Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
Daybreak

The sun was just creeping over the walls of Thys. Countlesseyes watched Eliana from every available vantage point. Some stood on thewalls, looking down at where she stood in the square. Some leaned out of thewindows of surrounding buildings. Most crowded the streets and packed the citysquare, surrounding her and her dragon.

She knew what they wanted from her—some great speech, somewords of courage. And she knew that she should give it to them. These dwarves,elves, and humans had banded together in a time when all else told them tofight one another, simply because she had told them that it was what needed tobe done. She knew that many of them would fall within the hour. She owed themat least a few words.

The Rider drew a breath, then turned and clambered up ontoOriens’ back, standing in the saddle and looking at the faces around her. Sheand her dragon were both clad in their armor, and she gripped the hilt of hersword tightly. Gathering her courage, she spoke, her voice echoing through thesilent city.

“My friends… everything we have struggled for comes to this.The end we have been fighting for is within our grasp. Our races, once divided,have now become united. We now stand and fight side by side, unified under onebanner and by one purpose—to bring peace to our land.

“Today, the Last Battle begins. I cannot promise a swiftvictory, but I do know that victory will come. We cannot fail, because we fightfor something far greater than ourselves. Nocens fights only for power. We fightfor our freedom, our families. We fight for our right to live in this land. Wefight for a cause that is just, and so I know that we cannot fail!

“We will sweep our enemies away before us as the morning dewis swept away before the rising sun. Daybreak has come! It is time to chaseaway the night that has too long covered our land. My friends—dwarves, humans,and elves alike—the time is now! To war!”

The noise around her was overwhelming as thousands of voicesrose in loud cheering and shouting. Oriens raised his head and roared loudly,adding his voice to the din. The soldiers lifted their weapons, and stampededto their various posts. The Rider jumped back down to the earth, praying thatshe had not just made them all an empty promise.

“Eliana!”

Her eyes searched frantically for the source of the voice,and found Caelum fighting his way towards her through the crush of bodies. Atlast, he broke free of the masses and sprinted towards her. He did not pause tosee if anyone was watching them. He pulled her to him, crushing her against hischest and pressing his mouth to hers.

His kiss frightened her. It was frantic and desperate, as ifhe knew it would be the last time they would meet like this. She did not fighthim. She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded with just as muchurgency, needing to feel his touch and taste his lips one last time.

When at last he pulled away from her, his expression wasserious. “You know the plan?”

She nodded. “I’ll stay inside the walls for as long as Ipossibly can.”

He returned her nod, looking somewhat relieved.

“Though I don’t seewhy I must be restrained to that arrangement,” Oriens grumbled from behindher.

Caelum gave the dragon a small smile. “Because, though yourbond only dictates you must die if Eliana falls, I fear the opposite may occurif harm should befall you. Your loss would be great to our army, but evengreater to her. You are a part of her, and so you must be defended fromunnecessary danger as well.”

Oriens snorted out a cloud of smoke as he turned his faceaway from them. She knew that he was unhappy about being kept from the fight,but there was little else they could do. Their forces were trapped inside Thysfor now. And because the pair of them were the army’s greatest weapon, theycould not fly out above the enemy and risk unnecessary harm—not when the otherRider could appear at any moment. For now, they must both be confined withinthe city walls.

Caelum and Eliana made their way to the western wall andclimbed up amid the archers. The soldiers immediately made room for them at thefront of the line. As she stood, cradling her black bow in her arms, Elianawatched the army of red tunics approach. Their line seemed to stretch on formiles without end. Her eyes searched their ranks, but she found no sign of Darksorcerer, dragon, or Rider.

The line of men on either side of her seemed to stand asstill as the stones beneath their feet, watching the approach of Nocens’ men.The opposing army stopped just beyond the city wall. A tense silence filled thevalley as the two armies gazed at each other—the brief calm before the terriblestorm. A single figure on horseback rode between the troops.

The soldiers made way for him, and soon, Eliana recognizedNocens, astride the same charger. “This is your last chance!” he shouted, hisvoice echoing against the high, stone walls of Thys. “Give me your Rider! Joinmy army! Help me sweep away the filthy races that pollute our land, and youwill be spared!”

The echoing of his voice faded away into silence. No oneinside Thys moved. Nobody spoke a word.

“Very well,” the emperor said after a moment. He turned hishorse to face his soldiers. “Men! They have made their decision! They havethrown their lots in with the vile beasts of Paerolia. Destroy them! Destroythem all! But leave the Rider for me.”

Nocens raced his horse to the back of his army, well awayfrom danger. A voice near the head of the army shouted a one-word command, andthe red tunics surged forward at the great walls.

An answering command rose from the nearest tower, and the archerson the wall—Eliana and Caelum among them—raised their bows in unison. They alldrew back on their strings, waiting for the front line to come within range.Then, they released their arrows. The points imbedded themselves into shieldsand tunics alike, and many of the enemy fell to the earth.

The first line of archers stepped back to reload their bowsas a second line stepped forward and fired their arrows into the ranks below.As the humans fought to raise ladders against their walls, the processcontinued. The lines of archers switched back and forth methodically, firingarrows down into their enemies, shoving their ladders away from the stone.Whenever a man on the wall fell, another stepped into his place, and they continued.

Eliana suddenly spotted a cluster of raised shields movingforward, protecting and blocking from view whatever was beneath it. Shenarrowed her eyes at the area, firing an arrow into a gap in the shields. Herarrow found its desired place and struck one of the shield-bearers. The manfell aside, and she caught a glimpse of a massive tree trunk, being carried oneither side by a hundred men.

“Battering ram!” she shouted to the men on the wall. “Directyour arrows there!”

The archers obeyed without question, focusing their effortson bringing down the men carrying the ram. Several of the bearers fell, butmore stepped into their places, and the soldiers around them lent the cover oftheir shields to their fellow soldiers, protecting them from further harm.Soon, they reached the gates.

Boom. Eliana feltthe wall beneath her tremble slightly. Boom.She hurried to the edge of the wall and looked down into the city square.

“The gates!”Oriens called to her. “They’re rammingthem! I don’t know how long they’ll hold!”

She looked at Caelum. Judging by the frightened look in hiseyes, she knew he had heard Oriens’ words as well. They both climbed quicklydown the ladder and hit the cobblestones at a run.

Hundreds of men were trying to place large, wooden beamsagainst the trembling gates. Each blow from the battering ram on the other sidemade a splintering sound, and shards of wood flew away from the cracking gates.Eliana turned her eyes to Caelum.

“How long can your magic hold the gates on its own?” sheasked quickly.

He looked confused. “A few seconds at most,” he answered.“Why?”

“That’s all the time I’ll need,” she responded. “I’m goingto tell the men to move. Use your magic to hold the gates closed. I’ll raisethe earth behind it. That should hold them off for a while.”

Caelum gave a sharp nod. They both planted their feet wide,bracing themselves for what they were about to do. Eliana touched Oriens’energy and drew on it.

“Ready?” she asked.

Caelum nodded again, his mouth pressed into a thin line ofconcentration.

“Okay… Everybody, move away from the gate!” she screamed.The men looked at her in confusion for a moment. “Do it!” she shouted. Theyscattered. “Now, Caelum!”

Another blow shook the doors of the city. Caelum’s bodytrembled, his feet sliding backwards on the cobbles. Eliana’s mind called upevery ounce of energy her body could spare, tugging on Oriens’ life force. Witha grunt, she seized the earth with her magic and pulled it upwards. A wall ofrock began to rise in front of the gates. The soldiers outside rammed themagain.

“Hurry, Eliana!” Caelum groaned as he took a stumbling stepbackwards.

With a shout, she heaved the earth upwards, pulling it up tocover the entirety of the city gates. They both released their magic and fellto the cobblestones, panting and sweating. Even Oriens sunk to his knees withfatigue.

Eliana stared at the earth wall for a moment. It shookslightly as a muffled thud echoedaround the square. She let out a sharp, surprised laugh.

“We did it!” she chuckled.

Caelum grinned back at her. “I think it will hold them for afew days, at least.”

She sighed and took a moment to draw energy from the earth,restoring a part of her strength. Then she struggled to her feet. Caelum stoodas well, and they climbed back up to the wall. They reloaded their bows, andrejoined the lines of archers.

The battle raged on for endless hours without much change. Afew times, a handful of red-clad soldiers struggled over Thys’ ramparts. Theywere met with swords and spears, and were quickly driven back to their ranks atthe base of the walls. Though Nocens’ army never gained real purchase on thewalls, the defenders within Thys continued to fall, one by one, at the hands ofthe soldiers and sorcerers below.

“This isn’t working!” Eliana cried in frustration. Shestepped away from the wall once again, reloading her bow. “We cannot hold themback like this forever. Our men are dying and we are gaining no ground!”

“I know,” he answered through gritted teeth. They steppedforward and released another round of arrows. “But what do you suggest we do?”

Her answer came automatically to her tongue, as if sheshould have known this all along. “We have to meet them on even ground.”

He looked at her in surprise. “You want us to leave Thys togo out into the unprotected plains and fight them head on?”

“It’s the only way.”

He shook his head. “No, Eliana,” he responded. “There isalways another way.”

“But not a better one!” she snapped. “We have to—!”

Her sentence was cut off by a raucous cheer from Nocens’men. She immediately cast her eyes about for the source of their excitement;whatever was good for their enemy did not body well for them. Her gaze settledon two dark spots in the western sky. One was much larger than the other, andboth were approaching fast. Time seemed to slow as her heart sped up. Peior andthe Dark Rider were approaching.

She tore her eyes from the shapes in the sky to look at theelf beside her. He was already looking at her, terror in his eyes. They hadboth known this moment would come sooner or later. But they had foolishly hopedthe battle would be won before these—their greatest enemies—arrived.

She forced herself to look away from him. “Oriens!” sheshouted.

The golden dragon was hovering in front of her in a matterof seconds. She could sense his eager, confident energy, but it did not stiflethe trembling inside of her. Caelum grabbed her arm.

“Wait!” he cried.

She turned back to him. “Caelum, I have to go. I have to dothis!”

She had never seen him look more frightened. “I know,” heanswered, his voice brimming with emotion. He pulled her into his arms andkissed her again, sweetly and gently this time. It felt horribly like a goodbyekiss. “Be safe, my love,” he whispered.

She nodded, stepping away from the safety of his arms. “Andyou.”

Then she turned away and, with one long leap, landed inOriens’ saddle. He took off over the walls with record speed, flying quicklyover the red army before their enemies had time to try and attack them. Elianaleaned low in the saddle as her dragon’s wings pounded beside her, carryingthem closer to their two most powerful enemies.

For a moment, she wished that the wild dragons were besideher, but she forced the thought aside. The dragons were not coming. She andOriens were fighting alone.

She could hear Oriens’ voice roaring in her mind. “Blood! Traitor! Egg-smasher! I will haveyour blood!”

The two black figures were before them now, and Peiorsuddenly stopped and let the dragon fly ahead. The Rider, cloaked in black,bent low in the saddle, a silver sword flashing in his hand. His black dragonwas armored in dark grey metal, and she bore her teeth as she snarled. The twodragons raced towards each other, smoke rolling from between Oriens’ teeth.

The two serpentine forms collided, making Eliana’s teethclack together. Claws and fangs screeched on steel and clattered against scalesas the two tried to gain an advantage over the other. All Eliana could do wasstruggle to stay in the saddle during the snarling, tumbling battle in the sky.

The dragons finally sprang apart as Oriens released a jet offlame. The agile black female snaked out of the way, growling in anger. She wasobviously not yet mature enough to breathe fire; Eliana and Oriens had at leastone advantage. Oriens roared a challenge, and the black dragon seemed to drawback in fear.

“You stupid animal!” the Rider screamed. “Don’t you dare runaway again! Fight! Fight, or Peior will deal with you!”

The voice slammed against Eliana’s memory like a kick from amule, and her heart sank into her stomach. She knew him. She knew that Rider.

“Oriens!” sheshouted to him. “Try to get into thatdragon’s mind if she’ll let you. And get us above them. I want a look at thatRider.”

With one powerful thrust of his wings, he pulled them intothe air above their enemy. The black dragon darted out from underneath them andlifted herself and her Rider above them. Oriens immediately responded, and thetwo dragons continued climbing skywards, darting around and over each other inrapid succession. Suddenly, Oriens snapped his wings closed, diving towards theearth.

“After them!” the Dark Rider shouted.

Eliana glanced back to see their dark shapes hurtling downafter them, the female’s triangular black head pointed straight at the earth,gaining on them. When they were nearly level, the golden wings sprang open,lifting them above the black dragon. The female reacted immediately, openingher wings as well, but the split-second delay was all Eliana needed.

She threw herself from Oriens’ back, falling directly towardsthe Rider in the saddle below. He looked up at the last moment, but was toolate to react. She slammed into him, knocking him from the saddle so that theywere both falling through the air, tumbling over one another, struggling tosubdue the other.

Oriens’ large, golden form dove past them, and the DarkRider’s back struck the saddle, Eliana’s knees in his stomach. She glared downat the Rider—the young face, the dark hair—anger and betrayal growing inside ofher. It had been so long since she’d seen his face, and it had changed.

He was paler, lines of anger and hatred marked his foreheadand mouth, and the irises that had once been a deep purple had turned to solidblack. The Rider sneered up at her with the same, familiar expression from somany months ago.

She had tried to convince herself that it wasn’t true, thatthe pain she’d felt in the boy’s mind would not allow it to be true, but shecould no longer deny what was in front of her.

She clenched her teeth and snarled down at him, “Ater…”