A High Cost
"The eggs are gone!" Tristan shouted loudly, hoping that the riders had heard him but they were high in the skies fighting the shadow wyrms. He felt agitated as adrenaline was moving fast inside his veins but he could do nothing to help.
The Urgal rider and his brown dragon fell from above as they were chasing one of the shadow wyrms which was steadily approaching Tristan. Just as a jet of dark liquid shot from the wyrm's mouth, he ducked to the side, pushing his dragon with him. Bright fire came out, rushing from the skies and Tristan almost got his elbow burned. He swore loudly just as Stoic landed a blow on the wyrm's chest, the liquid spilling all over the place, burning everything to ashes.
Tristan covered himself and his dragon with the material from the tent but holes started spreading quickly inside it.
"Blothr. Stop" the Kull rider shouted as he jumped from his dragon's back onto the ground and the liquid from the wyrm seemed to disappear. His brown dragon rose into the sky chasing the remaining shadow wyrm with the help of the dwarven rider.
"It was a distraction!" Stoic roared, cursing loudly under his breath and spitting blood on the ground, realising that the dragon eggs were missing.
Tristan went to say something but then heard a noise from above and looked up to see the remaining wyrm falling with an incredibly fast speed to the where he was. His dragon wailed, thoughts of alarm and helplessness radiating from it and then sternness. Its silvery wings opened, flapping steadily on the ground and the dragon rose up, flying to Tristan's direction.
With its sharp talons it grabbed Tristan's shoulder and pushed him further away, just as the wyrm's jaws brushed his leather boots. The dwarven rider delivered the killing blow but Stoic had already said the words of the ancient language to stop the liquid from spreading around.
As his blue dragon gently put him on the ground Tristan could feel satisfaction coursing through the bond and proudly he rubbed the dragon's head as it was still flying in the air. His shoulders hurt from where the dragon had accidentally sliced him but he ignored them and went to examine the creature that now lay dead in front of him.
"What is this?" he asked silently the riders and his dragon snarled.
"Sundavrlaka… I hate those things!" the dwarf said and spit on the ground.
"I told you Melor! We should have brought the magicians and the elves with us!" the Urgal shouted and tapped his foot on the ground, looking sternly at the other rider.
"The magicians and the elves were weary, their energy reserves drained and they had to look after the injured in the Arhan village. If we had brought them with us they would have died" Melor's answer was and scratched whatever remained of his red beard.
"But now the eggs are missing, our dragons are injured…" the Urgal started saying but Tristan stopped him.
"Kayla is missing as well" he said in a solemn tone.
Both riders turned their attention to him. Melor smiled.
"I don't think that's something to be happy about… Sure, maybe a month ago I would have been ecstatic but…" Tristan started saying but the Urgal stopped him.
"It's very possible that your sister is with the eggs right at this moment. If we can find her, we can find the eggs" he said and both riders closed their eyes, in concentration.
After only a few seconds they snapped them open.
"I can feel the remnants of dark magic, they are close" Stoic said and let out a deep breath.
"Have you ever flown before, boy?" Melor asked him, his expression curious. Tristan rose his eyebrows.
"Flown? I don't think …" he started, bewildered but was cut mid-sentence as Melor's dragon spoke into his mind.
Young one, get on my back. You may call me Gijnard, the dragon said, his colour a light brown with orange highlights and his voice, deep and throaty. As peculiar as that was, it was the first time he had had direct contact with an older dragon and he was momentarily stunned. His own dragon, nudged his shoulder, as it was flying excited all around, happy with its newfound ability.
Thank you, Gijnard, he replied in the older dragon's mind not certain if he was acknowledging him properly.
"I cannot sense her entirely but I think I know where she might be" the Kull said and jumped onto his own dragon without further due. Tristan sat just behind Melor and his grey-blue dragon followed them as they rose into the skies. In other circumstances he might have enjoyed the experience, but his nerves were as tight as strings, scared for the eggs, scared for his sister.
There, do you see?, the Urgal rider asked, speaking in their minds and pointing at a cloud of water.
What is it?, Melor asked and descended cautiously.
Let's find out.
Tristan was still alarmed, hoping that nothing bad had befallen his sister or the eggs so he resisted the urge to make a joke about hearing voices in his head. Even though he had been three days with the riders, most of this time he had spent with his own dragon and was pleasantly surprised to be suddenly included in the group.
As the dragons landed carefully on the wet ground the riders jumped easily from their back and landed on their feet. Tristan tried to copy what they had done but failed and instead landed on his palms and knees.
Mud covered his hands and he noticed that the ground was wet.
His left palm with the Gedwey Ignasia symbol tingled, as they started steadily approaching the place they had seen from above.
Instinct told him to be careful and silent, but then his breath caught between his lungs as he saw his sister lying still, next to a dark blue fast-running river.
"Kayla!" he shouted and went to run to her side but the Urgal rider rose a hand in the air.
"Wait, it's not safe!" he shouted at him and pointed at the dark, hooded figure that also lay still close to the river.
The Urgal approached slowly and then nudged the figure with his sword but it did not move. He turned the figure around and swore.
Check on the girl, Stoic told them both as he went to examine the creature more closely.
Tristan run to his sister's side but just before he got to her, he noticed the purple dragon curled inside her hand. When it sensed their presence, it got up and hissed.
His grey-blue dragon stepped in front of Tristan and curled its lips upwards, showing the sharp array of white teeth.
We mean no harm, the dwarven rider said and spoke to everyone's mind. Purple seemed to consider this and then let Melor examine Kayla, while still sitting near her. Tristan knelt to her side.
Her hair was plastered to her forehead, her skin was pale-white and he could not see her chest rising. His heart tightened inside his chest, as he gently moved her blonde hair back.
He watched as Melor touched her wrists and throat to check for a heart-beat but Tristan could tell that the dwarf had not felt any change.
"She is not…" Tristan begun to say unable to finish the sentence as he choked on the word dead at the end, moisture clouding his vision.
"No. Not yet at least" the rider replied and took a deep breath, closed his eyes and his brows were pulled together in concentration.
"Waise heill. Be healed!" he said under his breath and he kept repeating the word until his left hand glowed silver.
Tristan watched the dwarf trying to heal Kayla, as once again he was feeling hopeless.
He had thought that becoming a dragon rider would make him overcome certain obstacles but he realised that he had done nothing to help against the attack tonight. He felt his dragon's head prodding against his ribs and thoughts of calmness and reassurance enveloped him.
When he saw his sister's chest rising, he let out a sigh of relief. The purple dragon went to stand next to her once more and the dwarf sat back against the ground, looking exhausted.
"I knew it. I should have expected it with the appearance of the shadow wyrms" the Urgal said fuming as he approached them and shook his head angrily.
"Shade?" Melor asked, taking a deep drink of water from his water-skin.
Stoic nodded.
"A young one as well. Couldn't have been more than a week's old" he said in disgust.
Tristan looked back to where the body of the creature, the Shade, stood. Indeed the Shade very much resembled a young human boy if not for the slightly red hair and eyes and the extremely pale skin.
"Is he dead?" Tristan asked and Stoic nodded.
"The dragon sliced his chest open and shred its heart to pieces" he replied and as Tristan looked behind him once more, he saw what he had missed before. Even though the Shade's face was mostly intact, its upper body was non-existent. Blood, gut, entrails and other things Tristan did not want to think about were splattered on the wet ground.
"Do you think he turned himself and was a sorcerer before?" Tristan asked but both riders shook their heads.
"Doubtful. For shadow wyrms to be summoned you would have needed an experienced sorcerer or Shade and he was but a youngling turned. Look at his eyes, hair, skin colour and build? They are still not completely red, his skin still holds the signs of sun and there is baby fat under his chin and cheeks. No, the boy was but a pawn and I am afraid something else is holding the reigns" the Urgal rider said, his brows pulled together.
"I do not like this. Too many Shades and dark forces are gathering" the dwarf replied, some of the colour returning to his cheeks , a sign of resentment and no doubt of the drink he was holding in his hand which smelled alcoholic.
Stoic nodded and walked to gather the eggs. The rider cursed loudly as he noticed something, the dragons present suddenly becoming agitated and growling.
Tristan stood up to see what the commotion was about and noticed that the two eggs that had been damaged in the last attack, now stood broken in pieces and the creatures they harboured inside, dead.
A feeling of anger, helplessness and disgust rose inside him, both his own and his dragon and he puked on the side.
"How could someone do this?" he shouted, angrily just as his dragon went to examine the dead dragons' bodies, gently sniffing them.
Melor sighed.
"I thought dragon eggs were indestructible" Tristan commented, infuriated.
"Not from everything, that is. Although I doubt the Shade wanted to damage them. Dragon eggs are a lot more precious intact… But I do not doubt his dark magic played a role, even if by accident" the rider said and exhaled loudly as well.
There was a deep sorrow in the dwarf's eyes and he got up and went to stand next to the two eggs.
He recited some unknown words in his deep, baritone voice and a single tear run down his red cheeks. His orange dragon blew fire on the Shade and the dead hatchlings and the riders watched silently as the smoke rose high, burning away the injustice and sorrow. Warmth reached Tristan's cheek, uncontrollable tears running down his cheek and his blue dragon flew to his shoulder to lick them away.
