Sky Riders: The Rising Sun
Fehr Zähmer

They entered the gates of Zwûrdgit Stöhl, flanked on eitherside by the hundred dwarfish soldiers led by Captain Felsen. Dwarves of allages peered down at them from the windows of the towering stone buildings,curiosity lighting up their beady eyes. Elaborate tapestries hung between thewindows, embroidered with the crests of different clans.

Felsen marched them along the narrow streets to the centerof the city. There, another stone building rose in front of them, larger thanthe others. Wide stained-glass windows watched them carefully as theyapproached the only non-stone structure they had yet to encounter—the massivewooden doors to the apparent palace.

“Aufen!” Felsen barked to his soldiers. The men immediatelystopped outside of the doors and stood at attention. He turned to them, a smilebarely visible beneath his beard. “Fehr Zähmer and friends,” he said kindly,“please follow me to see the king.”

He turned and raised his heavy, mail-backed glove, poundingtwice on the large doors. The wooden doors swung inward on some sort of hiddenmechanism, exposing an elaborate hall. The stone floors were polished untilthey shone with a variety of colors. On either side of the path,larger-than-life statues of former dwarf kings lined the walls. Each was carvedin a stone of different color with such detail that Eliana half expected themto spring to life before her eyes.

Directly ahead of them, a dwarf sat on a tall-backed throne.If it were not so apparent who he was, Eliana might have laughed at the sightof him. He was small, even by dwarf standards; if he’d stood beside her, Elianaguessed he would have barely reached her waist, even with the tall crown on hishead.

The throne was too large for him. A stepstool of carvedstone sat in front of his throne so that he could reach the seat. His feet,which were covered by thick boots, did not even reach the stepstool in front ofhim.

Felsen dropped to a knee in front of his king, placing hisfist to his forehead. Eliana immediately mimicked the gesture and, at a lookfrom her, Iocus and Caedis did the same. Even Astrum bent a foreleg and dippedhis white muzzle to the ground.

“Arise,” King Stährklav said. They all stood and faced him.His dark blue eyes peered at them over the top of a well-kempt black beard.“Who are you?” he asked calmly.

“Your majesty,” Felsen answered, “these are the intrudersthat your spell-weavers sensed approaching.”

Eliana took a small step forward so that she stood slightlyin front of her companions. Again, she removed the glove from her hand andextended her marked palm so that the king could see the shimmering gold flame.

“My name is Eliana. I am a dragon Rider. This is Iocus,Caedis, and Astrum. We’ve come seeking the help of the dwarves.”

The king’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at her palm.After a pause, he asked, “What kind of help would require an elf, an elvenRider, a human, and a wolf to unite with one another?”

“With all due respect, your majesty, I am only half elf; myfather was human. And Astrum is no wolf.”

“Truly, King Stährklav,” Astrum interrupted, “your kindcould not have forgotten me already. I thought the dwarves had long memories.”

The little king looked truly stunned at the sound of thewolf’s voice. “Astrum… the elves’ Seer? Why, my kind has not seen you since youwere a weasel!”

The white wolf sighed. “Ah, yes. One of my less majesticforms. It was unfortunate that I should possess it at the beginning of theGreat War. It was very difficult for me to get anyone to take me seriously.Plus, I had a tendency of getting my tail stepped on.”

Eliana saw a slight grin form behind the dark beard. “Yes, Iremember the stories. My ancestor tried to kill you when he first saw you. Hethought the elves had brought a rodent infestation into the palace!” Astrumgrimaced as the king let out a booming laugh that did not match his stature.Then the king turned his eyes back to Eliana. “So, Lady Fehr Zähmer, you sayyou are a halfling.”

She gave a short nod. “Yes,” she answered briefly. A part ofher wondered if this would pose a problem for the dwarves, as it had for manyelves and humans.

To her surprise, the king smiled and replied, “Then whobetter to unite the two bloods? Now, what aid can I offer to you and yourfriends, Fehr Zähmer?”

She could suppress her curiosity no longer. “I beg yourpardon, King Stährklav, but if I may first ask, what is ‘Fehr Zähmer’?”

“Why, you are!” he replied with an amused grin. “In ourtongue, it means ‘Fire Tamer.’ It is a name our people have used for the Ridersfor centuries before their fall.”

She acknowledged the answer with a nod and, her questionsatisfied, returned to her original intention. “King Stährklav, the elves andthe humans are finally uniting. The humans have grown weary of the emperors’cruel reign, and the elves wish to come out of hiding, to not live in fear ofbeing hunted any longer. We wish to overthrow Emperor Nocens, but we know thatwe cannot do this alone. We need as many allies as we can muster. This is whywe have come to you. Will you join us in our fight?”

The blue eyes surveyed her from behind the black beard,looking very serious. He turned to Captain Felsen for a moment. “Captain.”

“Yes, your majesty?”

“How many soldiers are under your command?”

“In Zwûrdgit Stöhl alone, there are three thousand mightywarriors,” Felsen responded proudly. “If we act quickly, we can summon near toten thousand more from the other dwarf cities.”

Eliana felt her head spin at the numbers. How could so manydwarves live beneath the soil of Paerolia for so long without being noticed?

The king turned back to the Rider, “You see, you are askingme a great deal—the lives of thirteen thousand of my own men put at risk.”

To her surprise, Caedis spoke from behind her. “Yourmajesty, this would be an aid to you as well, a release from your captivitybeneath the earth. You’ve been in hiding here since Nocens’ ancestors firsttook the throne. They hunted you and drove you underground permanently. Don’tyou wish to see the outside world again?”

A distant, dreamy look came into the king’s eyes. “I neverhave seen the outside world,” he said airily. “Few dwarves have. But those thathave ventured forth have returned with the most wonderful stories. We arelovers of stone, but what lies behind these rock walls fascinates my people,entices their wildest dreams. I should like to see it for myself someday.”

“Then join us,” Iocus interjected. “Help to free us all. Youwill be forever known as the king that led your people into the world above theearth, who made them a free people once again.”

There was a long silence as the king studied the Rider andher little band. Then Captain Felsen spoke. “If I might offer my advice, yourexcellency. It seems that joining them would be a wise choice. The Fehr Zähmerhave returned! How would our people view you if they learned the first FehrZähmer offered to free us from beneath these mountains, and you did not aidher?”

Another pause, then the king said, “It would appear that youhave gained a new ally, Fehr Zähmer Eliana.”

She bowed low, hiding the smile that bloomed on her face.“One that I am sure will be a most formidable opponent to our enemies.”

When she straightened, the king was smiling brightly. “I willsend Captain Felsen and his strongest soldiers back to your camp with you. Youcan discuss strategies, and he will report back to me. We will send envoys tothe other dwarf cities and gather those who will fight as well. When the timecomes, the dwarves will be ready.”

“Thank you, your majesty.”

King Stährklav immediately began to speak to Captain Felsenin their own rough language, giving him whatever commands he required. Then,the armor-clad dwarf turned and hurried back out the doors.

“He has gone to fetch his ten strongest men,” King Stährklavexplained. “They will accompany you back to your village. You may go.” As theyturned to leave, he spoke again. “And Astrum?”

The white wolf turned to him curiously. “Yes, your majesty?”

“I much prefer this form.”

A slight smile curved his muzzle. “Thank you, your majesty.”

They exited the palace and found Captain Felsen and tenother gruff-looking soldiers waiting for them. The others who had accompaniedthem to the palace had been dispersed. After briefly exchanging niceties witheach of Felsen’s soldiers, the captain indicated that they were ready todepart, and they began their march back down the streets towards the longtunnel, which would take them back out to the beach.

Evidently, word of their arrival and exactly who Eliana washad spread throughout Zwûrdgit Stöhl. Dwarves crowded the narrow streets andhung from high windows, shouting, “Fehr Zähmer! Fehr Zähmer!” as if it weresome sort of chant. Eliana managed a small, uncertain smile and waved to thecrowds; this was an even more boisterous reception than she had received fromthe humans or the elves.

At last, they escaped the city, the chanting of itsinhabitants still echoing around them. As they rounded the first bend in thetunnel, the stones around them muted the remaining shouts from Zwûrdgit Stöhl.Soon, the only remaining sounds were the tramping of the dwarves’ studded bootsand the jangling of their mail.

At a fork in the tunnel, Captain Felsen turned his troopstowards the left path. Eliana stopped, looking between the tunnels inconfusion. He noticed her halt, and stopped the rest of the company.

“Is there a problem Fehr Zähmer?” he asked.

She gestured in confusion towards the right-hand tunnel.“Isn’t this the way back to the beach?”

He gave a short nod, dipping his braided beard to hismail-clad chest. “Yes, it is. Which is why we are not going that way. Dwarvescannot swim, m’lady. We have another tunnel to the surface world, though noneof us has used it in decades.”

Eliana shrugged slightly and the company resumed its march;she didn’t doubt that Felsen would know these tunnels far better than she did.She made a silent note to return to the beach later and fetch their bows andquivers. The tunnel they traveled began to wind upwards, turning backwards onitself in a continuously climbing spiral at an increasingly steep angle.

The sturdy dwarves and Iocus, hardy elf that he was, had notrouble with the steep slope of the floor beneath them. Eliana and Caedis,however, continued to slip on loose stones, grabbing hold of the nearest dwarfto keep from falling. Finally, Iocus put a firm arm around Eliana’s waist anddragged her up the slope behind him while two dwarves pushed Caedis frombehind. She could see the smirks behind all of their braided beards.

At last, the earth beneath their feet began to level out andsoon, a distant light was visible. Eliana had never been so relieved to see thesun in her life. The dwarves hesitated, their small, dark eyes squinted in thedirection of the unfamiliar brightness. Even Eliana was forced to blink, hereyes adjusting from the dim light of torches in the dwarves’ tunnels.

Eager to be out in the open again, free of the enclosedspaces, Eliana set out at a brisk trot towards the light, motioning impatientlyfor the cautious dwarves to follow. They exchanged brief glances, thenfollowed, their small feet beating noisily through the stony halls.

A cluster of undergrowth blocked the tunnel, and Eliana castit aside with a swipe of her hand. They broke from out of the base of themountain into the brilliant spring sunshine. Gloved hands flew up to shieldsmall, black eyes as the dwarves gasped in surprise.

Eliana watched them, smiling, as they took in theirsurroundings. They were standing just on the edge of the northern border of theforest, where it grew against the base of the mountain. Before them lay thewide expanse of green field, with Amiscan at the center.

The Rider opened her arms, gesturing to everything aroundthem. “Welcome to the world above the stone!” she said with a laugh.

As the dwarves’ eyes began to adjust to the unexpected glareof the sun, smiles began to form behind the unruly beards. A small laughescaped Felsen as he stepped towards a tree, touching its rough bark with hisfingertips. He looked towards Eliana; she noticed that his eyes seemed to havegrown brighter in the sunlight, and now showed dark green irises.

“Is this a… a tree?” he asked in apparent awe.

Eliana suppressed a laugh at his question, realizing he musthave never seen one before. She gave a short nod. “Yes, it is.”

He and the other dwarves turned their faces up to gaze atthe distant branches. “Incredible,” Felsen whispered. “Our stories tell thattrees are tall, but I never imagined them to be anything like this. They seemnearly as tall as the palace!”

An earth-shaking roar startled the awe-struck dwarves,causing them to reach for spears and war axes. Eliana whipped around, turningher eyes to the sky. Oriens was diving at them, barreling towards the group atfull speed, smoke streaming from his nostrils.

“Oriens!” sheshouted to him. “Slow down! You’refrightening them!”

The dragon slowed slightly, but his approaching form wasstill a formidable sight. Eliana turned back to the dwarves, many of whom weredrawing back their spears, ready to throw. Terror was apparent on their faces.

“No, it’s okay!” she reassured them. “He is my dragon. His name is Oriens. He won’thurt you.”

They lowered their spears slightly, but she could see thatthey kept firm grips on the carved wooden shafts. The air around them shookfrom the impact of Oriens’ wings as he flapped backwards twice and landed infront of them. No sooner had his claws sunk into the earth than another formcame sprinting up from behind him.

Caelum skidded to a halt in front of the group. His wide,blue eyes darted from Felsen to Astrum to Eliana. He gazed at her for a momentas he tried to catch his breath. At last, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Of course,” she answered warily, uncertain of his reasonsfor asking. Did he suddenly care again? “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He didn’t answer her. His eyes narrowed to angry slits andthe brilliant blue darkened as he turned to Iocus. The child-like elf liftedhis chin, tilting his head slightly to the side and raising his eyebrows.

In one movement, Caelum stepped forward and threw his fist forward,throwing his weight behind it. His knuckled collided solidly with Iocus’ chin,sending him sprawling onto the dirt. The elf pushed himself up into a sittingposition and rubbed his jaw in surprise.

Eliana rushed forward and grabbed hold of Caelum’s arm,stopping the elf captain from charging in and pummeling his soldier. “Caelum!”she shouted. “What are you doing?”

He shrugged her off and pointed a threatening finger at Iocus.“Don’t you ever touch her again!” he snarled.

Iocus looked confused for a moment, then realization crossedhis face. He gave a smirk, despite the bruise that was already blossoming onthe side of his face. “So I assume the dragon told you I kissed her?” he askedsmugly.

Caelum pulled his arm from Eliana’s grasp and grabbed thefront of Iocus’ tunic with both of his hands. “Never do it again,” he spat.

The younger elf met his captain’s gaze calmly, hisexpression defiant. “She’s not yours,” he responded quietly.

Caelum’s expression tightened, making it apparent that Iocushad struck a nerve. The captain shoved his soldier to the ground, then turnedand stormed back towards the village. Caedis helped pull Iocus to his feet asthe dwarves gave them all surprised, confused looks.

Oriens took a large step forward until he towered directlyover Iocus. He lowered his massive head, studying the elf with an angry greeneye. Lifting one large, serrated claw, the great dragon pressed its tip to theelf’s chest. The blood drained from Iocus’ face.

“But she is mine,” Oriens growled, his silent voicelimited to only Eliana’s and Iocus’ minds. “Andyou will never touch my Rider again. Now… go.” On the last word, he blew acloud of gray smoke into Iocus’ pale face.

As soon as the claw was lowered from his chest, Iocussprinted towards Amiscan as if a legion of demons were on his heels. Eliana crossedher arms and glared at Oriens, who was watching Iocus’ quickly retreatingfigure.

“There was no need forthat,” she scolded him.

The dragon’s gaze flickered to her, but he made no reply.Felsen cleared his throat loudly from behind her, and Eliana turned to him withan embarrassed expression.

“I am very sorry, Captain Felsen,” she apologized. “I assureyou, I did not expect this kind of greeting upon your arrival. I hope you willnot judge our people too quickly.”

He nodded briefly. “Understood, Fehr Zähmer. I know as wellas anyone that arguments arise in even the strongest of armies. But I do haveone question I would like to ask.”

“Please, ask anything you like.”

“These two races—humans and elves—have fought like animalsfor centuries. What do you see for them in the future? What vision do you havefor these people?”

His question caught her off guard. Of course, she wanted peacebetween the two races. But there was more to it than that—much more. Sheglanced around for a moment, considering, searching for an appropriate answer.Childish laughter in the distance drew her attention to a field outside ofAmiscan.

She smiled. “There,” she said, pointing. “That is myvision.”

Their eyes followed her extended finger to where twochildren played. They chased each other about, shouting incoherently, theirwords overpowered by their laughter. One had brown hair and bright blue eyes.The other had violet eyes, his pointed ears showing beneath his shaggy,raven-colored hair.

“I want more than just peace between our races,” sheexplained. “I want companionship, friendship. Those children know no hatredtowards one another. They don’t see an elf or a human. They see only a friend.They do not draw lines because of their race. That is what I want for us all.”