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Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Henderson, Kentucky
Gender: Male
Posts: 19
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The Great Betrayal : Chapter 1 Fields of Gold
The rolling fields went on as far as the eye could see, and beyond. A slight breeze blew the tops of the tall grasses back and forth, swaying them like a wave of gold. The sky was free from clouds, save for a few patches here and there. Down on the ground there was a small indiscernible shadow drifting across the plains.
Several hundred feet in the air, however, everything was clear for miles around. The great forest to the north and the mountains to the west stood out, a testament of nature herself. In the air was where he felt free, free from the constraints of his duties, his burdens, free from everything. Yes, the man known as Corrick Dawnsbane indeed felt free up here, with the wind ruffling his clothes and no one to bother him. There were no politics in the skies; only him and Ardona mattered.
As if the graceful creature could read his mind, Ardona began her quick descent towards the ground. Dawnsbane leaned back into the saddle, enjoying the strong wind and slight feeling he got in his stomach, not one of fear, but a rush of adrenaline. The technique appeared to be impossible; one would think that the griffon and rider would simply slam into the ground. When the ground was almost upon them, Dawnsbane squeezed his legs together and Ardona angled and flexed her powerful wings, pulling them up at the last moment. Only a few feet above the ground, they continued on, the wheat parting in their wake.
Although effective against detection, Dawnsbane didn’t particularly enjoy flying so low to the ground. With but a nudge on the top of her head, Griffon and rider were sent back into the air. He let her continue on, getting higher and higher, until he thought that they had reached an optimum level. He then leaned forward and rubbed his hand across the back of her neck in a circle and immediately grabbed the reins, holding them taught. Ardona shifted slightly to the left, and then to the right, getting control of her orientation, after which Dawnsbane knew would come the fun part. Flinging her weight to the left, the two were launched into a barrel roll, stopping briefly to go careening sharply to the left or right, culminating in another swoop to the ground. Dawnsbane smiled, something he would never let anyone else see, for he only found true pleasure up here...and on the battlefield.
Small farmhouses and villages appeared on the countryside as they flew on. Men out harvesting crops stopped as they saw him fly by, raising their arms in a salute. Whether or not he saw them, he didn’t respond, instead continuing on. He was on his way back to Sterborn, to meet with the Emperor to deal with pressing matters...the Elves. All thoughts of the Elves stopped as his heart skipped a beat. No matter how many times he came upon Sterborn, the site of the opulent city stole his breath. Large walls surrounded the capitol of the kingdom, with great marble towers dotting the skyline, with one tower standing above all the rest, the tower of the Sky Raiders, Dawnsbane’s tower.
Paved roads lead into and out of the two story walls that surrounded Sterborn, the capital of all Sterbornia. Merchants and caravans dotted the roads, the place teeming with humanity. Sterborn boasted a population of over a million people, and it was quite believable from up here, Dawnsbane thought. Although he did think that his beloved city was beautiful, he was not overly fond of all of the people that lived in her borders. Overpopulation had drastic consequences, something he would need to address with Sterborn.
"Alright girl, let’s go home," he said, patting Ardona.
She flexed her wings again, soaring high into the midday sky. Many of the other griffons could be seen coming and going from the tower, but they all made way for Ardona as she swooped into the landing area. She was, by far, the largest griffon, but in no way did her size hinder her mobility.
Dawnsbane had found her in the north lands, many years ago, he reminisced. She was but a baby, left alone on a small outcropping in the mountains. He had just found her by chance, and knew that he could not leave her to die, so he took her in. Originally he had planned to just nurse her back to health, and then to let her go. Yes, that was his plan, but like almost every plan he realized, they do not work out the way you intended them to. Ardona had become his companion over the years, and he cared for her more than just about anything else in the world. Woe to the man who ever hurts her, he thought.
Turning his thoughts back to the tower, he observed the landing area with a chuckle. He could remember the first time that had tried to land in there, the engineers not making the necessary correction for her larger than usual wingspan. She had almost broken her wings, for which Dawnsbane broke each arm of the engineers responsible. Now she glided carefully into the opening, Dawnsbane barely feeling a bump as she landed.
As soon as she had landed, Cladius was there to take her reigns. Dawnsbane immediately slid off the saddle, as which point Cladius saluted him, banging his fisted hand across his chest.
"General," he said, standing perfectly still at attention. Ardona sat there quietly, preening her feathers. Dawnsbane just nodded to him.
"You know what to do with her," he said, stopping to pat her haunches before he left. She squawked at him once. Cladius was one of the only men he trusted with her. He seemed to have a natural ability to work with animals, something akin to Dawnsbane’s own which he learned through ranger training.
As he was walking out the door, Cladius spoke quickly. "Sir, Jordallius has been looking for you, I believe he has a message."
Simply nodding, Dawnsbane chuckled inwardly thinking of his impetuous second in command. The relatively young fiery red-headed captain probably wanted Dawnsbane to bail him out of the brig for another tavern brawl, the one true weakness of Jordallius. Still, he was among the best riders that Dawnsbane had ever seen, including himself, and would follow Dawnsbane to hell and back. "Maybe I’ll make him clean the stables this week, as a punishment," he mumbled to himself as he got onto the elevator.
Stepping onto the platform, Dawnsbane’s thoughts turned back to the elevator. A relatively new technology, it used a set of elaborate pulley’s, levers, counter-weights, and other things that Dawnsbane knew nothing about. What he did know was that it made it easier to get up and down the tower, and much better than stairs.
"And its much easier on my knees," he lamented, looking at himself in one of the mirrors.
Standing about 5'10, somewhat tall for a Sterbornian, Dawnsbane swept a hand through the short cropped black hair on his head. Hints of grey were starting to appear on the sides of his head , although it didn’t bother him in the slightest. Such worries were for women, he mused.
His arms were corded and powerful from his nearly thirty years of military service. His leather armor, though travel stained, was of the highest quality and had served him through many campaigns, and would continue to for however long he continued to avoid death. Though he neared his forty-fifth summer, he was possessed of a grace and speed of a man half his age. A true point of pride rivaled only by his years as a ranger.
Pulling the lever marked with a down arrow, the elevator began its slow descent towards the ground. The tower itself was over 300 feet tall, an engineering marvel of the time. As he stood there watching the counterweights move up and down he shook his head in amazement. Some people were born gifted in the mind, he thought. Others, like him, were gifted in different things, things that he was not always necessarily proud of.
The elevator arrived on the ground level with a thump and Dawnsbane leaned forward and grasped the handle, sliding the door open. As he stepped onto the packed dirt he was greeted by the salutes of two soldiers. He nodded as he continued walking towards the gate.
The base of the tower was no less elegant than the tower itself. Surrounded by its own two story wall the place was like its own small fortress. It was done at the insistence of Dawnsbane, who told the Emperor that he wanted as much privacy as could be afforded. Emperor Sterborn was initially skeptical, especially when he saw the costs of Dawnsbane’s proposal, but the Emperor trusted him, and he was not disappointed. The success and grandeur of the unique unit was undeniable.
The Sky Raiders were the most advanced form of cavalry yet designed in all of the lands. When Dawnsbane realized the possible military application of an air cavalry unit, he set out to find as many Griffons and trained riders a she could and to bring them back to Sterborn. The process took several years to complete, including the collection as well as the building of the tower, but once the tasks was complete they made the deadliest addition, by far, to Sterborn’s army.
The thought dissipated from Dawnsbane’s mind as he reached the gate. Another pair of soldiers standing there saluted him and immediately opened up the portcullis gate. Before him lay the busy streets of Sterborn. Aside from having the only air cavalry unit, Sterborn boasted to be the only city to have all paved roads. Filling these paved roads were people, thousands and thousands of people. Merchants had their shops set up along the street as people moved up and down the road. Sighing, Dawnsbane set out into the streets.
Moving with the steady methodic walk of a man who is used to people getting out of his way, Dawnsbane entered the throng in the street . For the most part, people immediately cleared out of his way. Not because they knew who he was, but because of the way he carried himself. He was not the kind of man whom you wanted to make angry.
As he continued walking he thought about what it was that Jordallius might be wanting to tell him, or whether or not he really does need to get him out of the brig; the latter would surprise him less. It was then that he felt the slight pressure of a hand on his side. The reflexes in his body were instantaneous, created by years of training. In a blur, he twisted his right arm and grabbed the wrist attached to the hand and twisted while bringing out a small dagger with his left. The dagger came within inches of plunging into the mans chest, the expression on Dawnsbane's face was one of emotionless detachment...that was until he saw who it was that he almost killed.
Standing there, transfixed with a look of surprise and the hint of a grin on the edges of his lips stood Jordallius. His fiery red hair stood out like a sore thumb, along with the freckles on his face. His youthful appearance was very deceiving, for Jordallius was one of the most dangerous men Dawnsbane had ever met, especially with his blade. Jordallius’s grin edged into a smile as he saluted his general.
"General Dawnsbane," he stated, a hint of laughter in his voice. "Still as quick as a snake I see."
Dawnsbane only halfway smiled and harrumphed, about to re-sheath the dagger when he felt something on his boot. The smile immediately slipped off of his face as he looked down to see a young elven male, probably a slave of one of the nobles, had stepped on his boot. The elf looked at him, about to say something, but the only sound produced was a gurgle as blood began to trickle down the elf’s slender neck. Dawnsbane looked down as the pitiful creature gasping for breath that would never come. Feeling no sorrow, he leaned over and grabbed the elf’s shirt, wiping the blood off and pushing the creature down to the ground.
Jordallius stood there, silently and quietly watching. Everyone passing by on the streets seemed to have not noticed the transgression, or simply did not care. As the elf lay there dying, moments from death, Dawnsbane looked back to Jordallius, his expression cold.
"And your message," he asked flatly, apparently annoyed by the minor inconvenience.
"Sir, Emperor Sterborn has requested an audience with you," he said.
Dawnsbane nodded, a small smile slipping onto his face. "And who am I to refuse the Emperor an audience," he said jestingly, apparently having forgotten about the body laying still close to his feet. He turned and began to walk down the street, pausing for a brief moment to turn back around.
"And Jordallius, see that this man is paid for his...property," he said, eyeing the elven body on the ground. "And do be sure that someone cleans up the mess."
Jordallius nodded and as a second though saluted him. Dawnsbane could hear the man barking orders at people, telling someone to dispose of the body and another to go to the coffers to fetch the money for the property. The only thought on Dawnsbane’s mind was that he would have to find someone else to clean up the stables.
Last edited by Neidermeyer : 04-30-2007 at 06:43 AM.
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