The Children of Gods (Chemai and Erranruin)

[Chemai]

Lanara paused to wipe her hand across her forehead and tuck a stray strand of long dark hair behind her ear. She had been scrambling up the mountainside for two days and her muscles had long since started to burn fiercely. Her childhood of swimming in the lake around Lacos had made her very fit, but she had done a lot less in the last few years living in Artan and she was finding climbing very different to swimming. She looked down and shivered, the green land spread below her was truly beautiful but she had grown up living on a lake where everything was flat and heights didn't suit her so well. She turned back to the rock in front of her, forgetting the view and focusing on one thing – her goal. She would reach Ruthad, and she would become a dragon rider. She would become the strongest and no one would have power over her again.

She resumed her climb and after a few hours she reached a sheer cliff face. Scowling, she turned back to look for another way around and couldn’t find one. Well, I suppose it was too much to ask for to get up the entire mountain without meeting this. She sat down on a ledge and reached into her pack for some water. She brought out the rope but she couldn’t see anywhere to put it. Okay. Right. I can do this. I will do this. Shouldering the pack again she faced the cliff and found a handhold. She slowly inched her way up moving one limb at a time. The burn in her limbs quickly became unbearable and she growled at it, pushing herself further and faster, refusing to give in. I will not give in, I will not be defeated! She shouted in her head. Beads of sweat rolled into her eyes and when she could no longer see the next handhold she stopped to wipe them away. To her horror when she looked again for the next place to put her hands she could not find one. No. No! She searched furiously and desperately, contorting herself dangerously, trying to find some niche that had been hidden from her view. There were none. She looked below her but the last handhold was too far away and her muscles felt like they were going to melt away any second. She yelled wordlessly at the rock and sagged against it, unable to go up or down. Uncontrolled fury rolled through her, barely disguising the helplessness and terror that had existed just under the surface since that night.

[Erranruin]

Thud

The wind screamed through the granite spires and spun out wildly in the valley spaces.

Thud

Shivering clouds closed around the peaks and held on as invisible hands tried to blow it away.

Thud

Ruval drew in the sweet, clear air of the heights and sighed happily as his heart beat in sync with the beat of great wings. Briethal spun with the wind into the sky and Ruval laughed like thunder at her playfulness. A boom of real thunder answered its imitator as though the god was laughing with his son.

Ruval and Briethal circled lazily however Ruval's mind was not being lazy. He was wrangling a problem in his head and it was besting him for the moment. How best to confess love? It simply was not something he had fought before and no one seemed to be helpful. Sinaruin had only ever loved a god so she had no real experience in normal relationships and she could only give advice upon how she would like to be wooed. Being a very differentperson to Ruval's object of attachment this hindered more than helped. Everyone else was teasing and irratating so Ruval had given up on them quickly.

Cloudy greys and confused oranges fogged his mind until the piercing black of Briethal's mind struck through it all and swept it aside.

No tricks or plans will win her. Confidence is the way to win a mate. These words came with the sense of her own dissappointment that no males had the confidence to win her.

Ruval chuckled but sympathised with her plight. There really was no one worthy of her except her father. He considered her words and trusted them. There was no point agonising, doing was the way forward. This new determination had the pair flying back to Ruthad before the thought had been formed and Ruval was eager to return and put his heart to the test.

A cry of pure rage reverberated across the mountains and Ruval spied a small figure clinging to the cliff face. Ruval barely acknowleded it, it was simply another failiure, no need to pay attention.

Ruval the thunder rumbled, save the girl. Ruval was surprised by his father, why should he care for some human girl? "Why?" he asked the sky. The girl is alike to you, but also a complete opposite of you the sky rumbled with laughter at its riddling. Save her my son it rumbled once more.

Ruval shrugged and Briethal dove down towards the struggling girl. Ruval leaped from his dragon's back and dug his fingers into the hard rock. He hung just above the girl for a split second then dropped to her side, grabbed her round her waist and pushed away from the rock. Briethal caught them both and shot away towards the peak.

[Chemai]

Lanara’s head was resting against the rock when she felt a small thud shake the rock above her. Instantly on alert again, emotions pushed away to be dealt with later, she looked up just as a man dropped down next to her, wrapped his arms around her and then they were falling. She opened her mouth to scream but before she could they landed on something hard, and strong rhythmic pulses of air were sending them soaring upwards. A dragon. She thought, stunned. Then, A dragon, which means a dragon rider.

Her confused and exhausted mind kicked back into motion. She had been rescued from the cliff face. Rescued. This could not be happening. Indignation and humiliation filled her and her already tattered control snapped. She twisted in his arms, trying to dislodge him but his grip wouldn’t loosen. Fresh terror began to rise in her and images of another night, other arms flashed through her mind. Her struggles increased and her hands brushed against something hard against her stomach. My knife! She had forgotten it in her terror and now she reached down and brought it out, aiming at the only place she could reach, his arm. She stabbed back with all the force she could muster from her exhausted muscles.

[Erranruin]

Ruval was shocked by the girl's behaviour. It simply did not make sense for a rescuee to attack their rescuer. Even through his surprise it barely took effort to disarm her. A quick grab at her wrist with a simple flick of his thumb had the weapon spinning out into space. He let her wrist go to catch it before it fell away and with it in his hand he positioned her so that she faced him before letting her go completely and offering it to her.

"Seeing as Briethal is the one keeping you from falling to your death perhaps you should attack her rider after your feet are safely back on soil?" He gave her a toothy grin to put her at ease since it was obvious that she was tense. He particularly noticed she didnt like him to touch her and he snarled inside his head at the reasons he could think of for that. Briethal growled silently back even more intently. It was truely the worst thing a male dragon could do and any dragon would tear a perpetrator limb from limb be it his friend, son, brother or father.

[Chemai]

Lanara’s heart thudded painfully fast and fear made her breath speed as he disarmed her and turned her around to face him. “Get your hands off me!” She snapped and shrank away from him as soon as he let her go, blushing a deep red that was a quarter anger and three quarters embarrassment. She cursed herself as she did; hoping he took it for anger. He had disarmed and manhandled her as if she was a child! She eyed the blade for a moment, considering whether it was a trick. Then she considered turning it against him again and decided it wasn’t worth the humiliation. She took the knife and smoothly stowed it into a pocket of the man’s shirt she had stolen when she left the city.

She thought about his remark and decided there was nothing she could say to it without looking even more of a fool. So she settled for sitting still, trying her best to stay level as the dragon swerved through the air, and glaring silently at him. That was when she noticed the slant of his ears and his face that was not quite human. An elf. That explained how easily he had overpowered her at least. She had met elves occasionally as she had grown up; Lacos had close links with the elves of Teliath. But never elves like this. He was a dragon rider and a battle elf, about as far from the peaceful masters of healing as they were from humans. She was irritated to realise she felt envy of him; he had the power and strength that she desired so very much. Well, I shall have it soon as well.

“Where are we going?” She asked warily, wondering if she was lucky enough that he would take her to Ruthad at the same time as she was furious that she had needed his help.

[Erranruin]

Ruval had let her go reluctantly since they were now speeding up through the air and he was sure she would be blow off Briethal by the turbulence. She didnt seem to be going anywhere soon but he still itched with worry. He couldn't care less if she had fallen from the cliff face butnow he had her on his dragon it was a matter of pride not to let her fall.

Her question made him think quickly and he decided upon Ruthad simply because it was the first place he thought of. "Ruthad. Please hold on! I dont care what too, just stop yourself rocking around like that, its fraying my nerves." He sighed gratefully as he saw the tall towers of Ruthad come into sight. Hopefully he could get rid of this angry, snappy woman and get back to Halia.

Halia's face appeared immediately when he thought of her and the memory of her smile brought one onto Ruval's face as for a few moments he stared out into space. He quickly remembered he had a bitey, violent passenger and brought his attention back to the moment.

[Chemai]

Lanara’s eyes lit up when he said they were going to Ruthad. At his next comment she grimaced and grabbed hold of one of the dragon’s spines. She wasn’t going to fall off. Briethal, he had called her. The dragon was huge and shining black, glinting crimson where the sunlight fell upon her scales. Lanara could feel the power in her as she beat her enormous wings up and down, propelling them through the sky. She was beautiful. She thought back to the little she knew of dragons through rumours in the city. There were many different rumours and she doubted most of them were true. It was said that they could read minds, even that they could control minds. That they ate any dragon that was weaker than them, that they ate humans who were too weak. Her lips twitched up into the hint of a smile for a second. She could believe that one. She wanted a dragon, she wanted to roam the skies, free and fearless. She would throw herself off that cliff and find her dragon. She didn’t allow herself to doubt that.

His face suddenly broke into a smile and he stared off into the distance absentmindedly for a few moments. It surprised her, she hadn’t expected a look like that from him and she wondered what had caused it. Then he looked back at her, looking annoyed again. I didn’t ask you to rescue me. She thought, irritated. Then she asked without thinking, “Why did you take me off the cliff?” She regretted it the moment she said it. Still, she wanted to know the answer.

[Erranruin]

"Aha," Ruval smirked without humor and an irritated twitch appeared on his brow. "Well apparently 'you are alike to me but also a complete opposite of me.'" He felt guilty the moment he said it. It wasnt fair to include this girl in his irritation and confusion, she was just tired and scared and was riding a huge dragon for the first time. "My father asked me to, thats the reason he gave."

Other dragons were beginning to pass them as the got closer to the landing areas, slabs of rock that jutted out of huge, tall towers.

[Chemai]

Lanara pondered his answer silently, not sure what to make of it. What on earth does that mean? She thought, irritated by the riddle like phrasing. It sounds like he doesn’t understand either. She realised. I wonder who his father is. She opened her mouth to ask then was distracted by her first sight of Ruthad. The majestic rock towers filled her with awe and she struggled to keep it off her face, not quite successfully. “Ruthad.” She breathed almost silently. Then she remembered that elves had sharper hearing than men. Drat, so much for not looking the fool.

[Erranruin]

Ruval chuckled at her amazed tone, happy that Ruthad had that effect. "Ruthad" he agreed quietly. He was very proud of his home and the order that his mother had built.

Dragons were swerving out of Briethal's way, humming respectfully as she past with the males snorting blue flames to impress her. She was very unimpressed. She even snapped at one overeager male who tried to nip playfully at her frill. The rider waved apologetically to Ruval and slammed his fist down upon his foolish dragon's shoulder for all the effect it would have.

Ruval waved back nonchalantly but he wasnt paying attention. Glowing white hair had caught his eye as it flickered in the huge archway into the tower. A small figure held to a pillar and looked gleefully up at Ruval with a vibrant grin. Ruval was instantly smiling.

Briethal made a swift, swooping dive to the jutting rock, fueled by Ruval's sudden joy. She alighted with queenly grace and Ruval vaulted down and was away before her front feet had touched stone. She ignored him as he ran to his girl and seemed completely disinterested when the pair met. She calmly bent to allow the girl to hop down just as Ruval pulled Halia into a fierce embrace and murmered something into her hair that made the girl gasp in surprise. Just at this point Briethal seemed to stiffen with tension, seemed to wait anxiously for Halia's reaction, only the keenest eyes could tell. Halia kissed Ruval's cheek, Ruval kissed her mouth and Briethal sighed with relief.