The screeching sound of steel hitting steel, rang through the air as Ann’s cutlass met Lidea’s broadsword.
Despite the blade’s slenderness, it hid a surprising strength that should have given Lidea trouble. Yet, she couldn’t help but find her opponent unbearably slow.
With ease, she deflected each of the captain’s blows, abating her time as she waited for the perfect opportunity. Seeing her chance, Lidea hit her square in the shoulder with the flat side of her demon steel blade. The strike produced a loud thud.
Ann stumbled and as she took a moment to recover, Lidea glanced over to the side.
Warchief was following their fight with a peculiar sparkle in his eyes. The kind that told Lidea that he was moments away from joining in. His weakened body be damned.
She wasn’t the only one to notice, as Crystal glared at him. Promising him hell if he dared to act upon those urges.
Luckily the man seemed to know better and therefore stayed seated but for a slight twitch whenever something especially exciting happened.
Lidea wished that he would be better soon. Even though she hadn’t sparred in months, her body had quickly remembered their training together, and now the captain formed barely enough of a challenge to keep her interest.
"Can you afford to be distracted!?"
The cutlass struck her and would have cut her on the cheek if Lidea hadn’t avoided it with a single step to the side.
A gasp came from their audience. Fran, the magician, had been both enthralled and horrified by their fighting matches.
Her presence incensed Ann’s temper and increased her short-sightedness. Making her fight even more predictable than before.
Seeing the captain's face morph into a snarl of frustration, Lidea felt herself starting to gloat just a little bit.
Without uttering a word, she raised one eyebrow while grinning a bit too smug.
Warchief must have rubbed off on her.
"Clearly she can!"
The man himself laughed loudly at the captain’s failure. Causing her face to grow even more stormy.
"Perhaps we should take a break?"
A pinch of pity made Lidea offer her an easy way out, but the woman’s tempestuous green eyes whipped at her with murderous intent.
"I'm not tired yet."
She spat out her bald-faced lie, and Lidea could see the copious amount of sweat pouring off her body. Not that she was faring much better. Even though the fight had been one-sided, they had still been sparring since the early morning.
"Well, I am."
The captain gritted her teeth and Lidea awaited her protest, only to be saved by the helm man’s cries.
Land was in sight.
As one, they all followed where he was pointing.
Between the rugged peaks that stuck from the water like lone towers, appeared a sickle-shaped island. Jagged mountains of black volcanic rock ran along its spine and formed the backdrop of what looked to be a small city constructed of yellowish stone.
They were heading straight for its pebble beach which turned into a flat stretch of green grass. An unusual feature that felt almost unnatural in the environment they had seen so far.
Looking at the city, one building stood out. A massive tower whose countless levels were perforated with arches of black.
It was connected by bridges to four similar towers which were significantly smaller in size.
Black birdlike shapes flew all around the city as if it were infested.
"The Dragon Order."
Warchief whispered breathlessly, his grin wide in excitement.
It made Lidea take a second look at those ‘birds’, realizing her mistake. They were dragons. Adult-sized dragons.
Which meant that the fortress of towers had to be far larger than what she had first imagined. Perhaps even greater than the castle of Astresh.
"All hands on deck, we are preparing to dock!"
Ann's command was greeted by a choir of yes madams as all became instantly busy.
"So, how much chance is there that they will just let those dragons eat us?"
Lidea whispered when no one but their trio remained. Causing Warchief to chuckle and Crystal looked thoughtfully.
"I was told that dragons do not enjoy human meat. So we should be fine. They would rather drown us."
She wasn’t sure if the healer understood that her explanation hadn’t exactly eased her concerns.
“We will be fine. You got the letter right?"
Warchief swiftly smoothed over the conversation and Lidea removed the letter from the bag that she had thrown off to the side.
"Haven't left it out of my sight."
"Good."
His eyes returned to the beach just as a shadow fell over them. Looking up, a grand red dragon had just passed them overhead. Its wingspan easily dwarfed the width of the very ship they were on.
Although the sea drake had been bigger, Lidea found her heart racing at seeing its winged cousin.
"Ready to meet your people?"
Crystal asked with a sly smile and Lidea didn't answer. Too busy with staring after the majestic creature.
They beached less than an hour later. The men quickly got up to start unloading the wares they had brought.
As they did so, a brown dragon landed barely a couple of feet away on the beach. It’s rider jumping off with an agility that Lidea could only dream of.
“Derron”
Ann greeted the rider, swiftly handing out another command to her men, before hurrying up to meet him.
The rider for his part, just stayed put. His eyes scanned the crew until they found their unexpected trio.
“I thought you were the type to read contracts meticulously, Annemarije.”
The captain frowned as she let the comment momentarily affect her before she regained her composure.
“I am. But I am also smart enough to understand when rules should be bent.”
Gesturing for them to come closer, Lidea decided to take the lead. Partially as it was her heritage that might get them heard, but also due to sheer curiosity.
She had never met a dragon rider, and though the man’s appearance was rather plain, she couldn’t help but feel drawn to him.
Seeing his blue eyes narrow at her, she wondered if he might feel a similar kind of connection.
“Bold aren’t you? Since when is it your place to make such decisions?”
“I was the one to request this of her. If it bothers you, then feel free to do with me what you want. But do me a favor and read this first.”
Lidea interjected while handing over her great-uncle’s letter.
Even though he wore gloves, the rider still pulled a face while accepting the dirty piece of paper. Unrolling it with an almost bored expression which changed to one of curiosity as his eyes scanned the contents.
Once done, he stared at her intensely, studying her as if looking for something.
“My name is Lidea Valkyrea, Milena Chasseur was my mother.”
Lidea supplied and the rider nodded in understanding, before handing back the letter and eying her once more. Looking more skeptical than anything else.
“You might be, but you have no magic.”
Seeing his change in attitude at that discovery, irritated her but she kept her calm.
Crystal had said that not all riders were magicians, besides, hadn’t she been acknowledged by a dragon?
Lidea glanced at the brown dragon that lay behind Derron. It was staring at her intensely, as if curious about what she would do.
Its interest helped her feel confident and she lifted her chin as she answered with defiance.
“Correct, but from what I understand that isn’t a requirement. Even without magic, it stands that I am a rider candidate.”
It was the first time that she had claimed herself to be as such. But somehow the title felt more right to her than any of the other ones that she had gone by in the past.
Ever since that first flight, the way she saw herself had changed. No longer was she just Lidea Valkyrea, the noblewoman who became a resistance leader.
Her answer seemed to take him aback, but the sight of his growing grin told her that she hadn’t messed it up yet.
“You are right, but it is rare.”
His statement hung in the air as he considered Lidea. Taking his sweet time, until he came to a decision.
“It isn’t every day that we might find another rider, you did well Captain.”
Annemarije seemed relieved at this sign of goodwill as she lowered her head respectfully.
“I’m glad to hear so. Then I will entrust them into your care, Derron. Meanwhile, I can finish our business here. If you will allow so?”
It was odd to see the daring woman speak with so much care. Her posture was tense until the rider eventually nodded.
His eyes left the woman to look at both Crystal and Warchief. There was clear contempt in his gaze, making it obvious that he would have rather just taken her.
However, he didn’t speak his thoughts out loud and simply gestured for them to follow.
Without another word, he took some sort of crystal necklace from around his neck and kept it against his mouth before speaking in rapid fire.
“A communication crystal. He must be informing his higher-ups.”
Crystal murmured so softly that Lidea could barely hear her over the sound of their footsteps while they rushed after the long-legged man.
With the departure of its rider, the dragon spread its giant wings and took off as well. Creating a rush of air that whipped Lidea’s braid into her face.
She couldn’t help but pause and watch it fly in awe. Only looking away, once the animal had disappeared at the horizon.
Lidea had expected Derron to have continued without a care, but instead, he waited not far away from her with a gentle smile on his face.
“It never gets old.”
There was a warmth in his words, which made Lidea doubt her first impression of him being rather standoffish.
Picking up her speed, she caught up to him and decided to dare her luck.
“Derron…? Can I call you that?”
The man looked slightly amused, nodding once while raising a questioning eyebrow.
A sure sign for her to go on.
“Can I ask who you are? Captain Annemarije seemed to know you.”
She expected him to be tight-lipped but was surprised when he answered without hesitation.
“I am head of security. When a foreign ship docks here, it is my job to make sure that they don’t bring anything unwanted.”
He looked pointedly at Warchief and Crystal behind them. Making sure that she knew just how displeased he was with the company she kept.
“Without them, I wouldn’t have made it here.”
Lidea defended their presence, not willing to let his disrespect towards them slide. But instead of growing angry, he merely smirked.
His reactions were so different from what she had expected, that she felt her defenses relax a little.
Wondering if everything would go far smoother than she had expected.
Coming up closer to the village, she admired the small stone houses. Most of them had converted their downstairs into shops selling everything from metal and leather products, to candles and even jewelry. It confused her, as the island itself looked rather desolate. With no farms or mines in sight.
It made no sense for an island community to be this rich when they had barely any trade going on.
Magic.
The possible answer came to her and intuitively she looked to Derron. The only one who could tell if her guess was right.
“If you have a question, then ask, little one.”
Lidea flushed, feeling caught, but decided that he had opened the door anyway.
“All of this is made by magic, right?”
The rider nodded in agreement.
“Magic is our greatest resource. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to survive on a barren rock like this. Even the grass we walk on was artificially created.”
Disbelief must have crossed her face as he chuckled gently. Seemingly amused by her naivety.
“Wouldn’t that cost an enormous amount of energy?”
“It did. Many riders sacrificed their magic completely to accomplish it. Your great uncle being one.”
The sudden admission startled Lidea. She had never considered hearing about him, even if she should have.
“My great uncle… is he still…?”
Derron shook his head, his eyes sorrowful.
“Magic is what sustains our long lives, without it, we will die like any other. He knew that and still decided to pour his energy into creating fertile soil.”
Lidea turned quiet, thinking of the man who had been forgotten by her family. Had her grandfather never missed him?
He sounded like a good man. Not one that deserved the fate he had endured.
A shadow fell over them as they continued and reached the giant tower structure that she had seen before.
Standing up close, she could now see that each of those dark arches was an entrance through which dragons hopped freely in and out.
“What are they?”
Derron followed her gaze and smiled.
“Apartments. Most riders live in the towers when they first finish their studies or if they form part of the military. A part of it is open to allow a dragon to nest but still be close to their rider.”
Seeing the tower reach far up into the sky, she wondered just how many riders must be living for each of those apartments to be filled.
“We are here.”
Derron announced as he stepped up to the door leading into the structure. Letting them enter before him. The interior decoration and structure felt strangely nostalgic.
Confused, it took her a moment to realize what it reminded her of.
The style was similar to the Chasseur house of the underground shelter, where she had stayed.
It had the same type of wood paneling which lined the walls, with familiar carvings. This time not displaying Lynoën past royalty, but famous past riders.
“It must have been hard for the riders to leave everything behind.”
She remarked softly, seeing Derron’s eyes gentle as he nodded.
“Very.”
His tone was so certain that she took another look at him. Only now wondering how old he could be.
There was no trace of grey in his hair, nor a wrinkle in his face, but still she could feel how the passage of time had worn him down.
“You sound like you experienced it yourself.”
“Because I did.”
Though she suspected it, his answer still stunned her. She had learned to accept that Crystal was far older than she looked, but this was still different. Derron looked completely human.
After walking up a dozen stairs in silence, they followed a hallway and reached a door that was greatly decorated.
“The three of you wait here. I will call you in when they are ready for you.”
Lidea nodded, rubbing her hands together as she felt her nerves grow. Somehow she knew that the moment had come that would decide on their future and that of Lynoës.
“He is inside.”
Warchief whipped from one foot to the other as he stared at the door through which Derron had disappeared.
His excitement confused her before she realized who he meant.
“The Hûldralian Prince?”
Her nerves took up another notch as he nodded.
“You do understand that isn’t a good thing for us? He must be angry about us impersonating him.”
She hissed, wanting his grin to disappear but Warchief just shook his head.
“He wouldn’t care about such a thing.”
“Says you.”
Their growing argument was broken up as the door creaked open. Allowing her to view inside and see a round table with about a dozen people sitting at it.
All looking the same ambiguous age of thirty to forty. All riders, if Lidea were to guess.
Then her attention was pulled beyond the table to where a throne stood, cast in shadows due to the overabundant light coming from the windows behind it. The darkness almost concealed the figure who sat there. Dressed in black leather clothing which accented his raven black hair and contrasted starkly to his pale complexion.
His long legs were crossed elegantly and his expression was like an impenetrable mask that showed not even a hint of emotion. Beside him stood a sword that leaned against the throne and a long whip like those used by slavers, hung from his waist.
He almost looked like the sort of dark prince, that her sister would have swooned over.
If it wasn’t for his blood-red eyes which almost glowed. Never before had someone’s gaze influenced her this way. Make her feel terrified.
As if he was some sort of grand predator and she was just an ant that was about to be squashed under his foot.
A man made of darkness.
Without waiting for anyone, Warchief strode toward the menacing figure and Lidea almost tugged him back. Afraid of what the man would do to him.
“Human prince of Elves. I see that you don’t cower before me anymore.”
A hint of amusement sounded through his baritone voice that made her shudder. His words sounded unnatural. Wrong.
Glancing beside her, she could see that Crystal had turned pale as she kept her gaze on the ground. Giving Lidea the idea, that her apprehension might be caused by more than just the man’s appearance.
“Do I need to?”
Though Lidea could see the tension in Warchief’s posture, he didn’t sound intimidated. Answering the monster of a man with his typical calm confidence.
The prince didn’t respond for a while, his silence causing all around to grow uncomfortable, but still, Warchief kept staring him down without fear.
“A wiser man would. But no, there is no reason for me to harm someone like you.”
Finally, those blood-red eyes shifted to one of the people sitting around the table and in turn, a woman scraped her throat.
“So I heard that you are the descendent of the Chasseur line?”
A brown-haired woman spoke as she looked over at Lidea. Her amber eyes sparkled as she considered her closely.
Lidea could see that Warchief was still staring at the man, but was glad to be distracted and deal with this far more pleasant person.
“I am. My great uncle was Daevys Chasseur.”
“So air magician?
Lidea cringed at her assumption, wondering if it was truly that strange to be a rider without magic.
“I have no ability.”
The silence after her declaration was palpable as all attendees stared at her in confusion.
“Then why did you believe yourself to be a rider?”
The woman softened her words, speaking kindly as if to not break a foolish dream.
For some reason, her consideration felt like an insult, and Lidea gritted her teeth to avoid losing her temper.
“The messenger dragon you sent us, recognized her as such.”
Crystal spoke up before Lidea needed to. Despite her pallor, her words sounded firm though they didn’t have the effect that they had expected.
“We send you a message?”
The woman raised an eyebrow in disbelief and shared a questioning look with the others. Confirming that none of them had any idea what she was going on about.
Breathing in deeply, Lidea prepared herself for the onslaught she knew was about to come. They weren’t going to take this news well, but there was no way to hide it. Not that she had planned to, anyway.
From the corner of her eye, she could see that dark figure smirk. Clearly already aware of what she was about to say, and awaiting the show.
It irked her and made her straighten her back and lift her chin.
“We were the ones who impersonated the Hûldralian Prince.”
For a moment there was another silence, until those present erupted into outrage. Shouting over one another, their words turned into an amalgamation of anger and indignation which was impossible to understand.
“Enough!”
With one word from the brunette, the room turned unnaturally quiet even though the lips of those around her never stilled.
Only once they registered that their voices had been muted did their agitated movements stop, and they all turned to stare at the brown-haired rider.
Her eyes were glowing and there was a hint of irritation in her voice as she spoke up.
“Apologies for that, but you must understand that what you did was criminal. I’m appalled that you even dared to show your face here.”
Lidea didn’t immediately answer, as her eyes caught Warchief’s decidedly guilty ones. Their offense reminded her of the anger she had felt at discovering his deceit.
Yet, she found that she no longer felt the same.
Not, when the faces of the death haunted her, every time she closed her eyes.
Using another’s name might not have been the respectable thing to do, but it had been effective at drawing attention to their situation even if no one had given a damn in the end.
“Think what you will. My people needed help so I did what was necessary.”
Her answer caused surprise to flicker through Warchief’s eyes, and the brunette rider’s expression morphed from disdain to one that was far harder to read.
Grudging respect maybe? Or rather, a deep-felt understanding.
As if by the snap of a finger, her eyes stopped glowing and noise returned to the room. However this time, no one attempted to speak until she did.
“I suppose, it is up to the offended party to decide on your punishment.”
Though spoken calmly, Lidea understood the danger hidden in those words. The dread built within her as she looked over to where the dark figure was still seated. Her gaze met his fearsome red one, as the rider urged him on.
“Don’t you agree, Prince Cullyun?”
The man didn’t respond as he looked down at Lidea. Making her nerves grow with every passing moment as she struggled to avoid looking away.
Suddenly the very air felt lighter and she could swear that there was a bare hint of a smile on his otherwise stoic face, as he answered in melodic tones.
“There is no need for punishment when she never succeeded.”
His words resulted in another shockwave going through those attending, causing some to rise up in protest. Their chairs scraped painfully over the precious wooden flooring.
“But, my lord! She insulted you!”
One brave soul spoke out, only to be silenced when the Prince’s eyes slid over to him.
Sheer terror made the man’s legs give out, and he fell back into his chair with an ungraceful thud.
From the corner of her eyes, Lidea could see Warchief smiling. His smug expression telling her ‘told you so’ without words.
“I was the one who was wronged. So it is my right to decide what will be done or not done to her.”
The power in those strangely accented words intrigued her. Though she couldn’t feel the effect, she could see it in those around her. Their gazes shifted downward in submission as he looked over them until he finally found her eyes once more.
“Understood, my Lord.”
The brunette didn’t meet his eyes, but neither did her voice tremble as she answered calmly and without hesitation.
It reminded her of how one would avoid showing fear in front of a predator.
“Good. Now, you have come all this way to ask me a question. Haven’t you?”
Somehow Lidea wasn’t surprised that he already knew why they had come. Probably, he even had his answer ready.
Though he had decided to spare them any punishment, Lidea suspected that his response wouldn’t be any more favorable for them. Still, she wouldn’t know, unless she asked.
“I have. There is a war in Lynoës, and I want to formally request your help.”
“I refuse.”
His swift reaction stunned her, and for a moment she could do nothing but stare at him.
Having said his piece, his attention waned and the prince shifted so he leaned back onto his throne. Physically showing his boredom as he tapped his fingers on the armrest.
Lidea had expected his rejection, but his blatant disregard for their plight made her narrow her eyes in anger.
“You can’t be serious!?”
A sudden warmth spread through the room as Warchief strode forward towards the Hûldralian prince.
“The nerve! Who do you think, you are talking to!?”
One of the riders grabbed onto Warchief’s sleeve, only to be shaken off as the enraged man advanced until he stood face-to-face with Cullyun.
Lidea’s heart stilled, expecting the eerie man to attack yet he didn’t.
“People are suffering! You could end this all instantly, and you tell me that you won’t!?”
His anger caused a sweltering heat to rise into the room and Lidea grew fearful of what might happen.
Although she shared his frustration, she knew better than to provoke the Dragon Order.
“Warch…”
“Humans always wage war. Why would I fight this one but not another?”
Cullyun answered before she could interfere, making her notice just how calm he stayed while faced with Warchief’s accusations.
Even though he held the power to silence them immediately, he didn’t. Which made her question why.
Why bother listening to their request at all? Or giving them the chance to protest.
“Because this one is important. You aren’t this shortsighted! This war is going to spread, and soon everyone with magic will be affected!”
Something in Warchief’s raging called her attention. In the months, she had gotten to know the man, she had learned that his sense for people was scarily accurate.
Had he really misjudged this prince? Or was something else going on?
Looking over the council, she could see that none seemed too concerned with what was going on. As if Cullyun couldn't change his mind, no matter what Warchief would say.
“My answer stays the same. It is no longer up to me to decide the winner of wars.”
“You can’t be serious!? Do you know what we went through!? I assured them that you would understand. Due to my words, they risked their lives to get here!”
For a second those reddish eyes glanced at the council of riders, before swiftly returning to Warchief.
Without meaning to, she remembered the vision that the dragon had shown her. Another oddity.
If the dragon had suspected that the Order wouldn’t hear them out, then why had it given her an answer at all?
Just because she was a potential dragon rider?
“Then you should have known better.”
There was not a hint of remorse in Cullyun’s voice but Lidea’s instincts screamed at her that there was more going on than they realized.
Seeing Warchief readying himself for another screaming match, she quickly lunged forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Pulling him away and causing Warchief to look at her with a mixture of frustration and annoyance.
However, her attention was strictly on the Prince.
“We understand. But I have a second request.”
Warchief’s shoulder tensed underneath her hand displeased that she had accepted his refusal without a fight. It seemed like he still didn’t know her well enough.
“Go on.”
The prince looked intrigued as he waved her to continue, and Lidea took a deep breath.
“I want to attend the order. If you won’t involve yourself in this war, then I will fight it myself.”
A snort of disbelief came from somewhere behind her, one of the councilmen no doubt. Yet the prince considered her request seriously.
“Becoming a rider takes years.”
Lidea nodded in understanding. Already aware that she wouldn’t be able to be trained fully.
“I don’t have years. But I hope to learn what I can.”
“This is ridiculous!”
A man shouted from the back, only to be silenced by one glance from Cullyun.
“I will permit it. Sheera, let her register.”
Lidea’s heart stammered, convinced that she must have heard him wrong. She hadn’t expected him to give in so easily.
Looking over her shoulder, she could see fury in the brunette’s face.
Yet she nodded without protest.
“Of course, My Lord. Derron, show our guests to a room. We will discuss the details later.”
Her words were curt but no one paid attention to her disrespect.
Giving a deep bow, Derron opened the door to let them out and Lidea followed. Dragging Warchief behind her.
Through some miracle, the man had calmed down just enough to keep his tongue.
The three of them were soon brought to a suite of rooms that were spacious and clearly meant for well-off guests. Derron excused himself there, stating he needed to handle the business at the port.
Not that Lidea minded. As soon as he was gone, she whipped around to Warchief and Crystal.
“I’m so sorry, Lidea. I thought he was better than this.”
Warchief’s orange eyes seemed defeated as he hung his head.
“It is too soon to give up yet. I won us some time here. Now, we just have to find a way to convince them.”
Her determination seemed to take Warchief aback, his mouth hanging open until laughter bubbled up from deep within his chest.
“Since when did you become the optimistic one of us two?”
“Well, you seem to be slacking off in your role.”
Lidea quipped back easily enough. Looking out of the window to see the dragons in the sky.
No, it was far too early for them to give up. They would find a reason that would motivate them to join, and in the meantime, she would learn everything she could at one of the best institutions in the world.
“It seems like I have. You do a good job of it though.”
Warchief grinned before shaking his head.
“You are right. We will find a way.”
Tipping her head sidewards, Crystal came to stand beside Lidea. Watching the same blue sky.
“Perhaps we could reach others from here. I know the letters didn’t work, but now that you are a potential dragon rider and no longer just a young noblelady, someone might listen.”
Lidea doubted it, but she still cherished the healer’s input.
“We will give it all we have. We have come too far to leave here empty-handed.”
Turning back to the other two, Lidea exchanged glances with either of them. Wanting to confirm that they were both in for it.
As expected though, neither showed any hesitation.
They were in this together, until the end.
ns 15.158.61.42da2
