Fate of the Forsworn

Chapter 24

Breaking chains

Dawn broke cloudy and damp over Kuasta. Niev was the first to wake up, a light drizzle rudely interrupting his slumber. Muttering to himself, the red Rider got to his feet when an arrow shot past his face by a matter of inches. Drawing Ajunthar, he gave a shout as he saw that they were surrounded. Peter got up slowly, yawning and rubbing at his eyes, but Jess was on her feet before Niev's sword had cleared its' scabbard. At least thirty people surrounded their camp, a motley collection of weapons in their hands. Most were armed with bows and arrows, with a few others wielding knives and spears. Niev glowered fiercely as the three dragons awoke.

"What do you people want? Don't think you can defeat us, we're Dragon Riders."

The people gave a start as Arareal snarled menacingly. They lowered their bows as one walked towards the three Riders.

"Sorry, we thought you were one of the slavers who plague us. Last night they raided the town and took at least twenty hostages and killed four."

Niev glanced at Jess, who nodded and sheathed her sword. Niev turned to the villager.

"Show us where the slavers make camp. We will... persuade them to leave here."

Several of the villagers clamoured to show them the way. The Dragon Riders packed up their belongings and were shown to an inn in Kuasta. Kyvoster, Lenora and Arareal were fed and shown to a field not far from the inn. As the three Riders spent the day getting acquainted with the locals, they learned that the slavers had become bold to the point of stupidity with the locals, simply because no-one had the courage anymore to resist them. The civil war that had wrought havoc on Alagaesia had kept the Riders dashing to and fro, sorting out disputes of all manner. It had also been a dark period for the Riders themselves. No new Riders had come forth, and two had passed away, one from carelessness and one from accidental poisoning. The militia from Kuasta had been whittled away at by the slavers and Urgal raids, and even more had been killed in the war. As the sun set behind the mountains, a horn blared loud through the air. Niev, Jess and Peter went to their respective windows to see what was going on. Approaching the town square was a column of slavers, headed by a tall, strong man who looked remarkably familiar to Jess. Deciding to puzzle on the issue later, the three Riders gathered together.

"One of us should go with the slavers as our eyes on the inside. But who?"

Peter looked at Niev incredulously.

"Are you MAD? I don't want to be beaten to death!"

Niev shook his head.

"You won't be. Jess and I can layer you with spells so you won't feel any pain. You'll have to pretend to feel it though, or they might suspect. Communicate with Lenora, and he'll tell us what you see and know, so we can take out this wretched hive of scum and villainy tonight, or tomorrow at the very latest. But you don't have to do it. It's just, with you being a teenager, they'll underestimate you."

Jess rounded on the older Rider.

"This idea will not work, Niev. And I won't have you put my apprentice in danger! I'll go. Make sure you attack just before dawn."

Niev and Peter both looked in surprise at Jess. The female blue Rider wasted no time, and passed Aksel to Peter for safe keeping. She then turned to Niev.

"Now, walk me out there like I'm a slave to be handed over. I'll learn where all the others are, and if our dragons see a pavilion with green on it, do not attack there."

Peter put Jess's sword away in her room and hugged her as she prepared to leave. Jess smiled and hugged her apprentice back, then turned again to Niev.

"Don't mess this up."

Niev nodded and walked out of the inn with Jess in front of him, Ajunthar drawn as if she was a rebellious captive. In the square, the slavers were storming through the townspeople, selecting citizens seemingly at random. One slaver approached a child no older than five, leering at the terrified waif. Just as he made to grab her, Niev spoke up.

"Leave that wastrel alone. Try THIS one instead!"

Jess twisted around to glare at her friend.

"I'm a wastrel now?"

Niev shook his head marginally.

"Part of the act."

Jess glared at him a moment longer before stumbling and falling to the stone street. The slaver who had been menacing the child stood up and approached Jess. He looked over the Rider appraisingly and turned to Niev.

"Oh, this one of yours will do well. How much?"

Niev crossed his arms and glared back at the unkempt man.

"Take her, but leave the youngsters here alone this night."

The head slaver walked up and pulled Jess to her feet. The subordinate hastily bound Jess's arms behind her, enough to earn a death glare so severe, her previous ones resembled expressions of infatuation. As she turned to glare at the head slaver, a mere glimmer of precognition was all she had as a powerful whip knocked her to the ground. Her protective wards were alarmingly depleted by the vicious blow, but she felt no pain. Niev muttered something and stood back, sheathing his weapon. The slavers pulled Jess to her feet and turned to their colleagues.

"Tonight, we give these rats a break. To the camp!"

The slavers and their unwilling captives left as one. As soon as the slavers were out of earshot, the townspeople converged on Niev, who hastily placated them. Luckily, the field the dragons were resting in was on the north side of Kuasta. Asking to speak with the head of the militia, Niev soon saw the state of their men. He had led small groups of fighters in the war, but never had he had to tackle a well organised group of slavers with an apprentice Rider at his side and only three score frightened home-trained warriors. Kyvoster, Lenora and Arareal evened the odds tremendously, but it was a certainty the slavers would use their captives as shields, or threaten to kill them if the attackers didn't stand down. He sat in the barracks with the men, Peter at his side, and spoke to them in a confident tone.

"Tomorrow morning we will attack the slavers and free your people. The Riders are here to bring peace to your lands."

Few of the men reacted to Niev's speech, prompting a tired sigh from the Rider. He got up, gestured for the men to follow him, and walked to the town square. For a few minutes, there was no sound, until Niev spoke again.

"Look around you. This is your home. Everything that you see here, those houses, the fountain, the watchtower over there, that tavern, it's yours. You have families here, wives, sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and some of you have lived here all your lives. Will you allow these slavers, this scum, to break your families apart, kill your neighbours, beat your friends, and destroy the home you love?"

There was a chorus of No's from the assembled men. Peter looked at Niev in some surprise. He'd never interacted much with the red Rider, and Jess had prioritised on his studies over interaction with others. She had told him about him, but not in any real detail. Privately, Peter had wondered why the Rider Council had given Niev leadership for the struggle against the nightmarish monsters, against Ardepp and Revar, and during the Rebel War. Now, he understood why. Niev spoke to the men on a personal level, as if he was one of them. Suddenly, Peter jumped away as an arrow clanged off the stones. Niev's head whipped around and soon saw the sniper. Hastily climbing down the side of a decrepit building was one of the slavers. Peter ran to intercept the man, his sword shining in his grip. The slaver saw Peter approach, dismissed him as no threat, and tried to escape. Two minutes later, Peter was casually walking back to Niev, the slaver in front of him. Niev nodded approvingly to the teen, and turned to the slaver. Behind him, the crowd of men stirred angrily. Niev spoke.

"Tell us how many guards you have, and how many slaves you own. I will not preserve your life otherwise."

The slaver spat on the stones in contempt. Niev shrugged.

"That's fine. My...friends here will be more than happen to loosen your tongue. If you would?"

The militia surrounded the fallen slaver. In minutes, Niev and Peter had all the details they could need to mount the attack, and the slaver was hauled off to jail. It was dark, so they returned to the barracks and drew a rough map of the slaver's camp. Niev divided the troops into two groups, one led by him, the second led by Peter. It was almost midnight by the time the plan was agreed upon, and the militia settled down for the night. Niev and Peter walked back to the inn, and were asleep as soon as they hit the beds.

In the slaver camp, Jess was furious. Not only had she been drugged somehow, but her wards had given out, and she was bleeding. The fact that her outfit was reduced to rags and she was bound uncomfortably didn't help either. But not for nothing was she the best human swordfighter among the Dragon Riders. She was resourceful and strong. Taking several deep breaths, she began to tug at her bindings. The coarse rope cut at her skin, and she winced in displeasure, but soon her arms were free. She broke the rope binding her hands and began to untie her legs when the head slaver walked up to her.

"Well, if it isn't the Dragon Rider Jess the Fierce. Or are you no longer part of that order of hypocrites?"

Jess glared daggers at her captor. Ten years ago, she had been tricked by the same man and fed something that had incapacitated her for three years. She had requested a break from active duty, and had been assigned to Gil'ead with Niev. She spoke in a voice dripping with menace.

"You won't live long, Matthias. My personal guarantee."

Matthias gave a chuckle and called to his men. Minutes later, Jess was bound in heavy chains and gagged to boot. She burned red with rage and humiliation, and silently awaited dawn as the slavers left her.

A half hour before sunrise, Niev was wide awake and preparing the three dragons. Arareal was eager to be off, as she could no longer sense Jess. Lenora was keen to assuage his mentor's grief, and Kyvoster was stretching his wings and flexing his talons. Peter was in the barracks, running through the plan with his men. Niev walked back into Kuasta alone, the dragons having decided to attack from various different angles. He pushed open the door to the barracks and nodded respectfully to the men.

"It's time. Peter, any news from Jess?"

The young Rider shook his head.

"Nothing. She's long overdue, and that's not like her."

Niev looked uneasy but soon pulled himself together.

"We'll have to act on the information we got last night then. Peter, your squad is to find the slaves and get them out of there fast. My group will attack all the guards and try to kill the leaders. Once the slaves and Jess are safe, the dragons will attack. Kyvoster and Lenora will both roar once as soon as the slaves are free. When you hear that, everyone, get out of there. Lets go."

The militia exited the barracks, lead by Peter and Niev, and began the walk through town. Several citizens wished them well, promising them rewards upon returning safely. Soon, they were passing the farms on the south side of Kuasta, when they saw the slaver's camp. Niev halted the group of soldiers and beckoned a man forward.

"Harrison, there's a sentry straight ahead. I can't tell if he's asleep or not. Take him out."

Harrison nodded as he unshouldered his bow. He was known throughout Kuasta as a superb marksman, and he selected an arrow carefully. Drawing back on the bow and aiming upward, he brought it into line with careless ease and let the arrow fly. The sentry toppled to the ground lifelessly. Niev nodded, impressed. The group carried on, spying two more slavers around the camp, casually killed by Harrison's bow. Niev consulted the map and soon saw a tent that should be filled with captives. He indicated the tent to Peter, who gulped, nodded, and stole forward quietly. Pushing the tent flap aside, he let an involuntary gasp escape him. A slave, no older than eight, woke up and cowered in fear at the sight of the Rider. Peter walked forward and smiled gently at the young boy.

"Your nightmare has come to an end. We're here to rescue you. I'm a Dragon Rider."

On hearing the words 'Dragon Rider', the boy's eyes lit up. He began to talk, but Peter quickly quietened him down.

"I'll tell you what I can later. For now, wake up the others and we'll get out of here."

The boy nodded and soon the tent was full of waking people. Peter hushed them all and gestured to the entrance. A slaver walked in front of the tent, causing Peter to curse. He mentally contacted Niev to have the patrolling slaver killed, and ushered the slaves out along with him. A shot from Harrison killed the slaver, and Peter led the slaves out and pointed towards Kuasta. In the weak light, roughly fifty people ran for the town. A few of the bolder and healthier slaves turned to the militia, who provided them with daggers and other small weaponry. Niev turned to the eight newcomers.

"Did a woman come here last night? Fairly tall, blonde hair, blue eyes, very muscled and glares a lot."

Two of the slaves nodded.

"Yes sir, some of the slavers said she was at one time a Dragon Rider. The leader here, Matthias, met her ten years ago and had her chained up because ropes wouldn't hold her. She's in his tent."

Niev frowned and looked for Peter. The young Rider was already heading for the second tent said to contain slaves with his troops in tow. Niev focused and tried to sense Jess, despite the high probability she was drugged. Soon he had located her in a tent at the back of the camp. He gestured to Harrison and spoke to the man in a low voice.

"Keep Peter's squad covered, I'm going to see if there's any way I can break Jess out."

Harrison nodded.

"I'll watch your back, sir. Good luck."

Niev walked silently through the camp. Behind him, Peter and his troops escorted another bunch of slaves to safety. Suddenly, a piercing scream from one of the slaves rang out. Hoping against hope that the slavers would dismiss it as nothing, he was soon proven wrong as the head slaver himself came out of his tent and yelled.

"Get up, all of you! We're being robbed!"

Niev drew Ajunthar as the sun cleared the horizon. Angling the blade so the light would reflect in Matthias's face, the Rider attacked. Two slashes later, the slaver would be no more threat to anyone. He advanced towards his tent, hoping to free Jess, when no less than six slavers approached with various weapons. Niev wasted no time, and a minute later, the six men were dead. He began to fight the slavers as they awoke, the Kuasta militia rushing in to help. Caught quite literally napping, the slavers were soon felled, but took no less than seven of the militia with them. Niev went among his men and healed where and what he could. One of the militia walked towards Matthias's tent. Niev hastily looked up from healing a broken wrist.

"No, don't go in there!"

The man entered regardless. Niev sighed and began to count. There was a yell of outrage and a flash of blue light, and the man soon re-emerged, desperately fleeing the tent Jess was imprisoned in. Niev shook his head.

"Didn't I say don't go in there? I'll go."

He finished healing the person with him and walked towards the tent. He paused at the entrance, closed his eyes, and entered. Jess glared up at him, but relented on seeing his eyes were shut. She gave a long sigh.

"Niev, just break my chains then leave me please. Is Arareal coming?"

Niev nodded and spoke the words to free Jess. Outside there was a large thud as Arareal landed and brushed the tent over casually. Niev gave a strained cough as he spoke to her dragon.

"Arareal, out of respect for those of us she's not bonded to, you may want to make sure Jess is presentable first."

Jess blushed as she struggled free of the tent. Niev left and began to check for any slaves they had missed. A few slavers remained and were promptly arrested. Soon, the area was emptied. Jess dressed herself and joined the Kuasta militia and her fellow Riders. Kyvoster landed nearby with a snarl, and began to look around for food. Niev sighed and turned to Peter.

"Go back to Kuasta with everyone. I'll be back later, Kyvoster hasn't had three meals yet."

Mounting his dragon, Niev and Kyvoster took off for the ocean. Peter smiled and led everyone back to the safety of Kuasta.

Over the sea, Kyvoster soared, his eyes scouring the trackless water for some kind of marine life big enough to sustain him. Niev sat in the saddle, idly healing the few scrapes he'd taken in the battle. Out of nowhere came Kialandi and her dragon, the latter carrying a dolphin in her talons. Kialandi called out to Niev when suddenly his vision went black.

Niev and Kyvoster were speeding towards a dragon over the sea near Vroengard. Kyvoster was badly hurt and Niev was bloodstained with blood that was not his. In his belt rested Kuldr as well as Ajunthar, and two other voices were exhorting him on as Kyvoster's wounds were healed. As he approached, he saw two dragons duelling in the sky.

"Niev, wake up! Wake up!"

Niev's eyes opened wearily. He looked up to see Kialandi nearby, her dragon not far away. Kyvoster was tearing into the remains of the dolphin with great relish. He sat up slowly, giving a groan as he did so.

"How long was I out?"

Kialandi ladled vegetable soup into a bowl and passed it to him.

"Eight hours. You had some kind of seizure."

Niev looked up in alarm.

"Eight hours? But, where are the others? Jess, Peter, the militia from Kuasta?"

Kialandi held up a hand placatingly.

"They're fine. Jess and Peter have left for Gil'ead. You pretty much recited everything that happened in Kuasta whilst you were out, and I told Master Vrael. You don't have to go for debriefing."

Niev finally relaxed and began to eat the soup. Around Kialandi, he felt very conflicted. One part of him longed for her love still, even though he was in love with Caryn. Another part of him wanted to scream and rage at her for her bigotry. He stared over the ocean after finishing his meal. Kialandi took the bowl and refilled it.

"Come on, eat. You've been unwell, Niev, you have to keep up your strength."

Sighing, Niev nodded and drained the bowl, and refused a refill. Kialandi moved to sit beside him and took his right hand in hers. She held it up and looked at his gedwey ignasia, as if expecting to see answers to his peculiar condition there. She soon gave up and let the Rider sleep, watching the sky all night long.