Private Tales Dance of Flight and Fire

[Raimond Thesius]

She wasn't being totally honest with him on her feelings, but Raimond didn't fault her that. Despite whatever feelings he had for her, they weren't incredibly close friends; He couldn't expect her to confide in him just because he could give a half decent pep-talk, so Rai didn't push any further. If she wanted him to know how she felt, maybe she'd tell him someday.

At her thanks, he nodded, but her denial of how she'd been hurt seemed to cause some conflict in him. As he walked past her towards Ha'Than so they could get on with the next leg of their rescue attempt, he spoke again, softly "Maybe you're a lot tougher than I am then, Mel." Ha'Than was already hanging his head low for Rai to climb, and he did so quickly, walking down the back of his neck to the massive saddle on his dear friend.

"Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover. I'm not sending you home without those kids."

The mountain range was vast, and there were far too many nooks and crannies to get lost in. That they had some idea of the area they needed to look in helped, but there was still a tall task ahead of them. It was going to take some time, and he was supposed to be back at the Manor by dinner time; apparently his parents had some important family announcement they wanted to make to everybody tonight, and while Rai had no clue what it could be, it sure as hell had them excited.

Spreading his wings and giving a loud cry, Ha'Than took off from the landing platform, pushing himself off backwards and carelessly flipping himself over into a dive towards the base of the mountains, building tremendous speed before pulling up at the final moment, sending Rai and his partner soaring towards the peaks.

 

[Melisandre]

“Well it’s not like I could go home without them,” Melisandre said, just as she was all situated on top of Eryx. Their dragons took off, the rush of air matching the exhilaration that invaded Melisandre’s blood. All at once she felt excitement and glee in just being up in the air, and as Eryx’s strong wings propelled her higher and higher into the sky, it wasn’t long until they were heading to where they needed to be.

If only they could just flying as fast as they could and… well, they could, couldn’t they? They now knew where to go and Melisandre was certain that once they were close enough, the group of kids and their dragons would be easy enough to spot.

“Oh, Raaaiiiiimond,” Melisandre sang, giving the man beside her a impish look. “How about it? Let’s liven up the mood with a little race? My lovely Eyrx, a queen of the skies in her own right, against your skinny little Ha’Than?” The look in her dark eyes said it all: a race to forget what had transpired, a race to ge the adrenaline pumping and have the tension disappear between them.

Melisandre knew exactly what she was doing: Raimond Thesius wasn’t known for ignoring a race no matter who it was against.

“If you win I’m sure I could find a good reward for you.” Melisandre added before starting to count down, “Three… two… GO!” And with it Eryx roared like the mighty goddess she was, a sound that would shake the very core of Arethil if it could. The dragon and the dragon rider were off, hopefully with a head start that would be enough to keep Rai and Ha’Than at bay.

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

It did feel good to have some idea as to where they needed to look. This whole ordeal was beginning to feel less like a wild goose chase and more like a scavenger hunt... for children. Alright, maybe not his best mental analogy, but at least he hadn't said it out loud. The point was, they were a step closer, and Melisandre would be fine.

Speaking of Melisandre, his name suddenly rang through his ears from her lips like the voice of an Angel singing his praises from the highest of heavens, sending shivers all the way from the back of his neck down to his...

No, focus Rai.

He turned to face Mel as she flew beside him, shooting him a devilish look. "Let’s liven up the mood with a little race? My lovely Eyrx, a queen of the skies in her own right, against your skinny little Ha’Than?" She challenged him. Raimond's teeth immediately pressed together, and he felt his body lean towards her from his spot on Ha'Than's back. The little minx knew damned well what she was doing.

There was a moment of doubt in his mind. Should they really be messing around? There was sort of an emergency going on, and they were under a bit of time pressure. Lords above, he tried to suppress that competitive streak inside him that she was preying on, he tried so hard... Ha'Than was having none of it though, and he let out a taunting roar of eagerness at the idea, lurching forward underneath him and nearly bucking him clean off.

"Alright, alright! You're on." He grinned, patting Than's neck as he slid back in his saddle for a better position to race from. "If I win, you gotta let me take you out to d-"

THAT CHEEKY NIBBLER!

She counted down quickly, surging ahead of him before he could even finish! Why was everybody on this damned continent such a poor sport when it came to racing?! Gritting his teeth, Rai kicked gently at Ha'Than, who tucked in his wings and dove low, building up velocity faster than the larger Eryx as they plummeted toward the mountains.

Hope that old hag sees this and spills her tea. Rai thought to himself as he brushed the windswept hair from his face, the dagger-like peaks of the mountains nearing him rapidly. When he could see the lights of the Omeyocan through the thick air, he pulled back harshly, and then flattened himself against his saddle and held on as tight as he could for what was coming next.

Ha'than rose his head, sending them upwards with all of their gathered momentum. Rather than spread his wings once more, Ha'Than began to rotate, spinning himself like a drill as he shot back up into the air to reduce drag as Rai clutched to his seat for dear life.

 

[Melisandre]

She had needed that head start, not because she didn’t trust in her dragon’s abilities but because she was, at the end of the day, a realist and pessimist. Eryx was a fearsome foe in the sky, and if you were to ask Melisandre, she’d rather have one Eryx to fly her around than ten Ha’Thans! She was a woman who preferred security and Eryx had the stamina to fly to one side of Malakath and back without feeling tired.

Ha’Than was faster, there was no denying it, and truly, Melisandre had a lot of respect for the white dragon and Raimond especially— how he didn’t throw up after one of Ha’Than’s spins was beyond her.

Melisandre’s dark hair was flying behind her as Eryx followed a similar method picking up speed, but due to her larger size, and maybe not being able to create tight downward circles, the iridescent dragon would dip low before lifting back up. She flapped her wings far more than Ha’Than was. The Earendel growled and Melisandre laughed.

“Jealous? Me going on a date is the least of your worries,” Melisandre said with a laugh, giddy from the rush of the race. Currently Eryx was still in the lead, but Melisandre looked behind her to see the bright flash of white that was Ha’Than as he shot upwards. Was Raimond even still on his dragon?

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Barely.

The fancy spinning maneuver that Raimond sought to use was one he didn't pull off very often; the first time he'd tried it he'd indeed fallen right off of Ha'Than's back. He'd survived only because they were high enough for his friend to double back and catch him before he was a wet smear on the ground beneath.

He'd improved since, of course. Now, the nimble white Dragon and his rider shot up high into the air with the momentum they'd built, much of the distance Melisandre had bought herself with the impromptu headstart eliminated already. 'Than came out of his spin and spread his wings, soaring on the wind with all the speed they'd gathered, and giving Thesius a moment to catch his breath and hold down the comments of his stomach.

Thankfully he was far enough away that Mel wouldn't hear his retching.

Eryx did his best imitation of Ha'Than's dive, but she was far bulkier, and while it did buy the pair time with the effort, it wasn't nearly as effective as it should have been. The edge of the mountain range wasn't far now, and while she hadn't said as much, he figured that was their finish line since the range was their search zone.

He was still behind... Reaching out to place his hands on to of the small horns that lined the sides of Ha'Than's neck, he encouraged him. "You've got this! She's not nearly as fast as you on a straightaway and she knows it! Push!"

Ha'Than let out a barking roar and began to flap once more, in faster movements than Eryx. His wings were smaller, but the speed with which he could move them was slowly closing the distance between them. Melisandre would feel his breath against her back.

A smile hid behind his unruly hair as he shouted out to Mel.

"So do you like seafood? I know this place...!"

 

[Melisandre]

Raimond was correct, Eyrx was nowhere near as fast as Ha’Than, and that became far more apparent with how quickly the white dragon caught up to them. Melisandre now worried if she and Eyrx could keep up with Raimond and his dragon when they actually took off.

Raimond wouldn’t leave her behind, would he? She wasn’t sure which felt worse, the possible embarrassment of Raimond flying back to her or her worrying that he’d fly on without her. Her anxieties must have been felt by Eyrx.

“Seafood?” Melisandre perfected the expression she wanted, turning around to shout at Raimond with a perfectly white smile and a coy look in her eyes. Wisps of her dark hair framed her face, the rays of sunlight from above them limning her features with a hue of amber to never be seen again.

“Isn’t most seafood a aphrodisiac? Raimond, you’re trying to be slick, aren’t you?” And as if to punctuate the point, Eyrx went to wack Ha’Than with her tail. It was nothing hard, nothing that aimed to do anything more than actually annoy the white speed demon instead of actually harming him. After all, Eyrx only ever went into a rage around her own kind.

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

He couldn't help but smirk at her question, despite the obvious taunting nature of it. Ha'Than lurched forward, and Raimond cupped a hand to his mouth to call back with a smug grin, "That depends! Is it working?" It hadn't necessarily been an attempt to suggest he was trying to get a leg up on winning more than a race and a date, but he wouldn't have turned her down either.

'Than gave a quick bark, as though he knew Thesius' mind would travel down that path and he'd need to be brought back to reality. Raimond shook his head clear of any future ideas and rebalanced himself atop the dragon's back, ready to make the final push for the lead and win the race.

Then Eryx rose up her tail, its spiky end colliding with Ha'Than's underside, who roared and shifted far left to steer clear. Gentle as it had been, the sharp points of the tail had still poked against 'Than's soft underbelly, and the sting of pain had been enough to dissuade him.

"Hey now! What the hell!" Raimond shouted as he nearly slipped off of his saddle, shifting back into place and pressing a hand to his friend's white scales. "You got a dirty player, Mel!"

Fine, she wanted to play that way? Raimond could sprint to the finish without getting close. Leaning forward, Ha'Than began to dive again, not as steep as before, but still gaining speed quickly.

Melisandre

 

[Melisandre]

Well, whoopsie. Melisandre most definitely didn’t want Eyrx doing that. It’s not she could read her dragon’s thoughts completely, their communication being a set of feelings and images but nothing ever denotative. Melisandre felt a flush of embarrassment, as if Eyrx’s actions reflected poorly on her. Sure, Melisandre had wanted to win the race— who didn’t like winning?— but she hadn’t wanted to do anything too egregious just for the sake of bragging rights and making Raimond flustered.

“She just doesn’t like flirting, she’s not… cheating.” Not that Raimond could hear the final word as he fly off with Ha’Than. Well perhaps it was better not to talk about it right now in the midst of the sky with both dragons going as fast as they possibly could. Ha’Than was already darting back down and picking up speed, and despite Eyrx knowing that Meli was quite cross with her, the dragon had no intentions of backing down just yet.

It wasn’t over until it was over.

Although with how fast Ha’Than was going, Melisandre suspected that it would be over a lot sooner than she had expected. Melisandre leaned down low, her upper body parallel to Eryx. With a thin line for a mouth, she did hold onto her saddle but she made sure that Eryx knew exactly how she felt about the foul play. Of course it seemed that all rolled off of the dragon’s back, the great god caring little about manners.

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Rai knew Eryx could be a temperamental bitch when she wasn't getting her way, but he hadn't taken her for a sore loser in addition. All she'd truly done was stoke that infamous competitive streak of his, the one Mel had preyed on to get him to agree to this impromptu race in the first place. He'd wanted to win before, but now he needed to win.

If not just to get one over on Mel after her teasing, then to prove a point to her stubborn ass of a Dragon.

Ha'Than dove as low as he could without scraping his underside on the peaks beneath them before lifting up again, even more momentum built up to carry the two of them towards the finish at a pace Eryx could never hope to match with her bulkier build. It was almost a guarantee that they'd win at this point.

At least it would have been, had Raimond not noticed something out of the corner of his eye during the low point of the dive. A faint glimmer, no more noticeable than a sunbeam off of a snowcapped crag in the midday. The issue was that it was actually quite cloudy, and the sun wasn't hitting that side of the mountain enough to make a glare.

Ahead of her, Mel would see Ha'Than veer off-course just shy of the finish line and descend towards one of the many tall peaks under them. What she wouldn't see what Raimond seething at the fact he was throwing a competition because of some damned runaway kids in over their heads.

Melisandre

 

[Melisandre]

She saw him begin to break his winning streak and begin his descent down to the white-capped points of the mountain range below. Melisandre almost expected this to be some new tactic of Raimond’s, to perhaps dip much lower than before and at a angle— would it somehow make Ha’Than even faster? He was much too low though, sure, Meli wasn’t a racer by any means, but even she could see that if he were to bring Ha’Than back up it would be more effort than it was worth.

He saw something. He hadn’t said anything, which annoyed her but perhaps he was still upset with Eryx and her dirty tricks, but Melisandre figured that Raimond wouldn’t throw a race if it wasn’t for good reason. She angled Eryx down as well, much to her dragon’s chagrin, and they began that quick dive to see what had caught Raimond’s attention.

As the dragon riders would get closer to what had initially caught Raimond’s attention they would see that below them was a small camp. Even from afar, there was something that told Meli it was deserted, but it hadn’t been long ago. Everything needed for a small campsite was still set up, but the fire had never been lit though wood had been gathered. There were tents, but one tent had caved in. Nothing around the campsite was exactly neat.

Perhaps the worst part of it was the blood. On the tents, they could see the dark stains. The moment Eryx landed, Meli was getting off her dragon and already marching to the campsite. Her dark gaze was narrowed with a mixture of concentration and fear. Were they already too late? Did something from the wilderness come and take the young dragon riders for a meal already?

From the tent that came in was a rustle and a soft moan.

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Raimond grimaced at the clues laid before him. There was a sense of dread that had slowly been climbing up the back of his spine from the moment he'd noticed the glimmering of forgotten camping tools amidst the foggy mountaintops. This was a stupid place to camp, far more dangerous and hostile to the unprepared than the beaches, or even the old temples. Wild things lived out here. Wild and hungry things.

Meli landed not far behind him and Raimond briefly turned to her with a dour expression on his usually cheery face. She knew as well as he did the dangers of camping this far from town, and she'd also know what this likely meant for the youths they were hunting.

But he wasn't going to give up without at least checking things out. There was still that sliver of optimism that Raimond never allowed to truly fade. Without a word, he turns and begins to inspect the fire and the tools, extinguished and left behind in a rush, it seemed. He'd only just gotten started when a droning groan emanated from one of the tents, and Rai spun around with his hand on the hilt of his dagger.

A male, he could tell. Not a moan of any pleasurable feeling either. At this point, he would have taken finding a bunch of rowdy kids participating in some 'explorative' activity over what he now both dreaded and expected to find inside the tent.

"Stay close, be ready to protect yourself." He whispered back to her as he slowly stepped closer, bringing out a hand to open the front flap. It only took a second of looking inside to make his stomach drop and his face twist even further. A boy, one of Mel's without a doubt, struggling to squirm out from under the naked, mauled corpse of a girl, deep gouges and chunks taken from her back. There had been the typical activities of teenagers going on here, but they'd been gruesomely interrupted.

The boy noticed Raimond, his eyes glossy and clouded.

And then he screamed as the reality of what was happening fell onto him all at once.

Melisandre

 

[Melisandre]

A hand went up to cover her mouth and Melisandre shook her head in both horror and disbelief. There were some things that no child should bear witness to, even if they all lived with dragons that favored brutality over gentility. Melisandre pushed past Raimond in that moment, going to the teenager who couldn’t even grow a beard though he certainly has a few coarse hairs on his chin.

She took it upon herself to remove the corpse off him, rigor had already set in and the girl was cold and hard. The boy scrambled away from Melisandre and the corpse of Wiskaya. There was a hollowness in Melisandre’s gut as everything seemed to plummet into an abysmal pit. All emotions were tossed away and logic took its place.

“What. Happened, Warwick.” Melisandre’s voice was firm, not soothing. He shook his head and she went to him, slapping him lightly against his face. He seemed shocked but the light returned to his hazel eyes as they stared up at Melisandre. “Tell me what happened.” His mouth hung open, a hand pressed against his freshly red cheek, and he nodded.

“Scyres.” He breathed out. “You were right. We went over the mountain range and… our dragons… I dunno, we made camp and then… something scared them. They left. Then the Scyres came.” His eyes went to Raimond then he tried to lean to the side to look at Whiskaya’s body. Melisandre’s firm, solid hand cupped his chin and kept him from doing something.

“Cover the body, Raimond.”

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

Raimond didn't even process Warwick scrambling away, didn't hear Melisandre's call for information, the timeline of events, what had attacked, anything. His stomach was in his throat, and it felt like his blood had turned to stone as he looked down with a disgusted grimace at the remains of Whiskaya, before forcing his eyes away.

"Yeah..." He spoke throatily, taking the blanket that had been tossed aside and quickly laying it over the corpse. These kids hadn't deserved this. Nobody deserved this. Already he felt the dull ache of blame stabbing his gut; the feeling that if only he'd seem them faster, if he'd been less worried about hitting on Mel, not so focused on a silly race and a date, hadn't stayed and listened to that old woman prattle on for so long...

There'd be time to bemoan all of it later. Most of the kids were gone, but whether she'd meant to or not, Whiskaya had sacrificed herself to save Warwick. Raimond wasn't about to let that go to waste. Turning quickly, Thesius gave the boy a quick look over, concern creasing his brow as he placed a hand on Mel's shoulder.

"He'll make it, but he needs a doctor or these wounds are going to get infected. We need to move."

What had he been thinking, making promises to her? Swearing they'd find the children? Assuring her he'd be able to make it all okay? Not only was he a liar, but now he had to watch the prettiest face in all of Thanasis turn to stone.

All he could do now was help clean up. Positioning himself beside Warwick, he helps Mel lift him up so that the two of them can haul him onto Eryx's back. "We'll probably have to tie him down, take apart a tent and we'll use the rope to secure him."

Melisandre

 

[Melisandre]

Melisandre’s muscles were stiff, fingers twitching. Overwhelmed with wanting to do something, knowing she should be doing many things, and then being able to choose which thing to do first. The newfound information, while helpful, was difficult to take in. Melisandre kept a brave face because she had to, because she had spent time in the military learning how to perfect such a face. It didn’t mean her heart felt the same. Riddled with that annoying anxiety, it was Raimond’s voice that took her out of the daze. She turned towards him.

“We can’t take him to a doctor,” she said, far too commanding for someone who wasn’t anything special in the military. She had served five years, but that had been years ago at this point. She was rusty. She cared more for pretty dresses and calligraphy. She wasn’t a soldier anymore, even with Eryx by her side. “We don’t have time. The others…” she gestured with a hand to the outside. “We saw blood but no bodies. They could have taken the others to their lair. They could still be alive.”

And the was the issue she grappled with. Possibly only save one or risk their life to save more. There was no guarantee that if they found where the scyres were the other dragon riders would be safe. They all could be dead or by the time that Melisandre and Raimond arrived. But even that was too grandiose a thought— could Raimond and Melisandre survive any offensive maneuver on those beasts?

They hated fire, but they were fierce. They were still a threat even to dragons with their enormous numbers and ability to work together. Melisandre pressed a hand to her brow, furrowing her brows and shaking her head. What were they supposed to do? What could they do? There was only two of them, a injured boy, a dead girl, and the rest who knew where.

“I don’t know what to do.” Melisandre whispered. “I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.”

Raimond Thesius

 

[Raimond Thesius]

"If we don't take him to a doctor, he's as good as dead anyways, Mel!" Raimond shouldn't have raised his voice, but that she chose now to start arguing logic with him was more than a little frustrating. She wasn't wrong in that they hadn't seen any other bodies, but the amount of blood that covered the camp wasn't promising. Melisandre stalled, and Warwick groaned as he rested up against Eryx's thigh, waiting to be helped. "The longer we stay here arguing about it, the less time he has!"

Then, her voice went quiet. Her vibrant eyes seemed to glaze over and Raimond watched as she almost appeared to shrink right in front of him. He felt his face tighten, and he looked away. It was difficult to see her struggling, but there was no getting around the difficult choice she was presented with now. Nobody, be they soldier, student, man, or woman, should have to make this kind of call. It wasn't right.

“I don’t know what to do. I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.”

So, Raimond made it for her.

"Yeah, well... That's why you brought me. Come on, help me get him up on Eryx, would you?" He nudged her, squatting down to attempt lifting Warwick once more, his voice empty of the anger he'd had moments prior. He knew exactly what needed to be done, but neither of them was going to like it. "Get him back to the city, and let them know there's been a Scyre attack. I'm gonna need backup out here."

He was staying, and he was going to find those kids, dead or alive. No way was he letting this rest on Mel's conscience any more than it already would, and he wasn't about to give up on the rest of the children either. "Ha'Than is fast enough I can keep a safe distance while still looking around. Just don't keep me waiting forever, yeah?"

Melisandre