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[Elrik Konun]

Epoch went flying back and crashed into the cart across the street. People around him gasped as he cried out in pain, and then attempted to get back to his feet. His entire body was sore from the impact, and the cart was shattered. The owner looked at him with a mix of shock and anger, and Epoch shrugged him off. He had done his good deed today, and he sure as hell couldn't spare any more money to pay for the cart.
He looked down the alley and shook his head. How could he have been such a fool? Entangling himself in this mess. It was ridiculous. He turned away and limped slowly down the street. If he truly wanted to fight the empire, then he had to find the Varden. (Unless you guys can think of anything else for my character to do, I think he should leave. He is waaaaay out of his league right now, and the only things he can really do are pretty stupid, since he is a human without magic.)

[Fadriendel Augcastil]

(( I'd suggest taking your character to Surda and the Varden, and tell them everything you saw. P.S. Sorry for kinda taking over your post. ))

[Gildor]

No matter how many barrels Gildor knocked into the street or how many corners he dodged around, there always seemed to be one more soldier to take the place of the one he just threw off his trail. Honestly. It was as though he'd stolen a dragon egg from Galbatorix himself, the way the soldiers insisted on carrying on. All he had done was run into some bad luck with a Rider, got chased, called him a horse on accident... It was hardly worth all the fuss.

"GET HIM! HE'S AN ELF! HE RUINED AN APPLE STAND, DESTROYED A CARRIAGE, BROKE OUR BEER BARRELS, AND KILLED TWO HORSES AND DRIVERS!"

Oh yeah. That. Well, it was actually Fadreindel who killed the horses and drivers, but false rumors spread so quickly these days. And the beer he'd spilled hadn't smelled like particularly good beer anyway.

Several spills and stumbles later, the Imperal soldiers were still hot on his trail. Even though he managed to outrun most of them, more and more kept appearing as he sprinted past. Just as he was about to go against his better judgement and use some magic to throw his pursuers off, a thunderous sound hit Gildor's ears from above.

Thud.

He haulted so abruptly, the guards chasing him nearly flew past him.

Thud.

The presence of something very large and powerful suddenly entered his awareness.

Thud.

The color drained from his face.

Thud.

"Oh bugger."

[Elrik Konun]

Epoch ran as fast as his injured leg would carry him. He got to the stable where his horse was and mounted it, "Run Windhoof!" he shouted, and the horse took off down the road. He saw the commotion in the distance.


"GET HIM! HE'S AN ELF! HE RUINED AN APPLE STAND, DESTROYED A CARRIAGE, BROKE OUR BEER BARRELS, AND KILLED TWO HORSES AND DRIVERS!"

Epoch heard a man shout, as his horse leaped over several fallen barrels. He was just pulling up beside Gildor when he heard the THUD.
Gildor halted and Epoch's horse nearly toppled over in an attempt to skid to a stop. He looked to Gildor in confusion. THUD. He looked around searching for the source of the noise. THUD Gildor looked horrified, and he knew something terrible was about to happen. "Hop on!" he called, and reached out with his hand.

[Fadriendel Augcastil]

Kael soared over the city of Tierm, his pearly scales catching the sunlight and sending a kaleidoscope of colors over the buildings and people. The citizens stopped their tasks and watched as Kael soared over them. One of Kael's swirly copper eyes swiveled in his head as he looked at a blindman and Epoch exchange below him. He recorded the refusal to flee on horseback and continued.

Ietoro watched impassively as Kael'thas soared over his head. He faced the same direction as the dragon made a wide turn as flew at Ietoro's back at an incredible speed. Ietoro leapt into the air, seemingly too early, but as Kael gave a burst of speed, Ietoro landed easily on his back.

Kael flew almost directly behind the fast fleeing elf. Ietoro scowled when the blind elf's speed nearly doubled as he reached the main street and broke for the gate. The gate was closing, but the elf's speed and magical capabilities made it almost guaranteed that he would escape anyway.

I need to incapacitate him.

"Be careful. Your magic tends to be too destructive at times.

Ietoro raised his left hand, and a white light shone from it. A crackling could be heard as beams of energy was pulled from the very air around it. A second later, there was a flash, and bolt of yellow lightning erupted from Ietoro's hand and flew at the elf, Gildor. At that moment, Gildor veered left slightly, whether on purpose or not was unknown, and the bolt of lightning whizzed past him and struck the gate, just as it closed.

A explosion filled the air as a man-sized hole was punched into the gate. Ietoro watched in horror as Gildor ran stright through it, to the fields...and perhaps freedom.

"Hold on." Kael said.

What? What are you plan-

Ietoro had a second to grab onto the saddle before Kael changed direction and flew straight up into the air. The wind whipped Ietoro's robes as Kael's speed increased. There was another sudden change as he turned into a diagonal nosedive. Ietoro could the dust fly as Gildor grew closer to the forest. Kael shot past him, and landed with incredible force on the ground just before the forest. He let out a mighty roar as he turned to face the elf, who was forced to stop.

Ietoro rose from his seat and climbed over the front of the saddle on Kael's neck. Kael lowered his head as Ietoro reached the end of his neck and leapt onto the ground. The shining sword, Camthalion was drawn and held up into the air. Kael drew back his head and released a jet of flame. It split at the sword's blade and circled around Ietoro and Gildor, blocking any escape.

"You are caught. Surrender, or you will be destroyed." Ietoro said.

[Elrik Konun]

Epoch leaped off of his horse and bolted through the gate after Gildor. The elf was already well ahead of him and gaining. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, and then watched in horror as the dragon cut Gildor off. He ducked into the bushes and looked on as Ietoro and the dragon surrounded Gildor. Not only was this tax collector an elf, but a rider! There was so much going on and he couldn't begin to understand it. All he knew, was that he could not let this elf be captured by the empire. Although he failed to see a way in which he could stop it. Instead he simply looked on, and listened intently, for any chance he might get to come to the rescue. He muttered a spell that his parents had taught him when he was very young. "Skolir un ged," shield my mind. He felt winded for a moment, having not used magic in a long while, but after a moment he was okay.

[Gildor]

"Hop on!"

Gildor snapped out of his fearful trance the moment Epoch's now familiar voice shouted down at him. From the clatter of hooves against the ground, he was clearly riding a horse, and apparently wished for Gildor to join him on horseback... As if that was going to help.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Gildor asked awkwardly, wondering how the boy managed to survive that destructive blast from Oro, let alone jump on his horse and ride to the rescue. He stopped wondering only a second later though, for the guards ahead began shouting orders to close the city gates. Another thunderous thud hit his ears from above.

"Um, thanks but no thanks, lad. Now do yourself a favor and don't follow me."

With that, he took off down the road once again, this time running faster than ever before. After tripping three soldiers in a row with the tip of his staff, he bolted around a sharp turn and headed straight for the exit ahead. The citizens brave enough to still linger in the main street yelped and screamed as he sprinted along, sometimes scraping past them by only a centimeter or less. The gates were so close in front of him, he could hear the massive creaking hinges as they were quickly being hauled shut... and Oro and his dragon were so close behind him, he swore he could feel the dragon's hot breath. Actually no, it wasn't breath, it was something else rapidly heading towards his back. It was... in fact, it was exactly what he needed now that his escape route was just about cut off.

Gildor angled his stride slightly to the left, and his head just barely missed the blast of magical energy that went skimming past only a second later. It struck the gate in front of him, causing a small but frightening explosion that sent sharp shards of wood and hot, twisted metal flying in every direction. If Gildor hadn't shouted "Skölir!" the moment he dove through the small new hole in the gate, he surely would have been killed by the debris. Had he not been coughing on the dust he accidentally inhaled, he would have called a haughty thanks to Fadriendel for that.

The forest was now straight ahead, and all he had to do was outrun a dragon and Rider to reach it's leafy refuge. It wouldn't be complete protection, but it was better than being out in the open as he currently was, and the plan sounded simple enough.

The pounding of the dragon's wings were so loud and close now that... no wait, scratch that, it was oddly quiet. Something was wrong. The dragon wasn't directly behind him anymore, and he didn't hear any wings thudding nearby. Worried, Gildor added an ounce of magic into his stride and burst into a sprint so fast he left a thick cloud of dust trailing behind him in the air. Just as he felt the presence of thick trees drawing nearer, a gust of wind nearly knocked him down. The presence Oro's dragon suddenly reappeared as he went sailing overhead, sharply angled downward in a nosedive. With some difficulty, Gildor planted his staff in the ground and skidded to a clumsy halt in front of the dragon, who greeted him with a loud landing and a deafening roar.

"Eheh. Well met, Skulblaka," He said in uncertain response with a nervous half-smile. Before he even had a chance to try and run in another direction, he noticed the ground encircling them had suddenly become very, very hot.

"You are caught. Surrender, or you will be destroyed."

Gildor gripped his staff tightly in his right hand and bit his lip. There still had to be a way for him to negotiate his way out of this, certainly there was... really... possibly... maybe... or maybe not. Even if he chose to run again, he was going to be captured and apparently killed. While there wasn't much left he could do about the capturing part, he could at least brag his way out of immediate execution.

"Let us examine that claim for a moment, shall we, Shur'tugal?" He said quickly, holding up a delicate left index finger. He suddenly appeared much calmer than before. "Firstly, I haven't been entirely caught yet, since I can still see several ways of escaping from here, and..." He paused a moment, clearly stalling for time. "Well, I don't actually see several ways of escaping, I... Oh, you know. Anyway, like I said, I haven't been entirely caught."

"Secondly, I doubt you'll be doing any sort destroying even if I don't surrender, because you and I both know ol' Galby would throw a fit. I mean, honestly, mate..." Throwing all caution into the wind, he chanced a light chuckle before continuing...

"The person who destroys the infamous spy who skillfully managed to slip past Urû'baen's tight security, and is accredited for warning the Varden of the Empire's mobilization to Surda... That person would be in a lot of trouble with his Royal Craziness, don't you agree?"

He knew that as a spy he appeared to be a wealth of information to the Epmire. Even the lowest and most uneducated footsoldier wouldn't be stupid enough to kill him if he confessed his position... and he knew how to use this to his advantage.


((You might want to read the last short paragraph of Gildor's profile to confirm everything he just said. It's a brief history of his work as a Varden spy))

[Vaan Axnyr]

"Well, Gildor, it appears you've gotten yourself in a bit of trouble. Funny, I would've thought better of the so-called greatest spy of the Varden."

The infamous voice of the Raven called down to the battlefield below, and if you looked up you would find him swooping down overhead to grab Gildor by the scruff of his top and fly away just as fast. Knowing that the Elf Rider would attempt pursuit, Van preformed a rather interesting balancing act of holding Gildor in one hand and raining down various destructive spells with the remaining hand, marked by the Gedwey Ignasia.

"So, mind telling me how you got yourself into that mess?"

A moment of pause, and then the Raven resumed firing all manner of destructive magic in the general direction of Ietoro and mount. He didn't really care if he hit or not, as long as it kept the annoying Imperial Rider from immediate pursuit.

[Fadriendel Augcastil]

"Let us examine that claim for a moment, shall we, Shur'tugal Firstly, I haven't been entirely caught yet, since I can still see several ways of escaping from here, and... Well, I don't actually see several ways of escaping, I... Oh, you know. Anyway, like I said, I haven't been entirely caught."

Ietoro listened quietly, lowering his sword as the circle of fire crackled around them. Gildor continued his rant, his sightless eyes wandering.

"Secondly, I doubt you'll be doing any sort destroying even if I don't surrender, because you and I both know ol' Galby would throw a fit. I mean, honestly, mate..."

Ietoro spoke up. "Daddy will forgive me." He drawled.

Gildor blundered on.

"The person who destroys the infamous spy who skillfully managed to slip past Urû'baen's tight security, and is accredited for warning the Varden of the Empire's mobilization to Surda... That person would be in a lot of trouble with his Royal Craziness, don't you agree?"

Ietoro's eyes narrowed.

"...Perhaps. So I suppose that means you'll be giving up without much of a struggle. That way, neither of us is punished. Am I cor--"

"Well, Gildor, it appears you've gotten yourself in a bit of trouble. Funny, I would've thought better of the so-called greatest spy of the Varden."

Ietoro was cut short as a young Dragon with a Human Rider swooped down and rescued Gildor, then began to fly away. They were obviously going breakneck speed, but it seemed to be an quick jog, compared to Kael.

"Is this a jest? I want to go home!" Ietoro cried as his captive was rescued for the billionth time.

He trudged over to Kael, who watched him sympathetically, and leapt onto his back. Kael crouched and took off into the air, flying fast after the Dragon and his Rider. In under a minute he caught to them, and Oro had regained his drive. A familiar crackling could be heard he charged up another, stronger attack. There was a shrieking sound as a larger bolt of white lightning shot at an amazing speed at the dragon's back. At the same moment, Kael unleashed a jet of flame.

[Gildor]

Gildor's ears prickled at the sound of leathery wings flapping overhead. Not more dragons; he could handle anything but that right now. Well, anything except for escaping.

"Well, Gildor, it appears you've gotten yourself in a bit of trouble. Funny, I would've thought better of the so-called greatest spy of the Varden."

Raven. That ungrateful, completely anti-social new Varden Rider. They had been briefly introduced to each other while he was making a quick supply stop in Surda only a little less than a month ago. Gildor never forgot a voice. And never mind the miraculous rescue opportunity that suddenly revealed itself with Raven's arrival; he had only one thought running through his mind: "What in the...? What on earth are you doing he-AAAAAAHHHHH!! "

Honestly, what was it with people picking him up by the collar of his cloak today?

"Raven! Put me the bloody blazes back down! Now!"

He hated being separated from the ground. Whenever he was, he lost all physical feeling of his surroundings, and even though his mental connection was still sharp, it always made him feel so frighteningly vulnerable. Not to mention he was being choked by his own collar for the second time today, and the position was highly uncomfortable.

"So, mind telling me how you got yourself into that mess?"

"Does now seem like the very best time to be askin' questions?!" He shouted back irritably, not liking his demand being ignored one bit. "If you're not going to put me down then at least-!"

Gildor suddenly stopped as a familiar crackling sound reached his ears, followed by the awful shriek and hiss of oncoming dragon fire. Although he couldn't tell the exact direction the blasts were coming from, he acted quickly. Extending his free hand, he shouted, "Skölir nosu fra brinsingr!"

There was a small explosion as magic crashed on magic in midair. It was a sloppy spell, for he had almost missed, but Raven, his mount, and their captive elf emerged from the cloud of smoke unscathed. Suddenly feeling a bit drained, Gildor quickly reabsorbed the energy he just spent from one of the reserves he kept in his four sapphire earrings.

"Now, Rider, if you would please be so kind as to HELP ME THE BLOODY WELL UP THERE! Before psycho-Oro does something like that again!

[Vaan Axnyr]

"So you're fast. Alright, but speed isn't everything..." Lose them.

You're joking, right? I can't outrun that!

Any further objection from the Raven's mount was halted with an intense glare. Van threw Gildor onto the back of the saddle, strapping him in while at the same time removing himself from the saddle. His mount's eyes widened when Raven finished and he jumped.

What are you...!?

Get Gildor out of here.

Turning to face Kael, his body began to glow with a dark green aura of magical power. This only lasted a moment before the light began to condense in two places: his legs (in what he hoped would let him survive an impact with the ground in case this didn't work) and his left palm, which was marked with the Shining Palm.

"So. Since I'm going down, the best I can do is take another Rider off the board with me!"

This was punctuated by a massive blast of magic that diffused around Kael, slicing the straps on the elvish rider's saddle. And then, as Raven fell in front of the white dragon, he shot forward in an attempt to punch Ietoro off of his mount, thusly taking both of them into a spiral downwards, and keeping Kael from giving support in the form of fire.

[Elrik Konun]

Epoch gazed in amazement as the two dragons flew off into the distance. It was incredible enough to see an elf, then two elves? Now two dragons?! He didn't know if the second rider was an elf or not, but he frankly didn't care. He suddenly realized how far away they were getting, and after cursing himself for the stupid deed he was about to do, he whistled for his horse, who came running out. He leaped onto Windhoof as she barreled towards him, and they shot after the dragons, who were now a speck in the distance. As he looked up at them, he saw flashes of light, and a figure, maybe two, fall. He gazed on in awe, and was further assured that he should leave and find safety. So of course he rode on towards the dragons.

[Fadriendel Augcastil]

((Ietoro was never strapped in, he elected not to. So i'll just make a few adjustments for similar results. ))

Ietoro's bolt of light energy screeched past the dragon and his two passengers, just barely missing its target. He heard Gildor's voice ring out; Kael's blast of flame was cut off. Gildor was pulled up onto the dragon as Ietoro drew back his mighty arm again. He lowered it as he watched the Rider take off his strappings and turn towards him... then jump off.

Kael dipped slightly as Raven's body glowed.

"No, Kael! The elf is our -- Skölir!"

Ietoro waved his hand as a blast of impressive magic flew at him. There was a devestating sound, like a cannon being fired, and a blinding flash of light. Ietoro looked around; Raven was nowhere to be seen, then suddenly, a fist flew from nowhere at his face. His reflexes activated and he grabbed the hand a milimeter from his nose. He was unseated at the body the hand was connected to flew past him. He released him, but too late. He flew from Kael's back and began to fall. He saw Raven falling just below him; his legs glowing green.

Ietoro opened his arm and legs; the wind was caught in his robes and he slowed slightly. As he reached the ground, a single word was spoken, and he stopped for a moment in midair, then landed on all fours, his back to Raven. He raised himself up to his full height in a matter of seconds. He turned slowly, drawing the shining golden sword, Camthalion. When he was turned completely, he drew in a great breath, and let out an incredible, multi-toned roar.

Kael. I shall deal with this one. Bring me my elf. Kill the dragon. He thought to his partner. Then the connection was closed.

Kael nodded to himself at Ietoro's instruction. He veered to the left and moved alongside the other dragon. He unleashed a second torrent of fire at his face.

[Vaan Axnyr]

Raven watched Ietoro draw his impressive sparkling sword...

And he laughed.

"Ha! You think you're going to scare me with a glorified golden bar covered in glitter? Think again, punk."

The dark green glow returned to Raven's arms, only this time, it wasn't leaving. Rather, it was beginning to condense around him in the form of his namesake claw weapons. Raven smiled ruefully.

"Afla: Verk'ur, Enda."

The spell was evidently a summoning of some sort, as the green aura suddenly blasted out from Raven's hands, and then it was gone. In its place were two of Raven's four namesake claws, a bloody red one (Verk'ur) on his left hand and a blue-tinted off-white claw (Enda) on his off-hand. Not bothering to wait for Rien to make the first move, the Raven darted straight at his opponent.

((Note: Three of Raven's four claws, namely: Verk'ur (Pain), Enda (Ceasing), and Rei'oi (Anger) are coated with poisons. The poisons on Verk'ur cause the victim to feel as though in unbearable pain, and the poisons on Enda cause all nerves nearby the wound to freeze up and stop working. I'll reveal what Rei'oi does at a later date.

[Gildor]

"Finally," Gildor grumbled bitterly after Raven helped him up on the saddle at last... or rather, heaved him up, shoved him into it, and strapped him in place. It was small, the leather felt thin, and there was barely anything to hold onto, (he had to settle for gripping one of the dragon's small neck spikes to keep his balance). And there was another problem; there clearly wasn't enough room for two to sit in it.

However, this problem quickly vanished after Raven flung himself off.

"IDIOT!!" Gildor shouted after him. "You rash, bumbling numbskull! If you die, your dragon dies with you, dumbbell! And then I fall and die too!"

His only response was the sound of another explosion, this one louder and more lethal sounding than the last.

"Um... I uh... I s-say you respect his final wishes," he said quickly and nervously to the dragon, hoping Raven's final wishes were not to go after him. "He was a good lad, and I'm sure he'll be missed. Now, if you could possibly make it to a safe haven before you die because of his rash decision, I would be most grate-..." He suddenly paused mid-sentence and narrowed his pale eyes as though listening to something intently.

"What... What is that sou-AAAAHHH!!"

Gildor screamed and gripped the nameless dragon's neck tightly as he quickly veered to the right. He only heard the hiss of oncoming dragon fire for less than a second that time, and had no chance to block it. At least the little dragon could dodge quickly... Though that may not get them very far for very long.

[Elrik Konun]

Epoch galloped through the forest, and saw a green glow in the distance. He calmed his horse, and dismounted. He crept foreward and saw Ietoro as well as the other rider. 'Not another elf,' he thought to himself. 'A rider all the same though, but does he stand a chance?' He gripped his sword tightly, knowing that joining this fight would almost certainly result in his death, but he was prepared to jump in if things took a turn for the worst. At the least he could provide a distraction. He heard a dragon's roar from above and a chill of fear went down his spine. He had only wanted to visit for a few days. It appeared that his Return Home had now become the most important changing point in his life.

[Fadriendel Augcastil]

"Ha! You think you're going to scare me with a glorified golden bar covered in glitter? Think again, punk."

Ietoro smiled, and took a step forward. This battle needed to end fast, he had no time to lose. He raised his free hand before him and began to focus the energy it would take to wipe the area immediately surrounding Raven....but then stopped as two claws appeared on his hands in a flash of green light.

"Afla: Verk'ur, Enda."

Ietoro resumed his gathering of energy from his body, but was paused again as Raven charged at him at an impressive speed. The magic was cut off immediately. Raven slashed at his arm, but hit only air. Fadriendel had leapt into the air and landed behind him. Raven turned as slashed again, Fadriendel blocked the attacke easily as he leapt back into the air. He turned as he soared over Raven's head, blocked another slash and landed. He crouched as his feet touched the ground and spun in a quick circle, his sword slashing at Raven's legs.

Raven jumped over the attack and made an aerial slash at Fadriendel's face as he stood up. Fadriendel managed to roll under it. Raven landed as Fadriendel raised himself from the groudn and turned to face Raven. He drew back his sword as and threw Camthalion at Raven, it soared through the air at an incredible speed, and Raven only barely dodged it. Raven took this opportunity to rush Fadriendel, and slashed horizontally at his face. His attack was paused as Ietoro caught his arm in mid-air. He swung his other arm in desperation, but it was caught, as well.

Ietoro gazed at Raven for a moment, his electric blue eyes crackling with fury. Raven gazed back at them, his face expressionless as he expected the worst. Fadriendel drew back his head and struck Raven's forehead with his own, causing him a great deal of pain, and disorientation. Ietoro let out a harsh cackle as he let Raven fall onto his back.

He raised his right hand and the sword, Camthalion, flew into it. He grasped it with both hands and raised it into the air, ready to send the sword's tip into raven's chest. Just as he was about to deliver the death blow, something stopped him. He looked up into the sky...

[Vaan Axnyr]

Well, what happened next could be pretty much summed up in two words: Cheap. Shot.

To be more specific, Raven's as of yet nameless dragon dive-bombed into the clearing at just the right angle to grab his Rider and fly off again. But this was not all that happened, as the dragon took care to slap Ietoro away with its tail during his rather interesting exit strategy.

Once Dragon, Rider, and Blind Elf were back in the sky, the dragon tried to talk to Raven again.

That was insane, Vaan! Why would you even THINK about doing that? You scared me!

Raven did not seem the least bit affected by this revelation as he was gently placed back on the saddle by his dragon, behind Gildor.

You were supposed to get Gildor out of here.

The dragon gave a dragon's equivalent of a dropping jaw.

But Vaan... Even if you wanted me to, I couldn't just let you die like that...

Of course, as usual, the only response the dragon got was a glare from his Rider.

[Elrik Konun]

Epoch gaped as the rescue was commenced, and did not wait for the empire rider to recover before he ran off. He knew that there was nothing he could do to help, and that there was no sense in getting himself killed. He whistled for his horse and leaped onto her as she galloped over. He did not turn back to Terim however, and instead rode on continually in the direction of Surda. He had to find the Varden. His days of standing on the sidelines were over. (bye guys)

[Gildor]

If Gildor thought for a second that the worst of the flying was over, he was horribly, horribly mistaken.

"I'm havin' a thought here, skulblaka," he said slowly once regaining his balance in the saddle. "It's just a suggestion, but what's say you warn me the next time you're going to pull a stunt like that, eh? Because I don't very much appreciate being surpri-IIIIAAAAAAAAHHHH!!"

The next thing he knew, there was so much wind rushing past his ears that he couldn't even hear himself scream. All color drained from his face as the gut-wrenching sensation of falling numbed his entire body. His mind raced faster than the dragon below him as they sped for the ground; blurring, running, dancing. A million worthless plots and plans threatened to tear the small remainder of his sanity to shreds as he insticntively searched for a way to save himself. Hopeless schemes and dreams of escaping the fate he was convinced awaited him blared between his ears as they fell faster, faster, faster...

There was a swooping sensation as they suddenly leveled with the ground, a whacking sound to his right as the small dragon's tail collided with something, and a more weighted feeling about them as they took off into the sky again. The nameless dragon had done what Gildor feared he would do; he went back to save his Rider, and scared him half to death in the process.

As Raven climbed back into the saddle behind him, Gildor wasn't sure whether he should feel relieved about him being back alive or outright furious with him for being put through this flying torture in the first place. He was sure about one feeling though; he felt sick to his stomach.

"I hate Riders," he muttered bitterly to himself, and then clamped a tight hand over his mouth to keep himself from hurling.