“There it is!” Ralem whispered. “Vulnaire.” He halted, breathing hard. Aidan stood next to him, a flat hand over his brow as he looked down at the city. “It looks like something’s happening,” the boy whispered.

            “Yes. War is happening,” Ralem whispered back, blanching. “I never thought it would really come to this.”

            Ralem! Jaydon’s call rent through their mental connection, almost stopping Ralem’s heart at the anguish in his dragon’s voice. He spun, his breath caught in his lungs, his eyes searching.

            Jaydon was airborne, his wings outspread, the sun shining through their wide expanse, making them appear to be carved out of delicate emerald. Ralem could feel the wind spinning wildly around Jaydon’s form, holding him like a gorgeous ornament in the sky. Ralem thought this would be a cause for exultation- the return of his powers- but he instantly recognized his mistake when he set eyes on Jaydon’s face. His expression was terrified, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. The wind spun faster and faster, and Jaydon seemed become a haze of colors and a humanoid shape.

            “Jaydon!” Ralem screamed, both out loud and in his mind. He tried to reach for him but his hand went straight through his foot.

            And then… Jaydon was all but gone. Ralem sunk to his knees, devastated. “What happened?” he croaked.

            As soon as he finished the sentence, Jaydon fell out of the sky and almost squashed Aidan. He crouched over, coughing and wheezing. Ralem grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him towards him. “Jaydon, what happened? Are you okay?”

            Jaydon sank into Ralem’s chest. Ralem knew he was scared, but too proud to admit it. “Ralem,” he gasped, “I’ve been… summoned.”

            “Summoned?” Ralem asked.

            “Yes. Arianna summoned me. She’s in trouble, Ralem. The cats are going to kill her.” He struggled to get up and Ralem helped him get to his feet. Jaydon kept his eyes locked with his Rider, “We have to go. Now. Leave Aidan. Arianna’s going to die if we don’t get there-” His words were cut off as he doubled over and coughed so hard Ralem wondered if he would hack up a lung. Finally he sucked in a long breath and apologized, “I was only halfway summoned. I’m still trying to get myself together. Ahh…” He coughed again, then he vanished.

            Ralem almost fell forward. He groped through the air in front of him blindly, his heart catching in his throat. “Jaydon?” he squawked weakly.

            “I am here,” Jaydon replied. Ralem looked up to find Jaydon standing on the tip of the sharp hill that overlooked the beautiful city of Vulnaire. His waves of black hair rippled in an imaginary wind current, a roguish dragon smile curling on his dirty face. Gorgeous emerald wings unfurled behind him, the sun’s light lending it an unearthly glow. “Ellirr Grrishda MIKKAN!” he challenged, extending a taloned hand.

            Ralem answered the dragon call with the answer of a Rider. “Lefdira, mi Saelfien.” He took Jaydon’s hand and power coursed through their connection like hungry fire, visible sparks of green lightning crawling up their connected arms like the curling vine before fading into their skin.

            And they were gone.

(I recently edited this so please tell me if it's still a little confusing)

Arianna put an arrow into the dusky cat’s stomach before it smashed her into the wall. She could hardly let out a scream before the air was knocked out of her lungs and her ribs groaned under the pressure. She flopped to the floor like a limp doll, gasping for breath. She lifted her head just in time for another cat to snatch at her side with a furry paw before tossing her to the other side of the room. She screamed as another one pounced on her, its body weight almost crushing her ribs. Her bow was now pinned under  her shoulder blade, her arm twisted backwards almost to the breaking point. Blue, the cat who had her under his massive paws, leaned his head down to delicately sniff her face, his lips lifted for her to get a full view of those sabre teeth. He chuckled. “Come on, princess. Be a good sport. Give us a scream before we kill you.”

            Out of the corner of her eye, Arianna could spot the little boy hiding in the shadows, his big eyes shining in the darkness. Stay hidden, she thought, wishing that she could assure his safety in some way. The cat pumped her chest and she wheezed, focusing on him with smoldering blue eyes.

            “I said, scream!” the cat demanded.

            “Painu Helvettin!” Arianna gasped, kicking the cat as hard as she could. Her foot met a rock hard muscle and she couldn’t hide the wince.

            The cat growled, but it didn’t appear to be hurt. “So be it. We will force that scream from you.” And with that he wrenched her into the air, flipping himself over so that he was belly up, Arianna dangling from his grasp. Arianna tensed herself into a ball just as a pair of bunched paws shot out from under her and catapulted her across the room.

            She was met by another one which batted her out of the air with a laugh. He patted her, one paw to the next as if he were a housecat with an unfortunate mouse.

            Her bow had dropped while she had been thrown across the room. Now it had turned back to ring form and it lay, just a few feet away from where the little boy was hiding. As she watched through blurry eyes, the boy reached out a tentative hand. She stared hard at him, trying to make him look at her. The cat seemed to grow tired of playing with such a limp object because it had stopped, leaving her motionless in the middle of the stone room. She could hardly breathe, every part of her body screaming out in agony. She wasn’t sure if half of her ribs were broken or if she was badly bruised. Slowly, she extend her arm, feeling the bruised muscles of her shoulder tighten and burn. The boy turned to her, his terrified expression plain in the dim light. She nodded, almost indiscernibly, hoping he would comprehend.

            Painfully slow, he reached out and grabbed the ring, before snatching it back to his chest as if it were a talisman to scare away the nightmarish creatures. Arianna curled her fingers back and forth. Please… give it to me, she thought. The boy hesitated, holding the ring up to look at it and run a finger down its smooth exterior, laced in the beautiful Grundian writing. He glanced at Arianna, then back to the ring. Then, ping, ping, the ring bounced against the filthy stone floor and rolled to a stop almost a foot away from Arianna. Before it could even settle on the ground, the Princess snatched it up, pressed the diamond, twisting on the ground as the bow popped into existence. In one fluid movement, she had her arrow aimed, her breathing steady and her legs tensed and ready to push herself off the ground.

            But the cats didn’t seemed to be interested in her. They were all frozen, Chief Namas bleeding on  the floor, even the cat with the arrow in its stomach was not making a noise. Every ear was focused on the narrow hallway which led from Arianna’s cell to the small living space the cats had been occupying for the last few days. Arianna, overcome by curiosity, followed their gaze. What’s going on?

            Suddenly as voice he was sure she knew floated down the hallway. “Are you sure this is where the scent is coming from?” Then there was a light oof as if someone had the air forced from their lungs. “Did I just say that out loud?”

            “Shh!” another voice urged, this one deeper, “We were supposed to surprise them!”

            Arianna couldn’t help but feel like laughing and crying and getting angry all at once. This was her daring rescuers? She smiled grimly. They would find out that she was no damsel in distress. She let the arrow fly.

            The cat screeched, an unearthly sound that rent the silence like a knife. The other cats jumped into action. Arianna’s hunter instincts kicked in and she kicked hard off the ground, sliding to the other side of the room while shooting recklessly at the lunging creatures. One dug its barbed head into the dusky one’s chest, another skimmed a spotted one’s large ears. Still another cat surged through the other two, his teardrop stains by his eyes and light blue color identifying it as Mook. Mook touched down on the ground, his whole body coiling before unleashing like a spring, sending him flying towards to Arianna. She crouched low against the wall, pulling the arrow so far back that the feathered tip brushed the ground. She grit her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and let go just as Mook’s teeth grazed her cheek.

            “ARIANNA!” a voice screamed.

            A roar boomed through the room, one different than that of a Felinus. The whole room shuddered under the blast, dust fell from the ceiling and flaked on the cat’s patched fur.

            The cat was rolled off her, and she found herself able to breathe. Her fuzzy eyes could just barely make out the shape of two people looking down at her, one of which had eyes that shone so bright she had to look away. Finally the image cleared and she saw Jaydon and Ralem’s faces. “Are you okay?” Jaydon asked, his face etched with concern. He was crouching closest to her, his hands cradling her head. Behind him, Ralem stood awkwardly, his expression such a ‘Ralem face’ that she cracked a smile. His mouth was cracked open, his eyes so big he looked like a little kid. He seemed to be trying to say something, but nothing was coming out.

            “I’m fine,” Arianna lied, pulling her bow out from under the dead cat’s furry body. “About time you boys came. I thought that I was going to have to finish this all myself.”

            Jaydon’s lips curled up and revealed a beautiful smile. “We boys are going to keep you safe, Princess.”

            Ralem opened his mouth wider, trying to stutter something out. REOWR! A blur of brown smashed into him before disappearing from view. Jaydon clutched his chest, his eyes closed in pain. Arianna’s eyes widened. “Jaydon!”

            The cat with a feather-tipped arrow protruding from his bleeding stomach rose up behind the dragon like the Grim Reaper. Jaydon did not move as it struck like lightning, its jutting sabre teeth locking around his neck. Arianna screamed. For a split second while Jaydon’s neck was just a second away from being snapped, he opened his eyes. And he winked.

            Then he vanished into a wisp of smoke.

            The cats jaws snapped together on nothingness, its claws slashed at the air. The smoke whirled around the cat’s neck like an opaque scarf, spinning faster and faster. Arianna had never seen a cat’s eyes bug out of their head but now she certainly did. It backpedaled wildly, its claws snatching at the invisible dragon lacing its throat.

            The dragon finally unwound himself and spun like a miniature tornado just a foot behind the cat’s heaving back. Arianna just had the wits to get to her feet before Jaydon reappeared and punched the cat heavily in the back of the neck with an iron fist. “Haha!” Jaydon sneered, his roguish smile making him look more like a playful fairy than a hovering dragon-human. He landed on all fours, just barely missing a snatch from the furious cat. Arianna leveled her bow, pulling back on the arrow. She aimed for the spot between the shoulder blades and just to the right of its backbone where the heart should be. Right before she unleashed it, Jaydon tumbled into view, heavily bleeding from a blow to the face. His wings draped the ground as he scrambled out of the way. Suddenly he let loose a roar as a cat stepped on his wings, pinning him to the ground. Another, this one the ugly male they referred to as ‘Wook’, took the opportunity to pounce on his back, grabbing the wing bone in a huge furry paw. Jaydon screamed and tried to jump to his feet, almost breaking his caught wing in the process.

            “RAWRRGH!” Wook twisted sideways, clutching his paw just as another arrow shot out of nowhere and embedded into the other one’s shoulder. Jaydon dashed out from under them, his wings folded tightly to his back. Arianna aimed the next arrow between Wook’s eyes. She smiled sweetly, “Hello, kitty.”

            BOOM!

            Arianna gasped as her hair was flown into her face and dust sprayed into her eyes. The arrow clattered to the floor as she covered her face with an arm. What in the name of- she thought, peering through blurry eyes at the scene. CRACK! The huge brown cat banged with a sickening sound against the stone wall. The two cats attacking Jaydon clawed at the ground as they were propelled backwards.

            Then she caught sight of him.

            He had his hands, palm out, thrust before him. Wind tugged at his hair, his eyes were greener than emeralds. “I’ve had… ENOUGH!” He yelled, twisting his wrist and levitating all three of the cats at the same time.

             Jaydon laughed and jumped out in front of them. “Let them down, Rider! Might as well have some fun!”

            Ralem hesitated. His blazing eyes drifted to Arianna, who was quickly covering her shock. She pulled out an arrow and lent him a cheeky smile. “Ready if you are!”

            He gave the most goofiest smile that it killed his powerful-gorgeous-man aura. “Uh..kay.” The cats dropped to the ground.

            Jaydon whooped in excitement as he shot sideways into the air, snapping his wings open. The wing bone cracked into the brown cat’s skull with a sound that made Arianna feel a little sick. It screeched and clutched its head, baring its teeth. Wook sprang on the flying imp, his lips pulled back in a snarl. Jaydon was ready for him. He tilted his wings only slightly and flew towards the cat, snapping his knee straight into the soft part of his jaw. Then, as the cat’s head shot back with a spray of spittle, Jaydon bashed him square of the nose with his fist, sending him reeling on his back onto the corner of the wall.

            Ralem slid next to Arianna, awaking her to the fact that she was staring openmouthed. “Hey Arianna,” he said childishly, “I kind of don’t have a weapon so how about you shoot and I cover for you.”

            She looked at him with his big dopey eyes and sheepish smile and felt like kissing him right then. Instead she elbowed him in the ribs. “Wow, Ralem, really? You come to save me and you don’t even bring a weapon?”

            “I kind of did,” Ralem nodded to where Jaydon had Wook in a choke hold. “But he’s, you know, occupied.”

            “I’m not!” a voice said from above. Ralem jumped so high he almost bumped heads with Drake. “Hey, watch it!” Drake cried, ducking. “I’m up here!”

            “Drake! You’re back!” Arianna said incredulously, peering up at him.

            Drake shrugged, “Yeah. No thanks to you, Ralem! You left me! I just go for a little flight to stretch my wings and catch some bugs and then whoosh you two are gone, leaving me with a crying Aidan!” Even in the darkness Arianna could see Ralem turn several shades of red. “And now you’re excluding me from the party!”

            “I’d hardly call this a party,” Ralem snapped, quickly making an air shield as the brown cat slashed at Arianna. “And what did you do with Aidan?” He had to yell to be heard over the shrieks of the cats and Jaydon’s grunts and roars.

            “I walked him over to church, where he’s hearing the good news. What else? Do you think I’d just leave him there?” Drake folded his arms where he stood on the ceiling.

            Arianna suddenly had a vision of Drake at the Christian church. Somehow that didn’t quite match up. She fired an arrow at the brown cat’s chest and it bounded out of the way. “Well what are you doing, Drake? Help out!” she screamed.

            Drake grunted. “I guess if you ask nicely…”

            “GET YOUR LITTLE BAT BEHIND DOWN HERE!” Jaydon hollered, biting Wook, who had his good paw latched on Jaydon’s leg.

            “Okay, okay!” Drake sniffed, flipping down to the floor. He landed without a sound, casually cracking his knuckles. “Prepare to discover the wrath of the vampire!” In a blur of motion, he had his teeth fastened on the brown cat’s neck. In less than ten seconds, it sank to the ground, overcome by its numerous wounds. Satisfied, Drake patted its furry back before dashing up the wall, running completely upside down on the ceiling. Arianna could hardly aim over Ralem’s shoulder as she watched his approach. Wook, who was bashing his whole body weight against Ralem’s air shield, didn’t have time to react as the vampire latched onto his back. Roaring in fury, the cat tossed his head like a bull, scratching recklessly at his own neck. Ralem whistled where he was crouched in front of Arianna. “He means business.”

            Jaydon roared in triumph, drawing Arianna’s attention. He was standing over the twitching remains of the splotched cat, his clawed hands imbedded in the creature’s rib cage. But to their surprise, the cat only started laughing. Jaydon gasped in surprise as the cat transformed… becoming the mirror image of the dragon, even with his luminescent eyes and curled wings. Jaydon growled and punched at the creature, who caught his fist and dealt a crushing blow to his face.

            Ralem screeched in pain, clutching the side of his face. His air shield wavered and the other cat broke through, charging at the Princess with pure hatred in his pitch eyes. Drake was still fastened on his back, the vampire’s fangs were so long that they almost went through the cats whole body. Arianna screamed and dove out of the way. The cat’s paws just barely missed her, the talons nicked her shoulder. The cat slammed against the wall before scrabbling around… this time into a minotaur, so big that its muscular shoulders brushed the ceiling. It snorted and advanced, it’s beady eyes intent on its prey. Arianna took a step backwards. “Uh oh.”

            Ralem was bent up in pain. The cat had Jaydon by the neck and was punching him again and again. Jaydon’s facial bones had crumpled like paper under the pressure… his broken jaw was leaking blood that mingled with his profusely bleeding nose. Cat-Jaydon smiled cruelly, it’s emerald eyes lighting up in hate. With every blow, Ralem felt like his own brains were being rattled. Suddenly he could hear Lauri’s voice in his head Open and close your connection! Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to defend anybody if either of you got hurt. Immediately he shut out Jaydon’s pain and shot up to help him.

            Suddenly a call caught his attention. “Ralem! Uh, now might be a good time to do one of your air shields!” He turned around to find the minotaur sprinting towards them, it’s bull head lowered to impale them on ebony horns.

            “Holy cow!” Drake squeaked behind them.

            A sickening crunch as the cat Jaydon threw the dragon unceremoniously on the ground, where his blood seeped into the cobblestones. Jaydon didn’t move.

            “Jaydon!” Ralem called, but his feet were glued to the ground. The earth shook as the minotaur charged. Ralem’s eyes narrowed. If it was a fight the cats wanted, then they would get one. He jumped, grabbing onto it’s slick horns. With a tremendous grunt, he leaned his whole body on it, forcing the bellowing minotaur to veer out of the way of the Princess. “Now!” he yelled to Arianna, planting a fist in the minotaur’s wild eyes.

            The minotaur roared, grabbing Ralem around the middle with a meaty fist. Ralem yelled in pain as its grip tightened around his ribs. He couldn’t breathe, he felt like they were going to crack under the pressure. “Puny Rider,” the minotaur laughed, squeezing harder.

            At that moment, Arianna let the arrow fly, where it dug it’s barbed head into the minotaur’s neck. It roared, sending the Rider flying against the wall. His body slid down the bricks and rested on the ground, where he didn’t move.

            Jaydon opened his eyes. They were bloodshot and vibrant green. And angry. The cat facing him tried to kick him, but he grabbed the cat’s boot and bit it, hard. The cat screamed in agony, planting a boot into his stomach. Jaydon groaned, releasing the cat. It hissed at him, pulling its arm back for the killer blow. “That’s it, dragon. I don’t care if he wanted you alive, I’m killing you now.”

            Suddenly both cats froze, their ears perked. Jaydon grit his teeth as a high-pitched noise reverberated through the city, too high for humans to perceive. Arianna fired arrow after arrow at the minotaur, who didn’t move for one second, or even breathe.

            Finally the horrible sound faded to a low moan and the cat’s seem to be unfrozen. Already they were transforming into their true forms, their tails flicking. “Neyiit, Elirrr!” Blue hissed. At these scratchy words they bounded out of the church, crashing through a broken window before sprinting down the road and out of sight. Jaydon groaned and got to his feet, his facial structure already healing. Limping, he followed suit, growling curses to the cowardly cats.

            Ralem slowly got to his feet, putting two thumbs up when he straightened fully. He limped over to Arianna, looking her over to see if she was okay. Arianna felt like patting herself down to make sure half of the bones in her own body weren’t broken. But at least I’m still standing, she thought half-heartedly. Arianna searched for the little boy, but he was nowhere to be found. I hope he escaped, she thought miserably.  Ralem seemed to understand and put a reassuring arm around her, although his gaze was not on her. “We did it,” he whispered. Together they surveyed the wreckage. Five cats, dead on the ground, some slung over church pews. The most prominent was Chief Namas, who was slumped against a nightstand, her burned skin an ugly black in the darkness. “You killed the one Jaydon and I fought,” Ralem whispered, in awe. Half of his face was covered in blood, blood dripped into his eye but otherwise he seemed just fine.

            “You really didn’t think I was just waiting back here for you to save me, Kitty Killer. I’m not your ordinary damsel in distress.” She poked him in the chest.

            Ralem laughed lightly and his intense eyes focused on her. “No you’re not.” His hand crept up her jawline and she let her head get tilted up so that she was looking directly at him. He leaned in closer, his long eyelashes fluttering uncertainly. He froze, laughing nervously. “This is too crazy, isn’t it.”

            “No. No it’s not,” she said, and she grabbed his silly face and forced him down. And she kissed him. For a second he was frozen in shock, unresponsive. Then she felt his other hand on her lower back, pulling her towards him. This kiss, the real one, was just like the fake one she had experienced just a week earlier but better. Way better. This time he was warm and real against her, his heartbeat thumping with hers, his lips firm against her own. Iriska, everything about him is firm, she thought. Wow, she could hardly feel anything but the sparks tingling down her spine and the breathless passion that left her mind as fuzzy as the dirty window frame behind her. She sank into him, letting him envelope her in his warm arms, even if the pressure did hurt her bruised rib cage.

            Jaydon tromped in, breathlessly excited. He opened his mouth to say something but the fierce look on Drake’s face made him shut his mouth. Before he could say, “What?” he saw his Rider glued to Arianna.

            Instantly Drake was there, smacking a cold white hand across Jaydon’s eyes. “You’re too young to see this kind of stuff!” he whispered, all the while staring wide-eyed at the scene.

            Jaydon growled, shaking his head and trying to peer through. “I can see him if I want!” He shook himself away from Drake and approached Ralem. “Rider, I think that mmphh!” He found Ralem’s hand in his face, pushing him away. Unused to being rejected, Jaydon’s lips puffed out in a pouty face before he turned into a moody cloud of smoke.

            Luckily for Jaydon, the kiss lasted only a few seconds more before they pulled apart, laughing breathlessly and holding each other’s faces. Ralem’s eyes were about shining in happiness. “Arianna, I’m so glad we found you. For a little while there I was afraid you were dead! And now seeing you not only alive-”

            “But kicking Felinus butt?” Arianna laughed. “But that reminds me. I owe you something.” Before Ralem could ask, she slapped him. Hard. “That’s for running away from me,” she said as he raised an eyebrow. “You have no idea what I went through looking for you fools! You didn’t even let me tell you my answer to your question.”

            “Question?”

            “Ralem!” Arianna hissed.

            He nodded. “Oh yes. The question!” She saw his cheeks flush with color. “So-erm what was the answer?”

            “Do you think I’m going to give it to you here?” Arianna snorted.

            “Oh- er, yeah, you’re right,” Ralem was almost stuttering.

            Suddenly Jaydon reappeared, his arms crossed. “Ralem, why aren’t you listening to me? We’ve got to go, now!”

            Ralem shot him a glare.

            “Listen, I ran outside. The city is a ghost town. The war’s started Ralem, and what does that mean for your family? For Baroke? We have no time to waste! Any time now I will be able to turn into my true form and then we will have to choose which side we will fight for.”

            “He has a point,” Drake pointed out helpfully.

            “What are you talking about? Why choose sides? I thought Baroke was your home,” Arianna protested.

            “It was until you left,” Ralem said darkly, “From the time we’ve spent away, we’ve discovered Baroke has a darker past than we thought.”

            “What? ‘Spent away?’ You mean you were just taking a vacation while we were over there tearing our hair out looking for you? I almost died several times!” Arianna pushed him as hard as she could. He didn’t even have the decency to move.

            “Look at me! Do I look like I’ve gone on a vacation?” Ralem gestured to his dirty, torn clothes, his lack of socks, and his crazy hair. “I haven’t even shaved in weeks! It hasn’t been fun for me either!”

            Arianna started laughing hysterically, clutching her side as her ribs screamed out in pain. “Oh yeah? Remind me who was TORTURED BY CATS? Do you call that fun?”

            Drake nudged Ralem. “Oooooh, she got you there, Ralem!”

            Ralem blanched. “I’m sorry Arianna. I didn’t mean it that way.”

            Jaydon stepped in front of Ralem, pulling Arianna close to himself. “Arianna,” he whispered, his breath warm on her cheek. “I’m sorry for all you’ve had to go through for us. And I’m sorry for the worry we caused. What my Rider really wants to say is that he is just glad to have you back. He hasn’t stopped thinking of your wellbeing ever since we left Redfield.” He had his forehead pressed to hers, a dragon kiss, his warm, callused hands rubbing the back of Arianna’s hands. He pressed her hands to his heart, where a purr was thrumming through his chest. “You do not feel well,” he soothed, “I could carry you, if you like. But we must get out of here.”

            Arianna smiled. “Jaydon. I missed you so much.” She pulled his head lower. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ralem stiffen. Rolling her eyes, Arianna kissed Jaydon softly, gently, on each cheek. When she pulled her head back, Jaydon had his eyes closed, eyelashes fanning dirty cheeks, his lips puckered exaggeratedly. Arianna laughed at him. “Silly dragon,” she slapped him lightly on the cheek.

            “Just one?” he whined.

            “No.”

            “But… but I’ve never been kissed ever,” Jaydon’s eyes got all big and watery, like a puppy dogs.

            “And it should stay that way,” Arianna poked him on the chest. “You’re only four months old!” She could almost hear Ralem’s sigh of relief.

            Jaydon rolled his eyes. “Five. I’m five months old.”

            “Uh, hello,” Drake called. They turned to look, but he had disappeared. “Guys, we should go. A whole squadron of soldiers is marching down the streets!”

            Jaydon snapped to attention. He bent down, just like he would have done if he was in dragon form. “Do you want to be carried, Princess?”

            Arianna noticed he even had little horns, just peeking over his wavy black hair. They looked strangely adorable on him. “I’m fine,” she said, trying to hide her limp as she took the lead. She screamed lightly as he swept her off her feet and into his steady arms. “You’re lying,” he breathed into her ear.

            “Let go of me, you winged oaf!” she teased, squiggling in his grasp. But after a few seconds she found she was in worse shape than she thought and stopped fighting, relaxing into his gentle strength.

            “Thought so,” he said softly, although there was no hint of facetiousness in his voice. “Don’t worry I got you. We will never let them get you again.”

            “I’m not a doll, you know. I can handle myself,” Arianna retorted.

            “I know,” Jaydon replied, stepping over the rubble to make his way through the dark church and into the outside world. He leaned closer to Arianna as Ralem matched their pace, the jealousy apparent on his stony face. “My blessing- it didn’t work?” his voice sounded deeply disappointed, “It didn’t protect you from the cats?”

            Arianna blushed as she thought about the blessing. “It worked, but on a different creature. I would not be alive if it were not for your blessing. Thank you, Jaydon.”

            Jaydon cracked a smile and his facial muscles relaxed. He looked pleased. “Good.”

            Jaydon’s  eyes grew distant as his Rider contacted him. Jaydon, what are you whispering about? Jaydon could sense the hurt in his Rider’s voice.

            It’s nothing, Ralem, really. She is not just your Princess, you know.

            Ralem shot him an intense glare. Jaydon! What-

            Jaydon immediately realized that his thoughts and his Riders were on drastically different tracks. “Don’t worry Ralem,” he soothed out loud. “I love you more than anything in the world.”

            Ralem looked ready to tear his hair out. “Jaydon! That’s not-”

            Suddenly Drake’s white face appeared, silhouetted by the light pouring in the doorframe. He had been in the shadows the whole time and they hadn’t noticed him. But now his dark eyes were as big as saucers. “We’ve got company.”

            Ralem pulled up his ripped sleeves and put on his most manly face. “I’ve got this.”

            Arianna snorted. “Not without me, you don’t. You don’t have a weapon, remember?”

            Ralem jumped up the staircase in one bound. “I’m telling you, I’ve got this.”

            Arianna’s eyebrow dipped. “He’s not serious, is he?” She looked up at Jaydon, “He’s trying to show off for me, isn’t he?”

            Jaydon shrugged his shoulders. “Probably. And that’s when he gets himself hurt.” He sighed. “We better help him out, hmm?” He hopped up the stairs to the door. Drake said nothing, unmoving as if he were a statue.

            For outside was a monstrous fire dragon, his blazing mouth aimed at Ralem, who stood frozen in the middle of the road. Cahal was back.