Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
The Hatchling

“Eliana!” Caelum shouted. “I know that you can do betterthan that, now fight like it matters!”

She ground her teeth and plunged forward, swinging the swordwith all of her strength. He easily blocked her strike and stepped around her,smacking her lightly on the back with the flat of his blunted blade.

“Stop rushing!” he barked, like he was a commanding officertraining a soldier. “Think before youattack!”

Eliana let her sword hang down by her side, breathingheavily. “Caelum, this is ridiculous,” she panted. “This isn’t even a fairfight. You’re stronger and faster than I am! You’re an elf, and I’m just—.”

His sword rushed upwards and pointed at her throat. Eliana stiffenedand looked down its shining length to his burning blue eyes on the other end, remindingher of the first time she’d seen him, pointing a sword at her on the bank of ariver.

“Don’t you say it,” he growled under his breath. “You arean elf. Now stand and act like one!”

He lowered the sword and gave her a hard shove with his lefthand, making her stumble backwards. She caught herself, then scowled at him.

“What is wrong with you?” she snapped.

He smiled in his usual, disarming way, and some of her angerdissipated. “You asked me to teach you, didn’t you? So I’m teaching you. Now,are you ready to learn?”

Eliana gave a curt nod and lifted her sword, sliding intothe fighting stance he had taught her.

“Good,” he said with a satisfied smile. “Now, you need torelax. Don’t use your anger to fight. Your anger will work against you. Itmakes you foolish. It makes you take stupid risks. So control it. Rein it in.If you can control your emotions, you can control your body. And once you cancontrol your body, you can control your magic.”

She took a slow breath and tried to clear her mind, calmingherself. He’d had her practicing meditation for two weeks now, and she took hermind into the calm, open state of meditation, thinking of nothing but what washappening around her in that moment.

She watched as Caelum’s feet slid into the same fightingstance and he raised his own sword. This time, she waited for him to movefirst. In one swift movement, he stepped forwards and swung his blade towardsher head. She quickly lifted her sword and blocked the blade. She used hissword’s momentum to force it downwards, away from her, and brought her ownsword back up towards his chest.

She still had not learned to anticipate his speed, and hequickly dodged her thrust and moved to her side. He brought his sword downwardsagain in a shining arc. She blocked the swing and stepped sideways, dancingaway from his flashing blade. He moved forward again, coming towards her andswinging the sword low.

Eliana jumped backwards, and she spotted an opening. Sheparried a quick inwards strike and raised her sword towards his neck. But onceagain, his speed surprised her, and he ducked away, spinning behind her.

She turned quickly to face him, sword raised to block thenext attack. To her surprise, she found Caelum standing with his sword restingat his side, his lips curved into a small smile. Eliana lowered her sword,panting, and tilted her head to one side, confused by the sudden cessation ofaction.

“Well done,” he said, smiling still. “If I had been human,you would have easily bested me.”

Her lips curved a little in self-satisfaction. “Too bad ittook me two weeks to figure it out.”

He laughed and stepped up to her, putting a hand on herflushed cheek. He smiled at her. "You've done well," he said, and herpink cheeks turned a shade darker. "When you learn to not let your angercontrol you, you're actually quite a good fighter."

Over the past two weeks, she had spent nearly every wakinghour with Caelum. He drilled her at the sword, showed her the city, and sattelling her stories about his life growing up in Iterum. He accompanied her tothe library and sat with her through Mara's lessons about elven history. His gentleattentions was nearly impossible for her to ignore, unused to it as she was,but it no longer unsettled her—at least, not in the usual way.

Eliana blinked and pulled back from the touch on her cheek."Yes, well, you're a good teacher," she answered quickly.

He returned his sword to the rack at the edge of thepractice field, and Eliana did the same. “That’s enough for today,” he said,stretching his arms skyward. “Tomorrow, we’ll begin on archery.”

“Archery?” she repeated. “I thought you said we’d do magic.”

He shook his head. “Sword, then archery, then magic. Youneed to learn more control before Mara and I can teach you magic.”

“But I’ve already used it!”

“You’ve used human spells,” he corrected her, “and you onlyused elven magic once, by chance. Elven magic is much more attached to youremotions, your state of mind, than human sorcery. All elves learn this way.First, you must learn to control yourself, to check your mind and youremotions. You can’t control the earth’s magic without first being able tocontrol your own mind.”

She was about to argue, but something stopped her. At theback of her mind, there was a feeling of frantic confusion, a sense ofdistress. She froze, staring past Caelum. Then, with a shock, she realized whatthe feeling was. She bolted towards the palace.

The elf paused for a moment in surprise, then followed, quicklycatching up to her. “What’s the matter?” he asked, drawing up beside her.

“It’s the egg,” she panted, her voice desperate andpanicked. “Something’s wrong. I- I don’t know what. But I can feel it.Something is wrong.”

He passed her and yanked open the palace doors for her. Theydarted past the startled guard, who called after them, “My lord! What is thematter?”

They continued without a response, passing Domus and boltingthrough the back doors to the courtyard. They bounded up the spiraling stairsto Eliana’s bedroom. It looked undisturbed, except for the shelf above the bed.The dirty fabric of the sling was still crumpled on the shelf, where Eliana hadleft it. But the egg that had rested on top of the fabric two hours before wasgone.

Panic clutched at her heart, stopping a breath in herthroat. Gone… she thought. It’s gone… But it can’t be gone! I promised…

A flash of white darted into the room from the bridge. Itwas Astrum, his golden eyes bright, his white fur ruffled as he looked up atthem. “This way!” he called without pretense.

Neither Caelum nor Eliana questioned him as they followedthe swift fox across the bridge and into Caelum’s home. They crossed the roomwithout hesitation and jumped through the large, round window that opened ontothe balcony. Astrum leapt onto the balcony railing, then soared to the top ofthe stone wall several feet away. Caelum followed with hesitation, but Elianahalted on the balcony.

She stared at them, standing on the top of the wall, whichsuddenly seemed to be so far away. The fox and the elf stopped and looked backat her.

“Jump!” Caelum shouted.

She shook her head and took a step back. “I can’t! I’ll goaround, through the palace, and catch up with you on the other side.”

“There is no time, Eliana,” Astrum said, his smooth voicecalm, yet urgent. “She will destroy youregg. She will kill that dragon if you do not stop her. And you will not reachher in time if you go back through the palace.”

Her heart was beating in her throat. “It’s too far.”

“Eliana!” Caelum shouted at her. “Stop doubting yourself! Nowhave a little faith, and jump!”

She took a breath and ran forward, vaulting off of thebalcony’s wooden railing. The ground rushed by, a hundred feet below. Her feetstruck the edge of the stone wall with a jarring sensation. Immediately, herleft foot began to slip off the edge, and she teetered backwards.

One of Caelum’s arms seized her by the waist and pulled heraway from the edge, pressing her close to his side. “See?” he said. “I told youthat you could do it.”

“We must hurry,” Astrum urged.

The Seer turned and leapt from the top of the wall to abranch of a large tree near the opposite side. Caelum and Eliana followed,slipping nimbly down between the branches before dropping to the ground. Themoment their feet touched the earth, they sprinted forward again, following thefox’s white tail through the trees.

Eliana’s heart was pounding, her breath burning in herlungs, but she did not stop. In her mind, she was seeing the tiny, jewel-tonedbodies of seven baby dragons, slaughtered and ripped from their eggs. She wouldnot allow that to happen to this egg. Not to her egg…

They had reached the wide river that she had crossed withCaelum two weeks before, and were running along its bank, heading east. Aheadof them, the churning white rapids vanished over the edge of a waterfall.There, where the swift, churning water disappeared, stood a thin figure withlong, blonde hair, twisted into a braid down her back.

She was facing away from them, but Eliana could see the eggin her hands. The golden orb hovered over the edge of the waterfall, with onlythe slim, pale hand of the thief keeping it from plunging to the icy water androcks below.

An animal rage swelled inside Eliana, and her lips drew backin a snarl, as if she were prepared to tear out the thief’s throat to protecther hatchling. “Stop!” she roared.

The woman jumped and turned towards the sound of her voice.The egg fell from her hands and clattered onto the rocky shoreline, coming to ahalt just on the edge of the roaring waterfall. Their gazes met for a briefmoment, and Eliana recognized the blue eyes, so full of hatred, the pale,lovely face. Then the thief turned and bolted into the woods.

Eliana let her go, her eyes on the egg. She dropped to herknees beside the golden orb and hastily picked it up off of the riverbank.Immediately, she knew that something was not right. The egg seemed to behumming, vibrating in her hands as she held it. A crack had appeared along theshell.

A brief moment of panic seized her. It’s not possible, she thought. Afall couldn’t break a dragon’s egg. The crack lengthened, and a stream oflight appeared along the jagged line. And then, she realized what washappening. In a panic, she looked up at where Astrum and Caelum had stopped.The elf’s eyes were wide with wonder. The Seer watched her with a calm, knowingexpression on his pointed face, idling swishing his tail.

“What do I do?” she asked frantically.

Seeing the panic in her eyes, Caelum started to stepforward.

“Don’t,” Astrum said quietly. Caelum stopped like someonehad cracked a whip. “We cannot interfere. This is between Eliana and herdragon.”

My dragon? shethought. She looked back down at the egg. The light streaming through the crackin the shell seemed to grow brighter. The hatchling had pushed away a chip, andshe spotted one tiny, white claw, trying to break away more of the hard casing.The tiny dragon worked away at it for several minutes, slowly widening thehole.

Then the movement stopped, and the glow from within the eggdimmed. Through the hole in the shell, Eliana could see one large, green eyepeering at her. In her mind, she felt the hatchling’s exhaustion. She liftedone hand from under the shell and reached for the hole, prepared to use magicto help the hatchling escape his little prison.

“You mustn’t do that.”

She looked up at Astrum’s calm, quiet voice, her handhovering over the shell. “Why not?” she asked.

“Escaping from the shell is what makes a young dragonstrong. He must use his physical strength and his own magic to escape. If hedoes not do it alone, he will forever be weakened.”

Eliana lowered her hand and set the egg on the rocks infront of where she knelt, watching it intently, Caelum and Astrum nearby. Afteranother moment of stillness, the egg began to hum and glow again. It rocked onthe riverbank, pieces of golden shell slowly being chipped away. Suddenly, thelight from within glowed brighter, and then there was a burst of golden light.

Eliana and Caelum both raised an arm to shield their eyesfrom the brilliance of the glow. The egg burst in an explosion of gold light,and the shining, wet hatchling tumbled out onto the dark rocks in a heap ofscales and shell fragments. Eliana watched in wonder as the spindly creaturepulled himself onto his four feet, his wings drooping heavily at his sides, wetwith membrane.

He shook his angular, serpent-like head and blinked hiseyelids, then turned and began to pull the membrane from his wings, devouringit with surprising ferocity for such a small creature. When he had eaten themembrane, the hatchling rubbed his muzzle on his own scales, then looked aroundhim.

He made a chirruping noise, tilting his head from side toside as he surveyed his surroundings. He waddled over the rocks a few steps,looking questioningly at the forest, then up at the skies. Eliana leanedforward, prepared to comfort the lost-looking creature.

“He must come to you,” Astrum said quietly, stopping herbefore she even reached for the hatchling. “It is the only way for the bond tobe properly forged.”

She leaned back, fiddling with anxiety as she watched thehatchling turn towards the sound of Astrum’s voice. He tilted his small head toone side, eyeing first the fox, then Caelum. He seemed to be contemplatingsomething, making a very serious decision in his minutes-old mind. Then, heturned away from them and, for the first time, looked at Eliana.

The hatchling fixed her with its brilliant green gaze, and arainbow of colors immediately streamed across her mind. Warmth and love for thelittle dragon welled inside of her unexpectedly as she watched him struggleover the rocks, making his way across the few feet that separated them.

When he was within reach, Eliana held out her hand to him, likeshe would to an unfamiliar dog. The hatchling stopped and looked at theupraised palm, then up at her face. He chirruped questioningly, tilting hishead to the side in a bird-like manner, watching her with one eye.

She sat patiently, holding the emerald-colored gaze. Then,the hatchling closed his eyes and lowered his muzzle to her palm, nuzzling ather skin. A sudden burning sensation flared up in her palm, and there was aglow of golden light around the dragon’s muzzle.

Eliana yelped and jumped back as the pain shot up her arm.The hatchling squawked in surprise, tumbling backwards onto the rocks. Shepulled her hand into her chest, cradling it as the pain ebbed.

“What was that?” she asked sharply.

“He has marked you,” Astrum said, the fox version of a grinon his muzzle. “You are now bonded, and you belong to one another. You, Eliana,are now a Sky Rider.”

She looked down at her hand. In the center of her palm wasthe shape of a flame. It seemed to shine slightly in the sunlight, giving offwarm golden tones. Gingerly, she touched the fingers of her left hand to it.The mark was smoother and warmer than the rest of her skin.

The hatchling, shaking his head vigorously, had pulledhimself to his feet again, and was now looking at Eliana with something like areprimand in his eyes. In her mind, Eliana saw a cloud of gray, and she couldfeel a sense of irritation.

Despite herself, she laughed at the child dragon’sindignation. “I’m sorry,” she said, holding her hand out to him again. “Comehere, little one. I promise, I won’t do it again.”

The hatchling blinked, then waddled towards her eagerly. Hecame up to her knees, and placed his front claws hesitantly on her lap, lookingup at her questioningly. She gently stroked his head with three fingers. Heclosed his eyes, and she heard him hum deep in his throat, a high-pitched,musical sound.

Then he climbed up into her lap, curled around himself, andlet out a heavy sigh. A wave of calming blue swept through Eliana’s mind, andshe felt the tiny dragon drift off to sleep. She stared down at the creature inher lap, her hand resting atop his thin, folded wings.

“Incredible,” she heard Caelum whisper. “I never imaginedI’d see the day when a dragon and Rider returned to Paerolia.”

She continued staring at the golden infant cradled in herlap, and panic seized her. She felt like a young mother whose child is thrustinto her arms for the first time. How was she supposed to care for this fragilelife for which she was the sole protector? How would she hide him from theelves? What would he eat? How quickly would he grow?

She no longer wondered how long she would be responsible forhim. Her thoughts of caring for him only until he was big enough to defendhimself were cast out of her mind forever. Her heart was now chained to thistiny golden creature, and the thought of parting from him would have been toomuch for her to even bear considering.

Eliana looked up at Caelum and Astrum. “What am I supposedto do with him?” she asked anxiously.

Caelum stepped over to her and squatted beside her, placinga comforting hand on her shoulder. “It will be alright. You don’t have to carefor him alone. Astrum, Mara, and I will do everything in our power to helpyou.”

“But how are we supposed to hide him?” Eliana askeddesperately. “Especially as he grows. Someone is bound to notice a dragon living in the palace courtyard,Caelum.”

He paused, considering this, but Astrum spoke before Caelumhad a chance to respond. “Eliana is right, Caelum. There is no use hiding thedragon, nor Eliana’s heritage any longer. It is a small wonder that Raena, inher jealousy, has not already revealed Eliana’s bloodline to the queen. It istime for all secrets to be revealed. It will be best for your mother to hearthis from you, rather than from Raena or another.”

Caelum sighed, running a hand over his face. “It will not beeasy to tell her…” he muttered. He looked at Eliana and confessed, “You see…there are some among the elves who are like the humans. The old hatred runsdeep, and they fear change. My mother is one of those. I feared how she wouldreact if she learned what you were.”

Eliana sighed, looking back at the sleeping dragon in herlap, irritation gnawing at her, her ferocious pride wounded by his words. “Allthe more reason to tell her then,” Eliana said firmly and quietly. “If she doesnot wish to have a half-blood living in her city, then the truth should not bekept from her any longer.” She lifted her head proudly, the way her father hadtaught her. “Let her pass judgment on me if she wishes.”

Caelum blew out a sharp breath, pushing aside a lock ofblonde hair from his forehead. “Very well then,” he said quietly.

He straightened, and Eliana stood as well, attempting tocradle the sleeping dragon in her arms. The animal made a grunting noise ofirritation and lifted his head. He looked around himself briefly, thenscrambled up Eliana’s arm, his tiny claws scratching her along the way, andperched on her shoulder.

Briefly, he nuzzled her cheek with his tiny muzzle, and shesmiled at him, then followed Astrum and Caelum back towards the palace. Thethief and her identity had been forgotten. Eliana's dragon, and her trueidentity, were about to be revealed.