Iceblade Ascendant

4: ON LEATHER WINGS

Zephyrle tugged on her heavy, black leather boots and together, the two women exited the Sunset Scimitars. Jaewyn gave a respectful nod to the waitress on the way out. Red sunlight scattered over the terrace like blood diamonds as they made their way back into Anarys. The trek up the spiral main street was steep as they ascended to the pinnacle, the light level gradually darkening. The halls up here were mostly used for astrological equipment and ammunition for Anarys's starfire lance. Their destination was the bat roost, quarters of Anarys's dragyn-bats.

"By the way Zeph, I found this pinned to my bag." Jaewyn produced a small square of parchment and showed it to Zephyrle.

"Beware the warlock?" Zephyrle was confused.

"Since Valeryn's occupied with the new college, we'll be accompanied this time by Kalethe, the Antharin ambassador. And he's a warlock. I think its a warning from Aef. Think we better keep an eye on him."

"Kay." Zephyrle smiled. "Is he a looker?"

Jaewyn didn't know whether to laugh or cringe.

As they entered the bat roost, Jaewyn realized that she'd never cease to be amazed at these wondrous creatures. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the savage yet noble beasts. Hanging from beams high up near the ceiling were numerous dragyn-bats. They resembled a mix of giant wolf and monstrous bat, with both thick fur and scales on their flanks and serpentine tails. Several of them were simply hanging, their bright eyes surveying the elves like glowing coals shining from the darkness. The rest were sleeping, wrapped in their majestic, leathery wings. On the right side of the chamber was a huge, open doorway, framed with ornate, bronze decoration that glinted in the dim light of amaranthines.

Dragyn-bats were the standard form of travel in Lightwood. They were extremely tough, able to endure long flights across the vastness of Belanyr and were believed to be semi-intelligent. After accepting a Beltharin, the bats bonded to their masters for life. Jaewyn and Zephyrle both pulled out their bat whistles and called down their bats. While a whirl of giant leather wings and a gust of wind, two well-groomed and striking dragyn-bats flew down from the darkness above.

"You hungry Trevor?" Jaewyn greeted her bat as he ambled up to her, the light shimmering off his sandy-gold fur. She grabbed a shiny, red orlys fruit from her bag and fed it to Trevor, who wolfed it down hungrily. "There, you really like those don't you?" The thick fur around his neck was soft as she patted it, then she took his crimson leather harness and saddle from the rack on the wall and buckled it around his body, the purple amethysts dripping from it jingling. When it was secure around his lean, muscled frame, she took hold of the high, bejewlled pommel and swung herself up into the saddle. Zephyrle was likewise climbing up into the saddle of her large and vicious-looking, red-brown dragyn-bat, Cassie.

"All good?" Zephyrle raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Looks like Trevs is still hungry."

"He always is." Jaewyn sighed and nudged Trevor with her knees, guiding him toward the open skygate. "Yar," she shouted and the bats launched from the skygate into the warm, dusky evening. They pounded the air with massive beats of their wings and soared away from Anarys. Far off in the distance, Jaewyn could see a thin plume of smoke.

"We headed to Ghost Gate?" Zephyrle asked, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"Yeah," Jaewyn replied, adjusting her circlet. "Gotta pick up your runestones right? I sent Athenara with a patrol out to Deepmoss, so we'll meet the others at Ghost Gate as per usual then head out to Deepmoss."

Like leaves on the wind they swept downward into the jungle canopy and burst through into another world. Here it was dark, the dying sunlight barely breaking through the foliage. Giant trelacylon trunks rose all around them, but none quite so massive as the wooden mountain of Anarys. The air hummed constantly with the buzzing of insects. Soon they approached the northern edge of Emerald Isle, the island which Elbrooke City occupied. As they descended to the forest floor, the ruins of another time surrounded them, crumbling walls and towers of the Atlantyan ancestors of the Beltharin. They landed their bats with a swirl of dead leaves. Jaewyn couldn't help but marvel at the giant, bronze gate in front of her, adorned with a red gemstone the size of a banquet table. Ghost Gate was the northern of four immense gates the Atlantyans had constructed to guard four massive bridges that once spanned the Bluerith River. She walked Trevor through the broken gate and over to the ruins of the collapsed bridge and Zephyrle joined her on Cassie. Together they looked out across the landscape. Far below, the waters of the river raged and crashed as it carved the soaring cliffs, the island's natural defences. On the far side of the river, the treeline stretched from left to right, a vast expanse of forest that dominated the entire cliffside. From the forest all around them came the howling of wolves, beautiful and yet eerie.