Fate of the Forsworn
Chapter 19
Traitor
Kyvoster nudged Niev with the tip of his snout.
Read the scroll to me, partner-of-my-heart.
Niev shook his head and read out loud.
"To all Shur'tugal. One of our number, the Dragon Rider Ardepp, has deserted our ranks and stolen a number of eggs. She has already slain six of our best warriors and was last seen in the vicinity of Yazuac by a wandering mage. If she is seen, take great care. Teams of Dragon Riders will be organised to find her and attempt to undo the damage she has caused. May the stars watch over you all. Vrael."
Niev fell to his knees, dropping the scroll. A Rider and dragon deserting their order was not unheard of, although since the order began, only nineteen had left by choice, now twenty with Ardepp's betrayal. Most of the Riders had gone to live alone far away, and a few had caused chaos in Alagaesia. Kyvoster snarled loudly, enough to snap Niev out of his shock.
Write a letter back to Master Vrael. Have him send Arisu, Caryn and Rellith to join us at Gil'ead. We triumphed against those monsters, perhaps the six of us can bring down this traitorous egg thief.
Nodding silently, Niev hastily scrawled a message on the back of the scroll and soon teleported it back to Vroengard. He gathered his belongings and mounted Kyvoster. Barely had he settled in his dragon's saddle when Kyvoster launched himself into the air. Grabbing the saddle for dear life, Niev tied himself in as Kyvoster hastily flew back to their home. All day long, the hybrid flew at a speed Niev had rarely seen from him before. As the afternoon waned towards evening, the keep of Gil'ead came into sight. Soon, Arareal and Nerene could be seen on the outskirts of the city. Fortunately, there was no sign of any attacks, which was good news indeed, considering how badly Nerene had been mauled when Charl had been kidnapped. Kyvoster landed near the two females, and sniffed noses with them. Niev untied himself from the saddle and dismounted, heading into his new living quarters. He had opted to take accommadation in one of the taverns in the outer reaches of Gil'ead, much to the delight of the owners. Just as he reached the door, the sound of an approaching dragon came to his ears. Looking up, he smiled warmly. Descending towards him was Caryn and Sarrarra. The yellow dragoness landed nearby, and Caryn saw him, smiled shyly, and approached. Sarrarra shook herself and made a beeline for the lake, after quickly greeting Niev. Caryn was blushing bright red as she walked up to the older Rider, and dropped her bulky rucksack.
"I'm glad to see you again, Niev. I spoke with the Council before your mission, and not only have they calmed down about the possibility of Kyvoster mating with Sarrarra, they want to make you a member of the Council itself."
Niev looked at his young friend in amazement.
"ME? A Rider Council member?"
Caryn smiled warmly, her golden eyes seeming to shine like the sun.
"I don't know why you're so surprised, you've always been a good Rider. I remember when we first met, I thought you were a legend come to life."
Niev picked up Caryn's rucksack and walked inside, greeting the tavern owners warmly as he did so. He headed upstairs, unlocked his room, and sat on the bed with Caryn.
"Yes, but when I met you, you were a half-starved slave who was likely expecting to be either sold, beaten or killed, or all three. I'm not saying I dislike how you view me; quite the opposite. It's just at the time, well, you WANTED a hero, didn't you?"
Caryn shifted nervously.
"Well, yes, I'm certainly not sorry you rescued me. But I'd heard of Dragon Riders before I met you, and you were everything I expected one to be. More, in fact."
Niev smiled and hugged Caryn, noticing how her entire face was red by now. He turned and faced the open window and stared out at the placid countryside for a long while. Finally, he turned back to Caryn, who was still leaning against him.
"Did you bring any information on Ardepp? All I know is she's an elf, and I can't say I've ever done more than see her in passing. For all I know, she could be about to fly overhead."
Caryn smiled and nodded.
"Well there are four dragons here, I doubt she'll come to us. But here's what I was told by Komeran. Ardepp's been a Rider for three and a half centuries, and has a silvery-blue male dragon called Revar. Revar is bigger than Kyvoster and Sarrarra, and doesn't seem to be special in any way. Ardepp was always clever at twisting words, but few took her seriously when she said she was going to look at the eggs she stole."
Niev nodded in agreement. Outside, Arareal had taken to the sky and was keeping a close look out for any other approaching dragons.
"How many eggs were stolen?"
"Eight. All freshly laid, and the mother was one of the six dragons Revar killed. Her Rider did not die, but is in a catatonic state in Doru Areaba. The other five Riders were not so fortunate."
Both Riders were silent for a while, thinking how just one of their own had done so much damage. A nesting mother dragon was hard enough to kill, but five fully armoured dragons with their Riders were quite another matter. Just as Caryn was about to speak again, a roar from outside caught their attention. Niev leapt to his feet as Caryn scuttled to the window, but their alarm was unnecessary. Arisu and Rellith had arrived together. A tendril of thought touched Niev's mind from Rellith's brown dragon Miremel.
Come to the lake, Niev. Master Vrael has said you are to be in charge of this group to capture or kill Ardepp.
Niev shook his head in disbelief but walked out of the tavern towards Lake Isenstar. Caryn followed as Karra and Miremel landed, leaving her bag behind. Some minutes later, he stood with Rellith, Arisu, Jess, Charl and Caryn. As the elven Rider was the only one there older than him, Niev addressed him first.
"Can you tell me exactly why command of this mission has been given to me? I'm not a leader, Rellith."
The elf shrugged.
"Master Vrael ordered it, not me. Besides, you did well last time."
Niev gave a snort of disbelief.
"Last time I was in command, Nerene here was almost killed! We know the capabilities of Ardepp and her dragon far better than we did of those monsters we all killed, but I still don't think I'm ready for the job."
Jess sighed and approached the older human Rider.
"Maybe you aren't, maybe you are. We have to play the cards as they have been dealt us. If you take command, it's a possibility one or more of us may die. But if you DON'T, well, could you live with yourself if we were ALL slain?"
The other Riders gave murmurs of acknowledgement. Niev sighed again and shook his head.
"No. I don't want to see any of my friends die because of me. But this may all be an academic conversation anyway. We have no way of knowing when Ardepp will attack us, if she ever will."
Arisu spoke up.
"Perhaps we can arrange for her to do so."
All Riders and dragons turned to look at Charl's twin. Miremel spoke first.
What do you mean, young one?
"Simply this. Ardepp really wanted those eggs she stole. Perhaps if we were to spread rumours that one of our dragons, if not more than one, had laid eggs recently, she would come to us. We can then spring the trap on her, rather than waiting."
The assembled Riders and dragons began to converse over Arisu's plan. Rellith and Jess in particular agreed with it, as did their dragons. Only Niev had anything to say against her idea.
"We need to hide the Eldunari of Ty'roc then, and arrange a place where nobody will go. There's a ruined village about two miles from here, we could go there. The last thing we need is for Revar to torch Gil'ead to the ground."
Everyone agreed on the plan, and Arareal, Miremel and Sarrarra took to the air, heading for the ruined village. Jess, Caryn and Charl all headed into the city and began to spread the rumour that the three dragons would soon be mothers. Rellith and Arisu went to find lodgings in the keep, and Karra approached Nerene and began crooning to the wounded dragon. Abruptly, Niev was left alone with Kyvoster. The red dragon studied his Rider through one huge cyan eye.
Don't fret so much Niev. I can tell how churned your thoughts are. Even if Revar and Ardepp do appear here, six dragons all at once will be more than enough to force them to submit. Also, it's likely Ardepp does not know of Ty'roc's Eldunari. If we could hide it, we could use it as a surprise weapon should the battle shift in their favour. And she certainly does not know of my lightning attack or your flesh-rot-spell.
Niev looked up at Kyvoster in surprise.
"Are you suggesting I should use that dark magic to slay them?"
It is a tool, Niev, like my claws and fangs. I know all too well you don't wish to use it, but against a threat of this size, you may have no choice but to use it to save the lives of others. Besides, the energy we have stored in Ajunthar ought to be enough to create the diversion I have in mind.
"Diversion? What diversion?"
Kyvoster seemed to grin as he laid out his plan to his Rider. Soon, Niev lost his worried look and smiled also.
"Kyvoster, that's a risky idea, but it's crazy enough to work! We still have to create something that will pass for a dragon egg though, so lets get started on that."
The hybrid dragon appeared to twitch, but shook himself and waited for Niev to climb onto his back. As he settled into the saddle, Kyvoster launched himself into the darkening sky, heading for the distant shore of the lake. An hour later, the red dragon landed on the muddy beach and looked around.
Yes, this will do perfectly for decoy eggs.
Niev watched quietly as Kyvoster scratched up large balls of mud and deftly rolled them into ovoid shapes not unlike dragon eggs. He smiled slightly as he recalled when Kyvoster was young, and how he had once made a heap of grass, soil and sand, tried to burn it all, and settled on it with the intention of making a nest. Soon, the mud shapes were baked by Kyvoster's carefully regulated fire, and the ones that looked best were scooped up by the red dragon. Once again leaping into the sky, Kyvoster flew in the night as quietly as he could. After twenty minutes of silent flying, he landed at the ruined village devastated by a tornado so many years ago. Arareal, Miremel and Sarrarra had all scraped out makeshift nests in the ground, and Kyvoster began to deposit the baked eggs. Miremel accepted five, Arareal took two, and Sarrarra took the last one. As the yellow dragoness took her fake egg, she nuzzled Kyvoster. Niev smiled and dismounted from the hybrid dragon.
"Why don't you spend the night with her? I'll find somewhere to sleep among the ruins."
Kyvoster looked around at his Rider.
Truly? You would allow this of me?
"Of course I would, Kyvoster. You and I are joined, and I know you enjoy Sarrarra's company. Besides, it'll add to the illusion that there are real eggs here."
Kyvoster sent a warm glow of affection to his Rider and followed Sarrarra to her nest. Niev sighed and entered the least ruined of the old homes, thinking back to when he and Kyvoster had evacuated the area. Soon afterwards they had found Caryn. Niev gathered together some dead wood and vegetation and heaped it into the old fireplace. Striking flint to tinder, it wasn't long before the century old Rider had a fire burning merrily. Opening his rucksack, he soon found his cooking items but belatedly remembered he had brought no food. Ducking out of the ruined hut, Niev ran onto the plain and was soon back with a rabbit he'd killed. After skinning the animal, he set it over the fire to roast, and stared into the flickering light as he did so. After some time, he removed the cooked flesh, and was about to make a start on it when he heard the sound of someone approaching. Turning, his free hand on Ajunthar, he soon saw it was Caryn. Smiling, he moved aside and gestured for her to sit down. Caryn sighed and nodded, staring into the fireplace as if hoping to see her future written in the fire and flames. Niev nudged her and passed her a portion of his meal. Caryn silently accepted it and began to eat. Niev could tell she was thinking deeply, but made no move to break the silence until she was ready. Finally she spoke.
"Niev, I think I've seen my death coming."
Throwing the last fragments of his food into the fire, Niev sat upright.
"Tell me what you saw, Caryn."
Caryn turned to her oldest friend, and for a moment, she resembled the scared youngster he'd rescued, not the adult she was now. She moved and leaned up against Niev, shutting her eyes as she spoke.
"It was a few days ago on Vroengard. I saw myself in my old cave, badly wounded. Sarrarra was too, and was outside. Someone ran in, took my weapon, and held me, telling me that they could heal me. I reached up, kissed them, and then everything went inky black. Before I died, I heard the person vow venegeance on my killer."
Niev hugged Caryn gently, waiting for the ideal time to speak.
"Visions aren't always true, Caryn. And whoever that person is, they'll have to wait. I will avenge you when you die, Caryn, even if I must summon spirits to do so."
Caryn gave a contented sigh and lay down on the ground with her own bag as a makeshift pillow. Niev smiled at her, gently playing with her hair as she made herself comfortable. Caryn looked up the older Rider and gave a warm smile.
"If I should die, please don't forget about me."
Niev's dark eyes widened, and he leaned down to Caryn's level.
"Never. I could never forget you Caryn."
Just as Caryn made to respond, a loud crash sounded from out on the plains. Cursing, Niev got up and ran out of the hut, Caryn hot on his heels. A huge silvery blue dragon sparkled in the starlight, and on his back was an elven Rider. Niev and Caryn cursed aloud as Ardepp screamed a spell to the heavens.