Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
Duty and Desire

She changed into a red tunic and brown breeches withoutbothering to question him. As she tugged on her boots, there was a tap on thedoorframe. Eliana glanced up to replace Caelum there, a white shirt hangingloosely from his chest.

“Ready?” he asked, leaning against the frame.

She jammed her other foot into the boot and straightened up,nodding, As he took her hand and led her down the stairs, she tried to makesense of what she was feeling—or rather, what she wasn’t feeling. The prospectof time alone with Caelum should have made her gut flutter with excitement. Butnow, it felt empty.

What’s the point ofany of this? she wondered. Wherecould we go from here?

She followed him into the palace, where Denio, Kana, andQueen Ivi still stood, talking amiably. They looked up as the pair walked in.Kana immediately smiled and rushed to the Rider, more boisterous than the shygirl had ever been before.

“Eliana!” she exclaimed, embracing her. “What happened toyou?”

She smiled back and answered quietly, “I just needed tospeak to Oriens for a moment.”

Kana nodded, not questioning her reason. Denio steppedforward, wrapping his arms around Kana’s waist. “Where are you two headed?” heasked.

Caelum took Eliana’s hand again. “Out. Is that alright withyou, your Majesty?” he asked with asmirk.

“Hey,” Denio laughed, “no need for that.”

Caelum laughed as well, shaking his head. “I knew you wouldbe king, but I still can’t believe you’re married. I thought I would beat youto that, at least.”

The new king made a less-than-subtle nod at their interwovenfingers. “Hardly my fault,” he smirked.

Caelum just shook his head and began to lead Eliana towardsthe opposite doors, which would take them out into Iterum.

“Caelum!” Ivi called. They stopped and looked back at her.She was watching them closely, with a thoughtful expression on her face. Finally,she said, “Be careful.”

Her son seemed to hesitate, taking in the meaning of hismother’s words. Then he nodded and pushed open the doors. They walked insilence, slipping down Iterum’s crowded streets, drawing curious looks fromeveryone they passed. At last, they exited through the white gates.

Eliana finally asked, “Where are we going?”

Caelum shrugged. “Not sure. It depends on how long it takesfor you to talk to me. We’ll walk to Amiscan if we have to.”

She fell silent again. She would have liked nothing morethan to tell him what she felt, but how could she even begin when it was all somuddled to her own mind? She loved him, but she feared she could never have afuture with him. She wanted to be with him, but she wanted to keep him at adistance, to keep him safe. How could she ever explain that to him?

As they wove through the trees, he spoke again. “So what wasbothering you during the wedding? What were you looking at?”

That much, she could explain. “Raena’s clan color is green,right?”

He frowned. “Yes, why?”

“I saw her clan, but she wasn’t with them. I’m sure of it.Do you know if she came back to Iterum after you sent her away from Amiscan?”

His frown grew deeper. “I haven’t thought about her in solong… I guess I don’t really know where she went. Nobody ever mentioned hercoming back. I suppose it’s possible she didn’t.”

Despite herself, Eliana felt concerned for the missingwoman. If she hadn’t come back to Iterum, where had she gone? What had happenedto her? Another elf disappearing… just like Ater. The young soldier’s facefilled her mind. She hadn’t thought about him in a long time either, herthoughts being preoccupied with Caelum’s recovery.

“We didn’t replace Ater,” she mused quietly. “He wasn’t in thedungeons in Vereor. Where do you think he is?”

Caelum sighed. “I suppose I don’t know that either. If he’snot being held prisoner there, it’s possible he’s being held elsewhere. Or, I’msorry to say, he may have been killed. But it’s also possible…”

“That he’s working with them,” Eliana finished for him.

He nodded slowly. “I hate to believe it, but we do have toconsider it as a possibility.”

Eliana sighed. “I suppose we do.”

She heard the rushing of the river close by and, a momentlater, they stepped from the trees to see the water rushing past them, tumblingover the edge of the waterfall. It was the same place where Oriens had hatchednine months earlier, the same waterfall where Raena had tried to destroy hisegg.

The water was much higher now, and great chunks of snow andice floated down it. The snow was beginning to melt in the mountains. Springwould be only a few weeks away. They stood on the very edge of the cliff,watching the water tumble to the river below, where it continued on its way inchurning white hills.

“Do you trust me?” Caelum asked suddenly.

Eliana looked up at him, her expression confused, but heranswer was reactionary. “Yes.”

He seized her suddenly around the waist and crushed hertightly to him. Then he threw them both over the edge of the cliff. Shescreamed and pulled herself closer to him, pressing her eyes tightly shut. Sheheard a laugh echo in his chest, as if he was getting a thrill from theirfreefall towards the icy water. After a moment of weightlessness, Eliana felttheir motion slow.

Wind whipped around them, pulling at her hair and clothes,roaring in her ears. She opened her eyes and looked down. The river below wasstill growing closer, but at a much slower rate. She looked up at Caelum. Hewas smiling back down at her, one arm around her waist, the other over hishead, controlling the wind around them, which now lowered them gently towardsthe water.

She let out a short laugh. Then, without warning, thousandsof needles pricked her skin and the air rushed from her lungs as they droppedinto the frozen water. She frantically kicked upwards, her waterlogged bootsdragging her down.

Her head broke the surface and she gasped for air, strikingout for shore with numb arms. Caelum was beside her, keeping pace, stillsmiling despite the icy chill of the river. He helped pull her onto the shore.With a flick of his wrist, a blast of flame struck the snow on the riverbank,disintegrating it with a hiss.

Eliana collapsed onto the slightly charred grass, trying toforce air into her frozen lungs. Caelum fell to the ground beside her, gaspingas well. But she could hear laughter under his labored breaths.

Once she’d forced enough air into her body to form words,she rolled towards him and slapped him hard on the chest. “Are you mad?” sheshouted. “Are you trying to kill me? That was the stupidest thing you have everdone!”

He rolled on his side to face her, rubbing his chestslightly through his nearly transparent white shirt. He was still smirking.“Are you finished?” he asked softly.

Her chattering teeth wouldn’t allow her to form a response,so she rolled stubbornly onto her other side, placing her back firmly to him.Almost immediately, his arm slid across her waist, his body pressing againsthers along every curve. She tensed to push him away, just out of sheeragitation, but then she felt the heat radiating from him.

She closed her eyes and remained still as the fire from hisbody warmed her frozen skin, and his arms stilled her trembling. After severalminutes, she felt him shift slightly, and she turned her head to replace himlooking down at her, his pale, wet hair hanging slightly into his eyes.

“Please talk to me,” he whispered.

His expression made her heart ache. He looked pained,confused, and afraid, as if he thought he was losing her to some unseen force.The emptiness that had been inside of her chest filled with emotion and sheturned so that she faced him.

They were silent for another moment while his thumb tracedher lips, ears, and nose, warming them with his fire. His white shirt stillclung to his chest, and she pressed her hand against it. His skin was still icycold. The gentle fire he’d summoned to warm her had done nothing for him. Shecareful summoned heat of her own as she pressed her hand to his chest, tryingto return some of the warmth he’d given her.

When she felt some semblance of heat returning to his skin,she sighed and finally spoke, barely above a whisper. “What’s going to becomeof us, Caelum?”

He frowned at her, running his fingers softly over hershoulder. “What do you mean?”

She shook her head slowly. “We’re going into a war. Peopleare going to look to both of us to lead them. We haveresponsibilities—dangerous ones. We can’t allow ourselves to be distracted fromthat.”

Her words didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, he gave a quietlaugh and smirked down at her. “Do I distract you then, Eliana?”

“Very much,” she answered seriously and quietly. “You makeme want to forget about all of this—the war, the emperor, the prophecy. Youmake me want to walk away from it all, but I know I can’t. Because of who Iam—a Rider.”

He held her face in his hand, his thumb moving back andforth along the skin of her jaw. “You’re far more than a Rider, Eliana,” hewhispered.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “It is my duty to fight,and—.”

“It is your duty to liveas well,” he interrupted, “to live the way youchoose.”

She leaned her head against his chest, listening to hisbreath. “I wish it were that easy,” she sighed.

“It is,” he answered in an equally quiet voice.

She made an irritated noise and rolled away, lying on herback and staring up at the clouds. “You just don’t understand, Caelum.”

He shifted as well, surprising her as he moved over her, ahand on either side of her head, looking down at her in his wet tunic. “Thenexplain it to me,” he replied, his blue eyes dark and serious.

Eliana shook her head slowly on the ground. “You didn’t hearthe things Astrum told me. He said this prophecy would only be fulfilled if I chose to fulfill it. I could walk awayfrom it all, but this war would continue, possibly for centuries more, beforesomebody else came to fulfill it. So I can’tlive the way I choose, Caelum. I… I have to be the one to do this. I have toend it all. I can’t have the things I want.”

Caelum shook his head slowly. “And what do you want, Eliana?” he asked quietly.

His pale hair had fallen into his blue eyes, and sheshouldn’t suppress the urge to push it away. She brushed it aside, her fingersrunning along his cheek as she answered, “You…”

Caelum smiled softly and turned his face towards her hand.He kissed the mark on her palm, then her fingers, then her wrist, making hershiver, though she was no longer cold. “Something that is not already yours,”he whispered.

Eliana was silent, staring up into his patient, watchfuleyes. The question that had been burning in her throat finally rose to thesurface, and her voice trembled slightly as she finally asked it. “Caelum… doyou love me?”

He lowered his face to hers, his lips brushing hers solightly that she barely felt it. “Yes,” he whispered, his warm breath caressingher cheek. “With all my heart.”

His lips brushed over her neck briefly, then paused. Hisface pressed softly into the curve of her shoulder, his expression hidden fromher as he spoke again. His words were slow, as if he was uncertain of how tosay them.

“Do you…?” he asked. “Love me?”

She smiled to herself and touched his cheek, drawing hisface back so that she could look into his eyes again. For some reason that shecould not explain, he looked anxious, as if he could somehow be uncertain ofwhat her answer would be. She kissed him lightly three times before answering.

“Yes, Caelum. Of course I love you.”

He smiled down at her gently. “Do you really?” he askedquietly.

In response, she slid her arms around his neck and pulledhis mouth down onto hers. His body pressed on top of hers, applying a warmpressure across her skin. She could feel his heart beating against her own.

She pulled away from the kiss and put her lips to his ear.“That was another ‘yes,’ in case you didn’t catch it,” she whispered.

He chuckled, his lips grazing her neck, tracing a heatedline to her ear. “Oh, I got it,” he answered.

She turned her mouth to meet his again, savoring the way hislips tasted, the feeling of his hands on her skin. He returned the kiss firmly,urgency emanating from him as his hand moved around her back, pulling her stillcloser to him. Excitement flared in her stomach and she sighed as she wrappedher arms around his back.

Suddenly, he pulled away, sitting back on his heels. Elianapropped herself up on her elbows, looking at him in confusion and milddisappointment. Caelum’s eyes were closed, and there was a dull, red glowsurrounding his form. She recognized it as the fire he so often lost control ofwhen he lost his temper.

“Are you angry about something?” she asked in surprise.

He opened his eyes and smiled at her, the glow dimming untilit had nearly disappeared. “Of course not. How could I possibly be angry at amoment like this?”

“But you always lose control of your fire when you’reangry.”

His smile turned into a smirk. “It’s a different kind of firewith you.”

“Oh,” she said, with a short, slightly uncomfortable laugh. Elianasat up as well, crossing her legs to face him. His fire had vanished, and henow looked at her with a mingling of tenderness and desire. She longed to kisshim again, but she knew the time for that had passed. She sighed. “What now,Caelum?” she asked.

He looked confused. “What do you mean?”

She paused, running a hand over her face, trying to think ofa way to say what she wanted. “I mean… Us… Where do we go from here?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, as if it mattered very little tohim. “Wherever you want us to go.”

She sighed again and dropped her gaze. He was beingextremely unhelpful.

When she made no effort to respond, Caelum moved forward,closing the small distance between them and taking her hands between his own.

“Eliana,” he said, “I will do whatever I need to do to makeyou happy. I don’t care what it is. If you want me to walk away and allow youto fulfill your duties as a Rider, then I will do it. If you want me by yourside, if you want to be with me just as we are now, then I will do it. And evenif marrying me now would make you happy, then… I wouldn’t hesitate.”

She stared at him, drinking in his words. He would marry me, she thought inamazement. All I would have to do is ask.She did want that; more than anything, she wanted to be his, and she wanted himto be hers. But she knew she couldn’t. War was practically upon them, and thepeople would look to her—to both of them—to lead them into battle.

Caelum worried enough about her as it was. If she were tomarry him, she knew that he would resist her going into battle even more thanhe already did. And if she died… She didn’t want it to cause him more pain thanit already would.

She knew in her heart that the kindest thing to do would beto push him away, separate herself from him as much as possible, as soon aspossible. It would spare him any pain and would make it easier for her tofulfill her duties. But she knew she was far too selfish for that; she neededhim beside her, to help her through what she would have to do.

Eliana forced herself to smile as she lied, “I want you withme, as we are now.”

He nodded. “Then I will be there.” He didn’t smile. Hisexpression was serious, and she thought she saw a moment of disappointment inhis eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

“The Queen Mother is looking for you, young Rider,” afamiliar, slow voice said from close by.

Eliana jumped, her eyes darting towards the source of thevoice. Instead of the little white fox she’d expected to see, a massive whitewolf stood in the snow several feet away. She reached instinctively towards herwaist, where her sword should have been, but she hadn’t brought it. Then shenoticed the familiar golden eyes watching her with the same intensity as theyhad in the little fox’s face.

“Astrum…?” she asked in disbelief.

The wolf dipped his long snout in acknowledgment.

Caelum stood as he spoke to the wolf. “I see you’ve alreadymade the change. How was it?”

“Fairly easy,” the wolf answered. “My last form and thisform were very similar, so it was quick and relatively painless.”

“Change?” Eliana asked in surprise. “Astrum, what happenedto you?”

Caelum answered her question. “Astrum changes forms witheach new king. He took his fox form when my father became king. Now that mymother has given power to Denio, Astrum has taken a new form.”

She stared at the Seer in wide-eyed astonishment. “Youchange every time the ruler changes?”

Astrum nodded. “This time was easy. When I changed forCaelum’s grandfather, I transitioned from stag to falcon, then from falcon tofox for Caelum’s father. Those were difficult changes. Denio’s form was afairly simple transition to make by comparison.”

“What do you mean ‘Denio’s form’?”

“Each monarch’s personality dictates what my form will be. Isuppose you could say that their inner spirit manifests itself through me.Denio’s and Caelum’s father was quick and cunning; thus, I was a fox for him.Denio is strong and loyal, and fiercely dedicated to defending his pack; andso, for him, I am a wolf.”

Eliana decided not to pursue the subject further; as elvenmagic so often did, it was giving her a headache. She returned her thoughts tothe Seer’s initial words to her.

“You said Queen Ivi was looking for me?”

Astrum nodded. “Yes. She wishes to speak to you on a matterof great importance.”

“What?”

He shook his head. “I am only here to deliver her message.It’s not my place to relay more than that.”

Caelum held a hand out to her and pulled Eliana to her feet.“Well, we shouldn’t keep her waiting,” he said with a grin. “She may no longerbe queen, but she’s still a stubborn old woman.”

Eliana smiled back, but her mind was whirring, wonderingwhat Ivi could possibly want to see her for. What could they have to discusswith each other? Any matters about the journey the next day would come to herthrough Denio now, and she certainly had no personal matters to discuss withthe Queen Mother. It wasn’t as if they were close.

They followed Astrum’s white shape through the woods and upthe steep slope to Iterum’s gates. Her hand gripped his tightly, praying thathe would stay with her when Ivi spoke to her. He noticed, and looked down ather with an amused smile.

“You’re not still scared of her, are you?” he asked with alaugh.

“I wouldn’t say ‘scared,’ exactly,” she answered tightly.“It’s more… fearful respect.”

He shook his head with a laugh and gave her hand a squeeze.“Darling,” he said, the pet name startling and pleasing her, “you worry toomuch.”

She couldn’t deny that. As the palace doors swung open infront of them, she could feel her heart far above its traditional location inher chest, beating instead at the base of her throat. They followed Astrum tothe base of Domus, and the wolf stopped in front of the curved doorway that ledinto the royal family’s quarters.

“She wishes to speak to you alone,” he said, looking up atEliana.

She blinked. “Alone?”

Caelum turned towards her, smirking at her discomfort.“Relax,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “You’ll be fine. She’sreally quite harmless.” He kissed her softly on the lips, then slipped awayfrom her, heading towards the back doors. “I’ll be with Oriens.”

She watched as the elf disappeared, Astrum followingsilently in his wake. With a deep breath, she turned towards Domus and beganclimbing the stairs. She was entirely alone now.

“Not quite,”Oriens said in her mind.

She smiled to herself. “Ofcourse not. I am never really alone.”

“And you never willbe. Better get used to it,” he chuckled.

She felt more secure with her dragon’s presence filling hermind, like a warm blanket swaddling her in safety and comfort. She continued upthe stairs, passing several rooms until she came to a large sitting room, whereQueen Ivi sat primly in a red velvet armchair.

“In here, Eliana,” she called calmly. The Rider steppedslowly into the room. “Please, sit,” she instructed, gesturing to a matchingchair across from her.

Eliana sat on the edge of the armchair, as if ready to fleeat any sign of threat. “You wanted to speak to me?”

She nodded slowly, studying the halfling girl withthoughtful eyes. “I’ve been thinking about you… about the things that I neverbothered to explain to you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked with a frown.

“I wanted to talk to you about my son.”

“Caelum?”

She nodded again. “Yes. Did he ever tell you why I sent himto Amiscan? Why I wanted him to stop being your instructor?”

“No…”

“I was afraid—and I can now see that my fears werecorrect—that he was falling in love with you, Eliana. I hoped that by sendinghim back to the troops, I could prevent that from happening.”

“Why didn’t you want him to love me?” she whispered.

The old queen sighed. “Eliana, I may have been queen, but Iwas always—first and foremost—a mother. I love my son dearly. You are a Rider.Do you know what your future holds?”

Eliana nodded.

Ivi went on, “War. War and death—possibly your own. From themoment I learned of your dragon, I knew that your life would always be at risk.I knew you had duties that you would fulfill, and that those duties wouldalways come first. I didn’t want to see my son hurt. I didn’t want to see hispain if you fell in battle. It would be hard enough for all of the elves tolose our Rider. I didn’t want him to lose someone he loved as well.

“And I know my son. When he loves someone, he loves morecompletely than anyone I know. I knew that, if he allowed himself to fall inlove with you, he would be willing to die to protect you. I am his mother, nomatter what disagreements we may have had, and I did not want that to happen tomy boy.”

Eliana nodded slowly. “I understand.”

“That is why I sent him to Amiscan, Eliana. That’s why Itook him from you. To stop him from falling in love with you. But surely, youmust realize, that I failed.”

A small smile touched her lips as the Rider nodded again.“Yes… I know that he loves me.”

Ivi raised her eyebrows very slightly. “And… how do youfeel?”

She raised her eyes to meet the queen’s steady gaze. “QueenIvi,” she said, with all the confidence she could muster, “I love your son. Hemeans more to me than I could possibly say. And I don’t want to see him hurtany more than you do. You’re right—I have duties to fulfill, and I will notshirk them. But I won’t let Caelum put himself in danger for my sake. And Iwon’t allow things between us to go any farther than they already have, nomatter how willing he may be.”

Ivi frowned at her slightly. “What do you mean?”

Suddenly, the woman that sat before her no longer seemedlike a daunting monarch. She was only a mother—the mother of the man that sheloved. Eliana sighed and replied, “He told me today that he would marry me, ifI asked it of him. But I won’t do that to him. I know that my future is adangerous one, and I don’t want to cause him any more pain than I can help.”

Caelum’s mother studied her carefully, taking in the Rider’swords. At last, she spoke. “Thank you, Eliana. Thank you for caring enough toprotect my son.”

She nodded, then answered quietly. “And thank you… forgiving him to me. Thank you for giving me someone who loves me as he does.”

Eliana stood to leave, but was stopped by Ivi’s slim hand onher arm. The Queen Mother stood and pulled her into a quick embrace. Then sheheld her at arm’s length and said, “This war that we’re about to enter… if itends well for you both… I would be honored to have you in our family, RiderEliana.”

She smiled and embraced the woman again, but made noresponse. She wished with all of her heart that it could be so, but somehow,she feared that it wouldn’t.