Sword and Shield (GxG)

Chapter Twenty-Three : The Blazing Foray ~ Part One : Rikhata-Nia

"Wildling" one of the Southerners stepped out in front of his band. He had a smirk displayed on his face, making me wonder if this had been the right decision. "And company" he cast a look to Evangaline. "Princess. Never expected you to show your face outside of your castle. Though I can understand why you'd run away now" he must have seen the confusion behind my scowl. "Ah, well I wouldnt want to spoil your surprise" 

"Do you have any idea what is happening?" Evangaline whispered into my ear.

"No" I replied in the same hushed voice. "But I think we should get this done fast and find out" her arms closed around my waist once again. "Get this done fast" I gripped Akyra's reins and let her take charge in the fighting. 

. . .

A while later and we were back in the air with little damage done to Akyra, a few scratches on me, and if Evangaline had any... I definitely made sure she didnt. Now we were going back to the coastal village. It was around a ten minute flight at top speed, about thirty at a pace that didnt have Evangaline freaking out. 

"Are we there yet?" Evangaline whined. I turned my body around to talk.

"Did you really just ask me that?" I laughed. She started blushing at once.

"Uh no?" she tried. I just laughed harder. 

"Twenty- seven minutes, give or take" Evangaline groaned impatently. "Look around. Time goes by faster if you look at the view" I purred, releasing one of my iron rings from the saddle, letting the now free rope blow on its own. I turned back forward and put one foot in one of the stirrups, gripping the one of the twisted handles on the saddle before handing the reins back to Evangaline. 

"What are you doing?!" She shreiked. 

"Do me a favor and dont let go of those. They're a terror to try and catch midflight" I smiled back at her. "Evangaline is driving, dont go too far off course or let her do anything stupid" 

"What?!" Evangaline grabbed at me, but her hands caught air as I pushed myself off the saddle. Now half my body was secured to Akyra while the other half was free in the wind. I'd done this a few times before, its definitely a thrill, but its not hard to do. "You're completely insane!" Evangaline shouted over the wind.

"You could say that" I looked down at the forest and farmlands below. "I am, arent I?" 

"Yes!" Evangaline seemed shaken to her bones. I made a vain attempt to stifle a laugh. "You're completely and utterly insane and would you please sit down!" 

"I apriciate your concern, Princess, but you have nothing to worry about"

"I have plenty to worry about! You're going to get yourself killed!" Every terrified comment Evangaline screamed at me made me more amused. I loved knowing that she was afraid of the danger I was in, but I also loved seeing her freak out over nothing. I think she realized I was laughing, which is why she delt me a punch to my ribs.

"Ouch" I chuckled, it hadnt hurt, she isnt that strong. 

"Sit back down now" she glared at me. 

"Yes, m'lady" I tried to keep an even tone, but my voice cracked as the laughter broke free again. I sat back on the saddle, facing Evangaline again. Her face met mine before I realized what I was seeing and she held my neck to keep me still as ske kissed me. 

"You... Are... Perfectly... Idiotic" she scolded between kisses, I dont know if it was on pourpose but she bit me a few times. When she broke for air she was still giving me an evil eye. "You stupid, reckless, insane, thoughtless, careless-" I could tell this was going to be a long list so I shut her up in the only way I figured would work. "I wasnt done!" she complained when she pulled back. 

"Thats why I did it" I jeered with a playful smirk. Evangaline still remained irrate and lightly punched my shoulder. 

"You scared me half to death" her anger chipped away, leaving her fear in plain view. "Dont you dare do that again" she lunged forward and hugged me tightly, trembling, with her head situated at my chest. I, in return, wrapped my arms around her fragile body and kept her in my embrace until she stopped shaking and leaking whimpers.

"I'm sorry. I wont do that to you again" I whispered to her. 

"You had better not" she laughed slightly, humorlessly. I smiled to myself. I'd expected her to say something to the effect of it being alright and forgiven, but she surprised me with her demand. 

"Whatever she is screaming about tell her to get over it. We're above the coast" Akyra stated, slowing to a glide, circling in our location.

"We're here" I kissed Evangaline's forehead while she reluctantly put space between us. Once I'd turned forward her arms were once again firm around me. I put my loose ring back into the saddle, then realized I didnt have the reins. "You dropped the reins... Didnt you?" I sighed.

"You were about to fall of the dragon!" Evangaline defended. 

"She lost the reins" I told Akyra. She turned her head back so I could grab the base of the rein from her muzzle and follow it back to a comfortable place to fly with. "All set" I said. I looked towards the village to assess what had happened. 

"Oh my god..." Evangaline gasped. The ground was covered in fires, homes burning to ash while there was only one clear place to land, being the shore, so that is where Akyra landed us.

The smoke was suffocating, heat scortching my skin. I got off Akyra, helped Evangaline down, and surveyed the coast. 

"Stay here, okay?" I looked back at Evangaline, then to Akyra "Keep her safe or I swear I will put you on a spit and you'll be dinner for the crows" 

"I liked it better when I was the priority. Who just flew you all the way here? Me. Who are you thretening? Me" Akyra gave me a false glare. 

"Exactly, bird" I replied. 

"Where are you going?" Evangaline exclaimed, running after me.

"To make sure no one is waiting in the forest. Stay here. Stay alive" I kissed her forehead before running a ways down the trail leading from the shore to the village square. I kept going until the smoke from the town was unbearable, forcing me to explore the forest without a trail, which, honestly, felt much more comfortable to me.

An ear splitting roar shook the ground. Its source: the shore. Shit. I ran back as fast as I could, through brambles and wild terrain, surely being bruised, cut, or been brushed by some poisonous plant. The cries kept coming, each more desperate than the last until they were cut off without an explaination. I arrived at the shore about three minutes after the shreiks had been silenced. Akyra was laying on her side, huge stones on the skin of her wings, weighing her down. She had trouble breathing, clearly, and she'd been muzzled. My saddle nowhere to be seen. Something else was missing. Something that made all the fires seem weak and the world slow until time froze.

Evangaline was gone.

**Alright... I feel like this is a filler... I promise something good is coming your way. This chapter may be two to three parts, so be prepared for anything my brain decides to come up with when not obsessing over other stuff : / anyway hope this will be worth the wait and your expectations will hopefully be met! <3 Kira G.