Redemption

In Cordyn territory

Chex's Pov
The hunting grounds of Cordyn were lush, and chattering with life even at night. After Sgaeyl and I hunted down a flock of startled sheep, I curled up under an old tree and presently fell asleep.
I dreamt of an ancient cave, whose corridors plunged in so deep no light could reach it; old webs stuck to my wings, and my talons clicked on the harsh stone.
When I woke up, I felt my muscles sore, as if I'd really walked in that endless cave.
"Good morning."
I blinked away sleep and saw Aifos smiling down at me. They had their back against the bark of the tree, and their elbow propped on their knee tucked in to their chest.
-Hi.-
-Slept well?-
-Yeah. A bit of an odd dream, though.-
-Wanna talk about it?-
-No, just an old cave with old webs. You?-
-All good.-
-You slept here?-
-No, I stayed in the guestroom.-
-You mustn't have slept much. It's barely dawn.-
They shrugged, but their eyes fell away from mine, "I wasn't that tired."
-You sure?-
"Yeah."
But their face was pale, and their eyes heavy with tiredness. Their thumb swept on their wrist.
-You know you can tell me everything, right?-
"I know. It's just that... I'm sorry."
I warbled softly and nudged their hand with my snout, -Stay.-
They smiled softly, and put their palm on my head. Their hand was small, but warm, and I half-closed my eyes again.
The sound of slow wingbeats had me cracking them open, and I squinted at the soft light of dawn. Tairn's black silhouette took up half my view as he flared his wings and landed next to me, four goats firmly in his claws.
I glimpsed orange and green scales gleaming in the sky, a bit away from us.
He stretched down his snout to nuzzle me, then couched down and tore apart a goat's leg and gave it to me.
I looked at Aifos, -Want some?-
-No, thanks.-
-Where's Sgaeyl?-
-Off chasing some stags. She said she'd grown tired of goats.-
-How was your flight?-
-Nothing out of the ordinary.-
-No gryphons?-
Tairn snorted, -Unluckily for them, they escorted us to the palace. The only thing left for me to do was to fly close enough so that they knew I was no match.-
-Never fancied those birds.-
-We can't help their inferiority. Why's your Rider here?-
-You know they aren't my Rider, Tairn.-
-Sometimes I wonder how you do it.-
I snapped my teeth at him and he chortled a laugh.
-You aren't funny! At least we don't put everything on fire around us, unlike someone else.-
-Silver One has yet to learn how to master control.-
-Really? I wouldn't have known.-
-Just eat and be quiet. You're about to give me a headache.-
I huffed at him, but went on eating. The meat was tender and juicy, and I offered it once again to Aifos, who still refused.
-I know you haven't eaten anything yet!-
-I am not very hungry in the morning.-
-I don't care. Eat it.-
With an amusedly resigned scoff, finally they accepted the piece of meat I'd been giving them. They took out a small knife from their shirt, and started cutting away the fur until only meat remained, and then cooked it with their magical copper fire before eating it.
-You humans are strange.-
-We can't eat uncooked meat. We'd catch a stomach ache at best.-
They muched a couple of bites, then handed me the rest, -Try eat it. Just for fun.-
I did, then flicked my tongue in and out a couple of times, -It isn't... Bad.-
-You don't sound very convinced.-
-It's just that you have an odd taste.-
-Says the one who eats raw meat.-
-It's the best!-
-No, it's not.-
-Yes it is!-
Tairn grumbled, -Adolescents.-
I met Aifos' eyes, and rolled my own, making them huff a laugh. Tairn scowled at us both, but thankfully Sgaeyl swept by and he let it go.
-By the way, Chex, Ronny asked me why you took so long to come back.-
I snorted a plume of smoke as he splayed his wings, ready to take off and reach his mate, -Great. Fantastic.-
A couple of hours passed by, in which Aifos and I talked about everything and nothing at the same time; their sadness remained, but they smiled when I started telling them about my first flight, and how Sgaeyl had to rush and scoop me up in her claws when I got entangled in my wings. They reciprocated by telling me about their missions with Ronny and a certain bonded pair of Tina and Elsie against some creatures called Ra'Zac and Lethblaka and I found myself holding my breath more often than not.
-What does it mean you two got ambushed in this Helgrind and your dragons couldn't reach you?!-
When the sky was soft with the colours of dusk, they rose up and greeted me before jogging down the cliff and towards the palace glistening in the far-off horizon.
I looked at them, and wanted to tell them to stay. They looked back at me, waved, and disappeared among the trees.
However, as their silhouette was engulfed by the shadows of the forest, a bitter foreboding seeped in my chest.
I knew all too well that Riders were doomed with the shortest span of life among the four Quadrants, and that daily too many dragons mourned the loss of half their soul.
One day, I would watch them walking away from me one last time, just as I was doing now.
I dared a glance at Tairn, who had come back from his flight with Sgaeyl; I looked at his broad shoulders and enviable height given by his hundred years; tried to imagine me instead of him, an old dragon worthy of the Elders' respect. But there was a coldness next to my flank which made my heart clench.
-Tairn... Can I ask you something?-
-Of course, Little One.-
-It's a bit of a... A personal question, though.-
-Say it out loud, so I can decide if it's worthy of my time.-
-It's about... Uhm... Your first Rider.-
His shoulders tensed, and his wings tightened around him. His voice was rough, -What about him?-
-How did you manage to survive after... Uhm... Afterwards?-
He remained quiet for so long I feared he would utterly disregard my question. I was scrambling for some poor apology, when he quietly spoke up, -My love for Sgaeyl is the only reason for which I'm here today. I couldn't drag her in the unknown alongside me.-
-Oh... I understand.-
-But I chose Silver One as my last, and should she fall, then I will follow.-
I looked at him with widened eyes, -But... You know she won't live forever, right? Even after the war...-
He didn't answer me this time.
I wondered if I would be brave enough to follow Aifos wherever they went, even in the coldness that was death.
I wondered if Ronny would.
I almost cried when Aifos reached out to me with their gentle voice, -What troubles you, my dearest?-
-Oh, I am so sorry! I just... I just can't help myself.-
-What for?-
-I just thought about the days when you... When you... When you would be cold and still.-
They were slightly confused, -Chex, obviously I will do my best not to be felled in battle.-
-No, not in that case! Even if... After... The war, you'll have only decades left!-
-Well, I hope the war won't last centuries!-
Their affirmation took me aback, -What?-
-I said that I strongly hope the war won't last centuries.-
-Yeah, but... But you will be long gone nevertheless!-
-Why would I...- Then, they quietened, and suddenly realised the point of all my questions.
-You don't know, do you?-
There was a lightness in their voice, which terribly unnerved me.
-About what?-
-About the fact that Alagaesyan Riders are immortal. Their death is the one triggering their dragon's, so the couple must have the same span of life, don't you think? Whereas, here in Navarre, it's the other way round, therefore the Rider's immortality isn't necessarily required.-
Suddenly, all that cold foreboding of a centuries-old life without them faded as quickly as it'd been born in the first place.
Joy spread in its place, instead.
-Why didn't you tell me that before?-
-Uh... I'm sorry?-
-Tairn!-
-What now, Little One?-
-They are immortal! They won't leave me! I won't be alone!-
-Who is immortal?-
-Aifos! Aifos is!-
He slowly blinked his golden eyes, -Your little friend is an odd fellow, I must admit.-
-Hey! You take that back!-
He rumbled a laugh, then said, -I am happy for you.-
-I know! I am happy myself! I must tell Sgaeyl!-
-I left her hunting for stags. Let's go find her.-
It happened all so suddenly. Tairn and Sgaeyl had gone flying somewhere (she had smiled when I told her about my mate's immortality and rubbed the tip of my snout with hers), and I'd seen Teine circling nearby. The moon had taken the sun's place, and the stars seemed far away. I was just laying there when, out of the blue, I felt my bond with Aifos sharpening and getting jolted by surprise and fear; I was startled on my feet, and my tail almost got stuck in a tree.
-A venin!-
-What? Where?-
-Chex, follow us!-
I ran and went airborne; I pumped my wings and immediately caught up to Sgaeyl and the other three. Tairn was on the lead, his roar shattering the air.
My heart was drumming in my chest, and fury boiled in my blood: who dared hurt what was mine?
I angled my wings so they could catch the wind more easily, and the back of my throat started scalding already.
-Aifos!-
Their sight became mine, and we looked down from the window glasses of the dining room, to an impossibly huge arena, where the Sorreingail siblings were fighting against a venin. An embroidered chest was standing in the middle of the arena.
Then, the sight became mine again.
-Don't you dare get down there!-
-The Viscount ordered us not to. How far are you?-
-Minutes!-
My muscles burned in the strain, but I sped up my flight and gritted my teeth.
I hoped the venin would be held back until our coming; I hoped the siblings were strong enough; I hoped no trap had been escogitated for those who remained inside.
When the white palace glistened in our sight, I let loose a roar and, whereas Tairn split up to hover in front of the arena, the rest of us flung ourselves in the terrace and took up a position in which we could easily incinerate the crowd.
My eyes immediately found Aifos, beautiful in their black dress with embroidery of gold; relief had their shoulders dipping low at my presence, then they looked at the streak of shadow that was strangling Tecarus, his face growing paler with every raspy breath.
My upper lip curled and a low growl worked in my throat.
He deserved to be burned to ashes, just as the rest of the nobles who held umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain.
They had to suffocate in it, drown in it.
A couple of lightening strikes struck the arena, and at last the venin fell.
Tairn approached us with slow wingbeats, and opened his claw to let his Rider find her balance on her rain-soaked feet. Then he stalked forward, the marble cracking over the weight of one of the biggest dragons of the Continent, until he halted next to me and swung his Morningstartail. A couple of nobles paled; others lost their senses; some of them muttered prayers.
Only after Violet walked in the dining room did Xaden free Tecarus from his shadow deadly grip. He crumbled on the ground, and wheezed.
Aifos, standing behind their chair, levelled him a judging stare, as if he was nothing but a writhing worm.
-The sky's empty, and nobles are all the same.-
-And still alive.-
-It's a pity we still have to negotiate with him.-
-You do not negotiate with anybody. From now on, you'll never get out of my sight again.-
-I am too invested now. And if anything sideways happen, you're small enough to break in the room.-
-I will be waiting outside said room.-
So I did. I strode in the palace, my scales copper ever since it started raining, and snarled at every flier who dared draw their weapons against me.
Aifos nodded at me and Syrena glanced at me, "Having a young dragon is an advantage in some occasions, I'll admit."
"I know."
-I have already grown since last time we saw each other, flier.-
When I narrowed my eyes at her, she ducked her head and slid inside.
The negotiations were short and got wrapped-up quickly: we had our luminary and accepted an official alliance with the fliers, who, in turn, had to be welcomed in Aretia, after some sort of bonding hiking across the Cliffs of Dralor.
But before this trip, the five of us flew back to Aretia to secure the luminary, an oval, gleaming structure as tall as Sgaeyl.
When we landed, we saw Ronny waiting for us, his eyes fixed on us. He ate the space between me and him with three large, angry steps, and snapped his teeth at both me and Aifos.
-Next time, tell me when you're off gallivanting around in enemy territory.-
-_We weren't gallivanting around!_- I rebuked, -And now it's ally territory, thank you very much.-
-Is it so indeed?-
-Yes,- said Aifos, as they dismounted and started working on the laces across my chest, -We made a deal with the Viscount Tecarus' people, and we acquired the luminary.-
-Mh. If you say so. And, mind you kid, you'll be flying with me on your following mission.-
-It'll be a buddying hike with the fliers.-
-Still.-
His tone was curt enough to tell us Aifos would be his to fly around in whatever next mission would fall on us, even if it was something as boring as that trail with those birds.