Chapter 8-Fighting a Losing Battle

The next day finally gave Ryta the chance she wanted to go out and seek her mother's body to rescue it from Arxa's presence. While everyone else was busy with preparing for Pytris' funeral, Ryta met with Verdra and Reath.

I'll go with you, Verdra growled, her back still tender from where Arxa had thrown her into a wall. Might do me some good to get out of this place since everyone is so emotional now.

Pytris was a big part of this family, Reath commented, his eyes glistening with light from a lantern several feet away as they sat in the large entrance that Uria had first brought Verdra down to upon their arrival.

He was your brother yet I don't see you mourning his death. A puff of smoke drifted from Ryta's nostrils.

We were never that close, Reath replied, his eyes flickering down to the smooth wood-marble stranded floor.

I can see that, Verdra growled in agreement as her eyes watched dragons moving from one floor to the next. Where were all the hatchlings moved to since there is no longer a floor in their rounded chamber due to Uria?

Given holds of their own I believe. Of course, Finca had to be moved to a bigger one since she asked that we stay with her, Reath snorted with pride, his eyes reflecting the soft amber light that shone in from behind him.

Ryta sighed, getting to her feet as her newly reattached tail swung back and forth. I'm leaving.

What? But why?

Because of the fact that the longer I wait, the more time Arxa will have to fully break my mother's spirit. I cannot have that happen! Ryta snarled softly, her eyes narrowing in muted anger.

I understand your anger Ryta but we can't just leave of our own accord. Uria would be furious and would probably send his mate out to bring us back, Reath growled, his eyes glancing up to meet her own.

Look I never asked either of you to come with me. Besides, this is my path now. I will see to my mother's return on my own accord.

With no further words, Ryta walked straight past her friends and began to ascend the steps that led to the world above. They knew not of her pain, of the anger she felt for not having stood up to Arxa when her father was killed. Sitedal would not have had to flee with her had she been stronger.

The midday sun shone down upon the land as Ryta neared the familiar limestone rock facing that had been her home only a month prior. Her mind was steeled, ready for the challenge that confronting Arxa would result in. There was a chance that her theory was wrong; that her mother wouldn't break through and Arxa would kill her for coming onto lands where she should not have dared to venture on.

Ryta's claws scraped the carved marble as she found her footing, having a rather difficult time of landing on the smooth surface where she could find no firm grip. Perhaps she was getting used to the wood-marble stranded floor that lined the base of every level in the Compound, or so she knew it to be called.

You've come. A raspy hiss vibrated through the air, a voice that Ryta knew without question to be that of Jormundur. His tone sounded like no other, the result of harsh snarling during his earliest years as he competed with Sitedal for affection.

Jormundur, it has been too long, Ryta replied with complete calmness, assured that her brother knew who she was and would not attack.

Indeed, you've grown but you still remain the fragile dragoness you once were. This time a different growl rippled back, known by Ryta to be that of Sitedal's mocking tone. He, like his brother, was also rather deep in his vocal wordings due to majority of growling upon his youth.

Slowly Jormundur emerged from the darker part of the cave, his scales dappled with beads of light from the outside. Although he and Sitedal were six months older than their sibling, they both viewed Ryta as a treasure from their mother. Now that same parent was facing a threat not physically but mentally that sought to wipe her from the pages of life and assume her existence.

Have either of you seen Arxa? Ryta inquired, certain that possibly at least one have been aware of her escape.

She went out to hunt a few hours ago. Said something about how she received little food during her imprisonment and then took off. She should be back shortly, Sitedal growled, remaining in the shadows as his purple eyes flickered with restrained love for his sister.

I heard she complained a lot about the food she had been given as well, Jormundur added, his scales reflecting the light and making the limestone glisten with brilliance.

Although Sitedal looked more like his mother in frame, his attitude was entirely from Mirage. His eyes shone with untapped wisdom, as had been the same for his father. Jormundur, on the other hand, was built much like Mirage but had more of Narssia's gentleness from her earlier years passed down onto him. True his fighting spirit was great but he chose carefully how to display his skills.

Suddenly a loud thump resounded near to the entrance of the cave, as Ryta had gone inward to speak with her brothers, and the young dragoness grew rigid with anticipation. Soon Arxa would be within her grip, unable to stop Narssia from escaping only to speak to her favorite child.

For what reason have we allowed an intruder into our . . .

Arxa stopped, driven to a loss for words as Ryta turned around to face her. Somehow the pesky dragon had survived the attack, but how was that possible? Come to think of it, her tail had all but been separated from her body but now she was waving the tip of it back and forth.

How are you . . . ?

Alive? Ryta suggested, picking up on Arxa's loss for words and silently praising herself for it. Let's just say certain dragons can do powerful things when driven to the emotional vulnerability of grief.

Slowly awoken by Arxa's confusion and shock, Narssia found the strength to see that her daughter had come to confront the very heart of the darkness that bound her with its chains. The black dragoness was pleased but it would take more on Ryta's part to allow her to assume back control, given she even could.

Arxa was, as Narssia found it, very confused. Her frame twitched with shock as she pondered her words in return to Ryta's confirmation that Pytris was dead and that Makiar was grieving the loss of her son at this present time. There was also the fact that Ryta had come alone. True it was not the safest idea for the young dragoness to have but if she wanted to do what Narssia thought she was then it made perfect sense and showed that even small changes could be seen by Ryta as to who was in charge of the body.

Since when have you become so friendly with those traitors? Arxa finally inquired.

You call them traitors only because you don't know them like I do. Finca and Uria are honest dragons who want to put their pasts behind them and move on from the deaths of those that had been close to them.

Narssia sighed with joy. Her daughter was realizing what she needed to do so soon. Ryta was staying so calm too. Arxa wasn't as impressed though.

Finca turned her own rider into a dragon to be her mate. How is that honest? And Uria gave up his own soul to be able to save his rider, only to have her break it to show her own misery and grief from her loss of her husband, an irritably annoying trait of the pathetic human race, Arxa snarled, her eyes narrowing as she sensed that Narssia was beginning to stir up once more from the depths of her mind.

Both Finca and Uria did what they had to in order to try and keep their closest friend safe. I see no dishonesty in that.

Ha, you just aren't looking hard enough. Uria died once before to save the life of his human partner, yet chose to offer his soul for her life in the case you mentioned instead of dying a second time. Finca was the same. She tried to prevent Tamli from getting killed by Nira while he was human yet he still died, although it was through a disease that crippled him and brought about an emotional collapse. Here Arxa cringed, squeezing her eyes shut as Narssia rammed against her presence with all the force she could gather.

What about you, Arxa? You chose to invade my mother's mind just to fulfill a path of destruction that others before have failed to see through. Wherein lies your desire to do such to an innocent dragoness? Ryta growled, realizing her closeness to her goal as Arxa shook her head in a mix of pain and disjointedness.

I need no reason to take . . .

A roar of pain stopped her words as Arxa lifted her head. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't focused on her physical sight. It was the mental battle that Narssia was waging with her that took all of her strength to keep control over.

Jormundur, Sitedal, would you please leave our mother and I alone for a few moments? I'm sure it would greatly improve her capability to concentrate. Ryta added a soft growl to the end, that growl making her words remarkably clear to her brothers that they were to leave quickly and find something to do for a few hours.

Arxa had now shut herself off from the physicality of the body which she held command over and was instead focusing on containing and subduing Narssia as much as she could so that she could at least finish a sentence without getting rammed into by mental force.

Let me loose! Narssia shrieked, keeping her thought strictly inside her own head as she battered Arxa with another wave of force that was proving its point.

Realizing there was little point in drawing it out much longer, Arxa finally complied and Narssia took full control. Her eyes opened just in time to see Jormundur and Sitedal take flight before Ryta spoke once more.

Is it really you? She asked, noticing her mother's yellow irises but not fully convinced.

It's me, for now. Narssia forced herself to give a simple growl of comfort to her daughter who now stood with silver tears of happiness dripping down her scaled cheeks.