ON HOLD (EDITING) Rise of the Dragons: Beginning

Chapter 23

Hey guys.

Sorry for the wait. Here the next chapter.

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It was working. I was racing through the forest with my riders speed, and Fealdor and Erthor were right beside me, keeping up. I sprinted, giving the trees and plants around us a wide birth, in case Fealdor or Erthor got too close and tripped, which would send all three of us crashing to the ground.

I could hear the whirring sound of Rivildor running behind us, protecting our backs, and the faint clanking and metallic rustling of the soldier’s armor even further behind us. A strange humming sensation was coursing through my palms, and I glanced down at them quickly and did a double take. They were glowing.

Bright lights emanated from our hands like a small halo. I caught glimpses of the life lines that ran through our palms and realized that the lights were coming from there. My life lines were a pure silver, Fealdors’ a brilliant mix of blue and green and Erthors’ a blaring combination of yellow and orange.

The lights mingled around each other like a writhing mass of serpents, connecting us. That us it! Our auras were connecting us. They were letting Fealdor and Erthor keep up with me by joining our auras, as long as were touching.

"Hurry!" Rivildors’ urgent shout snapped me out of my trance and jerked my head upwards. I'd unconsciously slowed down, and we were only running slightly faster than a human could. I could distinctly hear the soldiers cursing as they ran through the undergrowth and it was much too close for comfort.

I picked up my pace, hurtling so fast through the forest that my feet barely touched the ground and the world became a smear of colors. "I can't see where I'm going!" Erthor yelled over the sharp whining of the wind, his grip on my hand almost painfully tight.

"Me neither!" Fealdor added, his own grip on my hand just as tight, if not tighter, than Erthors’.

"Relax!" I shouted back, steering us through the vast network of plants, trees and bushes. "I can!"

And then Eridor hit the ground a few feet ahead of us.

I cried out in shock, digging my feet into the ground to stop, as the ground trembled from the impact of Eridors landing. Or should I say crash landing.

His wings were halfway outstretched, like he hadn't folded them in time, and his claws left deep grooves in the earth as he slid ungraciously towards us.  Eridors' panic thudded into me like a second heartbeat through the bond, as he struggled to stop and for a moment I was seeing through his eyes.

I was off balance, frantically gripping the earth with my claws, unable to fold my wings as I would topple over. I was going to hit my rider, the vampire and the humans. My right wing struck a tree, uprooting it in a shower of dirt and sending it spinning into the air.

"Get down!" Ethrors’ bellow pulled me back into my body with a jolt.

We were skidding across the ground precariously, on a crash course with Eridor. I saw the tree that Eridor had uprooted flying straight at us, just as Erthor leaped hard to the left, yanking me along with him.

Not ready for the abrupt change, I was dragged staggering to the left, crashing into Erthor and almost falling. Then Fealdor half toppled into me and we did fall.

My scream of shock mingled with Erthors’ yell and Fealdors’ cry as we crashed hard onto the ground in a tangle arms and legs. I heard Edward shout and a hand scraped the cloth at the back of my jacket, grabbing it as he tried to keep me from hitting the ground. My body was jerked back, my arm hitting Erthors’ chest, and then Edward lost his grip, tumbling to the ground with us.

Our momentum sent us rolling over each other, thankfully away from where Eridors' clawed legs were still grappling for purchase. We finally stopped to the side of Eridors' large frame in a pile of groans, curses and shouts. 

I ended up with my head on Erthors' chest, Felador lying across both our legs, his head resting on my stomach. My legs were on top of Edwards', one of my hands splayed across his chest, the other on trapped under Fealdors’ back. One of Erthors' arms were sprawled half on my stomach and half in Feladors’ messy hair, next to Edwards' hand, the other trapped between the ground and my back.

I groaned softly and tried to get up, but I was trapped by Feladors' body. "Ugh." I squirmed, trying to get out. My eyes flickered to where Eridor had still struggling to stop. My breath caught as his wings got trapped between trees and I felt his pain through the bond and he let out a roar.

The rest of his body was still skidding forwards. If he didn't get his wings out of the trees before he went forward he'd hurt himself, badly. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rivildor jump forward to grab Aldrens' hand before he went over a slope. He grabbed a tree to steady himself and he started to haul Aldren back onto proper ground. They couldn't help.

Felador was stirring on top of me and I could hear Erthor and Edward cursing underneath me. I squirmed, yanking my hand out from under Feladors' back. "Guys!" I huffed, trying to lift my head off Erthors' chest. "I need to get to Eridor!"

Felador started to get up, and I was half standing when he stumbled over Edwards legs and pitched back onto me. He knocked us both away from Erthor and Edward, who I'm pretty sure one of us kicked in the head and we rolled over each other towards Eridor.

I was moving before we even stopped, untangling myself from Felador and lurching unsteadily to my feet. I flitted forward and jumped, hurtling through the air as a blur.

I crouched in the air and hit Eridors' wing on my arms and legs, dislodging it from the tree, right before it snapped, and pushing it forward until it folded into his side. I grabbed onto a spike on his back, hanging on as he started to fall, off balance as one wing was folded and the other wasn't. I had to close the other one.

I let go with one hand and kicked off of Eridors' wing, flying over his back, one hand holding his spike in a death grip. My legs hit Eridors' other wing and I grabbed onto Eridors spike with both hands, using it to hold myself in place as I shoved Eridors wing into his side with my legs.

I lost my grip on Eridors' spike just as his wings closed and started to fall, a cry tearing itself from my mouth. I was a long way off the ground, almost five metres. Eridor felt my panic and whirled with a roar, now steady on the ground, to try and catch me in his jaws, but missed by inches.

I was falling back first and it was too late to try and land on my feet and I closed my eyes for the impact. There was a loud whirring and I fell into the soft cradle of Rivildors' waiting arms. One of his hands was under my head, the other under my shoulders. My head was slightly back, hanging off his strong arm, my hair falling under me in a fountain of dark brown.

I opened my eyes and looked into his own. His expression was strangely soft as he looked at me and his eyes were bright. My breath caught as I looked at his. His eyes softened as they looked at me and I felt myself thinking that I could get lost in those eyes.

"They're here!" Aldrens' shout pierced the air and Rivildor looked away, setting me on my feet, and drawing his sword in a fluid motion as he placed himself in front of me.

I drew my sword, holding it defensively as the others ran to us. We stood in a semicircle under Eridors' head, weapons drawn as the soldiers raced into the clearing. Above us, Eridor threw his head back and roared.

The soldiers skidded to a halt, their shocked, terrified cries filling the air. Then Raine ran into the clearing, disbelief, shock and fear clouding his face when he saw Eridor. Then his eyes flickered to me and back to Eridor and then back to me again and shock filled his expression completely. He knew.

There was no more hiding. They knew. It was time to fight.