How did we come to this? I asked myself, but I already knew the answer. Taking in a deep breath, I could smell the earthy aroma of my new home. The cold damp air of the cave reminded me that I'm hiding in the earth from my family and friends. Thidin snaked his way into my large cavern and he gently nuzzled me. If anyone else tried that with me, I'd probably have broken his arm in half. But Thidin was different from anyone I'd ever met.

He was my dragon, and I his Rider.

I could still remember when we could fly in the open, when a Dragon Rider was seen as an important defender. Then out of nowhere, we were forced into hiding, or thrown into prison for keeping the title. Life had been kinder to Alice, Sophia, Georgia and I before the Dragon Riders became stains on Halia's history.

Aura-Lee, are you ok? Thidin's voice entered into my mind, showing our connection to each other. I nodded, sending him a calming signal. Should we go for a short flight? He inquired in kindness, but he had a begging sound. I walked to the base of his neck, and swung myself onto his back. I held onto him as he raced through the labyrinthine corridors of the Earth Dragon's Maze, a danger to all other creatures. None could use magic, and the tunnels were very dark, making Earth Dragons excellent guides. Light exploded around me, and I blinked away the sunshine. We gained height quickly, and he soared above the mountains. I looked below, and saw my hometown nestled in the mountains. How I missed Mr. Yan's bakery, or Mrs. Chris's dress shop. Unfortunately, with the title I refused to give, I couldn't see those people again. Not until the Dragon Riders proved our innocence.

(~o.0.o~)

We cruised through the air without any attacks, making me feel pretty nervous. Thidin folded his wings in without warning, sending us plunging down towards the mountain range north of Lasaiak. I clasped onto Thidin desperately as he hit the mountain with a loud and powerful roar. Though he was smaller than the mountain itself, Thidin was still menacing. He folded his wings in and raced through the trees, making me duck to avoid the occasional branch in the face.

I forgot to pay attention, and a thick branch pushed me off of Thidin's back. He didn't realize I've been pushed, so he ran on. I laid on the ground for a little bit before mounting back onto my feet.

An eerie laughing filled the shadows. "Alice," I called out, "it's not funny." Turning to the tree that hit me, I realized that it's not a branch, but a black scaly tail that vanished into the shadows. Thidin, I lost you. I sent the thought out throughout the forest, so no matter where Thidin was, he'd hear me. "Soa, Alice, come out!" I ordered. In front of me, on a tree not too far ahead, a girl's face appeared. Not like a woodland spirit, with a wooden face, but an actual human face. The girl's shadowy hair fell from her now exposed shoulders and her deep brown eyes hid behind her glasses. Beneath the disembodied head was a dragon's, forming in the same way. Its black scales glistened in the dim light.

The girl smiled like a mad-man. "Hello, Aura-Lee."

I gently smiled at my old friend. "Hi Alice," I nodded to her, "and of course, hello Soa." The dragon - Soa - snorted black smoke. "I wasn't expecting to see you two out in the sunshine."

Alice melted out of the tree and bear-hugged me. "I just wanted to say hi to my best friend," she let me go, giving me a menacing look "without getting Soa lost in your maze." The shadow dragon just growled and snorted smoke once again.

"Have you gotten any word from Sophie?" I asked with genuine concern. Georgia had failed us, but Sophie vanished with Akad.

Alice turned stone cold suddenly. "No, nothing." She snarled. She looked down to the flat lands below us. "I blame Halia for what's happened to us."

I opened my mouth to disagree, but I just close it. I felt the same way, like our country turned its back on us when we went to help our allies.