Shadow 8: A Place to Call Home

Ryikaria made her way through the forest as she thought about everything that Nailyen had said. She realised that even if they were once Shadow Takers, none of the Ryiza would ever blame Ryikaria or any Shadow Taker for killing them. It was hard to fathom at first but hearing the words of one of the Shadow Takers that came before her made her feel at peace with what she had done. Even though she had only spent two weeks learning about all the knowledge Nailyen had gathered in her lifetime, Ryikaria felt she was ready to return home to see her sister and share the knowledge that she learned throughout her many years in the land of shadows.

She felt the weight on her shoulders lighten as she continued through the open grasslands. The wind blew gently while the grass swayed to the east, yet there was something that made Ryikaria felt uneasy. There was something outside her range of vision but she could hear the flapping of wings in the distance. Those sound like the wings of a Lohikarme. If that is the case, I might just have my work cut out for me, Ryikaria thought as the sound drew in closer. In the distance horizon, she could see the black shadow of a dragon flying towards her. Its red eyes gazed upon her like a wolf sizing up its prey.

The dragon continued until it was finally within range and swooped down before hitting the ground with a thunderous blow that shook the everything within the area. Ryikaria stood confident and remained unphased by the sight of the dragon before her. It was no less than three metres from her and could easily close the distance with just its tail alone. Although the dragon wasn’t as tall as the titans that she had fought, she still had to look up at it just to gaze into its eyes.

Okay, this is a first. From what I read, these things should attack the second they see someone. The fact that it’s just staring at me means it has to be sentient. This means it can at least talk. Only question is, what does it want to talk about? Guess I’ll have to find out, Ryikaria thought as she continued to remain composed.

“My name is Xrzavpe. I have been tasked by the shadow lord to kill you.”

“Is that so? Could have at least waited until I was asleep.”

“Killing those that cannot defend themselves is disgraceful to a noble such as myself,” Xrzavpe said, his voice deep in tone.

“Ah. So, you’re here to duel me. I can respect that.”

“Prepare yourself, Ryikaria the Hollow.”

Ryikaria pulled out her violin and bowstring as her mind raced through everything that she had read about the dragons and how most of them were. While the library back at the Shadow Fort failed to record any useful information on the dragons, the library in the abandoned castle held information on their mannerisms, diet, places of dwellings and many other such details. Yet, it too didn’t have anything listed on weaknesses. Looking at the large mass of black shadow in front of her, Ryikaria tried to use her magic to find anything about the dragon – some semblance of a weak spot. Even with her magic, she was unable to find anything.

Guess this is truly going to be a fight for my life. How exciting, Ryikaria thought as a faint smile appeared on her face.