Wind Rider

by Teddy Jacobs

  Woltan cursed. “Why didn’t I think of that?” He brought his hand down to the sword and was quiet for a moment.

  Then he looked at everyone. His face was filled with horror. “They are being attacked, as we speak. From outside the gates, but also from the air. There are demons and mages flying in the air. We must fly now, before it’s too late.”

  I bolted down the rest of a corn fritter, and then I was running out the door with everyone else.

  Thorald called out behind us. “Remember, we will follow you on foot, and the tree people will be there too. Fly swift, and let your arrows and blades be true!”

  I ran with Kara and Woltan beside me. I ducked to avoid hitting branches in our path. Kara ran ahead. Follow me. The dragons are harnessed. Our armourers and leather-makers spent all night finishing harnesses for all the dragons… they are made out of hardened leather, and will stretch instead of breaking.

  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?

  And then we saw them. They were spread out among the trees, surrounding the small plain where the invading host had gathered. And they were shooting spells at them, and arrows, and rocks, and all manner of projectiles. There were far too few of them. I wanted to reach out to them, but felt suddenly another presence there. A great red eye. An eye that I knew… Its gaze was not on me but I felt it turn towards us.

  Schluss.

  Ulrike had spoken a word of closure. We were back on dragonback, separate, disconnected once again. I felt the cold wind against my face, and blinked twice. The air burned my eyes. Down below was the forest. We had passed the mountains, and far up ahead the battle loomed.

  I felt Ulrike reach out with her mind. That was your uncle, wasn’t it?

  It was his eye. It is the color of his aura. It burned me once, burned my mind and my soul. For weeks everything was red… and then pink, and now at last I can see clearly. The tree mother in a few short minutes finished the healing process that had taken a month. She changed us both, didn’t she?

  You have been changed so much, Anders, it must be hard to remember who you are. For me it was different. From the day I was born, I was prepared for my transformation in the tree mother. For Kara it was the same. And for Woltan. Only you have had to assume such fantastic responsibilities without preparation. We all respect you for it. If the strain ever seems too much, remember we are all here for you.

  Thank you.

  Now, let us bring our minds to the battle ahead. It will not be pretty, and we must a
ll be focused.

  XV

  I looked down at the forest beneath us. I could feel its pain, could smell its suffering, blowing in the wind across my face. The trees were burning.

  They’ve set fire to the forest again.

  Our people are resilient. They will find a way to survive, and continue their attack.

  I hugged Yesenia around her neck. How much further, my great friend?

  Less than a quarter of one of your human hours, little one. I would limber up my muscles, if I were you. We are going in as soon as we get there. The frujen are fierce opponents. You should prepare yourself with your sword.

  I nodded and brought my hand down to my blade.

  Pull me out. We will do limbering exercises, as I tell you how to combat the frujen. I am glad you finally remembered me.

  Sorry, Carolina.

  I pulled out the sword and felt my arms buzz with energy. High above the ground, the cold wind whipping my face, I began to move the sword through the air in highly structured movements, like some kind of strange sword dance. My muscles relaxed and grew warm, becoming more supple and swift.

  Be one with me.

  I tried to comply. I let my mind meld with my hand, with my arm, with the intelligence in my hand. Carolina became my guide, my second brain. My hand moved faster than I could control it — so I let myself relax further. Only then could I follow all the movements she was having me make. I gripped the sword with two hands, and both my arms were swinging around.

  Anders, you will need everything you have learned with me, everything you have learned in the book of Id and everything you have learned with Woltan to defeat the frujen.

  If need be, remember you can shoot spells out the tip of our sword, or from any part of your body, for that matter. Some wizards have used staffs, or wands, or the tip of their finger, but anything will do, and an object of power, like our blade, is better than most. Any spell coming through the sword is enhanced with my power and the strength of the blade.

  I was starting to feel winded, but my arms felt limber: strong and flexible at the same time. I slowed down the movements until I was moving the sword so slowly that it seemed stationary to my two eyes, and only my inner eye could track the difference.

  I would like to try a spell.

  Carolina’s image popped into view. She nodded at me.

  Don’t do anything that will tire you, though, or draw attention.

  I held out the sword. I concentrated on relaxing my body, on using the word of power with the minimal amount of energy. I concentrated on letting that energy flow out through the sword, together with the word:

  Licht.

  A ball of light formed at the end of the sword. I realized I had not spoken out loud: the word had not been formed with my lips, but inside me, and had left me through the sword.

  I let the ball fade.

  Well done. A spell thus formed does not reveal its secrets to an enemy. Remember that what you learned with the tree mother will come in handy too. Natural living magic is antithesis to the frujen, who have been dead so long that everything living is alien to them. But they pollute everything they touch, including you air and your magic. Try not to let them touch your body. Do not let them touch your mind. If they pollute any of our party, we will have to perform purification rituals… Some of which are lost …

  I felt suddenly something new, and strange. Yesenia, beneath me, reached her mind up and joined with Carolina. We were three as one, now.

  Greetings, pixie. It has been a long time since I have made contact with one of your kind.

  Oh really, who was that?

  An image flashed into my mind of a small pixie, flying around the stone mountain.

  A second cousin, once removed. Nuria. I haven’t seen her in awhile either. And greetings to you, dragon. It has been a long time since I have seen a dragon, and longer still since I have seen a dragon with a rider.

  History is turning, as you know. We pledged a thousand years ago to wait for the time of great changes, in which we would play our part. We dragons keep our promises.

  Are you trying to imply something about the fair folk, dragon?

  There have been some of your kind who have not been the most faithful.

  I am not one of those, dragon.

  Call me Yesenia, pixie.

  And you, fire breather, can call me Carolina, as Anders does.

  You fair folk have too many names.

  Enough banter, Yesenia. We will soon see battle. We must be wary, for Anders’ sake. Most of my brethren have turned their backs on this world, but those who have not prepare for the final battle, when the dark lord will engage himself.

  It is no better amongst us dragons. Most of my kind have forgotten the world just as they have been forgotten by it.

  Yet it is worse among the Fair Folk. Some of the fair folk now form alliances with the dark lord’s demons.

  Try your best to convince more of the necessity of our fight. We have not waited a thousand years to lose this battle, nor to lose the war. We need all the help we can get.

  Yesenia sniffed in front of us. I could smell the smoke, through my nose and through hers.

  We come to battle now. All three of us should keep our minds blended. We can act faster, and our defense will be all the greater. Put up your shields, Anders. And let them be strong.

  I imagined a hard shell around me. The necessary words flowed forth from my blood and my mind together, words I had been born with that were inscribed too in the book of Id. The words flowed from my mind and my blood to my hand, and out my sword, and formed a shimmering barrier around me. It would let nothing in, but allow us to send out spells and dragonfire.

  Around me, the other riders made shields. Dragons were casting spells for the riders who knew no magic. Soon, I thought, all riders will be mages. You dragons have so much to teach us.

  Yesenia spat fire. First we will teach you our art of battle. Prepare to attack! We will sweep by the attackers on the outside on the way to the frujen, then fly inside the wall to confront them there. From there we will send them back to their hell. Riderless.

  Around us I heard sonic blasts and smelled sulphur as the dragons dived as one.

  XVI

  The sky had turned a dark red, the color of dried blood. Foul magic that I did not even want to understand. Something was sucking away all the light and life around us. Something evil and old and rotten from the inside out. Something we could not hope to kill, because it was already dead. My stomach turned, and then something snapped.

  I forgot my disgust for killing. I forgot my love for life. Surging up in my blood came battle lust. I was so entwined with the consciousness of Carolina and Yesenia that I could not tell if these were my thoughts or theirs.

  Into the melee we flew.

  Below us a team of giant trolls were arming a giant hammer to hit the wall. One of the dragons beside me let out a sonic roar and the hammer split asunder, blasting the trolls away on both sides. There were ladders up the wall. I set off a volley of spells. Liessen! Zuruck. Zerbrechen! Several ladders fell down, several flew back, and several broke into bits. One ladder in the middle remained. Yesenia let out a roar of fire and I added a word. Brennen. The ladder and its kobolds burst into flame.

  Up and over the wall, Anders, we need you now! The sky is black with them. We have torches and fires set, but still they freeze us and pollute our city with their taint.

  It was Jona.

  And my parents?

  They are safe for the moment. But you must hurry.

  I could feel the distress of all the people inside the city. There was still life and hope here, but there was fear too. And fear was growing while hope and life were being sucked out. Above us the sky grew steadily darker. What the people needed here, I realized, was new hope.

  WE COME.

  Yesenia sailed up over the wall, and her brothers and sisters flew beside and behind and over her.

  We flew into the darkness.

  I
spoke words of power. Lebensfreude! Licht! Hoffnung! From the edge of my drawn sword light pierced the darkness, like a beacon. Into the death and despair and darkness we rode, Carolina, Yesenia and I, bringing hope and love of life and light again to the forgotten city.

  We were not alone. Beside me in the darkness shone forth Woltan’s blade, and Kara’s sword, and the staff of Arboris was a great beacon in the artificial night. The dragons shone like suns with light that was both magical and natural: natural living light to combat this chemical darkness of death.

  In front of me rose a ghoulish rider on a frujen, undead riding the undead, and he hissed a word through yellow dried and dead lips: Herr. Without a further word I smote him with my sword, and the sword cut through the ghoul like butter, and through the frujen like smoke, and the ghoul fell apart, and the frujen, riderless, vanished.

  Yesenia spat fire at another rider, and it burst into red flames. They do not want to be here, and take their own leave. They fear dragons above all else. Destroy the undead riders and we will be rid of their demon steeds.

  But there were too many of them. The foul dark air, even with our blazing swords and the fire of the dragons, grew colder and colder. I clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering as I swung my sword and spat out from it a word of power. Zuruck!

  A line of green power ran out from my blade and cut through the frujen and their undead riders. I had acted without thinking, trying to send the massing dark forces around me back away from me, but many of them vanished, and the others became faint and indistinct. You’ve sent them back to their plane, Anders!

  But more frujen fell in to fill the patch of light that I had created. We must act together, and send a great patch of them back. Somewhere there is a rift where they are entering, and we must seal it too.

  I felt Woltan and Elias, fleetingly on the edge of my mind. We will find the rift, Anders. You and Kara and Ulrike and the rest must send them back.

  But they were closing in on us from all sides. Don’t let them touch you. I remembered what Yesenia and Carolina had told me, and thought my shield was solid.