Forces Collide - Jamie Wilson (ebook reader macos .TXT) 📗

Drannor!
I know. How could I? He replied in his own head. That was not on purpose, you know that.
Fortunately for you, I do, I said. I could sense him shredding at something in me. What are you doing?
I found what I was looking for. You won’t be in my head for too much longer. Only a few more seconds. Get back in your own head for now, he replied.
I hurried back into the safety of my own head quickly. I heard him laughing as I did.

Chapter 23
It would not be long know before we moved against Lindan Marcos. I was getting ready for the fight that would either ultimately kill me, or him.
There was no other alternative for the pair of us. When we reached Nuduien and met in battle that was where our lives would meet for the last time.
There was no other thing that was possibly. With my gift I kept seeing outcomes that I did not want. My death. Drannor’s death. My race enslaved if Lindan Marcos lived.
“Do not dwell on those things,” Gaelira said, walking over to me.
“Why not? They are things that my visions have seen. I never see anything that is false,” I said.
“If you dwell on such things then you will not fight to your best. It is true you never see counterfeit things, but still, do not dwell on them,” Gaelira replied. Her voice was gentle and I knew she was right.
“It’s hard not to,” I said. “But I shall try for you.”
We started to head to where we knew that Drannor would be waiting for us with Neldor, named after one of the beech trees that he loved to climb. There was no point in impeding that meeting.
I would try and not show that I was musing over things I had seen, nor would I let him hear it in my thoughts. No point in making him worried about me.
“I will help you,” Gaelira said.
“Thank you.”
It was then that I saw the big black wyvern with the golden eyes, his back was turned, his head low to the ground, staring at Drannor
They were talking. Neither looked away from the other until I got closer. Then both looked towards me. Drannor’s eyes were on me, Neldor’s looked to Gaelira. After all, he was her younger rother.
I smiled as Drannor ran at a slower pace than his normal speed over to me and hugged me. “About time you showed up. Our armies are gathering now.”
I sighed. “Don’t remind me,” I said. I was not looking forwards to the blood that was going to be spilt very soon. My blood. Maybe Drannor’s and also the blood of the traitor. I looked forwards only to killing the human and his wyvern. There was hope there for me.
There was one thing that might cause me a little trouble. Rhothilion and Lindan Marcos both were skilled fighters. Gaelira and I while young and swifter, were less skilled in aerial combat. Actually apart from the fights we had in our days being trained, we had no experience. This was sure to be an issue,
‘We’ll manage,’ Gaelira said in my head.
‘I know,’ I replied. I loved her so much but if this really came down to a contest of skill… there was no point in finishing the thought.
We were all meeting at Adurna, I had already secured their allegiance, and the humans were willing to see their king fall. Not that that surprised me, they lived a life of poverty under his rule. Something I was not happy with.
My army would group there, and I would give my instructions. The Hawkblades came with me, and with Drannor. Another group would travel with Jhaer and Goldberg along the coastline, burning any towns to the ground that would not join us.
A third group would move along the western border and sweep east towards Nuduien. They would do the same as Jhaer’s group and they had Nuala and Ashlere with them.
We took to the air and I knew that we were going to have an easier task than the other two groups. The only town in our way was Quinahiroo. No challenge that one would be. At least not unless they had two wyvern riders with them, and that I highly doubted. It would be only too easy for Drannor and me to overpower them.
Lindan Marcos knew we would come. But I knew he was not ready for us to try anything at this moment. He was completely unprepared. He’d expected us to strike in the fall. Yet it was summer now, and we were on the move. There was no way he would be able to gather his army quick enough now. It was the perfect time to strike.
Sure defeating him would not be the easiest of things I had had to do in my life, but I knew he had to have a weakness.
As we flew, Gaelira and I talked.
“My father fought Rhothilion, remember?” she started.
“Yes and did not manage to kill him. Instead he himself died, taking my father with him,” I replied. “Not easy to forget that.”
“Yet when I meet him in the sky it will be an even more deadly battle. We are enemies, because of the different types of wyverns which we both are,” Gaelira told me.
“Oh? How so?” I had not learnt of the different types that were part of the fabulous creatures that Gaelira was one of.
“Yes. Sun, dawn, dusk, moon and day wyverns.”
“Can you tell me about them?”
“Certainly.” Gaelira was silent. “Dawn wyverns are special in their own way, though they are by no means rare n Nuban. Like the sun wyverns before them, they have their own gift. Dawn wyverns have the gift of healing and are very compassionate creatures. Though they often get into arguments with their rider’s if they are indeed ridden by and elf or human, they are the best friends someone could have. Though they usually only mate within their own kind, it is not the odd thing to occasionally see one individual as the mate of the current sun wyvern. Wyverns born in this pairing are in particularly strong ad smart, they and also rare. These wyverns have several different color variations. Gold, yellow, bronze ad orange these creatures are hunted sometimes by humans for their beautiful hides. To capture one of these creatures other than being the one who is meant to ride one, is very bad luck. Strong fighters, they know how to fight well, though it is often known that they are at their strongest during dawn. They hate no other type of wyverns, but dusk wyverns sometimes get in their way and are tolerable. The eggs of dawn wyverns are a dull cream in color, with very hard shells. This is so that when someone chooses to touch one of the eggs, they have no idea what color the dawn wyvern will actually be.”
“What about the dusk wyvern?”
“Only ever green or blue in colour, these wyverns are the lords of anything that can throw a shadow. They draw their strength from shadows, and can even create clouds in order to get big shadows that will make them strong. This poses a major threat to the sun wyvern, as she needs the sunlight to be able to hold her own against one of these vicious brutes. They have been known to call clouds into being before meeting sun wyverns in battle, only to make it all the more harder for their sun needing enemy. While neither good nor bad, some of them are born plain evil.”
“Moon wyvern?”
“Moon wyverns; always lay eggs that are a steel grey. Though this is a deception as the wyvern hiding inside is always either red or purple. They are said to have a shining mysterious aurora when the moonlight touches them at night. No one can explain what this is all about, which is rather confusing for everyone. They are rather subjective when it comes to taunts about the moon, as they were once her children. If taunted, they will attack the offending wyvern. While they will not kill the offender, they will give a severe enough warning that the other wyvern will never do it again. When they die, this is where they return to, to choose a new life. While fierce creatures, the one they love will see that they are very protective and rather friendly. No other wyvern can see below this tough exterior. No one dares to try and sneak one from his already decided mate; it would mean the other’s death. They are fiercely loyal.”
“Day wyvern?”
“Day wyverns, while like the sun wyvern in the fact they can use the sun’s beauty to their advantage in battle, are not enemies of dusk wyverns. Instead their enemy is the dawn wyvern. While they will not fight to the death, the two wyvern types always stay clear of each other. They will never find mates who are dawn wyverns, because of this loathing. No one really knows why this hate is there. Contrary to their name, they are the colors of night, black, brown and grey. An odd thing and no one really knows what this happened for. Considerate of other wyvern’s feelings, they tend to stick to their own kind. Though it is not the odd occasion where a day wyvern has chosen a moon wyvern for their mate. This is starting to become very common. They are very wise and are gentle natured. They are not easy to cause a fight with, as their logical minds make this almost impossible. They have the ability to sense the evil in a wyvern before the other wyvern is aware of it themselves. Their eggs are always a brilliant blue in color, though the wyverns themselves are not.”
“What’s the last one again?” There was so much I could take in. So much I did not know about the wyverns.
“The sun wyvern.” She paused. “Sun wyverns are extremely rare. There is only ever one sun wyvern in existence in any point in time. When this one grows old, a new one in its egg will be laid. Unfortunately the hatchling never meets mother as a week before the egg hatches, the old sun wyvern dies. A sun wyvern rarely tells her mate of the fact that she has laid a sun egg. The hatchling is usually born knowing how to look after herself. Not that this is a good thing as most wyverns don’t survive as hatchlings living on their own. When a sun wyvern feels the sunlight on her scales, she is able to shine very bright. Only a dawn wyvern can look at her when she does that, any other wyvern, or any other creature for that matter would be made blind for several minutes. To ensure that a new sun wyvern is born, should she herself not be able to do it for whatever reason, she will usually allow a very close friend, a female of any wyvern kind except for dusk wyvern, to have one white egg. The sun wyvern’s have but one enemy when it comes to the other types of wyverns, and that is the dusk wyvern. Unless they are for some odd reason fathered by one, sun wyverns will fight dusk wyverns to the death upon sight. There is not a chance for any friendship between them except for that one reason. Sun wyverns are very fierce when it comes to protecting their loved one. They are also friendly and smart; they know when to run away and when not to. Never get in an argument with one as it might just be the last thing you ever