Fate of the Forsworn
Chapter 4
A difficult choice
Kyvoster snarled loudly as the dark shape dived towards him. His wings flared as he prepared to meet his attacker in the air. Niev drew his silver sword and stood in preparation to battle, whilst Caryn watched in shocked silence. When the attacker was perhaps a hundred feet away from Kyvoster, it let out a horrific screech. Niev's wards prevented it from doing much besides sounding shrill, but to Caryn, the sound caused her intense pain. She fell to the ground, unconscious from the blast of sound. Niev glowered up at his attacker as Kyvoster took to the air, snarling viciously. By now, both dragon and Rider had determined their attacker was a Lethrblaka. Although the purge to wipe them out had begun many years ago, each and every one proved hard to find and near-impossible to kill. Flexing his talons, Kyvoster slashed out at his nightmarish attacker, scoring a hit along the monster's left side. Screaming again, the Lethrblaka struck back at Kyvoster, its' claws glancing off the male dragon's gem-like scales. Wasting no time, the Lethrblaka struck again with considerably more force, ripping off several scales and prompting a yelp from Kyvoster. Niev felt the pain of the blow in his side, a little above his hip. Kyvoster spat a jet of red flame at his attacker, which scored a direct hit on his foe. The smell of its' burnt skin filled the area, along with a heightened body smell that was nearly enough to knock Niev out as well. He looked around for something that would aid him and Kyvoster in their fight, and his eyes settled on a large rock half-buried nearby. Mentally bracing himself and expanding his awareness so Ajunthar's diamond would also fuel the spell, he spoke the words he'd need in the ancient language.
"Stenr Reisa!"
Slowly, the rock was dragged free of the earth and came to a rest on the grass. Niev took a deep breath and levitated it several feet into the air. Kyvoster soon realised what his Rider was up to and slammed into the Lethrblaka, knocking it away. Niev used his magic to fling the boulder at the Lethrblaka, producing a satisfying crunching sound that meant his improvised missile had hit its' intended target. The drop in his energy was less than he'd anticipated, but it was still more than he could easily lose on most days. The Lethrblaka was definitely looking worse for wear, its' bluish-green blood smearing the ground around it's' wound. It tried to rise as Kyvoster crashed into it once more, his enormous creamy white fangs crushing the beasts' throat as he severed its' spinal chord. The Lethrblaka fell to the ground, dead, as Kyvoster roared in triumph. Niev examined the dead monster, and blew out a long sigh. He then turned to where Caryn lay near the fire, and shook her slightly. The small girl didn't respond except to murmur slightly. Gradually she woke up and looked up at Niev in mild confusion.
"What happened? What was that monster with the painful scream?"
"That was a Lethrblaka Caryn; its' name in the ancient language means 'leather flapper'. Lethrblaka and their kin, the Ra'zac, are the best hunters of humanity there are left in Alagaesia. Dragon Riders have all but wiped them out, but as you can see, we must have missed one. I'll have to tell the Council about this when we get to Vroengard. Are you alright?"
Caryn looked over at the fire, and to where the dead Lethrblaka was being hauled away by Kyvoster. She shook her head and went to sit by the fire. Niev followed her and sat down near to the small girl. Caryn looked into the depths of the fire, her yellow eyes glistening, although whether the tears were from some trauma in her past or being knocked out by the Lethrblaka, Niev couldn't tell. He looked up at the sky and suddenly felt himself jostled sharply by Caryn hugging him. He hugged the small girl back as Kyvoster returned from his grisly task and lay down on the other side of the fire. Whether by accident or design, he lay down showing his cut from the fight with the Lethrblaka. Niev got up and walked up to his dragon, murmured the spell to heal his wound, and scratched him just behind his ears, always a favourite spot to be scratched, since dragon claws tended to tear through such soft skin with almost no effort. Kyvoster settled down and growled in contentment. Just as Niev finished, Kyvoster's growl turned to a warning snarl as high above, another winged shape was diving towards them. In a matter of seconds, Kialandi had dismounted from her dragon and was stood by the fire, looking at Niev in a subtly superior manner. Kyvoster snarled at her dragon, whereas Caryn was openly awestruck at the sight of another dragon, even bigger than Kyvoster. Niev gave the traditional elvish greeting, sat down by the fire and gave a long sigh.
"What do you want, Kialandi, I was hoping to get some sleep tonight. And young Caryn here is pretty tired as well."
Caryn nodded, looking up at Kialandi with admiration in her yellow eyes. Kialandi ran a hand through her hair of molten gold, smiled at the child, and turned to look at Niev.
"I wondered where you'd got to; you should have been at Vroengard by now."
"Well we were delayed somewhat by our mortal need to sleep, plus we got attacked by a Lethrblaka."
Kialandi's faint eyebrows rose. She sat down near Caryn, looking for all the world like the child's mother.
"Really? Well, then you are to be commended, Niev. No Rider has killed a Lethrblaka in sixteen years."
Niev seemed lost for words now the elven Rider had complimented him. Kialandi seemed oblivious to this and asked more questions.
"How did you kill it? Or was it you and Kyvoster?"
"It was both of us. Kyvoster pushed it away from him, and I used a levitation spell to throw a rock at it. Kyvoster then severed its' spinal chord and killed it."
Kialandi nodded slowly, seemingly unaware that Caryn was staring at her.
"Maybe not the best method there is, but it seems to have been effective regardless."
Kyvoster growled irately at Kialandi's dragon.
Niev, can't you convince Kialandi to leave so we can all get some sleep? And if not for the partner-of-your-mind, then for little Caryn. She's utterly exhausted, and I wouldn't mind saying she's traumatised by our battle, and scared because of the new world she's been pushed into all of a sudden. You'd do well to recall how you felt when you first became a Dragon Rider and realised you'd outlive your family.
Niev winced as if stung. He was about to relay Kyvoster's thoughts on to Kialandi when he saw Caryn had shrugged off her lethargy and was examining Kialandi's purple and crimson dragon with an expression of pure fascination. Kialandi's dragon, however, seemed to share no such fine thoughts, and roared at Caryn, enough to send the small girl into a quaking fit. Niev rose and hastily went to Caryn's side, prompting her to latch onto him. Kialandi looked over at her dragon, who lowered her head as if chastened. Sighing, the elf woman climbed onto her dragon.
"If you want her tested for magical ability or to see if an egg will hatch for her, you'd do well to reach Vroengard by tomorrow. The egg-carriers leave in one week."
Kialandi's dragon flew up into the night sky, leaving Niev hugging Caryn. After a few minutes, Caryn stopped shaking and looked up at Niev.
"I don't want to be a Dragon Rider unless you're going to teach me."
"M-me? Listen Caryn, I realise this is tricky for you, and you probably want to be someone you're familiar with, but…"
"No, I don't want to be with anyone else, I want to be your pupil and friend."
Niev gave a long sigh.
"I can't say yes or no without the Council's say-so on the matter. For now, lets just get some sleep and we'll try and sort things out in the morning, alright?"
Caryn nodded and looked around to see where she'd be most comfortable. A gentle, rumbling growl from Kyvoster drew her attention quickly, but she calmed down when she saw he was merely offering her the comfort of his vast wings. Nodding, she climbed onto his foreleg and was asleep almost immediately. Kyvoster looked over at Niev as he drew his wing over Caryn's sleeping form. Niev smiled and settled down to rest.
Morning dawned cool and grey over the campsite. The fire had all but burned out by the time Niev awoke. Caryn was already awake, and even as he sat up, she ran into the woods. Assuming she was merely going to relieve herself, Niev walked over to Kyvoster, still half asleep. As he walked, he stumbled over a pile of dead wood that Caryn must have heaped up whilst he slept. Kyvoster seemed to be dozing, but as his Rider drew closer, the red dragon drew himself up and winked at him. Smiling, Niev scratched behind his ears, prompting a contented growl from the male dragon. Soon, Caryn came running back, holding another bundle of sticks. Kyvoster broadcast his voice so Caryn and Niev would both hear.
Now place them in the remains of the fire.
Confused as to what his dragon had in mind, Niev began lifting the branches into the fire. Caryn did likewise with feverish energy, a huge smile on her face. When all the wood was on the fire, Kyvoster roared and unleashed his magic. The last few embers died away instantly, and the ashes were transformed into green, fresh grass. The branches melded together and formed a young tree, several metres tall and fully covered in leaves. Caryn looked at the tree in amazement, but Niev looked at Kyvoster with mild surprise.
You're just showing off for her!
Kyvoster gave a hacking growl, which the dragon used for laughter. Niev gathered his belongings and clambered onto Kyvoster's back. Caryn ran over and climbed up behind him. Launching himself into the sky, the red dragon flew at full speed towards the island of Vroengard.