Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
Preparations

The fallen orange leaves crunched beneath Eliana’s boots asshe ran through Amiscan. “Caelum!” she screamed, looking around frantically.The other soldiers looked towards her with concern, stopping what they weredoing. “Caelum! Caelum!” she continued screaming, running between the huts.

The elf’s reassuring form appeared from inside one of thehuts. She slid to a halt, nearly colliding with him in her haste. He caughther, his hands closing around her arms, and he looked down at her pale face andfrantic expression. Panic immediately flooded his blue eyes.

“What is it?” he asked hurriedly. “Are you alright? Whathappened?”

“We were attacked,” she answered breathlessly. “It was him, Caelum! He followed me, he knowsI’m here! Oriens is hurt!”

The blood drained from his face as he took in her words.Then he seemed to quickly push the fear aside and he said briskly, “Take me toOriens. Explain on the way.”

Caelum ran behind her as Eliana led the way out of Amiscan,to the empty field where Oriens had landed. She panted out her story along theway, concluding with, “He must be sending armies to finish what he couldn’t!It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

The elf captain didn’t respond. They’d arrived at the spot whereOriens lay. The dragon’s golden wings were spread out on the ground beside him.He had not managed to avoid all of the arrows in their battle, and half a dozenragged holes were evident in his wings, droplets of blood forming on theiredges. A single arrow protruded from between the soft scales in his neck.

Caelum moved quickly to the dragon’s chest and placed a handbeside the arrow’s shaft. “Hold very still, Oriens,” he said tightly. He gavethe arrow a jerk, and both Oriens and Eliana flinched in pain. The elf pressedhis hand to the wound and closed his eyes briefly. When he moved away, thewound was gone.

He darted around Oriens’ outspread wings, healing the tearsin the wings, leaving taut, golden membrane behind once again. When he hadclosed all of the wounds, Caelum moved to stand at Eliana’s side, lookingdrained. She cautiously put an arm around his waist, and he let his fall overher shoulders, leaning on her slightly. Oriens folded his wings against hissides once again.

“Thank you,” thedragon said.

Caelum nodded in reply, then looked down at Eliana. “Yousaid he controlled you?”

Her stomach turned at the memory, but she nodded. “He mademe jump from the saddle when we were flying. Oriens caught me, and I managed toforce him out of my mind somehow.”

His expression was both angry and anxious.

“They know I’m here, Caelum,” she said when he made noreply. “They’re going to come after me.”

He shook his head. “You don’t know that.”

“Caelum!” she snapped, exasperated. She stepped away fromhim so that she could stare more fully into his face. “If the human emperorthinks that the elves—his enemies—have raised a dragon Rider to fight againsthim, don’t you think he’s going to try to take me out of the picture? Don’t youthink he’ll want to level the playing field again?”

He sighed in frustration, running a hand over his tiredface. “You’re right,” he muttered. Then he straightened, his expressionhardening, becoming more determined. “We’ll have to prepare. It will takeseveral days for the emperor to gather his armies, and several more for them toreach us. If it’s a battle they want, then they’ll get a battle.”

He started back towards the village at a brisk walk, andEliana and Oriens followed. When they reached the outskirts of Amiscan, Caelumraised his fingers to his lips and whistled shrilly three times. Almostimmediately, hundreds of elves appeared, running towards them from alldirections. They formed a loose circle around the captain, dragon, and Rider.Their expressions were surprised, anxious, and confused. Eliana could tell thatthey knew something was about to happen.

Caelum turned slowly as he spoke, his eyes scanning thefaces around him. “Soldiers,” he said, raising his voice so all could hear, “wehave reason to believe that the emperor has been told about our Rider, and thathe is sending his armies to destroy her—to destroy us! No one can remember thelast time our war with the humans became a true battle, but it now falls on us.We must fight! This is where we begin to change history! Defend yourselves!Defend your fellow soldiers! And defend your Rider!”

The elves erupted in cheers. “No!” Eliana shouted, tryingand failing to be heard over them. She seized Caelum’s arm, jerking him aroundto face her. “They don’t need to defend me, Caelum! Stop telling them to diefor me!”

He glared at her and grabbed her roughly by the elbow,dragging her behind him as he forced his way through the still-cheeringsoldiers. They reached the hill that hid her quarters, out of earshot of thesoldiers.

“Do you want todie?” he asked angrily.

“No,” she hissed, yanking her arm from his grasp. “But Iwill not let others die for me! I wasthe one who pledged my life to their defense, not the other way around! Youcannot make them die to protect me, Caelum!”

“Don’t you think I would die for you, too?” he shouted back.“I will not watch you die uselessly, Eliana! You mean too much to these people,to this land, to everyone who wishes to see this pointless war ended. We needyou! I need you!”

She blinked at him, and he drew back in apparent surprise athis own words. He took a slow step backwards. Eliana watched the old mask fallinto place, the emotions that filled his eyes vanishing, his expression becomingstone.

His lips were set in a grim line as he said flatly, “Whenthe time comes, you will not fight. You will stay in your quarters, where youwill be hidden from the enemy.”

He turned away before she could respond and marched back towardshis troops. She ground her teeth in anger, staring at his back. He was absurd,unreasonable, unyielding, and foolish. And she would not take orders from him.She would rather return to Vegrandis than sit, safely hidden, while the elvesaround her laid down their lives.

She would fight, whether Caelum liked it or not.

~*~

Two days later, the first snows of winter fell, but no onein Vegrandis took the time to appreciate them. Every elf in Amiscan hadsomething to do, some duty to fulfill, training to complete, weapons and armorto make and mend. All around the village, swords clashed, bows twanged, andbursts of magic erupted.

An air of fearful excitement filled Amiscan. The idea of areal battle seemed to give the elves a thrill. Many had been in the village foryears, but none had ever thought they would face a true battle against a humanarmy.

Eliana stood watching, the white flakes falling around heras she rubbed the velvety nose of one of the horses that had appeared inAmiscan. They were wild animals, but they answered the elves when they summonedthem. A third of the elves now had steeds, and drilled on horseback whileothers drilled on foot.

Caelum had not spoken to her since he’d given her his ordernot to fight. She was grateful for it. It was easier to make him believe shewould obey the order when she didn’t have to lie to his face.

She spotted a lone figure walking along a nearby street. Itwas Ater, wrapped in a brown cloak, a bow in his hand. He didn’t seem to noticeher. His eyes were on the ground, and he was muttering anxiously to himself somethingthat sounded like a battle strategy. He did not look to be excited about theprospect of a battle, as so many of his comrades were.

Eliana patted the horse’s nose and stepped away, stridingquickly after the young soldier as he continued into Amiscan. “Ater,” shecalled after him quietly. “Ater!”

He stopped and towards her. When he saw her approaching, heseemed to stiffen, and his eyes darted to either side like he was searching foran escape. She stopped several feet away, unsure of what to say to him.

He watched her warily. “Yes, Rider?” he asked, his voicetense as he forced himself to sound respectful.

Eliana bit her lip and took another step forward, she sawhim twitch, like he wanted to retreat, but he remained where he was. “I… I wantedto apologize,” she said. “For what happened when you were helping me train. Itwas… I didn’t mean to do it.”

Ater gave a short nod, and she thought she saw him swallowhard. “Thank you,” he answered curtly. “I understand.”

It was apparent that he wanted to get away from her, but shewasn’t prepared to let him. “Caelum told me what happened to you,” she saidquickly, and the young elf flinched. “I’ve met the man who did that to you.I’ve fought him twice. And he may very well be with the army when they return.”

Ater dropped his eyes, but not before she saw them becomewet with fear and pain. Still, he said nothing. Cautiously, Eliana stepped upto him and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch again. But hedidn’t pull away from her.

“Will you be prepared to face that, Ater?” she askedquietly.

He raised his eyes slowly. He was as tall as she was, and hestared straight into her eyes. The terror in his eyes made him look evenyounger. “I don’t know,” he answered hoarsely. “I don’t know if I’m preparedfor any of this.”

Sympathy welled inside of her chest, and she gave hisshoulder a squeeze. “You don’t have to fight, Ater,” she said. “I can speak toCaelum. We can replace you a safe place to—.”

He jerked away from her touch, cutting her off. “A place tohide?” he finished sharply. He raised his chin, looking at her with a hard,proud expression. “I am a soldier, my lady. Though I am grateful for yourconcern, I will not hide while my fellow elves fight.”

She blinked at his pride, startled by his courage. He washardly more than a child, but his eyes had all of the determination of a grownman. He was facing the same army as the other elves, but he had much morereason to be afraid; he could face the very person who had tortured him andbroken his mind almost beyond the point of repair.

“Is there anything else, Rider?” he asked shortly.

Eliana shook her head briefly. “No… No, that was all, Ater.Thank you.”

He gave a sharp, short bow, then turned on his heel andstrode quickly away. She watched him go, his brown cloak fluttering behind him.A hand landed on Eliana’s shoulder, making her jump and turn quickly around.Iocus was grinning at her, amused. She had not seen the cheerful elf forseveral days; like the other elves, he had been entrenched in one task oranother, preparing for the arrival of the human armies.

“Hello, Eliana,” he said, still smiling.

“Hello,” she answered breathlessly.

“Caelum wanted me to ask you to take Oriens over the tops ofthe mountains for a short scouting Ride. See if there’s any sign of them comingearlier than planned.”

Eliana made an irritated face. “Why doesn’t he tell me this?”

Iocus shrugged dismissively. “I suppose he’s busy. He isresponsible for everything happening around here, after all.”

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose agitatedly.“Alright, I’ll go.”

“Good luck.”

She turned towards the center of the village and called outto Oriens, who was perched on the cliffs by the ocean, watching for the Darksorcerer’s return. He landed just after she’d entered the circular room. Shequickly saddled him, and he returned to the sky, lifting them up through thehole in the mountain.

“Why are you angry?”he asked as they crossed over the mountain’s peak.

“If he’s going toorder me around, he can at least have the decency to do it himself instead ofsending Iocus as his messenger boy.”

Oriens did not respond to this, and they swooped down thewestward side of the mountain. Both pairs of eyes scanned the landscape for anysign of the opposing army. There was nothing to be seen but trees, streams, andgrassy plains.

“I can see Vereor,”Oriens said in her mind. “Look.”

The dragon’s vision became her own, and in the distance,barely visible above the tree line, she could see the tips of the tallestbuildings in the human capitol. Though she’d never been there, she knew thatthe tall spire that rose above the rest of the buildings was the tip of theemperor’s palace. The palace was the pride of human architecture, and peopleoften spoke of its beauty, even in the small, tree-shrouded villages likeVegrandis.

They flew westward for several miles, towards both Iterumand Vereor. Even with Oriens’ eyesight, Eliana saw nothing, and she drew backwith a sigh, returning to her own vision. The soft flakes were gathering on hershoulders, chilling her.

“Let’s go back,Oriens,” she said. “There’s nothingto see out here.”

Oriens dipped his left wing and made a wide circle, headingback to the mountains. He flew back over the peak and dropped down thenearly-invisible hole in the mountainside, which led to their home below thesurface. As she dismounted, Eliana was surprise to replace Iocus there, waitingpatiently in the chair he had occupied before, on the day of Raena’s departure.

He stood with a broad smile as she took the saddle off ofOriens and set it on the rack against the wall. “Hello, Eliana,” he calledcheerily.

She couldn’t help but return that smile. Iocus had thateffect on nearly everyone; his cheeriness was inexplicably contagious. “Hello,Iocus. Did you need something?”

He shrugged in a casual way. “Just wanted to check on theresult of your scouting mission.”

She shook her head as she replied, “Nothing yet. But I thinkwe’ll fly out every day from now on, so we can see them coming.”

He nodded shortly. “Sounds brilliant.” There was a briefpause. Eliana was about to ask if there was something else when he said, “I’veheard Caelum’s not letting you fight.”

She gave a snort. “That’s what he thinks,” she muttered.

Iocus raised his pale eyebrows in surprise. “So you will be fighting?”

Eliana bit her lip, regretting speaking out so readily. Shetook a breath and tried to look certain of herself, defiant. “I am a Rider,Iocus. It is my duty to fight. I won’t hide while the rest of you risk yourlives.”

He nodded slowly, the smallest of smiles on his lips. “Isuppose you have every right. It’s not my place—nor Caelum’s as far as I’mconcerned—to tell you what to do. As you said, you are a Rider.”

She felt relieved and bolstered by his words. “So you won’ttell him?”

He smiled and shrugged. “Tell him what?”

With a little laugh, Eliana put her arms around his back andhugged him tightly. “Thank you,” she sighed with relief.

She heard him chuckle, the sound thrumming in his chest, andhe returned the embrace. She started to pull back, but his arms were stillsecurely around her back. She tilted her head to look up at him and, to hersurprise, he firmly grasped her chin in one of his hands and kissed herforehead.

Eliana stiffened, frozen with uncertainty, as his lipsbrushed her forehead, her temple, her cheek, her jaw. Blood pounded in her earsand burned her cheeks. She felt his breath on her skin as his mouth movedtowards hers, his hands firm and unyielding on her chin and waist.

Suddenly, Oriens snarled loudly, making Iocus jump and lookover his shoulder at the rows of long, white teeth that were bared at him. Hegave a nervous chuckle. “I don’t think he’s too happy with me,” he said. Hestill had one arm around her waist, his other hand under her chin.

“Um, no,” she said quietly, her voice shaking.

“I guess I should leave,” he said. He turned back to her andbrushed another kiss across her forehead, earning another snarl from Oriens.Then he released her. “I’ll see you soon, Eliana,” he said.

He gave a casual wave over his shoulder, then sauntered awaydown the hall, apparently oblivious to the burning emerald eyes that followedhim. When the elf had disappeared, Oriens’ head turned sharply back towards hisRider.

“Why did you let himdo that?” he snapped in her mind. His teeth were still bared in anger,flashing in the light from the opening in the mountain above him.

Eliana drew a tremulous breath. “I- I don’t know what happened,” she answered in stutteringthoughts. “It was just… unexpected. Ididn’t know what to do.”

“Can’t you tell he’sattracted to you?” he asked in disbelief.

She shook her head furiously. “This has never happened to me before!” she answered defensively. “I was a pariah all my life. How would Iever know what it looks like when someone is attracted to me?”

Eliana had exactly one semi-romantic experience in herhistory. She’d been attracted to a boy in Vegrandis once, when she was seven.He had been the only one not outrightly cruel to her, and had upon occasiondefended her from the other children’s cruelty. Naturally, these small acts ofdecency had attracted her.

One day, he’d climbed a tree to look at a bird’s nest, and inher desperate need for companionship, Eliana had followed him. In herinnocence, she’d kissed him on the cheek. He pushed her off the branch, and she’dended up with a broken arm.

Since then, she’d avoided any kind of interaction with men.Until Caelum. Once again, his kindness and affection towards her—foreign as itwas—had drawn her in. But now, she was a Rider. She had other duties—ones thatcould not be avoided, and that took precedence over her own heart.

Eliana groaned and rubbed her hands over her face.

“Well,” Orienssaid, calming slightly, “now you know.”His lips fell back over his menacing teeth so that he no longer snarled at hisRider.

“Yes, but what do I doabout it?” she asked desperately.

“You’re not going toallow that to happen again, are you?”

“No!”

“Well, he must havedone it because he believes you return his affection. You must make it clearthat you don’t.”

She sighed. “But how?”

Oriens shrugged his massive shoulders. “I am a dragon, Eliana. I don’t know how to handle the minisculeaffairs of two-leggers.”

She scowled at her dragon. The problem hardly seemedminiscule to her, but she had no more answer for it than Oriens.

~*~

As fate would have it, Eliana did not need to address thesituation quite as soon as she’d feared. Iocus once again became inescapablybusy, and she did not cross paths with him again for several days. The otherelves, engrossed in their own tasks, did not pay her much attention, which gaveher the opportunity to train without raising anyone’s suspicions.

The troops had all been told of Caelum’s plans to hide andprotect their Rider, and all seemed to agree with this course of action. Elianafeared that, if any of the elves saw her training, they would report it toCaelum, and the captain would replace some way of making absolutely certain shecould not enter the battle.

So, each day, Oriens and Eliana flew to a secluded field,away from the rest of the soldiers, and did their own training. They practicedaerial maneuvers, he advised her as she practiced her magic, and he helped herto strengthen her mental defenses. She realized very quickly that her owndragon should have been training her all along. He knew her mind better thanshe did, and she soon became good enough that she could block out Orienshimself.

On Caelum’s orders—given, of course, through otherelves—they flew out in the continuing snowfall each day to check for theapproach of their enemies. On the fourth day, the snow had finally stoppedfalling, and Eliana mounted Oriens for another flight over the mountains. Theyrose over the snow-crested peak, enjoying the warmth of the once-elusive sun.

As they descended the western side of the mountain onceagain, they became tense and alert, searching for the enemy. They both knewthat the day of the army’s arrival had to be close, and they searched for signsof life in the thick trees below them.

A flash of movement caught Eliana’s attention from thecorner of her eye. She turned her head towards it and saw a volley of arrows soaringtowards them. She shouted to Oriens in her mind, but she knew he would not beable to avoid them all. She quickly stretched out her right hand and summoned aburst of wind beneath them. The arrows scattered and fell back to the earth.

“Go Oriens! Back toAmiscan!” she screamed in her mind.

She needn’t have bothered. Oriens had already reversed hispath and was racing back up the mountain. They burst over the peak anddescended rapidly towards the army outpost. The dragon dove towards a field,braking with his wings at the last possible moment. His claws dug trenches inthe grass as he landed in the field outside of Amiscan.

Their rapid return had caught the elves’ attention, and theywere gathering, looking at her anxiously. Her eyes scanned the crowd, searchingfor the army’s leader. His face appeared, moving towards her through thegathering army.

She dismounted and ran to meet him, stopping in front ofhim, panting, her violet eyes wide. Finally, she managed to gain enough breathto relay the news she had brought.

“They’re here!”