"I'm a black dragon?" she said under her breath, her green eyes unable to focus.
"Your hatred for your sister will help you escape your flesh prison and help you take up your true form that stands above the lower mortal races!"
Rhovarian's words ran through her mind as her entire life began to flash before her. The days when she sat, writhing in pain from arcane magic withdrawals while Nevaria ran around unaffected. The day she received her rejection letter from the Rangers, and that same day Ria was accepted. All the times Ria rubbed it in her face that she was better at something. And finally...the day her Father picked Ria over her to marry Kalec...
Suddenly a searing pain flooded her head and ripped through her body. She tried to scream but the pain was too much, as if she was being burned alive and torn apart slowly. The room seemed to explode around her, as she heard Calanon's frightened screams. But suddenly the pain faded to a dull ache, and she felt...free. Freer than she had ever felt before.
As she opened her eyes, Calanon was staring at her; a fear in his eyes that she had never seen before. She felt an evil smile spread across her face, and her lips graze against razor sharp teeth. She looked down and began to feel everything new. She could smell the fear pouring off of Calanon, and the rich, sweet smell of magic that seeped from Rhovarian's every scale.
She turned to face Rhovarian and the still cowering Ayran, who looked as scared as Calanon. Just behind Ayran was a a wall of polished glass. She was amazed at what she saw. Before, where she saw a weak elf who was made to believe she was second best, now stood a dark and beautiful creature. She was now powerful and would no longer be second best. She was her true self, in all her dark and deadly glory.
"My Lord...She is..."
"The Dark Queen."
"What?" Rina hissed behind her new rows of sharp teeth.
"You are the last daughter of Nexoyia, the only heir to the Dark Crown. The only dragon worthy of being my Queen."
Pride burned through her. Finally she could prove she was better than Nevaria, and no one would stand in her way.
"Now my flight will be stronger and we can destroy the Blue Flight and make Kalec watch as I kill her new Queen and the last hope for his flight."
"Rina, please! Ria loves you! Please don't do this! You can't hurt her, she's your sister!" cried Calanon at her feet.
"Silence! I am nothing but better than Ria. For far too long I've stood in her shadow, but no more!" she roared. "Let her come to save your worthless skin. For when she does, I'll be waiting. When she stands, distraught over your lifeless body will I finally get the satisfaction of ripping the beating heart out of her chest!"
Nevaria paced the floor in her chambers, every so often stopping to look outside for any sign of Kalec or Krasus. Right now, the Aspects and their mates were scouring Veerya's visions for a way to find Rhovarian and where he was keeping Calanon. The scent of his freshly spilled blood still hadn't left her nose and it made her sick to her stomach. Her head swam as the thought of him being tortured repeated endlessly in threw it.
"Ria, I'm sorry, but you need to calm yourself. It's hard to think and even harder to block you out when you're panicking like this."
"Sorry Kalec." she said to herself.
She let out an aggravated sigh. She kept forgetting she were Kalec were now mentally connected in some way, that the Aspects themselves didn't fully understand. Yura simply said that the spirits of mates intertwined somehow and allowed them to be forever connected. In a last ditch effort to keep her troubled mind from Kalec, she flopped down on her bed and buried her face in the numerous pillows. Thankfully, to avoid stressing out Ithil, Yura had placed him with one of the clutch Wards for a short time.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, she couldn't take it anymore. She knew she had to try and rescue Calanon now, before it was too late. Focusing as hard as she could, she blocked Kalec from her thoughts as she leapt into the air, feeling the freedom of her Draconic form. Diving out of the Azure Sanctum, she bolted into the frozen sky of Colddarra.
Once the Spire was out of sight, she almost turned back. She wasn't even sure where to begin looking, but she knew the Black flight would probably be on the look out for her coming. As she passed into the Crystal Barrens, she knew she had been right. She stopped and hovered mid-air as the same Blue dragon from earlier appeared once again.
"I was beginning to doubt you and your promise to the boy." he sneered.
"Ayran, where is he? What have you done with him?" she demanded, anger flaming in her eyes.
"You should know we don't plan on giving him up that easily, if at all. That would just take all the fun out of it for my Lord."
"If you wish to see another day, you will take me to him you worthless scum."
At first the dragon chuckled and seemed as if he would refuse, but that would have been his death wish.
"Seems, you've lucked out she-elf. My master wishes to meet Kalec's new bride."
Ria growled and resisted the urge to snap her jaws around his neck.
"Follow me."
She knew this wasn't the greatest idea, but it was the only way she was going to find Calanon. As they flew on, she couldn't tell how long or how far they gone when the sky became black and a dark mountain loomed against the horizon. Something inside her told her to turn and fly the other way. This was not a good place to be, as the dark energy fought to drilled under her scales, but the thought of Calanon drove her forward.
"Won't your siblings be happy to see you." Ayran cooed as he landed in a dark stone courtyard at the foot of the mountain.
"Siblings?" She said, stopping herself mid air as a pit formed in her stomach. They had Saphrina too. "If you've hurt either of them, you will be sorry you ever crossed me." she growled.
"You're in no position to make threats Ria!" rang a cold and angry voice. "You are not in friendly company. You're in the realm of the Black dragon Flight and being a single blue, are no match for our power."
A large, black dragon hovered a few yards away, four or five Dragonkin at it's feet on the ground. Ria's body ached at the amount of dark energy coming off of this dragon as it landed on the ground.
"Don't recognize me, do you?" it said with a smirk. "Shall we return to elven form and see what you have to say then."
Ria hesitated at first, knowing her elven form would make her exceedingly vulnerable, especially in the company of so many Black Dragons, but slowly turned back. With a chuckle, the Black dragon bowed its head and did the same.
Her blonde hair now a rich gold with a single black streak down one side that covered part of her face. Her once emerald eyes were now closer to black with a blood red ring in their center. In place of the bright red robes that usually adorned her frame was a set of dark metal armor that reminded Ria of the Southern orc clan, but more intense.
"Saphrina..." she gasped when she finally found the ability to speak.
"It's amazing, isn't it? Seems we were both hidden from our true power, doomed to live the life of a lesser creature. Seems that's the worst fate possible, but somehow you still managed to make it worse and ruining my life even further. But no longer..."
"Rina, you can't do this. The Black flight...They've got Calanon!"
"Not anymore. Your precious Calanon is with his ancestors now. I'll be sure to burn his body along with your when I'm done destroying the very flight you hope to save."
"What have you done Rina?! He loved you, he was your brother!"
"Not as much as he loved you. With the Dark Lord's help, I'll erase you and everything you ever loved from this world. I won't stand in your shadow any longer!"
Unable to take this any longer, Nevaria lunged at Rina, knocking her off her feet and off the courtyard's balcony. Still in elven form, Rina was no match for Nevaria's skilled and highly trained fighting skills. With her hands, holding as tight a grip as possible around Saphrina's throat, they finally landed hard at the bottom of the rock encrusted hill.
Gasping for air, Saphrina called for help as she took a rock and clawed Nevaria across the face causing her to loosen her grip long enough to kick her back. Ayran dove down and grasped Saphrina off the ground and flew beyond Nevaria's reach.
"Don't just stand there you idiots. Kill her! Bring me her head!" Saphrina shouted.
As the Dragonkin made their way down the hill, Ria climbed up the nearest tree and swung herself out of their path and back onto the courtyard's stone.
"Saphrina, come out here and fight me instead of running away like a damned child!"
Without answering, Saphrina tossed a bloodied bag over the balcony and it landed at Ria's feet. With a scream of anger, Ria burst into her Dragon form. Carefully grasping the bag in her claws, she leapt into the air and showered the stunned Dragonkin in an Ice storm, their screams of pain bouncing off the mountain side and around the stone courtyard.
Beating her wings as hard as possible, Ria flew. She didn't know where she was going, but she was headed anywhere to get away from the pain of her sisters betrayal.
"Kalec, we can't find her anywhere. We've searched all the Sanctums and the surrounding grounds. She's gone."
"have you tried using the Iris? Focus in on her signal?"
"We can't lock onto her yet, none of us are familiar enough with her energy signal. You're the only one who could even try to use the Iris to find her." answered the Blue female.
"Kalecgos, you need to keep better control of your Queen. Not only did she disobey the orders of 4 Aspects, but she could have destroyed everything we've accomplished so far. Not to mention ruin the future of your flight!"
"Everyone, that's enough!" yelled Yura. "She is new to this kind of life. We were all raised in this society, as Dragon's. Ria was not. Rhovarian knows she's a danger to his plan if she takes up the role of Queen. We didn't expect him to find a way to use her family to lure her out of our protection."
"My Lord, Kalec...Our scouts have spotted what we think to be her. She's near the Ethereal Caves, just East of the Falls."
"Go to her Kalec, but be on your guard. There is no doubt Rhovarian is watching her every move. Just to be safe, we'll send scouts with you to patrol the area."
Kalec bowed his head and blocked out Durion's continued complaints and protests and took off into the crisp night air. Keeping a sharp eye on his surrounding, he watched carefully for any signs of the Black Flight. As he crossed the frozen river, a loud crash came from the falls a little ways up the river.
"Where are you Ria..." Kalec whispered under his breath as he began circling the Ethereal Caves where the scouts had last spotted her. Closing his eyes, he began to hear the deep, sorrowed song on the icy air. It cried a pain of unknown loss and a pain he had come to know. "Ria..." he gasped, diving down, letting the air carry him to her.
He hovered for a moment above a small cave that was almost invisible from the air. Taking a few steps into the cave, tucking his wings to his side, he called Ria's name. At first, his call received no answer except the empty echo of his own voice. His ears almost ached as he strained them for any noise, when he heard a small roar, too small for any grown dragon to make.
Just behind him, nearly covered by the thick mist that had began to set was Ithil. Pushing past Kalec, he flew deeper into the cave, calling out to Ria. Kalec ducked his head and followed the small whelp deeper into the cave.
"Ithil, what are you doing here?" he asked as the whelp flew frantically around the cave, continuously calling out for Ria. As Ithil continued to cry out, Kalec realize the small whelp had felt Ria's pain just as he had and was just as desperate to find her.
As his little wings struggled to hold his weight aloft, he fluttered even deeper in the cave until the only light came from the small reflections that had made their way back from outside. Kalec froze at the sight before his eyes as they reached the bowels of the cave.
Ria sat in the darkest corner, her tears frozen to her flushed face as the slight breeze blew her sapphire hair into a whirl. In the icy, darkness she almost vanished in it's shadows. The only thing that set her apart from the cave walls was the bright red cloak that laid at her feet. Kalec did his best to reach out to her, but there was no answer.
Life seemed to finally make it's way back into her eyes as she seemed to finally hear Ithil's cries.
"Ithil?" her weak voice tried to call back, barely causing an echo.
Ithil beat his wings harder, trying his best to reach he as fast as he could, but stopped and let out what sounded like a scream and started backing away.
"Ria...Are you..." Kalec stopped mid-sentence as the strong smell of elven blood hit him like hurricane winds. "Ria, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm not hurt Kalec. They kill him Kalec, slaughtered him as if he meant nothing."
"Who..." Kalec tried to ask
"My brother...She murdered him, betrayed his love and trust. I'll rip her damned throat out."
Kalec was taken by surprise at the hatred and venom in the woman he love's voice. Never before had he heard her voice come even close to that tone, and it scared him and set him on edge.
"Who killed him Ria?"
"Saphrina!" she shouted as if even the thought of her name burned her mouth.
"Saphrina? Why? Why would she had killed Cal?"
Ria sprung off the ground and ran at Kalec full force, almost as if she meant to attack him. Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around Kalec's neck as fresh tears began to pour from her eyes as the encounter at the Black Mountain replayed in her mind.
Kalec had never felt such a mix of anger, sadness, pain and a soul aching hollowed feeling in his whole life, and it made him head swim making him feel as if he were going to be sick. He could not believe what Ria had just experienced, even though it saw it before his own eyes as if he had been there the whole time. Saphrina was Dragon born as well, just as Nevaria had been. Sealed away in an elven form, Saphrina had been one of the last Black dragons in the royal line.
Continuing to watch, Kalec discovered that it had been young Calanon's blood that soaked Ria's clothes and filled the cave with a smell that churned his stomach. The only thing worse than the thought of Saphrina as a dragon, was the thought that Rhovarian would probably make her the Dark Queen.
"We must warn Yura and the others. With the possibility of a new Dark Queen, we need to start protecting ourselves cause now Rhovarian will be more confident that his attacks will destroy us. If he chooses her as Queen, the Dark Flight's old powers will begin to regenerate, with or without the Earth's aid."
Ria stood silent, unsure of what to do as she stared with lifeless eyes at Calanon's body. He had looked up to her, and she had promised to protect him, and she had failed. Now she would never see her little brother ever again. Leaning down to lightly brush her fingers cross his red cloak, she swore she could almost hear him laughing in the meadow where she use to take him during the Winter Festival to build Snow Dragons.
"Ria, we'll bring him back to the Sanctum and honor his life properly. But before that, we need to move to protect your parents. If Saphrina didn't hesitate to use your brother, I can't see her not going after you through your parents."
Without answering, Ria climbed on Kalec's back and and lowered herself onto his neck, molding her body limply against his scales. Knowing now was not the time to say he was sorry or that Calanon's death wouldn't be in vein, Kalec said nothing as he carefully caressed Calanon's body in a large claw and made his way out of the cave, Ithil not too far behind.
As Kalec spread his wings and readied himself to take to the skies, he caught the scent of dark energy and quickly took off, knowing members of the Black Flight were in the area. Disappearing into the mist, Kalec could faintly hear Nevaria whispering Ancient elvish death prayers between her tears and quick gasps for breath. It broke his heart to hear the heartbreak in her voice.
"My Lord, your Queen has fully recovered.." Ayran whimpered "It seems as if the other she-elf caused more damage that we had originally thought."
Rhovarian growled under heavy breath as he turned to look at the pathetic blue.
"It seems I have overestimated my new Queen. Her hatred for her elven sister may not have been enough to fully release her. I may have to take to more drastic measures...Any news of the Azure Queen?"
"Nothing yet my Lord."
"Find her. We can't have her running back to the Life-Binder, or all of this was for naught. If word gets to Durion he will insist on a full on attack! They will destroy everything!" he roared loudly, causing the already timid Blue to shrink back before the angry Black, who's size dwarfed his own.
"Of course my Lord...right away."
They both turned to face the door as it burst open and two Dragonkin came rushing in followed by Saphrina.
"My lord! The she-elf has been found. She is with the Blue Aspect in the Ethereal Caves."
Rhovarian's smirk then turned to an evil look that shook Saphrina to the core.
"We'll have to move fast. You've fueled her rage beyond what I believe you can handle."
"But Ayran..." Saphrina stammered.
"Idiotic girl! You are Queen! You answer to no one but me. You do not take orders from that scum."
Hearing his words, something began to swell inside of Saphrina. She was truly better than everyone else, seconded only by her King and now everyone would know it.
"Ayran, send out our best to take them down."
"You're not joining them my Lord?"
"Not yet. I cannot risk taking on Kalecgos in this state. I have something much bigger in mind. Now, for you my Queen...Until you are fully separated from your elven flesh, you're still vulnerable seeing as Kalec's bride has progressed a little further than you. Until then you'll need to be watched at all times." Rhovarian whispered as best as a dragon could.
Slowly his black scales began to fade and a pale, scared human appeared before her. His paled skin, with his faded charcoal hair brought out the fire in his eyes and the deep scars that plagued his features.
"Now, come with me. It's fine to finally rip you free of your flesh prison and rebuild our flight." he chuckled deeply, running his icy fingers through her hair, sending a chill down her spine.
"What?"
"While you remain in this disgusting elvish flesh, you are of little use to me. But now, we shall free you, and you shall provide me with a flight renewed, and an heir to the world I will rebirth in flame."
Saphrina's stomach churned and fought back the urge to throw up. He was not the prince charming she had expected to marry, his scarred appearance was nothing compared to the perfection that was Kalec. Her skin crawled uneasily under his icy touch. Rhovarian snapped his fingers, causing Saphrina to flinch. The rest of the dragons and dragonkin in the room quickly darted for the door. Ayran, the last one out slammed the door behind him and Saphrina jumped again as the large metal bolt dropped over it, locking them both inside. No one would disturb them here, not until Rhovarian emerged from the hall satisfied that he had procured an heir and more warriors for his cause. None would dare, no matter how loudly Saphrina's screams for mercy became.