The Dragonriders

Chapter 19

The Aftermath And The Trainee

Tara'li

I wake up in a bed, in what seems to me by room in the Elven Kingdom. I'm not wearing my armor or weapons, which I see on the stands in my room. What I also see is mom, the leader and Sha'iva at the foot end of my bed. I rub my eyes as I see them. 'What happened?'

The leader speaks softly. 'You were on the cusp of death. After you lead your squad and the Elven forces to victory you cast a spell that was still beyond you. A spell you should not be knowing. The exhaustion of the fight combined with the requirements of the spell almost killed you. The queen send for me to see if I could make a difference after you didn't wake up after a week.'

I slowly sit up. 'How long have I been out for? Also are all the Demons gone?'

The leader remains silent. It is Sha'iva who answers. 'You've been out for over two weeks, sister. We thought you were dead at one point. Why did you fight the commander alone?'

I look at my hands and then at my clean sword. 'I felt I had to. It felt like my duty. I thought I was the only one who could do it.'

The leader speaks. 'A commander of Demon armies has been strengthened by a greater Demon beyond normal human or even Elven physique. To fight a commander you can not simply rely on speed or strength but also wits. To slay one yourself... it is sheer insanity. One is counted lucky if he is the sole survivor of a fight between his wing and a commander.'

I push the bedsheets away and slowly get off of my bed, seeing I'm dressed in another tunic. I almost do fall over as I still feel weak, but after finding solid footing I take a deep breath. 'I did it, leader. I faced him alone and killed him. I killed the son of the Keeper of Magic.'

The leader nods. 'I read the report from the queen and of your sister. She filled in a preliminary report for you to... enlighten me. It was admirable that you tried to keep your squad out of the main battle so they would not be at any risk. However they were your greatest weapon, Tara'li.'

As I push the doors to the balcony open to look outside I am shocked. Many of the trees outside, the houses of the people, are blackened and a lot are burned down. 'It seems we still failed. I still failed. The city is burned.'

Mother comes standing next to me. 'This is not a defeat, Tara'li. Homes can be regrown. With time the fire damage will go away as the forest heals itself. You managed to lessen the worst damage, the death of our people. You are a hero now. Songs are already sung about you dropping from the sky and charging the Demons.'

Sha'iva comes standing next to me as well. 'Sister, you did all you could. What you did already almost killed you. It is a miracle you survived. Don't be to harsh on yourself.'

I look at the staff in the stand with my spear. 'I will need to focus on learning magic. Even with Sha'nok in the squad it wasn't enough. I need to use my magic more readily. Otherwise our next deployment will be the death of all of us.'

As I weakly walk over to the stand with my staff the leader stops me. 'Not now. You are still to weak to use any magic without going into another coma. Wait for now. Your dedication is commendable however. I will fly back to Celaris to report on what happened here. Stay here for now. Rest and recover. Fly back once you are strong and write your report then. Please leave out no detail as I'm... interested in them.'

The leader squeezes himself through the doors to the balcony and takes off. Then I walk over to my armor and weapons. On first inspection nothing seems damaged, though the sword has some minor rolls on the edge. Then I see my staff. The staff of Kai'chira. The teeth are about to fall out. As I pick the staff up I see most of the staff is about to fall apart. It is almost as if the staff is dying. I put the staff back softly and then start to take my armor from the stand until Sha'iva stops me. 'Don't. There is no need to wear armor. The battle is over. There is no need to command our forces or defend yourself.'