Raider of the Sky: Part Five

Past the valley holding the kingdoms of Glourn, Shonor, and Kurn, past the Cliffs, the Mountains, and the Four Peaks, past its sister cities Peranda and Maracharon, is the vast, sprawling city of Kranslunar. The dome in the middle of the castle glimmers, taking in the light of the noonday sun. Only a few know the secret of that dome, and none of those have told others than those like themselves…

      -Thief

      I sat with my back to the cell door. I felt, for the first time in eight years, confused, frightened, and alone. I had given up trying to escape, there was no use in it anyway. I now waited to face the inevitable. There was no use in living anymore without Croshar, it seemed.

      I heard a scuffling behind me and turned. Just a little rodent. I sighed and stretched out on the hard, rock floor.

      My mind felt clouded. I shook it clear, I couldn't be thinking like that. I wasn't really doomed, was I? I, a master of thievery, trapped in the Lunar City…

      I seriously needed to think about escape now, before I went insane. What was a young Eyrie to do? My best friend had been killed, I was imprisoned in the most dangerous city in the universe…what next? I wasn't afraid, but I was a little worried. I still felt so alone. I really didn't want to disappoint Morhoaron, either. He was counting on me, as well as Croshar.

      The guards had searched me and taken my lock picks, my daggers, other weapons and gear, etcetera, etcetera, so I had basically no way to escape my prison. The floor was dirt, but it was hard-packed and it could take days for an Eyrie my size to dig out. What to do, what to do…

      Another guard walked past my cage. Well that, of course. I would just have to snag the keys when the guard carrying them walked past. That couldn't be too hard. Could it?

      I did not have to wait long. A Bori guard marched past, and, taking a deep breath, I reached between the bars and grabbed the keys. I put a paw over them to stop the jangling. A master of escape, I thought. It took a minute to find the right key, but within minutes, I was out. I kept the keys, lest I ever be caught here again.

      I took to the back ways of the castle, making my way carefully inward toward the dome. I tried to stay out of the way of any guards. I had no wish to be caught again.

      I became a part of the shadows, hiding myself in the huge, dark halls. I didn't think anyone would ever find me. I made my paws as quiet as an Aisha's, making no noise in the darkened passageways.

      I dashed across a hallway, barely avoiding one of the many guards in the Kranslunar castle. I didn't think he would see me, but he did anyway.

      "Stop! The thief is escaping! Stop him!" he shouted, waving his arms.

     I started to run, then stopped. I pulled out a dagger instead, which I had collected on my way out, and flicking my wrist, threw it at the guard. I smirked with satisfaction when I heard a thud behind me and dashed down a side hall, still trying to maintain a straight course for the dome in the center of the castle.

      But even that was too slow. When I finally got to the dome, guards were pouring in from all directions. In desperation, I lifted off into the huge, spacious room.

      The arrows of the archer pets flew swift and hard, but not yet strong enough to reach to top of the dome, where I flew in a circle around the Moon Stone. It was set in the glass itself, and unless someone was actually strong enough to get an arrow through the dome, there was no way I was going to get it. Ironic, for once I wanted an arrow shot at me.

      Ah, there were the better archers. I taunted them, flying and weaving in circles that were becoming less and less lazy and much more quicker as I tried to avoid the arrows. Finally an arrow sailed through the glass with a loud crack, showering the glass all over me. Unfortunately, this hole wasn't big enough for me to fit through. I flew in circles around the dome.

      At that moment, the king of Kranslunar, Darquos the Draik, who had just thrown me into the dungeons a day earlier, burst into the dome. Ha, he looks angrier than usual, I thought.

      "Stop him!" Darquos shouted. I did a show-offy roll in the air and shouted, "Hello, your Highness! Come to join the party?" I didn't know how I was able to joke at a time like this, but somehow I was. He shook his fist at me, and the arrows flew harder, faster denser. I had time to look around the dome as more guards and archers poured in. There was really nothing there - guards, some archers, a whole bunch of packed dirt, but other than that, it was completely empty. Maybe they really did brainwash pets here… Crash! Boom!

     Several more arrows sped through the domes glass top, making several exceptionally large holes. Darquos yelled at his archers. "You're giving him escape routs! Shoot the Eyrie, not my ceiling!" I wondered why he didn't just call in the flyers.

     I had no time for waiting, though. I sped over to where the Moon Stone was, popped it out of the glass, and flew through the ever-widening hole in the glass dome.

     "Thank you for your hospitality, your Highness," I shouted at Darquos from far above, " but you might work on your guest rooms. They seem to be a little…dirty. And they're full of cockroaches and fleas. So long, and I hope I'm never forced to look at your hideous face ever again." I couldn't help myself. I was mad at him any ways, I don't ever forgive people who hurt my friends. I waved in a taunting way to King Darquos, who was shaking his fist at me, flew high over the castle walls to avoid those arrows, and back over the mountains towards the Valley Kingdoms.

      ****

     I made a non-stop flight to Lananroam from Kranslunar and camped outside the town. In the morning I planned to check in on Shadow Dragon, then fly to my home (which was more like an empty clearing, where most thieves lived) outside of Kurn. I fully intended to continue thieving, even if it meant without Croshar. I sighed and brushed away the sudden tears self-consciously. Croshar…

      I didn't bother with breakfast, for once I wasn't hungry, and loped into the town of Lananroam.

      I headed first to the Green Moon Inn and found from the manager that no, no fire Gelert had stayed there. There was rumor that the witch had taken one in though, why don't you check there. He shivered involuntarily. I thanked him and started, now rather worried, toward the witch's wagon.

      I came to a brightly colored gypsy wagon, with two white Unis tethered outside. I tentatively walked up the makeshift steps and paused. A Cobrall sat on the doorway, hissing at me. I stared at it, and called out, "Hello? Shadow Dragon? Anyone home?"

      A fire Gelert pushed aside the curtain door. I recognized Shadow, but he looked…different. For one, he was wearing gypsy clothes and had some strange necklace. It was the colors of fire, and within, it was churning, burning…I thought I'd seen it all, especially after Kranslunar, but this - this was new to me.

      "Hey, stop that," he commanded the Cobrall, who stopped obediently. "Hello, Weatree. Sorry about him, he's my new familiar, and he's a little protective. So, what brings you here?"

      "Err, Shadow…no offence, but…what are you doing with the witch? Talequa, I mean?" I asked.

      "Her? Talequa's no witch, Weatree. She offered to tech me magic, so I'm going to stay. Hey, where is Croshar?'

      "She…she didn't make it out. Well, if you're okay, I'll guess I'll go. 'Bye, Shadow."

      "Good bye," he replied, in the nonchalant way he'd been talking the whole time. I left, more perplexed than before. I had no wish to talk to him anymore. I didn't really want to talk to anyone. He seemed fine, anyway.

      ****

      So that's that. I took the half-day flight to my clearing, about twenty miles out of Kurn in the Garanel Forests. I took maybe a week, to let the news travel, let myself recover, then I was back on the job. Morhoaron seemed disappointed, but he paid me anyway in exchange for the Moon Stone.

      I'll go on thieving, even if it means without Croshar. So it all worked out. Well, until the next time I stuck my beak into places that it didn't belong, at least.

The End

Author's Note: So now you're probably thinking, what's next? Well, I do plan to continue this series, look for one soon. Feedback will be greatly appreciated!