Dragon Riders

Lumi, you should be able to join as a bad guy. I"m technically a good guy turned traitor.

Zara and Roshan:

I woke up in the middle of the night to find myself screaming. Now fully awake it only took a moment for Roshan to wake up as well and feel my disorientation.

Zara! Roshan called. Zara! Calm down. You are fine. you are fine, you're alone.

I sighed and relaxed, looking around my room. The hall outside was lit up. What was going on? I sighed again and got up, sneaking over to the door and peeking out.

At the far end of the hall, Eighth stood at a window, looking out at the darkened landscape. What was she doing?

Frowning, I retreated into my room and looked towards the window. What time is it? I asked Roshan. She chuckled.

It is almost midnight, little one, she murmured. Her voice hummed through my head, a dull calming noise.

Midnight? Huh. I walked over to the window and looked out. What was it she was looking? It was a cool, calm night. There wasn't any signs of...anything.

"I know you're up," Eighth called and I turned around, seeing her in the doorway. "I have a job for you."

((I do? I guess I'll make one up...))
Eighth-

Midnight, and no attack. How infuriating. Those idiotic little riders were too cowardly to come out straightaway. They would probably send out some little scoping team first thing in the morning, after they'd gotten plenty of rest for their little heads. Well, I wouldn't let them. I would attack from the inside. "I know you're up," I called to that Zara girl, walking towards her room. She turned around, seeing me in the doorway. "I have a job for you." I finished. She looked at me wearily. and yawned slightly. "Oh, being tired won't do." I hissed, leaking fear into her mind. She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide. "Much better. Now, I'm sure your little Rider friends are wondering where you've been,yes?" I questioned. She nodded cautiously. "Your mission is to go back to them, pretend you were captured but escaped. Then, when everyone has settled down at last, Kill the Elders. With no strategic minds or people to control them, where will the little riders be then?" I asked.She grimaced slightly, but stood up. "When do I leave?" she asked. "Now." I commanded. "But wait. in order to ensure your loyalty doesn't change, you will not be taking you own dragon." I said. Her eyes opened wide with horror."No, don't you worry. Your little... Roshan is it? Yes. Roshan will be fine. But I want to ensure you will return, so she stays here. Explain that in the rush, you could only grab one of their dragons, one who was sick and tired of poor treatment from their master. Lie if they ask further questions. Come back tomorrow, midday. I expect to see blood on your knife." I said. "Go ask one of the shadows for their dragon, my orders. If they say no, they'll have to go through me."

((I was thinking a scouting mission....but this sound like more fun. I'll post soon when I figure out how to write this. ))

P.S. Who wants Zara to take their dragon?

BREE and NUK

Brystianne was livid. She didn't know what to do with Manarian. It was always his way or no way. Well, he would see. She wasn't going to do what everyone told her every minute of everyday. She couldn't bear it. She could hardly stand to take orders from the Elders but now that they kept telling her no and smacking her on the nose like a dog...she was going to do what she wanted to.

Nuk seemed to be guessing how she was feeling.

"Careful," he muttered to her. "Sometimes you've just got to do what others say. Now's not the time to get angry."

"Like you're one to talk," she hissed angrily. "I'm not a puppet that they can order around!"

She would make them see.

You can borrow Ash. She's loyal to Alice and since they can communicate mentally Alice will be able to tell her what to do if things go wrong.

Alice:
Zara came up to me and said "Eighth said I need to borrow someones drgon, May I use Ash?" I sucked in my cheek and looked at my beautiful dragon. I didn't really want to but I was in Eighth's kingdom now so I couldn't disobey. "Fine," I grumbled. Then I slammed her against a wall "But if anything happens to her you better fear for Roshan's life." I spat.

Zara:

Alice had me pinned to the wall. She threatened to kill my dragon if anything happened to hers. I knew she'd do it if she had to.

"Okay, okay!" I said. "I can only promise that I won't harm her. I can't promise that they will."

She glared at me for a moment longer then let me go. "Go." I saw her look towards her dragon, who nodded and yawned, showing off all it's teeth. I resisted the urge to swallow nervously.

Nodding to her, I took off and carefully climbed onto her dragon. I'd let Eighth give me a few bruises and another cut before I left her. It had to look real, right?

I couldn't see Roshan anywhere but it didn't matter. I shrugged and the dragon took off. Ash launched herself into the air and flew back towards the rider's academy. I let her land and fell off, stumbling towards the meeting hall just as everyone was leaving it.

"Zara?" someone yelled but I collapsed on them. "Zara!" I stared up at the stars. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ash limp off and then someone was blocking out the stars.

It was Bree and Manarian. I laughed. But then someone swore.

"Someone stabbed her," Manarian whispered and I looked up to see an Elder watching us. "It's not deep, but she's been bleeding. A lot."

"Get her inside," the elder ordered. I closed my eyes, pretending to be out of it. In anything from a few hours to a few days the elders would be dead and I would be on my way back to Eighth.

BREE and NUK

"Oh my gosh," she whispered, looking at the battered and beaten girl. She dropped to her knees beside Zara. She had always liked the girl. They would pay for this.

"See what I mean!" Bree yelled at the Elders. "Look what they've done to her. This means war! We've got to attack them!"

Zara swallowed hard and was taken inside, for what Bree assumed, was to be healed. Brystianne watched her go and something sunk low in her stomach. Where was her dragon? Captured no doubt. Poor, poor Zara. She couldn't imagine if something were to happen to Nuk...

Nuk turned his great head towards Bree, and stood next to her almost as if he knew she was thinking of him.

"Somethings wrong. I sense Zara is...different," he muttered for only her ears.

"Hush up, you," she hissed. "Of course she's different. She's been attacked."

"No, I mean...different. I can't place it but I don't think it has anything to do with injuries," Nuk whispered.

Bree turned her angry face on him. "Don't you start accusing people of anything. She's not herself. Don't you dare even start on her in this condition!"

Nuk raised his head angrily. "That dragon is very loyal to someone...and I don't think it's Zara. I only sought to warn you Bree. Because I care about you. If you don't care about what I have to say-"

"I don't if you say another negative word about Zara, Nuk. You know her. I know what you're thinking. You think she's turned traitor? Yeah right."

"Fine," Nuk said, lightening coursing over his body angrily.

"Fine," Bree growled. She felt Nuk's wings beat powerfully against the air as he took flight.

People were staring. Nuk and Bree fought often, although they still had an incredible connection, so it wasn't anything to worry about, but she knew they were wondering WHAT they argued about. At a crucial time like this.

Bree's eyes watered. She was ashamed and disappointed in herself. She hated fighting with Nuk. They were both too stubborn. She already missed him.

"What're you staring at?" She demanded of Manarian. "Shouldn't you be brown-nosing the Elders or something?"

((lumi, if you want to have a guy character, you could easily work yourself in as the random dude alice brought home from the village))

Alice:

I felt my eyes flare along with my temper. I shot out of my seat. They had hurt Ash! With clenched teeth I stormed out of the room and went outside. I looked around carefully "Where's that stupid dragon?" I muttered venomously to myself. Someone touched my shoulder and I whipped around, my knife drawn. It was just Natas. His eyes were tired and he said "Leave it be Alice. Zara had no control over it." My temper was still up but I tried to calm my eyes to make it at least seem as though I was calm.

Zara:

The growling, hissing and yelling woke me and I shot upright in the bed. Suddenly there was a howl. A dragon had been hurt--Ash.

"NO!" I yelled. "No! Don't hurt the dragon!"

""Be calm," an Elder told me and pushed me back down onto my back.

"Just don't hurt the dragon," I told her. She nodded and went back to whatever she was doing before. I eventually went back to sleep, dreaming of flying.

**By the way, in my last post Ash was only faking the limp.**

**Sorry. I was a bit out of it for a while. Anyone want to give me a place to be?**

**Natas would be in the same place as Eighth, Toser and Alice, I believe....**

Natas: ((Oh, okay.))

"Leave it be Alice. Zara had no control over it." By the looks of it, she had calmed down a bit. But, with Alice, you could never really be sure. I led her back into the castle by her elbows. She laughed at me and shook her head, struggling against my grip.
"What's so funny," I hissed. She twisted her head to glance at me.
"This is exactly how we met. Except it was your father's castle you were escorting me to." I smiled and laughed.
"If you weren't such a trouble maker, that wouldn't have happened anyway!" We walked back into the room with Eighth and Toser. Everything was quiet for a moment while we contemplated what to do next.
"If our decoy plan doesn't work, we could just go invade them on our own," I offered," kill a few enemies, and get Zara and Ash back." Alice rubbed her elbows slowly and shook her head.
"What about the Elders?"
"What do you mean," Eight snapped. "They're just a bag of old bones trying to boss everyone around. Zara could take them down alone."
"And their dragons," Toser said slowly.
"A little fear and negative reinforcement should take care of them." I cleared my throat and shook out my hair.
"So," I drawled," what's the plan? Wait for Zara, or invade? Personally, I think we could give Zara a few moments to try and gain some secrets and then attack, but, majority rules. Right?"

Alice:

I looked to the dark sky and said "Give Zara a few minutes. If nothing happens I'll gladly go kill them all." I smiled as I imagined what would happen. Eighth thought. With a sigh she said "Yes, give her a couple minutes. But if nothing happens we're going."

Manarian and Reitsprea

Manarian lay stone still in bed. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Something about Zara.

Reitsprea? He called softly with his thoughts. He could feel his dragon stir and then wake up from a shallow sleep.

What is it? She asked, sounding rather groggy.

I was only thinking… did you notice anything odd today?

Other than Zara disappearing, being captured, and reappearing in one day, you mean?

Yes. Although that is something to think about.

Manarian, she sighed. Why is it you always ask these things in the middle of the night?

He shrugged silently in the darkness.

In any case, Reitsprea continued, I did notice that it was not Roshan that Zara was riding.

Yes. I did too.

There are other, smaller things, but I believe that is the most telling. What dragon would let someone ride them without their rider’s approval?

Exactly.

And, if she was captured, who’s dragon could she borrow?

No ones.

There was a long silence between them, each wrapped up in their own thoughts.

So, Manarian said at last, she was… set free intentionally?

Or… Never mind. But Reitsprea didn’t have to finish her thought for Manarian to know what she meant.

So, both you and Nukpano think that Zara turned traitor.

Unfortunately, I believe it’s a possibility. Manarian stared into space for a while.

That makes three of us.