Fate of the Forsworn
Chapter 17
Uncertainty
Sarrarra twitched in her sleep as Caryn silently poured more energy into Kuldr's topaz pommel stone. Against all odds, she had impressed her master with her performance in the battle against the nightmarish beasts near the dwarf lands, enough for her to be promoted to a full Dragon Rider. She had been thrown a banquet in her honour, along with an elven Rider who had also been promoted, but her mind had been elsewhere during the festivities, and she had gone a mere hour after arriving. Ralforr and Kaylor had offered her their warmest congratulations, and in way of a gift had presented her with a woven belt studded with specially dulled pieces of topaz to act as a repository of energy. As she looked into the beautiful golden blade, it seemed to waver. Suddenly she found herself stood in her old sleeping cave when she was Ralforr's student. Another Rider was running towards her, but speech was almost beyond her capability. A deafening roar sounded from outside as a dragon landed. She felt herself pulled into someone's lap, and she smiled weakly. Words came from her, but what they were she couldn't say. Using the last of her strength, she reached up and kissed the other Rider full on the mouth before her senses fogged and she fell back to the ground. She shook her head, wondering if she'd seen a vision of the future or if she was just tired and still depressed. Kialandi had turned up at her celebration, and the stuck-up elven Rider had declared that no true Dragon Rider would need something as trivial as a celebration. What had really got under her skin was the way Kialandi had openly congratulated the other Rider immediately after deriding her, which had made her lose her temper. She had thrown a bottle of wine at Kialandi, yelled at her that she still remembered how she had treated her when Sarrarra had hatched, and declared that she was a prejudiced bigot. Vrael himself had come to settle the issue, and Kialandi had been sent away. Caryn had been taken aside and spoken with. Her jaw tightened at the thought of getting friendly with the first elven Dragon Rider she'd ever met. She ran a finger over the flat of Kuldr's blade and sighed.
"Can't sleep, child?"
Caryn jumped as the elven smith Rhunon walked into her new cave. Upon realising it was not Kialandi she smiled. In spite of her trucelent manner and short temper, she had always liked the elderly elf. Rhunon shuffled over to her bed and sat herself down. For a couple of minutes neither spoke. Finally Rhunon broke the silence.
"Well, out with it child. What's bothering you? And don't say it's nothing, I know that isn't true."
Caryn fidgeted and stared at Sarrarra. She spoke up quietly.
"I think I just had a vision of my death. I couldn't see Sarrarra here, and I was in my old cave. I was greivously hurt, and the last thing I did was kiss a male Rider."
Rhunon gave a grunt.
"You're probably just tired, youngster. You were pretty angry at your celebration two nights ago."
Caryn flushed but remained silent.
"I had reason to be, after Kialandi ruined it for me."
Rhunon got up and looked at Caryn before poking her.
"Don't let any emotion cloud your head, my girl. Strive for non-attachment in the mind, always keep your thoughts neutral, and you'll become less prone to such things bothering you."
Caryn blew out a long sigh.
"So now that I'm a fully fledged Rider, where do I go? Am I to be assigned a village to guard like Niev guards Gil'ead?"
Rhunon walked out of the cave, leaving Caryn alone with Sarrarra. Unlike her Rider, the yellow dragon had feasted to the point of bursting at their celebration. The only time Sarrarra had feasted more was less than an hour after she hatched. Caryn smiled at the memory of the tiny hatchling gorging herself on one of Kyvoster's kills. Her smile died away, remembering that then was when Kialandi had slapped her for being a match with a dragon. No other human students had been derided by Kialandi, and she was beginning to suspect the elven Rider was foul to her more often than not because she had formed such a close bond with Niev, whose interest in the elf had waned significantly since she came on the scene. Her smile returned as she recalled the six months she had spent as his pupil. Although he had been under partial instruction himself at the time, he had relayed Caryn's request to the Rider Council, who had voted in favour of Niev tutoring the young Rider. Niev's training had finished, and for six months he and Kyvoster had taught all they knew to both Caryn and Sarrarra. Sarrarra had not chosen a name for over three months, which was quite a long time to remain nameless even for a dragon. Niev had been a lenient tutor, allowing his young pupil to make mistakes so she could learn from them, provided they would not be fatal ones. A mere month into her training, Rhunon had interrupted their swordplay and taken over, and had decided on the shape of the yellow Rider's sword. Whilst her weapon had been as spectacular as any other Rider's blade, Rhunon had complained vehemently about naming the sword 'gold' in the Ancient Language. However, beneath the complaints, Caryn knew she secretly approved. She held the sword out and looked into the blade again, as if hoping to find the secrets of the world inscribed in some archaic language. Just as she made to sheath the weapon, another Rider walked in. Garbed in a dark tunic with short sleeves, black leggings and black boots, Arisu nodded courteously to the younger Rider. Caryn smiled back. She had been nervous of other Riders for a long time after being belittled by Kialandi, and on first meeting Arisu had dropped her exercises and run to hide behind Niev like a child. The older Rider had laughed, assured her that Arisu was a friend, and urged her to make an effort to know her. Arisu had been the first Rider besides Niev she had befriended. She spoke up, looking at the wall.
"What brings you here, Arisu? Can I do anything for you?"
Arisu smiled slightly and drew her green sword. It was the same hue of vibrant green as Karra's scales, and glittered in the light of the lanterns illuminating Caryn's cave. The younger Rider sighed.
"Is it really necessary to duel?"
A slow lunge at the yellow Rider gave her all the answer she needed. Sighing, she feinted back, drawing Kuldr as she did so. Arisu slowly moved her sword away, giving Caryn ample time to gain her feet. With agility on the wrong side of the impossible, Caryn rolled off her bed, swept Arisu off her feet, and disarmed the green Rider in one liquid movement. To add to the impressiveness of the feat, Caryn muttered a spell to stop Arisu hurting herself as she fell. Arisu's eyes widened in astonishment.
"How the...?"
Caryn smiled and helped her up, passing her sword back to her. Arisu took it quietly, still looking at Caryn in surprise. She had known that Caryn was gifted with swordplay, something she had known when she had been tutored by Niev for a mere two months, but to be defeated so quickly was mind-boggling. As Arisu sheathed her weapon, Caryn scowled a death glare.
"You!"
Kialandi walked into the room as if it were hers and fixed the younger Riders with a superior, haughty glare. She sat on the bed and laid her hand on the coloured onyx stone that rested in the pommel of her blade. After some time she began to speak.
"The two of you are to leave immediately for an island six days travel from here. A strange plant is wanted for inspection by the Rider Council. You will bring back a number of these plants alive and still growing."
Caryn glowered murderously at Kialandi as the elf woman got up. Despite her hatred of the old Rider, she knew all too well Kialandi was not making up this mission. Once, she had made the mistake of assuming that because Kialandi had borne the message, it must be a fake, and had been lectured by the Rider Council severely for defying orders. As soon as the elf was out of earshot, Caryn turned to Arisu.
"I suppose we'd better pack. This mission might just be serious."
Arisu nodded and began to help the younger Rider pack her belongings in various saddlebags. As they worked, they discussed everything from their recent team battle against the strange creatures in the south to an old Eldunari spontaneously exploding. After half an hour of packing, the two Riders carried the bags to Sarrarra and fastened them into her large saddle. The yellow dragoness snorted as she awoke from her doze and touched the minds of both Riders.
Greetings, Arisu. Caryn, what's going on?
Caryn filled in her dragon as Arisu checked that each travelling bag was securely fastened. Sarrarra was silent throughout their exchange and turned to look at Arisu with one yellow eye.
You have my thanks for helping the partner-of-my-heart, Arisu, but this mission is not so urgent we must leave at midnight. Caryn has yet to rest. We shall depart for this island in the morning or noon tomorrow.
With a jolt of surprise, Arisu checked the time and soon saw it was indeed close to midnight. Chuckling to herself, Sarrarra soon fell into a doze as Caryn moved to lie down in the saddle. Outside, Doru Araeba was very quiet and dark. Arisu said her farewells and left for her own cave. Caryn shuttered the lanterns with her magic and fell asleep on her dragon's back, knowing she'd have to get used to doing so for almost two weeks. In mere minutes, the only sounds in the cave were the breathing of the dragon and very light snoring from Caryn.
It was noon by the time Sarrarra awoke. As she exited the cave, she was met by Arisu and Karra. The larger dragoness hummed in greeting, almost seeming to laugh at Caryn still sleeping on the yellow dragon's back. As Arisu mounted Karra, Caryn awoke and blearily began to tie herself into the saddle. Karra studied the younger Rider in amusement.
Stay alert in our flight north.
Caryn nodded and yawned widely.
"Oh, I will, I just don't like the idea of sitting still for twelve days whilst you and Sarrarra exhaust youselves flying north."
Karra snorted.
Do not fret so much, youngster. What you were told about the distance of this island was not true. The island is a mere two days travel, three at most. Were you not told?
Caryn frowned.
"Kialandi said six. She said it in the Ancient Language."
I'm sure she did. However, she probably meant six days total travel, not each way.
Caryn braced herself as Sarrarra bunched her muscles and flapped hard, propelling her and her Rider into the air. Behind them, Karra and Arisu followed suit and began the long haul north to the strange island. Since this was not likely to be a combat mission, neither Rider had been given any Eldunari. Wild dragons of Sarrarra's age could typically fly for at least three days without stopping, whilst those of Karra's age often had the stamina to fly at speed relentlessly for six days. However, Sarrarra was built differently from most dragons, and her compact, stocky build was more indicative of a dragon with physical strength as opposed to strength in flight. Sarrarra flew alongside and slightly below Karra, both their Riders silent. Soon, Vroengard was lost to sight and the only thing to be seen for miles around was the restless ocean. For hours the two dragons flew together. As dusk fell over the sea, Caryn straightened up from where she'd been laid down all day, silently pouring more energy into Kuldr's stone. Stretching, she grimaced at the aches and pains that stabbed at her. She looked at the setting sun when a dull rumble sounded over the ocean. Karra snarled maliciously and stopped heading north, hovering slightly. A mass of dark cloud all but blotted out the southern skyline, and as the Riders looked, a bolt of lightning illuminated the entire cloud briefly. Arisu cursed.
"That's all we need. A storm will slow us down."
Karra was studying the storm through her viridian eyes, and spoke to both Riders and Sarrarra.
That storm will be more of a help than a hindrance. A wind is blowing towards us and will carry us high, so we can ride the higher thermals to this island.
Even as the green dragon spoke, a gust of wind from the south caught both dragons. Flapping hard, Karra was soon thousands of metres high, and it wasn't long before Sarrarra joined her. So high up, the air was already bitterly cold, and both Riders began to pull on extra layers. All night long, the dragons flew together in the silent skies.
It was over a day after the storm that the island was first seen. Wearied by the constant travel, Sarrarra landed on the rocky beach and remained still. Less exhausted but still weary, Karra came to a stop next to her. Arisu and Caryn both dismounted from their dragons and walked onto the beach. A man stood at the top of a nearby sand dune, silently watching them. Arisu and Caryn approached the man and spoke politely, enquiring about the strange Seithr plants they had been sent to collect. Soon enough, the two Riders were being led to a small village nestled between the walls of a steep gulley. Four watchtowers rose around the village, and on the peak of the low hill nearby was a fifth tower. Caryn looked around in awe, but Arisu kept silent as they were surrounded by curious locals. Caryn turned from her gazings and made a beeline for the herbalist in the small marketplace.
"Excuse me, we've been sent to bring back living Seithr plants to take before the Council of Dragon Riders. Can you show me where the plants grow?"
The elderly woman turned slowly to look at Caryn. She gave a creaky laugh and used her gnarled blackthorn staff to push herself upright.
"You want living Seithr, my young one? Yes, yes, the mighty Dragon Riders can take as they wish from my fields of herbs. Leaves of this plant give an oil that makes pearls of the sea grow lustrous and strong. Follow me, my young one."
Caryn frowned slightly at the elderly woman, but fell into step behind her as she began to shuffle out of the village. Arisu caught up with Caryn and soon they were in a field full of plants. The old woman came to a halt near the far end and poked the ground with her staff.
"If the Dragon Riders want the plants, they must unearth them themselves. I can no longer do it, and my assistant is with her child. Go on, take them!"
Caryn and Arisu exchanged a puzzled look and began to chant a spell that would unearth the plant. Much to their surprise, as the Seithr plant was unearthed, it withered and wilted. By the time it was fully out of the ground, it was a shriveled wreck. The old woman gave a cackle of laughter.
"Can you not do it, little ones? Seithr plants cannot be broken out of the soil, no, no, there is a technique involved. The taproot of the Seithr plant is what keeps it alive in the winters here, and can taste magic being used, it can. When you break the plant to the surface like you just did, it stretches the root, and the life is pulled into the taproot. No, you must unearth them by hand."
The old woman drew a circle around the next healthy plant with the butt of her staff, and prompted Caryn and Arisu to excavate the plant by hand. After a lot of digging, cursing and advice from the old woman, one of the Seithr plants rested above ground level, its' fat taproot untouched. Caryn gave a groan as they set to work on excavating more for the return trip to Vroengard. By the end of their dig they were both exhausted, hot, muddy and sweaty, as well as irritable. Twenty five Seithr plants sat on the ground, each packaged in old sacking. Arisu gave a sigh as she looked at Caryn.
"All done. That was pretty tiresome, doing it all by hand. I'm going to bathe in the sea and get changed. If any of those village boys try to spy on me, well, it might get messy."
Caryn smiled and gave a short laugh. Once, on a mission, she had made the mistake of bathing in a pond that was the property of an earl, and had been seen stark naked by his entire garden staff. Sarrarra had been borderline insufferable for days after Caryn had screamed for help, and it was the one story she had never shared with Niev. As Arisu walked off, she thought once again about her blurred vision as she dusted herself off. Glimpses of the future were not entirely unheard of, and Vroengard was saturated with residual magic from so many Riders and dragons living there, making them more common there than anywhere else in Alagaesia. A tendril of thought touched her mind, and Sarrarra landed in the grassy plains beyond the field. Caryn smiled as her dragon loped towards her, soon laying down in the grass. A number of shouts of awe reached their ears, and soon a crowd of village children were rushing up to Sarrarra. The yellow dragon lifted her lip enough to show her fangs, but made no move to snarl or otherwise threaten the youngsters. Caryn began to carry the bagged plants to her dragon, placing them in the large saddlebags, whilst the children gazed in awe at the glittering yellow dragon. Sarrarra yawned widely and flexed her stocky body, her ebony spikes flaring on her back. Several of the children tensed as if to run, but soon began to move closer to the lethargic dragon. Caryn placed the last plant in the saddlebags and caressed Sarrarra's snout. She snorted softly and nudged her Rider gently before settling in for a nap. One of the village children walked up to Caryn, and pulled on the Rider's tunic. Caryn turned and smiled at the boy.
"Yes?"
The boy looked at Sarrarra again before speaking.
"How big is your dragon?"
Caryn gestured behind her to where her friend lay napping.
"That big. About as big as two or three of your houses."
Several murmurs of surprise came from the small crowd. A girl put her hand up, bouncing on the balls of her feet before Caryn laughed and pointed at her.
"Yes, what would you like to know?"
The girl pushed to the front of the crowd and spoke in a high-pitched squeak.
"Is your dragon hundreds of years old?"
Caryn laughed, prompting a sleepy grunt from Sarrarra.
"No, no, Sarrarra here is actually not much older than you. She hatched for me when I was ten. She's fifteen years old."
Another hand rose into the air and Caryn, realising the children were probably going to ask her every question conceivable about dragons, braced herself for a storm of curiosity.
"Yes?"
This time, the questioner was a small girl with dark skin.
"Do dragons lay eggs, or do they have babies?"
Caryn shook her head.
"No, they lay eggs like birds do. The bigger the dragon, the bigger the egg. If Sarrarra was to lay an egg, it would be about this long," She held her hands roughly a foot apart. "If a dragon a hundred years old was to lay one, it would be about the same size. But if a dragon a thousand years old laid an egg, then it would be THIS big."
She held her hands three feet apart, prompting a chorus of 'Ooohs' from the assembled village children. One turned and ran towards the tower on the hill, whilst the others began to ask what dragon eggs looked like. Smiling, Caryn led the children away from Sarrarra, and answered what she could. Whilst Eldunari were a guarded topic, discussion with the public about dragons in general was not discouraged. As the children questioned her, making her wonder where Arisu and Karra were, the child who had run off before returned, carrying a burlap sack. He placed it on the ground, opened it, and held up a foot-long ovoid object.
"Is this a dragon egg?"
Caryn was shocked into silence. Sure enough, the ruby item held by the child was indeed a dragon egg. She nodded mutely, then found her breath.
"Where did you get that egg?"
The boy pointed to the tower on the hill nearby.
"It was found in a field two years ago and put there for safekeeping. Will it hatch?"
Caryn approached the boy and held out her hands, silently asking to hold the egg. The boy retreated, hugging the egg to him.
"No, it's our egg! You can't take it!"
Caryn gave a sigh.
"Listen, dragon eggs are incredibly special. Do you want someone to steal it and break it? That's what'll happen if it stays there. Let me and my friend take it to our island. We'll look after it for you, and when the baby hatches, we'll tell it all about you."
Murmurs broke out from the crows, mostly in favour of keeping the egg, although a few children argued that Caryn should take the egg with her. Finally the boy holding the egg came forward.
"If I let you hold it, you have to promise to give it back."
Caryn sighed and nodded. The boy pointed to her sword.
"Let us hold your golden sword then."
Caryn unsheathed Kuldr and passed it to a child before taking hold of the egg. She murmured words over it, and soon read the sad truth of the matter. No life seemed to exist within the red egg, and she passed it back to the boy in exchange for her sword. The boy smiled.
"When is it going to hatch?"
Caryn sheathed her weapon and shrugged. Sarrarra shifted in her nap and touched her mind gently.
That egg is not dead, Caryn, the youngster within is hiding his thoughts very well indeed. Let this one remain here.
Caryn opened her mouth to talk when a chorus of yells came from the children. She looked to see what had caused such alarm, only to relax on seeing it was Karra and Arisu. The green dragon landed behind Sarrarra and stretched luxuriously. Several of the children gave yelps of fright as Karra looked them over, viridian eyes glinting. Arisu dismounted and walked up to Caryn.
"It's best if we rest for the remainder of the day and go south tomorrow. Did you get everything packed? Does Sarrarra know not to use magic until we've unloaded those plants?"
Caryn nodded and turned to her friend.
"Somehow, an egg is on this island. What should we do? Sarrarra thinks it best to leave it here."
Arisu frowned and approached the diminished crowd. She looked over the children and sighed.
"Sarrarra's right, Karra thinks so too. There are many other eggs on Vroengard alone. This one will not finish our order even if it does hatch and go astray."
Caryn nodded and turned to walk back to her dragon. Arisu smiled as the children began to bombard her with questions.
By the time morning dawned the next day, Sarrarra and Karra were both preparing to leave. A cow each had gone a long way towards easing their hunger and restoring their strength. Arisu and Caryn had told the villagers they had no plans on taking the egg, and had slept well in the village inn. Just as the two Riders made to leave, both dragons gave a nervous growl as the air itself grew cold in spite of it being a clear, warm day. There were no clouds in the sky besides wispy ice clouds high above. Sarrarra looked up at the sun and gave a loud roar unexpectedly. Karra began to copy her as the sunlight dimmed. Suddenly, understanding gripped the two Riders as the sun's light continued to fade. An eclipse, of great magnitude if not total, was blocking the sun's light. The dragons both stopped roaring as premature night fell over the island. Soon, the sun was hidden, and replaced by a breathtaking aurora of golden light around where the sun had been. After perhaps three minutes, a glint of light appeared on one side, rapidly brightening into a gem-like point of light that looked like a diamond ring, before the sunlight returned properly. Karra and Sarrarra both hummed as the light brightened, their Riders struck dumb by the beauty of the spectacle they had just witnessed for the first time. Elven, dwarven and human scholars knew of eclipses, but saw little point telling the rest of the world about them. Arisu broke the silence.
"We should go. The Council will want to see these plants."
Caryn nodded silently as the dragons broke into a run and flew up high. People in the village waved as the two Dragon Riders grew ever smaller in the sky, finally vanishing as they flew to Vroengard.