The Rebellion and what some would call their captives had been on the wind for nearly two days. The only stops along they way they took, were those of natural and pressing need. The dragons were large enough to provide area's for them to sleep. All had come to fall to slumber from time to time, all but one, the Prince. His rage and battered pride kept his mind racing, there had been no rest for him. He wanted nothing more than to take back his mount, but the being had come to turn sour and vicious towards him. The dragons flew in a triangle formation, the beat of their wings falling silent as they came to glide on the waves of cold air so high above the ground.
Akar'gamon had taken his rightful place as the alpha male of the flock. His size, strength and untarnished magical ability, proved him to be the prime candidate. Out of the rest of his kind traveling along with them, the malachite Wyvern kept a close and burning eye upon Raxseis. There was something he did not trust about the male. Something that despite his size made him uneasy. He had come to grow fond of Adalaya and knew of the background both she and her brother held. If those facts were not unsettling enough, the man had attempted to kill his own spawn. He could never trust him, nor would he leave his rider's niece alone with him. As he flew and began to close the gap between air and ground, Akar'gamon vowed, that when the time came, Raxseis would be the first to be slain.
The other two dragons followed his stride, slowly descending to land in Heeka Di Launen'vat, the Marshlands of Calakia. It was the most dangerous part of the country, and home to some of the most nefarious and feared beasts. The Marshland Saber, a feline that stood taller than a horse with long maxillary fangs. They were the mounts of House De'Ram, a grouping of native bands of free women, known as the Sisters of the Marsh. The indigenous people were known to despise men, in fact, they had on more than several occasions, saw them captured and enslaved. To the De'Ram culture, males had but one purpose, the ability to pass on their seed to make children and nothing more. In Calakia, women reigned supreme, the opposite sex was seen as vermin to be used until their mistress had lost all need for them.
Among them though, lurked the Smexvelt Tiavoe Vartu, a creature known as the Smooth Pond Drake to those of surrounding countries. The breed was wingless but made up for their lack of flight in brutal strength, and the ability to breath toxic fumes. Adolescents stood over sixty feet tall, holding agility and stealth as their most prized weapon. Adult's, however, continued to grow until death, making them Wyvern Dragons, only predator. It was why most of the two legged breed had fled the Marshlands after the evolution of the Pond Drake.
All three aerial serpents came to land with caution. Their hidden ears alert as their gaze scanned the surrounding area. The soil was moist and soft, a dense neon like fog of verdigris slithering through the dark cover of the trees. The air was thick and heavy with the strong scent of copper. Stagnant water was all around them, but to the newcomers of the land, they gave thanks no pond could be seen.
Raxseis and the others dismounted, each looking around to survey the area. With a bitter tone, Raxseis came to speak. "Why have you brought us here? Do you have any idea what dangers lie in this place?!" He was directing his full attention to Reia, who was calmly pinning up her wind-beaten hair. "We did not require your company on this excursion boy. You foolishly let your jealousy get the better of you. You acted upon impulse rather than virtue and wisdom. If not for your sister you would be dead. I see you have yet to learn when to show appreciation rather than ignorance."
Emerald moved to Adalaya's side, her hand taking hold of the Princess' as she stared her brother down. The once underestimated slave had thought she would never lay her eyes on the man again. His chiseled beauty made her weak, she turned from him, trying her best not to allow the longing urges of her body to overthrow the new found freedom her mind had come to gather. The two young women watched on, as both their elder and their lover came to argue. Lord Dia'por remained silent for the time being. His eyes trained on his daughter and the beauty standing idly beside her.
"You claim to care so much for your niece, yet, you continue to drag her into dangerous situations! First a land of mauraders! Now this, do you intend to see her to an early grave?!" Reia arched a brow at the man, her eyes cutting into knife like slits. If looks could have cut his throat, he would have been left for dead. "How dare you, you arrogant little shit. I would never bring her harm. That is something when it comes to your plans for her well being I can not say. When your lust left her hunted by hounds of the underworld, it was I who came to save her life. When her fear of losing your admiration came to nearly cause her to miscarry your child, it was I who granted them both protection. You only care about thrusting that small cock of yours into the heat nestled between her legs!"
It was Raxseis' turn to cast a glance of hatred towards the woman now. His hands balled into fists, and he turned to his sister. "Get back on that dragon we are going home! You have no business here in your condition." Adalaya's next words came to meet his ear in a dry and almost scornful tone. "I am not yours to command brother. Aunt Reia is right, where were you? What were you doing when I was running fro my life and screaming your name? You, like everyone else, were deaf to my pleas. I was left alone to repay a debt I did not come to collect on my own. Then, you pour salt into my fresh wounds, by attempting to threaten my unborn child."
Akar'gamon came to stir, his body falling to a stone like posture as he listened. There was something out there, something large, he could feel the rhythm of its footstep in the ground. He looked at a small puddle and took not of the small and almost unnoticeable ripples that came to wave through it. They had not been there before, something was coming. "His facial crests began to extend outward, he kept them quiet and still for now. "Shut up! All of you! Your useless bickering has caught the attention of a predator."
They all came to fall silent. Akar'gamon stood erect on his hind legs, his height, now a menacing seventy-two feet. His wings came to fold, and rest at his sides, he could smell it now. He knew that scent, he had grown up around it for the first three hundred years of his life. It was a stench similar to that of a rotting fish. The creature, at last, came to reveal itself, it stood eighty feet tall with evergreen scales that blended in with the nature around it. It walked forward, its roar coming to echo through the trees causing their leaves to bend at will. It stood its ground, its massive lower jaw began to grow, the elastic ligaments located at the front of the bone, stretching in attempts to strike fear into his opponent.The other wyvern's stepped backward, allowing their alpha to stake his claim. Akar'gamon spread his wings, his facial crests rattling rapidly in his first attempt to intimidate the beast. A rolling roar came to burst from his throat, the soft flesh beneath it beginning to vibrate as he did. His tactics were of no avail. Still, the beast walked forward. Aka'gamon did the same, but this time, his wings came to expand and flap viciously high in the air. For several long moments, the two exchanged growls and roars until they crashed into one another.
The Drake came to draw first blood, his jaws sinking deep into the Wyvern's neck. Akar'gamon let loose a thunderous wail of pain. His single talon located upon the ulna of his wing, finding a grip into the creature's eye socket. Raxsies rushed over to Adalaya, his arms wrapping protectively around her abdomen. "She has bewitched you! I love you ! Only you! Come we must leave this place before we die!" He picked her up, despite her struggling. "You have become a coward! We can not leave them!" Their uncle followed them, running at full speed away from the carnage.
The warring creatures came to make a wasteland of the forest surrounding them. Trees came to crack and fall into the water around them. The ground began to scream and tremble at the weight now dancing upon it. Emerald and Reia moved to hide behind the massive bodies of the remaining two dragons. "Akar'gamon! Be careful! Reia warned, her body for the first time in years stricken with the weight of fear.
"Unhand me Raxseis! We have to help them!" Her demands went unnoticed. "There! We can make our way through the tunnels!" Tarbion proclaimed. The trio saw themselves inside the thin passageways, the sounds of a feud between rivals males, causing debris to shake free. "Aunt Reia!!Please!! Do not let them take me!!" Adalaya cried, her fists coming to batter her brother as he ran. Reia could not hear her over the ballad the challenger's made, but the unnamed female recently joined to their rebellion could. She turned and followed in the direction in which her rider had been taken. Her fire bladders coming to fill and ignite within the hinges of her jaws. She was feet away from Adalaya but found herself to be too large to fit into the tight space her mistress, and her kidnappers had crawled into.
The malachite wyvern had gained the upper hand, his wings lifted him from the ground. He hovered upon the stale wind, his talons raking harshly against the skull of the Vartu. Blood splattered onto the ground, its heat causing steam to fly upward in response to the difference in temperature. Sanguine fluid came to blind the drakes last good eye, it roared blindly, a single foot moving to clear its vision. Time and time again Akar'gamon came to attack. Blow after blow, his talons came to grade the scale and soft flesh of the creature until bone could be easily viewed. Only then did the old wyvern come to land once more. His jaws spread, and a river of ruby flame rushed forward to roll over his injured attacker.
Reia watched with baited breath, Akar'gamon was all she had in the world that was truly her own. She turned a moment to watch as the dragoness made way to gather her niece, then returned to watching the fight. Their defender came to challenge once more, his roar radiating through the land in a vicious and dominant tone. The Pond Drake took several limping steps backward, his body moving to turn and strike Akar'gamon across the jaw. The pitch of his war cry came to heighten in octave as he was hit, his head shaking off the blurry vision he now came to claim.
The sound of a stampede came to clear a path for the battle cries of the Sisters of the Marsh. They too had come to hear the commotion. A wave of ivory fur adorned in tan stripes came to rush past the tunnels. The roar of the female's feline mounts catching the attention of both Akar'gamon and his opponent. The women were tall and muscular, many of them standing a head and neck above most men. Their flesh was a radiant and coal black, set around green eyes and silver hair.Their band's markings littered their flesh in permanent white markings. Reia took note of them and knew this to be the tribe she had hoped to share words with. The warrior pressed their mounts into a faster pace, their spears now thrown into the air. Time and time again they connected and forced their way into the Pond Drakes armor. Next came the hail of poisoned arrows, Akar'gamon stepped out of their way as they charged. He had done his part, now he needed to stand by his vow to protect Reia.
From the west came another Smexvelt, the scent of blood luring him to the location of the battle. His kind was known to be cannibalistic, there was nothing a pond Drake enjoyed more than a free meal. The dragoness came to block the entrance to the tunnels. She expanded her wings and roared, hoping it would be enough to scare off the giant lizard. Reia looked around to find the newly claimed female being sized up by yet another demon. All she could witness was a waterfall of blood as it came to grasp the female in its jaws. It saw her thrown into the mud, her side clashing harshly with a nearby boulder. She fell limp onto her side, her body now at the mercy of the beast. It leaned down and growled before its jaws came to open. Just as it was near to taking its first bite, Akar'gamon came to land, his tail rushing to swipe across the snout of the Drake. He placed his body over the female, his defending roar rushing forth, only to be silenced by the whip like lash of his new opponent's tail.
Reia pulled Emerald to her and moved to scale the last remaining mount they had. "Come Girl!" Emerald made her way up the white scales of her dragon. He carried them off to safety, as the Marshlanders claimed their first prize. Their kill fell heavy into the wet soil. They surround it and in an instant began to reclaim their weapons.
Adalaya, her brother, and uncle found themselves at a dead end. The tunnels lead nowhere. Their exit had been blocked off by a rockslide of some sort. "You fool!" She screamed, allowing her nails to dig into his face. The pain caused him to drop her, she ran as fast as her feet would carry her. She had to get back, had to return to her aunt's side. Her dragon was out there, alone and weak. She had to do something. She could see the light of day once more, and with it came the gruesome sight of her mount lifeless upon the ground. "No!" She screamed, thinking her first mount to be dead. She watched as her aunt's dragon came to impale the drakes head with his talons. His wings were folded and strong as the being thrashed against his grip. In a final attempt to free itself, the being began to conjure up its toxic breath. Swirling noxious fog began to grow within its mouth. Growing tired, and weak, Akar'gamon inhaled. His lungs came to stretch far more than what he generally allowed, and then the unthinkable happened. With the last essence of strength he had, he tightened his grip on his foe and exhaled. His breath came rushing forward, this time in orange flame.
It traveled down the throat of the Drake for several moments before Akar'gamon let him go. The legged serpent staggered back, its chest beginning to fill, but with what Adalaya did not know. She watched on as the malachite champion placed his body over her dragon. His wings wrapped around her body just before the Smexvelt came to explode. The fire and toxins of both itself and Akar'gamon began to mix in a violent fashion. Its scales came to escaped its flesh, its body falling limply to the ground. Adalaya rushed forward, her arms moving to wrap around her saviors head. "Oh.. are you alright?!" Reia and Emerald made their way over, followed by the native people. At last Raxsies and Tarbion came into view. They were seized and had spears pressed against their throats. The band leader made her way toward them all. She sat her spear on her hip and looked over to Reia.
Reia looked back, a smile coming to cross her lips. "It is wonderful to see you again Lai'ona. It seems my skills in healing have you back and valiant as ever." The woman gave a nod and pointed to the men. "Shall we see them to the cages? Or shall we see them scalped?" Reia looked to Adalaya, who shook her head with pleading eyes. She was heartbroken about all her brother had done, but she did not wish him dead. "No my friend, let them go and allow the gods to decide their fate." The female waved her hand, allowing both men to be released. They found themselves push knee first into the dirt. Lai'ona found proper footing on the ground and made her way over. She stood at six foot six , with a flat chest and broad hips."Leave my lands and never return you filthy pigs. Go!" Her voice was coated in a thick accent, one of a race far away from civilization. Tarbion stood bowed his head in respect and took off. "Come, nephew, let us return home and show our respect for the indigenous people and their mercy."
Raxsies stood up and gritted his teeth. "You would send us into this wilderness without even a single weapon to share between us?!" Lai'ona removed a dagger from her hip and saw him cut across the right side of his face. Her foot swept under his knocking him once more into the dirt. She came to squat before him, her large hand now dangling over her knees. "You have no power here, ashen man. You have no way to bargain for your life a second time. Our people live off the materials our planets gifts us. We need not your gold or your promises, for we are born of the Marsh, and we are the rulers of this land." Her free hand came to fist about his collar as she lifted him from the ground. Even Raxseis had to attempt she was strong. "You go now and remember it is the might of women who keep you safe. If not for us your lands would be claimed by the very beasts we hunt and you fear." She pushed him away, and he stumbled.
"Adalaya, my love, I beseech you. Come home with me. We can figure things out." She looked to him, and at last parted ways with her mount who finally was beginning to regain consciousness. Her eyes fell onto the dragons, the natives and the two women who had come to join her in her rebellion. She could not leave them, she could not forget the reason why all this had come to be, not even for him. She made her way over planting a soft kiss upon his lips. It was then that she realized the love she had for him as a significant other was gone. No longer did sparks fill her heart. It was a cold dead thing upon her lips. "I have a duty brother. I must care for my child because that is what a mother does. It matters not if the father wishes the baby because it is within my body that it grows. I will succeed in what I set out to do or die trying. Return home to our father, and beg his forgiveness for what is about to happen. I want you to gather every man, beast or warrior you can find to defend our home. Because when the dust of war clears, I am going to show you, that men are not superior to women. I will burn Morgaideign to the ground, I will see my allies trample it into ashes. Only then will you come to see, that you are not my master, at best you may be my equal. After this war brother, you shall become my lessor."
With that, she moved from him and watched as the females pointed them outward, poking and prodding them away with their weapons. As her mount came to rise, Adalaya climbed up her wing and mounted. "My poor dear, we will see those wounds healed soon enough. Thank you for your sacrifice." The dragoness nodded her head, still unable to speak. Emerald and Reia followed suit, as the clan moved on into the forest. "Aunt Reia, where are we going?" "To what is known as a Platform of Transcendence. Only my friend Lai'ona knows how to get there. Do not worry the women here are strong just like you." They came to share a smile before they to faded off into the brush. For the first time in years, Adalaya felt empowered, free. And for once she did not look back, she left that burden to her brother.
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