Dragon Riders

Ciru

Ciru frowned, seeing a single dragon approaching him and Otraol quickly. It couldn't be a Saviour patrol, they'd have sent more than one. Otraol slowed, the other dragon appearing to do so as well before they were practically level, within shouting distance of each other. He raised one hand in greeting, "Dragon Rider. Do you represent the Saviours or the Dark Knights?"

The girl shrugged, "I was once of the Saviours, but they are weak. I wish to join the Dark Knights, who are ruled by my uncle."

Otraol's mind reached up to his, I don't like this. Whether she means Ianeil or the king, we can't fully trust her. After all, if her family are Dark Knights, why would she become a Saviour?

I know, but we need everyone we can get in the war. Especially the experienced ones. Can Shyen still contact the general?

I'm not sure. Probably.

Have her inform him of this new addition. She'll come with us for now, but we'll land away from the camp until he gives me an order. Ciru smiled at the girl, the scars twisting, "Follow me, then."

Ianeil

I saw the emblem on the sheathes. Ravensedge forge. That was impressive and something to be considered. Not only were the blades enchanted and chose their own very skilled masters, they were expensive to make.

I removed my own cloak and draped it across the back of my own chair, revealing the black leather armor I always wore, the blood red tunic, the gold-plated iron protecting my left shoulder. Everyone could even see the scimitar I had sheathed to my back, its bone-hilt gleaming.

"All right, then," I spoke, making myself more casual and relaxed. "Let's start. Of course, my name is Ianeil, and I'm the general of the Dark Knights. You already know I use telekenisis, which is the ability to control things - alive and lifeless - with my mind. I'm the youngest officer in the army, and my dragon, Shyen, is the daughter of the King's dragon but nothing like a true ruler...yet. What about you boys? Is there anything you would like to say about yourselves and your dragons?"

Hopefully they would cooperate and loosen up. Had I gone overboard with the discipline and frightened them?

Viedna

Standing before the Damalian king, Viedna felt dwarfed by his surroundings. The throne, tapestries, everything seemed oddly out of proportion to him. He turned his attention to the King to see how his news had been received.

"Your message is no news to us Dark Knight; whatever ploy you attempt will fail now."

"It is no ploy my lord, I bring word because the best hopes for my future lie here, in Damali." Even as he said this, Viedna felt those hopes dwindling.

"Then your hopes must be somewhat starved," replied the King curtly. "Guards seize the prisoner and escort him to the holding cells. Ensure his dragon is tethered and subdued."

Should I flee? asked Roslyn, privy to the entire conversation despite being sequestered in the Saviours dragon-roost.

Viedna forced himself to respond, though telepathy had always been difficult for him due to his resistance to magic. No, the saviours at least will recognise our gesture as the good faith it was. This king is a fool.

And yet he is still our best hope

Viedna smiled as he was led away by the swarm of guards and war-mages.

*jumped ahead a little because I hadn't posted in a while*

I can't sense him anywhere, said Gautier sadly. Or Ley.

Ariadne fumed as the moon started to rise. Haven would never be away this long without checking in with somebody. The Dark Knights must have taken him.

You're right, Gautier agreed. But it's starting to get foggy. We have to go back and pick up the search tomorrow. He turned around back to Damali.

Gautier, it's just fog! We're not going back without him!! she tried to pull him the other way.

Ariadne, be reasonable, dear. You know I won't be able to sense anything in this thick of fog. If it was just rain, it wouldn't matter.

Ari sighed. 'Never leave a comrad behind', she quoted. Doesn't that mean anything to you?!

Quiet!! Gautier snapped, smoke and flames licking his jaws. That-is-enough! Of course that means something to me, it means everything to me, but I am not able to traverse any farther in this fog without wandering aimlessly and getting hopelessly lost! Now, we are going back to Damali and picking up our search again tomorrow, and you-will-be-quiet! Is that clear?!

Ari's mouth opened in shock. He had never talked to her in that manner before. She quickly shut her mouth and fumed the entire ride back, sulking, and thinking of strategies to get Haven and Ley back.

She entered the throne room as a man was being taken away by two guards and two war-mages. He turned his head to look at her, and she saw a smile on his face before his head was forced to faced forward.

Ari, said Guatier. There's a new dragon here surrounded by gaurds. She says her name is Roslyn. What's going on?

"Your Highness," Ariadne started, concerned. "What's going on?"

"There's a Dark Knight here trying to trick us. He says the Athanasian army is coming to destroy Damali, along with the Dark Knights."

Gautier?

I don't sense that they're Dark Knights, said Gautier, who had been listening to their conversation.

"They're not Dark Knights, my lord," objected Ariadne.

"Are you doubting my authority?" the King said angrily.

Ari hesitated and bowed. "No, my lord, it's just merely a hunch."

"Don't stick to it. I know what I'm talking about."

"Yes, Sire," Ariadne said, standing erect. "Do you mind if I question the intruder, Sir?"

The king nodded and motioned for her to leave. She bowed and left the Throne Room.

Gautier, tell the gaurds to let Roslyn go. We're going to need her. Gautier did as he was told, and the gaurds let her go.

Ariadne rushed to the holding cells were the man was being held. The gaurds let her through as she ran up to his cell. He was sitting on the hard bench, his head against the grimy wall, his face covered with a mask that only allowed his eyes to show.

"What is your name, sir?" Ari asked. She noticed his eyes were closed.

"Viedna. You?"

"Ariadne, General of the Saviors. I need you to help me."

Viedna opened his eyes and looked at her. "You're the General?" Roslyn, I think our luck has changed!

"Yes. I heard what my lord thinks of you, and I don't believe him. I need you're help. I can get you out of here if you help me."

"Yes, of course!" Viedna got up from the bench and walked to the opening of the cell.

"Does you have any powers?" Ariadne asked.

"No."

Ari sighed. "Can your dragon sense anything in really thick fog?"

**CJ, we have a problem. No one wants to post anymore...I come on here five times a day, and there's hardly a - if no - change to Dragon Wars.

WAKE UP EVERYBODY!!!!!

Or, we could take over ourselves.***

~Bella~

“Bella Tial. Well, this is certainly unexpected.” My uncle, Hanik Tial, expressed his shock. We were sitting in the throne room, he on the King’s throne, I on the queen’s. “I never thought I would see my niece again… but here you are! If you would have come to me before all of this, I probably would have sent you to the dungeons, but the circumstances have changed drastically. The Dark Knights are under attack. General Ianeil is having much trouble controlling the new recruits, and he needs your help.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Extend my help to that heresiarch and murderer? It is unthinkable. That monster killed Hiro, and you are fully aware of that fact. You forced Wen to flee from that man, and you know just as well as I that he is utterly evil.”

Hanik smiled, and said, “But, Bella, my darling, he has had a change of heart. You’re whereabouts never reached us, and he thought he had indeed killed you. I assure you that he was filled with remorse for his actions.”

I laughed harshly, sending a thick tendril of fire at my uncle. He blocked it with his icy breath, leaving only a small puddle of boiled water on the floor. “Do you not realize the thought behind his ‘remorse’? The scumbag was merely concerned that he had driven my brother away with his cruel and thoughtless actions. And drive him away, he did. Wen was never fond of the man, but Hiro’s death woke him up to the true monster inside of Ianeil. Do not forget that your right-hand man tried to kill me.”

Hanik nodded in thought, refusing to let the matter go any farther.


*Sorry for my negligence!!!*

*Sorry I havn't posted in a while, I've been cramming for exams, curse them. On the up side my laptops gettng repaired so I should be able to post more often soon. With that said I'm waiting for Ciru or Haven to post.*

*Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I'm trying to post daily though.*

Ciru

Otraol dropped down to where the camp had been, having turned Bella over to a patrol to be delivered to her uncle. Ciru had thought it best to report to Ianeil in person, after all, Bella hadn't gotten on well with the general.

He pushed the tent flap aside to see something of a strained meeting. Apparently Ianeil had exercised his powers on Haven, and had barely prevented a fight afterwards. Ciru glanced from one boy to the other, then gestured for the general to step outside.

"We may have something of a problem, sir. It's the king's niece, Bella. She's not dead."

Ianeil's eyes widened a little, "What?"

"I came across her while flying to the new camp. I didn't recognise her at first, but once I did I had a patrol take her to the king. Sir...who's to say that she just stayed rogue for all the time after you tried to kill her? She would have had every inclination to turn against us. What if she's working for the Saviours now?"

Ianeil

Of all the things that could happen! Bella had to return! That girl had a tendency to annoy me, worse than her own uncle does, which is exactly how I nearly took her life. I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe, rather than go stalking after her and demand to know her reasons for returning.

That's the king's place, anyway, Ian. Please, calm down, Shyen whined, landing beside me.

"General?" Ciru asked after a moment, and I could tell he was concerned, perhaps even anxious.

"The king will deal with her. If not..." I shook my head. "I'll talk to her. More than likely, the king will trust her enough to post her out here, with us..."

*grr I posted but something happened in the process and I have to redo it*

Viedna

Viedna weighed his response carefully. "That would depend on what you are seeking, though Roslyn and I spent five years in reconnaissance. My recent exile has also sharpened skills that may have dulled with time."

"One of my men has gone missing and there has been recent Dark Knight activity in the area."

He was unsure how to respond. This girl, young by any standard, was the leader of the one group that could pose any serious threat to his erstwile commander.

Take the offer Viedna, we can find their lost pups

"I would be honoured to be of service my lady," he bowed before continuing, a little discomfitted. "Your king was right on one count; I was until recently a Dark Knight, it would be remiss of me not to tell you."

Ariadne paused. "It makes little difference if your allegiance no longer lies there, and your honesty is a good sign; how long until you are ready to search?"

"As soon as I harness up Roslyn I'm ready to go, he replied," glad to be free of his short imprisonment.

The general called to the guards to release him. In the short lull before they arrived she asked him, "Why the extreme attire? Do you have some aversion to light or to the air itself?"

"I am scarred milady and my skin will not bear sunlight well. He gestured to his mask, gloves and heavy robes, "but it will make little difference to my search."

~Ariadne~

Ariadne gave a short nod and the gaurds let Viedna out of his cell. She took his hand and rushed him out of the castle.

Gautier, make sure Roslyn gets harnessed and ready to go. This needs to be quick. The king doesn't know I'm doing this; I think he's getting too old for this job. He's going to have to let his son take over soon.

Okay. I'll let her check out Ley's den--help her get some kind of lead.

As soon as Vienda and Ari exited the castle, they saw Gautier and Roslyn waiting for them, rearing to go. They hopped onto their dragons backs and took off hard, with Viedna and Roslyn leading the way.

*All I got, sorry!*

**ATTENTION! I might not have internet access for awhile ( )starting tuesday, Western US time, so if I don't, you can either wait to post or keep going! I'm really sorry, and I'll let everyone know if things change. If things keep going, Ayumi, you know what to do!! All of you totally rock!**

Ciru

"More than likely, the king will trust her enough to post her out here with us."

Ciru nodded, "Sir, if you wish, I could keep an eye on her. I was just a corporal when everything happened, and I only met her once. I doubt she'd remember me, and if she did..." He grimaced, gesturing to the left hand side of his face, "She probably wouldn't recognise me."

This isn't your problem, Ciru. You weren't involved in any of this the first time around, and it's an ugly set of incidents if I ever saw one. Besides, there's your rank - you shouldn't even be speaking with the general. Otraol warned him, the black dragon taking a respectful few steps back from Shyen.

My rank has only remained this way because of my own choice. I had no desire to risk being called back to the king during a battle. The soldiers treat me as though I'm of higher rank anyway, and I'm one of the most experienced riders in the Dark Knights. This way the king simply took less notice of me.

Ianeil

I let out a sigh of relief, relaxing tremendously. Thank God for Ciru, my own trustworthy "right hand man," as it were. I would certainly suggest him for a promotion once we returned to the castle!

"That would be wonderful," I said, "but if she's a handful, send her back to the castle. I certainly don't want her here."

The boys in the tent shifted; what were they thinking of? What would they do now? They'd already told me who they were, their histories, and their styles of magic and weapons. Now, they had to decide.

I sucked on my teeth for a moment, mulling through my options. Stay here and talk some more, despite my unnerved mood; take them with us back to the main camp, Ciru leading the way; take Shyen out on patrols, looking at the area and knowing our conditions; or wait for the Damalians to strike.

"Ciru, stay with them. I'm taking Shyen out for patrols," I said flatly. Ciru moved to protest. "No, you've already done the job too many times. It's about time you got a rest, hmm?"

I pat him on the arm and strode to my dragon, mounted her, and took off.


***That's a problem, CJ. I won't be here from Tuesday until Sunday, central and eastern U.S. time...I don't know if my hotel has internet or not...But I will do my best! (After all, we're both ROTC girls, but I probably know a hell of a lot more than you! No arrogance intended, sweetheart; it's just the truth.)***