Break for the Western hills

The first part of any ride on a drake is a terrifying experience, and this trip was no exception. Swiftwing has not flown since his wing has healed, and the load he is carrying is near his limit. As your drake leaps from the balcony, he immediately goes into a dive and drops straight towards the ground, Relia screams in fear and you can't really blame her. Despite your experience with Swift you just have time to wonder if he misjudged the distance when opens his broad wings and with a bellowing challenge lifts out of his dive and sweeps along the street with his talons brushing the white paving stones. Any one of the scattering mob could cripple him with a solid blow to one of his wings, but there are few warriors on the entire continent that will face a diving drake.

The danger will come from above, and you start sweeping the skies for signs of trouble; a Rider to your right could intercept but he seems more interested in a trio of fleeing women who are trying without luck to get off of the streets. Before you can see which of the three the Rider's lasso finds, your attention turns to a Rider who guided his drake towards your tail. The Polhermes Rider has changed the course of his slate-grey drake to match yours only about fifty paces above you. A quick scan of the skies above give you some real hope; the wings of the United Armies' high guard have abandoned their posts more interested in the prizes awaiting them in their gleaming white towers than preventing the escape of the last remnants of Athenapolis' Rider wings. You can feel Swift's strong wing muscles under your legs as he starts pumping his wings and gaining both speed and height but you know it won't matter unless you can escape the attention of the Rider. Directly ahead is the large courtyard where you have been watching the men entering the city for the past thirty minutes. The square is crowded with men and statuary, this will be a good test of how well your drake's wing has healed.

As you enter the square Swift angles his wings and shoots nearly straight up into the air, you are now nearly as high as the tallest buildings and you can feel a breeze that blows from the plains to your left into the city. Your new position gives you a good look at the drake on your tail. He is about one hundred paces behind you, and closing slowly even though Swiftwing has been gaining speed. An arrow flies past you just by Swiftwing's head, from his elevation, and on drake back, it was a long shot and you look back to determine if it is a warning shot or if the Rider is trying to end your flight before it even gets started.

Reaching behind your back you pull your bow from its place on the rigging and three arrows from the quiver, you knock one, slide the second under your thigh and grip the third with your teeth. As you enter the square Swift angles his wings and shoots nearly straight up into the air, you are now nearly as high as the tallest buildings and you can feel a breeze that blows from the plains to your left into the city. Your new position gives you a good look at the drake that was on your tail. It's a long shot, but you let your first arrow go, the shot doesn't even come close. Relia is twisting in front of you trying to see what you are aiming at and your drake turns into the wind as the arrow is released. You hope to scare the following rider off of you and back to easier plunder, but a shot like that must just make him laugh.

"Sit still if you want to live!" you yell into Relia's ear as you take the shaft from your mouth. As she leans forward to make room you can't help but notice the delicate curve of her back. Swift is flying straight towards the city wall trading a little of his altitude for speed and you can see the diving Rider is now only 50 paces away and lowering his lance as he races to intercept you. Your next arrow hits the drake, but has little more effect as it pierces through a wing leaving a small puncture in the membrane. At least he knows you can shoot, a sharp tug on swift's leathers turns him a little more into the flight of the onrushing Rider.

"What are you doing!" shrieks Relia "There is a Rider there!" The top of the city walls are nearly level with you as you shoot your third arrow, it hits the drake on the big muscles of its chest and penetrates almost a foot. The enraged drake and Rider dive at you. But Swift folds his wings and drops on the far side of the massive wall. As soon as the Rider passes over your head you urge Swift onward. There is a strong updraft where the breeze meets the city wall and Swiftwing soon is travelling at full speed as he races along the wall rising as his strong wings beat in a steady rhythm.

The Rider that overshot you is now left behind you and with his drake wounded and a city full of easy targets to plunder you doubt he will attempt a chase. You carefully replace your bow and marvel again at your mount's strength. Not one drake in a hundred could have made that mad rush to safety burdened as he was with an extra passenger. You wonder if Relia realizes that you have turned away from the Lord Marshal's camp towards the safety of the Western hills. You feel a little sorry that you cannot take her to the United Armies' camp as she so desperately desired, but the fact of the matter is that you are not willing to risk your future for her sake.