conversation with her.

“Yes,” she replied. As the word escaped her lips, her dragon’s voice entered her mind, sounding more distant than normal.

“Eliana,” he said in her thoughts. “Do you see this?”

Suddenly, she was no longer looking at her room or Astrum, but was gazing down from a great height, the wide river near Iterum rushing below beneath her. She recognized the part of the river that concealed the bridge that led to the city. Near this spot, about a dozen figures stood in a semicircle near someone who was crouching beside the white waters.

“Who are they?” she asked Oriens, still gazing down at the same scene he was viewing.

“I can’t tell from here. I’ll go lower.”

“Oriens, no! You can’t let them see you!”

He ignored her and flew back over them, lower this time. The group looked up, and she felt a surge of relief to see that they were all elves. She recognized Raena among them, her eyes narrowed towards the shape above them. One of them pointed up at the sky and said something that Oriens was not able to hear.

Then, the figure kneeling beside the river stood and gazed upwards as well. Even from the height at which Oriens hovered, she recognized the beautiful face, which smiled brightly up at the dragon above him.

She gasped as her own vision returned to her, finding herself gazing at the amused face of the little white fox.

“Caelum,” she breathed, her voice high with excitement. “He’s back! He’s by the river!”

“You saw what Oriens was seeing,” he said.

She paused, then nodded. “Yes. Yes, I think that’s what was happening.”

The Seer chuckled, a grin spreading on his pointed face. “You have done it.”

“Done what?” she asked distractedly.

“You and Oriens have completed the final part of your bond. You have achieved True Sight. You can now truly become Sky Riders—you can be Veholum.”

She was too excited to take the time to process what Astrum’s words meant, and she jumped off of the bed, starting towards the doorway. Her thoughts were on the riverbank, remembering the way he had smiled up at Oriens. She had to go to him.

“Eliana,” Astrum called, making her stop in her tracks. “You don’t understand what that means, do you.”

She shook her head slowly. “No…”

“It means that you can now ride Oriens.”

She blinked. “I can?” Though she knew, of course, that she was called a dragon Rider, she had never actually thought of riding her dragon.

Astrum nodded, smiling at her. “Call him back. Fly to the river to meet Caelum.”

Eliana grinned. The idea of landing in front of the returning soldiers astride a golden dragon greatly appealed to her. She could imagine the look on Raena’s face as the wind from Oriens’ wings knocked her on her backside, the way Caelum would smile at her as she flew above him. She reached out to Oriens with her mind.

“Come back, Oriens,” she called. “Let’s fly.”