A River Ignites

prologue

Prologue
Traitor

Why does it have to be raining? Valentine Cross thought to herself as she brushed a loose strand of long brown hair out of her eyes with her gauntleted finger. I suppose it's only fitting that it would be. She squinted against the dark rain feeling Starlight shift beneath her.

"Easy girl," Val said calmly to her mount as she slowly pulled on her faceless helm. "We should be getting close." Valentine felt the void in her chest swell at the thought of what was to come. Why did you do it?  She asked the storm as she secretly hoped that her prey had changed course. He wouldn't have. She knew him well enough to know that he'd choose to trust his plan and his friends. Friends like Valentine should have been. She felt another stab of pain in her chest. Could she betrey him if he betrayed her first? Not just her. He'd betrayed everyone, the entire realm. She still couldn't believe that Ronin had turned traitor.

The darkness of the storm was absolute as she rode on. Starlight stired beneath her as they both squinted to see in the rain. Only when the lightning struck could she make out their suroundings. The great Antian jungle hundreds of feet  below her. The great silver dragon she rode. Starlight let out a low growl as she peered ahead.

"What is it?" Val asked quietly. Starlight growled again. Getting close. She thought as she turned around and looked below her to see the other two dragons flying low by the trees.

Chase and his massive Longshadow flew low to their right. The extra archer on Longshadow's back held his crossbow to his shoulder as if he expected Ronin to jump out of the storm like some Caster born boogyman. Valentine couldn't blame him one bit.

To Chase's left Clint Pollock and his dragon Lighthammer let out a long growl. Lighthammer was ill tempered and small for a red, which still left him a good deal larger than Starlight.

The three riders cut through the black of the storm led by their dragons. When Valentine felt the muscles in Starlights back tighten she knew it was time. Lightning split the night revealing a small black spec in the distance. Freefall. Valentine winced as the gravity of the situation sunk in. The lightning faded and the black dragon dissapered into shadow once again. Valentine sudenly worried she hadn't brough enough riders.

The next flash of lightning showed the thorned Freefall making a wide turn away from Val and the others. He's running. "That's our cue," Valentine patted Starlight's shoulders. "Go!" Starlight beat her wings and sent the pair racing forward ahead of the others. Freefall was fast, but there was nothing in the sky that could outrun Star. A few beats of her wings and Val felt a shadow pass beside them. She may not have been able to see the other dragon in the dark of the storm but Starlight had little problem.

One more beat of Starlight's wings and Valentine braced herself in her saddle. "Turn and burn!" The dragon spread her wings and brought them to an abrupt stop throwing Val down into her saddle as they quickly changed directions. Starlight turned around and beat her wings back the way they came. She immedietly breathed out a narrow stream of yellow flame. In the light of the fire Valentine saw Freefall dive beneath the fire and got her first look at the traitor. At Ronin. At her friend. She felt her heart twist as he tried madly to hold onto the dragon as it dove. He wore no armor, had no saddle. His fine black suit clung to him soaked from the storm.

"Dammit Ronin," Val cursed as Star swung around and fell in behind Freefall. Valentine had trusted her other two riders to follow her lead and she wasn't dissapointed as Longshadow apeared in a glowing stream of fire in front of them. Freefall beat his wings and rose above the massive dragon and his fire. Val and Starlight swopped low to avoid being caught by the dragon. Just after Longshadow passed Lighthammer appeared from the right forcing Ronin to dive to avoid more fire. Lighthammer snapped his jaws and nearly bit Ronin from Freefall's back.

The dragons' flames created a pocket of light in the darkness, illuminating their fight. Which only made Val feel worse as she dove next to Freefall watching Ronin fighting to stay on the dragon's back as he leveled off. 

The fact that the two had survived the first onslought by three dragons was impressive...if you didn't know who they were. Knowing Ronin and Freefall as well as Valentine did, it was more impressive that all three had survived this long against the thorned black dragon and the first rider. A feat no doubt mostly due to Ronin's lack of armor or saddle. Freefall may not have Star's speed, but his agility rivaled that of even the griffins. But without a saddle he was reduced to wide slow turns.

Val snapped herself back into the fight as Starlight sped up and flew under Freefall. Valentine layed down flat as Star shot up and rammed her shoulder into Freefall's stomach. The dragon lurched but recovered quickly. Lightning revealed the other two dragons closing in on Ronin but not quickly enough as Freefall let out a powerfull stream of flame that engoulfed Lighthammer and Clint. The dragon dove quickly to escape the fire. Clint's rider armor would protect him for a short time in the flame. He escaped uninjured but retreated next to Val to recover and cool off in the rain.

Ahead Longshadow's archer loosed a bolt at Freefall but it bounced harmlessly off his thick scales, though the bolt did succeed in drawing the black dragon's attention. Valentine could see the gill like bellows on Freefall's neck start to beat, a red glow eminating in the dark. "Chase dive!" Val shouted into the dark as Freefall let out a brightly glowing fireball that shot over Longshadow's back as he luckily rolled out of the way. Valentine had seen Freefall's unique ability to stoke his flame burn through forged steel. No armor would protect from the fire ball. Longshadow retreated as well.

"Let's end this," Valentine said softly to her dragon. At the next lightning strike she made a quick series of hand signals to the other two riders. Clint and Chase nodded and rose above her.

Valentine closed her eyes and let Starlight guide them into position. She heared a low growl next to her and lightening flashed revealing Freefall gliding next to her. His wings nearly touching Starlight's. The lightning faded leaving them in the dark once again. The heavy rain beat down on them hard. She could hear Ronin shouting at her. Though she couldn't make out the words over the storm, Val could about guess what he was saying. She was betraying her friend. That didn't even begin to describe the knot in her chest. Ronin was more than a friend, he was a brother, her mentor. He'd sheltered her when she needed shelter. He'd kept her secrets for her. He was the best man she'd ever know.

No!  Valentine shook her head. I'm not the traitor here, he is. Her orders had come from the king himself. The throne room was on fire, dozens dead or injured, including a holy monk. The sacred ceramony interupted. All at the hands of the first rider.

Lightning flashed again and Valentine looked over the dragons' wings at her once friend. His deep gray blue eyes stared back at her. It was imposible to tell in the rain but she could swear she saw tears on his cheek. She was thankful for her helm. At least he can't see my own tears.

"Why Ronin!?" she yelled waving her hand at him. "Why did you do it!?"

Ronin shouted something back, words lost in the storm.

"Why?" Valentine Cross asked quietly as tears ran down her cheeks. Freefall let out a scream and Val knew the others had held up their end of the plan. She looked up just in time to see Lighthammer diving. She looked back to Ronin and met his eyes. The look in them made her heart stop, she'd betrayed him. Valentine wept openly wishing she'd tried to talk to him before. The storm may have hidden her sobs from the others. But in her helm they echoed.

Lighthammer fell on the otherside of Freefall and Clint dropped a bolla net over the black dragon's wing. Starlight swung out far enough to allow Longshadow to fall and net Freefall's other wing.

Ronin and Freefall fell in a wild mess of screams and flailing wings. Valentine circled after them. Ronin faught to get the nets off his dragon. Even resorting to jumping from Freefall's back and onto his wing. As the jungle below raced up to meet them Valentine felt the void in her chest rise. Ronin had betrayed the realm, Valentine had betrayed a brother, and she didn't know what she thought was worse.

     She wept as her friends crashed into the trees.

Feedback appreciated. Come back to see how Ronin got here.