ON HOLD (EDITING) Rise of the Dragons: Beginning

Chapter 15

I ran at an impossible speed through the forest. There was no sound except for the thud of my feet hitting the ground, my ragged breathing and the sharp whistling of the wind. 

I'd left the men far behind, but was too keyed up to stop running. Despite having run this far, this fast, I was tired or out of breath. In fact, it felt like i'd walked this whole way. The only thing that made me want to stop, was my injured hand. 

It was completely numb and dangling uselessly. I slowed down and stopped. Gingerly, I touched my injured hand, and flinched as needles of pain erupted from it. I needed to get some water and wash away the blood, so that I could clean the wound and wrap it up. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was, let alone where the river was.

Suddenly, a strange, soft, whirring noise filled the air. My head snapped up, and I unconsciously cocked it to the side, trying to hear better, as my eyes darted around wildly, searching for the source. 

My heart thudded painfully hard in my chest, as the sound got louder and closer. Breathing fast, I yanked my dagger out of its sheath with my left hand. It was probably the only weapon I could fight with right now. 

There was a rustling sound behind me, and I spun around, heart racing, slipping forward into a defensive crouch, with my dagger ready. There was nothing there. 

Letting out a shaky breath, I turned back around, noting that the whirring sound had stopped, and was met with an eyeful of someones neck. 

"Holy!" I shouted in surprise and jumped back, my pulse tripling. I automatically dropped forward into a defensive crouch, and held the dagger up in front of me, my panicked chocolate brown eyes focusing on the intruder. 

He was about a head taller than me, and had pale, but radiant skin. He looked about my age and had bronze hair that was messy and windblown. He was wearing tight back pants, and a grey jacket over a tight dark blue shirt. He had deep, topaz eyes. Eyes that were looking intently at me. 

Tensed, I kept my eyes on the man and tossed around whether I should fight or flee. With the sword I could see hanging from his hip, my better option was probably to run. My eyes darted to the trees, and then locked back on him, as he began to speak. 

"I am sorry I startled you, but you have no reason to fear me." His voice was strong and soothing like velvet. "I am a friend, E'scarlit." 

I stared at him through narrowed eyes. I wanted to run. How could I trust a stranger? Especially one who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. 

But there was something about him. Something that made me want to trust him. Everything about him; the way he spoke, the way he looked, even the way he stood. He seemed special., different...magical. 

Despite the alarm bells ringing in my head, that he knew I was a rider, I slowly lowered my dagger to my side, but I didn't relax my defensive position. His eyes followed the movement carefully. 

"Who are you?" I asked guardedly, watching my steadily. 

"My name is Rivildor." He answered, smiling warmly. "And yours?" 

I eyed Rivildor suspiciously for a second, before giving in. It couldn't hurt to give him my name. After all, he'd given me his. "My name is Lyra." 

His smile got wider, transforming into a perfect grin. "Its very, nice to meet you, E'scarlit Lyra."

"How do you know?" I demanded, still holding my defensive position.

"Know what?" He asked innocently. 

I glared, my hand instinctively flexing around the dagger. "How do you know that I'm a rider?" 

He looked at me for a second, before cocking his head to the side and gazing into the forest, as if he sere trying to hear something. My eyes flicked cautiously between Rivildor and the forest. I strained my ears, listening for anything, but not hearing anything out of the ordinary.