Glossary:

Faelyn: Female Elf

Fae: Daughter

Sulyn: Male Elf

Sul: Son

1 meter = 1 stride = 5 steps (or feet) = 10 hands = 50 fingers

Raykar thrust his knife into the narrow gap between two of the stones in the wall. A glance over his shoulder reassured him that no one was watching, and one of the stones came free a moment later. The gap revealed a long, narrow hole in which a bow and quiver rested. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad his mother had not found their hiding place.

The few remaining elves in the once-proud city of Teleca now burned everything flammable they could find. They were desperate for even the briefest seconds of warmth. Raykar had no doubt his bow and arrows would have become firewood had they been discovered. He checked behind him again before removing the weapons and placing them into the blanket at his feet, one of the only flammable items left in the city.

He held the bundle to his chest and sheathed his knife, then crept to the door where he saw his mother sleeping beside an unlit hearth, her body trembling from the cold. His heart ached to see her like this. Before he could stop himself from remembering, Raykar saw his little sister, Annara. Her body lay unnaturally still on the cold floor, his mother kneeling beside her, hunched over and wailing in anguish.

He shook his head, trying to push back the painful memory. Watching her suffer, knowing there was something he could do for her but too afraid to try, had been the most painful thing he had ever done. Then she had died and… Raykar felt a tear run down his cheek. He still felt like a coward for not leaving the city to hunt then, even if doing so risked death.When he realized his mother would soon suffer the same fate, Raykar vowed he would not stand by and let it happen, not again. He would die first.

Raykar wiped away his tears and replaced his sorrow with resolve as he looked down again at the last surviving member of his family. He stepped past her and into the night.

It took him nearly an hour to reach the city gates, ducking from alley to alley, afraid someone might see him and wonder why he was holding a bulging blanket in his arms. The thin fabric alone would have been reason enough for someone to rob him. As he came closer to the wall, however, it became clear that no one but himself was out this night. Even the beggars, who had once littered several of the streets, were now gone. The walls were also vacant as no guards walked the parapets, leaving only empty braziers to stand guard.

All the better for me, Raykar thought as he started up the stairs leading to the parapets. He reached the top of the wall and began searching for the rope rumored to be tied there. He’d overheard two sulyns discussing a group of individuals who had risked escaping Teleca when food had run out. They had died, of course, but the rope they’d used had supposedly been left behind for others desperate, or stupid enough to follow.

Though as Raykar ran his hand along the wall, he began to doubt the rumors. Then, just as he began to consider giving up, his hands brushed against something rough. He seized it and followed the weathered surface to two arrow slits and around to a knot. The rope was here, after all.

He smiled in satisfaction and set his bundle down. He removed the bow and quiver fromthe blanket and secured them to his back, then retrieved the cloth and wrapped it around his hands before seizing the rope once more and dropping over the side of the wall. Heat rose between his hands as he slid toward the ground.

Raykar turned his gaze skyward as he descended, scanning for any signs of movement. Luckily, he saw none of the long, winged beasts silhouetted against the night sky. He stumbled as he hit the ground sooner than expected. His grip tightened on the rope, and he avoided faceplanting into the dry earth. When he regained his balance, he released the withered cable and let the blanket fall from his hands. He rechecked his bow and quiver while trying to keep his attention on stars.

This next part would require a mad sprint to the tree line, and if either of the items came loose, he would need to leave them behind or increase the risk of being seen. Once satisfied the bow and quiver would stay in place, Raykar stepped away from the wall and walked to the edge of the barrier. It was difficult to see in the darkness, but he could just make out a slight warping in the air, like heat rising off a fire. The barrier was a magical, dome-like shield that spanned over the city, and some speculated it continued beneath it to form a protective sphere around Teleca. It gave life by mage stones, gems which, as he had learned, held a spell within them, and so long as they had the energy to fuel the barrier, the magical shield could not fail.

Raykar, like the other elves in Teleca, had been added to a “list” that enabled him, and anything he brought with him, to pass through the barrier unhindered. While anything oranyone not permitted access to the city would find the nearly invisible wall impenetrable.

Raykar returned his eyes to the sky, but as before, he saw nothing. Taking a deep breath to still his nerves, he shot passed the barrier and sprinted through the snow toward the tree line.

He was halfway across when an ear-splitting roar broke the silence of the night. Raykar nearly tripped as he glanced up to see a dark silhouette blot out the stars, and a moment later, he heard the heavy beating of wings, each beat sounding louder than the last. With difficulty, Raykar tore his eyes away and forced his already tired legs to pump harder. He was so close. If he could make it to the trees then perhaps he could find a place to hide and—

The ground shook as something enormous crashed to the ground behind him, causing him to lose his footing and fall forward into the snow. His outstretched hand brushed the trunk of a tree, and he cursed then spun around just as a massive, clawed foot smashed into his chest, pinning him to the ground.

Above him, glowing lightly in the dark, were the cold, ruby eyes of a red dragon. They glared down at him, and its lips parted, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth that seemed to gleam in the faint starlight. It breathed in sharply, and Raykar knew the dragon was readying its fiery breath. Soon he would be dead. 

He didn’t care. He glared up at the dragon, determined to face his end without giving the beast the satisfaction of seeing him cower. The dragon opened its maw to finish him, but just before the fire came, Raykar shouted a cry of defiance at the beast. How dare this creature come between him and salvation! Wasn’tit enough for them to watch his people starve and freeze to death? No! They had to kill any who dared defy them by escaping!

All of this burned through his mind, turning his blood to fire in his veins, yet as he allowed his anger to blind him, he missed the truth. He was still alive. Slowly, his anger melted to confusion, and once he’d blinked away the tears of rage, he noticed the dragon’s maw was closed. The beast was regarding him with an odd expression. It looked curious; its head cocked to the side as if puzzled that something so weak could show such ferocity and passion. Then he noticed its eyes and saw an emotion displayed within them, one he thought a dragon incapable of feeling: Pity.

The dragon felt sorry for him. The realization stunned Raykar as he had always believed these creatures to be mindless beasts. Now, as he gazed into those dark eyes, he saw a level of intelligence that rivaled his own. He noticed something else as well: the dragon was female, marked by the lack of mane on its neck. Another roar echoed across the sky, and a moment later, the dragon lifted her head and roared in reply. Then she did something that confounded Raykar. She let him go. The weight on his chest vanished as the dragon turned and raised her wings in preparation to fly, and paused. Those intelligent eyes turned back to him with an expression he couldn’t read, then the dragon spun and released a column of flame toward the wall.

The sudden light momentarily blinded Raykar, and he closed his eyes, lifting an arm to shield them as the night became bright as day. When he opened his eyes again, the dragon was in the air, her crimsonscales illuminated by the burning earth she had set alight. He watched her disappear into the night, wondering what had possessed her to leave him alive. Finally, he turned his attention to the scorched earth beside him, still puzzling over what had transpired.

The fire burned in a line that stretched between him and the wall where it burned the blanket he had left there. He realized the path was the same one he had taken through the snow and—

The blanket’s on fire. 

The thought broke Raykar out of his pondering as the implication of the burning cloth set in. The barrier hadn’t stopped the fire from reaching the wall, which could only mean one thing: the magical shield was gone.

“No,” Raykar breathed, praying he was wrong. Without the barrier, his people were defenseless. He doubted the dragons would delay attacking once they discovered the horrible truth. He had to warn them. Had to tell the people the barrier had failed! He needed to run back now before it was too late! Yet despite the voice screaming in his head to return to the city, Raykar didn’t move. 

What about mom? He thought. If he went back now, without food, his mother would be too weak to leave with the others. Besides, would they even believe him if he did tell them? He wasn’t sure, but he knew he couldn’t go back, not yet. Not until he could ensure his mother left with them. So, feeling like a coward, Raykar turned away and ran into the forest to hunt for food.

As fate would have it, the next morning found Raykar with two rabbits, skinned and roasting over bright coals. He sat beneath a dense cluster of evergreens whose branches he had hoped would disperse the smoke and keep the dragons from finding him.The rabbits finished cooking, and he crawled out from under the thick branches and looked up to see a dark pillar of smoke rising into the sky.

The bow, quiver, and rabbits fell to the snow as he gazed up at it, refusing to believe what his eyes told him was true.

“No,” he whispered, then ran for the smoke. He crested the final hill an hour later, and what he saw made his heart stop.

The city was burning.

Dragons flew through the streets, flame billowing endlessly from their throats to set buildings and homes alight. From the hill, he could hear the awful cries of the dead and dying elves, people he could have saved. His legs gave out beneath him, and he sank to the snow. Guilt swept over him. Had he returned to the city when he saw the barrier had failed, he could have saved his people. Because of him, his mother, and the rest of his people would die.

Two years later, Raykar stood on a battlefield surrounded by his fallen brethren, killed by the massive green dragon that stared back at him through narrow eyes. He had left Teleca to join the army, which had come to investigate the black plume of smoke rising from the city. They had arrived to find Teleca burned to ash and Raykar, the sole survivor of the catastrophe. He had joined their ranks, believing the army to be his best chance to seek revenge and redeem himself.

Let him come to me, Raykar thought, raising his spear raised to point at dragon’s heart. The green dragon glared down at him and stalked forward, its steps slow and deliberate. Raykar thought he could see a light of humor in the dragon’s eyes as if the beast thought it amusing that something so small andweak would dare stand before it.

Raykar smiled back, waiting for the right moment to attack. The opportunity came a second later when the dragon charged, its mouth opening to release a torrent of flame. He waited until the fire left its maw then sprinted toward the dragon, knowing its attack would momentarily blind it. The blast seared his skin as he ran beneath it, but he ignored the pain and leveled his spear at the dragon’s chest.

A dragon’s hide was difficult to pierce, and usually, a simple spear would prove too weak to penetrate the thick scales that covered the beasts. Earlier in their fight, however, one of the mages had landed a blow on the green dragon’s chest. The magical attack had torn away several scales to reveal a gap, behind which the beast’s heart rested.

He thrust his spear toward the gap, but the dragon must have been aware of his plan, for it turned away from the attack. Unfortunately, the beast wasn’t able to avoid him entirely. Raykar raised his spear in time to catch another section of skin unguarded by scales: the dragon’s wing. As the spear broke through the thick membrane, Raykar spun and whipped the blade in a wide arc.

The dragon roared in pain as a long, gaping hole opened in the beast’s wing. He swung a claw at Raykar, and he danced out of reach, barely avoiding the attack. Focused on the dragon’s paw, he didn’t notice the tail until it struck him in the back. The spear flew from his hands as he was knocked down.

He groaned and looked up to see the dragon looming over him, its sharp fangs just inches from his face. Its maw opened wide, and a roar split the air. For a moment, Raykar thought the cry hadcome from the green dragon but had to change his assumption when the beast looked up. Around them, dragons were taking to the air, and Raykar realized the roar had been a signal for retreat. He smiled. They had won the day.

The green dragon growled and returned his attention to him, glaring down at Raykar’s smiling face, which split to a wide grin. He knew he would die, but knowing that his people had claimed victory was enough for him.

His smile faltered when the dragon’s clawed foot reached out and seized Raykar. Before he realized what was happening, the green dragon shot into the air. Wind buffeted his face, and he screamed. What was the dragon doing? Was the dragon going to drop him from the sky? 

They climbed, higher and Raykar looked around to see other dragons flanking them. They were joining the bulk of the dragons, heading west toward the distant mountains, which marked their territory. Still, the green dragon held onto him, and slowly a cold hand closed over Raykar’s heart. The dragon was taking him back to its cave. 

He wasn’t sure which was worse, dying on the battlefield or being forced to await his death. And once they reached the dragon’s cave, what would be done to him then? He decided the latter was far worse and began fighting desperately to break free of the dragon’s grip. Even if the brief freedom resulted in a plunge to his death, the fall would be far better than letting the dragon determine his fate.

When night fell, and the moon rose into the sky, he was still pounding on the dragon’s foot, shouting for it to let him go. The other dragons had long since left them behind. The wound on the dragon’s wing slowed the beast significantly, and hehad dropped behind his brethren because of it. Knowing this, Raykar yelled taunts up at the dragon, determined to make the last hours of his life torture for his captor. Never once did the dragon acknowledge him or jostle him to silence, though Raykar silently wished he would. Anything would be better than being ignored. 

Distracted by his taunting, Raykar nearly missed the dark shape that shot out from the trees below. He went silent as his eyes locked onto the disturbance, then went wide as it came closer. Shooting up from the trees beneath them was a black griffin.

The dragon roared in pain as a long, gaping hole opened in the beast’s wing. He swung a claw at Raykar, and he danced out of reach, barely avoiding the attack. Focused on the dragon’s paw, he didn’t notice the tail until it struck him in the back. The spear flew from his hands as he was knocked down.

He groaned and looked up to see the dragon looming over him, its sharp fangs just inches from his face. Its maw opened wide, and a roar split the air. For a moment, Raykar thought the cry had come from the green dragon but had to change his assumption when the beast looked up. Around them, dragons were taking to the air, and Raykar realized the roar had been a signal for retreat. He smiled. They had won the day.

The green dragon growled and returned his attention to him, glaring down at Raykar’s smiling face, which split to a wide grin. He knew he would die, but knowing that his people had claimed victory was enough for him.

His smile faltered when the dragon’s clawed foot reached out and seized Raykar. Before he realized what was happening, the green dragon shot into the air. Windbuffeted his face, and he screamed. What was the dragon doing? Was the dragon going to drop him from the sky? 

They climbed, higher and Raykar looked around to see other dragons flanking them. They were joining the bulk of the dragons, heading west toward the distant mountains, which marked their territory. Still, the green dragon held onto him, and slowly a cold hand closed over Raykar’s heart. The dragon was taking him back to its cave. 

He wasn’t sure which was worse, dying on the battlefield or being forced to await his death. And once they reached the dragon’s cave, what would be done to him then? He decided the latter was far worse and began fighting desperately to break free of the dragon’s grip. Even if the brief freedom resulted in a plunge to his death, the fall would be far better than letting the dragon determine his fate.

When night fell, and the moon rose into the sky, he was still pounding on the dragon’s foot, shouting for it to let him go. The other dragons had long since left them behind. The wound on the dragon’s wing slowed the beast significantly, and he had dropped behind his brethren because of it. Knowing this, Raykar yelled taunts up at the dragon, determined to make the last hours of his life torture for his captor. Never once did the dragon acknowledge him or jostle him to silence, though Raykar silently wished he would. Anything would be better than being ignored. 

Distracted by his taunting, Raykar nearly missed the dark shape that shot out from the trees below. He went silent as his eyes locked onto the disturbance, then went wide as it came closer. Shooting up from the trees beneath them was a black griffin.

Great, Raykar thought miserably, Not only am Igoing to be eaten but now I’ll have to endure these two fight over the pleasure to do so!

The dragon roared a challenge that soon became a cry of pain as the griffin’s talons raked over its wing, ripping several large gashes into the thick membrane. As the griffin came around for a second pass, the dragon shot a burst of flame, which the griffin dodged with ease then ripped several more gashes into the dragon’s other wing. 

While the talons were buried in flesh, the dragon spun, catching the griffin off guard. He shot another burst of flame, and this time the attack landed, singing feathers on the griffin’s wing. The animal screeched in pain, and the dragon lunged forward, jostling Raykar as it moved. His vision grew hazy, making it difficult to see what happened next. 

As they fought, the dragon’s grip tightened around Raykar, like a child refusing to relinquish his favorite toy. Raykar struggled to breathe. That, added with the constant shaking he endured, brought him to the brink of losing consciousness, and he soon blacked out.

When his eyes fluttered open again, he was falling. The dragon let me go, he thought numbly. Through half-closed eyes, he saw the two beasts falling as well. No, the dragon was falling. The griffin was diving, coming straight for him. It must have won the battle and was now coming to claim its prize.

The griffin reached him, but rather than opening its talons, the animal flew beneath him, catching him on its back. Dazed as he was, Raykar nearly fell off the moment he hit. Luckily, he was able to close his hand around a mass of the black feathers and pull himself into a more secure position. He hugged the griffin’s neck and held fast with his knees as theanimal flapped its wings and leveled out.

He sealed his eyes shut and pressed his cheek against the animal’s feathers. He might have wondered why the griffin had saved him. Why he was now riding on its back rather than in its talons. He might have also considered the relationship between his kind and the griffins. Remembering it to be just as tenuous as with the dragons, if not more so.

No matter what he might have thought, he was just happy to be alive. 

A voice spoke in his mind, “Rest.” Raykar obeyed without objections, and soon he was asleep on the griffin’s back.

Raykar felt something touch his face, and started, remembering the events of the previous night. He shot awake and looked around himself in search of danger, his head on a swivel scanning his surroundings to find himself in…a bed?

A squeak of alarm came from his left, and he turned to find a little girl, standing beside the bed. She wore the guilty expression of a child who had been caught doing something naughty. He thought he should smile at her, to reassure her she’d done nothing wrong, but his confusion made that difficult.

Why was he in a bed? Where had the griffin gone? Also, the girl looked familiar, somehow. He stared at her, trying to remember, and an image of another little girl filled his mind, Annara. Raykar pushed himself up, staring at her with a storm of emotions. He was about to ask for her name when the blanket around him fell to reveal his bare chest.

She screamed and ran from the room, but he was too stunned to follow her. His eyes were fixed on his chest and torso. No scares, He thought, troubled. Raykar knew that, after spending a day in a dragon’s claws, his skinshould be bruised and torn, especially after being shaken around so much when the griffin showed up. Yet his skin was unmarked.

He’d seen a girl he believed to be his dead sister, Annara, and now he found himself free of scars or bruises? I’m dead, he realized. The griffin must have killed me after all. Raykar looked around the room again. It didn’t look like one of the holly dwellings the elves said awaited all who passed through Creation’s Gate, but then again, who was to say what a holly dwelling would look like?

At the foot of the bed were trousers and a wool shirt. Then he noticed his uniform in an unceremonious heap on the floor to his right, the once blue and gold fabric now bloodied and torn. Symbolic, He thought, of leaving the old life to be born again in the next. The torn uniform represents my past life—full of blood and pain—and the clean clothes on the bedside represent my new life: fresh and new. He climbed out of bed, the symbol of rebirth, pulled on the shirt and trousers. Beginning his new life. 

A sulyn appeared in the doorway as he pulled on the shirt. He was a tall elf with short black hair and a sturdy build. “Ah good, you’re awake,” The elf said, smiling. Raykar returned the smile, and he continued, “You gave my daughter quite the scare. How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good for being dead,” Raykar laughed.

“Good I’m…what?”

“What is this place?” Raykar asked, ignoring the sulyn’s confused expression, “Am I in Creation’s Kingdom? Is this heaven?”

“Uh…no.”

Raykar grew troubled, “You don’t mean that I…I’m…”

The sulyn laughed, “You’re not dead. This is my home. Nockel brought you here last night.” He proffered a hand to Raykar, “My name’s Corrin.”

Raykar eyed the hand but didn’t takeit, “But…what about my wounds?”

“Ah, yes. I took care of those for you. That dragon really did a number on you.”

“How…”

“I’m a healer mage,” Corrin explained.

“Oh,” Raykar said, nodding his understanding. Then another thought struck him, “Wait, how did you know about the dragon?”

“Nockel told me.” Raykar was about to ask who that was when the sulyn turned away and beckoned, “Come on, he’s waiting outside.”

The elf led the way to the front door and stepped outside with Raykar following close behind. Upon exiting the home, Raykar looked out and froze. The griffin was there, lying on its side with a bandaged wing outstretched across the ground. The size of the creature, something he had missed when the griffin had fought the dragon, was immense, easily twenty feet in length. From the shape of its legs and body, he guessed it would stand at nearly 25 hands. It was covered in a mix of black fur and feathers, with the latter dominating the creature’s wings, head, forelegs, and upper body. They spanned the ridge of its back as well, and at the base of its tail was a bulk of longer feathers that he knew fanned out in flight. Fur covered the rest of the griffin, except for the end of its tail. This was a mass of both hair and feathers. They would also fan out in the air, but for now, rested in a bunch.

He eyed the wicked-looking talons at the end of the griffin’s forelegs and the claws on the hind paws. Each was bone white, like lengths of ivory. Raykar gulped, remembering how the griffin had easily torn long gashes in the dragon’s hide with them.

Corrin must have noticed his discomfort as the sulyn glanced back and smiled encouragingly, “Don’t worry, he won’t hurt you.”

The griffinlooked up upon hearing the elf’s words, and Raykar shuddered as the griffin’s eyes found his. They were calm and questioning, almost concerned. He gulped; no animal eyes should hold that level of intelligence. Not wanting to sound rude, he tried to keep his voice even and asked Corrin, “Why is he looking at me like that?”

He couldn’t see the elf glance over at the griffin, as he feared to break eye contact with the creature. “Hmm? Oh, he’s waiting for permission to enter your mind.”

“He…what?” Raykar didn’t know griffins could do that.

“Yeah,” Corrin replied, “it has something to do with the griffin code of conduct, like edict. I don’t know, that’s just what he tells me when I ask.”

The words stunned Raykar. A code of conduct among griffins? Was that even possible? These creatures must be truly intelligent, indeed, Raykar thought. Corrin had said the griffin had told him these things like it had spoken to him, and he guessed it probably had.

He became aware that he was still staring at the griffin, and he swallowed uncomfortably. Let him into my mind, Raykar thought. Did he dare? Corrin said the griffin—Nockel—had brought him there after fighting off and killing the dragon. He saved my life. 

Raykar decided he would allow Nockel into his mind, but how did he do that? “Um, how do I—”

“That’ll do,” a voice spoke in his mind.

Raykar stumbled back in surprise. He recognized the voice, it was the same one that had spoken to him before, telling him to rest after the griffin caught him. A strange feeling of humor permeated through his thoughts, and the voice came again, seeming to laugh as it said, “Yes, who else did you think spoke to you?”

“I…um,” Raykar struggled. He felt a small hand tug at his leg, causinghim to finally break eye contact with Nockel. Beside him was the little girl that had woken him.

“Kelly likes you,” she said, and Nockel laughed in his mind again.

“That’s Lillia,” Nockel said, and the little girl pouted.

“Ah, I wanted to tell him, Kelly,” Lillia said, facing the griffin.

“Sorry, sweetheart. Say, would you mind bringing your new friend over here to me? He’s a bit shy,” The last part had a conspiratorial tone to it, like a whisper. Raykar shot a glare at the griffin, his previous uncertainty and fear suddenly evaporating.

Lillia didn’t notice the exchange and began towing Raykar toward the griffin’s head, which dropped back to the ground as they approached. The little girl sat in front of Nockel, where the griffin could see her and tugged at Raykar’s leg until he followed suit.

He glanced over at Nockel’s outstretched wing, where Corrin was unwrapping the large bandage from it. As he watched, the sulyn removed the last layer of fabric, revealing a region of badly burned feathers, many of which were nothing but stems. Where the feather’s met flesh, the skin was an angry red and seeing the wound tore at Raykar. He remembered the dragon’s burst of flame and the shrill shriek of pain that had followed it.

This is my fault, Raykar told himself, and a moment later came Nockel’s chiding voice in his mind.

“Do not blame yourself for my actions.”

Raykar nodded, but his gaze fell to the ground. He hated it when others were hurt trying to protect him. He’d trained for years to take vengeance on the dragons. Yet, all his training had ever allotted to was having the awful privilege of watching his friends die, their lives traded for his own.

Why am I always the one left alive while others suffer and die around me?he thought with despair.

A mental sigh drifted through Raykar’s mind, and Nockel’s voice pulled him out of his melancholy, “My ear itches and I can’t muster the energy to scratch it.”

Raykar chuckled. He was coming to realize that it was difficult to feel sorry for himself when Nockel was in his thoughts. He pulled himself closer to the Nockel’s head to scratch at his cat-like ears. The griffin purred, an odd sound from a creature so large.

Lillia giggled and scratched under Nockel’s chin. She looked up at Raykar with a grin that he found impossible to resist matching. “What’s your name?” she asked.

“Raykar.”

“I’m Lillia,” she said, sticking her tongue out at Nockel. Raykar laughed then let his attention shift back to the griffin.

“I forget you can hear my thoughts,” he said to Nockel, “I apologize for letting them wander.”

Nockel let out a low cry that sounded like a mix between a roar and a bird cry. From the mirth permeating through his mind, Raykar guessed it was a laugh. “Apologizing for letting your thoughts wander?”—another laugh—“That’s like a river apologizing for being too deep to cross.”

Corrin chuckled, and Raykar glanced up to see the sulyn applying new bandages to his friend’s damaged wing. He could obviously hear, or…sense, what they were saying. As the elf worked, Raykar wondered why Corrin had not just healed the burn with magic.

The sulyn glanced up and met Raykar’s gaze. He sighed, “I wish I could, but it’s too severe for my limited training.”

Raykar looked away, feeling ashamed. It was so easy to forget his thoughts were being listened too. Nockel noticed his discomfort and apologized, offering to pull back. Raykar shook his head, “No, it’s alright.” He eyed the burned wing again. “I just wish there was something I could do to repay youfor saving my life.”

Nockel seemed to consider for a moment, then said, “You could tell me how you managed to get that dragon to carry you off as he did rather than killing you. Tell me that story, and I will consider your debt paid in full.”

“You want me to repay you with a story?” Raykar asked aloud, caught off guard by the odd request. “Surely your service to me is worth far more than that.”

The griffin shrugged, another odd expression on an animal, “Shouldn’t I be the judge of that? Besides, I don’t think you understand how much I love a good story. Though if you do not think the story of you getting taken by the dragon sufficient, then perhaps you could tell me your life’s tale?”

Raykar paused, considering. He’d never told anyone his life’s story before. Still, it felt like a poor repayment for his life. Though if that was what Nockel wanted…he shrugged and opened his mouth to begin.

“Before you start, would you be so kind as to scratch my neck while you talk?”

Raykar laughed and obliged him, letting his mind drift back in search of a place to begin. He found what he was looking for, his oldest and one of his more precious memories of when he was five. He began his tale, hesitantly at first but soon found his rhythm and let the memories slide from his mind to his lips.

Time passed quickly, and soon he recalled a memory that brought him immense pain. It was the Harvest Festival of his 15th year, the day the dragons came. Images flashed behind his eyes, and he relived it, every second of that awful day. He saw himself and his sister standing in one of the fields at a booth set up there. Their motherhad given them some money to spend on treats and other holiday items, and Annara had noticed this vendor selling honey apples. He was about to pay the vender when someone screamed.

A faelyn was pointing at the sky where a massive thunder of dragons was swiftly approaching. Two of the dragons split from the main group and dove for the people in the fields. Raykar lifted his sister into his arms and ran for the city, just as a stream of fire crashed into the shimmering forcefield above them. The fields were protected similarly to the city itself. However, Raykar knew these barriers were not nearly as strong as the one guarding the walls Teleca.

He sprinted for the barrier, afraid he would not make it in time, but thankfully he reached it and passed through just as the magical shield over the fields shattered like glass. Then From behind the barrier, safe from further attack, Raykar watched in horror as half of Teleca’s inhabitants were burned alive in the fields.

Had it not been for Nockel’s presence in his mind, Raykar might never have escaped the painful memory. “I’m sorry, Raykar,” the griffin’s voice was gentle in his mind, a sharp contrast to the memory, “You don’t have to continue, this is enough.”

Raykar shook his head, “No, I’m alright.” He was afraid his voice would break if he spoke aloud.

“At least skip ahead to more pleasant memories,” Nockel said. “Don’t make yourself relive the pain of the past.”

Raykar chuckled darkly, “There are no pleasant memories after this.”

When he was able, Raykar continued his tale, but thanks to Nockel, he avoided reliving his memories. The recounting of his sister’s death proved difficult nonetheless, but he soldiered on. Lillia was sent inside by her father, Raykar guessing his story was unfit for youngerears. He reached the part where the red dragon had let him escape the city’s fate, and here Corrin interrupted.

“The dragon caught you, then let you go?” Raykar nodded. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Raykar said, shaking his head. “Though I wish she would have killed me. At least then I wouldn’t have to face the guilt of letting my people die.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Nockel told him, and though Raykar didn’t object openly, he refused to believe the griffin’s words. 

He quickly told his joining the army and his training, which led to his battle with the green dragon. He spent time there as it was the first story the griffin had requested. When he finished the tale, he met Nockel’s stunned expression and said, “And then you came to rescue me and, well, that’s it.”

“Truly, Raykar, your story is worth my wound,” Nockel said.

Raykar glanced at Corrin, who appeared to be lost in thought. He noticed Raykar’s eyes on him, and he apologized, “Sorry, I was just thinking.” He glanced up at the house, and Raykar followed his eyes to see Lillia’s face watching them through a window. Corrin chuckled, though it sounded forced, “She’s been dying to show you around our home, would you mind heading in and letting her? I have something I need to discuss with Nockel.”

Raykar nodded and stood. He found Lillia still by the window and asked if she’d like to show him around. The little girl exploded with delight and spent the remaining hours of daylight towing him around. At one point, Raykar found an opportunity to glance out at Corrin and Nockel. The sulyn was sitting with his back against the griffin’s shoulder, Nockel’s head in his lap, eyes closed while Corrin stared up at the sky.

“That’s daddy’s thinking face,” Lillia said when shenoticed him staring. “He always tells me to go play when he looks like that.” Raykar nodded absentmindedly, and she tugged at his arm again, laughing, “Come on, there’s a stream we can play in in the woods.” Raykar chuckled and let her drag him through the trees behind the house.

That night, as the sun began to set, Corrin called them outside to a fire burning. Nockel had positioned himself to alow his damaged wing to face away from the flame and now lay contentedly behind his friend. They sat down at the edge of the fire, at least Raykar sat. Lillia bounced up and down excitedly, crying in delight, “Are you going to tell us a story, daddy? Please tell a story, please!”

Corrin chuckled, “Yes, my little fae, now will you sit down and be still a moment?”

Lillia settled down immediately, though she still fidgeted with evident excitement. Corrin watched her for a time longer and, finally satisfied his daughter would stay still, began:

Swiftly comes the fateful day, when we will breath no more

On fields of death the dying stay, lives forever claimed by war

Elves and Dragons seek an end, but peace is not their choice

Yet lest hearts are made to bend, only Death will have a voice

Watch for the hero of whom I speak, let not my words soon pass

For if children’s safety you do seek, then listen and be as grass

He paused, looking pointedly at Lillia, who giggled and stopped fidgeting beside Raykar.

Spared was he and saved from fire, an enemy hid his path

Escaped his fate and dreaded pier, whose flames now light his wrath

Then spared again by dragon’s bane, he leaves Creation’s Gate

Freed from the grip of Death’s own mane, he decides the living’s fate

Now let his mind be wise, and my his heart be true

Forshould he seek the victor’s prize, our war begins anew

The choice is his and his alone, but pray he chooses right

For should his heart be set as stone, we are left to face our plight

But if he is willing and should he rise, his path will be made clear

His journey shall be the end of our cries, the war’s final year

He must journey to the Gates of Hell, and be reborn by flame

Then return through the ancient spell, bound by heart and name

Then From Hell’s Gate our hero shall fly, ascending like the rising sun

To grant the people a new battle cry: The war is over! The war is won!

Lillia clapped excitedly and cried, “Another story, daddy! Another!”

Corrin chuckled, “Not tonight, sweetheart, it’s passed your bedtime.”

“Awe, but I’m not tired!” She whaled, “Please daddy, just one more story?”

“Go on, off with you,” Corrin laughed, and she stood, reluctantly.

“Okay, but you’ll tell me another story tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright, but only if you go to bed right now.”

She squealed and ran around the fire to kiss her father goodnight then did the same to Raykar. He laughed, “Goodnight, Lillia.”

“Goodnight, Ray,” She said, using the nickname she had made for him earlier that day. Then she ran to Nockel and hugged the griffin’s neck, “Night, Kelly.”

“Goodnight, Lillia, sleep well.”

Finally, she stepped away from the fire and went inside, but not before she said goodnight five more times. Raykar smiled, watching her go, thinking again of how much she reminded him of Annara. “She’s just a little ball of energy, isn’t she?”

Corrin chuckled, “She gets it from her mother.” 

Raykar sensed hesitation in the sulyn’s words and asked, “Is something wrong?” his smile fading.

He shook his head, “No, its nothing.” He paused, “Raykar, have you ever heard this story before.”

“Only a thousand times. It was apopular story among the soldiers back at camp.”

“And are you familiar with the stories origin?” at this Raykar shook his head, and Corrin continued, “I’m not surprised. It is an old tale, about a thousand years old, in fact, though it wasn’t always a campfire story. When it was first told, it was in the form of a prophecy given at the start of our war between the dragons by the Guardian of Night and Shadows. She foretold of a hero, one who would one day come and end the war.”

Raykar narrowed his eyes, “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because we believe you are the hero the Guardian spoke of,” Nockel said, and Raykar laughed. This had to be some sort of joke they were playing on him, he decided. Though when he noticed they weren’t laughing with him, he looked between them and found their expressions grim.

“Oh, come on, you can’t be serious."

“Why not?” Nockel asked. “Think about the story. Was there nothing in it that stands out to you.”

“No,” Raykar lied. Nockel watched him, his eyes all too knowing. “Okay fine, maybe I do, but what about the lines’ spared again by dragon’s bane’ and ‘Freed from the grip of Death’s own mane’?”

Nockel’s reply was calm as always, “Dragons have long seen us as a ‘bane’ to their existence. As you know, our talons can easily cut through dragon scales, and a dragon is no match for my speed.”

“Okay,” Raykar said, still confused.

“What he’s trying to say, is that by saving you from the dragon, which I might add had a green mane, he essentially brought to pass a part of the prophecy,” Corrin said.

Raykar still didn’t believe them, there was no way he could be the hero they thought he was, but doubt was starting to creepin. The prophecy fit a little too well with his own experiences. He decided he’d humor them, “Alright, let’s say you’re right, and I am this ‘chosen one’ you speak of. What happens next? Do I make some decision that changes the fate of elven kind?”

Corrin rubbed his brow, “That may just be the case. We’ve been puzzling through the prophecy today, and we think we might know what follows. Before we get into that, however, have I told you how Nockel and I met?” Raykar said he hadn’t, and he sulyn continued, “A couple years ago, I stumbled upon Nockel in the forest. He had been badly wounded and would have died had I not found him. I knew the stories about griffins. That they were creatures of the mind and were extremely dangerous, but I couldn’t just leave the poor creature to die.”

“Poor creature?” Nockel said, lifting his head to look at Corrin. The sulyn smiled but otherwise ignored the griffin.

“So rather than leaving him to his fate, I nursed him back to health. In return, Nockel gave his life to me, saying because I had saved his life that it now belonged to me.”

“Another of our strange rules of edict” The griffin said, chuckling.

Raykar looked between them, “Does that mean Nockel is your servant?”

They laughed, and Corrin replied, Not quite. Though, if I had wished it, I have no doubt that would be the case. No, what we have is more of a bond, an equal’s contract, if you will.” Raykar must have looked confused for the sulyn explained, “You see, for a griffin to be capable of serving its master, they must know what the master wishes. There needs to be some form of language bridge between them, or else the life debt is pointless. Andso with griffins being creatures of the mind, this language bridge was a link between our minds. Over time, this link between us became stronger, and, like I said before, it is now a bond.”

Raykar began to nod understanding but stopped as the pieces clicked in his mind. A part of the prophecy began to burn in his memory, and he mentally recited, He must travel to the Gates of Hell, and be reborn by flame. Then return through the ancient spell, bound by heart and name. Then From Hell’s Gate our hero shall fly… Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.

“Are you suggesting,” Raykar said slowly through gritted teeth, “that I bond with a dragon?” he glared up at them, and Nockel slowly nodded. Raykar shot to his feet and walked away from the fire.

“Raykar,” Nockel said, and he spun on the griffin, pointing an accusing finger at him.

“You just saved me from being eaten by a dragon. Now you want me to go and try befriending one? Are you insane!?”

“It’s the only way for permanent peace to exist between our races,” Corrin said, “There must be a union of some kind that—”

“No!” Raykar yelled, turning away again. “No, I’m not going to die because you think I’m some hero destined to save the world. Go find someone else to fulfill your stupid prophecy because it’s not me. I’m no hero, and I don’t want to be one!”

He stormed toward the house, but upon reaching the door, his footsteps slowed as Corrin spoke in a low tone, “The choice is his, and his alone, but pray he chooses right. For if his heart is set as stone, then we are left to our plight.”

Raykar glanced back at them, feeling ashamed. Then he opened the door and stepped inside.

That nighthe pondered what Corrin and Nockel had told him. He didn’t accept he was a hero, his actions on that night before Teleca burned proved that. But what if he was supposed to leave the city? What if Corrin was right, and he was spared for a greater purpose?

The outside door opened, and Corrin’s heavy footsteps sounded on the wood floor. As he passed his room, Raykar closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, but the sulyn didn’t pause at his doorway. A minute later, he heard a door open, and a bed grown loudly as if it had been forced to bare something heavy. Corrin’s voice drifted to Raykar’s ears a moment later.

“I’m sorry, my little fae. I fear I’ve gone and made a mess of things,” A pause. “I thought he could have been the one. I thought that, if he was, you might not have to go to war like your mother and I did.” He laughed bitterly, “Oh how I wish she was here. I wish she could see how foolish I’ve become in her absence.” Another pause, “To think I just asked a boy to go fight a dragon just to keep you with me a little longer.”

Raykar waited what felt like an eternity, but the sulyn said no more. Finally, the bed groaned again, and the sound of his footsteps carried him back to Raykar’s door where he paused. He thought Corrin might speak with him and was caught off guard by his words, “I’m sorry, my boy. I hope you can forgive a foolish man.”

With that, the sulyn walked away, leaving Raykar feeling like the most selfish elf alive.

The next morning, Raykar came outside to find Corrin and Nockel, where he had left them the night before. Upon seeing him, Corrin roseand said, “Listen, Raykar, about last night, I—”

“I’ll do it.”

“You…what?”

“I’ll do it,” Raykar repeated, meeting the sulyn’s eyes. “I’ll go to Hell’s Gate and make peace with the dragons.”

Nockel rose to his feet, watching Raykar, “Are you sure of this?”

Raykar hesitated only briefly before saying, “I thought about what you said last night. I don’t like it, but it makes sense.” He sighed, “However, I still have no clue about how I’m supposed to bond a dragon.”

Nockel chuckled, glancing at Corrin, “I believe we know a way.”

For the next hour, Nockel and Corrin educated Raykar on how to form a bond. They explained how their own bond had been formed and what it had required from each of them. “However,” Nockel said, “though dragons can speak with their minds, they hold no code of honor that demands their lives belong to you if you save them. Nearly the opposite, actually. Dragon’s value strength and power above all else, meaning if you were to find a wild dragon lying helpless in the woods, and didn’t take the opportunity to kill it, odds are you just became the dragon’s next meal.” 

Ray shivered. “Furthermore, dragon scales make it exceptionally difficult to enter their minds, so if you are to have any chance at forming a link with one you must bring your mind as close to theirs as you can, like this.”

Nockel pressed the top of his head against Raykar’s brow, and he was suddenly enveloped by the griffin’s mind. When the griffin spoke, it was like someone shouting into his ear, “Doing this helps us form links with other minds. You may notice my thoughts drift freely through your mind, and I can feel the same from you. It would take a great deal of effort on both our parts to ignoreeach other when we are like this.”

The griffin pulled away, and Raykar stumbled, shocked by what he had just felt. It had felt like falling into river rapids. Tossed around while the water moved through his body rather than around it.

“How am I supposed to do that?” he asked, wondering how he would ever manage to get close to a dragon’s head, let alone remain there while a link was formed.

“I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Corrin said. “Though I have something that might help.”

Corrin packed some food and equipment into a travel bag while the rest ate the mid-day meal, after which Corrin brought out a long roll of fabric that he rolled out on the ground. “These might come in handy when you face the dragon.”

Raykar’s eyes went wide upon seeing two gorgeous weapons displayed before him. The type of weapons he had only ever heard stories about. One was a spear made entirely of iron and, unable to help himself, Rakar hefted it. He marveled at how light it felt in his hand, handling of the same weight as any regular spear he’d fought with before. 

He replaced the spear and eyed the second weapon, a knife. Raykar drew the blade from its sheath and checked the balance, finding it to be perfect.

“Notice the markings on the blade, do you recognize any of them?”

“They look like runes.”

Corran nodded, “Yes. When these blades were forged, these runes were carved into them to bind certain spells to the blades.”

“What type of spells?” Raykar asked. He lifted the spear and noticed several runes cut into its length as well.

“Basic spells, mostly,” Corran said, “Spells to ward off rust, keep the edge true and sharp, that kind of stuff. Another makes them perfectly balanced to match the fighting style of their wielder,and, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s a rune that makes the spear weigh the same as one made of wood.”

“That’s it?” Raykar asked, a little disappointed. It seemed a waste to give these beautiful weapons such as simple spells.

“No,” the elf said, grinning, “there is another spell cast on both blades that allows them to cut through nearly anything with ease. And lastly, there is a special binding spell that, if invoked by an incantation, will lock the blades in whatever they are thrust into, and will remain in place until the incantation is spoken again.” He told the incantation to Raykar, who repeated the words under his breath, committing them to memory.

The spear slid into a sheath Raykar placed on his back, and the knife was locked into a sheath tied to a belt Corrin had given him. The sulyn then handed him a pack he had filled with supplies for his journey. Inside was a blanket, food, and light camping gear, as well as a bola with thick iron rings at the ends.

Nockel came to him as he threw the pack over his shoulder. “I’m sorry I can’t take you myself,” The griffin said, extending his bandaged wing.

Raykar nodded his understanding and thanked the griffin for the offer. 

Corrin extended his hand to Raykar, and they clasped forearms, “Good luck on your journey. May our paths cross again someday.” 

Raykar hugged Lillia goodbye, and she cried, begging him to stay. He smiled sadly and placed Lillia in her father’s arms. Then he turned and set off for Hell’s Gate.

Raykar traveled east for the remainder of that day and several weeks afterward, taking care to avoid the dragons that occasionally flew overhead. Finally, he reached the mountain pass, which was Hell’s Gate. It was a thin canyon that cut througha sheer cliff and was said to give entry to one of the largest dragon cities.

Lucky for Raykar, no elf would be stupid enough to pass through Hell’s Gate. This meant that the dragons who lived beyond never paid any attention to the only entrance to there home. This made the journey through the canyon easy and uneventful, and Raykar soon reached the end of it.

Exiting the canyon, Raykar was astonished by what he saw. A massive valley lay before him, ringed on all sides by sheer cliffs dotted with caves that dragons flew in and out of regularly. Covering the valley floor was a dense forest, and a large lake fed by a waterfall Raykar could barely see on the opposite side of the valley.

It was magnificent.

Raykar made his way through the dense mass of trees toward the lake, where dragons frequently came to drink from. As he passed beneath the thick canopy, he soon noticed he could hear no wildlife. This didn’t surprise him. The dragons were kings of the sky and land, and it would be pure idiocy for any lesser animal to try and live among them.

Once he was in sight of the lake Raykar climbed a tree and waited, but for what he wasn’t entirely sure. Now that he was here, he had no clue as to what to do next. Was he just supposed to pick a dragon at random and hope it agreed to bond with him? That didn’t sound very promising. 

As he sat on a branch high above the ground and with a good vantage of the lake, Raykar thought over what Corrin and Nockel had told him. They had said that, when they first saw each other, there had been a kind of familiarity between them. One that predated their meeting,making it seem that had met years before without knowing it. Raykar wasn’t sure what they had meant by that, but he hoped there would be something similar to help him know which dragon was right for him.

The day wore on, and Raykar was beginning to grow bored when one of the dragons at the lake caught his eye. It was red, with dark maroon wings and no mane covering the spikes on its neck.

“It can’t be,” Raykar whispered, astonished. Yet, the longer he looked, the more he became convinced that it was indeed her. It was the dragon that had released him and let him escape Teleca’s fate, or as the prophecy said, the enemy that hid his path. He could not believe that fate would have led him to her, and it became clear to him that this had to be the dragon he was meant to bond.

As the sun traveled the sky above, Raykar’s eyes never left the red dragon as she danced and soared through the air. At days end, she flew into a cave which he marked. He waited several hours for the sky to darken and readied himself for what came next. Then, in the dark hours between the sun setting and moon rising, Raykar crossed the valley floor and climbed the sheer cliffside to the dragon’s cave.

Moving slowly, careful to make no sound, Raykar reached the cave he had seen the red dragon enter. He peered over the edge of the cave mouth looked inside. There was only darkness beyond. He could detect no signs of movement in the inky blackness, so with great care, Raykar pulled himself over the ledge. He crouched there a moment, checking to make sure nothing had fallen during his assent. The bola and enchanted knife were stillsecure on his belt, and the spear remained in its sheath on his back. As silently as possible, Raykar untied the bola and withdrew the spear. He took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.

For what felt like hours, he stalked forward, continually checking his surroundings. Growing more nervous with every step. Then he froze in place, his breath coming quickly as his battle senses told him something was lurking in the darkness behind him. When a minute had passed with nothing happening, he began to think it had only been his nerves. Then he heard a click and dove to the ground just as a wave of heat burned the air above him.

The dragon’s fire lit the cave, and he rolled to the side, raising his head to see two ruby eyes staring death at him. His blood ran cold as the dragon’s head turned toward him, her scales reflecting the light of flames which still burned on the stones behind Raykar. She dove toward him, her jaws agape, and it was only through Raykar’s combat training that he avoided being cut in two. 

He leaped to the side, letting his instincts take over. He ripped the bola from his belt and attacked, swinging it over his head and hurling it at the dragon’s now closed snout. The iron rings spun around her jaws, sealing them closed, and before the dragon could react, Raykar lunged and fell onto her neck, spear in hand.

The dragon raised her head, taking him up with it, and tried to roar through clenched teeth. Raykar brought his spear under the beast’s neck and pulled tight, closing the windpipe. She began choking as her lungs heaved at air that could no longer reach them. The fight might have ended there had Raykar been faced withan elf or other animal, but the dragon soon showed him she was nowhere near beaten.

Her head crashed against the cave wall, and Raykar lost his hold on her neck, falling flat against her and nearly dropping his spear. She heaved, drawing in breath, and Raykar struggled to regain his chokehold. Feeling him move, the dragon reared and smashed her head against the ceiling.

It was dumb luck that saved him this time as he stumbled and dropped over the beast’s neck. He reached out and seized the lower-left horn just as a loud boom echoed through the cave. The dragon shook her head, obviously dazed, and Raykar scrambled up to regain his seat. He realized a moment too late that she was faking. 

Suddenly her head dropped and swung across the cave floor, nearly catching Raykar’s foot against the stone. With effort, Raykar pulled himself atop her again, glancing over in time to see one of the iron hoops of the bola bouncing across the stone floor behind the dragon’s head. An idea formed in Raykar’s mind, and he balked at the insanity of it. That’s one heck of a shot, he thought, wishing he had time for a better plan. Unfortunately, time was not on his side. And so, gritting his teeth, he executed the plan, convinced he would soon be lying dead at the dragon’s feet.

He heaved himself over the dragon’s neck and dropped to the other side just as she began to slow. She took the bait and swung her head in the opposite direction as before. This is stupid, Raykar thought, hefting the spear and taking aim on the hoop appeared behind the dragon a moment later.

As she accelerated, Raykar threw the spear at the hoop, spearing it through the center. He watched in stunned amazement asthe blade buried itself deep within the stone.

The result was immediate. Raykar was thrown clear as the dragon’s momentum was brought to a maddening halt. He hit the cave wall just as the dragon fell on her side, both of them dazed but still conscious. 

Wasting no time, Raykar rushed forward and seized one of the iron hoops and pulled it tight. He plunged his knife through the hole and spoke the incantation Corrin had told him. The spear and knife sealed themselves in the stone, locking the dragon’s head to the ground.

A small amount of energy left him as he spoke the fraise, and he slumped backward, exhausted. The last embers of flame died on the stones where the dragon had blasted them. The only light remaining came from the faintly glowing red eyes of the dragon, who watched him with what appeared to be astonishment.

Raykar stared back at her, equally surprised. He’d done it. He had actually subdued a dragon without killing it. But he wasn’t finished, not yet. Raykar pushed himself to a crouch, too tired to stand, and moved closer to the dragon to rest a hand on her snout. She flinched at his touch but couldn’t move, the bola held her tight.

“I’m sorry,” Raykar whispered, though he knew the dragon couldn’t understand him. He stared into her eyes, which before had shone with hot fury, but now stared back at him in terror. “It's alright,” he said, petting her snout and hoping his words sounded calm.

The dragon wined, releasing a sharp puff of air, sounding like a wolf with its belly up, waiting for the alpha to kill it. The sound pained him for reasons he didn’t understand. He moved closer to her, lowering his head till it was just above hers, and said, “Hopefully, ina moment, you’ll understand what I’m saying.”

Then he pressed his forehead to hers.

He tensed, waiting to be overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions the way he had been when Nockel had done this to him, but there was nothing. No, there was something. It was faint, but he could just barely make out the dragon’s consciousness. He quested toward it, trying to reach the dragon’s mind. She shied away from him as waves of fear crashed through him, pushing him back. He tried again, and again she rebuffed him. This isn’t working, he thought. He tried to remember what Nockel and Corrin had told him back at the clearing. Corrin had said Nockel had initiated the link by sharing memories with Corrin. Experiences the griffin had had, which he believed would help the elf understand his intentions. Then the bond had formed between them when Corrin had offered his memories in return.

Alright, Raykar thought, but how do I do that?

As he considered, he remembered the story he had told Nockel, the story of his life. Nockel had kept him from becoming lost in his memories, pulling him back to himself whenever he risked reliving a painful memory. That meant Nockel could sense, not only what happened in his mind, but which of the memories he recalled would bring him pain. To do that, the griffin must have been able to see the memories as Raykar did.

Would, perhaps, the dragon be able to see his memories as well? But if she could, what should he show her? After contemplating the question for a time, he concluded there was not any single memory that stood out. So he began at the beginning, reaching back into his past the same way he had when telling the story to Nockel. Except this time, he allowedhimself to re-experience them, no matter the pain they might bring.

So, he began, pulling memories into focus and falling into them one after another. At first, he wasn’t sure if the dragon could see what he was doing, but slowly Raykar felt her awareness approach hesitantly to see what he was showing her. The experience reminded him of his sister watching over his shoulder as he flipped through a picture book, and suddenly, he was there again.

He sat at the foot of the bed where his sister lay, watching as the last breaths of life escaped her lips. Raykar tried to pull away but couldn’t, and he was forced to watch again as she died. When he finally ripped himself free, it was only to be surrounded by other memories of his sister. Experiences he had once held close in his mind now stabbed like daggers. Soon he was crying, the pain of losing her had nearly broken him. Annara had been so innocent, so young and kind. She didn’t deserve death.

Caught in the waves of pain and sorrow, Raykar found he was not alone. Another shared his sorrows. He looked to see the dragon standing beside him, watching the scene with pain in her eyes. The sight triggered another memory. Suddenly, he was beneath her claws, staring up into her ruby eyes, awaiting death once more.

The memory froze, and the dragon seemed to move closer, her mental focus melding with his own to better see what he did. As the dragon did this, Raykar could feel her thoughts, and a wave of emotions cascaded over him. Puzzlement. Surprise. Curiosity. Recognition. Amazement.

The memory shifted suddenly, and he was staring down at himself. Anger overwhelmed him as he saw himself lying there, helpless, and alone. A foolish elf that had daredtry and escape only to be caught and die. Then Raykar screamed in defiance, and the anger retreated. Replaced by shock and respect.

Raykar was surprised to find these thoughts and emotions did not belong to him but to the dragon. Something else struck him, what had happened to the darkness? It had been a moonless night when the dragon had caught him. Yet to the dragon's eyes, it was bright as day. He wondered what daylight would look like to the dragon if the night was so bright.

As if in reply, the memory changed again and Raykar gazed down at a valley floor from high above, the sky and land filled with the light of a noonday sun. The light was not as intense as he'd assumed, though the perspective seemed to be narrower than before. Like he was looking through a pair of thin lenses.

His attention was drawn to the colors. Where he would have seen trees with leaves as single shades of green, the dragon saw the light that broke through the leaves. As well as the sun rays that reflected off of them. This allowed for a much more extensive range of colors, though the leaves still appeared green in the traditional sense, yet simply calling it green no longer felt right. It was life and light joined into one, and their song was the harmony that formed color.

Lost in the magnificence of it all, Raykar nearly missed the meaning. The dragon had understood him. She had heard his question and now displayed an answer. Hesitantly he asked, "You…you can understand me?"

The dragon hesitated, and when she finally did respond, it was in the form of a complex string of emotions. Emotions that he was able to interpret as confirmation. Raykar sent back his own series ofemotions, which he hoped would convey understanding. Joy was returned to him, and he laughed. They were beginning to reach a middle ground.

The dragon took over, and he joined in her own memories. To his amazement, they began back when she was still inside her egg. A month before hatching, she was able to hear and sense the minds of her parents, who gently caressed her mind with their own. When she hatched, she knew them better than an elven child knew their parents. She later explained to Raykar that all dragons experienced this.

As they continued to share their lives, it became difficult to distinguish where one mind ended, and the other began. The dragon grew to understand his language, and he hers, and they began speaking to each other as the memories continued.

Eventually, they returned to Teleca and together watched it burn. One perspective was from the air, and the other from a distant hill. “I am sorry for this, my friend,” the dragon said, and he felt her sorrow and guilt.

“Thank you,” Raykar said. “I’m sorry for what this caused.”

Many battles followed after that, and together they mourned the deaths of both dragons and elves. Then came the fight between Raykar and the green dragon, and the memory froze.

“Vallenral,” The dragon hissed.

“You knew him?”

“Aye, I knew him. Vallenral long enjoyed bringing pain to your people and often sought to capture those he fought for torture.”

“But we are at war. Such things are common, are they not?” Raykar regretted the words the moment he spoke them.

The dragon growled angrily, “To some, perhaps. But for those of us with even the faintest sliver of honor, such acts are appalling. It is barbaric to watch someone suffer, no matter the species or reason.”

Raykar shied away from her until her anger calmed.Then said, “If so, then you may find what follows favorable.”

The memory resumed, and Raykar felt her rage when he was taken by Vallenral to be tortured. “Why should this bring me pleasure?” she hissed.

“Shh,” Raykar chided, “just watch.”

Through the day that followed, Raykar deliberately made the memory play slowly. Though he didn’t enjoy watching himself struggle, he did relish the dragon’s reaction. She took over and caused the memory’s speed to increase as she growled, “I grow tired of your love for suspense.” She paused, “That is the correct word, yes? Suspense?”

“Yes,” Raykar chuckled. She might have said more but was stunned to silence when Nockel entered the memory. The memory slowed, and she watched the battle between Vallenral and the griffin. Then the memory grew dark, and she growled again.

“Another of your little games, Raykar?”

“Oh, sure, you try getting tossed around like a rag doll some time. See how long you stay conscious.”

Raykar awoke, and the dragon focused on the memory once more as Vallenral fell out of the sky, his wings torn and bloody. There was a grim satisfaction from her upon seeing him like this, “A fitting end for him.”

When Nockel caught Raykar and forced him in to sleep with his mind, he expected the dragon to comment. She didn’t, apparently having learned from their previous arguments.

“Shut up,” she growled, sensing his thoughts.

They watched in silence for the span of Raykar’s stay with the griffin and elf family, speeding through some parts and lingering on others until Corrin recited the prophecy. She paid close attention to this, the discussion that followed, and the next morning’s events. “So, they taught you how to enter a dragon’s mind,” she remarked.

The memory continued until Raykar left the clearing and headed for Hell’s Gate, where the dragon let the imagesfade.

“Now we have returned to the present,” she said.

“Not quite, we haven’t fought yet or—”

“Oh, shut up,” She growled though he could detect the humor in her voice. “Do you believe this prophecy could be true?” she asked more seriously. “That we, together, are meant to end this war and usher in a new era of peace?”

Raykar hesitated only a moment before saying, “Yes, I do.” There was silence between them as they considered there fate until something occurred to Raykar. He still had no name to call the dragon by.

“I realize you do not yet have a name in my language and thinking of you as ‘dragon’ is getting tiresome.”—She chuckled—” What name would you have me call you by?”

She considered for a time, “Annara, like your sister.”

Raykar smiled, “I think the name suits you, my friend. Annara, you shall be.”

As he spoke her name, something strange happened. The connection between them broke, and Raykar’s eyes fluttered open. His hands still rested on Annara’s head, where he had placed them, and light now dimly lit the interior of the cave. His knees felt sore from kneeling for so long. He tried to stand and stretch, but his body refused to obey. Confused, Raykar tried to turn his head to see what the matter was and found that action to be impossible.

A wave of fear coursed through him as he noticed Annara. Her expression was fierce and angry. His hands lifted from Annara’s head on their own accord, and he stood without willing it so. It was then that he realized the truth.

Raykar’s body was no longer his to control. The dragon had claimed that right for herself. It was what he feared, to lose control over his own body to be subject to another’s will. He’d been a fool,what had really happened between them in the night?

 His hands gripped the knife, and he spoke the incantation before pulling the blade free of the stone and sheathed it. He removed the spear next and set it on the ground before uncoiling the bola from Annara’s jaw.

The dragon stood, working the soreness out of her jaw. There was a small cut under her chin where the bola had rubbed a scale loose, and Raykar felt a moment of guilt before remembering he was now her slave. She looked down at him, her eyes meeting his, and when her maw opened, Raykar knew his life was over.

A torrent of flame billowed toward him, and he gazed up into it, unable to look away as death came. Then as the fire cascaded over him, Raykar was shocked to find he was still alive. When the flame ended, Raykar looked down at himself, the ability to do so suddenly returned to him. The fire had not burned his skin, though a low flame still danced around his body, like an aura.

Slowly the flames faded, seeming to pull into his body, and he thought he felt them gather in his chest where they formed a little fire within him. Then the fire inside faded as well, leaving him feeling cold.

“Raykar!” a voice screamed in his mind, Annara’s voice. He glanced up at her and found her angry expression had turned to one of concern. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you? I don’t know what came over me, you spoke my name, and suddenly you were gone, then when I wake up I see you lit like a torch beneath me!”

“I’m alright,” Raykar said. He shivered as a light breeze wafted through the cave. “Just a little cold, that’s all.”

“Cold?” Annara asked, sounding surprised,but Raykar wasn’t listening.

Annara had been unconscious when he’d been controlled, and apparently, she had been as well. They had both acted without any knowledge of what they were doing, like puppets on strings, but who had held the strings? Oddly, a line of the prophecy entered his mind, whispered to him by a voice he’d never heard, “He must journey to the Gates of Hell, and be reborn by flame. Then return through the ancient spell, bound by heart and name.”

They looked at each other, both of them had heard the voice. 

“What was that?” Raykar asked.

Annara seemed afraid, “I think I might know, but I’m not sure how.”

“You don’t suppose…”

“The Guardian of Night and Shadows. Legends say she can speak into the minds of all beings, no matter where they are. Some even claim it is through her that griffins gained their affinity for the mind.”

Raykar shivered, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold. Being controlled like that, Guardian or no, wasn’t something he wanted to feel again. 

“Nor I,” Annara said, growling. Raykar shivered again, and Annara’s anger evaporated, replaced by the need to care for her bond. She touched his forehead with her snout, breathing warm air into his hair. “Here,” she said and stepped closer to him. She lay down beside him and lifted a wing, pushing him gently under it with her snout.

Raykar stepped forward and ran a hand over the smooth scales on her side, finding them warm to the touch. He leaned against them and felt his cold skin warm a little. Sighing contentedly, he lay down beside her, suddenly remembering how tired he was. Annara lowered her wing, and he was enclosed in a blanket of heat. He heard her tail scrape against the ground as she lowered herhead beside him, forming a tight circle like a sleeping cat with her young nestled against her fur.

The thought made Raykar smile, and he soon fell asleep.

Raykar felt Annara touch his mind as she nuzzled him with her snout. “Wake up, Raykar. The sun just went down. Night has fallen.”

“Hu?” Raykar said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Shh. Get up, we need to leave now, while my brothers and sisters are asleep.”

Raykar yawned, trying to stay quiet. “Has the moon risen yet?” he asked.

“No.”

“Good,” Raykar rose, and with a hand resting against Annara’s side for guidance, he found her shoulder and heaved himself into the hollow at the base of her neck. Without the moon’s light, the other dragons would have difficulty seeing him on Annara’s back as she flew out of the valley.

“Where are your weapons?” 

Raykar cursed and moved to climb off Annara’s back.

“No, stay there, I’ll get them,” Annara said and rose to her feet. “I can see better in the dark than you can, and we don’t have time to have you stumbling around in my cave.”

Raykar muttered something unpleasant, and Annara chuckled, the sound reminding him of a choking horse. She glared back at him, and this time it was Raykar’s turn to chuckle.

“Like you sound any better.”

She found the bola and spear, grabbed them in a clawed paw, and half walked half hopped to the cave mouth. Raykar hugged Annara’s neck as she spread her wings and jumped out of the cave.

Raykar sent her an image of the tree he had left his pack in, and after a minute of searching, she landed beside it, dropping the spear and bola as he slid off her back. He sheathed the spear and tied the bola to his belt beside the knife, then climbed the tree toretrieve his pack.

Annara sidled up to the tree, allowing Raykar to drop out of the tree and onto her back. A few moments later, they were in the air again, flying west, away from Hell’s gate.

For the first couple hours, Raykar spent his time holding onto Annara as she shifted through the air, rising and falling with the ever-changing currents. When he began to feel he was getting used to shifting his weight to match her movements, the moon rose, and he became distracted by what was revealed below. From his time sharing memories with Annara, Raykar thought he had grown accustomed to looking down on Etheria from the sky. Yet seeing it with his own eyes felt strangely different.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Annara asked, glancing back at him.

“Beautiful seems too mild a word for this,” Raykar replied, grinning.

“I know what you mean,” Annara glanced down, admiring the scene before her. “Though, if you think that of this, what I have yet to show you might take your breath away.”

Raykar tried asking her what she meant, but Annara refused to answer, telling him only that he would have to wait and see. Eventually, Annara changed the topic by asking Raykar what he planned to do when they reached the army camp. For the remainder of the night, they discussed a plan. They would find Raykar’s commander and convince him that they had fulfilled the prophecy. They hoped he would see that their existence proved it was possible to live in peace with the dragons. If that plan failed, however, they would go to cities, both dragon and elven, and convince the people instead.

When the sky began to light with the coming dawn, Annara arced upward and took them above the clouds. Raykar thought the sight was incredible until the sun rose,its rays streaking through the clouds beneath them, changing them from white to brilliant pinks and purples. He gazed over it all in awe with no words to describe it, as no words he knew could compare to the wondrous sight.

Annara grinned back at him, the light glinting off her fangs, “Glad I didn’t spoil it for you?”

“Wow,” was all Raykar could muster in response.

She laughed and circled in the air. A few moments later, the joy emanating from Annara to Raykar changed to a feeling of dread as she looked down through a gap in the clouds. Raykar followed her gaze and saw the reason for her despair.

They were flying over the location where the army encampment had been when the green dragon, Vallenral, had taken him. Now there was no sign of it.

Annara landed, and Raykar dismounted, his sore limbs protesting the moment he hit the ground. He had no time to dwell on that. He had to find out where the army had gone. They found a worn trail with deep rivets in the dirt, which marked the passage of wagons.

They flew northward along the trail. A couple hours later, they found the new army camp. As they came near, a horn blast sounded, and they turned to face the sound. Two massive armies, one elven and the other draconic, faced each other in preparation for battle.

The elven army was far larger than Raykar remembered it being, and he guessed his army must have joined with another. As they watched, another horn blasted, and the elves began to move forward onto the battlefield. Seconds later, a loud roar echoed back, and the dragons surged forward as well.

“We have to stop this!” Raykar said. If they didn’t do something now, thousands would die, if not millions for inthe distance behind the elvan force lay the elvan capital, the City of Aleran. If the elves lost this battle…

“No lives will be lost today!” Annara declared and dove toward the center of the battlefield where a large rock stood. The two armies were fast approaching, and Raykar feared they would soon be crushed by them. Annara shared none of his fear and beat her mighty wings harder.

They crashed into the large stone, and Annara lifted her head to face her brothers and sisters as Raykar dismounted to stand behind her, facing his own people. Upon seeing them, both armies slowed as battle cries and roars faltered, allowing silence to fall over the field.

“My fellow elves hear me!” Raykar shouted so all could hear him. “For a millennium, we have fought, and for a millennium, our people have suffered. No victory will ever be found in this war, and soon there will be nothing left of us but bones and ash unless we can find a better way. The ancient prophecy foretold the coming of a hero who would come and make peace with the dragons. Now we stand before you, I, and my dragon companion, Annara. Proof that the prophecy has come to pass! The war is over!” Raykar brandished his spear above his head.

Silence.

“He’s sided with the dragons!”

“Traitor!”

Raykar felt similar accusations assault Annara from the dragons, and dread overcame them both. Annara bared her fangs as the two armies surged forward once again, both sides racing for the stone on which they stood. Raykar felt his blood turn to ice. They were going to die.

No! A voice shouted inside his mind, his voice. The prophecy led me here, led us here. I traveled to Hell’s Gate as the prophecy said the hero would. I was spared by adragon, like the prophecy said the hero would be. Then I was saved by dragon’s bane, the griffin Nockel. Raykar gripped his spear and felt a fire burn within his chest. The prophecy foretold our coming here. It said we would end the war! WE WILL NOT DIE HERE!

Sensing his thoughts, Annara turned just as Raykar thrust his spear into the ground. The fire inside him raged, demanding to be released, and he thrust it forward. His hands burst alight with flame along with the spear between them. A column of fire shot into the air as if from the spear itself as Raykar roared, “ENOUGH!”

Silence returned to the battlefield, and Raykar heaved, his heart beating like a war drum inside his chest. He’d closed his eyes when the pillar of flame appeared, and he opened them again to find his entire body engulfed in flames, the way it had been when Annara had breathed fire over him. Raykar looked up and through the dancing flames to see the elven army watching him in awe.

One by one, the elves dropped their weapons and bowed. From Annara’s eyes, he could see the dragons do the same, and a moment later, he felt and heard the tumultuous cry: “THE WAR IS OVER! THE WAR IS WON!”

The events that followed the ending of the Thousand Year War are a matter of debate among scholars, historians, and story tellers alike. Some claim that Raykar and Annara became King of the elves and Queen of the dragons. In contrast, others believe Annara and Raykar flew off into the sunset, never to be seen again, like the ending to some fairy tale or other such rubbish. Yet no matter the accounting or story, two facts hold true throughout.

The first is thus: The bond Annara and Raykarshared forever stood as a reminder to both dragons and elves that they could indeed live in peace. Since then, no elf has had reason to raise arms against a dragon in war.

And the second is thus: Before they died and passed through Creation’s Gate, Raykar gave two of Annara’s eggs to the elves, in hopes of finding riders for them. As all know, these eggs hatched to two elves, whose names have been recorded in history and legend. Since then, elves of all class and race have gathered for the monthly Choosing in hopes of becoming Riders.