Chapter 1

Dark Ace woke to a loud knocking on his door. He didn't want to move and pulled his black and red blankets tighter around himself. The knocking persisted and he growled. Dark Ace threw off his blankets and walked to his door in only a pair of pants. He opened one side of his door to see a talon standing there.

"What?" Dark Ace asked annoyed and the talon flinched.

The talon swallowed and stated, "Master Cyclonis will see you."

The talon quickly left and Dark Ace huffed. He closed the door and looked around his room. The circular room was very dark with dark green walls and nothing on the walls. All there was, was a large safe for Dark Ace's weapons, a door to a bathroom, a set of four-inch thick, glass double doors to a balcony and an eight by eight foot cell with bars across the front.

Dark Ace looked at the small cell as he walked back to his bed and wondered what Cyclonis was planning. She had the cell built without his knowledge and she wouldn't tell him why. He guessed she already had some plan thought out so he left it alone.

Dark Ace quickly made his bed and changed to his talon uniform. He got his weapons from his safe and then left his room. He walked threw the halls as many talons passed by in a hurry and wondered what was going on. Usually only a few talons would be walking around on watch so early in the day.

Dark Ace found Cyclonis looking over a large map on a table. She didn't even glance up as he stood at the door and waited.

"Come in Dark Ace," Cyclonis stated.

Dark Ace walked to Cyclonis and looked at the map curiously. It was of a large terra that was very far away. He knew little about it except that it was a peaceful people that lived on it.

Cyclonis looked at Dark Ace and asked, "Do you know what terra this is, Dark Ace?"

Dark Ace looked around the map and saw that it was Terra Nymph.

"Terra Nymph, Master Cyclonis," Dark Ace replied.

Cyclonis nodded and stated, "This terra is home to a peaceful people that refuse to fight. It is ironic though, since they are some of the most powerful people there is."

Dark Ace kept listening as Cyclonis walked around the table to stand in front of him.

"These people have something I want and my talons will be lead by Ravess and Snipe to retrieve it. But there's something else I also need you to get for me."

Dark Ace glanced at the map and asked, "What do you need, Master Cyclonis?"

Cyclonis lifted the map and pulled a picture out from under it. She handed it to Dark Ace upside down and Dark Ace read the back of the photo.

"Princess Rain," Dark Ace said and flipped the photo over.

The photo was of a beautiful young girl, about ten years old with long gold hair, gold eyes and a thin build. She stood in a red dress next to a young, pure black winged horse called a sky steed and had her arms lovingly around its neck. The girl looked to be an innocent princess but Dark Ace saw deviance and trouble hidden behind her eyes.

"You are to capture and bring her to Cyclonia," Cyclonis stated and went back to the map.

Dark Ace looked up at Cyclonis and asked, "What are the talons retrieving?"

"Crystals. The terra has element crystals of great power. When used correctly they can cause massive destruction," Cyclonis stated evilly.

Dark Ace looked at the picture of the girl again and asked, "So why do you need the girl?"

Cyclonis began looking over the map again and stated, "Believe it or not, she is the most powerful nymph of all and I have been watching her. If we use her she'll give the sky knights a force greater than you to fight with. She's rather difficult to deal with though, which is why you are going to get her and she'll be staying in the cell in your room."

Dark Ace looked up at Cyclonis surprised and asked, "So the talons are getting the crystals and I have to capture this girl and she'll be kept in my room? I understand that she's the most powerful, but why not get someone easier to handle? If we take the crystals from them they'll have no weapons anyways and we can use them against them."

"That's the annoying catch," Cyclonis stated, "Only the nymphs can activate and use the crystals. We cannot. So, you will bring back the strongest of the nymphs while the talons control the others and destroy any that will not cooperate."

Dark Ace nodded and tucked the photo into a pocket.

Cyclonis looked up at Dark Ace and stated, "The talons have already left to attack the terra. You go now and find the princess. Bring her back and make sure you don't hurt her. Not yet at least."

Dark Ace nodded and replied, "It will be done."

Dark Ace turned to leave but Cyclonis quickly said, "Oh and Dark Ace? That photo was taken seven years ago."

Cyclonis dismissed Dark Ace and he left. He made his way straight to the hanger and found his skimmer. He mounted it and quickly pulled the picture of the girl out again. She looked ten in the picture so Dark Ace guessed that she must be around seventeen now.

"Great. A teenager," Dark Ace muttered and started up his engine.

Dark Ace took off into the sky and flew towards Terra Nymph. It took him a few hours flight to get there but once he did it didn't look like a terra. Cyclonia had destroyed it. The few villages had been burnt and people were being herded to the middle of the terra. Dark Ace flew overhead to search the crowds of people but didn't even see anyone with gold hair. He saw Ravess and Snipe giving more orders to talons and some people were badly hurt.

Dark Ace landed on the terra near the remains of a large, stone building. He looked up at and then called a talon over.

"Is this where the princess was?" Dark Ace asked the talon.

The talon looked slightly confused and replied, "The king and princess lived here, yes. The king is in the crowd. The princess is nowhere to be found."

Dark Ace dismissed the talon and dismounted his skimmer. He looked over at Ravess and Snipe trying to control the people and then entered the building.

The doors had been blown off and some of the walls were crumbing on the inside. Dark Ace walked through the dark Halls of the building and wondered where the princess would be hiding. Any normal girl would run somewhere she felt safe but so far the rooms of the building had no good hiding places.

Dark Ace made his way through all the rooms on the first floor and then the second. He came to the third and found that it was mostly bedrooms. Dark Ace peered through the broken doors of the rooms when he came to the king's room. His door was larger than the other and had the emblem of the terra on it. Dark Ace kept going down the hall and at the end he saw another door with the emblem.

Dark Ace moved briskly to the door and found that it was also broken. He pushed it aside and it toppled to the floor. Dark Ace stepped in the room and was very surprised. The walls and ceiling were bright purple and orange. There was Ivy growing everywhere from pots and through open balcony doors. There was a wardrobe that was open with dresses and clothes all over the floor. There was a small bed with red and purple sheets tossed everywhere while pictures of the same black sky steed hung on the walls.

Dark Ace could smell apples and was surprised since he figured princesses would normally smell of flowers. He stepped further into the room but didn't see anything helpful.

"There must be something here to tell me where you went…" Dark Ace mumbled and looked at the wardrobe.

He walked over to it and pushed some of the dresses and clothes around on the floor. He found nothing under them and then went up to the wardrobe. It was made of wood and painted black on the inside. Dark Ace noticed a small hook in the bottom of it and pulled up on it. The bottom of the wardrobe came loose slightly and Dark Ace could see a hidden compartment beneath it. He pulled it roughly and saw a black bag.

Dark Ace pulled out the bag and set it on the floor. He kneeled and opened it to be shocked. Inside were two daggers, a whip, a red and black fighting uniform, a dark purple book and an extra dress. There was also some food and a water canteen. Dark Ace kept staring at it but then took the purple book out of the bag.

Dark Ace flipped through the book and saw hand written passages with dates on them. He guessed it was the princess's diary and opened it to the last page. He saw wrinkled spots on the page where he guessed tears had landed and began reading the passage dated to a few hours before the talon attack.

"I'm tired of this. I can't stand Father or this place anymore. All he does is insult me and whenever nobodies looking he tries to hurt me. "You're just like your mother" he says, "You're worthless." Well it's not like it was my choice to be a princess. Sorry "Father" but I'm not a perfect little girl and I was never meant to be. I like fighting, I run out at night and I won't let people control me. I can't stand it anymore! I've never wanted to be a stupid princess and I'm not about to start being one. That's not who I am. Tonight I'm going to get out of here. I'm going to get Riko and fly as far away as I can. It was always Mother keeping me here. I know she wanted ME to have her necklace, so I'm going to steal it back and then get out of here. No one can stop me and nobody knows what I'm planning. I have my things ready, Riko is waiting patiently in the forest ready to fly and it will be easy to get Mother's necklace from Father's room. He always kept it locked in his side drawer and I've picked it before for practise. I'll get her necklace, sneak out my balcony and run for Riko. He wants to get away just as much as I do and we'll never return. I don't know where we'll go, but we'll find a way to survive. I could go to Terra Atmosia at first to get started and actually learn about the Atmos. I was never able to learn as much as I wanted when I snuck into Father's library. He thought that keeping me ignorant would make me easier to handle. Ha! Well I'm still going to learn. I want to learn about everything! About the sky nights, the terras and about myself. Father never let me hone my abilities so now I'll be able to. I do admit that I'm scared, but I need this. If I don't get away now I'll end up being trapped forever. I need to save myself. For a long time I was hoping someone would take me far away, but obviously that isn't going to happen. I'm going to save myself and Riko, and tonight all we'll worry about is the sky ahead."

Dark Ace set the book in his lap and stared at the balcony. He put the book back in the bag and walked up to it. He stepped out on the balcony and looked at the thirty-foot drop to the ground. Dark Ace searched around the balcony railing and then finally found a rope tied to an iron ring and hidden by vines.

Dark Ace looked out at a stable with in his sight and then looked at the forest covering the rest of the terra behind the building. He guessed that was where the princess had last been heading.

Dark Ace went back through the room and picked up the bag. He slung it over his shoulder and left the room. He made his way down the hall and stopped at the king's room. He entered the door and fixed his sight on the table beside his bed with a locked drawer.

Dark Ace walked over to the drawer and knelt in front of it. He tried to pull it open but it was locked. He pulled his sword off his back and quickly slashed through the lock. Dark Ace then pulled the drawer open and looked inside. He saw paper documents and a quill but then saw a small box. He picked it up and opened it.

Inside was a beautiful necklace on a silver chain. There was a crystal on it and the crystal was spilt into four sections. One clear, the next green, the next blue and then the last red. Dark Ace held it up to admire it and doubted that it belonged to the king. He put it in the black bag and left the building.

When Dark Ace stepped outside, Ravess and Snipe had rounded up all the people and had them in shackles. They looked very proud of themselves and were now ordering the talons to keep searching for people, crystals or any other resources.

Dark Ace ignored them and put the black bag in a compartment under the seat of his skimmer. He looked back at the stables again and saw several sky steeds being herded by talons but they simply took off into the sky. Dark Ace didn't see a black one and considered it could be in the stable, but instead sat down on his skimmer. By what the princess had written, he guessed that she would be somewhere hiding on the terra with her sky steed since she had to leave her things behind and it would be too dangerous to take to the skies during an attack.

Dark Ace started up his skimmer and drove towards the forest. He stopped at the edge of the trees and looked for tracks of any kind. Sure enough he saw the tracks of someone running into the forest. Dark Ace quickly followed them.

Soon the tracks merged with ones of a sky steed and Dark Ace kept following them deeper and deeper into the forest. After a few minutes the tracks seemed to slow and Dark Ace stopped his skimmer. He shut it off and studied the tracks closely. The steed had been running but now the tracks indicated that it walked.

Dark Ace kept watching the forest carefully and drove his skimmer slowly. When the tracks became fresher he stopped his skimmer and left it. He didn't want to scare the princess away before he even had a chance to jump her.

Dark Ace kept walking and watching for any signs of movement. He wasn't sure where the princess would end up and wanted to make sure he didn't give himself away.

Dark Ace saw a large black wing flap like a bird's and then adjust themselves against a black body. Dark Ace ducted down low and began creeping through the underbrush. He saw the outline of the black sky steed grazing on the forest grass calmly and wondered where the princess was. He looked around more and then saw the outline of a woman lying on a long, upward-angled rock a few meters from the sky steed.

Dark Ace crept closer and prepared himself to jump her. He reached behind him to grab the hilt of his sword and at the same time tensed his body. He got ready to jump up and pulled a few branches aside to see his target better. The Dark Ace meant to jump but froze instead.