Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
Journey

Eliana pulled the gloves onto her hands and slipped thejacket on over her violet tunic. Carefully and respectfully, she strapped thebelt with the Rider’s sword around her waist. It was lightweight, and she wouldhave hardly noticed its presence if not for the touch of the sheath’s tipagainst her leg.

Then, for the first time in her life, Eliana pulled back herhair, tying it with a narrow strip of leather. She picked up the hand mirror from beside the basin and looked at herreflection. She turned her head first one way, then the other, looking at herslightly-pointed ears. She smiled a little at herself. She didn’t need to hidewhat she was any longer.

“Eliana,” a voice called from the doorway.

She looked up to see Caelum standing near the bridge,dressed once again in his Iterum army colors—green tunic over brown trousers,brown sword belt at his waist. It had been nearly a week since his return toIterum, and he had hardly spoken to her in that time. The howling animal hadcrept back into her chest. Somehow, its raging now felt much more painful thanthe suffering it had caused her before.

“Yes?” she replied, doing her best to sound nonchalant.

“We’re nearly ready to go. We just need you to come saddleOriens, and we can leave.” His voice was clipped and formal—not the voice ofher only friend, but the voice of Iterum’s army captain. That was what he wasnow. And Eliana was just another soldier.

She nodded. “I’ll be down in a moment.”

To her dismay, he gave a quick bow, then crossed back overthe bridge, disappearing down his own staircase. She bit her cheek infrustration and turned to collect her black traveling pack; a tailor hadstopped her after the feast and given it to her as his personal gift toIterum’s Rider. She swung the pack on one shoulder and started to leave.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to look atthe room again. She wondered for a moment if she would ever return here.

“It feels as if thishas always been my home,” she said to her dragon, who was out in thepractice field with the gathering army.

“Perhaps it always hasbeen,” he replied. “It just took younineteen years to replace it.”

The thought made her smile. “Perhaps…” she answered slowly. “Thesewere my mother’s people, after all. And now… they are mine as well.”

With a sigh, she turned and hurried down the stairs, throughthe palace, and out to the practice range. A crowd had gathered on one side ofthe field; it looked as if the entire population of Iterum was there to see offtheir soldiers. Oriens, Caelum, Raena, and the rest of the departing troops allwaited in the center of the field. She trotted up to them, waving briefly at theother elves, who had cheered when they saw her coming.

“Well, it took youlong enough,” Oriens teased.

She smiled up at him, feeling his excitement coursingthrough her own body, chasing away some of her own dull sadness. “So sorry to keep you waiting.”

“I will accept yourapology if you get that blasted thingon me quickly!” He was eager to leave, to spread his wings and explore theworld beyond Iterum—the only world he had ever known.

Eliana dropped her pack on the grass and picked up thesaddle, which rested at Oriens’ feet. Over the previous week, she had had somepractice in getting the saddle on her dragon’s back, receiving instruction fromthe elves who had designed it based on the old sketches in the archives.

Now, she slipped the saddle into the groove between hisshoulders and buckled the straps around his neck and behind his forelegs withease. She moved lightly and expertly around him, tightening the straps andchecking to make sure they were secure.

Once the saddle was in place, she slipped back to the groundand turned to Oriens. She found his eyes locked on Caelum’s. The two seemed tobe having a silent conversation, which unsettled her. Oriens had never spokento anyone without allowing her into the conversation. After a few seconds, theyboth turned and looked at her.

“You will stay with the troops,” Caelum said, his voicestill clipped and commanding. “Oriens will follow in the air and keep alookout. He will communicate anything he sees to you, and you will report tome.”

She looked at Oriens for an explanation, but the dragonsimply gave a small nod. She looked at Caelum, feeling agitated. “Yes, sir,” she answered curtly, emphasizingthe last word with as much bitterness as she could muster.

She was ashamed and satisfied to see that he looked brieflystung by the word. Then he turned away to address the rest of the troops. “Weleave in five minutes,” he said. “Take care of any last-minute things you needto do.”

The majority of the soldiers hurried to the crowd at theedge of the field to say goodbye to family and loved ones. Only Raena remainedwere she was. Her ice-blue eyes were smug and satisfied as she watched Elianaand Caelum. It was obvious that she’d noticed the change between them, andEliana knew that she must be quite pleased by it.

All at once, the crowd grew silent, and all eyes turnedtowards the palace. Eliana followed their collective gaze to replace Queen Ivi andPrince Denio approaching. The elves all bowed and smiled as the royals enteredthe practice range. Once they were near, Denio released his mother’s arm andheaded straight for Eliana. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged hertightly. She smiled to herself and returned the embrace.

“Good luck, Eliana,” he said as he pulled away, smiling downat her broadly. “And stay out of trouble.”

“I’ll do my best,” she said, sounding more cheerful than shethought she would have been able to manage.

Denio then turned to his brother, and the two embraced for amoment. When they parted, Denio met Caelum’s eyes seriously. “Caelum,” he said,“you are my elder brother, but I have a bit of advice for you.”

“Do you?” Caelum asked with a jesting smile.

“Yes.” Eliana saw Denio’s eyes dart towards her, and shepretended that she couldn’t hear them, acting like she was readjusting one ofthe straps on Oriens’ saddle. The younger elf went on, “If you are too careful,you’re going to lose her.”

Caelum’s answer was barely audible. “I’m trying to protect her, Denio. I’m doing everythingI can to not lose her.”

Denio shook his dark head. “That is not what I mean. Yes,you may be able to keep her safely beside you, but if you continue on in theway you are going, she will be entirely lost to you.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw the blonde elf briefly lookher way. Then he turned back to meet his brother’s gaze. With a small smile, heplaced his hands on the future king’s shoulders. “Now, it’s time for the elderto give the younger some advice, as it should be. If you do not choose to act, you will lose her.”

Caelum motioned slightly with his head towards the crowd atthe side of the field. Eliana discreetly followed their gazes to a beautiful,raven-haired woman who was holding the hands of two young boys; they werestruggling against her restraint, trying their hardest to reach Oriens. Thewoman looked up as the princes looked at her, and a small blush crept onto hercheeks as she gave a small bow.

They both nodded their heads and looked back at one another.To her surprise and amusement, Eliana saw a slight tint of red come to Denio’sfair cheeks. Caelum smiled at this, and for a moment, he looked like her Caelum again.

“What’s a king without a queen?” he asked teasingly.

Eliana realized then what was happening, and just who thegirl must be. She laughed a little to herself at Denio’s obvious embarrassment.Then the queen stepped forward, interrupting her two sons in order to hug theelder. Eliana caught Denio’s eye and gestured to him. He stepped away from hisfamily and returned to her side.

She nodded towards the woman in the crowd, a small smile onher face. “What’s her name?”

Denio rubbed at the back of his neck and stared down at thegreen grass. “Ah… you, uh, heard that did you?”

“Just the part about her,” she lied. “Well? What’s hername?”

“Kana,” he muttered under his breath.

“Doesn’t your wife have to be chosen by your mother?” sheasked, hoping she was wrong.

Denio slowly shook his head, shifting uncomfortably. “Afterwhat happened with Caelum and Raena, my mother is being more lenient. She’stold me I can choose my own wife, as long as she approves of the choice.”

“And does your mother know about your desires yet?”

He shook his head.

“Does Kana?” He avoided her gaze, apparently not wanting toanswer any more questions on the matter. Eliana took his chin in her hand andfirmly turned his face back to hers. “Denio, you’ve become like a brother to mesince I’ve been in Iterum. You need to do what you can to make yourself happy.Promise me you will.”

He smirked. “Only if you make the same promise.”

She shook her head and smiled sadly. “I’m a Rider, Denio. Myduty is to Iterum.”

“Your first dutyis to your own heart,” he answered firmly, “just as it is for me. And, toanswer your previous question, yes. She knows my feelings for her. And shereturns them.”

She smiled and hugged him again. This time, when theyparted, she was surprised to see the queen standing behind Denio, watching her.Eliana turned and gave her a slight bow.

“Queen Ivi,” she said in greeting.

The queen returned the bow. “Rider Eliana.”

Then, the queen suddenly stepped forward and embraced hertightly. Eliana stood there for a moment, frozen with shock and unsure of whatshe should do. Hesitantly, she returned the embrace. Queen Ivi pulled backafter a moment and smiled at her, her hands on the young Rider’s shoulders.

“Eliana,” she said, “I want to apologize again for my wordswhen I learned of your heritage. I see now just how greatly I misjudged you.You are truly a gift to us all.”

Gratitude warmed her heart, and Eliana smiled at the queen.“Thank you for everything you have done for me,” she answered, surprised tohear that her own voice was slightly hoarse with tears.

Ivi shook her head. “No, thank you. Please, take care of yourself. And my son as well.”

Eliana glanced towards Caelum, who was watching theirexchange with a flat expression. She returned her eyes to the queen and nodded.“I will.”

Oriens dipped his head low so that his gaze was level withthe queen’s. “As will I,” he said tothem both.

Hesitantly, Queen Ivi reached out to the dragon and touchedhis golden snout with her delicate hands. “Thank you, as well, Oriens,” shesaid quietly. “You are both a great blessing to Iterum.”

The soldiers were beginning to return to the center of thefield, preparing for departure. Two more familiar figures pushed through thecrowd and darted towards the dragon and Rider. Mara’s blue dress flew behindher as she ran forward, carrying something in her arms. Astrum was a streak ofwhite beside her.

When they reached Eliana, Mara extended what she held in herarms. It was a graceful, curving bow, carved of black mahogany and polished toa perfect shine. The wood was etched with beautiful designs inlaid with gold.Beside the bow was a black quiver filled with arrows. They, too, were blackmahogany.

Eliana stared down at them, searching for words. Finally,she managed to breathe out, “Mara…” But she could think of nothing more to say.

“My family is mostly weapons masters,” the archivist said.“They wanted me to give this to you as their personal gift to Iterum’s Rider.”

Eliana took them both from the woman, running her fingersover the fletching of the arrows—white and gold.

“They are your colors now,” Mara said, nodding at thefletching. “The white of the elven nation, and the gold of your dragon.”

Eliana put the quiver and the bow on her back and threw herarms around the archivist. “Thank you,” she whispered to her. “Thank you toyour family for this wonderful gift, and to you for all you have taught me andeverything you’ve done for me.”

She laughed as they broke apart. “Like breaking your ribs?”

Eliana smiled back and shook her head, extending herbandage-free arm. “See? No harm done,” she said brightly.

Mara nodded with a smile. “Take care, Eliana.”

“And you as well.” Eliana looked down at the bright, whitefox at her feet. He was already watching her with amber-gold eyes. “Thank you,too, Astrum. If not for you, I wouldn’t have Oriens.”

Astrum dipped his white head with a slight smile on hismuzzle. “My duty is to serve the elves who lead this nation. You, Eliana, areno exception.”

“Soldiers!” Caelum suddenly called from a few feet away. Thefew members of the army that remained with the crowd scurried forward at thesound of their captain’s voice. Once they all had gathered around, Caelumnodded, his blonde hair catching the light from the sun. “Move out!”

The troops proceed in an orderly manner through the city,towards the white-flowered gates that led out of Iterum. The crowd of elvesthat would remain behind followed. Eliana looked up at Oriens’ green eye, whichbobbed along beside her with each of his long strides.

“So why am I notflying with you?” she asked him.

He shook his head. “Ipromise I will explain. But for now, you should join the troops. I’ll stayclose overhead, but out of sight in the clouds.”

She hugged his nose and kissed his scaly forehead,remembering how he had done the same with his mother. “Be careful,” she told him.

He chuckled. “I amalways careful.”

She stepped back and watched as he rose up into the sky anddisappeared in the low clouds above.

“Eliana!” Caelum’s sharp voice called. “Let’s move!”

She bit back a smart remark and did as her captain told her,joining the end of the line of soldiers as they moved out of Iterum, towardsAmiscan once more. The crowd of elves that had followed them stopped at thegates and stood, waving, until the flowered branches closed behind the troops.The forest was quiet, and Eliana took a deep breath, trying to relax her handsfrom their angry fists. When she finally managed to do so, her fingernails leftsmall crescents in the black leather of her gloves.

She touched Oriens’ mind with her own. He was directlyoverhead, staying close but out of sight, just as he’d promised. “Nowwill you tell me why I’m down here while you’re up there?” she asked.

“Caelum insisted,”he answered. “I believe there were twomotives behind the request.”

“Meaning…?”

“He wanted you on theground so that I could tell you of anyone or anything coming this way. But healso wanted to keep you close to him. He doesn’t want a repeat of what happenedwith the Dark sorcerer. He thinks you’re safer with him…”

She heard the resentment in his voice as he thought the lastsentence. “Oriens,” she thoughtreassuringly, “we both know that thesafest place I could ever be is with you.”

She felt him smile in her mind. “Thank you,” he replied. “ButI believe the second safest place foryou is with Caelum. And with him beside you and me above you, not even you could get into trouble.”

“Very funny.” Shesmiled at his teasing.

The troops stopped just long enough for one of them tosummon the bridge, then pressed on towards the east. She saw Caelum glance overhis shoulder at her from where he led the group, and he motioned her forwardwith his hand. She made it a point to meet his gaze and frown at him. She was perfectlycontent to stay in the back, far from him.

Of course, that was only partly true. Deep down, she wasyearning to be beside him. But lately, it had become more painful to be nearhim than to be away from him. He motioned for her to join him at the front ofthe group again, but she remained where she was, walking behind the lastsoldier.

She saw him sigh and shake his head, then he turned and saidsomething to the soldier beside him. The elf nodded. Suddenly, the entire troopslowed, and before she realized what was happening, she had passed them andfound herself at the front of the group. They had all fallen back, forcing herto the front, beside their captain. She pretended not to notice this andcontinued forward, not even glancing at Caelum’s beautiful face once.

She focused her attention on the forest around her. Theautumn air was crisp with the coming winter. The leaves were falling in showersof red and brown from the trees above. Autumn had always been her favoriteseason as a child. She loved the colors and the smells. To her, the changing ofthe leaves meant another welcomed change—the time when the villagers spent moretime stockpiling for winter, and less time tormenting her.

She let her mind wander back to Vegrandis as she mindlesslytrekked along beside Caelum’s stoic form. What was Otium doing? Did she missEliana or wonder what had become of her? Did anybody else ever spare her athought? Perhaps they had celebrated the half-breed’s disappearance as much asthey had celebrated the slaying of Oriens’ mother…

She lifted her eyes to the cloudy sky, searching for anysign of her dragon above him, but the cloud cover was too thick. Still, shecould feel him flying above them, just beyond the range of her other senses.With a pang of guilt, she thought of how she had helped to hunt down his motherwith that sense. The memory made her chest ache with pain and guilt, and shefelt the tears fighting their way onto her cheeks as she remembered watchingthe slaughter of her dragon’s mother and siblings.

Oriens felt her sudden distress and touched her mindworriedly, but she blocked the memory from him. She had never told him thetruth. It was the one secret she had always kept from her dragon.

She dashed a tear from her cheek, then felt a hand restgently on her shoulder. She knew it was Caelum, and she shook it off angrily.She didn’t need him to pretend to care again. It would only hurt more when hereturned to the cold, indifferent manners he now used.

Without another thought, she ran forward, trying to distanceherself from the group of elves. She leapt over a low ridge, disappearing fromtheir sight, and called out to her dragon. “Oriens!Come down. I’m going to fly with you.”

“Are you sure it’s nota better idea to stay with Caelum?” he asked.

But even as he said it, his golden form appeared through theclouds above, descending towards her. To her frustration, Caelum reached herbefore Oriens did, landing lightly beside her as he jumped down from the bluffabove her.

“Eliana, what’s the matter?” he asked. The curt captain’svoice was gone, and it was the voice of her friend that addressed her.

She resisted the urge to fall into his arms and embrace him.“I need to be with my dragon,” she answered sharply. “He can protect me farbetter than you ever could.”

She knew it was a low blow, and she turned away from him quickly,before she could register the look of pain that crossed his eyes. Oriens hadfinally landed a few feet from her, and she rushed to him, vaulting onto hisback before Caelum could try to stop her. She shoved her feet into the strapson either side of the saddle and firmly grasped the ones in front with bothhands.

“Let’s go!”

Oriens obediently pounded his wings and pulled them into theair without a word. Eliana glanced down to see the soldiers catching up toCaelum, looking up at her and her dragon until they disappeared in the thickclouds. Once they were out of sight, Eliana collapsed onto Oriens’ neck andwept.

Several silent minutes passed, and Oriens did not attempt tointerrupt her crying. He was a warm, silent presence in her mind, offering herwhat comfort he could, not knowing what was wrong with her. Finally, sheregained control of herself and sat up, drying her eyes with the long sleevesof her Rider’s jacket.

Oriens still said nothing to her, and she reached out totouch his mind. To her surprise, she heard another voice speaking to herdragon—Caelum.

“She wouldn’t tell meanything,” the elf’s silent voice said in her dragon’s mind. “Is something the matter?”

“Oriens,” Eliana said aloud, to make certain her dragonwould hear her over Caelum’s thoughts, “I don’t want you to speak to him.”

Her dragon sighed beneath her, but answered, “As you wish, my Rider.” The elf’sthoughts disappeared from her dragon’s mind. “Would you care to tell mewhat the matter is, since apparently you wouldn’t tell Caelum?”

“Yes…” sheanswered slowly. “I would, actually. It’sabout your mother.”

She felt his confusion. “Mymother?”

“Yes. And yoursiblings. You had seven brothers and sisters. They were murdered. And I helpedthe people who killed them.”

She then proceeded to at last tell her dragon the horribletruth. She couldn’t bear to hide it from him any longer. She had aided in themurder of his mother and brothers and sisters. Oriens listened in silence. Shefelt his sadness welling inside of him when she told him of how his mother haddied protecting him, then entrusted him to Eliana’s care.

When she had finished, she asked desperately, “Oriens… can you ever forgive me for whatI’ve done?”

There was a long pause before he answered. “Eliana, I’m glad you told me. I did wonderhow you had found my egg, but I never imagined it to be anything like this… ButI could never hold the act against you. I could no more hate you than I couldhate a part of myself. And it would not be fair for me to try to punish you forwhat you did, when you have been so punishing yourself. Regardless of how youfound me, you are my Rider. I chose you. I love you. And I forgive you.”

Tears ran down her cheeks again and she wrapped her armsaround his neck as tightly as she could, kissing his golden scales. “Thank you, Oriens. I love you more dearlythan you can imagine.”

For most of the rest of the day, they flew in silence. Themoisture from the heavy clouds wetted Eliana’s skin and hair, and rolled off ofOriens’ scales. As the sun began to set, the air became chilled. She began toshiver. Though her jacket was thick and repelled the water, the rest of herclothing did not, and she was soaked through to her skin.

“I’m going to come outof the clouds,” Oriens said in her mind. “You need to get out of the wet, and it’s dark enough now that nobodyis likely to see me. Can I tell Caelum?”

She’d forgotten that she had told her dragon not to speak tothe elf. “Yes,” she answered, feelinga knot of guilt in her gut for having ordered Oriens around like that.

There was a brief pause as Oriens withdrew from her mind andspoke to Caelum on the distant ground; she didn’t try to listen to theirconversation. Her dragon spoke to her mind again. “Caelum and the troops are stopping for the night. They would havestopped over an hour ago, but they were waiting for word from us.”

The guilt grew, despite her attempts to suppress it. Sheknew she had been childish, and her actions had disadvantaged the rest of thetroops. Still, she would not apologize for it. Not even to Oriens.

The golden wings on either side of her folded, and theyquickly lost altitude, falling out of the clouds. As the ground rushed upwards,Oriens opened his wings to slow their fall, and they landed gently back on theearth.

The soldiers had already spread out blankets and were busygathering wood, starting small fires here and there around the campsite. Mostof them stood in tight-knit groups—all except two. Raena and Caelum stood onthe outskirts of the troop. They did not speak to each other and, though shewas standing close to him, Caelum hardly seemed to notice Raena’s presence.

As soon as Eliana’s boots touched the ground, Caelum marchedforward. He was very clearly angry. Raena danced along in his wake, as gracefulas ever, overjoyed by Caelum’s fury, which was obviously directed at thedark-haired Rider.

“Eliana!” the captain snapped.

“Yes sir?” shereplied tersely.

This only seemed to vex him more. “What you did wasself-centered and foolish! Not only did you desert your troops, but youcompletely cut off contact with me, refusing to allow your dragon tocommunicate with us! What if something had happened? How would I have known ifyou needed help?”

She narrowed her eyes. “And how would you have planned tohelp me, Caelum? If that Dark sorcerer had returned, and I had to fight himagain, how would you have helped me when I’m hundreds of feet in the air withmy dragon? What could you have possibly done?”

Caelum opened his mouth, but no words came. He didn’t seemto have any. Her obvious triumph brought Eliana no satisfaction this time.Instead, it left her feeling empty. She turned away and marched towards thetroops, stopping outside of their clusters of blankets and dropping her sack inthe grass.

“Eliana, I need to gohunt,” Oriens said, following her. “Areyou going to be okay?”

She sighed and turned towards him. “Yes. You go replace something to eat. Let me get that saddle off youfirst.”

She quickly and silently removed the saddle from Oriens’back and he flew off into the darkness in search of prey. Trying to keep hermind off of Caelum, she stormed off towards the nearby woods to replace fuel forher own fire. She angrily ripped dry branches off of trees, then marched backto where her pack lay, still fuming.

She piled the sticks together, then reached out to place herhands near the base. She had not even touched the wood when the flames erupted,making her jump backwards. She landed heavily on the ground, knowing exactlywhat had happened—she had let her emotions control her magic.

With a sigh, Eliana pulled the blanket from her pack andspread it out on the ground. She sat on it and wrapped her arms around herknees, drawing close the fire. A pair of footsteps approached her, but shedidn’t look up, certain that it was Caelum.

“Hungry?”

She looked up in surprise at the unfamiliar voice and founda bowl of thick stew extended towards her. It was held by a male elf withshort, blonde hair like Caelum’s.

“Thank you,” she answered, taking the bowl with a smallsmile.

The elf sat beside her, the light from her little firelighting up a very child-like face. “I’m Iocus,” he said with a friendly smile.“It’s wonderful to finally have you returning to Amiscan with us, Rider.”

“Please,” she responded, shaking her head, “just call meEliana.”

He seemed pleased by this, and his smile broadened. “Verywell. Eliana then. So, Eliana, is it true that you are half human?”

She grimaced at his subject choice and answered, “Yes, itis.”

To her surprise, he laughed. “Incredible! A halfling! Inever thought I’d see the day!”

She raised her eyebrows at his apparent excitement. Thiswas, by far, the strangest reaction she had received from someone hearing abouther bloodlines.

“Excuse me,” he said, gaining control of his laughter, butstill smiling broadly. “I just never thought I’d see the day when someone suchas yourself would join us.”

She made a face. “You’re not talking about that prophecy,are you?”

He shrugged. “Yes and no. I’ve never really placed muchfaith in prophecies and such, though you do seem to fit the bill—golden dragonand all. But even if one does not believe in such things, you are still quiteunique. Not only a Rider, but also a halfling. You are one of a kind in manyways.”

Eliana smiled a little and turned her attention to the stewIocus had brought her. They ate in silence for several minutes, then he set hisempty bowl beside him and leaned back on his hands with a sigh. Eliana set herbowl aside as well, wrapping her arms around her knees again, still chilled bythe moisture from flying through the clouds.

“Are you cold?” he asked, seeing her shiver slightly.

“A little,” she admitted. “I’m still a little damp from theclouds.”

“Here,” he said with a smile. “Allow me.”

He made a gesture with his hand, and Eliana felt themoisture wick out of her clothing, forming a mist in the air beforedissipating. Suddenly, she was completely dry.

She laughed a little. “Guess I hadn’t thought of that. Thankyou.”

“It’s truly my pleasure,” he said. “Are you quite sureyou’re entirely dry?” As if checking for the answer to his question, the elftrailed his hand up her spine, then softly ran her ponytail through his long,thin fingers.

Eliana stiffened. “Um, yes,” she stammered. “I- I’m quitedry. Thank you again.”

Iocus gave a small grunt of acknowledgment, but did not stoptoying with her hair. He pulled on the string that tied it back and let thehair fall down across her back. He continued running it through his fingers.

“You have lovely hair,” he said in a quiet, thoughtfulvoice.

She swallowed hard and forced a short laugh. “It’s the sameas all the other dark-haired elf women.”

“Is it?” he asked innocently. “It seems quite different tome.”

“Iocus!” a familiar voice snapped.

Eliana jumped and looked over her shoulder to replace Caelumthere, arms folded across his chest. She hadn’t felt so relieved to see himsince his return to Iterum. Iocus leapt to his feet at the stern look on hiscaptain’s face.

“Yes, sir?” he answered.

“Return to the troops,” Caelum ordered.

Iocus nodded shortly. “Yes, sir,” he repeated. He turned andbent to pick up the two wooden bowls he’d brought with him. As he leaned closeto her again, he whispered, “I’ll see you soon, Eliana.”

Then the solider slipped back to where the others were nowsprawling out on their blankets. Caelum remained where he was for several longmoments, standing stiffly behind her. Eliana returned to staring at the fire,trying her best to ignore his presence.

Finally, he sighed and sat beside her, facing her. Hecrossed his legs and rested his elbows on his knees, placing his chin in hishands.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked suddenly.

She turned sharply towards him, her mouth dropping open. “Me? You’re the one who—!”

When her eyes fell on his face, her sentence broke off.There, for the first time in a week, was herCaelum, smiling back at her in the firelight. The empty look that had been inhis eyes for days was now replaced by that familiar, teasing look.

“Got you to talk, didn’t I,” he said with a smirk.

She didn’t respond, but just stared at him, unsure of thissudden change in his personality.

He sighed and continued, “I’m sorry. I know I’ve been…”

“Stupid?” she supplied. “Moronic? Absurd?”

He gave a sharp laugh. “I was going to go with ‘ridiculous’if that’s alright with you.”

She shrugged her permission, and he went on.

“I know I’ve been a bit ridiculous lately. I’ve treated youlike a helpless child, and I shouldn’t have. I suppose I’ve just been feeling…overprotective. I was away for so long, then when I returned you were injured,and then you injured yourself further fighting off a powerful Dark sorcerer onyour own.”

“I wasn’t alone,” she replied. “Oriens was—.”

He shook his head, holding up a hand to cut her off. “I knowthat Oriens was with you. It’s not that I don’t trust Oriens to protect you,because I trust him more than anyone. But… it just seems like I am always inthe wrong place lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I leave you for only a few minutes, and you fly offto fight a sorcerer. I leave you to go to Amiscan, and when I come back, you’reinjured. I left Amiscan for a scouting expedition and my soldiers killed anentire group of human travelers. I should have been there. Every time thesethings happened, I should have been there. I could have stopped it.”

“Caelum,” she answered slowly, “none of those things wereyour fault. And Denio said that nobody was injured in the battle in Amiscan.”

Caelum dropped one hand from his chin and stared at her carefullyfor a moment. “Denio didn’t know who the humans were…” he said in a flat,expressionless voice.

She frowned at him in confusion. “The report said they werea group of travelers, that they attacked Amiscan to take it for their own.”

He shook his head and looked up at her. “That wasn’t thetruth. The soldiers sent the message to Iterum before I returned, and they senta lie. I learned the truth when I got back the next day, when they were burningthe ones they had killed.

“The travelers were only a small band of families. They hadseen Amiscan from a distance, and they came looking for a place to trade forsupplies before moving on. The soldiers acted rashly. The moment the humansrecognized the people in the village as elves, my men attacked. They didn’teven give them the chance to defend themselves. They killed them all… even thechildren.”

Caelum’s voice cracked slightly on the last word, and he fellsilent, staring at his hands. Though the truth stunned her, the pain in hisvoice affected Eliana more. She turned to him and wrapped her arms around himfor the first time in what felt like ages to her. One of his hands found theback of her neck, and he lifted his head, pressing his face into her hair.

“It wasn’t your fault,” she whispered against his neck. “Youcouldn’t have known it was going to happen. You couldn’t have done anything.”

“I should have been there,” he repeated, his breath warm onher hair. “I will never let anything like it happen again. And I will neverleave you alone again.”

The sudden change in subject surprised her, but she saidnothing. She continued to hold him close, feeling his warm cheek restingagainst the top of her head. Too soon, his hand left the back of her neck, andhe sat back. She let her arms fall as she leaned back again, crossing her legsand facing him.

She smiled at him, at the face that she remembered. “I’vemissed you,” she told him. “I’ve missed the realyou.”

He smiled back. “I’ll try not to let the real me run offagain.”

“Promise?” she asked, holding a hand out to him.

He smirked as he took it, and they shook. “Promise.”