Wherever The Road May Lead - First Arc: Part Three

[ashtraythief]

They saw the smoke miles from Jared’s village.

Dark and grey, it hung low in the sky, slowly billowing outwards as it spread through the sky, announcing terror and pain. There was only one thing that could create a cloud this large - a burning village. His home was in flames; it must have been hit by a raid. There was no other possibility for what he was seeing. Haylee felt his desperation rise and she beat her wings faster than ever before, muscles protesting with every flap of her wings.

His hands were clutching the harness tighter the closer they got. He was searching the ground, waiting for the familiar arrangement of trees to come into view, but the smoke was making it hard to see.

So much smoke… Haylee didn’t have to finish her thought for Jared to understand. An awful lot of wood had to burn to create this much smoke. Jared ignored what his mind was trying to tell him; instead, he urged Haylee down at the edge of town which suddenly came into view. They landed right on the middle of the town’s main road.

The air was thick with soot and it was hard to breathe. About half the houses’ roofs were still burning. Wood was cracking and breaking, and with a thundering sound, the roof on the house next to him collapsed.

The streets were empty, the fire the only noise. Maybe they had escaped. Maybe someone had seen the attackers early enough and warned the rest of the people. Maybe-

Over there. Haylee had stepped behind him and her thoughts guided his eyes to the left. There, next to the corner of the burning smithy, was a pair of legs. Dark boots, dark pants, the body disappearing around the corner.

Caught in a trance, Jared moved forwards, his eyes never leaving that pair of feet. The body attached to them slowly came into view. Jared stopped. He knew that man. His name was Peter. He was the town’s blacksmith. He’d played cards with Jared’s dad. Once, when Jared had been little, he’d carried him around on his broad shoulders. Now, there was an arrow protruding from his rib cage.

Distantly, he was aware of Haylee’s mind, softly nudging his own.

It’s different when you know them, Jared said.

Even after all their time together, Jared still couldn’t properly explain how it happened, but somehow Haylee’s mind leaned in and he was instantly a little comforted.

They moved on and Jared forced himself to methodically check every building for survivors. The urge to just run to his parent’s house was strong, but dread made him stick to routine procedures.

He found no one alive.

His parents’ house was the second to last on the main road. The miller’s home behind theirs was mostly unscathed, but Jared’s childhood home was in ruins. The fire had almost died down, only glimmering here and there, and the back wall was almost completely intact. The roof had collapsed, burying everything beneath it.

Later, Jared wouldn’t be able to say how he made his feet move. Didn’t know how he managed to step inside the debris, lifting broken pieces of cinderblocks and splintered furniture. Couldn’t remember what he felt when he found his parents’ bodies in a corner, huddled together closely, charred limbs tightened by the fire’s heat.

The only thing he did remember was how his heart gave a jump when he checked the loose floor panel and found his sister beneath it, still and pale, but chest rising with flat breaths.

He carried her out of the ruins of their home and splashed water into her face until she woke up. Then he held her in his arms while she sobbed and cried. His own tears were streaming hotly down his cheeks, only matched by the burning fury inside of him. Whoever was responsible, Jared would make them pay.

Haylee’s wing folded around them.

We need a plan, she said. And a safe place for Megan.

Jared nodded and wiped his tears away.

I know just the place, he told her and he could feel her approval when she saw what he had in mind.

As for the plan… Jared trailed off.

We need to know what happened here, Haylee said, and who did this. And then we will kill them.

They flew to the Second Red Wing’s aerie in silence. Haylee flew as steadily as she could so she wouldn’t jostle Megan unnecessarily. His sister had fallen asleep again, and he cradled her in his arms. He hadn’t seen her in over a year, hadn’t been home in all that time, and he realized suddenly how much he’d grown and broadened. Megan felt tiny and fragile in his arms, with no one in the world to protect her except him.



When they reached the aerie of the Second Red Wing, they found only a single dragon guard and the few unbonded humans that always belonged to a Wing - the armorer, the leather master, the medics, and the house staff.

Haylee started communicating with the dragon on guard as soon as she was in range, so when they landed, its Rider and several members of the medical crew were waiting for them. Jared was reluctant to let Megan go, but rationally he knew the doctor would be of more help to her now.

“So,” the Red Wing asked when the medics had carried Megan away, “what’s a lone White Wing doing out here?”

Jared already knew about the hostility towards the White Wing from the other Riders, but it still annoyed him. It had gotten worse when Pellegrino had started dividing the Wings because he had been a White Wing prior to becoming Dragon Consul - most Dragon Consuls had flown in the White Wing at some point - and in times of unrest, people tended to project their anger.

Jared decided to go with the truth. “My mother was sick and she sent for me. My family lived in Three Oaks and - it’s gone now. Completely destroyed... Where the fuck were you when it burned?”

The Red Wing’s Rider had been filled in by his dragon - the visual information Haylee had sent so much stronger than anything Jared could ever say. He dragged a hand through his short hair.

“Did you know the girl?”

“She’s my sister.”

“Ah, shit. I’m so sorry, man.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“Our Wing was ordered west three days ago because of new forces amassing at the border. We thought the fighting here was under control by the Yellow Wing.”

“Obviously not,” Jared bit out, trying to focus on the anger. He couldn’t fall apart now.

“I don’t get it,” the Red Wing Rider said, shaking his head. “The fighting was going so well. It was so quiet the last weeks down here; after the last skirmish I thought the Sanrans had enough for sure. But I sent a message to our Wing and to the Fourth Yellow Wing - it’s the closest one to us. I also sent a carrier pigeon to the nearest garrison. They will assess the situation, see where the Sanrans ran off to.”

Jared nodded. Sanra, the country to their southern border, was almost as hostile as Deorn. He could feel how the energy was leaving him. Haylee was already almost asleep. After their flight through the night, it was no wonder.

“Rest,” Jared told her. It was a testament to how truly exhausted she was that she only sent her assent over their link and then flew up to one of the big dragon platforms surrounding the aerie’s wooden building complex.

“Follow me,” the Rider said. “You can wait in the medical bay.”

Jared followed him inside, walking through a series of interconnected rooms with a long arcade corridor set into one side, which allowed Riders quick access to their dragons outside. The doctor was still tending to Megan and Jared sat down on an empty bed. He leaned back against the headboard and fell asleep instantly.

When he awoke, the aerie was bustling with activity. Jared could hear the familiar flapping of dragon wings, the clanging of weapons and harnesses, and heavy boots walking over wooden planks. The medical room was empty though, so no one had gotten hurt. Jared went over to Megan’s bed to check on her. She was still deeply asleep. He suspected that they had sedated her in order to give her body the time to rest and recover. For a moment, he wished he could join her in blissful unconsciousness; just close his eyes and forget his parents had burned. Instead, he pushed the thoughts back and searched for Haylee. She was sitting in the half-open court where the Wing Leaders welcomed messengers or guests. It was the closest space to the building that could accommodate a dragon.

They’re furious, Haylee told him. They were sent on a futile mission, and they come back to find the lands under their protection burned. It’s not their fault.

Jared nodded and stepped out onto the arcade to get to her as fast as possible. They might be connected in mind, but physical closeness was calming in times of trouble. When he walked past one of the large windows, loud voices made him stop short. He didn’t know them, but he recognized the tone of a commanding officer.

“... sent Clark, Moyer, and Stern. They’ll liaise with the ground troops, help with the clean-up and find out what happened,” a male voice said.

“Good,” a raspy female voice answered. “Did you give them orders to track?”

“Yes, Sir,” the man answered.

“Alright. Then go wake up the White Wing, I-” She suddenly stopped. Steps echoed closer to Jared and then a tall blond woman somewhere in her forties appeared in front of the window. The badge on her vest, the red insignia with the silhouette of two black wings with two vertical stripes next to it, marked her Leader of the Second Red Wing, Samantha Ferris.

“Are you eavesdropping, Rider?”

“Erm, no?” Jared said startled. “I was just on my way to my dragon.”

Ferris nodded. “Let’s go outside and have a chat then. I assume you have questions.”

Jared nodded.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Ferris offered, and then she walked towards the platform at the entrance.

Haylee was there, next to a big brown dragon.

Trassor here is the Wing Leader’s dragon, Haylee told Jared. He’s fuming, just like her. They got the wrong orders by Colonel Huffman. And she usually doesn’t make mistakes like that.

Jared whirled around, staring at Ferris incredulously. “This was a set up?”

“Keep your voice down, Rider,” Ferris ordered.

She didn’t deny it though. Jared’s mind was swirling, he didn’t understand. “Why?” He asked. “Why would they do that?”

Ferris stared at him with hard eyes. “This is nothing you have to concern yourself with, White Wing, do you understand?”

“My parents died!” Jared yelled, the fury in him breaking out. “My sister is lying unconscious in your medical station and the whole town I grew up in is gone - just fucking gone! Have you been there? Have you see what they did to them? So don’t tell me this doesn’t fucking concern me, that was my town, my family…”

Jared broke off and leaned against Haylee, who had quietly stepped beside him. Only then did the hot tears that were running down his face register to him. Angrily he wiped them away; crying wouldn’t help him now.

Ferris’ eyes had softened. “I’m really sorry about what happened, but what is done is done. Nothing we can do now but give them a proper funeral.”

Oh gods, Jared hadn’t even thought about that. And he couldn’t, not now. He still needed answers.

“Just tell me why. Please, Sergeant Ferris.”

Ferris kept quiet, but her dragon didn’t. Haylee pushed their link wide open so Jared would hear every word Trassor said to her. It was exhausting opening their bond so wide and something that came easy only with time and practice, but now it was important.

It’s Pellegrino. Most of the Wings aren’t happy with him; he needs the war to keep us busy and sell the necessity of his autocracy to the Senate.

“Trassor,” Ferris hissed at her dragon, but he just looked at her, his eyes blazing a bright angry yellow.

No. What Pellegrino is doing is ruining our Republic and destroying the Wings. This is not what I wanted when I flew to the mountain to find my Rider. I don’t want a civil war either, but something has to be done.

All around him, it had gone dead quiet. Jared assumed Trassor had spoken to all dragons and they had all told their Riders.

Ferris’ shoulders slumped and she walked over to her dragon, rubbing a hand over his snout. “I know,” she said quietly. “But we have to be careful. And wait for the right opportunity.”

“Wait?” Jared asked outraged. “The war is happening now!”

His parents were dead now.

“What do you want to do about it, boy?" Ferris asked. “There’s no one strong enough to challenge Pellegrino and his followers, not with the Wing Leaders all quarreling with each other.”

“How could this even happen?” Jared asked, voicing Haylee’s confusion. “We grew up with stories of the Wings fighting side by side. How can you hate each other?”

Ferris exchanged a look with her dragon. “It’s hard getting money from the Senate,” she explained. “Every Wing operates independently from the others and we apply directly to the Senate for funds. There has always been a rivalry about who gets the money to renovate the airie or something like that, and the last few years it got worse. There’s less money to be distributed; we have to fight tooth and nail to keep things afloat. The Green Wing and the Yellow Wing hate each other because the Yellow Wing asked for help once and the Greens didn’t come because they had their own dispute; everybody hates the White Wing anyway, and the Black Wing has become a chaotic, anarchic bunch ever since Ackles, Harris, and Kane left.”

Jared shook his head in disbelief. On top of the war and the famine, this was happening as well.

Ferries’ smile was regretful. “Back in the day, it was different. When there was no war, it didn’t matter if we didn’t get along with each other, and Pellegrino’s puppets weren’t in positions of power. We had a leader strong enough to make us all stand behind him, but nowadays, too much blood has been spilled and there’s too much mistrust in the air.”

“A strong leader?” Jared asked, and Ferris gave a humorous laugh.

“The only one strong enough to unite all the Wings in a hundred years was Ackles, and he’s not coming back. Everyone thought he would become our General one day. I wasn’t so sure; he always struck me more as the hands-on, staying out in the field kind of guy, but even if he had remained Captain of the Black WIng, all the other Wing Leaders would’ve stood behind him. No, we’ll just have to pray the war will be over soon, and things will go back to normal.”

Her second-in-command snorted. “If you believe the High Priest, the gods have abandoned us because we don’t live the way we should. He says it’s one of the reasons fewer dragons claim Riders.”

Jared had stopped listening. His mind was with Haylee’s, already running through the new information.

So, she said, so much more menace in her voice than Jared had ever heard before, it all comes back to Pellegrino, doesn’t it? Obviously Huffman needs to die as well…

Haylee trailed off, waiting to see if Jared would object. When she sensed he wouldn’t protest against killing this time, not with his parents dead and his home eviscerated, she continued.

Well then, Haylee said, feeling his anger, they all need to die. The only question is, how do we manage that? I mean, we could just swoop in there and burn them to a crisp, they’d never see it coming…

Jared shook his head. And let the Republic fall in chaos and civil war? No, we can’t risk that.

Then what do we do?

You heard Ferris, Jared said, we need a strong leader.

Haylee was quiet for a moment, her emotions all over the place. The one that won out was excitement.

So we’re going on a quest? She asked.

Yeah, we are.



The plan to go find Ackles and kill Pellegrino was the only thing that kept him sane when he went back to the village. Megan had woken up and accompanied him. She was quiet, looking at everything with dead eyes.

They buried their parents in what had been their backyard. They stood in silence next to each other, holding hands, Haylee a comforting presence behind them.

“Jared,” Megan asked, “what are we going to do now?”

“Sergeant Ferris said you could come live in the aerie and work there.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Megan said and, for the first time, there was some strength in her voice.

Megan had grown up with the same stories he had, of dragons and honor. She’d never wanted to become a Rider, but she’d always admired Jared for joining the Wings.

“I will find the people responsible and kill them,” Jared said.

He expected Megan to flinch, to tell him not to, but she just nodded and said, “good.”

Jared looked at her astonished.

When she saw his look, Megan laughed harshly. “Jared, you’ve been gone for a long time. I grew up. I suffered through hunger and disease. The boy I was in love with died four months ago in a border raid, and now our parents are dead too.”

Guilt closed up Jared’s throat. “I’m so sorry, Meg. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. I always meant to write you, but I couldn’t get a messenger and when I finally found someone going to the capital, John was already dead, and I just… I couldn’t write about it.”

Jared sat down in the grass and drew Megan down beside him. “Then tell me about him now,” he said.

Haylee crouched down behind them and wrapped them in her wings. In the safety of her embrace, Megan told him all about the boy she’d loved and lost and about their parents’ last days. She cried into Jared’s shoulder and he cried with her.

Then Jared told her about the war, about his friends, and about Jensen and how he would find him and bring him back to save Nereya.

“I’ll try not to be scared for you,” Megan said with a teary smile, “but I can’t promise.”

Jared nodded. “I’ll try not to be scared either, but I can’t promise.”

They laughed together and dried their tears. Then Jared helped Megan up on Haylee’s back to bring her to the aerie.

“You’ll be fine,” his sister said. “I just know it.”

“Well, I’m your brother, you have to say that,” Jared tried to joke.

Megan looked at him earnestly and shook her head. “No, that’s not it. You know, I almost didn’t recognize you. You're not the clumsy uncoordinated boy I grew up with.”

Jared snorted. “I'm far from graceful.”

Megan laughed. "I don't know, Jay. You look like a warrior to me."

While Haylee flew them back to the aerie, Jared wondered if he’d really changed so much.

Well, it’s been a while you’ve stumbled over your own two feet, Haylee remarked dryly and Jared playfully slapped her shoulder.

Thanks. It’s good to know how much you love me.

She was right though, he thought. Both of them had grown up. Haylee had grown into her wings; they were still long, but proportional. And Jared had managed to lose some of his clumsiness, though the effortless grace of a fully trained Rider still eluded him.

Haylee let out a bellow of a laugh and in all the despair of the day, it was like a single ray of light.

Ferris wished him good luck, and Jared thought that maybe she had a hunch about the plan forming in his mind.

He waved to his sister one last time, then they were off, on their way back to the capital. If Jared wanted to find Jensen, he needed to know where to start looking. He had three days to get back to his post at the northern border, so if he wanted to talk to Chad, he needed to hurry.

After a short stop in the capital to check on Chad and gather information, he flew up north again where his Wing was still stationed. He’d told Chad everything, and his friend had agreed to keep his ears open for news on Jensen.

Winter weather still had the country in its icy grip despite it almost being spring, and up north, it was especially bad. Aldis and Gen were huddled closely around the fire in the middle of their dragons’ circle. The dragons had made themselves beds out of glowing coals to keep warm. Their scales were fireproof; only their wings were vulnerable to fire.

When Jared was done telling them everything, Aldis and Gen exchanged a look.

“What?” Jared asked sharply.

“We heard rumors too, of Pellegrino’s people sending the Wings on futile missions, leaving stretches of the border unprotected,” Gen explained.

“Milo, the mouthy guy from the Blue Wing, voiced it out loud. Two days later, he got a letter that they’d thrown his brother in jail,” Aldis continued. “They released him a few days later, but the message was clear. They can’t hurt us because of the dragons, but they can hurt our families.”

“See!” Jared said, trying to keep his voice down, “this is why we need to do something!”

“But Jared, where would we even start looking? Ackles could be anywhere. And who says he even wants to come back?”

“He’ll come back when he hears that we need him and that the people want him back,” Jared said with conviction. He was sure Ackles wouldn’t let them down.

“Still, where do we find him?” Gen asked.

“We’re all going to go to the capital for the bonding ceremony, right?” Jared asked.

Aldis and Gen nodded.

“Chad is looking for information right now, and if anyone will find out where Ackles is, it’s Chad. We just wait until we’re back in the Capital, find the information and then we leave. Well, I will leave.”

“Oh, no,” Gen said, eyes blazing, “you’re not going alone, buddy.”

Darayn gave an affirmative huff.

“What about your family?” Jared asked. “My parents are dead and Megan is safe with the Red Wing. But your families… what do you think they will do to them if you guys desert?”

“Shit, I didn’t even consider that,” Gen said.

Aldis was quiet, he obviously had.

“It’s okay,” Jared told him. “I’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”

Of course we will, Haylee snorted, but her voice was shaking a bit.



The next weeks were uneventful. Like them, Deorn was waiting for warmer weather to continue with the fighting. In order to be on time for the yearly climbing of the mountain and the subsequent bonding ceremony, the White Wing flew to the Capital; with the inactivity at the border, they could be spared.

Jared watched the children - only boys - gather at the foot of the mountain when the sun rose.

He put his hand against Haylee’s cheek, and both of them remembered the happier days before Ackles had been banished and war had broken out.

That day, only eight dragons came down the mountain with newfound Riders on their backs. It was the lowest number of bondings since the founding of the Republic.

The next day, Jared attended a Senate session. They were open to the public and Jared wanted to get a good look at Pellegrino.

He was nothing special; a man in his thirties, dark blond hair, unremarkable figure. His eyes were blue, ice cold, and glided calculatingly over the people present. They rested on Jared for a second and Jared didn’t look away.

I will kill you, Jared thought, and smiled.

Pellegrino’s eyes slid down to Jared’s insignia, the white vertical strap on his chest identifying him as a White Wing Rider. Pellegrino nodded generously at Jared, and he had to ball his hands into fists not to punch something.

The next night, they all met up in Chad’s quarters. He was living on the grounds of the medical academy, where Slink was being treated. He was getting better steadily, but the healing of a wing had to be monitored closely. The dragons were outside, cuddling with Slink and listening in on them over their links.

“So,” Jared asked, “what have you got?”

Chad looked at him, frustration clear in his eyes. “Nothing, man. I’m sorry, but no one seems to know anything. There are rumors that Harris is somewhere up north, but no one knows anything for sure. Or they didn’t want to tell me, I don’t know. I had to be careful, but I tried everything, and nothing.”

“Fuck! What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” Aldis said, “but Jay, you can’t leave without knowing where to go. It could take you years to find him.”

Jared nodded. Who knew how far Ackles had gone. He couldn’t leave Megan alone for so long.

“Do we have another idea?”

“Let’s wait until we’re out of the White Wing,” Gen suggested. “The cadets from last year only got one year of training; they’ll be assigned to the White Wing as soon as the new Riders go into training. We’ll probably all be sent to one of the Color Wings, and then we can start talking to people, find out who’s on our side or not.”

Aldis whistled. “So we’re really planning a revolution then?”

“Do you have another idea to fix this mess?” Jared asked him.

Aldis shook his head. “No. So I guess I’d better talk to my dad.”

When Aldis and Gen had gone to bed, Jared and Chad went outside, curled up between their dragons’ legs and just talked. They talked about nothing and everything, but never about the war or Jared’s parents. They just pretended it were the good old times.

“Remember how much I was freaking out in the beginning when Slink couldn’t spew fire? I was trying so hard to hold it together for him, but you guys saw right through me.”

Jared laughed at the memory. Most dragons could spew fire. The range and heat of their flames were different and some, like Harris' dragon Shayleen, had been able to spew fire balls, but not Slink. One day, they’d been out together in a field, and when the long stalks had tickled Slink’s nose, he’d sneezed burning acid, scorching the ground. Chad had danced around like mad, yelling, “ha, I knew you were special, man!"

They fell quiet again, and in the silence, Jared couldn’t keep his thoughts from going back to their current situation.

“What do we do if we can’t find Ackles? Ferris didn’t believe there was another way to fix things in the near future, and our country can’t take this. The Wings can’t take it. I mean, look at how they’re treating Gen, and only eight boys got picked this year…” Jared broke off. He tried to be optimistic, but it was fucking hard.

“I know that you’re hung up on Ackles to save us,” Chad said. “And I won’t deny that having him would be a damn good advantage, but Ackles or not, we’ll still find a way to save Nereya.”

“I could help with that,” a young voice said out of the darkness.

Chad and Jared scrambled out of their dragons’ cover to find the intruder.

Why didn’t you warn us? Jared hissed at Haylee.

He could feel her blink in confusion. What? I just dozed off. What happened?

Jared snorted and showed her his memories. Of course, the dragons would nod off, finally being together again and getting a chance to rest cozied up to each other.

“Got him!” Chad yelled triumphantly and dragged a boy into the light of their dying fire.

Jared recognized him; he was one of the new Riders. He was scrawny and his short reddish hair was sticking up in all directions. Phil was his name, Jared thought.

“What the hell are you doing here, eavesdropping on two Riders, huh?” Chad asked, putting way too much menace into his voice.

The boy flinched back, but then straightened his spine.

"I was just… walking to my dragon when I heard you. And I know where Ackles is.”

Jared and Chad exchanged a look, unsure of how much the boy had heard.

“What’s it to you?” Jared asked.

The boy swallowed, but his eyes were blazing. “I hate Pellegrino,” he said in a clear voice. “I hate everything about him and everything he does to the Wings. And if you think Ackles coming back will stop him, then I’m gonna lead you to him.”

“I don’t know, Jay,” Chad said slowly, “Can we trust him?”

The boy hesitated for a moment, then determination crept into his features. “Yes, you can. And this is why,” he said, and pulled up his shirt.

“What the fuck?” Chad breathed out.

Jared echoed the sentiment in his head. Thick white bandages were snugly wrapped around the boy’s chest, but now Jared could see the curve beneath them.

“You’re a girl,” Chad said incredulous. “I know my boobs, and those - those are boobs!”

Jared might not be as well versed in boobs as Chad, but he was right. The girl lowered her shirt again.

“My name is Felicia Day,” she said, “and I wanted to become a Rider. I pretended to be a boy so I could climb the mountain.”

“If they find out…” Jared started worriedly. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that this was my destiny!” Felicia said angrily. “I mean, why did you climb that mountain, huh? You didn’t climb it for the prestige or the power, you climbed it ‘cause you knew it too. I just wanted to make it until the ceremony, I figured if they bond us together, they’ll just have to accept it. Only eight new Riders were picked this year, so I figured my chances were good.”

“So what changed?” Jared asked.

Felicia hung her head. “One of the boys at the camp, he came in when I was washing up. He saw… I asked him not to tell, I begged him, but I don’t think he’ll listen.”

“Shit.” Chad said again.

Jared agreed. “Yeah.”

“So now we need to get out of here,” Felicia said.

“But if you don’t go to the ceremony, the bond will never fully form,” Jared pointed out. Prior to the ceremony, there was a connection, but it was weak and only conveyed emotions, no actual words. Only when the priests blessed the union and called upon the winds to sanction it and give Rider and dragon the understanding they needed, only then could Riders and dragons communicate without limitations.

“I know,” Felicia said sadly. “but we want to risk it. We can’t be separated. So I will go with you and show you the way.”

“Yeah, that’s another thing,” Chad said, squinting at her. “How do you know how to find Ackles, when no one else does?”

Felicia didn’t flinch this time. “My father is a salesman. He travels really far and he told me. He took me on his routes when I was younger because my mom died when I was a baby. I know all the best ways to travel and I know where to find him.”

“And where is that?” Jared asked, still not convinced.

“I won’t tell you. Because if I do, you won’t take me with you.”

“Damn right I won’t,” Jared said and Haylee agreed with him.

Look at her, she barely looks sixteen.

“You’re too young and too inexperienced and so is your dragon. You guys don’t know how to put a harness on, you can’t fight. It’s way too dangerous!”

“And if I stay here, they will find out and do the winds know what to me,” she said and Jared deflated.

She was right, she couldn’t stay.

Haylee….

His dragon sighed. We’re going to regret this, aren’t we?

“Then we have to leave tonight,” Jared said after Haylee and he’d reached a decision.

“Yay!” Felicia shouted before she got herself under control. “I mean, good.”

Jared rolled his eyes. Awesome. She was worse than he used to be.

“We should come with you,” Chad said, and Slink nodded. “If you have to watch out for her as well…”

Jared was already shaking his head. “Slink needs to rest for at least another two weeks and we can’t wait. Besides, what would they do to your family?”

“Shit.”

Slink spewed a thin jet of acid onto the ground, burning a hole into the gravel.

“I wish you could come,” Jared said. “Skies know how much. But we have to leave as soon as possible. And it’s not like Haylee would ever let anything happen to me.”

Chad smiled, putting up a brave front. “Alright. Then let’s hunt down some supplies. You should be gone before dawn.”

Jared woke Gen and Aldis to say goodbye when they were ready to go. They had two hours until sunrise, which should give them enough time to get away from the Capital without anyone missing them.

Aldis hugged him and Gen gave him her favorite dagger for luck. Felicia didn’t have a set of weapons or a harness yet, so Chad had found her a spare and some weapons.

“We’ll put the harness on Codey when we have more time. For now you ride with me,” Jared said.

Codey was small, even for a young dragon and Jared knew without training he wouldn’t be able to keep up with Haylee, not even without Felicia’s weight on his back.

Neither Felicia nor Codey were happy about that, but they knew it made sense. So Jared helped her up in the harness and followed her onto Haylee’s back.

“May the winds be with you,” Aldis and Gen said.

Chad just grinned. “And try to get laid, will ya?”

Trust Chad to cheapen the moment, Haylee snorted, but Jared could feel her mood lighten with the joke.

He waved at his friends one last time, not knowing when he’d see them again - he refused to think of it as if he would never see them again - and then Haylee jumped into the air, flapping her wings as quietly as possibly. She rose high enough to disappear into the clouds, Codey struggling to keep up.

Felicia leaned closer against Jared’s back.

“Shit, it’s cold up here.”

“That’s why we got you the coat.”

“I’m still freezing.”

Jared looked down at her naked hands gripping his waist, then his own glove covered one.

“We’ll get you some gloves.”

“And a hat?” Felicia asked hopefully. Haylee snorted.

“Don’t be a baby,” Jared said. “Anyway, you’ll get used to the cold. You wanted to be a Rider. This is it.”

Felicia was quiet for a long while. “Yeah. I am a Rider now.”

“Yeah, you are. So where to, oh navigator?”

Felicia laughed. “East. We need to reach the Plains and the best way is to follow the outcrops of the Stony Mountains.”

“East it is,” Jared said, and Haylee adjusted her route accordingly. Between Nereya and the Plains were three thousand miles of desert wasteland. It would be a long journey.



Jared had never thought of himself as a teacher. Sure, he’d taught Megan all kinds of things when they were growing up, like where to catch worms and how to build mudcakes, but he hadn’t done anything like that in years.

Now he had a new Rider on his hands with a young dragon, and he needed to teach them how to put on a harness - something he’d had difficulties with himself - and how to fly. It wasn’t that Codey couldn’t fly, but it was different with a person on your back and Jared and Haylee agreed they should at least know some evasive maneuvers. They didn’t know who they might run into. During the days, they kept high enough that a wandering eye would think they were birds, and when it was time to land, they chose secluded spots in the mountains.

Whenever the opportunity presented itself, the dragons hunted for fresh meat and Jared went looking for roots and other plants.

“I didn’t think a Rider would know how to do that,” Felicia said, helping him dig up a bunch of wild carrots.

“I was a farm boy before I was a Rider,” Jared explained, “and we didn’t have lot of money.”

Felicia nodded. “It’s weird. Somehow I never thought about Riders as people or what they did before.”

Jared smiled at her. “I know what you mean. But yeah, just people.”

“What about Ackles?” Felicia asked with a smile. She had picked up pretty quickly on Jared’s ongoing crush.

He still tried to play it cool, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. “The man is a legend. If only half the stories about him are true…”

“Still just a person,” Felicia said.

“Have you ever seen him?” Jared asked her. Felicia shook her head.

“I have,” Jared told her. “Trust me, he’s more than a man.”

When they were sitting around their little fire that night, eating mountain-goat stew with carrots, Jared asked Felicia again where they were going.

“I told you, the Plains.”

“The Plains are huge,” Jared said, remembering the old maps in the training camp.

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

Jared!

“Jared! Jared, wake up!”

With a start, Jared shot up from his bedroll, hand on his dagger and looking around in panic.

“Woah,” Felicia said, jumping back from where she’d been sitting on his chest. “No one’s attacking us, no danger!”

Jared let himself fall back on his bedding, with a heavy exhale. “Then why the fuck would you wake me like this when the sun’s not even fully up?”

“Because the most amazing, exciting unbelievably incredible thing happened!” Felicia said, eyes shining with excitement in the muted light of the early dawn.

“And what is that?”

“I can hear Codey!” Felicia was practically dancing on Jared’s legs.

Codey was standing directly behind her, showing all his sharp teeth in a wide grin. Jared looked to Haylee for help and she was bursting with happiness as well.

It’s true, Jared. I can hear him now too. Clear as day, every word.

“But that’s impossible,” Jared said, “there was no ceremony, your union isn’t blessed…” He trailed off when he felt Haylee’s mood flip.

Or it is entirely possible and they’ve been lying to us the whole time.

Jared was stunned. He knew that the High Priest was probably in Pellegrino’s pocket, but telling generations of Riders they could only bond through a ceremony when the link would fully form on its own in time... That was a whole different matter.

Think, Haylee said harshly, the ceremony didn’t make our communication suddenly go boom. It took another day until we could really speak.

“So we wouldn’t have needed the priests,” Jared said out loud.

Felicia was still sitting on his legs, now looking at him questioningly. “I don’t get it. Why would they lie? Maybe it was an honest mistake.”

Haylee snorted.

“No, not really,” Jared said slowly. “Religion… It used to be much more important. I remember from the history lessons; during the monarchy, the High Priest was the second most powerful man in Nereya, and the priests had huge temples. When the Riders founded the Republic, people turned away from religion because it was something that reminded them of the old days. The only reason they’re still around is because of the bonding.”

“Seriously?” Felicia asked astonished.

“Yeah,” Jared said, trying to remember his lessons right. It felt like it had been decades ago, not just two years. “Back in the old kingdom, there had been many different priests for many different gods. With the rise of the Riders, only the priests of the wind and the sky remained.”

“So what?” Felicia said, “they made up the lie about bonding so they wouldn’t disappear as well?”

“Makes sense, doesn't it?”

Unbelievable, Haylee mumbled. If this continues I’m going to lose faith in humanity.

What, and lose faith in me too?

Her wing hit him against the back of his head. You don’t count, you’re a Rider. You’re almost half dragon anyway.

“Fine. But if I’m half dragon, I demand a half dragon-sized breakfast!”

Felicia laughed, and she laughed even harder when she saw he wasn’t kidding and devoured almost all of leftovers from the night before for breakfast.

“Let’s just go,” Jared said. “It might make things easier that Codey is able to talk to you now, but we still have a lot of distance to cover.”



Four days later, they were tired and dirty, and their legs ached from sitting in the saddle the whole day. The dragons were showing signs of fatigue as well - Haylee only a bit, but Codey would need a full day of rest soon.

But they had reached the Plains, the sprawling grasslands ruled by the independent city states.

“So,” Jared asked. “Where to?”

Felicia eyed him critically, trying to figure out if he would abandon her if she told him.

“I’m not going to send you back now. We didn’t have any trouble with the bandits on the way here, but I’m not letting you fly back across the Stony Mountains alone. Besides, we already established you can’t go home.”

Felicia nodded. “Jalero. We need to go to Jalero.”

Great. Jalero was all the way up in the northeast corner; they’d need to cross the entire Plains to get there.

“Let’s do this quickly and avoid the cities,” Jared said. “You never know.”

I don’t like this, Haylee said, looking out over the grasslands. It’s so flat. No shelter anywhere.

“Yeah, definitely not made for a dragon.”

They were sighted several times flying over the Plains and landing in the evening, but strangely enough, the people weren’t scared of them. The third night they made camp, an hour after their arrival, a group of shepherds and their sheep passed within a stone’s throw of them. Instead of screaming, the men waved, bowed, and made camp as close as the nervous sheep would allow.

Two of them came over, offering to share their meal with them. Jared and Felicia exchanged a look, and Haylee didn’t let the strangers out of her sight for a second.

“Thank you, that is very kind of you,” Jared said, because he had manners. “I hope you’ll forgive me this question, but you seem very comfortable around the dragons.”

The men smiled. “They’re noble protectors, aren’t they?”

Jared could feel Haylee preen.

“Dragons in the sky are a good thing,” the men continued. “It keeps the bandits and marauders away. If you allow us, we’ll butcher two sheep for your companions.”

I’m not saying no to that, Haylee said and grumbled appreciatively.

The men did looked a bit startled when she leaned in closer with a toothy smile, but they still weren’t running away screaming.

“So, a dragon and its Rider are protecting the Plains?” Felicia asked, thoughts obviously going the same direction Jared’s were.

“Yes,” the leader of the men said. “Mostly they protect the caravans, but they hunt whatever bandits they come across. It’s very good for us.”

Jared couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t surprised that Jensen was still protecting the people.

“And we find them in Jalero?” Jared asked and the men nodded. “Great!”

The rest of the evening they spent in comfortable companionship. The dragons munched on their sheep, the humans had their meals, and the shepherds got out their flutes and played until they went to sleep.

Jared dreamt of green eyes and broad shoulders, and when he woke up, he was elated. He would finally see Jensen again, bring him home, and he would fix everything.

He could feel Haylee’s reservation.

Since when have you become a worrywart? he asked her.

I don’t want you to be disappointed. You want him to be this perfect hero, but what if he isn’t?

Jared snorted. “Haylee, he’s protecting caravans from bandits. He’s still the same guy who defended Nereya all those years ago.”

Haylee was still wary, but she didn’t say anything.

Jalero was only a day out and they quietly flew across the sky. Felicia was flying close to him since they were gliding slowly. Codey was still exhausted and couldn’t fly very fast.

“Jared,” Felicia said loud enough for Jared to hear, “there’s something I need to tell you. About Ackles?”

“What about him?” Jared asked, wondering what was up now.

“This Rider in Jalero, it’s not him.”

“What?”

Before Felicia could say anything else, Jared saw a big ball of fire shoot through the sky. His eyes followed the source to a big dragon - a big red dragon. Ackles’ dragon Tonayr was pitch black.

“That’s Danneel Harris!” Jared shouted angrily at Felicia.

She looked extremely guilty, wringing her hands. “I’m so sorry, but I only knew where she was. But she’ll know where we can find Ackles and she’ll also be able to help.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!”

Felicia shrugged her shoulders. “I was afraid it wouldn’t be enough for you to go!”

“Of course it would!”

Felicia was right - Harris was sure to know where Ackles was. He just wished he’d known sooner. He couldn’t dwell on that though; his attention was drawn by the fight taking place before his eyes.

Harris and her dragon Shayleen were battling a group of bandits, probably fifty men strong. Jared watched in awe at Shayleen’s dexterity and maneuvers, at the giant fireballs shooting out of her snout. Harris wasn’t sitting on her dragon’s back; instead she was walking the ropes under her belly, firing arrow after arrow, and when Shayleen dived down deep, Harris switched to her throwing stars, every one of them finding a target.

Jared had never seen anything like it. Harris was playing in a whole different league from any Rider he’d ever seen. The bandits scattered pretty quickly and tried to escape, but Shayleen followed them, picking them up one by one, and she and Harris mercilessly put them all down.

Only one escaped and without thought, Haylee swept down, sharp claws lifting the man from the back of his horse and slicing him open. She flew over to Harris and Shayleen, who had landed in the middle of the destruction, and dropped the dead man to their feet.

That was amazing, Halyee told Shayleen, and Jared thought that his dragon had found her own personal hero. He couldn’t blame her though; Harris and Shayleen were breathtaking.

“Lieutenant Harris,” Jared said. “I’m Jared Padalecki. I’ve been looking for you.”

Harris gave him a disgusted look. “I’m not a lieutenant anymore, kid. And I don’t want any Riders looking for me, so you can fuck off.”

Shayleen echoed her Rider’s sentiment. Without sparing Jared or Haylee another glance, they started gathering the dead on a pile. Jared was still sitting dumbstruck on Haylee’s back when Harris turned around again.

“If you’re gonna sit there the whole day, staring like a stranded fish, you might as well make yourselves useful.”

Jared hoped this was just some kind of test and hopped off Haylee’s back. Felicia and Codey had landed as well, and Felicia was staring at Harris in a way that was wildly familiar to Jared. He looked closer, and objectively speaking, Harris was an extremely attractive woman. She didn’t do anything for Jared - usually he wouldn’t even notice - but it seemed Felicia did.

“Don’t,” he said. “Spare yourself the heartbreak.”

Felicia looked startled, then she shook her head and dismounted Codey. “Come on, Jared, move your ass.”

Then she bounded over to Harris and introduced herself. She was met with about as much enthusiasm as Jared had been, but Felicia wasn’t deterred in shooting Harris starry-eyed looks. Great. This would be a long afternoon.



When the bodies were burned and buried, Harris eyed Jared and Felicia speculatively.

“So you didn’t fail as spectacularly as I thought.”

Felicia beamed, Haylee preened, and Jared rolled his eyes.

“But the answer is no,” Harris continued.

“You don’t even know what we want to ask,” Jared said.

Harris put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. “Really? So the Republic hasn’t fallen into chaos, there is no war with Deorn and Sanra, and Pellegrino isn’t trying to insinuate himself into a position of absolute power?”

Jared opened his mouth and closed it. Harris was very well informed, there wasn’t really anything he could say here. Except…

“We’re not at war with Sanra.” There were skirmishes and raids along the border - Jared knew that all too well - but they weren’t at war officially, so Sanra’s army would stay away from them.

“You’re not really up to current events, are you?” Harris asked. “Sanra declared war four days ago.”

“Oh no,” Felicia breathed out.

Harris shook her head. “The Republic is going to crash and burn, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Don’t you even care?” Jared asked angrily. He couldn’t believe Harris was so indifferent towards her country.

“Hey, they were the ones who threw me out,” she said haughtily. “I told them not to come running when everything went to shit.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jared saw Felicia’s face fall.

“But what about your family?”

Harris put a hand to her dragon’s neck. “The day she picked me, Shayleen became my family. I thought the Wings would be my family as well, but they couldn’t turn their backs fast enough when they threw us out. So no, I don’t care. Empires rise and fall all the time; now it seems it’s Nereya’s turn to go.”

“Fine,” Jared bit out, “if you won’t help us, stay here and do your mercenary thing. At least tell us where we can find Jensen Ackles then.”

“Why?” Harris asked dispassionately.

Jared looked at her incredulously. “Because he’s the one we’re looking for anyway. He’s the one that can save Nereya.”

Harris was still for a moment, then she laughed.

“Oh honey,” she finally said. “I don’t know if I should find it adorable or pathetic that you’re still so hopeful.” Her eyes wandered up and down his body sparkling with mischief. “I think I’m gonna go with adorable. Because you, young Rider, are very cute.”

Is she hitting on you? Haylee asked incredulous.

I don’t think so, Jared told her, but I’m definitely scared.

“Actually…” Harris trailed off, looking Jared up and down again, and then looking over to her dragon. She had a silent conversation with Shayleen, before she laughed and clapped her hands. “Alright, I’ll tell you where you can find Jensen if you answer some questions.”

“Sure,” Jared said. It wasn’t really a choice.

“Why do you believe Jensen will be able to save Nereya? You don’t know him, am I right? You never talked to him? Why are you even here, so far away from home and the people you love?”

Jared looked searchingly into her face. For the first time, Harris looked curious, looked like she really cared. He answered without hesitation.

“Because he’s my hero. I know all the stories about him, everything he did. I know that he’s the only one the other Wing Leaders would follow and the only one the population idolizes enough to trust the government again. He’s…” Jared searched for the rights words to express this deep conviction he had that Ackles would be their savior without spilling his crush. “He’s a good man. I saw him, once, and he just… he’s a good man. If he doesn’t come and help us, there won’t be a home to go back to. I already lost my parents, and Pellegrino is taking great care to destroy everything else I love. Jensen has to save us. He just has to.”

Harris’ eyes had turned soft. “I’m sorry for your loss, I really am. But you might already be too late. Some things are too broken to fix. You not only need a new government - you need to change a whole mentality. You need to change a whole system. Do you have any notion of what this will cost? You and everyone else?”

“No, I don’t,” Jared answered honestly. He couldn’t imagine what it would take. He knew they would need to do more than just kill Pellegrino, but he had no idea what else lay ahead of them. He just trusted that Ackles knew how to fix it. “But I know it’ll be worth it.”

Shayleen grumbled out in consent and Harris smiled ruefully. “To have your faith, young Rider.” Then she squared her shoulders and she was back to being all business. “If you fly south and cross the river Tev, you’ll come across the small town of Greenwood. There’s a tavern at its eastern edge, the Golden Boar. Kane is living there, and occasionally Jensen comes out of his hole to drink with him.”

Jared processed that information. He’d not only find Ackles, but also Kane - who was living in a tavern of all places - and he nodded at her in thanks.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

“Just don’t blow it. And tell the boys they need to get over themselves and stop hiding at the ass of the world.”

“I will,” Jared said, then he shot Haylee a questioning look.

Ask her, his dragon answered. We both know it’s the right call.

“There’s one more favor I have to ask,” Jared told Harris, who raised an eyebrow at him. “Codey is still young and not used to long travels. If we’re going to return to Nereya as soon as I find Jensen, we’re going to do it at full speed, and if they want a chance to keep up, they need to rest now. Can they stay here with you? I assume you have accommodations suitable for a dragon.”

“Jared!” Felicia hissed, talking for the first time since greeting Harris, “you can’t just dump us here!”

Jared turned around to Felicia and Codey. “I’m not ‘dumping you’. But Codey is tired. He needs at least a day of sleep and several days of rest. I’m the Rider - you didn’t even have any training so it’s my responsibility to look out for you. Haylee agrees with me; she saw the way Codey’s wings were drooping during the flight today.”

Felicia stared petulantly to the ground and smoke was curling from Codey’s nostrils.

You know how tired you are, Haylee told Codey. Trust me when I say it will only get worse if you don’t allow your body to rest. You don’t know this because you’ve never been through a long period of exertion before, but you can’t catch up with a few hours here or there. If you’re this burned out, you need to sleep for a day.

“Felicia, just…” Jared ran a hand through his hair in frustration, trying to make her understand. “I’m not trying to leave you behind, but we need to get back as soon as I find Jensen, and you guys need to be ready for the trip. Do you really want to push Codey until he just falls out of the sky?”

Felicia’s eyes widened in shock. “Of course not! But he’s a dragon. I always thought they don’t need much rest, that he’ll be fine.”

“It’s okay,” Jared told her, “you couldn’t have know. But this is why you have to trust me.”

“He’s right, you know,” Harris interjected. “Your dragon is beat to hell and he doesn’t even know it. You’re welcome to stay here and recharge. I might even be able to teach you a thing or two that Jared here forgot to tell you.”

Jared rolled his eyes, but he was glad Harris was taking his side. He could already see Felicia changing her mind.

After a brief moment to confer with Codey, she took a deep breath and looked at Harris. “Okay. We’ll stay here.” Then she suddenly stepped forward and hugged Jared.

“Thank you,” she said.

Jared slowly put his arms around her. Felicia felt so small and fragile, without the buildup of muscles all the Riders had from training and flying. She still felt like a child.

“It’s okay,” Jared said again and patted her back.

Felicia stepped back and gave him a blinding smile. “Even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll make a great leader one day.”

Jared didn’t know what to say to that. That was not part of the plan, and not something he’d ever thought about.

Felicia flew back with Harris, and Jared and Haylee flew down south at top speed so they’d reach Greenwood before nightfall.

Finally, Haylee said, and flew a few corkscrews. I missed going fast.

Jared laughed and reveled in her joy. It wasn’t until much later, when Haylee was flying steadier again, that she said, Felicia is right, you know. You do make a good leader.

What? No, I don’t.

You don’t see yourself clearly. It took me a while to figure it out because I'm with you every day, but you’ve changed. Your sister saw it too. You’re not the clumsy inexperienced Rider you were when I picked you up. You grew up.

I had to, Jared said, thinking about everything that had happened in the last year.

Yeah. Now let’s find Ackles and make him lead our rebellion.

She batted her wings harder. Jared leaned against her outstretched neck, holding on to the spikes there, and then they were shooting through the sky.



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Second Arc: Part One >>>>