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THE YOUNG WARRIOR [Dec2013]
page: 1share:
Authors note: Conversations using telepathy are denoted by italics.
THE YOUNG WARRIOR
I was finally on my way. Mother had no option but to let me go, but that did not mean she was happy. Two days ago my ceremony had gone very well. I was presented with my Wrist Guards that denoted my transition from a cub, who relies completely on their Parents, to a Young Warrior, who makes their own decisions with the guidance of Parents. The next step after receiving one’s Wrist Guards was to undertake The Journey.
It was supposed to be a Journey of discovery of self. For females such as myself, it was also a time to reflect on when in your life you may choose to have your two cubs. I had already decided to have one soonish and the other later in life. The Journey was also a time to reflect on what career one may choose and to prove the ability to survive in the wilds as our honorable ancestors once had. Over time, the survival part had been diminished if not completely eliminated. Most Young Warriors went into the Westron Mountains. Hardly mountains and hardly untamed. It was where everyone went to connect with nature. It was so tame that no one had died in those so called mountains in two hundred years and on that occasion an elderly Warrior had died basically because he was well, old!
When my Parents had politely inquired where I may take my Journey, my answer of ‘The Teeth Mountains’ took them by surprise. I made a bit of a joke at that point telling them I would stay on the gum line. My Father appreciated my humor, my Mother not so much. The Teeth Mountains were unspoiled wilderness where lived the only two species that could hope to combat a Warrior. In all honesty, neither could win against us unless in packs and only one of them hunted in packs. Mother had pointed out that I was not a Warrior and I had purred back that I did now have Wrist Guards and I intended to have one set to heavy stun and the other set to maximum kill.
I had made the Wrist Guards myself. In times past that meant I would have worked with my Father or Mother, beating them out on a forge. Now it meant picking them out from a holo list. Well, that was fine for most everyone else, but not for me. I had designed them from the start. Mine were designed for combat against anything. A bit larger than most and made from the same material that the builders used for the hulls of Star Ships. I used the clear version, slightly tinted and then I had inlaid an alloy of gold, titanium and copper in a complex pattern. They tended to highlight my ginger coat quite well. Father had helped me enormously, but then he was a specialized scientist and could provide very sage advice. He had even increased the weapon’s storage capacity by charging the hull material.
In the left Wrist Guard I had dutifully installed all of the regular modules. There was the com and holo module, healer monitor and the distress beacon. In the right Wrist Guard I had added equipment that was anything but regular. Riders of Great Dragons always carried a combined weapon, scanner and com device. The scanner was both long and short range and the com module was sub space capable. I had both of those capabilities on my right wrist! It had surprised me when I had ordered the modules that the order was not queried.
Some of my friends felt that I was unusual. That did not interfere with friendships, not in our culture. It was known that I was mentally gifted and our Clan was proud of that fact. Our Clan had many gifted Warriors including the Warrior Prince of Ressalon himself. What was not known to our Clan was that I was gifted in the Arcane arts. I had kept it secret out of, well, fear. Perhaps fear was too strong a word, perhaps apprehension was better. I wanted to be able to pick my own future, not have my gifts choose for me. I needed to understand my Arcane powers, to command those powers rather than have those powers command me.
One of the reasons I had chosen The Teeth Mountains is so that I would be very alone and my use of Arcane power should go unnoticed. I had never used the Power that I knew I had, not at its full measure and I was very curious as to what I could do with it. Even now I could levitate, or create a shield against gravity and I could use power to move. I could jump further than anyone I knew and that was only using a tiny amount of Arcane power.
My Journey started with Mother telling me to be very careful. Father just gave me a hug. It took me two days to leave the Great Northern Plain. I had set myself a good fast pace, loping along on all fours to eat up the distance. Occasionally I switched to walking upright to rest some and use other muscles. I passed a Castle Ship without stopping. Huge Star Ships that landed on their tails providing an instant city that could be moved at any time to avoid the worst that nature could throw at us. I have never understood this quirk of naming our Star Ships. A Castle Ship was one thousand six hundred metres tall and the central core was three hundred and forty metres wide and two hundred and forty metres deep. It was shaped as an elongated octagon. On the six smaller sides were attached Turrets. These were almost the full height of the central core and provided three hundred and fifty levels of living space each. Three quarters of a million Warriors lived in each Castle Ship with another quarter of a million living near it, in little villages dotted here and there. The villages were simply dome shaped dwellings that were mostly buried under ground just like our ancestors dens. Of course the dome dens were very much bigger than our ancestors could ever imagine but then, they had dug their dens themselves by claw.
When you compared a Ressalon Battle Dreadnought with a Castle Ship it was plain to see that they were in fact the same ship. The only real difference was the orientation of the levels or as Dreadnoughts referred to them, decks. If a Dreadnought ever landed on a Planet, they landed on their long axis and usually on a body of water. They floated well. Why one was called a Dreadnought and the other a Castle Ship seemed strange.
I was almost out of the Great Northern Plain. The last Castle Ship was just ahead and I decided on visiting for food, I was hungry. I could have simply stunned any of the animals that grazed the Plain but that would have been wasteful. I stopped off at the communal eating hall and ate and drank my fill. I replenished my supply of water as well. The food made me sleepy so I found a nice comfy bit of grass a short way from the Ship and laid down for a sleep.
When I awoke it was night. Travelling the plains at night was just as easy as travelling during daylight for my species. I stretched for a while, started out slowly on two legs until my muscles adjusted and then resumed my pace on all fours. I slowed a little as I went through the foothills and by morning I was in the Teeth Mountains. By mid morning I had encounted a number of supposedly dangerous predators all of whom had run when I projected an image of myself holding their lifeless bodies with their throats ripped open. They gave me a wide birth.
My pace slowed again as I started moving through steep terrain going higher and higher. I started to think of my future career options. After I was conceived my parents had started the normal process of teaching. As I developed inside of my mother, they lovingly placed information into my developing mind. The first series of imprints were common to all children. Language, math, societal norms and such like were all placed first. After that, Parents placed their knowledge. Father had of course placed all of his science knowledge in my mind, general knowledge first and then his specialization of Artificial Intelligences. Mother is a Master Healer so she placed all of her Healer knowledge in my mind including her specialty of Neuron Patterning. Mother really did not care, but I always found it a bit wrong that just because she dealt in such a narrow field she would never get too Grand Master status.
After I was born and growing, any time I was curious about something the answer would spring to my conscious mind as if I had always known it, which indeed I had. As I grew, my Parents would ask simple questions to bring dormant information out where I could use it. Generally these were fun times shared by a family. I knew my Mother hoped I would choose to become a Healer. She had shown me many things and even taught me how to use Arcane ability to heal. I followed her lesson and surprised her with my ability. There was just one little problem. To heal in this manner one had to mentally scan the patient. I simply hated that! Seeing someone’s insides was just a little off. You could not just look at a few bits. Before Healing one scanned the entire body. Bile ducts, large intestines, everything! It was gross, really gross. OK, if I had to save someone’s life then no problem! But day to day, every day, no, I think not! I hid the more powerful side of my Arcane abilities as I grew to realize they were there.
Father had sat me down once and simply said he didn’t mind what I did with my future. He also let me know it was my choice entirely and not to let Mother push me into something I did not want to do. He received a very long cuddle for that. I guess in the end it all came back to the same old question, what could I do with my Arcane abilities. I was almost two years old, I had been struggling with this for half of my lifetime. Perhaps I should find out!
I had done a great deal of research of course. All of it with the data terminal set to the personal mode. No one could access that without very good reason. Freedom of thought and freedom of life were the very basis of our society. In fact, the only entities that had access were the AIs and they would need very good reasons to allow access to personal information. I thought I may as well start with tunneling shields.
THE YOUNG WARRIOR
I was finally on my way. Mother had no option but to let me go, but that did not mean she was happy. Two days ago my ceremony had gone very well. I was presented with my Wrist Guards that denoted my transition from a cub, who relies completely on their Parents, to a Young Warrior, who makes their own decisions with the guidance of Parents. The next step after receiving one’s Wrist Guards was to undertake The Journey.
It was supposed to be a Journey of discovery of self. For females such as myself, it was also a time to reflect on when in your life you may choose to have your two cubs. I had already decided to have one soonish and the other later in life. The Journey was also a time to reflect on what career one may choose and to prove the ability to survive in the wilds as our honorable ancestors once had. Over time, the survival part had been diminished if not completely eliminated. Most Young Warriors went into the Westron Mountains. Hardly mountains and hardly untamed. It was where everyone went to connect with nature. It was so tame that no one had died in those so called mountains in two hundred years and on that occasion an elderly Warrior had died basically because he was well, old!
When my Parents had politely inquired where I may take my Journey, my answer of ‘The Teeth Mountains’ took them by surprise. I made a bit of a joke at that point telling them I would stay on the gum line. My Father appreciated my humor, my Mother not so much. The Teeth Mountains were unspoiled wilderness where lived the only two species that could hope to combat a Warrior. In all honesty, neither could win against us unless in packs and only one of them hunted in packs. Mother had pointed out that I was not a Warrior and I had purred back that I did now have Wrist Guards and I intended to have one set to heavy stun and the other set to maximum kill.
I had made the Wrist Guards myself. In times past that meant I would have worked with my Father or Mother, beating them out on a forge. Now it meant picking them out from a holo list. Well, that was fine for most everyone else, but not for me. I had designed them from the start. Mine were designed for combat against anything. A bit larger than most and made from the same material that the builders used for the hulls of Star Ships. I used the clear version, slightly tinted and then I had inlaid an alloy of gold, titanium and copper in a complex pattern. They tended to highlight my ginger coat quite well. Father had helped me enormously, but then he was a specialized scientist and could provide very sage advice. He had even increased the weapon’s storage capacity by charging the hull material.
In the left Wrist Guard I had dutifully installed all of the regular modules. There was the com and holo module, healer monitor and the distress beacon. In the right Wrist Guard I had added equipment that was anything but regular. Riders of Great Dragons always carried a combined weapon, scanner and com device. The scanner was both long and short range and the com module was sub space capable. I had both of those capabilities on my right wrist! It had surprised me when I had ordered the modules that the order was not queried.
Some of my friends felt that I was unusual. That did not interfere with friendships, not in our culture. It was known that I was mentally gifted and our Clan was proud of that fact. Our Clan had many gifted Warriors including the Warrior Prince of Ressalon himself. What was not known to our Clan was that I was gifted in the Arcane arts. I had kept it secret out of, well, fear. Perhaps fear was too strong a word, perhaps apprehension was better. I wanted to be able to pick my own future, not have my gifts choose for me. I needed to understand my Arcane powers, to command those powers rather than have those powers command me.
One of the reasons I had chosen The Teeth Mountains is so that I would be very alone and my use of Arcane power should go unnoticed. I had never used the Power that I knew I had, not at its full measure and I was very curious as to what I could do with it. Even now I could levitate, or create a shield against gravity and I could use power to move. I could jump further than anyone I knew and that was only using a tiny amount of Arcane power.
My Journey started with Mother telling me to be very careful. Father just gave me a hug. It took me two days to leave the Great Northern Plain. I had set myself a good fast pace, loping along on all fours to eat up the distance. Occasionally I switched to walking upright to rest some and use other muscles. I passed a Castle Ship without stopping. Huge Star Ships that landed on their tails providing an instant city that could be moved at any time to avoid the worst that nature could throw at us. I have never understood this quirk of naming our Star Ships. A Castle Ship was one thousand six hundred metres tall and the central core was three hundred and forty metres wide and two hundred and forty metres deep. It was shaped as an elongated octagon. On the six smaller sides were attached Turrets. These were almost the full height of the central core and provided three hundred and fifty levels of living space each. Three quarters of a million Warriors lived in each Castle Ship with another quarter of a million living near it, in little villages dotted here and there. The villages were simply dome shaped dwellings that were mostly buried under ground just like our ancestors dens. Of course the dome dens were very much bigger than our ancestors could ever imagine but then, they had dug their dens themselves by claw.
When you compared a Ressalon Battle Dreadnought with a Castle Ship it was plain to see that they were in fact the same ship. The only real difference was the orientation of the levels or as Dreadnoughts referred to them, decks. If a Dreadnought ever landed on a Planet, they landed on their long axis and usually on a body of water. They floated well. Why one was called a Dreadnought and the other a Castle Ship seemed strange.
I was almost out of the Great Northern Plain. The last Castle Ship was just ahead and I decided on visiting for food, I was hungry. I could have simply stunned any of the animals that grazed the Plain but that would have been wasteful. I stopped off at the communal eating hall and ate and drank my fill. I replenished my supply of water as well. The food made me sleepy so I found a nice comfy bit of grass a short way from the Ship and laid down for a sleep.
When I awoke it was night. Travelling the plains at night was just as easy as travelling during daylight for my species. I stretched for a while, started out slowly on two legs until my muscles adjusted and then resumed my pace on all fours. I slowed a little as I went through the foothills and by morning I was in the Teeth Mountains. By mid morning I had encounted a number of supposedly dangerous predators all of whom had run when I projected an image of myself holding their lifeless bodies with their throats ripped open. They gave me a wide birth.
My pace slowed again as I started moving through steep terrain going higher and higher. I started to think of my future career options. After I was conceived my parents had started the normal process of teaching. As I developed inside of my mother, they lovingly placed information into my developing mind. The first series of imprints were common to all children. Language, math, societal norms and such like were all placed first. After that, Parents placed their knowledge. Father had of course placed all of his science knowledge in my mind, general knowledge first and then his specialization of Artificial Intelligences. Mother is a Master Healer so she placed all of her Healer knowledge in my mind including her specialty of Neuron Patterning. Mother really did not care, but I always found it a bit wrong that just because she dealt in such a narrow field she would never get too Grand Master status.
After I was born and growing, any time I was curious about something the answer would spring to my conscious mind as if I had always known it, which indeed I had. As I grew, my Parents would ask simple questions to bring dormant information out where I could use it. Generally these were fun times shared by a family. I knew my Mother hoped I would choose to become a Healer. She had shown me many things and even taught me how to use Arcane ability to heal. I followed her lesson and surprised her with my ability. There was just one little problem. To heal in this manner one had to mentally scan the patient. I simply hated that! Seeing someone’s insides was just a little off. You could not just look at a few bits. Before Healing one scanned the entire body. Bile ducts, large intestines, everything! It was gross, really gross. OK, if I had to save someone’s life then no problem! But day to day, every day, no, I think not! I hid the more powerful side of my Arcane abilities as I grew to realize they were there.
Father had sat me down once and simply said he didn’t mind what I did with my future. He also let me know it was my choice entirely and not to let Mother push me into something I did not want to do. He received a very long cuddle for that. I guess in the end it all came back to the same old question, what could I do with my Arcane abilities. I was almost two years old, I had been struggling with this for half of my lifetime. Perhaps I should find out!
I had done a great deal of research of course. All of it with the data terminal set to the personal mode. No one could access that without very good reason. Freedom of thought and freedom of life were the very basis of our society. In fact, the only entities that had access were the AIs and they would need very good reasons to allow access to personal information. I thought I may as well start with tunneling shields.
I stopped and took my Great Bow out of my pack and assembled it in its intermediate form. It was two metres long and more than powerful enough for
what I had in mind. I set an arrow against the string, pulled it back until the cams rotated and then held it. I picked a tree to aim at, saw a tiny
insect and then went through what I had studied. Set a tendril of Arcane Power between the arrow head and the target, lock both in place, expand the
tendril to a tunnel of force. Change the tunnel to shield against gravity and fire! The arrow sped through the tunnel and hit the target. I walked
over to have a look. I had taken the insects head clean off. Now that was accuracy!
I sat down to think. My Mother had taught me how to form dedicated neuron patterns in my own mind. The ability is part of what some Healers learn. As we learn a new skill, neuron patterns form taking the new skill from conscious control to eventually being part of the autonomous mind. I could form these patterns at will. I formed a new one for tunneling shields. It took a while but I thought it was well worth the effort.
I disassembled my bow and packed it. I resumed my journey thinking of what to try next. I had already experimented with gravity shields, so I set an Arcane shield that hugged my lithe form and set it to ignore gravity. Of course you can’t often ignore all of gravity. At fifty percent it was fine. I started to run. All of my muscle power was moving half of my mass. I finally settled on shielding at two thirds. I was running very fast, uphill, with very little effort. It felt wonderful. For the remainder of the day I ran with this enhancement. It was awesome and I reveled in the sheer speed and agility I felt. The terrain was becoming more and more difficult and I was loving it!
It did not matter if I went rock to rock or went up steep inclines. I jumped two small ravines. A leap, switch to ignore all of gravity, sail across like a big bird and then give myself a little mass for the landing. I stopped and checked my holo map. I had come twice the distance I expected too. This was great. It started to get dark and I simply ignored that fact. I switched to mind vision. Mother had taught me this one. It was exactly the same as scanning a person except you could scan around yourself. The Auras of every living creature and every blade of grass sprang out clearly. Every rock and pebble became clearly outlined in my mind.
I located a smaller animal and entered its mind sending it sleep. I used my Wrist Guard scanner to identify it. It was edible, many considered it a delicacy. I thanked its spirit for the gift, killed it and ate it. It was very good! I was not full, I did not want to be full or I would have to sleep. I continued on at the same extremely fast and exhilarating pace all the way until early morning.
I would have to stop to rest fairly soon. I planned to stop about mid morning to eat and sleep. Now I had a decision to make. It was an intriguing decision. As expected I had come to a sheer drop. My scanner showed a sheer drop of three thousand two hundred metres with a river at the bottom. My holo map showed this gorge and someone with a sense of humor had named it ‘The Missing Tooth.’ I had expected it and had planned the way around it. It would take three days.
Of course there was another option. It was eleven hundred metres from this side to the other side. A quick run up and leap. Switch the gravity shield to make me weightless and glide across like a bird. I may have to use Arcane Power to aid my speed when floating but I had used that often enough to jump much further than I was normally able. I studied the problem for quite some time and could find nothing wrong with my plans. It would save me three days after all. It was also exciting.
I went back down a little ways and started the run up. I got to the edge, jumped, reset my gravity shield and started gliding across. I applied a little force to keep me going and a little more to counter the light wind that wanted to push me sideways. I spread my four legs to a wide stance and applied force through my paws so I had some steerage. This was fun! It was really exciting! This is how Great Dragons must feel. I heard laughter, quickly cut off. Where did that come from? I needed to concentrate. I was more than half way across. It was all going great. I was very proud of my accomplishment.
Then my shield collapsed. Instantly, I suppressed my intense fear reaction. I fell, fast! I had to reset my shield and do so very quickly. Then a strange telepathic contact, “No! Do not reset your shield!” Then, darkness, no, more than darkness, I could not feel anything and then light again as I struck a soft surface. “You are safe little one, calm yourself, look around, the danger has passed.” I looked around. A big, long tail. I looked left and right and saw two very large wings. “I am Elinith. I am a Silver Great Dragon and you are on my back. Settle your mind, good, well done, now carefully turn around and walk to here, then sit please so I can secure you. It would not be good if you fell off.”
I did as I was asked although I was very confused. I sat and waited. Then the Great Dragon chuckled while sending, “Little Warrior, your species can move and sit as both a four legged species and as a two legged species. You are sitting as does a four legged species. You are perched on my back. Try sitting as a two legged species please, then I can secure you. If you are riding with me, it is my responsibility to ensure your safety.”
I shifted my position sitting as I had once seen a Rider do. Tendrils snaked out of the Great Dragons hide and secured my paws and legs. The process continued as more tendrils formed a seat and then a short backrest. The Great Dragon sent me another image so I leant forward and placed my hands where she wanted them. More dark silver tendrils snaked around my front paws and forearms.
The Great Dragon sent, “I have a name, it is Elinith, you can use it if you would like although I do understand your species’ lack of names. It confuses some other species.” As I thought of a question she was answering it, before it had properly formed in my mind, this was different. All right, it is Elinith. “Thank you, names are important to other species. Some of us have a little difficulty separating one Warrior mental signature from another. We know you use these as names, it is just difficult for us. No, I have not taken you, I have rescued you. No, little one, had you tried to reestablish your shield you would have died! I will explain later. Now you have needs, urgent needs and you are not aware of them. Yes, I did laugh, my apologies, your floating and steering with your paws was great to watch but comparing it to a Great Dragon was really funny for me. No, I did not take offence. Do not be frightened, I am going to fly. You can be apprehensive or you can enjoy the experience, it is your choice. Relax and move with me. That backrest will protect your double spine if I change direction suddenly. Now, enjoy little Warrior.”
Elinith dove straight down and then leveled off. She flew to a valley where four animals just fell over and lay still. I had felt Elinith’s mind send out four stun blasts. She flew just above the ground and snatched them up as she passed over them. Once she had all four she climbed and climbed very fast indeed. I could sense Arcane Power flowing through her. It was not her wings that did the work, it was Power and it seemed very natural. “Yes, it is natural for us. It is how we fly. My wings can provide lift but not for long trips. Great Dragons are heavy creatures, our wings barely manage to lift us. In ages past we were much smaller and lighter. As we developed Arcane flight we grew. Now, our very makeup is under our control.”
A short while later we landed on a ledge with a large mouth to what appeared to be a very large cave. It had devises imbedded into the rock at the entrance. “I require solitude which is why I am living in a cave. It does not mean I have to be uncomfortable. The wind howls around these peaks. Those pieces of equipment are force field generators to keep the wind, the cold and the heat out or in as appropriate.”
Elinith moved the four animals until they were in a row. I sensed Arcane Power as the animal was taken out of its skin. It was instantaneous. Then livers and kidneys appeared at my feet. “I Transferred the animals out of their skins. I do not like eating very much fur. Those organs are for you. While we are eating I will explain some things to you. Please eat little Warrior, otherwise you will sleep without food and if that happens I will be forced to call for Healers to care for you and you would not wish that. Yes, I am reading your surface thoughts. I hear what I will, all Great Dragons do. Your species usually finds this difficult to come to terms with. For your information, Warriors hear the thoughts of our Riders some of the time. It is just a part of telepathic and non-telepathic species mixing. I would never divulge what I hear from you, your private thoughts are still private regardless of my hearing them. If I had not heard you, you would be a dead little Warrior and I chose to not let that happen.”
I started to eat and found I was very hungry. Elinith continued, “When you entered these mountains I felt you. You sent some rather gruesome images so I decided to see why someone would do this. Neat trick. Combat avoided is always good. You sent on a wide band so it was easy to sense. Then I followed you with mind vision. You used your Talents to good effect but always a little wasteful. It was not until you started to consider your future, that I understood you were using raw and untrained Talent. That you are this good at your very young age impressed me greatly. The sheer amount of Arcane Power you had at your disposal was impressive as well. Then I became concerned so I got off my lazy tail and flew out to find you.”
Elinith paused while she crunched the head of the animal before moving on to the second. I was eating my second liver. She continued, “Little Warrior, you only have a certain amount of Arcane Energy stored within you. You used it all. Your gravity shield collapsed because you simply ran out of Power. Had you re-started it you would have stolen the energy from your very cells. At that point you die at the cellular level. I chose to prevent that and here we are. You are safe. Try and get through the third liver please, then you will sleep. The sleep will help you to regain some of what you have lost. I also suggest you check your wrist guard, it is flashing yellow.”
I sat down to think. My Mother had taught me how to form dedicated neuron patterns in my own mind. The ability is part of what some Healers learn. As we learn a new skill, neuron patterns form taking the new skill from conscious control to eventually being part of the autonomous mind. I could form these patterns at will. I formed a new one for tunneling shields. It took a while but I thought it was well worth the effort.
I disassembled my bow and packed it. I resumed my journey thinking of what to try next. I had already experimented with gravity shields, so I set an Arcane shield that hugged my lithe form and set it to ignore gravity. Of course you can’t often ignore all of gravity. At fifty percent it was fine. I started to run. All of my muscle power was moving half of my mass. I finally settled on shielding at two thirds. I was running very fast, uphill, with very little effort. It felt wonderful. For the remainder of the day I ran with this enhancement. It was awesome and I reveled in the sheer speed and agility I felt. The terrain was becoming more and more difficult and I was loving it!
It did not matter if I went rock to rock or went up steep inclines. I jumped two small ravines. A leap, switch to ignore all of gravity, sail across like a big bird and then give myself a little mass for the landing. I stopped and checked my holo map. I had come twice the distance I expected too. This was great. It started to get dark and I simply ignored that fact. I switched to mind vision. Mother had taught me this one. It was exactly the same as scanning a person except you could scan around yourself. The Auras of every living creature and every blade of grass sprang out clearly. Every rock and pebble became clearly outlined in my mind.
I located a smaller animal and entered its mind sending it sleep. I used my Wrist Guard scanner to identify it. It was edible, many considered it a delicacy. I thanked its spirit for the gift, killed it and ate it. It was very good! I was not full, I did not want to be full or I would have to sleep. I continued on at the same extremely fast and exhilarating pace all the way until early morning.
I would have to stop to rest fairly soon. I planned to stop about mid morning to eat and sleep. Now I had a decision to make. It was an intriguing decision. As expected I had come to a sheer drop. My scanner showed a sheer drop of three thousand two hundred metres with a river at the bottom. My holo map showed this gorge and someone with a sense of humor had named it ‘The Missing Tooth.’ I had expected it and had planned the way around it. It would take three days.
Of course there was another option. It was eleven hundred metres from this side to the other side. A quick run up and leap. Switch the gravity shield to make me weightless and glide across like a bird. I may have to use Arcane Power to aid my speed when floating but I had used that often enough to jump much further than I was normally able. I studied the problem for quite some time and could find nothing wrong with my plans. It would save me three days after all. It was also exciting.
I went back down a little ways and started the run up. I got to the edge, jumped, reset my gravity shield and started gliding across. I applied a little force to keep me going and a little more to counter the light wind that wanted to push me sideways. I spread my four legs to a wide stance and applied force through my paws so I had some steerage. This was fun! It was really exciting! This is how Great Dragons must feel. I heard laughter, quickly cut off. Where did that come from? I needed to concentrate. I was more than half way across. It was all going great. I was very proud of my accomplishment.
Then my shield collapsed. Instantly, I suppressed my intense fear reaction. I fell, fast! I had to reset my shield and do so very quickly. Then a strange telepathic contact, “No! Do not reset your shield!” Then, darkness, no, more than darkness, I could not feel anything and then light again as I struck a soft surface. “You are safe little one, calm yourself, look around, the danger has passed.” I looked around. A big, long tail. I looked left and right and saw two very large wings. “I am Elinith. I am a Silver Great Dragon and you are on my back. Settle your mind, good, well done, now carefully turn around and walk to here, then sit please so I can secure you. It would not be good if you fell off.”
I did as I was asked although I was very confused. I sat and waited. Then the Great Dragon chuckled while sending, “Little Warrior, your species can move and sit as both a four legged species and as a two legged species. You are sitting as does a four legged species. You are perched on my back. Try sitting as a two legged species please, then I can secure you. If you are riding with me, it is my responsibility to ensure your safety.”
I shifted my position sitting as I had once seen a Rider do. Tendrils snaked out of the Great Dragons hide and secured my paws and legs. The process continued as more tendrils formed a seat and then a short backrest. The Great Dragon sent me another image so I leant forward and placed my hands where she wanted them. More dark silver tendrils snaked around my front paws and forearms.
The Great Dragon sent, “I have a name, it is Elinith, you can use it if you would like although I do understand your species’ lack of names. It confuses some other species.” As I thought of a question she was answering it, before it had properly formed in my mind, this was different. All right, it is Elinith. “Thank you, names are important to other species. Some of us have a little difficulty separating one Warrior mental signature from another. We know you use these as names, it is just difficult for us. No, I have not taken you, I have rescued you. No, little one, had you tried to reestablish your shield you would have died! I will explain later. Now you have needs, urgent needs and you are not aware of them. Yes, I did laugh, my apologies, your floating and steering with your paws was great to watch but comparing it to a Great Dragon was really funny for me. No, I did not take offence. Do not be frightened, I am going to fly. You can be apprehensive or you can enjoy the experience, it is your choice. Relax and move with me. That backrest will protect your double spine if I change direction suddenly. Now, enjoy little Warrior.”
Elinith dove straight down and then leveled off. She flew to a valley where four animals just fell over and lay still. I had felt Elinith’s mind send out four stun blasts. She flew just above the ground and snatched them up as she passed over them. Once she had all four she climbed and climbed very fast indeed. I could sense Arcane Power flowing through her. It was not her wings that did the work, it was Power and it seemed very natural. “Yes, it is natural for us. It is how we fly. My wings can provide lift but not for long trips. Great Dragons are heavy creatures, our wings barely manage to lift us. In ages past we were much smaller and lighter. As we developed Arcane flight we grew. Now, our very makeup is under our control.”
A short while later we landed on a ledge with a large mouth to what appeared to be a very large cave. It had devises imbedded into the rock at the entrance. “I require solitude which is why I am living in a cave. It does not mean I have to be uncomfortable. The wind howls around these peaks. Those pieces of equipment are force field generators to keep the wind, the cold and the heat out or in as appropriate.”
Elinith moved the four animals until they were in a row. I sensed Arcane Power as the animal was taken out of its skin. It was instantaneous. Then livers and kidneys appeared at my feet. “I Transferred the animals out of their skins. I do not like eating very much fur. Those organs are for you. While we are eating I will explain some things to you. Please eat little Warrior, otherwise you will sleep without food and if that happens I will be forced to call for Healers to care for you and you would not wish that. Yes, I am reading your surface thoughts. I hear what I will, all Great Dragons do. Your species usually finds this difficult to come to terms with. For your information, Warriors hear the thoughts of our Riders some of the time. It is just a part of telepathic and non-telepathic species mixing. I would never divulge what I hear from you, your private thoughts are still private regardless of my hearing them. If I had not heard you, you would be a dead little Warrior and I chose to not let that happen.”
I started to eat and found I was very hungry. Elinith continued, “When you entered these mountains I felt you. You sent some rather gruesome images so I decided to see why someone would do this. Neat trick. Combat avoided is always good. You sent on a wide band so it was easy to sense. Then I followed you with mind vision. You used your Talents to good effect but always a little wasteful. It was not until you started to consider your future, that I understood you were using raw and untrained Talent. That you are this good at your very young age impressed me greatly. The sheer amount of Arcane Power you had at your disposal was impressive as well. Then I became concerned so I got off my lazy tail and flew out to find you.”
Elinith paused while she crunched the head of the animal before moving on to the second. I was eating my second liver. She continued, “Little Warrior, you only have a certain amount of Arcane Energy stored within you. You used it all. Your gravity shield collapsed because you simply ran out of Power. Had you re-started it you would have stolen the energy from your very cells. At that point you die at the cellular level. I chose to prevent that and here we are. You are safe. Try and get through the third liver please, then you will sleep. The sleep will help you to regain some of what you have lost. I also suggest you check your wrist guard, it is flashing yellow.”
I checked, it was flashing a Healer warning and very close to shifting to full alarm. I turned it off and the realization that I had come close to
dying hit me hard. Obviously I had stuffed up in a pretty big way. I started to think of the grief my parents would have gone through. “All is
well, you are alive and well and I am here to help you. We all make mistakes when young. Calm yourself. Good, now you need to sleep. When you
awake we can discuss this further and perhaps together we can find a solution to your problem. Sleep little Warrior.”
I woke and found myself in the cave itself. I was on a heap of furs and very warm and cozy. I needed to relieve myself and quickly. I had eaten a great deal. Elinith thought, “Just put you rear end over the ledge, it will not hurt to do so once or twice. In very bad weather I have been known to do so myself. It is a sheer drop. There are not many animals below. A few birds only and you would only be doing to them what they do to others.” I did not object. I was in a hurry. I was very surprised at the sheer quantity I had to expel. “I fed you as you slept. You have slept for two days and a night. No, it is simply a matter of cutting the meat up until it is in small bits and Transferring it into your stomach. Easily done by a Great dragon. Delicate work but not arduous.”
I found my water sack and drank heavily. I looked at Elinith and seriously thought, “Great Dragon, Elinith, thank you for my life. I have a debt that will be difficult to repay.” She replied, “Great Dragons do not consider helping other as enabling a debt. I was pleased to assist you and I like helping you. Your fur color and your eye color are striking. I have not seen them before. Your eyes are almost green and your fur is like burnished copper. I hope the males in your society find you appealing.” Before I could form an answer, Elinith laughed and added, “Oh, I see! Too much of a good thing. No little Warrior, enjoy the attention, pick from the best, be choosy!”
Advice on romance from a Great Dragon! Still, it was good advice. I asked, “Where is your Rider?” I can see Auras most of the time but they take experience to read. I did not need much experience to know that Elinith’s Aura fell in a heap. I thought, hopefully to myself, oops, that was the wrong question! Elinith replied sadly, “I am three hundred and sixty five years old. I have lost three much loved Riders. One was murdered while she slept, one died of a disease that I could not counter in time and the last fell in battle. I do not know if I can bond with another. I offered them unending love, health and a long lifespan. The lifespan was not long, the love was not unending and their health meant nothing as they died.”
I shielded my mind for a moment hoping it would suffice. I only knew one way to deal with this situation and I did not know if I could even do it with a Dragon’s mind. Mother had a way with patients and she had taught me. I decided to try. I dropped my shield, walked upright to Elinith, wrapped my arms as far as they would reach around her snout and sent waves of love into her mind. Wave after wave of honest love and concern until her Aura returned to a more normal state. She sent, “Oh little Warrior, thank you! That is a precious gift and an honest one sent from the heart.”
I sent, “Their lifespan was enhanced I am sure. We learn what the normal lifespan for a human Rider is and they seem to have lived passed that and without going into the physical changes that old age brings to humans, so they also had their health. Your love was unending, you still love them. My Mother can be difficult when she is overprotective but she is wise in many ways. She has taught me to take joy from memories rather than to see sadness at what is perceived to be lost. Look into your mind, your former Riders’ patterns will still be there, ask their memories if they had regrets.”
I walked back to the furs, laid down and waited. Finally Elinith thought, “Often the young see with a singular clarity. I will think on this. Your caring nature shines through like a beacon.” It seemed that Elinith was thinking so I waited patiently.
She shook herself and thought, “Well now, what can we do with your problem. As I understand it, you wish to learn and explore your Arcane Talents before you choose what to do with them. You seem to believe that you will get pushed into a choice. I do not know your culture all that well, not at the depth to answer this. I only have one solution and it will require a great deal of trust from you. I know with absolute certainty that those that choose to serve either Ressalon or the Forces of Balance do so freely, completely freely. How far can you trust me to do what is best for you?” I stood to my full height of only one point six metres, bowed and thought, “I trust you in absolute terms Great Dragon. I owe you my life! I need help, I know that now. If you are willing, do what you think is best with my extreme gratitude.”
Elinith answered, “Then lay down and rest while I find a solution. I have to find one entity, an Elf Lord. He will be overjoyed to help you. There is a hind quarter left if you are hungry. I kept it for you. It is still fresh.” It was fresh and still warm and yet I was sure it had been from one of the animals we had first shared. “I shielded it against time. Never play with time, it is fraught with danger. We once found a young human who had made a tiny mistake. He had thrown a time shield around himself to protect himself. It was a hundred years before someone capable of dissolving it came along. His entire family had lived and died always knowing he would outlive them.”
I ate slowly. Elinith was here in body but I felt her mind was else ware. The cave throbbed with Arcane Power. I felt the Power shift four times. It took almost half a day before her mind returned. I was more than happy to wait patiently. Eventually her mind returned. She sent, “I have tracked him down. I tried his home first and they directed me to another world and so it went until finally I was able to converse with him. Are there limits imposed on what you can do and where you may go on this Journey?” I answered, “No, none. I may go anywhere and seek advice anywhere and from whom I choose. It is good manners to let Parents know if you extend your Journey. That would be achieved by sending a recorded message. Parents are not supposed to interfere in any way. It is the whole idea of the Journey, to do so without a Parents input.”
Elinith sent, “Excellent, prepare a message along the lines of ‘I am going off world in the company of Elinith, Silver Great Dragon. I will return when I have found my path.’ I suggest you send it just before we Transfer. Now, stand up, we are going to world occupied by Great Dragons. The Weyr Ship is in the midst of celebrating a hatching, so they will all be happy. I do not have time for much but at least I can make you presentable. I will flow two spells over you. The first will clean you and the other will brush your beautiful fur. You need to disable your weapons please. It is simply polite, there are other reasons but you do not need to know those. I will keep you safe, there is no danger whatsoever.”
I deactivated my Wrist Guard weapons and stood. I felt the Arcane spells wash over me as I realized I had just made a good pun. Elinith chuckled. I climbed on to her back and she secured me. This time her filaments covered my whole body and clear filaments covered my face. She sent, “My filaments will provide the air that you need. It is just a little protection.” Elinith tossed the portion of food that was left off the ledge and looked around before leaving. We exited the cave and the force shield snapped on. She simply fell off the ledge, gained speed and gracefully soared up into the sky. A bust of Arcane Power put us at a very high altitude.
She Transferred! I did not want to disturb her. She sent, “Dragons have two minds, it is the second mind that provides the ability to Transfer. Since this is a long Transfer, a Great Dragon at the other end is providing a mental reference point. It saves two intermediate Transfers. You are certainly relaxed, many are terrified of the absence of their senses. Well done.” I asked, “How far are we travelling?” Elinith replied, “We do not measure these distances as you do. It is a little over one hundred light years as you would measure it. Almost there and here we go.” Reality returned and we were hovering a short distance from a Weyr Ship that looked exactly like a Castle Ship. Elinith sent, “I am Elinith, we are expected Wing Leader.” Another Great Dragon replied, “Yes you are, be welcome Elinith. You may land on the ledge of the Celebration Deck. You will be met. Security is at the highest level possible. Monitor your Young Warrior please. I do not know some of the humans present but they are very serious about security and seem very capable.” Elinith sent to me, “You are full of surprises, not many can hear any Great Dragon at will. You heard the warning. Please be on your best behavior. I will be with you, you are under my care, you are very safe.”
We landed and as soon as Elinith had retracted her tendrils, I dismounted. I was met by a young human child. I thought I was going to have to use my translator but she spoke in the Ressalon language. She also used telepathy which surprised me a little, “Hello and welcome Young Warrior, I am Mia. Come, there are a few people who want to meet you.” I returned the greeting and followed Mia. She kept up a relaxing banter as we moved deep into the centre of the deck. We approached a table with many people and one turned as Mia thought, “Amelia, Queen Rider this is our Young Warrior guest. She has to be the prettiest Young Warrior I have seen.” Amelia, Queen Rider turned and sent, “Well, hello, I am Amelia. You are gorgeous! I have never seen a Warrior with your colors. Your fur is almost the same color as my hair.” Then in a very gentle manner she sent a small calming spell over me and very gently sent, “You are amongst friends. Be at ease. Elinith has asked for our help and we are all pleased to be asked. Ah, here comes the love of my life.”
A young man in full armor approached and knelt next to us. He was telepathic as well. I had learned that most Riders were telepathic only by the efforts of their Great Dragons but these humans had the gift themselves. He sent, “Greetings Young Warrior. Let me see what we have here. You have a gift of being able to hear all Great Dragons. That in itself is a very pleasant wonder. May my Dragon greet you? He also needs to peek into your mind. He will be gentle.” I smiled and nodded. A mind unlike anything I had ever felt overlaid itself on my mind. He was exquisitely gentle and calming but the mind had a depth to it that was awesome. I felt two other minds overlaid. One was the Queen Rider’s, the other was this new Rider. It did not take long and they withdrew.
I woke and found myself in the cave itself. I was on a heap of furs and very warm and cozy. I needed to relieve myself and quickly. I had eaten a great deal. Elinith thought, “Just put you rear end over the ledge, it will not hurt to do so once or twice. In very bad weather I have been known to do so myself. It is a sheer drop. There are not many animals below. A few birds only and you would only be doing to them what they do to others.” I did not object. I was in a hurry. I was very surprised at the sheer quantity I had to expel. “I fed you as you slept. You have slept for two days and a night. No, it is simply a matter of cutting the meat up until it is in small bits and Transferring it into your stomach. Easily done by a Great dragon. Delicate work but not arduous.”
I found my water sack and drank heavily. I looked at Elinith and seriously thought, “Great Dragon, Elinith, thank you for my life. I have a debt that will be difficult to repay.” She replied, “Great Dragons do not consider helping other as enabling a debt. I was pleased to assist you and I like helping you. Your fur color and your eye color are striking. I have not seen them before. Your eyes are almost green and your fur is like burnished copper. I hope the males in your society find you appealing.” Before I could form an answer, Elinith laughed and added, “Oh, I see! Too much of a good thing. No little Warrior, enjoy the attention, pick from the best, be choosy!”
Advice on romance from a Great Dragon! Still, it was good advice. I asked, “Where is your Rider?” I can see Auras most of the time but they take experience to read. I did not need much experience to know that Elinith’s Aura fell in a heap. I thought, hopefully to myself, oops, that was the wrong question! Elinith replied sadly, “I am three hundred and sixty five years old. I have lost three much loved Riders. One was murdered while she slept, one died of a disease that I could not counter in time and the last fell in battle. I do not know if I can bond with another. I offered them unending love, health and a long lifespan. The lifespan was not long, the love was not unending and their health meant nothing as they died.”
I shielded my mind for a moment hoping it would suffice. I only knew one way to deal with this situation and I did not know if I could even do it with a Dragon’s mind. Mother had a way with patients and she had taught me. I decided to try. I dropped my shield, walked upright to Elinith, wrapped my arms as far as they would reach around her snout and sent waves of love into her mind. Wave after wave of honest love and concern until her Aura returned to a more normal state. She sent, “Oh little Warrior, thank you! That is a precious gift and an honest one sent from the heart.”
I sent, “Their lifespan was enhanced I am sure. We learn what the normal lifespan for a human Rider is and they seem to have lived passed that and without going into the physical changes that old age brings to humans, so they also had their health. Your love was unending, you still love them. My Mother can be difficult when she is overprotective but she is wise in many ways. She has taught me to take joy from memories rather than to see sadness at what is perceived to be lost. Look into your mind, your former Riders’ patterns will still be there, ask their memories if they had regrets.”
I walked back to the furs, laid down and waited. Finally Elinith thought, “Often the young see with a singular clarity. I will think on this. Your caring nature shines through like a beacon.” It seemed that Elinith was thinking so I waited patiently.
She shook herself and thought, “Well now, what can we do with your problem. As I understand it, you wish to learn and explore your Arcane Talents before you choose what to do with them. You seem to believe that you will get pushed into a choice. I do not know your culture all that well, not at the depth to answer this. I only have one solution and it will require a great deal of trust from you. I know with absolute certainty that those that choose to serve either Ressalon or the Forces of Balance do so freely, completely freely. How far can you trust me to do what is best for you?” I stood to my full height of only one point six metres, bowed and thought, “I trust you in absolute terms Great Dragon. I owe you my life! I need help, I know that now. If you are willing, do what you think is best with my extreme gratitude.”
Elinith answered, “Then lay down and rest while I find a solution. I have to find one entity, an Elf Lord. He will be overjoyed to help you. There is a hind quarter left if you are hungry. I kept it for you. It is still fresh.” It was fresh and still warm and yet I was sure it had been from one of the animals we had first shared. “I shielded it against time. Never play with time, it is fraught with danger. We once found a young human who had made a tiny mistake. He had thrown a time shield around himself to protect himself. It was a hundred years before someone capable of dissolving it came along. His entire family had lived and died always knowing he would outlive them.”
I ate slowly. Elinith was here in body but I felt her mind was else ware. The cave throbbed with Arcane Power. I felt the Power shift four times. It took almost half a day before her mind returned. I was more than happy to wait patiently. Eventually her mind returned. She sent, “I have tracked him down. I tried his home first and they directed me to another world and so it went until finally I was able to converse with him. Are there limits imposed on what you can do and where you may go on this Journey?” I answered, “No, none. I may go anywhere and seek advice anywhere and from whom I choose. It is good manners to let Parents know if you extend your Journey. That would be achieved by sending a recorded message. Parents are not supposed to interfere in any way. It is the whole idea of the Journey, to do so without a Parents input.”
Elinith sent, “Excellent, prepare a message along the lines of ‘I am going off world in the company of Elinith, Silver Great Dragon. I will return when I have found my path.’ I suggest you send it just before we Transfer. Now, stand up, we are going to world occupied by Great Dragons. The Weyr Ship is in the midst of celebrating a hatching, so they will all be happy. I do not have time for much but at least I can make you presentable. I will flow two spells over you. The first will clean you and the other will brush your beautiful fur. You need to disable your weapons please. It is simply polite, there are other reasons but you do not need to know those. I will keep you safe, there is no danger whatsoever.”
I deactivated my Wrist Guard weapons and stood. I felt the Arcane spells wash over me as I realized I had just made a good pun. Elinith chuckled. I climbed on to her back and she secured me. This time her filaments covered my whole body and clear filaments covered my face. She sent, “My filaments will provide the air that you need. It is just a little protection.” Elinith tossed the portion of food that was left off the ledge and looked around before leaving. We exited the cave and the force shield snapped on. She simply fell off the ledge, gained speed and gracefully soared up into the sky. A bust of Arcane Power put us at a very high altitude.
She Transferred! I did not want to disturb her. She sent, “Dragons have two minds, it is the second mind that provides the ability to Transfer. Since this is a long Transfer, a Great Dragon at the other end is providing a mental reference point. It saves two intermediate Transfers. You are certainly relaxed, many are terrified of the absence of their senses. Well done.” I asked, “How far are we travelling?” Elinith replied, “We do not measure these distances as you do. It is a little over one hundred light years as you would measure it. Almost there and here we go.” Reality returned and we were hovering a short distance from a Weyr Ship that looked exactly like a Castle Ship. Elinith sent, “I am Elinith, we are expected Wing Leader.” Another Great Dragon replied, “Yes you are, be welcome Elinith. You may land on the ledge of the Celebration Deck. You will be met. Security is at the highest level possible. Monitor your Young Warrior please. I do not know some of the humans present but they are very serious about security and seem very capable.” Elinith sent to me, “You are full of surprises, not many can hear any Great Dragon at will. You heard the warning. Please be on your best behavior. I will be with you, you are under my care, you are very safe.”
We landed and as soon as Elinith had retracted her tendrils, I dismounted. I was met by a young human child. I thought I was going to have to use my translator but she spoke in the Ressalon language. She also used telepathy which surprised me a little, “Hello and welcome Young Warrior, I am Mia. Come, there are a few people who want to meet you.” I returned the greeting and followed Mia. She kept up a relaxing banter as we moved deep into the centre of the deck. We approached a table with many people and one turned as Mia thought, “Amelia, Queen Rider this is our Young Warrior guest. She has to be the prettiest Young Warrior I have seen.” Amelia, Queen Rider turned and sent, “Well, hello, I am Amelia. You are gorgeous! I have never seen a Warrior with your colors. Your fur is almost the same color as my hair.” Then in a very gentle manner she sent a small calming spell over me and very gently sent, “You are amongst friends. Be at ease. Elinith has asked for our help and we are all pleased to be asked. Ah, here comes the love of my life.”
A young man in full armor approached and knelt next to us. He was telepathic as well. I had learned that most Riders were telepathic only by the efforts of their Great Dragons but these humans had the gift themselves. He sent, “Greetings Young Warrior. Let me see what we have here. You have a gift of being able to hear all Great Dragons. That in itself is a very pleasant wonder. May my Dragon greet you? He also needs to peek into your mind. He will be gentle.” I smiled and nodded. A mind unlike anything I had ever felt overlaid itself on my mind. He was exquisitely gentle and calming but the mind had a depth to it that was awesome. I felt two other minds overlaid. One was the Queen Rider’s, the other was this new Rider. It did not take long and they withdrew.
The young man sent, “Well, you certainly need training and I can see your concern clearly. So what I will do is to ensure you are trained to use
that impressive Talent of yours. You can go as fast or as carefully as you need to. There are just a few arrangements to make and we will have to
consult an expert. We do not want to make any inter species mistakes and I do not know all I should know about Cubs and Young Warriors. So, I wonder
where she is.” He reached with his mind and was answered. A Warrior in full armor approached. As soon as she noticed me, she sent a greeting.
Every Warrior in existence knew that mental signature. I bowed deeply as she approached and sent, “Warrior Princes of Ressalon, I am honored to meet you. I apologize if I have caused any problems.” She knelt next to the young man and smiled sending, “You have not caused me any problems. Many Warriors have no idea what I do apart from Healing. What we are all doing right now is solving an important issue and I am pleased to help in any way I can. This is exactly what a Princess of Ressalon is supposed to do! Relax Young Warrior, everything will work out.”
The young man sent, “What I would like to do is to keep her here and have our two newest Queen Riders teach her along with the Elf Lord. That should be enough to start with. Elinith rescued her as she ran herself right out of Arcane Power. As I understand it though, she should be staying with her Parents for another year. Warrior Princess, I am not sure how to solve this but I will not have this Young Warrior risking a single strand of her fur. She is too pretty.” A large blue feline walked up and sat. It took me a moment to realize that this was one of the legendary C units. They were rare in Ressalon and it was thought that just meeting one was an honor. She was telepathic as well. “I have some further information if I may be so bold, Sir.”
The young man answered, “Go ahead C8, what do you have for us.” C8 was a very low number and why did she give the young man such honor. It was not just the ‘Sir’ it was her whole manner that spoke volumes. C8 sent, “This Young Warrior has Parents that are on my training list for Queen Rider Amelia. Her father is one of the most knowledgeable scientists outside of the Builders on the subject of AIs and her Mother is a Master Healer who specializes in Neuron Patterning. We could make our lives easier if we bring the Parents here. They could pass on their knowledge to Queen Rider Amelia and be close to their daughter as well. They would also learn a great deal living in a Weyr Ship for a year or so, as would our Young Warrior and that is always beneficial to everyone. If they are willing of course.”
The young man smiled and asked me, “How does that sound to you Young Warrior? Would that work, you would certainly help us to achieve some goals and also you could help with two Queen Dragonets. Not many Warriors get to do that, young or old.” Then he paused and gently added, “Perhaps this is all a bit fast for you. Would you like some thinking time? I do not wish to seem to rush you. No one will ever force you to do something other than what you want. Right now, we have more Arcane knowledge here, in this Weyr Ship, than is usually assembled anywhere. It is yours to gently learn from as you need and at your own pace.”
I didn’t know how to answer properly. This was going way too fast and yet, to learn from what were obviously important people was a great chance, the chance that I wanted. To learn about Great Dragons was a dream come true. But who were these people that they could offer so much. Why was the Warrior Princess deferring to this gentle young man? Then realization dawned. I looked directly at the young man and asked very respectfully, “Sir, who are you if I may ask?” He smiled and replied, “I was hoping to shield you from that answer for a while longer. My thought was that if you knew who we all were you would feel compelled to do as we suggested and that would violate your free choice. However, you have asked. How much do you know about the recent battle with Demons?” I answered, “Everyone has been following it! It was an awesome battle that will be recorded in our history forever. Those Earth people certainly know how to make weapons but one of them almost killed the Prince Commanders. My Father thought that more testing should have been done!”
The young man smiled and said, “Queen Rider Amelia here is the Grand Master Healer that saved almost two Wings of Great Dragons who were severely injured. Because of her efforts we managed the Battle without loss of life. She will tell you that she had lots of help, and she did, but without her those Great Dragons and Riders would have died. She can teach you a great deal. Over there we have Queen Rider Christine, the youngest and most recent Battle Commander of Ressalon. Riding the Preeminent Queen, she took a full Wing into the Demon Realm itself to recover the missing Sword of Balance. She is also the one that bested your Warrior Prince Commander in playful combat. She can teach you much about using Arcane Powers in combat. The one sitting next to her is an Elf Lord, second in command of the Forces of Balance. He can also teach you much and he enjoys teaching young minds. I am the one that ordered the Earth weapon fired. I was aware of the risks. A few little things went wrong after that. I am Tez. With Titarth, and you have felt his mind earlier, we are the Prince Commanders of the Battle Forces of Ressalon and we are the Keeper of Balance.”
I took a step backwards and bowed as deeply as I could. He smiled again and thought, “Your Aura shows a little confusion. Ask, it is the way that we learn.” I shook my head. I could not possibly ask the question. He thought, “Ask Young Warrior, there is nothing you can ask that would offend.” I gulped a little and asked, “Why do you not just order what you need done. Why do you need to ask the Warrior Princess for advice?” His answer stunned me and at the same time unknotted all of the concerns I had been worrying about for a year. He said, “I do not interfere in the development of any of the Species that choose to serve Ressalon. If I did so I could stifle their growth as a Species. That would be unthinkable. One of the most precious things we all have is our freedom. Our freedom to choose where our life will lead us. In your case I will ensure that whatever you choose will be your choice and your choice only. You may learn all that you wish to from this wonderful group I have assembled here. Where you go and what you do after is up to you. Any and all that serve us do so of their own free will with full knowledge of the risks involved.”
He looked at the Warrior Princess and asked, “What do we need to do next?” She replied, “I will send a request to her Parents. I know them well due to their professionals. They will be thrilled on several levels. It will not be a problem, in fact, they will likely be awed at a direct request from me.” The Prince Commander chuckled and sent, “Add Titarth’s and my name to the request. It is a request from the Keeper of Balance.” The Warrior Princess seemed a little awed. I was stunned. I felt that awesome mind again. This time it was linking my mind to several others. The Prince Commander sent, “Elinith, I dislike throwing this Young Warrior in the deep end so to speak. I have a request for you. Would you consider staying here for a while at least until her Parents arrive, perhaps a few days extra while she makes the transition. She likes and trusts you and I think those feelings are mutual.” Elinith answered, “It would bring joy to my mind to do so. I would be pleased!”
Then Mia came up and thought, “Well I am glad you all got that straightened out. You have probably scared this Young Warrior half to death.” Mia turned to me and sent, “Why don’t we find the Weyr Queen and find somewhere that you and Elinith can stay while you are hear. Then perhaps you and I can go exploring this Weyr Ship that seems to be a Dreadnought sitting on its blunt end.” I smiled and replied, “I would like that very much, Elinith was very kind. We have Castle Ships that are almost the same as this one. I wonder why they all have different names.”
The Prince Commander sent, “Off you go then and have some fun. Thank you Princess!” We left and headed off as I thought ‘Princess?’ I asked, “Mia, are you a Princess?” Mia answered, “Yes, a very new one. A few weeks ago I was just Mia, an orphan that needed some help. Now I am the Draconic Princess, Rider of Kirrith, Preeminent Queen Dragon. Sounds good but in reality I am still Mia, I am still an orphan, but, the number people that I love and trust has increased dramatically. Try not to let it bother you. We all need friends and sometimes titles get in the way of that. I have to check on Natalie, she is my sister and then we can find a place for you to stay.” Princes, Princesses, I didn’t even want to think about the Keeper. Does this never end!
Every Warrior in existence knew that mental signature. I bowed deeply as she approached and sent, “Warrior Princes of Ressalon, I am honored to meet you. I apologize if I have caused any problems.” She knelt next to the young man and smiled sending, “You have not caused me any problems. Many Warriors have no idea what I do apart from Healing. What we are all doing right now is solving an important issue and I am pleased to help in any way I can. This is exactly what a Princess of Ressalon is supposed to do! Relax Young Warrior, everything will work out.”
The young man sent, “What I would like to do is to keep her here and have our two newest Queen Riders teach her along with the Elf Lord. That should be enough to start with. Elinith rescued her as she ran herself right out of Arcane Power. As I understand it though, she should be staying with her Parents for another year. Warrior Princess, I am not sure how to solve this but I will not have this Young Warrior risking a single strand of her fur. She is too pretty.” A large blue feline walked up and sat. It took me a moment to realize that this was one of the legendary C units. They were rare in Ressalon and it was thought that just meeting one was an honor. She was telepathic as well. “I have some further information if I may be so bold, Sir.”
The young man answered, “Go ahead C8, what do you have for us.” C8 was a very low number and why did she give the young man such honor. It was not just the ‘Sir’ it was her whole manner that spoke volumes. C8 sent, “This Young Warrior has Parents that are on my training list for Queen Rider Amelia. Her father is one of the most knowledgeable scientists outside of the Builders on the subject of AIs and her Mother is a Master Healer who specializes in Neuron Patterning. We could make our lives easier if we bring the Parents here. They could pass on their knowledge to Queen Rider Amelia and be close to their daughter as well. They would also learn a great deal living in a Weyr Ship for a year or so, as would our Young Warrior and that is always beneficial to everyone. If they are willing of course.”
The young man smiled and asked me, “How does that sound to you Young Warrior? Would that work, you would certainly help us to achieve some goals and also you could help with two Queen Dragonets. Not many Warriors get to do that, young or old.” Then he paused and gently added, “Perhaps this is all a bit fast for you. Would you like some thinking time? I do not wish to seem to rush you. No one will ever force you to do something other than what you want. Right now, we have more Arcane knowledge here, in this Weyr Ship, than is usually assembled anywhere. It is yours to gently learn from as you need and at your own pace.”
I didn’t know how to answer properly. This was going way too fast and yet, to learn from what were obviously important people was a great chance, the chance that I wanted. To learn about Great Dragons was a dream come true. But who were these people that they could offer so much. Why was the Warrior Princess deferring to this gentle young man? Then realization dawned. I looked directly at the young man and asked very respectfully, “Sir, who are you if I may ask?” He smiled and replied, “I was hoping to shield you from that answer for a while longer. My thought was that if you knew who we all were you would feel compelled to do as we suggested and that would violate your free choice. However, you have asked. How much do you know about the recent battle with Demons?” I answered, “Everyone has been following it! It was an awesome battle that will be recorded in our history forever. Those Earth people certainly know how to make weapons but one of them almost killed the Prince Commanders. My Father thought that more testing should have been done!”
The young man smiled and said, “Queen Rider Amelia here is the Grand Master Healer that saved almost two Wings of Great Dragons who were severely injured. Because of her efforts we managed the Battle without loss of life. She will tell you that she had lots of help, and she did, but without her those Great Dragons and Riders would have died. She can teach you a great deal. Over there we have Queen Rider Christine, the youngest and most recent Battle Commander of Ressalon. Riding the Preeminent Queen, she took a full Wing into the Demon Realm itself to recover the missing Sword of Balance. She is also the one that bested your Warrior Prince Commander in playful combat. She can teach you much about using Arcane Powers in combat. The one sitting next to her is an Elf Lord, second in command of the Forces of Balance. He can also teach you much and he enjoys teaching young minds. I am the one that ordered the Earth weapon fired. I was aware of the risks. A few little things went wrong after that. I am Tez. With Titarth, and you have felt his mind earlier, we are the Prince Commanders of the Battle Forces of Ressalon and we are the Keeper of Balance.”
I took a step backwards and bowed as deeply as I could. He smiled again and thought, “Your Aura shows a little confusion. Ask, it is the way that we learn.” I shook my head. I could not possibly ask the question. He thought, “Ask Young Warrior, there is nothing you can ask that would offend.” I gulped a little and asked, “Why do you not just order what you need done. Why do you need to ask the Warrior Princess for advice?” His answer stunned me and at the same time unknotted all of the concerns I had been worrying about for a year. He said, “I do not interfere in the development of any of the Species that choose to serve Ressalon. If I did so I could stifle their growth as a Species. That would be unthinkable. One of the most precious things we all have is our freedom. Our freedom to choose where our life will lead us. In your case I will ensure that whatever you choose will be your choice and your choice only. You may learn all that you wish to from this wonderful group I have assembled here. Where you go and what you do after is up to you. Any and all that serve us do so of their own free will with full knowledge of the risks involved.”
He looked at the Warrior Princess and asked, “What do we need to do next?” She replied, “I will send a request to her Parents. I know them well due to their professionals. They will be thrilled on several levels. It will not be a problem, in fact, they will likely be awed at a direct request from me.” The Prince Commander chuckled and sent, “Add Titarth’s and my name to the request. It is a request from the Keeper of Balance.” The Warrior Princess seemed a little awed. I was stunned. I felt that awesome mind again. This time it was linking my mind to several others. The Prince Commander sent, “Elinith, I dislike throwing this Young Warrior in the deep end so to speak. I have a request for you. Would you consider staying here for a while at least until her Parents arrive, perhaps a few days extra while she makes the transition. She likes and trusts you and I think those feelings are mutual.” Elinith answered, “It would bring joy to my mind to do so. I would be pleased!”
Then Mia came up and thought, “Well I am glad you all got that straightened out. You have probably scared this Young Warrior half to death.” Mia turned to me and sent, “Why don’t we find the Weyr Queen and find somewhere that you and Elinith can stay while you are hear. Then perhaps you and I can go exploring this Weyr Ship that seems to be a Dreadnought sitting on its blunt end.” I smiled and replied, “I would like that very much, Elinith was very kind. We have Castle Ships that are almost the same as this one. I wonder why they all have different names.”
The Prince Commander sent, “Off you go then and have some fun. Thank you Princess!” We left and headed off as I thought ‘Princess?’ I asked, “Mia, are you a Princess?” Mia answered, “Yes, a very new one. A few weeks ago I was just Mia, an orphan that needed some help. Now I am the Draconic Princess, Rider of Kirrith, Preeminent Queen Dragon. Sounds good but in reality I am still Mia, I am still an orphan, but, the number people that I love and trust has increased dramatically. Try not to let it bother you. We all need friends and sometimes titles get in the way of that. I have to check on Natalie, she is my sister and then we can find a place for you to stay.” Princes, Princesses, I didn’t even want to think about the Keeper. Does this never end!
Please ignore the Authors note. The italics did not come over when I loaded the story and it is a very big pita to try and put them in now, in fact I
am not sure I could. That sucks but there you go!
For some reason I cannot edit the first page without losing some of it. I will try something different next time.
P
For some reason I cannot edit the first page without losing some of it. I will try something different next time.
P
Excellent!
The bit about pooping on the birds had me chuckling out load.
I was very drawn into the story, nice work.
The bit about pooping on the birds had me chuckling out load.
I was very drawn into the story, nice work.
reply to post by Tsu322
Besides, how many times would all of us want to take a particular bird and poop on its head.
I love birds but sometimes they are hard to handle.
P
Besides, how many times would all of us want to take a particular bird and poop on its head.
I love birds but sometimes they are hard to handle.
P
reply to post by pheonix358
Great story! I can see that I'm going to have to delve into your past stories for the rest of the day. It'll give me something to do in between loads of laundry. LOL
It should be a cold, but enjoyable day.
Great story! I can see that I'm going to have to delve into your past stories for the rest of the day. It'll give me something to do in between loads of laundry. LOL
It should be a cold, but enjoyable day.
reply to post by Tsu322
Pigeon Pie perhaps. Is that feeding ....... Oh you mean me feeding them! We have more seagulls than pigeons but both are silly birds who just scream and fight over food. I do like feeding ducks and swans, always great.
P
Pigeon Pie perhaps. Is that feeding ....... Oh you mean me feeding them! We have more seagulls than pigeons but both are silly birds who just scream and fight over food. I do like feeding ducks and swans, always great.
P
reply to post by pheonix358
Thank you for sharing so much with us. I trust this story will be going to the printer at some point? I will live my life in abject sadness if I don't hear this story unfold in all of it's fullness.
I really want to hear this story. Whatever you decide to do with it please let me know! Again thank you!
Thank you for sharing so much with us. I trust this story will be going to the printer at some point? I will live my life in abject sadness if I don't hear this story unfold in all of it's fullness.
I really want to hear this story. Whatever you decide to do with it please let me know! Again thank you!
reply to post by grayeagle
This story is POV from the young warrior.
Right now, I am writing it into book three from the POV of the people at the hatching feast, actually from the POV of the Prince Commanders. Writing the short story first helps to solidify the emotions of the people surrounding the story.
What happens to the Young Warrior after this point will be a thread running through books 4 and 5.
I think it is nice sometimes to see the same events from various POVs. It tends to link things together.
P
This story is POV from the young warrior.
Right now, I am writing it into book three from the POV of the people at the hatching feast, actually from the POV of the Prince Commanders. Writing the short story first helps to solidify the emotions of the people surrounding the story.
What happens to the Young Warrior after this point will be a thread running through books 4 and 5.
I think it is nice sometimes to see the same events from various POVs. It tends to link things together.
P
reply to post by TDawgRex
Thank you! Have an enjoyable day. Cold, a fire, comfy chair, glass of wine, some cheese and a good red. What else could you want.
P
Thank you! Have an enjoyable day. Cold, a fire, comfy chair, glass of wine, some cheese and a good red. What else could you want.
P
this is awesome 358...
i could read your stories all day, they are gripping
S+F
Phnx
i could read your stories all day, they are gripping
S+F
Phnx
pheonix358
reply to post by TDawgRex
Thank you! Have an enjoyable day. Cold, a fire, comfy chair, glass of wine, some cheese and a good red. What else could you want.
P
Hmmm...no fireplace unfortunatly. No comfy chair either, just my exercise ball...LOL. (Bad back). But I do have beer and a good day of reading. So it's still all good. Some nice stories by the way.
reply to post by Ph03n1x
Thank you. It is all part of the same 'universe' I created for my E-books. Glad you enjoyed it.
P
Thank you. It is all part of the same 'universe' I created for my E-books. Glad you enjoyed it.
P
reply to post by 727Sky
You are welcome. I might put your cat in one of my stories. Lol. I love seeing that little fella jump and jump and jump and jump ................
P
You are welcome. I might put your cat in one of my stories. Lol. I love seeing that little fella jump and jump and jump and jump ................
P
Well, I finally figured out an easy way to put in the italics without having to do a whole bang load of keystrokes while I am writing. Putting in [
i] and [ i/] every time interrupts my imagination because I have to think about it.
Word has a little macro recorder that can do that with only two keystrokes so next time I will have them in there.
Why italics?
Because in all my books it denotes telepathic speech and allows you to run a fairly complex piece of dialog without having to wreck the dialog with explanations of who hears and who misses out on the telepathy. For example.
I spoke into my comms unit, “Chi, maneuvering drive please, negative shift on the z axis. I would like to view the entire battle group from here.” The ship started to move downwards as Chi replied, “Z negative, three Destroyer Class warships are absent as is the Star Dust. The Destroyers are in Earth orbit, Star Dust is in the North Atlantic Ocean.” I knew all that and Chi knew that I knew it all, but the Prime Minister’s facial expression was just so funny. He gently asked, “Your ships actually talk to you don’t they?” I smiled and replied, “Yes, our ships are artificial life forms, they think and by our standards, they are alive with the same rights as any other person.” He replied, “Bugger me.” C5 sent, “I don’t think that is a request.”
It works and works quite well. Next time I will put them all in. In the case of this story it does not matter. All of the dialog is telepathy because the Warriors only use Telepathy.
Just happy to have a solution that works for me.
P
Word has a little macro recorder that can do that with only two keystrokes so next time I will have them in there.
Why italics?
Because in all my books it denotes telepathic speech and allows you to run a fairly complex piece of dialog without having to wreck the dialog with explanations of who hears and who misses out on the telepathy. For example.
I spoke into my comms unit, “Chi, maneuvering drive please, negative shift on the z axis. I would like to view the entire battle group from here.” The ship started to move downwards as Chi replied, “Z negative, three Destroyer Class warships are absent as is the Star Dust. The Destroyers are in Earth orbit, Star Dust is in the North Atlantic Ocean.” I knew all that and Chi knew that I knew it all, but the Prime Minister’s facial expression was just so funny. He gently asked, “Your ships actually talk to you don’t they?” I smiled and replied, “Yes, our ships are artificial life forms, they think and by our standards, they are alive with the same rights as any other person.” He replied, “Bugger me.” C5 sent, “I don’t think that is a request.”
It works and works quite well. Next time I will put them all in. In the case of this story it does not matter. All of the dialog is telepathy because the Warriors only use Telepathy.
Just happy to have a solution that works for me.
P
edit on 17/12/2013 by pheonix358 because: (no reason given)
edit on 17/12/2013 by pheonix358 because: still getting used to
it. lol
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