Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
Vereor

The night was impossibly dark, the moon and stars concealedby a blanket of snow-laden clouds. Oriens circled above the vast city, justbeyond the reach of the light from the fires below. The people within the cityof Vereor were entirely unaware of the presence overhead.

“There’s the maingate,” Caelum said silently, his mind touching those of the dragon andRider. He pointed below them.

Eliana squinted downwards to see the massive woodendrawbridge, which was now closed and flanked on either side by about eightguards. She chewed on the inside of her lip. Caelum had been right; the gatewas heavily guarded. The palace was sure to have even more fortifications.

“Land just over thathill,” the elf instructed them. “We’llwatch for a while and see if there’s any way in.”

Oriens circled back to be sure to stay out of the guards’line of. A large hill rose to the east of the main gate, and the dragon glideddown until he settled on the far side of it. Caelum and Eliana both slid out ofOriens’ saddle and crept up the snowy hillside, sliding along on their stomachsin the cold. They stopped just below the crest, where they could see the gateswithout being seen.

The soldiers that flanked the gate were slumped lazilyagainst the walls. Their swords were sheathed. Their bows leaned against thevast stone walls beside them.

“They don’t seem to bevery alert,” Eliana silently pointed out.

“Don’t let them foolyou,” Caelum replied. “These are theemperor’s personal guards. See the crest on their uniforms?”

Eliana squinted in the darkness and could just make out thecrest of the emperor—a snake wrapped around a sword—emblazoned on the left sideof the soldiers’ chests.

Caelum went on. “Theyare some of the most powerful soldiers the human nation has. We were lucky noneof them were sent to Amiscan. If they had been, we would have lost many morelives.”

She sighed as they continued to watch the group of lethargichumans. The guards paced, stretched, yawned, and did it all again, in anendless cycle of tedium that wearied them as well as those who watched themfrom the hill.

Suddenly, there was a shout from atop the wall. The guardsimmediately snapped to attention, and Eliana’s heart leapt into her throat. Shehadn’t understood the word that had been shouted. Had they been spotted?

“What did he say?”she asked Caelum and Oriens, her hand already on the hilt of her sword.

She could sense Oriens’ confusion as he responded, “I think he said… ‘dancers’…”

She frowned in confusion. Her silent question was answeredas a long procession of women became visible along the path leading to thegate. They wore long, flowing dresses of fine silks, which fluttered behindthem as they walked—dancers to entertain Prince Nocens.

“Do you know how oftenthey come?” she asked the elf who lay in the snow beside her.

Caelum paused for a moment, considering the question. “We once scouted the gate for a week. Anight rarely passed without us seeing them come and go. It kept my menentertained.”

She gave a quiet snort of disbelief. “What would elven soldiers see in human women?”

Caelum turned on his side and propped himself up on an elbowso that he faced her. He smiled softly and brushed her hair back over hershoulder. “Humans have their merits aswell,” he said quietly in her mind.

She smiled, but kept her eyes on the gates as he laid hisarm across her shoulders and began to kiss her jawline. It took most of herfocus to continue watching the dancers proceed towards the gate. Immediately,the bridge was lowered, and the women passed without question.

An idea leapt into her mind. She hadn’t had the opportunityto form it into words when Caelum pulled back and scowled down at her.

“Don’t even thinkabout it,” his voice said sternly in her mind.

“I agree with Caelum,Eliana,” Oriens interjected. “Itwould be much too dangerous for you to go into the palace as a woman meant toentertain the prince. There’s no telling what privileges he takes with them.”

She scoffed. “Don’t beridiculous. They’re dancers, notconcubines. Nocens has a dozen of those already, and he could have many more ifhe wished. What would he want with a dancer?”

Caelum shook his head. “Idon’t like it.”

“You’re not going tolike any of the ideas,” she pointed out, “so you might as well accept one that will be quick and easy.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Andhow do you expect me to get in?”he asked. “Dress like a dancer as well?”

Eliana smiled to herself at the idea.

When he saw her expression, Caelum laughed in her mind. “Not a chance.”

“Alright,” shechuckled. “I’m sure we can replace youanother way into the city.”

“Into the palace,” he corrected her. “I want to be in there with you.”

“Impossible,” sheanswered with a frown and a firm shake of her head. “I could slip by all the guards easily disguised as a danger, butyou’re another story. We could get you over the city walls easily enough, butyou would have to stay outside the palace and wait for me.”

“You want me to juststand around, twiddling my thumbs, with no idea of what’s going on?” heasked angrily.

Eliana sighed heavily, thinking. Then she looked at herdragon. “Oriens, you can see what I cansee, right?”

He nodded his large head. “The True Sight works both ways, yes.”

She turned to Caelum. “Andyou can be inside of Oriens’ mind.” Understanding crossed his face, but shewent on anyways. “I will share my sightwith Oriens. You can stay in his mind. For as long as I’m in the palace, youwill both be able to see and hear everything, just as if you were actually withme.”

“I still don’t likethe idea of you being in there without me,” Caelum sighed.

Eliana rolled her eyes. “Don’tbe silly. Oriens isn’t complaining about not being in the palace.”

The dragon snorted quietly, his mouth turning up into aslight smirk. “Only because the option ofdressing as a dancer is not available to me.”

Both of them choked back laughs, trying not to make anysound that would draw the attention of the soldiers just a few yards away.

Once she had control of herself, Eliana asked, looking atthe elf beside her, “So, what do youthink?”

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers with asigh. “Alright. But if anything goeswrong, I’m coming in after you.”

“Nothing is going togo wrong,” she replied.

He opened his eyes and met her gaze. “With you involved, it’s almost a guarantee that something will go wrong.”

~*~

The next two nights were clear. The bright moon reflectedoff the snow, bathing the world in a soft, white glow—perfect for revealing anyfigures that tried to hide in the landscape. Eliana, Caelum, and Oriens wereforced to take refuge in the forests several yards from the gate, their darkshapes too conspicuous against the bright snow.

“We can’t wait any longer,” she hissed at Caelum.

He shook his head firmly. “We’ll have to do it tomorrow. Themoon’s too bright tonight, and we need more time to plan,” he whispered back.

Eliana clenched her teeth, watching the procession of womenwalk by them once again. “We have the plan ready, Caelum! Waiting another daywon’t make it any better.”

Caelum didn’t answer, but she wasn’t waiting for one. Oneway or another, she was determined that this would happen tonight, and shedidn’t need his help to do it. On the path that wound between the trees, one ofthe girls stopped. Her sandal had slipped from her foot, and she paused toslide it back on. Her party moved on ahead of her as the dancer tried toquickly lace it around her ankle.

They would get no better chance than this. Eliana steppedout of the trees. The girl looked up at her in surprise, which quickly turnedto horror as the earth began to cling to her legs, climbing up to her waist.She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came.

The dancer’s hands went to her throat, her lips moving insilent, gaping motions. Eliana glanced over her shoulder to see Caelum steppingout of the woods behind her, his hand closed in a fist in the direction of thegirl.

“I told you to wait!” he snapped, keeping his voice low.

Eliana shrugged nonchalantly. “Too late now.” It wasapparent that her response agitated him, but she turned her attention back tothe young dancer. “How long until she passes out?”

“A few more seconds.”

“Well don’t kill her.”

The dancer’s panicked face became more horror-stricken, butCaelum rolled his eyes. “Do you really think I have that little control over mymagic?”

Eliana shrugged one shoulder in reply and watched as thedancer’s eyes closed and she slumped sideways; the earth that held her to herwaist kept her in an upright position. Caelum opened his fist, and the girls’chest began to rise and fall as the air returned around her. Eliana made aquick movement with her fingers, and the earth fell away. The dancer collapsedforward into Caelum’s waiting arms.

The elf’s face was grim as he said, “Hurry up and get herclothes on. You have to catch up to the others before they reach the gate.”

She took the young woman from Caelum. She was surprisinglylight, and Eliana quickly carried her the short distance through the woods towhere Oriens lay hidden. Caelum remained on the edge of the path, keepingwatch. The dragon lifted his golden wing over the dancer and the Rider,shielding them from sight.

Eliana quickly stripped the dancer of her thin clothing,then removed her own. She dressed the girl in her own breeches and tunic, and hurriedlypulled on the dancer’s outfit. She stepped out from behind Oriens’ wing in thedancer’s thin, flowing clothes, leaving the girl lying on the ground at Oriens’side.

She hadn’t noticed before, but this group of dancers wasdressed much more liberally than the others. Her stolen blouse bore hermidriff, from her waist to above the naval, and the silky skirt fell severalinches above her knees. My father would killme, she thought.

Caelum’s eyes narrowed in irritation the minute he saw her.“Now I really don’t like this,” hemuttered.

“Would you calm down?” she asked, trying not to look asuncomfortable as she felt in the revealing clothing. She was freezing, and shehad a distinct urge to hide behind Oriens’ wing again, but she wouldn’t allowthis to stop her from seeing her plan through.

“You look like one of his concubines,” he remarkedirritably.

She sighed. “If you’re done ridiculing my clothing, I haveto catch up to the rest of the dancers.”

“Alright,” he grumbled. “I’ll be over the wall in a fewminutes.”

She nodded and ran off after the group of scarcely-dressedwomen. She joind the end of the group just as they approached the gate. Theguards hastily lowered the bridge and let them pass without a pause. The womenstrolled past them, and Eliana saw them grinning suggestively at one another.

She ignored them, hastily rearranging her hair to ensure itcovered her ears, and they walked into the city of Vereor. What she saw waslike nothing she had heard in all of the tales of Corpanis’ cruelty. Thecobblestone streets were filled with filth and rubbish. People—from the veryold to the very young—lay curled up against the sides of building, shivering intattered cloaks.

They looked up at her with eyes that seemed to be sunkenback into their skin, dark with memories of unimaginable horrors. Many werebarefooted.Their legs and upper arms were no thicker than her wrist. They weredying in front of her from cold, starvation, and fear.

Eliana forced her eyes away from the skeletal figures in thestreets and gazed ahead of her, as the other dancers did—purposefully ignoringthe inhumane world around them. As the procession of women continued towardsthe palace in the center of the city, the surroundings changed. The tall,narrow complexes and crumbling, filth-filled streets disappeared. In theirplace were roads of clean stone and large townhouses.

She scowled to herself at the sudden change. There had beenno gradual transition from the dirt poor to the filthy rich. While thousands ofpeople were starving along the outer edge of the city, these elect were livingcomfortable lives in large, whitewash houses with sprawling gardens and dozensof servants.

Nobles in fine clothing walked briskly down the streets,each of them with a dirty-faced man or woman at their heels. Eliana spottedcollars around their necks and realized that they weren’t just servants—theywere slaves. They kept their eyes meekly on the ground, answering to any orderthat the noble they followed barked at them.

One of the slaves—a young girl of no more thanfifteen—attracted Eliana’s gaze. The girl had paused to watch the dancers,falling behind the nobleman she followed, her arms filled with his belongings.Noticing her lagging, the nobleman doubled back and, without a word, slappedthe girl across the face.

Eliana flinched, and resisted the urge to rush to the girl’said. She watched as the slave gathered the belongings from the ground, thenobleman raining angry words down on her head. She clenched her teeth andlooked away, anger boiling inside her.

“This won’t last muchlonger,” she thought furiously.

In her mind, Oriens growled his consent. “Not if we can help it.”

Another voice entered her mind. “To your left,” it said.

She glanced in that direction. There were several peoplestrolling the snowy streets, but she quickly found the familiar figure she waslooking for. He walked close to the buildings at about the same pace as thedancers, the hood of a brown cloak pulled over his shining blonde hair,covering his ears and casting his fair face in shadow.

He looked up briefly as he felt her gaze and threw her asmile and a wink. Despite it all, Eliana smiled in return. She felt insensiblysafe, just having him within her line of sight. She knew she should have beenfrightened by what she was about to do, but the fear refused to come so long asshe could still see Caelum’s figure in the moonlight.

She forced her eyes away from him and looked ahead of theline she followed. The palace towered over them, its top-most spire pointingupwards at the crescent moon. Eliana drew a deep breath and completely openedher mind, allowing Caelum and Oriens—who she felt crouching outside the citywalls in tense anxiety—to enter it.

“Oriens, can you seeit?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered.“It’s perfectly clear.”

“Caelum?”

“Yes, I can see it aswell.”

Open as her mind was to them, she could hear and feel thefear in both of their voices. “It’ll beokay,” she promised them both. “I’llbe fine. Both of you, just be careful.”

“I am always careful,”Oriens responded predictably.

Caelum didn’t reply. The dancers were now standingexpectantly in front of the massive, elaborately carved doors. Eliana glancedaround her to see approximately two dozen armed soldiers flanking the path theystood on, leading into the palace. The guards made no motion to indicate theyhad even noticed the dancers’ presence. Then the doors swung open, bathing thewomen in light from within the palace.

The group began to move forward and, with a deep breath,Eliana followed, stepping right into the den of the serpent. The girls beforeher all seemed to know what they were doing and where they were going, walkingwith certainty down the long and lavishly decorated hallways without a guide.

At the end of one of the long hallways was a large golden door,flanked on either side by two red-clad soldiers. Just as they had at the maingate, the guards opened the door without question. The room that opened up beforeher was furnished more beautifully than even the palace in Iterum.

The largest bed she had ever seen occupied the majority ofthe left end of the room. The other end was furnished as a sitting room, withsofas, chairs, and cushions of the finest upholstery. Sprawled out on one ofthese sofas was a young man.

He looked up as the women entered, and a grin spread acrosshis face. “Well, it certainly is about time,” he drawled.

“Prince Nocens!” nearly a dozen voices squealed. The girlsin front of her rushed towards him.

Eliana quickly followed, trying not to draw attention toherself. Nocens sat up, and a particularly beautiful brunette dropped into hislap, draping her arms around his neck.

“I’ve missed you,” she cooed sickeningly.

Eliana tensed a little at the behavior.

“Something’s notright,” Oriens said.

Caelum’s voice was sharp and filled with anxiety. “Get out, Eliana! Get out now. These are nodancers.”

His statement was reaffirmed as the prince forcefully placedhis mouth over the brunette’s, tipping her back until she lay prone on thesofa. She moaned with pleasure, making Eliana grimace distastefully. There wasno question now. These were Prince Nocens’ concubines—his personal play things.And now, Eliana was one of them.

Nocens stood up, leaving the girl pouting in disappointment,and turned to face the rest of them. The other girls were glaring at thebrunette jealously, but Eliana’ eyes were on the prince. He was handsome, withlight brown hair and hazel eyes, but there was something about him that sent ashiver down her spine. There was something cold and snake-like in those hazeleyes.

Prince Nocens met her scrutinizing gaze, and she hurried tolook away. But she did so too late. She had already drawn his attention.

The hazel eyes narrowed at her in confusion. “Who are you?”he asked.

She kept her head bowed, refusing to meet his gaze, but shecould feel him studying her. “Eliana,” she answered quietly.

“Why did you tell himyour real name?” Caelum snapped.

Nocens’ cold hand grasped her chin and forced her to look upat him. He tilted her head from side to side, surveying her like a horse he wasconsidering purchasing. Oriens and Caelum growled angrily inside her head.

“Why don’t I remember you?” he asked.

They had not prepared for this. Nocens’ dancers changedregularly, so he would not know a new one. His concubines on the other hand,were selected by either him or his father, and they stayed until he chose tosend them away. She frantically sought for a lie, and said the first thing shecould think of.

“I- I’ve been ill, my lord.”

Nocens seemed to consider this for a moment, then turned herso that her back was to him. His hand brushed across the skin above her skirt,making her stiffen. “Where’s your mark?” he asked.

She hesitated again. Mark?She clutched her right hand closed instinctively. She glanced over at the othergirls, who stood in a circle, whispering furtively and throwing her burningglares. She looked at the backs of those closest to her. There, on their smoothand flawless skin, just above the line of their skirts, was the sign of theserpent wrapped around the sword—the crest of the emperor’s family. They hadbeen branded, the symbol burned into their skin.

“I… Um, your father chose me for your harem, Prince Nocens.I was to be a gift for you. A- a surprise. But I fell ill before I was able tocome and receive my mark.” She was trying her best to sound disappointed, butshe had no idea if it was convincing or not.

The prince’s cold hands slid around her waist and began totrace patterns on her bare stomach, making her gasp in surprise. She clenchedher hands into fists, fighting the urge to strike him. He dipped his head toher shoulder and trailed warm, unwelcome kisses up her neck, to her ear. Hestopped with his lips below her earlobe. “We’ll just have to fix that, won’twe, my jewel?”

“Yes,” she answered breathlessly, trying to fight down thepanic that was rising inside her.

“Eliana!” Caelumscreamed in her head. “Get out of therenow!”

She tried to keep her mind calm, to not let them feel herfear the way she felt theirs. “I can’t,”she answered.

“Then we’re comingin!” Oriens snarled furiously.

“No!” she repliedas firmly as she could. “It’s too risky.Just… just give me a moment. I can do this. You have to let me do this.”

She could feel them in her mind, antsy and anxious, ready tocrash into the palace, but they remained where they were.

“The rest of you may leave,” Nocens said, his face stillbeside hers, his chin on her shoulder.

Eliana opened her eyes to replace eleven other pairs of eyes glaringat her bitterly. Strange, she thought, that the concubines wanted so badly whatwas giving her the urge to vomit. Without a word, the women turned and filedback out of the wide, golden doors, leaving her alone with the prince. Heturned her around so that she faced him, pressed close against his body,forcing her to tilt her head upwards to meet his gaze.

His smile was malicious and his eyes were filled with ahunger that made her stomach tighten. “Well,” he whispered, “since you have notyet been marked, that means that I have not had you yet.”

Nocens took slow steps forward as he spoke, forcing Elianato back up blindly, her breath coming in short, frightened bursts. The backs ofher legs hit something soft, and she glanced over her shoulder. He had backedher against the impossibly large bed.

Eliana looked back up at the prince, trying to hide the fearin her eyes. Frantically, she threw a wall up around her mind, stronger thanshe’d ever done before. The presences of Oriens and Caelum vanished from her thoughts.If they saw more, they would rush into the palace and get themselves killed.

Nocens grinned at her and grabbed her around the waist,tossing her roughly back onto the soft blankets. Despite her efforts, a screamescaped her lips. The prince laughed deeply at this. She rolled quickly ontoher back, but before she could move any further, his body was on top of hers.

His lips felt frantic as they met hers. His hands were roughand greedy as they roved over her bare stomach, up to the silky top. His fingersseized the bottom edge of the cloth and began to tug it upwards.

“No, no, wait!” she gasped.

Nocens’ groan turned into a bemused chuckle as his mouthbegan to explore her bare neck. “So you’re going to be difficult, are you?” hemuttered against her skin. He lifted his head, his face hovering over hers ashe looked down at her with those terrifying hazel eyes. “Very well. What is itthat you want? Gold? Jewels? Gowns?”

“No,” she breathed, placing her hands against his chest andslipping out from underneath him. “I want to see the rest of the palace.”

He sat up, looking at her in confusion, his red-and-goldtunic rumpled. “The rest of the palace? Allof it?” He shook his head stubbornly. “That would take hours. I won’t wait thatlong.”

Eliana realized that she was dealing with a very spoiledchild. He was likely used to getting everything that he wanted, and she wouldbe no different. He didn’t have to listen to her requests, but he was amusingher for the moment, playing her little game. She would have to play morestrategically.

“Alright…” she paused for a moment, trying to think of a wayto go to the places she needed without raising suspicion. “What about thelibrary?” she asked, making her voice sound eager and excited. “I’ve alwaysloved books.”

Nocens raised an eyebrow. “Books? You can read?” Eliananodded quickly. He tilted his head to one side suspiciously. “I’ve never met aconcubine that could read.”

She suddenly realized her mistake. Concubines were thedaughters of servants or slaves. She hurried to cover her blunder. “Oh, pleasedon’t tell!” she pleaded in a whiny voice that made her want to strangleherself. “I know I’m not supposed to, but my father taught me, and I just loveit.”

The prince smiled crookedly and gave a little shrug. “If youinsist. The palace does have a remarkable library. It has thousands of books.Some even date back to the beginning of the Great War.”

Perfect. It wasexactly what she’d hoped to hear. “And the dungeons. Could I see the dungeonstoo?”

This suggestion seemed to bother him even more than herprevious one. “Now why would you want to see a dreary place like that?”

Eliana cringed internally at what she was about to do, butshe needed to see if Ater was there. She leaned close to him and placed a handon his chest, letting her lips hover just above his. “Please?” she whispered,trying her best to seem coy and seductive. “Just for a little while? Then wecan come back here and…”

Nocens smiled and grabbed her lips greedily with his own,putting his arms around her waist. He pulled her down on top of him and kissedher hard, grabbing the hair at the back of her head to apply more force to hermouth. She began to worry that he would ignore her requests completely. Then hepulled away.

“Very well,” he laughed, apparently amused now by the ideaof fulfilling her requests. “If that’s what it takes, then that’s what we’lldo.”

He hopped off the bed and pulled her with him, thensauntered, one arm around her waist, out the wide golden doors. Eliana openedher mind up again, letting the wall fall. Furious, frantic questions bombardedher.

“Why in the name ofthe gods would you do that?”

“What has he done? Iwill tear him apart!”

She was relieved to sense that they had remained outside.

“Relax,” she saidwith a sigh. “I’m fine, I swear. Nocensis taking me exactly where I need to go. As soon as I get what I need, I’ll getout. Everything is working out perfectly.”