s i x | s k y e
AS SOON AS everyone's minds comprehend the fact that the dragon hunters are no longer contained in the outskirts or bay of Orleyn and are here, past every defense this city has mustered, they reach for their swords and start to form ranks.
It is a second too late.
Dark figures burst into the clearing, all wearing black armor that cloaks them in the darkness, indistinguishable save for their movements that give their positions away in the now dimmed firelight. Chaos immediately erupts and the cries of battle and clangs of sword on sword echo through the clearing, quickly overshadowed by the roars of the numerous dragons, and the bright, blinding explosions of magic.
"Protect the king!"
The personal guard form tight ranks around Skye and his father, shielding them from the worst of the danger with powerful magic. Strong hands grip Skye's arm and pull him backwards, away from all the fighting and towards the palace. Guilt shoots through him as he realizes Lana and Bryan are somewhere in that chaos and there's nothing he can do about it as he's roughly pulled to safety, his hands still holding the prophecy.
His foot catches slightly on a step as they start to reach the doors, and he stumbles slightly. The grip on his arm never lessens and the face of a guard fills my vision. "Come on, my prince! We need to go!"
Then suddenly, his world explodes.
A freezing cold sensation rushes over his body as he's propelled backwards, all sense of gravity lost as he flies through the air, landing on the ground hard. The air is crushed out of him, and he gasps, floundering for air as he lies helpless on the hard stone steps, his ears ringing loudly and the world an icy haze.
Skye sits up as soon as he's caught his breath, and through the frosty mist that remains of the icy bomb set off by magic, he sees to his horror that there are countless bodies lying next to him, motionless. Thick and pointed icicles stick out of the guards' bodies, warm blood melting the weapons as it leaks outwards and stains the once pristine stonework. Something wet leaks into the sole of his shoe and he scrambles backwards, panic setting in.
Someone grabs him from underneath his arms, pulling his stunned body upright. "You need to go, my prince!"
His senses start to return to him, the ringing in his ears dying down significantly and adrenaline setting it to fuel him. He nods to the guard in front of him, but before he can even move, an arrow shoots from nowhere and spears the guard down, leaving Skye alone.
For a second, he lets fear overcome him. He stares down at the once very alive guard, unsure what to do, his mind asking a million different questions at once as he simply looks down at the bloody carnage in front of him, his shaking hands crushing the prophecy as emotion overwhelms him.
Firedust quickly brings him back to his senses, his roar echoing louder than anything else in the clearing and Skye can feel him sensing where he is through their bond. The dragon's bright red form leaping over the crowd of fighting warriors snaps him out of his stupor, and despite the guilt at doing so, Skye swiftly plucks a sword from one of the fallen guards, shoves the prophecy into a pocket of his pants, and charges towards where his dragon is landing.
He pushes past a burly Rider who has just conquered his small battle and ducks as a dragon flies overhead as it catches an invader in between it's jaws, running towards Firedust just as someone collides into him.
He raises newfound sword, pushing the person off of him, but quickly pause as he recognizes Lana, her eyes wide as she takes in everything around her. Bryan appears right behind her and swiftly shields a magical attack from the middle of the crowd. Lana jumps at the motion, her fists raised shakily.
"Lana," Skye yelles over the chaos and she trains her eyes on him, a wild and panicked look about her and she looks completely lost. "Focus!"
He grabs her shoulder tries to shake her out of dazed panic and her eyes quickly snap to something behind him.
"Behind you," she screams and Skye immediately turn, pushing her behind him as a dark warrior charges upon them.
He raises his sword to meet theirs and with a yell and a clang, he parries their blow and kicks them back, effectively knocking them off balance. He uses that to his advantage and surges forward, stabbing at their now defenceless midriff. Blood splatters onto his face, and he tries not to think about it as he rubs it off quickly with the back of his hand.
Skye takes a deep breath as he watches my opponent crumple to the ground, dead.
If it wasn't him, it was going to be you.
Fueled by that thought,he grabs the sword off the body in front of him and push it into Lana's hands, whose eyes immediately widen. "I— I can't— "
Another invader comes runs towards them, and as Skye slashes upwards, Lana instinctively sticks her sword out, stabbing the man right in the gut.
He falls.
If it wasn't him, it was going to be you.
Lana shakes like a leaf beside Skye, her eyes trained on the sword she holds in her hands, watching as the blood drips from it's tip. Her body freezes up and the weapon starts to fall from her fingertips, but Bryan steps in and closes his hand around hers, preventing her from letting go.
She looks up at him, startled, but Skye can see a steady resolve take over the wide-eyed panicked features she once had, the hardened survivor within her replacing her fear with a mask of confidence. She takes a deep breath, her eyes flickering slightly over the motionless corpse lying at her feet before raising her weapon as another dragon hunter rushes towards them.
Skye turns away as he hears the familiar whoosh of a sword being swung in his direction and he instinctively raises his sword and catch the blade inches from his skin. With a yell, he pushes the blade away and stabs at my opponent's neck and as they parry, he swipes at their elbow joint. He hears a grunt of pain as his sword clips them, but they swiftly moves to his side, unbalancing him and slashing at his torso.
He yells in pain and shock as his opponent's sword cuts through his shirt as if it was paper, leaving a gash along his ribcage. They rush forward as he stumbles back and no matter how quick he is, he's suddenly on the defensive.
His attacker stabs and slashes at him with inhuman speed, and for every blow Skye blocks or dodges, they land one on his body, and as the blood leaks from him, so does his energy. Sweat drips from the tips of his hair, and as he blocks a blow from the side, his opponent kicks out at his stomach, sending him falling back into the dirt. They loom over him, and raise their sword, ready to send the final blow down upon him.
If it's not him, it's going to be you!
Skye tightens his grip around his sword and raise up the blade, meeting their blow with his. Desperation flies through him, a wild energy rushing up within him, and he kicks out, knocking them off balance. With a yell, adrenaline fueling him, Skye pushes them to the side, his hand grabbing as their helmet and knocking it off their head, leaving their face exposed to him as he jumps on top of them.
He raises his sword to strike down on his opponent's now bare flesh, but the other young man quickly raises his hands and a blast of black inky colored magic pushes Skye off of him, knocking him back to the ground. He wastes no time and soon he's on top of Skye glaring down at him with heaving breaths, a long scar that takes over his face from his forehead to his lip, making him look almost feral in the dim moonlight. He uses his magic to now pin Skye to the ground, encircling his hands so he can't summon any magic of his own, and conjures up a dark dagger, holding it right against his neck.
But even as he holds Skye's very life in his hands, victory ready for the taking, he hesitates, his stony expression giving away no emotion but to Skye's surprise, he can feel his hand shaking slightly as he holds his dagger. Then, his opponent's being thrown off and he can move again.
He's frozen momentarily, looking around in surprise for the source of my survival, when a hand is extended out to him by Ellerin. He nods to her gratefully as he's pulled to his feet, thankful for her arrival to the battle, but quickly feel the dark rush of hopelessness weigh his limbs down.
The clearing is starting to get overrun by the darkly dressed dragon hunters like a water rushing through a floodgate, overwhelming their forces. Skye can sense the shift of the tide in the crowd, a dark disease that infects every Dragon Rider instantaneously, and many of them look towards him, starting to form ranks around them.
"You must go, your highness!"
Skye stares around the clearing, his heart aching. This very city was the place he grew up in, the place he met his dragon and became something more than just a prince, the place where his uncle and him would spend laughter-filled hours training or in the library, this is the place where he finds his place within the kind-hearted, hardy people of Orleyn. This is his home. He can't just leave them here...
Lana grabs his hand gently and her wide eyes shine with both desperation and sympathy. "We will come back for them, but getting yourself killed or captured isn't going to help them."
He hates the fact that she's right.
With one last mournful look towards the fiercely loyal Dragon Guard, Skye tightens his grip on Lana's hand and they run together towards Firedust, who roars threateningly at any dragon hunter who dares get near, swiping at any who get too close with his sharp claws or barbed tail. In record time, they pull themselves into the saddle and take off, without even enough time to see if Ellerin or Bryan are following.
Firedust swiftly pushes himself into the sky, but as soon as they lose contact with the earth, Skye can sense something is wrong. He can feel Firedust's muscles strain more and more as he flaps his wings with all of his strength trying to get away from the clearing, and his panic overwhelms Skye's mind through their bond. But, with a shock, he realizes that they seem to be getting closer to the ground instead of farther away.
That's when he sees the woman standing in the center of the clearing.
Everyone gives her a wide berth as she stands, most of them focused on finishing the last of the Dragon Riders off, allowing her to devote her complete focus upon them. Magic. It's the only way she could hold down a dragon but that's not the strangest part.
Instead of the normal glow of color that can be seen in a Rider's hands when they cast, he sees nothing. She grins devilishly at their helplessness and her figure transforms before their sight.
She seems to grow several feet, growing unnaturally tall that allows her to visibly tower over anyone in the clearing. Her skin turns painfully white in color, becoming almost translucent and her hair transforms from normal luscious fiery red locks to long strands of blood-like ink, floating around her head slightly as if she is underwater. Power radiates from her entire being and he freezes.
She's a Morai.
Skye feels himself getting panicked. For months he had been told a war was brewing and the Morai were returning. Seeing one up close is completely different than simply talking about it and a thousand times more terrifying. She's holding back a full-grown dragon with her magic, and his heart pounds swiftly at the realization of the extent of her power and what she'll do with it once she captures them. It's likely going to be a slow, painful, torturous death. Maybe even a public spectacle because of his status.
Lana seems to have realized the same thing because her eyes are wide with terror, and she looks to the edges of the clearing below us where their fellow Dragon Riders take their final stand and their final breathes. Skye can still make out Ellerin and Bryan on the ground, fighting for their very lives, their dragons trying to reach them vainly and the sounds of their yells of terror and pain alongside the cries of the Dragon Guard sends a dagger deep through Skye's heart. Anger suddenly joins his fueled emotions. He won't just let their sacrifice on his behalf be in vain and if he does fall, it will be him going down fighting, not as a martyr.
He mentally reaches deep into his core, finding the normally calm and deep ocean of magical energy within his soul now stormy and overflowing with untapped energy. As he reaches into it, it's like a dam bursts within him and its water pours through his veins down into his hands, lighting them up with vibrant blue light. His whole body shakes from the energy that engulfs his limbs, and with a yell, he sends an arc of pure energy down towards the clearing.
The Morai reacts swiftly by throwing up a powerful magical shield, but it sends a shock wave through the clearing, blowing many dragon hunters off their feet. Mostly importantly, he feels the dizzying waves of relief as Firedust feels the drag on his limb leave, and he's able to fly. He glances down one more time and just as the stunned dragon hunters get over the burst of energy, and just as the final of the famed Dragon Guard fall, two dragons fly away with the final two survivors, Ellerin and Bryan, escape from the clearing. None of them wait for the Morai to recover and don't waste a second to shoot towards the clouds, leaving the overrun city of Orleyn behind them.
•••
The flight away from Orleyn has them all snared in staggering silence, the idea of Skye even opening his mouth all too exhausting to even consider. Depression and guilt weighs him down, tiring out his physical body and his mentality, crushing all positive thoughts as he thinks of the people they left behind and the ones that lost their lives. The prophecy seems to burn a hole through Skye from its place in his pocket and his eyes prickle, threatening to let tears fall, but he holds them back and takes a deep breath. He can't afford to grieve and break down now. Not while they don't know what dangers lie ahead.
As the sun starts to rise over the ocean, it's hue the color of blood and it's vibrant color seeps across the ocean, tarnishing it's aquamarine blue waves. A small island appears in the distance and after another long moment of silence, they all aim towards the rocky land, silently sensing their dragon's fatigue and their own exhaustion from the long hours of flying.
The closer they get to the island, the more Skye starts to notice it's less of a piece of land and more of a rocky outcropping with a maze of tall pillars surrounding the solid gray mass. Pale white mist hugs the rocks, squeezing it tight and concealing many of it's details, but a lot of it has started to burn off in the early morning sun.
They land on one of the larger rock pillars, and Skye smiles softly as Firedust gives a large toothy yawn and stretches his limbs much like a cat. Lana startles slightly at the movement and clings to him a little tighter, but as Firedust kneels down and stills, he glances over and see a small smile, her eyes gleaming with wonder.
Bryan's and Ellerin's dragons land right beside them, each settling down much like Firedust. Skye can't help but yawn alongside them, a nap sounding tempting after all the things they've been through, but as Bryan breaks the silence, he knows he won't be able to rest for a long time.
"We need to go Lyra. Perhaps they can provide aide. Reinforcements maybe."
"Reinforcements?" Ellerin asks, her eyebrows raised incredulously and her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "When we left, some of the fiercest Dragon Riders were getting slaughtered right in front of us. We barely left with our lives and there was a Morai.There's no saving Orleyn now. Not when everyone is dead or captured."
"Except for us," Lana points out softly and they all fall silent.
The echoes of the cries from the fallen Dragon Riders reverberate through Skye's head, overwhelming any hope of life from his home city and he takes a deep breath. "Lyra should only be another few hours away if we continue going northeast. I don't know what help they could provide but I'm willing to try anything as long as there's a chance our people are still alive back home."
Ellerin turns away from them, her expression clouded with emotion but Bryan nods solemnly, already looking off into the distance. Lana leans forward in the saddle, curiosity and confusion both tightening her expression as if she swallowed a lemon.
"What is Ly—"
Firedust and the other dragons leap to their feet in an instant, startling them all and Lana immediately clings to him tightly. He senses Firedust's sudden defensive mood and he turns towards the direction they just came from, a growl building up in the back of his throat.
As if out of nowhere, a dark shape rises from the morning fog, a black demon rising from the pale cover and flies above them. The sheer size of the dragon has Skye's heart beating irregularly and a shaky sense of fear claims his limbs as this colossal creature dominates the sky, blanketing it, marring it with it's inky darkness. It's large blood red eyes scan the air with an ease of a top predator and as it's gaze snaps upon them, small and vulnerable in comparison, he feels fear locks his limbs as he realizes they're the prey.
The gargantuan dragon stops, elevated in front of us and poised to strike at any moment, when Skye notices a figure perched on top of the dragon, comparatively small but just as threatening with his regal aura and place upon the dragon.
The figure watches them silently for a long moment and he can feel his gaze scrutinizing us. They could strike at any moment. None of them move, like thieves being caught in the act, and hold their breath as they wait for what is about to occur.
Then the figures' voice booms through the air, sounding as if he's at a distance but also right behind them at the same time, his voice crawling over them uncomfortably with a hint of familiarity and foreignness at the same time, sending a shiver down Skye's spine. "Give me the prophecy and no harm will be done to you."
They all glance at each other and Skye's hand instinctively touches the precious piece of parchment in his pocket, feeling defiance rise up within him. This prophecy can never end up in their hands, it's meaning he doesn't fully understand yet, but it's importance beyond anything he's ever known. He looks around them, searching for a way to escape when he notices the fog hugging the lower edges of the rocky island. He smiles.
The intimidating dragon in front of them growls demandingly, snapping our attention back towards the Rider, and Skye can sense their impatience. The Rider doesn't say anything more but by the way his dragon looks at us with bloodthirsty desire and how they seem to inch closer and closer to us, he senses they won't wait much longer.
He looks towards the others and give a small nod, then take a deep breath, and everything happens at once.
He silently spurs Firedust over the edge of the rock pillar, plunging straight towards the ocean just as the other Rider catches onto their plan, ignoring both Bryan and Ellerin as they escape with their dragons, sending his fearsome dragon after Lana and Skye with a yell. The wind immediately blows hard against Skye's face, drowning out any noise and his stomach does flips, adrenaline flying through him as the ocean rises up to meet them. Lana's scream is the only thing he can hear beside the loud cry of the wind in my ear and as he glances back, fear jumps through him and his eyes widen as he sees the dragon gaining on them.
He screams for Firedust to go faster even though he knows this is as fast as his dragon can go, and he pushes our plunge until Skye's almost certain they're going to fall straight into the ocean. At the last second, right when Lana's arms tighten around him until they're almost asphyxiating and blind fears makes it unable to think anymore, Firedust snaps out his wings and they start to speed forward, into the maze of rock pillars and fog.
Skye's sight is snatched from him as soon as they fly into the thick of it, and panic and adrenaline spikes through him as he has no way to guide Firedust, nor can he truly see the dragon chasing them. He relies purely on Firedust's judgement and although he trusts his dragon completely, the ever nearing sound of the gargantuan dragon as it growls and it's wings beat loudly still causes his heart to pound as he has no way of seeing where it's coming from.
They move seemingly faster and faster through the pillars as Firedust steers them towards a patch where the pillars are closer in distance, swerving back and forth quickly with heightened senses. The sound of the large dragon starts to fade behind them and he hears a loud roar of rage as the dragon is no longer able to follow. Relief courses through him as a large cliff face rises up in front of them, honeycombed with dozens of caves, giving them infinite possibilities to hide before the morning fog burns out.
Skye quickly urges his dragon forward towards it, the sense of urgency making him feel jittery as he knows the dragon is looking for them from above now. They're sitting ducks in the open like this and Firedust doesn't hesitate to soar into one of the many caves, skidding to a stop onto the smooth sandy floor, his head already snapping towards the entrance as he listens for anyone following them. He stiffens for a second and Skye instinctively summons his magic, but from their bond he reassures the young man who lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he recognizes Bryan and Ellerin as they enter the cave.
Lana and Skye leap off of Firedust quickly as they land, and quickly approach them. He immediately turns towards Bryan.
"Were you followed?"
He glances towards the entrance, breathless and his eyebrows furrowed in worry as he studies the foggy expanse. "I don't think so. Hard to see anything in that damn fog."
Skye nods, the panic lessening slightly, but not completely. "Okay, well, we should be safe here for now. We just need to wait for it to leave."
All of them stand silently for a moment, both dragon and Rider catching their breath and waiting for their heartbeat to slow down.
Then they all hear another growl of a dragon from behind them, and they turn to find themselves face to face with another hostile dragon.