The Rider's Legacy

Chapter 8 | Ruins

Chapter Eight | Ruins

We broke from our tangle of limbs. Our dragons encircled us, and I greeted the Ashbourne dragons each in turn. There would be more to talk about later: questions to be answered and decisions to be explained but for now, I wanted to ride the wave of warmth that enveloped us. The people continued to march, and I stared out across the great crowds, pride swelling inside of me.

"You kept all these people together."

"For all I knew, we could be the last Riders in Valaxia." Dem said softly. "But even if we are still technically fledglings, it is our duty to protect them."

"Acheron has harmed so many innocents." A phantom ache across my back, a reminder marked in the mountain ranges of scars across my skin. "And will continue to, until he is killed."

"Is that your next move?" Dem asked. The wind stirred his inky hair.

"I hope it is our next move." I said to him. But seeing that tired face, those burdened shoulders, I added quickly, "But right now, we need to focus on getting these people warm and sheltered. And having some rest. Acheron will still there when we wake."

Dem sighed. He seemed to take stock of the scene before us. The people walking under the soft sunlight and the glittering water of the lakes. "I haven't given myself time to think beyond getting these people into Brylahean."

"And there is nothing wrong with that," I reminded him. "Ithrall was...a dark day. Getting these people to safety took precedent."

His elbow nudged mine. "I don't think a decade of sleep with scrape the exhaustion from my mind."

My lips twisted into a wry smile, but I stayed silent. I had the luxury of resting after Ithrall, but my friends hadn't. They had been marching forward, dogged, and determined since Ithrall fell. They would need rest. The others came to stand alongside of us, each looking forward to Brylahean.

"Why do I feel like everything is up to us?" Jamie asked.

"Because it is." Dem replied.

"There is a rake of other leaders who have decades of experience over us," Jamie shot back. "People who have been in leadership positions before. People who would have had the resources to help us."

"We are what is left of the Riders." Peter's voice was low and solemn. "Or what we know to be the rest of the Riders. We are the only ones to uphold the ideals of Riders."

Gabriel snorted, bitterness darkening his tone, "The ideals of Riders are not so glossy now. Innoch murderers and only concerned with power and ego."

"Well, us being the only ones left means we get to start again," I said. "I suppose that is some sort of silver lining."

Dem blinked down at me. "This silver lining is quite dark."

"Perhaps," I shrugged my shoulders. "But this is our chance to remake the Riders. You have brought these people here, but I don't think Riders are able to be the overarching leaders. The Council failed in Ithrall because... it was infiltrated, but I don't imagine staying in Brylahean for long while Acheron creeps through Valaxia."

"I would just like to sleep," Jamie let out a deep, tired breath.

"You'll get a chance to rest." I promised her.

Dem jostled me. "That dark mind of yours is working, Neely. When we get settled, there is much to talk about."

"Well, I hope we let Neely tell her story," Jamie goaded. "And to not have her interrupted every five seconds with your little anecdotes."