Revoric

The rhythmic pounding of the tidepool waves did little to calm Revoric's burning temper. It blazed like the sun that baked the lunar-like, desolate surface of the planet. As he stalked further down the deserted shore, all that he could focus on or understand were the echoes of the words that destroyed years of devotion and hard work. That killed the dream that had been his for nearly a decade.

He stopped suddenly, suddenly consumed with a rage that was unknown to him. Of all people to torment him like this, why his parents? It was bad enough to force him not to Impress a dragon, or 'Marking as it was known on Ayden, but to insist that he never become a spellcaster? Why in the heck were they on Ayden if he wasn't allowed to bond or learn magic?

It wouldn't have been so bad if their reasons were simple to understand. Like their child getting hurt or killed. He could have understood that. Or never seeing him again, losing their precious son. That was easy to deal with. But possible corruption? Losing his soul? Being sent to a place where torment showed mercy to no one?

Had the entire world lost its mind since the undead destroyed Aster Weyr?

For a moment, Revoric forgot his temper in order to contemplate the confusing issues. It all sounded like the Terran theology about the devil and the pits of eternal flame. Yet Pern had no religion, and his parents had reassured him that their worries were not focused on that.

Revoric sighed at the memory of those talks. Like they helped put things into perspective. They had just warned him that the undead punished their victims severely, and dragonriders were their main targets.

Since the raids on Aster Weyr, his parents had told him all about how the undead had forced the guardian of the first reality, a somewhat cowardly guardian in his opinion, to commit suicide, ensuring the destruction of all she had created. He knew about the new guardian coming to rise to ensure that the legacy of guardians continued. About Tesene and Tariath risking their spirit lives to find the planet Ayden, center of the reality plane. About Stirdalath and Ielidyn alongside Latoteyth and Aielke ensuring a way to redeem the dead warriors, combat the undead, and bridge the realities through an awakened magic.

There was more, so many stories shared and so many still untold. They were wonderful myths, but somehow Revoric found a way to believe them. They were his purpose for living, his fantasy come true. He knew he could find a way to incorperate himself into Ayden's glorious, if painful history. Yet his parents seemed to think otherwise. Always playing it safe, always ensuring he lived comfortably.

So did they want to let the undead win? There were little things called retaliation and self-defense that were a bit important at the present moment. Which was worse, dying with dignity while standing up for your rights or dying on your knees as a slave to the undead? There was no other decision there for him. If fate ordained him to die, he would die while slaying as many of those undead freaks as he possibly could. End of story, no further questions.

The only problem was that true fighting could only be done as a member of a Combat Torrent, and that required a dragon partner. Not to mention no one could awaken their magical talent without a dragon. The dragon's color, known as Dominance, was what revealed the hidden magical ability in a rider. Spellcasters and their dragons had to work together to heighten their talents.

With a moan of complete hopelessness, Revoric collapsed on the sand. Too much to think about and plan for, all to fight some crazed demons and wraiths. Whatever happened to the simpler life of fighting Thread?

A triumphant chirp burst through his cloud of thoughts, and he looked up to see his blue fire lizard, Bantor, dancing across the sky. Revoric chuckled. Ever since Bantor and his clutchmate Kiilis's hatchling days at Opal Moon, the flits had been nothing but trouble.

"Hey, Bantor, what'd you get yourself into this time?"

With an warble overflowing with innocence, Bantor perched on Revoric's shoulder, waving his right foreleg with a happy grin plastered on his tiny face. Grabbing Bantor's claws so he could study whatever the flit was finding so interesting, Revoric noticed on the foreleg a tiny faceted crystal attached to a slender bracelet.

"A channeling orb. Bantor, where did you..."

A white fire lizard, Kiilis, shot out of between before anyone could react, a cascade of glimmering dust trailing behind her foreclaws. She executed a dramatic series of twirls and loops midair before landing on her Impressor's free shoulder. She too, sported a channeling orb and bracelet on her right foreleg.

"You two weren't bugging Baileyn again, were you? She's got enough to worry about without you two insisting on another magic lesson. And how did you two figure out how to channel so soon, there's so much you've got to do before..."

Kiilis gave a bored chirp, sending an image of a purple dragon all too happy to teach the fire lizards. Included among the horde were two hatchling flits, obviously Bantor and Kiilis from the way the white was focused on them. So, the little devils had been sneaking off since they'd been able to fly.

"If Baileyn gets upset at me because you two wouldn't leave Itorysth alone, I'm going to strangle you both." Bantor gave an amused warble, while Kiilis sniffed disdainfully. "So Itorysth thinks you're ready to channel. Well, show me what she sees in you. I don't believe you could channel the magic out of a dead fish, much less your own magical talent."

Words of doubt always meant words of challenge. Kiilis hissed, then launched herself off of her Impressor's shoulder. Sunlight reflected off of the ivory crystal, then the shafts of sun burst into a blinding array of color.

Before Revoric could shield his eyes, Kiilis gathered every last scrap of light magic into her foreclaws and tore into the air, leaving a dazzling shower of metallic glitter in her wake. By the time the tiny white was done with her amazing display of dancing with the light, a rainbow of glitter covered the shore.

Bantor crooned in awe, then gave a quiet chirp of uncertainty before taking flight, hovering above the tidepool and gazing uncomfortably at the unsettled mass of gently surging breakers.

"There's nothing to be nervous about, Ban. You can outperform your sister. Focus on that water, then gather in your magic. Just trust yourself, that's what channeling's all about. Now focus..."

The blue flitter closed his eyes in deep concentration, while Kiilis gave a smug chirp. Nothing could beat her light dance, especially not her puny brother's water magic! So she wasn't concerned when the surface of the tidepool began to shimmer, the waves gathering with a violent intensity.

Both she and Revoric did begin to worry when a huge wall of water shot up out of the tidepool in a burst of turquoise light, the very crest of the wave ready to crash on top of them. Bantor gave an excited chirp, and without a moment's hesitation, the wave stopped its advance.

Gazing skyward, Kiilis gave her own chirp of awe. Impressive were her brother's tricks, but nothing like hers! She launched herself back into higher reaches of the sky, where the sun's rays illuminated her white hide. With the sun at her back and her brother's monstrous tidal wave at her face, she gave a loud creel and shot to the peak of her flight limit, bringing forth a wave of rainbow glitter behind her brother's.

Kiilis sniffed as her brother shivered in excitement and darted higher to meet her in the air. She spiraled loosely, trying to shake him off of her flight trail, when suddenly, the waves of water and glitter began to twist together. Bantor chirped, then pointed a wing at the spiraling waves of magic.

Suddenly, it all came together, and not just the magic. Bantor wasn't looking to prove himself... he was having fun. Kiilis watched the water and light forming a double helix, and with a cry of pure daring, she divebombed the eternal expanse between the sky and the ground, rising only to shoot between the double spiral of her glitter and his tidal wave.

She danced within the magic fields, darting within each loop of the helix as her magic and Bantor's brought the spirals together.

As she dove through the last loop in the towering spirals of magic, the helix disappeared. Kiilis managed to snarl, even though she was breathing heavily. She was exhausted, and judging from the way Bantor was now curled up in Revoric's arms, her brother was tired too. Their magic, dependent on their vitality, was depleted. But she was having fun!

With an exasperated sigh, she flew down to her Impressor's shoulder, where she immediately fell asleep. She was faintly aware, however, of Revoric's voice just before she slipped into the dream void.

"Well, you two... we better go see Baileyn. If her Itorysth can teach you that... I want to learn as well."

The fire lizard siblings had barely stirred...

Content © 2001-2002 Twille. Exceptions are the background © Myrror, the draconic arrow icons © Dee Dreslough, Bantor and Kiilis images © Analyn, and Caer Brynmor © Kesava. These are all used by myself with permission. All copyright violators will be pursecuted.