Wind Rider (Return of the Dragons 2)

I reached out my mind to my dragon. Yesenia?

We are here, waiting still, little one. You have had time to stuff your face, I see, but we dragons have been waiting, hungry. We will have to grab a bite to eat on the way. Or eat our enemy, which will only sour our stomachs.

You may have to eat whatever you can. The forgotten city is under attack, by some kind of winged demons…

Winged demons?

I ducked again, as Kara pulled ahead. I was breathing hard.

Ask Woltan, through his dragon. He saw them when he connected to his sister, through their swords.

I felt her break the connection. We were coming to the clearing where we had met in the circle the night before. Kara pointed to it. The dragons are meeting us there, they are on their way…

I could feel them, not just Yesenia, but all of the dragons, lumbering through the trails to the Kriek center. And something strange in them… was it anger? Excitement? The two of them? The dragons didn’t seem to be hiding their emotions; they were radiating them out in all directions.

Yesenia? What’s going on? Why are you all so angry?

It would take too much time to explain, Anders. The dark lord has done something very ugly, very horrible, and forbidden to all who live in this world, human, wizard, faery or beast. We will talk more when we are up in the air. For now I will concentrate on controlling my anger and getting us out of here as soon as possible.

Still roaring with rage she came, the others behind her, onto the clearing. I ran up to her and climbed on her back. There was a saddle and straps. I’ll send you an image. Kara explained it to us. I saw an image of a rider with the straps tied on to his legs and trunk. They can be released easily, if you tie them right. It leaves your arms free to shoot spells or defend us.

Then Kara was there, crouched beside me. Anders, I’ll tie the knots for you. I don’t have time to teach you how to tie them. But to untie them just pull at them. They will loosen immediately.

Kara tied my legs down, and once around my waist.

Now you look like a real rider. Ride well, we will talk more in the air!

She ran off to help the other riders. I felt Yesenia tense beneath me, and then she sprang into the air. I held on tight, but realized that the harness held me in the seat. It was much more comfortable than the last time I flew. I let go and looked down at a second dragon launching into the air. Kara was helping my friends one by one, and some were tying their own harnesses.

The dark lord has somehow conjured the frujen. They are the tortured souls of criminals from over two thousand years ago, who sold their soul to some dark demon whose name has been lost. With the loss of his name, we thought the art of calling them had been lost as well. They are large and stinking creatures that fly through the night or day, suck the souls of those who ride them and of those around them. Their breath is foul and their spittle poison. Even before the name to call them was lost all of the bloodlines signed a pact never to use them. Their very existence is an affront to dragons and all others who fly. It is an affront to all that eat and breathe and drink. To all those that live. To all those that die.

How can we kill them, if they are not alive?

They can’t be killed, only sent back to another plane from which they come. Or if the magic that conjured them, or the conjurer himself is destroyed, then they will disperse and gradually move back.

But for now, let me concentrate on our flight and our rage, Anders. Your last companion is about to take off.

Yesenia was circling high about the ground. I looked around and counted all but one of my companions. I reached my mind out and found Elias down below. I had a little trouble with the harness; I’m a little small for it, but they brought me some more straps. We will fly now, Anders. Tell Yesenia we are ready.

I saw Elias rising up down below us. And before I could think anything to Yesenia, she was off with the others.

The sun had barely risen and I felt cold again in the early morning air. Yesenia rose higher still as we approached the Stone Mountain. We flew through the air faster than ever. Maybe because the dragons were in a rage, or because they didn’t have to worry about harnessed riders falling off.

I reached out my mind to Ulrike. Do you have news of your kinsmen in the battle?

This time her mind was unshielded, and I felt a warmness in her mental touch. A flood of feelings for her washed over me, and then I was listening to her thoughts. I have been too busy in the preparations. I will contact them now; you can stay with me while I contact them.

Thanks, I would also see what the tree-people are seeing.

My vision blended with Ulrike’s. We flowed through the air, ahead of the dragons, out of our bodies. I felt all the trees below us open to us, and I felt my kinship with Ulrike, a kinship only partly from our passage through the tree mother.

Together we flew past the Stone Mountain and onwards toward Ulrike’s kinsmen. We moved so fast now that everything was just a blur.

And then, suddenly, we stopped.

We hovered over a battle scene.

A huge force of trolls were attacking the wall of the forgotten city with great battering rams. Each time they hit the wall, there were lightning strikes from above that lit up the scene. Dark clouds blotted out the sun overhead. Another force of kobolds were trying their luck with ladders, but the ladders were thrown back. Arrows flew out into the enemy from inside the fortress, and human archers in the back of the dark lord’s forces sent arrows back. Most of these just struck the wall, though. Where were the tree people?