Four horsemen weaved through the expansive Forest of Ayleth in pursuit of a cloaked figure. She leaned over the neck of a palomino stallion, fingers tightly wrapped in its mane as the horse confidently dodged trees. The girl was just out of their reach, out pacing the guards by a couple of arms lengths away. The only person that could remotely keep up was a small framed knight that was significantly more determined to capture to the runaway than her patrol.
Her eyes narrowed as she noticed that the ground fell away, dropping off to a deep ravine. There were only two options, go over or vere off and risk losing, the decision made within a split second at the thought of having to hear relentless bragging for the next two weeks. She tapped her heels to the horse's flank, encouraging him to move even faster as the drop neared alarmingly close. It was now or never.
"Don't you-," an exasperated groan sounded from the lead knight. The steady pounding of hooves slowed as her pursuers backed off, leaving her alone to charge towards the chasm.
The cloaked girl braced herself for the jump, egging on her horse one last time before his body jolted forwards.
"Come on Runaan!" she breathed against the wind. Despite her unbreakable trust in her dusty horse, the brief moment she was in the air tinged her stomach with fear.
Runaan's hooves landed on the other side with not even a foot to spare, prancing in excitement of his successful leap across the ravine. His sides heaved with exhaustion, sweat dampened his smooth dusty orange coat.
"You have to be better than that," the cloaked girl teased loudly, a proud grin slapped across her face,"Aren't you supposed to be our best knight?"
"You jumped a ravine. I'm not going to risk my knights because you are careless," her tone was strained and annoyed.
"Careless? I just have the guts to do it!" she shot back, adjusting her deep blue cloak that flowed behind her back.
"Mother isn't going to be too happy with that little stunt you pulled," the knight warned, removing her helmet. Short auburn hair fell just past her jaw line, her cheeks a bright red with anger,"Can we please head back, Kara? You've proved your point."
"Nah, I'm good. I've never been past Eagle Gorge before, I'm going to explore," Kara tapped her heels once against Runaan's sides, urging him to continue through the trees.
"Just stay away from the border!" She tossed her wavy dark blond hair over her
shoulders, ignoring her sisters desperate request. Kara clucked her tongue, swaying in the saddle as Runaan smoothly transitioned into a trot, pushing his way through a clump of ferns. She leaned close to his body, avoiding a swath of low hanging tree limbs that hid her from the knights view.
"You'd think Alex would have learned by now not to challenge my riding," she sighed, the elated feeling of her triumph fading,"I am the best rider in all of Kansal, after all."
Runaan nickered, tossing his broad head as if he was agreeing,"And I wouldn't be anywhere without my trusty stallion." Kara added, lovingly stroking the side of his neck.
Her eyes keenly darted across this foreign patch of Kansal territory, searching for any potential threats. Kara quietly drew her longsword, its golden hilt resting comfortably across the saddle. She sort of hoped that something would reveal itself, just to make her day a smidge more exciting. To her disappointment, no creature, not even any wildlife scurried around the trees as an eerie feeling crept up her spine.
"Keep a lookout Ru. It's too quiet for my liking," Kara murmured. If she had any sense she would turn back, but that would not be any fun. This creepy area was far more interesting than going home to chastised for missing a boring lesson about politics.
Kara relaxed the reins to give Runaan more freedom, allowing him to maneuver through the quiet patch of pine trees. She could hear Alex scrutinizing her for her irresponsible stunt earlier and her ill advised adventure into a sketchy part of the territory.
The map of Kansal's territory was drilled into her memory, for once grateful for the hours of studying wasted. She knew the border was somewhat close, a simple stream dividing her kingdom from their bordering country of the Luthor Empire.
The only common belief the two rival kingdoms shared were that dragons deserved to be driven to extinction, even co-hosting raids to far reaching lands to attack peaceful herds. Tensions were strained after a hunting excursion slipped across into the Danvers territory, slaughtering a rare albino stag. Her hand tightened on the hilt of a sword that rested against her hip, hoping she would not have to use it.
Kara worried about an ambush amongst other concerns of rogues and other more magically inclined creatures. The lack of any form of life did not sit well in her stomach, making a mental note to mention the peculiar area to Alex.
The landscape took a sharp increase upward to a rocky hill further north. She directed Runaan to the hillside, curious at this formation in a relatively flat part of the territory. He hesitated at first, tossing his head high in the air as a form of protest. Kara gently coaxed the horse forward with a soft cluck, despite a feeling in her gut to turn around. Curiosity outweighed any other form of alarm, the dark gap at the base of the hill only encouraging her even more.
She was just a couple of yards away when a strange humming sound filled her head, rapidly sharpening into an excruciating headache,"Gah!" Something was trying to claw itself through her skull to destroy her brain.
Kara's hands immediately grasped her forehead, eyes screwing shut to attempt to block out the pain. She started to feel her grip on consciousness loosen as darkness loomed in the precipice of her head.
Sudden silence and a frightening notion of peace washed over her burning head. Runaan lifted his head, ears angled towards gigantic rock outcropping that peeked through the tree line. His movement was ragged and reluctant, slowly placing one hoof after another as they entered in the shadow cast by the hill.
''Zor El!' A curious voice hissed in the back of her mind.
Her eyes snapped open, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge. She could not see the source of the whisper, a part of her suspected it was an Umbran Magician sent by King Lionel to spy. Urgent curiosity encouraged Kara to investigate the ominous feeling rising in her gut.
"What on earth," she murmured, utterly confused. There was likely some magic at play, but what? Telepathy was an extraordinarily rare ability that not even top level magicians master, only a handful of telepaths have been recorded in the past 50 years.
Runaan flicked an ear back, breathing heavily through his nostrils. He seemed to sense her discomfort, rearing on his back legs in protest. Kara tangled her hands in his mane, clinging close to his neck to stay on. The whispering was much stronger now, however she could not understand what it was saying, likely speaking a language she was unfamiliar with.
When the palomino finally dropped on all fours, she jumped to the ground carefully as to not impale herself. Kara stroked his neck with her free hand until he calmed down, leading the horse over to a young oak tree surrounded by bright green gas. After securing Runaan to the tree with enough range to eat, she pushed through a clump of thorns to stand at the mouth of a murky cave.
With her sleek silver blade raised in a defense stature, Kara entered the somber cave. It was a tight squeeze at first, but the further down she went the more open and spacious it got, large enough for three horses to walk side by side with the tallest of knights on their backs. Little by little, the cavern started to glow from jagged crystals that poked through the clay wall. Each and every pristine white crystal irradiated raw magical energy.
She dragged her free hand behind her, tracing the moist wall as she followed the urgent whispers. Kara considered heading back, not wanting to find herself lost in this ominous cave for the rest of her life until the tunnel opened into a roomy rock opening. Massive stone columns supported the roof from caving in, the eerie light revealing that this underground cave was much more expansive than previously assumed.
As her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, Kara realized with a sinking feeling that she was not alone. From the darkest corner crept a scaled creature, its long snake-like body moving cautiously closer to the human girl. It unfurled gigantic leather wings, she did not even want to know what it's wingspan was.
The logic side of her screamed at her to run, after all, this was a creature designed for death. It's spine lined with horns, teeth so sharp she'd swear she would start to bleed by looking at them too long. Each foot had four fearful claws that could tear anything into pieces effortlessly. The creatures scales were unique, twinkling a gorgeous ice blue underneath the crystal light.
But there was an unknown factor that encouraged her to advance, sword sliding to the hard stone ground with a startling clink. A hand outstretched, reaching up for the broad reptilian head that lowered itself to her level. Starting underneath its chin; tiny spikes lined the jawline and came to a crown of pure white antlers with three sharp tines.
Kara simply stared, captivated by the mythical beast, unable to tear herself from its thoughtful gaze. The hushed voices in her head cut out when her hand touched the cooled scales at the top of the dragons snout.
"Answer me honestly and I won't have to slit your throat," a harsh feminine voice hissed in her ear. The tip of a sword dug in to her ribcage, another blade resting just under her chin,"Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"I heard a voice calling to me," Kara replied calmly, ignoring the question of her identity. She did not know if this stranger was an ally or enemy, but by judging the increased pressure against her throat, she would guess enemy.
"What voice? What was it saying?" She demanded, surprise sharpening her voice.
"Zor-El."
"And that is?" The blade against her throat started to draw blood.
"Her name," The voice stated. Apparently her assailant heard the same thing as she retreated her weapons, shoving Kara against the wall.
"You called her here? Why?" It was clear this woman was not talking to Kara, despite the stranger staring straight at her. She could see clearly her face, pleasantly surprised to see shadowed emerald eyes, inner conflict revealing tension across a heart shaped face. Kara lifted her head, meeting the woman with a stubborn glare of her own.
"It's the name I hear in my slumber, crying out desperately each time I close my eyes. It needs her."
"Can someone explain what's going on?" Kara asked, eyebrows knitting close together in annoyance,"You are hearing the voice too, right?"
The woman leaned closer, eyes narrowed in suspicion,"It's Valo, obviously."
"Valo?" Kara echoed,"Great answer, thanks." This conversation was going nowhere, especially with this troublesome girl giving answers that only resulted in more questions.
"The dragon," she responded curtly, clearly not interested in her sarcasm.
"That's not possible," Kara titled her face closer to the woman with the intention of making her uncomfortable.
"You are a Dragonkin, Zor-El. As is my rider."
"You're kidding me, this girl is a kin? I thought I was the only one," she stepped a couple feet back, turning to the dragon with a frustrated groan.
"Can I get a straight answer here? What is a Dragonkin?" Kara grabbed the woman's wrist before she could storm off.
"All I know is that it means we have a connection with dragons unmatched like any other, that includes telepathy and a natural comfort to heights," she ripped her arm out of Kara's grasp,"I guess it makes sense, you were completely unbothered as Valo stalked you. Why? Who does not fear a dragon?"
"I was curious. If Valo wanted to harm me he already would have. Besides, he's too cute to hurt me," she shrugged.
"Valo is cute to you? What is wrong with you?" The woman glared at her, her already short patience on the verge of running out.
"What about you? You already have a dragon lurking beneath my kingdom," Kara cursed herself the second she slipped up,"Who are you?"
"What I'm not is a threat. This is the safest place for Valo where we can still communicate, who I am doesn't matter," she growled, rubbing the dragons chin with her right hand.
"Just give her a name so you two can stop bickering," Valo huffed, a puff of smoke streaming from his nostrils.
The woman hesitated, reluctantly turning to Kara with a disinterested expression,"Kieran."
"Well, Kieran, it is a pleasure to meet you," Kara offered a hand to the dark haired woman, unable to hide her shocked expression when Kieran shook her hand.
"Glad to see you two getting along now, I fear we will be spending a lot of time together in the future," the dragon stated with an air of foreshadowing.
"Great, more cryptic messaging, thanks Valo," Kieran snapped, shaking her head in annoyance.
Kara knew that her presence would be noticed by now. She wanted to stay, to learn more about Kieran and Valo, this Dragonkin label, and more importantly, where the name Zor El came from,"I need to leave before they come looking for me."
"So I can see you again?" Her question was directed at the dragon despite her focus on Kieran. The longer she stared into her cold, clouded eyes the more determined Kara became to crack open this reserved woman to see what kind of human hid behind her standoffish front.
'When the moon reaches its highest peak tomorrow night,' he said, carefully turning his lithe body in preparation to leave to avoid knocking into any of the columns.
"You're not running without giving me a name," Kieran stepped in front of
her, blocking the tunnel from where she came from.
"You already got my name," Kara brushed by the woman, a slight smirk touched her lips. It may not be her actual name, but it was something for Kieren to call her.
"You're going to be a real pain in my ass aren't you?" She called after her, an amused quiver echoed through the cavern.
"Kara? Is everything alright?" A gentle voice prodded, a twinge of annoyance flattening her tone.
"Yes mother," she poked at a piece of cold chicken on her plate. Kara was not exactly in the mood to eat after the scolding she had gotten from her mother after the stunt she pulled with the ravine. Her mind kept wandering back to Kieran and Valo, there was definitely more that the mysterious woman was letting on.
"You can't be taking stupid risks, especially not as the future Queen of Kansal. Close to the border of Aurinko without any guards?" Queen Eliza's disappointed words repeated in the back of her mind. She desperately wanted to ask about the siege on the Krypton temple, about dragons and why Dragonkin were so feared.
However, Kara knew well enough that her inquiries were not welcome and more often landed her in more trouble than the answers were worth. Eliza would than be overtly curious on where these questions came from and Kara had no intention of disclosing to her mother of the trespassers that lurked underneath her country.
"It's just a couple of weeks, I will have someone to exercise Runaan for you. Kara, you need to-"
"Learn that a princess can not risk the entire kingdom by running off on her own? I know, Mother," Kara finished off, short and still pissed that she was treated like an ignorant child,"Can you blame me though? I'm going to lose my freedom soon enough, why not enjoy my free time while I've got it?"
"If you are just going to give me an attitude, than you're welcome to go to your room early. I will send someone to bring you some books for the lesson you ditched today," the Queen waved her hand, dismissing her from the table.
"Gladly," she glanced at Alex. Her sister turned away, unable to look at Kara, probably feeling guilty about tattling.
Kara sulked up to her room, stunned to find a feeling of distrust and disdain at her very core directed at her mother. She was no longer a teenager dead set on angering her mother, she had no need to lash out. She accepted her fate as future Queen when Alex stepped down to lead the Royal Guard. It was not Alex's destiny to rule the lands of Kansal and it brought Kara joy to take her place on the throne so she could be her best self as Captain of the Kansal Knights.
She slammed the door behind her, unhooking the cloak from where the hook rested on her collarbone. It fell to the ground in a shimmering pile of sapphire cloth, followed by the dirt covered grown that stunk of horse sweat.
Now comfortable in a simple sleek black shirt and lengthy cotton pants, Kara examined the bookshelf that covered part of the wall closest to the window. Her eyes scanned the titles, convinced that there was a book dedicated to the history of dragons.
A worn book had 'Downfall of the Perfect Beast,' spelled out in faded gold letters caught her attention. The thick leather book was probably going to be biased because its author was credited as "Sir Ian, the Greatest Dragon Slayer of the Lands", but with exaggeration comes a shred of truth. Kara jumped on top of her bed, kicking aside the mound of pillows neatly stacked across the top.
She flipped through the book, being particularly careful to avoid tearing the pages. Her hand subconsciously rubbed the jeweled pendant that sat below her were a few scattered mentions of Dragonkin, just enough for her to get a rudimentary idea of what that was.
"An extraordinarily rare bond between a dragon and a select human…" Kara murmured to herself, summoning up the 12 page ramblings about how each and every Dragonkin should be hanged upon discovery of their connection with a dragon. She quickly became absorbed in the grand tales of the legends of dragons and their alleged powers, although she was not sure how honest Sir Ian was being about their abilities.
Two rapid taps alerted her that someone was about to enter. She scrambled to hide the book, shoving it underneath the covers. Her heart thumped wildly against her chest, praying that it was not her mother. She was in no mood to be passively scolded again despite having done nothing wrong.
A young girl peeked her head through the door, thin locks of brown hair following with her excited movements,"Kara! I figured you must be hungry." Not waiting for an answer, the girl pushed open the door, brandishing a tray of pastries.
"Nia, my savour," her heart rate dropping to a normal, less life threatening rate. Nia set the tray down on the middle of the bed, settling in to the other side of the bed.
"Queen Eliza seriously laid it into you this time," she commented curiously, pulling the book out from underneath her rear. Nia glanced at her, face titled in interest,"Dragons?"
"Report on the influence of dragons throughout the past hundred years," Kara shrugged, setting the book on the nightstand.
"And your other punishments?"
"Two weeks of extended class periods, along with rigorous bootcamp with Alex immediately after," she sighed,"All for taking Runaan for an exploration."
"From what I heard, you challenged the Royal Guards to a race and jumped Eagle Ravine to beat them. Isn't that close to Aurinko? The very kingdom that is focused on conquering Kansal?"
"The very one," she quickly devoured a chocolate chip cookie,"I've never been to that part of the territory before, no reason to be that north."
"You have a habit of running into trouble," Nia commented, taking a cream puff for herself,"Find anything interesting?"
"Does the name Zor-El mean anything to you?" Kara asked, quietening her tone. Nia grew up at Mage Island, the very place for anything mythical and mysterious, a safe place for refugees and exotic creatures to escape hunters. She was the only person she trusted to look into this peculiar name.
"It rings a bell… " she tore off a chunk and stuffed it in her mouth,"It was a Kryptonian house name. I only heard whispers of similar names, but not enough to give you an answer. Why? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything. Just a name I overhead somewhere I swear," Kara lied blatantly, tugging a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear,"Keep an ear out for me though?"
"Of course, but you should know that I don't believe you, remotely, you're a terrible liar," Nia glanced out of the corner of her eye at the flustered princess,"What did you find out there?"
"Questions, maybe a new friend," Kara winked, smiling brightly at the thought of this intriguing woman. It was not just the dragon she was excited to see more of, she was determined to crack that cold shell to get to the human beneath.
"Just be careful. I know that you can handle yourself, but what happens if you are attacked by the Umbran Magicians? You may be skilled with a sword but that against magic…" Nia said quietly, eyes darkened with worry.
"I will, I promise," she patted her friends shoulder. Meeting up with Valo would be risky, but it was a risk she was willing to take. Maybe this dragon and his rider would be the missing link that had plagued her thoughts for the past nineteen years.