Young Writers Society

Mirayah gives the barest hint of a smile. "No, I think we shall leave it at that. You will, of course, allow us to leave? WE shall exit peacefully." She puts a slight stress on the "we", shooting a sidelong glance at the two elves, who had entered once more. It speaks of untold danger and of irritation. They halt their advance, but remain in the room to watch the scene unfold. Mirayah nudged Ash, who stands with some difficulty. She lends him her shoulder and they make their way to the back door, under the hostile gaze of the demon Andrea and the indifferent one of the vampire.

The two are about to close the door behind them when Mirayah suddenly stops and turns again, as if struck with a sudden thought. She speaks again, her rich voice holding a slight entreaty. "Do give me your word though, oh Seer to Satan, that you shall not pursue us and our Dragons?" The older of the two elves gasps at the word "Dragons", but remains there. The demon seems to ponder it for a moment, then nods, her hand still on the Tome. Mirayah shoots the other elves a glance, then leaves. The demon senses them retreat honestly, slowly making their way through the storm. They continue into the hills, supposedly towards their Dragons. Then they seem to fade out, like they just disappeared. The demon mentally shrugs, thinking that they probably doubled back into town to somewhere else, or that they had deliberately walked away from the Dragons to mislead her, then hid and made their way to the Dragons' real hiding place. Either way, they would not come back to the inn. They are beaten. Andrea notices that the two other elves have left. She doesn't care about them either. If they are meeting the DragonRiders, then Mirayah would warn them off.

Mirayah successfully hides herself and Ash, and they trudge backwards through the howling wind and rain. Limok growls at their approach, not out of challenge of identity but out of annoyance an reproach.

"Why did you not allow us to come? We could of crushed that puny demon and the vampire like so many flies! And we worry for you. Trouble follows you everywhere you go, and we feel as if we cannot leave you two alone for more than two minutes!" Limok scolds Mirayah with her mental voice. When Limok says "we", Mirayah knows that the Dragon means herself and her mate, Birul. Mirayah senses that Ash is being similarly chastised by his own Dragon. Mirayah takes shelter from the rain under Limok's half-stretched wing, and Ash follows suit, still talking to his Dragon. Mirayah pats her Dragon's slightly gravid womb, and she doesn't have to explain that. Limok knows perfectly well why not. Limok heaves the Dragon equivalent of a sigh, consenting to the truthfulness of Mirayah's point. By unspoken consent, the two Dragons fold their legs and dip their shoulders, forming a living staircase up to the saddles on each of their shoulders. But Mirayah waves them off, and they stand straight in confusion. She is to tired to shout, so she relays a message from Limok to Birul to Ash mentally. She tells her three companions that flying in a storm is too much for Limok, and they have to go back to town anyway. They are going to meet those two other elves. Mirayah could swear she knows the older one from somewhere. And they owe them an explanation, as well has somthing to the innkeeper. And their bags were still in the room in the inn, as well as their weapons. No, they were not done with this town yet.

Marcus glared at Braken."Why are you listening to those two... people?" Braken sighed." because, I've seen them before. My foster-brother, Jason Grace, is a DragonLord. I can swear that I've seen them talk to him at least once or twice. If they are worthy enough of him talking to them, then they must be powerful. You see Marcus, Jason has control of the Black Forest mountains. That means.." He trailed off. Marcus gaped. " He has control of the ancestral Dragon rooks. You mean, he has control of all dragons?" Braken shook his head." No, it means my Foster- Brother is a powerful man. At least a dozen dragon Riders are indentured to him, and all the lands pay him homage. He is extremely powerful."
Marcus sighed." Ya, well. That still doesn't fix the fact that I'm still cold and hungry." Braken gazed the skies. " I don't think you'll need to worry about that my liege. We might be having company very soon." He noticed the shapes coming towards them.

Andrea Stoddard

"Elves" I said as I rolled my eyes.

The elvish don't know how to shut there mouths sometimes, they'll boost about how powerful they were. But when the talking stops and the fight has begun, they have no malice to speck of. Just for a demonstration, I casted another spell, one that would cause Shadows to become third demontional. The elvin knights drew blades as the shadows danced towards them, they swing and the blades pass completely threw them.

"Our blades have no effect," one of them said.

I giggle to myself as I watch them uselessly swat at the shadows of no real threat to attack them. I was slightly wrong they did have some form of malice in them, though not a lot since they were backing up to the door. I release the spell, still giggling to myself.

"You guys are so stupid," I laughed at them.

The younger of the two elves, Marcus, is startled when two shapes swoop out of nowhere and land in the empty square without a sound. The two Dragons had been too big to navigate the streets of the town, so they'd glided low over the buildings. Braken had insisted that Marcus come with him to the square to meet the Dragonriders. The demon is still in the inn, so they will have a little while to talk before they ought to clear out of town. Marcus is fuming, but he follows Braken for now.

He'd forgotten Dragons were so big! No one had seen a Dragonrider for years, and the wild ones stay in the roosts of that fellow Braken had been talking about. But seeing the Riders dismounting shakily, and knowing that they, too, are elves, helps to foritify him.

Mirayah regains her breath for a few moments, then goes to meet Braken. The two shake hands politely. Braken introduces the young princeling, Marcus, and Mirayah introduces her partner and husband, Ash. No last names asked, none given. Marcus rases an eyebrow at the pair as Mirayah introduces Ash as her husband.

"No ring? How very... peculiar" he intones. Braken frowns disapprovingly at the words, but Mirayah ignores the subtle insult.

"Braken, what a surprise. I hadn't known you were traveling." She greets him.

"Nor I you, my lady" Braken replies. Marcus stiffens at the title, but Braken gestures to him to hold his tongue.

"Yes, well, we have not been traveling for long and we do not intentd to continue to do so for very long. Our search is nearly over" she finishes cryptically.

Braken is intrigued. "What search would that be?" He questions.

She glances at her Dragon, crouched a few yards away, but doesn't answer. Marcus can't take it any more. This woman has taken it far enough! She ran away from that fight, so what honor or status can he possibly owe her?

Trenton Bhaltair , Elf knight, and DragonLord, gazed down fron his perch on his dragon, Fury. Lord Grace's Foster- Brother, Braken Stargazer, was speaking to... he nearly fell off his saddle. His blood red dragon turned his head.[i] Lord, it it them?[i] Trenton nodded mentally and pulled the reins to the side as Fury banked to the left. Trenton knew the Seer of Hell was inside the tavern. Wait, tell she knows, he thought sadly, that the Hunter is hunting, and she is his target. He rolled his shoulder and glanced at the medallion on his chest. As the Herald of the Marked one, it was his duty to notice people like that. He shrugged again into his fur coat. He could still smell the blood on it. Lord Grace, being human, loved to hunt. He shrugged again. Will you stop shrugging?, Fury demanded, you tilt all funny. Trenton smiled as Fury landed next to the Elven Prince, Lord Marcus Callen. Trenton dismounted, then bowed low to Stargazer, than even lower to the two other Dragon Riders. The woman gazed at him, then smiled." Ah, Lord Trenton Bhaltair. What a pleasure. You're reputation exceeds your presence." Trenton bowed low again." Not so much as you my lady. The Marked one sends his regards... if he had known you would be here." The woman smiled.
" Ah, Maro Travten. How is the old rascal?" Trenton smiled. " He does well my lady. Very well. His army numbers around 20,000 soldiers. How he plans to use them... well, it slightly worries me. He is still very powerful. He could probably kill all the troops himself. Any way, Lord Grace sends a message to you Lord Stargazer. He asks for your assiastance and al-" He was cut off by a loud exclamation for the Elf-Prince. " who are you people!" Trenton blinked at the boy." My lord, it's rude to interupt." He turned back to Stargazer." Anyway, Lord Grace also says that he extends his protections to Lord Callen." Braken smiled." Aye, he would do that." Braken turned to Mirayah" perhaps you would like to tell Lord Callen your story, to.. ah, quench his thirst for knowledge, then we shall send him on his way." He glanced back at Trenton"But Lord Stoddard, what else does my brother want?"
Trenton sighed hugely." Lord Braken... nearly two dozen Dragon riders have been murdered. Including Lord Grace's. He wants your help." Trenton's eyes began to tear up." My sister was one of the murdered. My wife, Adamaris, meaning Noble of the Sea in the Ancient Language, is going to arrive in a bit with her dragon, Adair."
He turned to the two Dragon Riders." My wife would be greatly honored to meet you. Her people still remember the time when you fought off the Trazian sea serpent." Mirayah nodded her head, then turned to Marcus to tell only a little bit of her tale.

"As you may see, young lordling, we are no ordinary DragnRiders. We are beholden to no one and we answer to no one. We were... Gifted with special abilities, and fate brought us together. You see, we have an important purpose on this earth. We are keepers of the Balance of earth, the flow of magic through her veins. We wander from place to place, correcting something here, tweaking the flow there. Our gifts allow us to see the energy of the earth and to know a problem when we see one. We use our wits, our strength, and our gifts to fix those problems. If they were left unattended, the earth would literally tear herself apart at the seams," Mirayah explains to the skeptical Marcus.

"Bold words, for one who just ran away from a fight," he goads. In a sudden flash of anger, Mirayah strides up to him and looks him in the eye. The two stand, nose to nose and chest to chest, until the dangerous glint in Mirayah's eyes fades and she is able to explain in a cool tone.

"Your pride outweighs your sense, I see. Tell me, lordling, would you die for it? Your pride? Would you drag out a fight, knowing you we're outmatched, just so that you would have died in a flash of glory? I back down from fights like that for several reasons, the least of which I shall tell you. I am not afraid of death, but what I am afraid of are the consequences that result from my death. And those consequences are grave. I would not throw away my life for something so petty as pride. Nor would I throw away that of my Dragon. On any other day, Limok and I would throw ourselves into the fray. We would come out alive, as we always do, even if we lost. But we have greater responsibility on our shoulders today!" She finished huffily. Ash leans forward and touches her arm, and she retreats with one last glare at Marcus. Ash steps forward to the nobles and offers an apology.

"I do apologize, Lords Stoddard and Stargazer, for my wife's behavior. You must excuse her, for Limok is broody. We are continually unable to fly. We must search for a resting place for Limok on foot," Finishes Ash. Marcus glances at the silver Dragon, who was sniffing Stoddard's red one. He supposes that her belly does seem slightly gravid. The blue one, who seems to be Limok's mate, growls jealously at the red Dragon. Marcus can almost hear the silent conversation passing between the three. He notices that though Mirayah and Ash's Dragons wear no bridles, the red one does. This speaks volumes of the relationship shared between these two strangers and their Dragons. Marcus suddenly understands why Mirayah had backed down. Risking her own life would be risking that of her Dragon, and risking the life of her Dragon would be risking that of the unborn young. And Mirayah simply couldn't bring herself to do that, because she loves the beast so much. He curses himself for not seeing it sooner. Mirayah had said that she and Ash were no ordinary DragonRiders. Maybe they meant that their Dragons were extraordinary. Could they share a different kind of bond with their Dragons? A total binding of heart and soul, body and mind?

Suddenly the silver Dragon swings her head around to look Marcus in the eye. A voice, much like Mirayah's, sounds in his mind: "You are correct in that assumption, lordling. Where Stoddard is a Dragonlord, Mirayah is a DragonRider. She is not a lord over a Dragon, but more like the other half of my soul. We are one, sharing two different bodies. I do not serve, I care. You see the difference, little one." As the Dragon had been speaking, all conversation had stopped. Marcus realizes that the Dragon has been projecting her thoughts to all those in the square. Marcus nods, still to shocked to speak. The Dragon bends her great head to look Marcus eye-to-eye. She sniffs him up and down, and he can smell the burnt meat on her breath. The Dragon then backs away without another word to him.

Mirayah's eyes unfocus for a silent moment, and when they snap back to the present, she is stunned. Her shock turns to humor, then delight. She laughs and slaps her thigh.

"She says she likes you, Marcus! Haha! Apparently, you have it in you for a... Very great honor!" Mirayah stammers through tears of laughter. Limok glances sharply at her Rider, then looks away with great dignity. Marcus is confused...

Trenton could not stop laughing. Marcus Callen, Elf-Lord, was in for a special treat. His smile faded. He turned towards Braken." Sir Stargazer, I hate to interupt this... meeting, but Lord Callen must go on his trip." Braken nodded.He bowed low to the two Dragon Riders and said." My lords, I ask that you let us leave. We have urgent matters." Mirayah nodded her consent." So be it." In a flash of light, Braken and Marcus dissapeared." You know, the Hunter is close." Trenton said sadly." And with him comes death and destruction. I just wish the foolish Princling would seek not to destroy the Seer. She has a very important mission ahead of her. The fate of everyone, and everything lays on her shoulders...

"I agree." replied Ash. "If you will excuse us, we do have to retrieve our things from the inn. We were forced to abandon them."

"Will you need any assistance?" Trenton offers politely.

"No, but thank you for the generous offer. We shall manage. But can we ask you about Braken?" He inquires.

"Of course. I am sure my foster brother would not mind," Trenton confirms.

"We shall need to contact him and Marcus when Limok's eggs are ready. It is difficult to find good candidates, and we prefer to keep in touch with the ones we do find," Ash explains.

"What a surprise that shall be for Marcus! He can call a bird of prey to him and give it directions using his magic. He is always contactable by that method. Is it within your abilities to call a messenger bird?" Trenton asked.

"Yes. Thank you very much for the assistance, my lord" Ash thanked him.

"It is my pleasure, Ash and Mirayah. I wish you luck in your search! My rooks are always open to you, should you be in need." He called to them. Ash and Mirayah waves from their Dragon's saddles. By a mental command, they sent the Dragons gliding over the buildings, back in the direction of the inn. Trenton hung around to make sure they got away. Only when he sensed them move in the opposite direction, unscathed, did he mount Fury and leave.

Groaning Adamaris sat in the pub. Her dumb mate, had left... again! Her mental contact with her dragon opened up. Adair, can you sense Fury? Her silver dragon, like herself was a brilliant gold. Adamaris had lond blond hair that came to her hips, which she tied in a ponytail. But if an enemy tried to grab her hair, she had poisonous barbs that would inflict great pain on the person wh tried to get the best of her. She glance around the pub, and noticed a woman watching her. Then, a figure entered the pub, and with drew a large sword. Adamaris groaned. The hunter, she thought, then that must be the Seer. She stood up and carried her drink to a safe corner. The hunter pulled out a whip and sword and ran towards the woman....


Dante, you can have as much fun with the Hunter as possible. Its time to get things moving again! With the hunter comes the city guard, the two dragon riders, and all that. Lots of blood shed. Fun!

I, Ari scamper into the tavern. The wind is howling outside and the rain pours down the windows of the tavern. "I'm sorry we didn't get inside sooner Leya..." She whispers to a small shape under her floor length hooded cloak.

"It's okay Ari, i'll dry. No need to worry, just get the food for your brother and sister... They need it soon." The shape whispers back. I'm almost in tears.

My parents were killed about a year ago by a plague in our land. They were king and queen of Merlisda. (mer-liz-da) The greatest land galaxies away from this horrid planet. I guess that'd make me a princess, but I was adopted into the family. My brother and sister and the real royals and they are in grave danger. The surge is looking for them, a force more powerful then anything any being has seen.

That's not the worst part though. We left our galaxy far away to come into hiding here. The surge still looks for us everyday on every galaxy. He's getting closer and closer as each day passes. So we are in hiding. My brother and sister are starving... They are younger than I, four or five years as we measure are time in human years. I am 18 and they are 13 and 14 years.

This is a dangerous place to be as he could be anywhere now. Thus why I "whisper" to Leya.

A female fairy of about two inches flew inside the tavern through an open window, the sunlight reflecting off her paper thin blue wings.
She landed on the bar counter, observing the few people that were there. Her leaf dress fluttered slightly in the wind, her autumn hair swishing about.
"Hello?" she asked. "Do you sell honey suckle juice? We ran out back in Faery Land."

"You, idiot, Arianna." I grumble to myself as I unlace the heavy jacket I wear. My boots have started to rot from the seawater, and I inspect them. I approach the bar and sit down.
"Bottle of rum, hold the glass." As soon as I get the bottle, I drink a huge gulp of it and sigh in relief. I twist my neck around to relieve the knots and look warily at the fairy- pureblood, it looked like- and go back to my rare peace and quiet.