Kon, 1,000 years ago...
This is an organized attack. Kitaya watched the ten flyers shoot back toward the outer wall, three at a time. They swooped low, nigh grazing the royals standing there. Three, then another three, and another three. And as the last one swooped in, the Lyberra barrel-rolled and its rider plucked someone from the wall. Frilly dress, and silken ribbons. Raylen.
Kitaya ground her teeth together. These people were advanced flyers, people she'd chased the skies with many times before. "Damn it!" She put her fingers between her lips and released a whistle that pierced the din, before turning to the Head Archivist. "Sorry, Samiel. Perhaps we'll find time in the near future to talk."
He gave a dismissive wave. "Godspeed, my lady."
Seven Shujaa guards zoomed by overhead, giving chase to the kidnappers. Chaga flew close behind and swooped down to meet Kitaya.
She leapt onto his bare back and bounced once before hugging it tight. With no saddle or collar, this flight would be a daring one. But there was nothing she loved more than a dance with danger. So when Kitaya threaded her fingers into Chaga's mane, exhilaration replaced fear.
They flew up from the market district and banked south, picking up speed with every passing second. Before long she came alongside the Shujaa guards.
"Lady Kitaya, fall back!" one of them yelled at her. "You can't fly that fast without a saddle."
"I can handle it," she yelled back. "Just cover me." Chaga shot forward and Kitaya hugged his back tighter with her knees. The sun beat against her back and the wind threatened to rip her from her seat.
Three flyers were up ahead, the one carrying Raylen leading while the other two flanked. The Lyberra they rode were built for strength, to fly with ease while wearing heavy, enchanted armour.
But Chaga was trained for speed and dexterity, executing tough maneuvers and navigating rough skies – taking advantage of every current and updraft that caught his wings. So closing the distance was a trivial matter.
The flankers broke formation and fell back, flying up over her head. Magic filled the air with its unmistakable buzz and nipping bite, along with the crackle and pop of flames. Orbs of fire filled the skies like a thousand suns, their glowing orange centers peering down at her like eyes.
Kitaya swore out loud and buried her face in Chaga's mane as he dove and rolled to avoid the onslaught of fire. Heat licked at her skin, hungry for something to devour. Crashes and explosions sounded in her wake as the fireballs crashed into the fields. Chaga lost altitude faster than bird shot dead and was nearly brushing the field of wheat before the barrage stopped.
She reveled at the cool breeze that replaced the singeing hot air, but her heart sank as she raised her head from Chaga's fur.
Up ahead the south side of the farmlands came into view. Clusters of buildings and silos lined the wide road edging the fields. They flew close to the ground and with the speed they were going, trying to make a sharp enough to avoid crashing would be impossible. But they couldn't ascend in time to clear the row of grain silos. The buildings beyond them were only half the height, and a quick ascent would guarantee their safety.
If they could clear the silos somehow.
Kitaya measured the distance between the two silos ahead. They could squeeze in, but only if they flew in sideways, and even then, it would be risky. She glanced back at her pursuers flying high above her head, barely visible through the smoke clouding the air. She needed to get away from them before they rained fire on her again. Straight ahead then. The muscles in Chaga's back tensed as they neared the silos.
"Easy, my dear. We can do this." Kitaya flattened herself against Chaga's back, examining the gap between the silos. If she got this wrong, they'd both be dead. "On my mark, Chaga." She sucked a breath to steel her nerves, her gaze never leaving the obstacle before them. Just a little further. "Mark!"
As they turned, she ducked her head into Chaga's fur. Her battle skirts brushed against the silo, and her beads rapped against it. As soon as they cleared the silos, Chaga leveled out, the muscles between his wings bunching and straining as he beat his wings. They gained enough height to clear the storehouses, and Kitaya took a moment to breathe before scanning the skies. She spotted the kidnapper to the east, flying towards the plains.
Enough of this cat-and-mouse nonsense. She banked east and flew low, pushing Chaga as fast as his wings could carry them. The whistle of wind in her ears escalated into a roar, and she hugged her seat tight. They shot through the sky as fast and sure as a master archer's arrow, over the buildings, the parks, the people.
Kitaya followed the flight path of the kidnapper with her eyes. As she closed in, its rider looked back, red painted face glistening with sweat. Their eyes locked and for a moment, only they occupied the skies. He twisted his lips into a scowl and Kitaya glowered in response.
The distance narrowed between as the shot past the eastern gate and flew over the plains beyond. Just a little closer.
The flyer barrel-rolled, the spin sharp. Time seemed to slow as she watched with horror. A fluttering of frilly clothes, a piercing screech. Down Raylen went, limbs flailing, her screams fading as she fell.
Kitaya leapt from Chaga's back into a fast and deadly dive, her eyes tracking the falling girl. She'd done this rescue maneuver before, but never without a saddle. And never without a person so panicked. Flyers were taught to relax if they lost their mount, which made plucking them from the sky easier.
While she'd never been one to shy away from daring feats, she couldn't ignore the rapid thumping of her heart, the fear gripping her by the throat and refusing to let go. Chaga came alongside her, wings folded against his back, falling as she fell, staying within arm's reach.
Kitaya reached and arm towards Raylen
"Grab onto my back!" Kitaya yelled over the rushing wind.
The girl clawed at her armour and skin, desperate for something to cling to, and locked an arm around Kitaya's neck. Kitaya ignored the momentary discomfort and reached for Chaga's mane, threading her fingers into the gold tendrils.
She got a decent grip, but they too close to the ground. Chaga wasted no time spreading his wings and Kitaya held her breath as their angle changed slowly and the earth rose rapidly. Gravity was their nemesis, dragging them to their doom. She resisted the urge squeeze her eyes shut as the scents of the wildflowers growing in the plains tickled her nose. Her heart fluttered like a butterfly caught in a net. But her fears were unfounded. With the grace and ease of a bird of prey, Chaga leveled out, the grass and shrubs slapping against his feet and wings.
"Good boy," Kitaya said, relief washing over her like a cool breeze of a hot summer's day. "Let's go back." Always trust your mount, they had taught her. She owed Chaga and apology for losing faith so easily.
They flew low, back towards the city. They needed to land somewhere, if trouble found them, Kitaya couldn't fight and fly, and she didn't know who was friend or foe anymore. They other flyers were far off, just specs from her vantage point. She'd gotten too far away from everyone and flying fast with Raylen on board would be too risky.
Going to the castle wasn't an option. If they got attacked, she wanted nothing to happen to it, same with the market and palatial gardens. She took Chaga down to the central gardens, which separated the market from the civil district.
They landed amongst a stand of fruit-bearing trees and bushes, and Kitaya helped Raylen down. As much as she loved flying, having the ground beneath her feet again gave her a comfort akin to a warm blanket on a chilly night.
"I want to go to Papa," Raylen whined, eyes wide and watery with fear.
Kitaya looked at the girl. Small, frail, couldn't bemore than twelve. Which wasn't any excuse for how pathetically helpless shewas. Kitaya held her first spear at the age of eight. "Stay close to Ch—"
Screeches filled the air, and from the trees came a group of rioters. Kitaya unhooked the Behemoth from her belt and placed herself between them and the girl. The rioters surrounded them, red faces contorted into macabre masks of anger and disgust. Forty at least, she counted.
"Watch out!" someone called from amongst the rioters.
Her heart sank when Ade pushed his way to the front, his face the same crimson colour as the other rioters. She bit her cheek to stop the tears welling in her eyes. How could he do this? When he knew how much this meant to her.
"Just hand her over, Kitaya." He took a step forward, but Kitaya leveled the Behemoth with his chest to keep him at bay. "Do you even realize what you're doing right now? These people are beneath us and you're protecting them."
Kitaya opened her mouth to speak, but a sharp tremor rocked the ground beneath her. She planted her spear in the ground and spread her feet. The earth opened up like a gaping maw and swallowed rioters trees and bushes, leaving a circular chasm around her. She held an arm up against the raining dust and pebbles, peeking up in time to see Eriani staring down into the pit at the squirming rioters. Mellidius flanked her, with Shara flapping on his shoulders.
With her lips twisted and brows angled, she looked more like an angry caricature of her regal self. She uttered a single ancient word and earthen bridge grew from both ends of the chasm, sealing together in the middle.
"Mellidius, ensure the rubbish is dealt with," the Queen said, as she took purposeful strides across the bridge. "Are you injured, Kitaya?"
Kitaya shook her head. Other than the already healing scratches from Raylen, she was no worse for wear.
"And you?" Eriani cut her eyes to Raylen.
"I... I don't think so" the girl answered.
The sound of clopping hooves interrupted their conversation, and a carriage pulled up on the garden's path a moment later. Out jumped the Ravinian King, flanked by his guards. "Raylen!"
"Papa!" The girl flew past Kitaya, flinging herself into Damian's arms.
Kitaya supposed the moment should've warmed her heart, yet all she felt was bitter, cold disappointment. She turned away from them, walking to where Chaga sat.
"Kitaya!" Damian called, stopping her in her tracks. "Thank you."
Her fists curled and her shoulders bunched. It took everything within her not to turn around and lash out at them all. She hadn't saved Raylen it for him, but to preserve the integrity of her Nation. But even that had backfired. Millennia from now when scholars recounted this event, the violent rioters who committed treason will overshadows those who marched and chanted nobly for their nation.
All of it everything she'd gone through — challenging Mellidius, the subsequent defeats, the long nights in the infirmary — was all for naught. The entire protest was all for naught. In one, fluid motion, Kitaya tucked the Behemoth into her belt and leapt onto Chaga's back. Then turned away on the crowds and flew off into the east.
[A/N]: I know I promised to upload this earlier in the week. But things happened. This chapter took a lot out of me (as all the action-packed chapters do). Plus I worked long hours this week, and I have another story (Necromancy In D Minor) that I'm working on alongside this one, AND I'm still not feeling 100% better yet. Sorry if I disappointed anyone.
~Tempest