Blood Rider [Alonia's Queenslayer #1]

14

//I made an edit: Eli is leaving her dragon behind instead of bringing him with her.

The weather was calm that morning. There wasn't a single cloud in the rosy, dawn-painted sky, and the water was so still that even Eli couldn't notice any waves. She had an impending feeling of doom none-the-less; it felt like the calm before the storm.

She stood on the rock overlooking the water and peered towards Linos, up north-east. She could only see bits of the coast. It wasn't that far, now that she got a good look at it.

The smell of salt refreshed her. She felt uncomfortable with leaving her dragon behind, but they've managed to convince her that leaving him behind, in safety, was the smartest thing to do, and Tanya promised she'd feed him regularly.

"I've confirmed that my imbecile of a brother is in the capital. There's some turbulence with the north, so he's not likely to travel anywhere until you reach him. Do you have the map? The gold? The food?" Hatari asked, approaching Eli with quick footsteps. Eli turned her head to the side, noticing that Hatari was alone. She gave her a nod.

"I have everything. Where's Tanya? And Valda?" she asked. Hatari smiled a smile that nearly made Eli shiver. Hatari was frightening.

"They'll be here soon. Tanya is still against you going, you know. She won't talk to me," Hatari said, her smile dropping. Eli felt a pang of guilt hit her heart, and she sighed.

"I'm sure she'll come to her senses. I've been so near death so many times, and she gets upset every time I do something dangerous. She always has a tougher time than me in these situations, it seems. But this is undoubtedly the most dangerous mission I've set out on. And, Hatari..." Eli trailed off, meeting Hatari's gaze. "If I don't return, please, make sure she's all right. There's a note inside my pillow, give it to her if I don't return."

Hatari gave Eli a dull, sad nod. Hatari was not so much older than herself or Tanya. She reminded Eli of herself – on the outside, she was fierce and unbreakable, but on the inside, full of emotion and fear. Eli was taught to hide her emotions, and she hid them well. The action had saved her numerous times.

She could hardly compare herself to book characters, their lives were just too different. She'd read about free-spirited merchants who went through life without giving any mind to the outside world. About princes who indulged in reaches and changed the rules with a flick of the wrist.

But Eli was the lowest on the low with dreams that only kings could achieve. She tightened her fist, a range of emotions swinging through her heart. She was sacrificing everything in order to reach her dreams. In order to create a better world. Was she really the only one that could make a real change? The only one willing to work for it? She was lucky, she guessed, for receiving the top battle training, for being born with such a majestic creature as a companion and for being a... a weapon. Riders were nothing but weapons, but Eli was a weapon gone wild. She would become a commander, and she would do something. This was her second chance.

But was she willing to die for it?

Eli gazed upon the calm ocean, and thought of Tanya. She could decide not to go and spend the rest of her life there, with Tanya, with her dragon, with Valda... Ejder and her friends could die at any moment, but she'd be safe.

But that wasn't what Eli wanted. She would fight for what she believed in, even if it meant that she was running straight into her death.

More footsteps got Eli away from her thoughts and back into the present. Her eyes darted towards the approaching figures of Valda and Tanya. Valda was standing tall and her face held her usual, emotionless mask. But her eyes were slightly watery, and her eyebrows were just a tiny bit narrowed. She was worried, but she was trying not to let it show. One of her hands was on Tanya's shoulder, who showed her worry and displeasure much more openly. Her shoulders were slouched and her dress was crumpled, which never happened with Tanya. She kept her head down and her eyes were red and puffy, with corners of her lips facing downwards. She only lifted her head to look at Eli, and run towards her already beginning to whimper.