Random Act of Fiction: Dragon Riders
I wrote this in my epic fantasy phase, more than fifteen years ago.
Not going to lie, I think dragon riders are pretty much the bomb. I’ve thought about going back to this story more than once.
Please forgive the typos and grammatical chaos. Like I said, it’s been a while since I wrote it.
Dragon Riders
Relgar smiled as he saw the familiar red cliffs of his home rise out of the sea in front of him. His patrol had taken him farther away from the island than usual and he was surprised at how inviting it looked. He reached under a scale with his taloned hands and scratched Elop’s neck.
“Well done my friend.” Relgar said affectionately.
The dragon snorted and playfully swerved back and forth. Relgar laughed, allowing the wind to caress his face and the scents of the sea to fill his senses. “Come!” He cried. “We’ll be home in less than an hour!” A quick spur and the dragon would have been off like a shot but something Relgar’s sharp eyes saw made him hesitate. In the distance he could see one of the Dragon Riders flying over the harbor. Or rather Relgar could see the dragon but it wasn’t moving. He watched for a few seconds to be sure, the feeling that something was wrong growing in his mind.
“Down.” He muttered as he reigned Elop in and maneuvered them just above the waves. The dragon’s chameleon abilities quickly had them blended into the rolling sea. They rode that way for the remaining distance to the island. Relgar kept watching the motionless dragon and it’s rider hoping that whatever was holding them there would loosen it’s grip, but nothing happened.
As they approached the harbor Relgar’s uneasiness increased. He guided Elop to a group of rocks and, trusting the dragon to find them a good hiding spot, began inspecting the harbor. Fresh Dragon Fire marks were all around the harbor and boats that Relgar did not recognize floated half burned. The motionless Dragon Rider was positioned above the entrance to the interior of the island. The dragon looked as if it was just about to let out with a Dragon Fire.
Elop settled in behind a large boulder, his color shifting to the red of the rocks. He raised his head, taking deep breaths, trying to smell what was around them.
“Are they really there?” Relgar asked himself as much as Elop. Elop snorted and swiveled his head towards the cliff wall. Relgar cursed when he saw what Elop was looking at. Another dragon and it’s rider were hanging very close to the wall. The dragon was barely discernible from the wall and the rider was under her own invisibility spell. The only way Relgar could see them was because the dragon was spitting a Dragon Fire aimed for the causeway from the harbor. A flame that was, for lack of a better explanation, frozen in time.
“Chandarna.” Relgar muttered, recognizing his friend’s dragon. “What happened?” Elop shifted uncomfortably and turned his head to look at Relgar, waiting for a decision on what was to be done.
“Hold.” Relgar told the dragon as he leapt down from Elop’s back and onto the rocks, making his way to the edge of the harbor. The surf was breaking on the rocks behind Relgar and the harbor waters were as calm as they ever were. He squat down, warily poking a finger into the water. It was cool as it always was but what Relgar saw next only added to his confusion. There were two large golden fish just a few feet from him. One was swimming around and the other was perfectly still, the roll of the waves having no effect on the creature. Relgar hastily withdrew his hand from the water and stood. His senses told him that whatever had done this was gone but the sight of the two dragons above him left the back of his neck prickling.
Relgar ran back to Elop and jumped onto the dragon’s back. “There is nothing left here but sorcery.” He muttered as they rose off the ground with a pump of Elop’s red wings. He steered Elop as far from the unmoving dragons as he could before they went through the gap in the cliff wall that led to the interior of the island.
Magic practically cracked in the air as they wound their way through the slim canyon. The sheer walls were spotted with cave mouths and in some Relgar could see sentrys and archers standing, as motionless as the dragons behind him. They slowed as they came to the last corner before the Dragon Rider’s keep. Cautiously Relgar maneuvered Elop to where they could see the Keep.
Relgar swore when his eyes found what was left of the Keep. The structure had been huge, guarding the entrance to the meadows of the Great Dragon’s and home to the Dragon Riders for two ages. Now it was little more than rubble. A few of the lower sections still stood, but the rest was now lying in heaps. “How did this happen?” He whispered. A sadness more deep than any he had known move inside of him as he thought of all those who could have been inside; his friends and fellow Riders.
They circled the Keep three times, hoping to see something that was moving, something that was alive, but it seemed a useless gesture. Nothing was there. Relgar was lost in his own thoughts when Elop suddenly pulled up. Relgar’s gaze was drawn to the meadows beyond the Keep. If he had thought the scene outside the cliff walls was eerie it was nothing compared to what was above the Great Dragon meadow.
A dozen or more Dragon Riders and their mounts were hanging in the air. Many were obviously fighting a foe that was no longer there. There was very little organization; it looked as thought the intruders had ended up in all parts of the meadow. Fresh Dragon Fire scorch marks were apparent, as were a few craters where a wizard’s spell had no doubt gone awry.
Relgar urged Elop forward. The dragon was reluctant but moved towards the meadow. Relgar guided Elop lower in order to get a look at what was on the ground. Foot soldiers, mostly orcs and demons were everywhere. Many looked dead, either burned or wounded, but others were still in the act of running or fighting. He estimated at least a thousand orcs and demons and a few larger creatures he had never seen before were scattered throughout the army. There were a handful Dragon Fighter Packs on the ground but it did not look like many had got to the fighting. As Relgar passed over the meadow his shock and feelings of loss shifted to anger. Who could have done this? Why would anyone do this?
The resistance got thicker as they flew north. Relgar spotted two dead wizards in black cloaks and one of their own mages lying on the ground. He was about to turn Elop around for another pass when he heard something. The first unnatural noise since he had seen the motionless dragons over the harbor. The blast of a wizard’s destruction spell was an unmistakable noise and the moment he heard it Relgar knew exactly where it was coming from. “The Nursery!”
