Day 15 
Late Evening
Kaymann

The fighting came quick. He had been dragonborne all night it seemed, but something wasn't right about it. 

Of course, Kaymann recognized the Dark Riders immediately. How could he not? He was one of the founding Lieutenants. He had thought that being strong meant riding with strong dragons. He thought the warren dragons were weak.

But since then, he'd seen the people of Norwall in battle. And he learned two important lessons; first, that there is nothing stronger in the dragonlands than a man and his dragon protecting their home, and second, that he liked having a home to protect.

When Ka'Laren and his unknown associates attacked, Kaymann had been assigned to the main flight and had been out on a patrol flight. He somehow during all the fighting, ended up alongside of his friend, Mentorn.

Mentorn was commanding several of the new riders who were a little shaken by the attack and their first taste of combat. 

<Brazen's rider has orders from Coo's Rider, Kaymann.> Nightmare said in his usually calm voice.

<<What is it?>> Casting his view quickly to the inert volcano below.

[snip]

Breezy hurriedly gave Mentorn orders to take group 3 to the rim and support the
watch dragons. Pulling the group together, Mentorn had Raven communicate the
orders and they all flew swiftly to the rim.

[end snip]

"Mentorn!" Kaymann yelled quickly crossing to the other rider, who sat astride the shoulders of his proud dragon. "What's going on?"

"No time, my friend!" Mentorn pointed to the armed rabble quickly approaching.

Kaymann spun about as Mentorn gave the orders to dismount. The first of the armed men was nearly upon them and he quickly loosed the broadsword strapped across his back.

He swung his sword in a wide over head arc, a cry of battle fury screaming from his lips. His blade met the other man's with such force that sparks erupted in a chaotic blossom from the tempered metal. Kaymann continued to let the feral scream rage from the depths of his soul and forced the man neatly off the precipice edge.

Having no time to reflect on the ferocity of his blow, Kaymann moved in behind and to the left of Mentorn as the attackers continued on.

***

Ka'Laren 
Above Lake Soulsease

Nostragus exploded into the night sky, a whiff of sulphur on the air.

In his claw, he gently clung to the boot of his rider and master, Ka'Laren.

Unable to slow his descent from the incredible dive he had just moments before been in, Nostragus crashed through the perfectly calm surface of Lake Soulsease.

The violent churning of the centre of impact subsided and for a moment, the surface returned to a perfect mirror of the full moon in the purple night sky.

And then Ka'Laren's head slowly emerged from the water. Concentric circles formed about his head like a hideous crown and ebbed away to the shores. Slowly, his shoulders and torso rose from the lake, followed by the ridged horns on the back of Nostragus the Black's skull.

When the wings of the massive black and grey dragon spread open they shot little ringlets of water through the air. He flapped them once, clearing the excess water, then again, propelling his massive form into the air.

<<Nostragus, do we have our prize?>> Ka'Laren demanded, quickly regaining his own composure and letting his insane fury reside.

<Yes-s-s, we have the Queen!>

<<Then sound the retreat and leave Brona's men to K'tarr's fury. I do not envy the man. K'tarr will be thorough with his revenge. I can count on my brother for that.>> He laughed inside the dragon's head. <<In that, we are truly like brothers.>>

***
Day 15 - Midnight
Selena
Within the Central Green

The battle on the ground had gone as well as could be expected.

Selena wiped her hand along her brow. Her sleeve was black with dirt, smoke and blood. She had been lucky. The attack had been clumsy and weak. Had her attacker had a better swing... no sense in thinking like that.

The Home Guard had fought well. Despite Trell's "problems" he had done an excellent job whipping them into a more than competent fighting force. Those who survived the battle would be seasoned veterans and strong fighters.

Sheer numbers had forced the retreat of the Home Guard to further up the tunnel. They reset the hunter K'tarr's traps from previous encounters and barricaded the main gates. They waited now for the continuing advance of soldiers to make their way up the treacherous passage.

She had sent half the men up to the terrace to help the dragonriders defend the ridge, but she decided to stay at the entrance herself. She knew that the enemy would make a major push.

"We've been fighting for hours. How many more of them are there?" A younger soldier had come up beside her. He adjusted the straps on the armour that protected his left arm.

"Oh don't worry, we'll kill them all." Selena smirked, the younger man laughed, some of the tension ebbing from his weary voice.

She put her hand on his armoured shoulder. "You're all doing a fine job."

The sounds of the first of K'tarr's traps went off, followed by a gurgling scream.

Selena whipped her long sword out. "What's your name?"

"What?" The younger soldier drew his own pair of small battle axes.

"Your name? What is it? Am I speaking a foreign tongue?"

The man smiled again. "Nathaniel, ma'am."

"Well, Nathaniel, the first round of ale at the Dining Hall is on me. And I expect you to be there, understood?" 

The other soldiers gathered up around the statuesque woman, waiting on Nathaniel's response.

"Yes, ma'am."

"And that goes for the rest of you dogs! Anyone who isn't there tonight, buys the second round!"

The men laughed. The next few traps continued to fire off in the tunnel below.

"Give 'em hell, boys!"

***

K'tarr dispatched the young rogue before him and Qualis swooped in beside the equally large Vladiggor.

"Good to have you back!" K'Tarr bellowed. Landon waved in response.

<Has Vlad's rider seen Kalena or Donjanth?>

A pause as the dragons silently communicated. <<No... but they did find...>>

<What, Qualis? What did they find?>

With a sigh, the big red continued. <<Signs of a struggle, A drugged dart with dragon's blood on it, some of Kalena's clothing. stained with blood. I'm sorry K'Tarr.>>

The hunter went numb for a moment, but his responsibility to the warren kept him from showing his dismay.

<<A message from Coo's rider. She wants us to come to the warren.>>

<Now? The battle is too heavy -> But K'tarr had to bite back his words, a large portion of the attacking wing were blinking out of sight. The remaining riders, those that wore the crest emblazoned with the unmistakable B, seemed as perplexed by the sudden retreat as well.

Landon and Vladiggor wheeled downwards to the open green of the warren. Qualis followed quickly behind.

***
Outside of the warren
Silk and Lace

[Snip - Just a note, Lace doesn't communicate well! She tends to keep her sentences short and straight to the point.]

"Not usually this long," replied Lace. "But I did give her a big dose.
And maybe she's sort of sensitive to that kind of thing."

"Well, if she carries on for much longer," said Silk, rapidly losing
patience with the warrenlady. "I'll *help* you shut her up, and damn
the consequences..."

[end snip]

"Relax. It'll be over soon."

Silk sat down and pouted beside the young queenrider with the sack on her head. Jeneve took that moment to sing a favourite song from her childhood.

"Oh shut up." Silk huffed and settled her jaw down on her fist.

"Don't pout." Lace rubbed her shoulders brusquely. Then stood and threw Cyrus' inert body over her shoulder. With her free hand she grabbed the rope that bound the willowy blonds hands together. She yanked Jeneve to her feet.

She took a few steps leading their captive, then stopped and half turned. Silk remained seated. 

"Come."

***

Antwin
Early morning (before sunrise)
Day 16

From where the Dove and the Angel perched, they could see the entire exchange between the two women. Their unexpected burden of the unconscious Cyrus had slowed their progress and they hadn't planned for the fact that they had two of the most dangerous and notorious killers in the dragonlands on their tail.

Antwin gripped and regripped the hilt of his killing sword. The muscles in his hand twitching with the desire to shed blood. This betrayal could not be allowed to go unanswered for. He had loved the woman named Silk in another life, she had been his reason for 'retiring' ultimately and the reason he nearly lost his life an uncountable number of times.

And now she threatened to undo his life here at Norwall. His thoughts unexpectedly drifted to Talli. To the life he had always wanted. He dismissed the images behind his eyes quickly. The Dove was on the hunt. He had to remain focused now, or it would cost him, and perhaps Jeneve, their lives.

They followed the kidnappers to the face of the mountain ridges. Silk moved along the face of the rock, her hands gliding gently over the surface. Then, she disappeared.

"Ingenious. I almost didn't see it. Whoever crafted that entrance was a true master." Sabian volunteered quietly. "I'll expect that the cave is filled with an intricate set of passages. The area was once abundant with ancient tribes, you know."

The Dove turned and sneered at him. "If you're finished, we'd better catch up before we lose them."

[Tag Ben]

***
Kaymann
Day 16 - Early morning
Along the ridge

The broad sword was a heavy weapon. A good one, but Kaymann's arms were getting tired. He slammed the wide blade through another man's midsection, sending his entrails spiralling down into the marketplace below.

For a moment, the fighting paused. Kaymann let the blade's tip rest along the ground and he rested his elbows on his knees to steady himself. He panted for a moment, looking around quickly, and unfortunately realizing why the fighting was slowing.

The armed assailants were making their way into the landbourne's living quarters.

"Crap." Kaymann lifted up his sword and ran along the ridge towards the ramps down to the living area.

His pulse pounded in his ears as his boots crunched along the rocky ridge. With a shout, Kaymann leapt off the edge, hurling his body down at the advancing mercenaries. His unexpected manoeuvre caught the men off guard. Two men lost their balance, falling off the ramp and crashing through the tent roofs. The third man fell backwards, with Kaymann on top of him.

The ex-rogues sword went bouncing along the ramp as the two men crashed to the rocky floor. The sword skipped once and then sailed freely over the edge into the tents.

Kaymann was back on his feet almost instantly as the winded soldier staggered back to his feet. 

"Oh, crap. Again." Kaymann said as the other man laughed at his unarmed opponent.

Kaymann slipped a hand inside his jacket, loosing a throwing spike from it's hidden sheath. He hurled it at the unready man where it sank into a gap between his armour. The man stopped laughing and fell back dead.

Kaymann held his arms out at the ready and circled around quickly, ready for his next attacker. His jacket tails swirled out around him.

"Oh, how awesome was that?!" He crowed. "Got you all! Crap. Where's Cat when you need her, that was so cool!"

Shrieks in the distance, caught his attention and Kaymann ran after the voices.

Two men were moving in on a terrified little child.

One dangled an evil hook at the end of a chain, menacing the little girl as he advanced on her. The other ran his thumb along the razor sharp edge of his dirk.

Kaymann ran up behind. "Oh come on, that's just bullying you bastards."

The soldiers stopped, startled by the sudden appearance of the dragon rider. They exchanged a nervous glance.

"You want to make it easy for me and just surrender now?" Kaymann suggested with a smile.

"You ain't got no weapons!" The first man with the hook snarled.

"Get him!" The other shouted and advanced.

Kaymann stepped back with his left foot and pulled his shoulder back hard as the man's lunging attack sliced through his leather jacket, through the fabric of his shirt and biting into his skin. His red blood splattered across his shirt. Kaymann drew his breath in sharply across his teeth in pain.

His right hand formed a firm fist and swung up into the back of the man's elbow. The joint gave a sickening crunch and the man staggered back with a whelp. He switched his blade to his uninjured arm just as the man with the hook stepped up. He began to swing the hook around in circles, making it whistle as he circled about Kaymann.

"Y'know, since I came here, I decided to try something new." Kaymann began. In response the man swung the hook towards the rider. It zipped through the air missing by inches only, then flying back into the swinging circle.

"Yeah, y'see, I figured a sword is a proper weapon for a dragon rider," Kaymann continued. "But y'know what?"

The hook flew out striking the ground where Kaymann had been standing moments before.The knife wielder advanced immediately after, his blade whistling through the air inches from Kaymann's face. The dark haired rider pulled his head and torso out of the harmful path of the knife as it zigged and zagged before his face.

Kaymann dropped down into a crouch and planted his hands on the ground. He swept his foot out knocking the knife man off his own feet and crashing to the ground. Kaymann quickly regained his footing and backflipped out of the way of another deadly hook attack.

He landed neatly and slowly stood up. "The fact of the matter is that I gotta' stick with the weapons I know!"

Kaymann's empty right hand stretched out and activated the secret holster in his sleeve. The ornate blade of the Dagger of Fire flew into his waiting palm. From within the right inside pocket, he loosened three throwing shivs. He stomped his right boot heel down and popped out the curved blade hidden in his boot.

"Let's dance boys."

All three men snapped into action; the hook flew out and found it's mark wrapped around the intricate knife. Kaymann threw a shiv at the knife man who deflected the attack with the flat of his blade.

Knife man lunged out and Kaymann jerked the chain attached to the hook back throwing the man's balance off. Kaymann quickly took the slack chain and looped it around knife man's wrist. He yanked it tight, trapping both men and throwing them both off balance.

Hook man kicked out, but Kaymann, with a smile, yanked the chain and pulled knife man in the way of the blow. He yelled out, but quickly tried to spin about and round house punch Kaymann in the head.

The black leather clad rider ducked under the blow, grabbed onto the chain and pulled it free from hook man's hands. He cracked the end of the chain whip, sending the knife man's weapons clattering to the floor and launching the man off his feet, spinning through the air.

As knife man fell to the ground with a thud, Kaymann threw the remaining shivs into chain man's thigh. They sunk in deep, crippling the assailant and sending him crashing to the ground. Kaymann kicked his  two front teeth to the back of the man's throat, knocking him unconscious in the process.

Knife man had his weapon back in hand and lunged at Kaymann. The slightly curvy blade came up with Kaymann's yell parrying the attacker's over hand attack. The next thrust, slash, spear and swipe were all expertly matched and parried away. Kaymann smiled mischievously as he continued to fight.

Growing tired of the little game, Kaymann parried then slashed inwards at the man, slashing his belt. The man's trousers dropped down, showing his waistcloth. Kaymann's blade flashed out again and again, freeing the man of his shoulder bag, his shirt buttons and finally the helmet strapped to his head.

With a whimper, the man dropped his weapon and ran away with his shredded garments in tow.

"That was great!" The little girl came running to the man and threw her arms about his leg. With a chuckle he pried the little girls arms free and crouched down to look her in the eyes.

"Dizzi, right?" He asked with a smile.

"Mm-hmm, and you're Kaymann, right? You're sleeping with Cat, who's Anthra's rider right? Anthra's a nice dragon, a little cranky sometimes, but she's nice on the inside."

Kaymann laughed at the way the little girl summed up his relationship with Cat, and put his gloved hand on her head.

"What do you say we get out of here, Dizzi?"

The little girl nodded. "Hop on." The little girl threw her arms around the man's neck and he lifted her off the ground piggy back style.

[Tag Max]

***

K'tarr
On the Green

Qualis and Vladiggor landed with a spiral of dirt and debris. Their riders had leapt off their saddles and reached the ground at a run. They quickly moved up to where Breezy stood, the signs of intense battle on her tired face.

"It was a decoy! The attack was merely a diversion to hide Ka'Laren's true intent. Jeneve has been taken."

Breezy's words hit K'tarr like a brick. It all made too much sense now, why the Dark Riders retreated so suddenly, the alliance with Brona's riders. The shock quickly turned into a renewed sense of fury. K'tarr struggled to keep it contained.

"The Dark Riders have retreated, it seems that Ka'Laren has double-crossed Brona and his men. Those zealots will be easy pickings now. We've already weakened most of their forces." Landon spoke the words that K'tarr desperately tried to form.

Breezy nodded. "I agree. K'tarr, you and Landon should take the rest of the wing and move on Brona. His men are sure to be a little disorganized and certainly demoralized. They've just been betrayed and beaten by what in their minds is an inferior force."

K'tarr smiled evilly. "We'll rain fiery death on them, Breezy. They won't escape us, not a one."

"That's great, K'tarr, but try not to go to nuts and kill everyone. We still need to find all of the missing warreners. And, welcome back Landon, I'm sorry I didn't say that sooner, but I certainly am glad to see you now. Have you seen Kalena or Link?"

The fury swirled up in K'tarr's mind nearly blinding him with it's intensity.

He turned and walked angrily to Qualis. "Let's ride, Landon."

[Tag Chris and Tree - and anybody who's able bodied and ready to kick some a$$!]

***

Ka'Laren
Day 16
Early Morning

Nostragus touched down outside of the cave where he had left Jasmine.

He ached all over. The blow his brother had struck him had been quite a sound one. His teeth seemed looser and his muscles all screamed for attention.

He gave Nostragus a mental command to retreat before the sun rose any further and to wait until he called. The big black took to the sky and immediately blinked away. Ka'Laren watched for a moment as the sun began to peak over the distant hills. 

The landscape began to take on an eerie pink glow and a slight warmth crept into everything. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins and causing his damp clothing to steam. He abruptly turned and entered the secret cave.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness, but he was adequately familiar with the passage to move without fully seeing. Ahead was the sleeping form of Jasmine and her dragon in the distance.

But as his eyes grew accustomed to the dark and he drew nearer the sleeping woman, he realized that it was not Jasmine at all, but her sister, Kalena! 

He gasped and quickly moved around the clearing. Jasmine was not there. He tried to contain the fury, but a blood curdling scream escaped his lips nonetheless. The big dragon, Donjanth stirred and blinked it's eyes open. 

At the moment the dragon recognized exactly who it was standing before her, the evil hunter leapt across the clearing and yanked Kalena's tiny frame to him. His battle knife flashed in the dim light as he pressed it against the girl's pale white throat.

Donjanth roared and the sleeping Vandira also leapt to her feet. 

"Uh-uh-uh, my beauties. Step any closer and she dies. I know you understand me, so sit down and be quiet. Now we wait for Jasmine to return."

Ka'Laren's eyes blazed with insane ferocity. Jasmine had disobeyed him, she had gone to Brona's camp and rescued her sister. She only guess where she now wandered. No one disobeyed Ka'Laren, leader of the Dark Riders. No one.

She would learn to respect him when she returned. She would learn to love him, too. Or she would die.

[Tag Tree!]

Submitted by WiL

for

K'Tarr Morrinn - a hunter
Qualis - a red dragon

Kaymann - an ex-rogue
Nightmare - a purple dragon

Selena - Captain of the Home Guard

Antwin - The Dove

Ka'Laren - Evil Madman
Nostragus the Black - an evil dragon


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-~>
Make good on the promise you made at graduation to keep
in touch. Classmates.com has over 14 million registered
high school alumni--chances are you'll find your friends!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/03IJGA/DMUCAA/4ihDAA/w3MVlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------_->

 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/