The Atheil Chronicles: A Call to Fire

Chapter 16

Ariana had just started drifting off when a noise broke through the silence of the forest. Her eyes whipped open and she could see that Ryonen was already on full alert, his lean body tensed and ready to spring. He had crouched down in front of her, his body shielding her from view. The noise grew louder, coming from the trees directly in front of them. Ryonen pulled out his sword in one fluid motion, the shining blade flaring in her blurred vision like a glowing beacon. She felt fear rise up in her throat, trying to ignore the pain that had begun raging again through her body. Suddenly, the source of the noise appeared and it was definitely not what she had been expecting.
A beautiful animal appeared in front of them through the trees. It looked similar to a wolf in its facial features, but it was about the size of a horse and had a coat of pure gold, a mixture of silver stripes and spots covering its body. Its fur was long and shaggy, about the length of a wolfs, and it had paws as big as dinner plates with a tail that split in three parts and measured at least the length of her arm span, if not longer. Its ears were button shaped and it had three bright gold whiskers on each side of its face that were at least three feet long and flowed from its cheekbones down the length of its neck to its muscled front legs. The creature didn't move, it just surveyed them quietly as they, too, sat perfectly still. 
Ariana watched as the creature pawed at the ground, making a chirping sound deep in its throat. Something about the creature seemed so gentle; the evening sun was reflecting off its shiny coat and making it shimmer. Almost as if it had heard her thoughts, it turned its head to fix it's gaze on her. Ryonen inhaled sharply in front of her, his hand gripping his sword even tighter.
The creature tilted its head at Ariana, taking a step toward them tentatively. Ryonen instinctively raised his sword in front of him, the point aimed at the creature, and it turned its large eyes on him almost reproachfully. It pawed at the ground again, agitated, an impatient chirping noise emanating from its throat now.
Something about the sound made her feel comforted, almost like the purr of a cat. She swallowed against the pain in her throat and spoke in a hushed voice. "Ryonen, I think it wants to come closer."
"I can see that." He said, the tension in his voice obvious. "But I don't think that's a good idea."
Ariana looked back at the creature, her vision going in and out of blurriness. It was watching her, transfixed, it's eyes not even moving to Ryonen despite the threat he posed to it. "I think it's gentle." She said.
"Definitely not." He whispered back to her. "That's a Veluke. They don't exactly have a history of being friendly when encountered."
As usual when she was conscious too long, the fire in her veins was beginning to overwhelm her with its intensity. She gritted her teeth against it, trying to keep her focus on the situation at hand. The Veluke flicked its ears angrily, shifting its large body before it took another step forward.
"Hey!" Ryonen exclaimed. The Veluke had made its way forward so that its neck was now pressed against the tip of the blade, its large eyes glaring down at Ryonen as neither of them moved.
"Ryonen," she said softly, "I don't think it wants to hurt us. If it did, it would've just come in raging. It's trying to tell you." She focused her eyes enough to look into the Velukes face from a few feet away. "You won't hurt us, will you?"
The Veluke chirped again quietly and let out a deep sigh. Ryonen hesitated for a moment before lowering his sword. "I really hope you're right." He muttered, laying the sword down in the grass and putting his hands slowly in his lap.
The Veluke stepped around Ryonen, it's great paws shifting the air as they finally settled beside her. She was watching its movements carefully, breathing heavily through the pain as the Veluke kneeled down next to her. It lowered its head and gently lay it on her lap, staring at her with a pair of intelligent cerulean blue eyes that had sparkling flecks of gold scattered in them. Then it stretched its neck until the side of its large head brushed against her hand in her lap, the fur feeling amazingly silky against her burning skin.
She heard Ryonen gasp in front of her as the Veluke closed its eyes and chirped soothingly. The vibrations seemed to penetrate to her bones and then something amazing happened. The pain inside of her subsided until it was just a distant throbbing. It still hurt, but it was no longer agonizing. She warily lifted her hand off her lap and ran it down its muscular neck. Again, it hurt, but it was tolerable.
She felt Ryonen come and kneel on her other side. "Ariana," he said, breathless, "this is amazing."
She managed a smile and turned her eyes to Ryonen. "Go ahead and pet it," She said. "It won't hurt you."
Ryonen gave her a look of brief concern before bringing his hand up slowly to rest on the Veluke's neck. It leaned against Ryonens hand momentarily before turning back to Ariana, the impatient noise coming from its throat again as it nudged her hand.
"Wow, Ariana, it really seems to like you."
"I know." She said, running her hands over the Veluke's soft folded ears.  "I don't know why, but its touch makes me feel better somehow." Ryonen didn't speak, but he looked thoughtfully down at the Veluke. Out of nowhere, its ears raised in alertness and then flattened against its head. "What's wrong?" Ariana asked, alarmed. The Veluke's whole body tensed up and its eyes were suddenly trained on the forest behind them. "Ryonen...?" She said.
Ryonen put a hand on her shoulder and the sudden touch sent waves of pain through her. She flinched away, her body falling into the Velukes shoulder. Its ears were now twitching, its blue eyes flickering between Ryonen and the forest.  Ryonen looked to where the Veluke was indicating and his face paled. "No." He said, and his voice was so anxious that Ariana felt her fear override any pain she might be experiencing.    
Ryonen gathered up his sword and leaned down to pick Ariana up. As soon as his fingers brushed her, she let out a cry of pain. He hesitated, then continued picking her up, the agony of his touch making hot tears spring to her eyes. Her vision dimmed from the intensity of it and then he was coming into focus. He looked scared and, she realized with a start, desperate.
"I can't outrun them." He said, the anguish clear in his voice. "I can't get away quick enough, the pain of it might kill you."
Ariana swallowed, now hearing with her own human ears the sound of many feet running in their direction. Her mind was racing and, even now with the fire rising up inside of her, she felt some sense of calm wash over her. "Leave me." She said, and she turned her tear streaked face up to Ryonen to meet his eyes. "Just leave me, Ryonen. I'm dead, anyway. You don't have to be, too."
"Ariana-" he started, his voice horrified beyond belief.
She cut him off, but the effort was taking a toll on her. "Please." She said, "do this for me. You promised you'd find my mom. You can't do that if you're dead."
He was about to say something when the Veluke's hulking head shoved its way under her arm. At its touch, she felt her body relaxing. Ryonen looked at her face and then to the Velukes head, which was propping her arm up now. It was blinking up at him, its gaze serious and focused in it's intensity.
Ryonen scrunched up his face. "You'll keep her safe?" He asked, suddenly, taking Ariana by surprise.
The Veluke nodded and, before Ariana even knew what was happening, Ryonen was lifting her onto its broad back, laying her head in the crook of its neck. As soon as she was fully on it, she felt the sweet relief of its touch wash over her whole being. She let out a small sigh, her fingers creeping forward to grip its long silky fur.
Ryonen's face came into focus in front of her, his green eyes looking at her with something she'd never seen before. He had his sword gripped in his hand at the ready, his dark hair blowing in the breeze behind him. He looked like he was going to say something to her, then he patted the Velukes neck. "Run." He said.
The Veluke shot off into the trees like a bullet. Its large paws were thudding gently against the ground as its muscular legs propelled them forward. Ariana was holding on to its fur with all her might, which evidently wasn't all that great considering she was steadily losing strength. While the pain inside of her had lessened tremendously, it was still there and she could feel it draining her as the seconds ticked on. She was fighting the blackout that was threatening to overtake her, the pain in her body seeming to gradually get worse with every bump that jostled her. The Veluke was weaving in and out of the trees with a sure-footed confidence, even at a neck-breaking speed, that made Ariana think that it knew exactly where it was going.
She could barely hear anything besides the wind whistling in her ears, but she tried to listen for any sign that Ryonen was still with them. When she couldn't, she braced herself and looked behind her. She could just make out Ryonen 30 or 40 feet behind them running at top speed. She knew he was fast, but he had nothing on the Veluke. Even as she watched, he fell even more behind them. Just then, the Veluke veered right where the trees seemed to be thinning.
She gripped its fur tighter, trying to lift her head to see the path ahead but being met with a blinding pain in her head from the movement. "You have to slow down!" She yelled at it. "We're going to lose him if you keep at this pace!"
The Veluke threw its head back in what she hoped was acknowledgment. It did seem to slow down a bit and Ariana prayed that Ryonen had enough push left in him to cover the distance. Now that they weren't going as fast, Ariana's eyes were able to adjust, and she could tell that they were nearing some sort of mountainside. A large rock wall rose up before them, going up as far as she could see. It had jagged chunks of rock jutting out from its surface like hundreds of giant thorns, varying from several inches to over a foot long in some places.
The Veluke came to a stop 20 feet away from the wall and Ariana heard Ryonen crashing through the trees behind her until he was next to them. He was breathing hard, his sword back at his waist. He turned to her, his green eyes panicked.
"They aren't far behind." He said, taking gulping breaths as he spoke. "We have to keep moving."
Almost as in response to this, the Veluke reared up on its hind legs and charged forward. It was all she could do to hold on as it came closer and closer to the wall. She could vaguely hear Ryonen behind them yelling, but she couldn't understand what he was saying.
It was a few seconds before she realized what he was screaming as her eyes turned to look ahead. The Veluke was running straight for the rocks and it wasn't slowing down, but instead pushing its legs harder as it sped up. Ariana felt her heart racing in her chest as it made one final jump, its powerful back legs thrusting it off of the ground and into the wall.
We're going to die, she thought frantically in the split seconds before impact, slamming her eyes shut and waiting for the blinding pain to hit her. But it never came. A coolness seemed to engulf her and then the world went black before light suddenly flashed before her eyes like an explosion. The Veluke landed lightly on the ground, slowing to a trot before stopping completely, turning its large head to look behind it.
Ariana looked around, startled. Ryonen was coming through a flat rock wall, his body seeming to materialize out of thin air. He looked down at his chest, his hands flying to touch it as if he couldn't believe he was not only intact, but also not a bleeding mess. Then his eyes found hers and relief washed over him. He jogged over to meet them, his face white as a sheet.
He turned his attention to the Veluke and he wasn't amused. "I did not enjoy that." He said, finally, letting out a sigh of relief in the process. Ariana went to nod but her head burst with terrible pain, the heat of it radiating down her neck into her chest. Ryonen must have noticed because he drew his eyebrows together in concern. "We have to find someone to help you." He said, turning to the Veluke. "Do you know anyone that can help?"
It chirped and Ariana felt the vibrations of it running through her body. She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, her face contorting in pain as even the Velukes touch couldn't seem to dull the fire inside of her anymore. It started walking forward at a brisk pace, its head pointed straight ahead as, again, it seemed to have some idea of where it wanted to go. Ryonen walked beside her, his eyes fixed on hers as she tried to blink away the blurriness.
Around them was a beautiful landscape covered in lush grass and an abundance of strange, but stunning, flowers. The trees, too, were strange. They weren't anything like normal trees but, instead, where leaves should have been, there were massive orange flowers that seemed to droop like large bells, their trunks the color of pale rose.
Ryonen was also looking around in interest and he seemed as confused as she was. "I've never seen trees like this before." He said to her.
She tried to raise her head but stopped herself, not daring to make the fire in her body any worse than it already was. "Never?" She said weakly, her voice barely coming out.
He turned to her and shook his head. "I have absolutely no idea where we are." He said, and his voice sounded worried. "I think we're in Atheil still, but I've never been anywhere like this before."
Ariana didn't reply, but bit the inside of her cheek to keep her from moaning in pain. The path the Veluke was taking them on wound through the line of trees and then seemed to go uphill. By the time they had reached the top, she could see well enough to truly make out the scene.
Up ahead was a beautiful castle nestled between two hills. It was about the size of a large cathedral with three towers; one on the left side of the castle, one on the right side, and one in the middle of the castle that reached at least 30 feet higher than the other two. The highest wall of the castle appeared to be about 4 stories tall. She had never seen a building look more as if it belonged in a destination than this. It had a feel as if it was meant to stand where it did; it perfectly complemented its surroundings as if it had grown right from the ground.
They were getting closer to it, now, and Ariana felt herself fading in and out of consciousness. One second she was seeing the lush greenery and the next it was all black. She tried to take in calming breaths but her chest felt constricted, like she had bags of sand piled on top of her. The Veluke continued to approach, both it and Ryonen unaware that she was hanging on by a thread. Please, she kept thinking, please someone help me.
They were nearing the door where rows of strange flowers bordered the walls there, the most prominent one being a blue flower that appeared to be swaying back and forth in the wind, though Ariana didn't feel any at the moment. Though her vision was going dim, the flowers seemed to glow ethereally through the encroaching darkness of her eyes.
Right smack dab in the middle of the front wall was a large wooden door and Ryonen strode forward and knocked heavily on it. Ariana could just make out an ornately carved door knocker on the right side of it, a sleeping dragon's body hanging upside down serving as the handle. She swallowed against the agony inside of her, knowing that any moment she would fade away into nothingness.
She heard Ryonen approaching her but she couldn't see anything at all, now. "Ariana." He said, and, from how faint he sounded, she felt like he could have been hundreds of feet away from her instead of right next to her. "Please, wake up! You have to wake up!" He shouted, but it barely registered as a whisper in her ear.
"I'm not asleep." She tried to say, but no words came out. Her eyes had closed of their own accord and she couldn't force them open no matter how hard she tried. She was finally beginning to succumb to the poison, the pounding of her heart seeming to be the only thing in the world to her now, its beating completely overtaking Ryonens worried voice.
She was aware that he tried to reach out to her again, but she writhed under his touch, the action causing red hot flames to leap up inside her. She couldn't even cry out, she could only try to hold on from inside her mind as the pain rocketed through her. She held on for as long as she could before she felt the world around her lessening, even her own thoughts. She once again tried to open her mouth, but she felt herself falling helplessly into the darkness as it overtook her.