Raven

The bloodrider's territory was large. Far larger than the city she had left behind.

The group was quiet as they flew. Raven took in everything around her. The mountains in the distance, the vast desert far away, and the great green obelisk jutting up from the sky.

The quiet was beautiful. The view was beautiful. What was not beautiful was her situation. The bloodriders had refused to remove her bindings, likely assuming (albeit correctly) that she would plunge over the side of her mount.

Frustrating to say the least.

"We're nearly there." Emyrs said, moving his wyvern into the lead.

The clouds parted briefly, revealing a massive wall that stretched skyward like a monolith. Beyond the wall stretched endless fields of crops, meticulously irrigated. In the distance, Raven could see a herd of equus racing along the horizon.

The city soon came upon the riders and Emyrs took point, descending towards a massive structure, and landing his wyvern on what Raven assumed was a landing pad.

The riders guided her wyvern down onto the landing platform before helping her off the creature. Once back on solid ground, Cole drew a knife from his belt, a smile on his face that Raven did not trust.

"Stay away-"

Raven stepped back, startled by Cole's speed. He had cut her bindings with ease. Raven stared at him in surprise before fully realizing that she was free.

Rolling her shoulders, Raven teased out the tension in her arms, feeling out her freedom of movement.

"Let's get your harness off, hm?" Cole said, moving closer.

"Hey," Emyrs snapped at him, "not smart."

Cole rolled his eyes before showing Raven how to work the harness.

"You realize that she killed Gray, right?" Emyrs pressed, striding towards the two while Jace and Roan kept their distance.

Cole's hands hesitated on the buckle that attached Raven to the wyvern beside her.

"Step away from her Cole, I can do this part." Emyrs said, his voice soft as he rested a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Cole gave Raven a wide eyed look before hurrying away, following Jace and Roan inside.

Raven met Emyrs closed off gaze, wary. He had been fairly quiet on the ride here but now she knew better. This man held power.

Raven didn't trust him.

"I don't trust you." Emyrs said.

"Guess we have that in common." Raven scowled.

"Hm." Emyrs hummed, stepping back and moving towards Raven's wyvern.

"Cole didn't tell you that you won't be able to remove that harness by yourself," Emyrs said, tone calm, collected, "non riders don't know the secret to taking off their harness which gives our people the advantage because we can do this."

Raven staggered forward, caught off balance for only a second before she could catch her footing. Her eyes narrowed in hatred as she saw that Emyrs now held the line that had connected her with the wyvern beside her.

Now however, that line connected her to Emyrs.

"I could still kill you in three hundred ways in the span of three seconds." Raven sneered.

"You won't." Emyrs smirked, tugging on the impromptu leash.

Raven gritted her teeth, the temptation to prove him wrong very strong.

"I can bide my time." She said instead.

"Take all the time you need," Emyrs purred, "we are well versed in waiting."

Raven scowled but let him lead her inside.

She would indeed bide her time. Then she would kill every person in this wretched place.

A week passed. Then a month.

Raven lost track of time. She was given her own room. A very nice space to call her own. Those residing in the walls treated her with kindness and respect. A bit too much respect if she had to say.

The leash came off in a matter of hours. A precaution to say the least. Perhaps Emyrs had been told off for that stunt? Whatever happened after her first few hours made whoever was higher up in the chain of command rethink their position.

She was given full run of the territory. Access to nearly every building in the riders land. Total freedom. Almost.

Something was off. Raven knew that much. The Bloodrider's hadn't dragged her out of her desert life just to pamper her. They wanted something from her. A memory.

Emyrs seemed to be in charge of coaxing that memory out of her stubborn mind. The two of them took long walks around the territory, talking about everything under the sun, but Raven could sense the anticipation within him, the hope that he would strike gold.

She tried to hold back, to avoid the topics that most disturbed her, but Emyrs pushed for the personal information that she refused to share. Raven pushed back, snapping at him with sharp rebukes. She knew he was trying to get her to open up about her past but the past was dead and gone. It would stay that way for as long as possible, kept hidden until it broke her mentally and physically.

Raven scowled, pacing her room, a few days after her last walk with Emyrs. Her mind whirled, whipping from one thing to the next, calculations, escape plans, questions, questions, and more freaking questions ran through her over crowded mind, as she made permanent marks on her floor.

A knock came at her door.

"What do you want Emyrs!" She snapped, stopping her pacing to glower at the door.

Cole poked his head into her room, a worried look on his face.

I should have known it wasn't him. Raven thought, her scowl unceasing as she watched Cole examine her room. Emyrs usually waited a day or two more than this to take their next walk.

"Not him," Cole said, moving further into her space and closing the door, "although I'm impressed by your reaction, not many people get to tell Emyrs to piss off like you do."

Raven arched an eyebrow at the young mans boldness and words.

"What makes you think you can come into my room without my permission?" She questioned, moving to open the door in a very pointed manner, her request clear.

"I just figured you'd like to get out of here," Cole said, ignoring her actions and poking at a vase by her bed, "you know, get the dust off of ya."

"I'm fine where I am and you'll be happy to know I bathe regularly," Raven replied, "now GET OUT!"

Shrugging, Cole made his way to the door, shooting Raven an awkward smile before leaving the room.

"My offer still stands," Cole said, "come find me in the stables if you change your mind."

"I won't." Raven snarled, slamming the door in his face.

A few hours passed. Raven's pacing expanded to the courtyard of the main complex where she had been given a room. There was a reason the bloodriders were digging into her past. There was something she had done that warranted their attention.

Raven suspected it had to do with more than her contributions on this ark. If the bloodriders knew that her tribe had come from beyond... they would likely be curious about how to leave. They would want to know about the guardians.

The Overseers.

That's what the ascension terminal had called them. She had no memory of these Overseers. She only knew that she had defeated them and been granted access to the terminal that brought her tribe here.

Her tribe.

Raven stopped dead. They weren't all here. Raven knew that now. The memories of hours spent in the council chamber's arguments about who would go through to the other side. They all came back in a rush. How long had it been since the Alpha team went through the terminal? How long had their army waited to follow? Would they follow? Or did they believe them to be dead?

Raven had to find a way to contact them. If they came through with an entire army, every tribe would be gunning for them. It would be a bloodbath. Raven turned and ran for the first person she could think of who might know what to do.

Emyrs was sitting in the study, going through paperwork when she smashed through the door, startling him from his very focused stupor.

"I need to go to an obelisk!" Raven said, eyes wild, breathing heavily.

Emyrs stared for a moment before returning to his paperwork.

"We can take you in a week-" He said, stiffening when Raven slammed her palms down on his desk full force, her gaze unyielding as she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Either we go now or I go alone." Raven hissed, unrelenting.

"That would be unwise." Emyrs said with narrowing eyes.

"I survived as a nomad in the desert for months before you brought me back to civilization," Raven said, "I can handle myself."

Emyrs eyed her, weighing his options, before accepting her demands.

"We'll set out tomorrow morning, first light."

"Thank you." Raven said, relieved.

It wasn't what she was hoping to hear but it was something. She sure as heck didn't plan on waiting until morning, but it was nice to know she'd have backup.

It was time to go to an Obelisk.