A crossover teaser chapter set after Scherzo as a 'side quest'  to get the ideas rolling just in case Meg and I ever get round to providing one for Night Song fans. ;)

 Rider and all character names under the Night Rider trilogy e.g. Rider, Nate, Chase, Mayhem ext are mine so no stealing! If you are interested in seeing more of Rider feel free to visit my profile, she has a book of her own. It's not finished yet but I'm working on it.

Anyways, Enjoy!

Cap'n

Clickk sat teetering over the edge of the Harpie's Tongue, slowly tuning her violin and ignoring the continuous shouts and yells of its previous crew and captain.

"Damn it, Clickk! You have your own ship, why not use it?" Baker cried out, trying to keep up with the slowly ascending airship.

"You're the one who caused this mess, only fair you'd pay for it yerself!" she called back as Baker tried to grab onto a rope which had strayed loose from the rigging.

Encouraging shouts and yells from his crew fueled his effort to clamber up onto the main deck, his sword drawn out of habit. Aya turned away from them both and focused on the horizon ahead. They bickered like an old married couple.

"What're ya doin', following an old tale like that? It doesn't exist!" Baker tried to reason with her.

"They said the Crystal Compass didn't exist and look where that got us!" Clickk retorted, pulling down her shirt to revealing a black ugly mark which was slowly making its way upwards towards her neck, covering her original scar. The eye had now grown.

Baker looked away guiltily as Clickk softened slightly, resting her violin on the crates on the side.

"We're gonna fix this. No matter what anyone says, you saved my life. Consequences be damned." Clickk reminded him, giving him a quick kiss before clutching Baker's hand and pulling him toward her newly modified violin.

Clickk brought the violin to her chin as she fiddled with the tuning once again, concentrating on the different sounds it produced. Baker eyed the strange metal contraption attached to the sides of the violin like bracers.

He didn't know what to make of it.

Clickk's mouth turned upward in a slight grin as she caught Baker's puzzled expression. It reminded her of Bludger, his cat when he tried to jump into the hammock they shared without falling off.

"How're we sailing, Aya?" Clickk called out, remembering the young warrior woman up on the crow's nest.

"Smooth skies for now. Not a high enough altitude to start playing yet, unfortunately."

"Val, tell Crowe and Edge to keep the output steady. No funny business. Increase the speed by twenty an' no more." Clickk ordered.

"Of course, Falcon. I'll let them know." Sir Valentino, replied. He had been assigned to Clickk once again for a very important mission by Queen Molly.

He enjoyed seeing how Sir Clickk used to live as a sky pirate but was worried about the voyage ahead and the secrets she kept close to her chest. He knew Lady Aya had similar worries but she seemed to be able to enjoy Clickk's adventures regardless of the possible dangers. Or at least keep her worries aside from the task at hand.

They were heading to the only known land which dealt with the demonic on a daily basis. An alternate dimension known as Para Dormus. A dimension no one had ever seen. The only mention of this unknown place was deep within the labyrinths of the Moonstone Library in Leridia, where they had first heard of the curse which had befallen Sir Clickk the Falcon.

Valentino cast his worries aside and headed to the engine room where Sir Edgeworth and young Crowe were managing the output. The poor lad was in over his head dealing with Edgeworth's 'orders' to change direction, despite never being on a proper sky ship before.

Crowe however, had been.

He was one of Baker's original crew who had hidden beneath the crates to avoid discovery from Clickk commandeering her lover's ship. Lover or not, Crowe didn't trust Sir Clickk the Falcon as her attitude in obtaining the Harpie's Tongue had been anything but honorable.

She had stolen Sir Valentino's saber shot and had announced herself captain before the crew had a chance to react. They were all thrown off the ship, still in their Skye drunken stupor from the night before. The only one who wasn't dazed by the Skye was Crowe himself. He had a feeling the Falcon's celebratory attempts for the crew would come back to bite them from behind and he was right. When they awoke the red lacquered sails of the Harpie's Tongue were now stained a bright Skye blue with a soaring falcon emblazoned next to a golden crown.

The Falcon's Gambit.

It sickened him to see the sky pirates of old announcing themselves as 'men of the monarchy.' To see his captain give up so easily against her was foolhardy but there was nothing he could do. Baker was blinded by sickness of the heart, and Crowe was too afraid of the demon hearted, ex sky pirate to tell him otherwise. Perhaps it was time to move on, find another Captain?

"Come on, boy! Quit slacking off, the Falcon wants the speed up by thirty otherwise we'll be cruising with the fishes!" Sir Edgeworth roared, awaking Crowe out of his musings.

Sir Horatio Edgeworth had recently been assigned to Clickk's crew and had a habit of treating younger people rudely, as he was jealous of being overshadowed by a girl half his age. He was a gristly young man in his mid-thirties and believed his word was law. The only people he let boss him around was his superiors and he wasn't about to be beaten by some cross dressing upstart of a captain.

"Thirty! But¬-"

"Don't argue! Just do it!"

Crowe knew what would happen if he didn't comply, despite the fact he knew the ship better than old Sir Worthless could've imagined. It was old and it couldn't handle that much acceleration in one go otherwise it would stop working entirely and they'd plummet back to the ground.

He couldn't let that happen.

Edgeworth was cranking up the speed far too high, the gears began to rattle noisily as the ship wheezed desperately before letting out a horrible wail and a mountain of steam erupted into the room. He panicked and began to pull various levers.

"Don't!" Crowe cried out, lunging towards him in a last attempt to stop the ship from blowing up or worse.

"Know your place, pirate!" Edgeworth yelled, back handing him carelessly into the emergency lever, knocking Crowe unconscious.

Edgeworth began adjusting the dials once again, trying to fix his mistake as the door flung open and Clickk raced past, shoving him out of the way.

"What the heck did you do?" She spat, wrestling with the levers. Edgeworth backed away slowly, clinging to Crowe's arm for insurance.

"N-Nothing at all, Sir Clickk!"

"I was trying to stop this inexperienced pilot, from increasing the speed too much. Poor boy, didn't know what he was doing until it was too late. I tried to help him but the sudden drop in the Skye caused him to lose his footing and fall. I couldn't wake him so I tried to fix his mistake but I don't know these machines as well as you do. Sir." Edgeworth explained, motioning to the unconscious Crowe.

'He lies.'

Clickk knew not to listen to the voice inside her head but the look of Crowe's unconscious body and Sir Edgeworth's hidden sneer sent her anger over the edge. She knew he held no respect for her or anyone on this voyage but Clickk had hoped he would've had some respect for the monarch they served and the ideals they upheld.

'End him.'

"Liar." She hissed as Edgeworth began to scamper back towards the railings.

Sir Clickk unsheathed her short sword and slammed the hilt into his stomach with unyielding force. She had only meant to render him unconscious. He gasped in pain as blood spurted from his mouth. The inhuman strength of the demon's hold on her had caused the hilt to rupture his organs as Edgeworth slumped to the side and breathed his last.

"Clickk, what's-" Baker stormed in as he saw her on the ground, covered in blood. Her head was hidden beneath her hands as she knelt over in shock at what she had done, her body trembling with fear.

Fear of herself.

Baker approached her slowly, motioning for the others to stay in the doorway as not to frighten her further, despite the impeding danger. He knelt down and held her close before promising they'd make things right again as Clickk cried in his arms. In a brief moment, all was well just as a resounding crash reverberated around them.

Before plummeting straight into the atmosphere.

                      .........................

Rider wasn't happy.

Then again, Rider was rarely happy during the daytime. The sun irritated her, the heat bothered her and the constant noise was too much for one person to handle alone, especially after being confined in continuous solitude for so long. Rider's scars burned from the constant heat on her back and not being able to scratch an annoying itch was even worse. She let out a huff and stumbled back into her resting spot beneath the alcove of the opalis trees before clamping her treasured hat over her eyes to sleep.

"Come on, Captain!" The younger Dragon Riders called out to her.

Rider slumped downwards, ignoring their cries of encouragement. It was midafternoon and the daily chores for all dragon riders were going ahead quite smoothly. Plans for the week had been made, the younger dragons had been fed, and the orphaned dragons were happily playing with their surrogate mother, despite her being a fire breathing chicken instead of a fully grown dragon and there were no demons in sight. The only thing that was left to do was clear out the main Dwelling.

The senior Dragon Riders, alongside their two lieutenants were busy clearing out the main stables and helping out with the older dragons. The younger Dragon Riders were helping clear up the main outdoor training area and around the lake. They should have been overseen and helped out by their captain but Rider, being Rider didn't want to move. She was tired after last night's patrol and to make matters worse her dragon had ditched her halfway through for a stupid date! Night had tried to reconcile with her but he had been promptly told to 'piss off' and was pushed in the river.

The greatest dragon rider duo in Para Dormus were now sulking like children.

"Rider!" A voice called out from the other side of the clearing, racing towards the tree.

Rider ignored her and tried to go back to sleep.

"LEX RIDER!" she roared as Rider winced at the mention of her annoying nickname. Only one person was allowed to call her that.

Rider slowly looked up to find herself face to face with an angry fire demon. Actually, a fire demon would be much easier to handle.

Isis stared down at her, covered in mud and grass, her ginger hair flying all about the place. Despite her look, the gaze from her piercingly green eyes was as sharp as ever. Rider paled and coughed awkwardly, avoiding her murderous gaze which she knew so well.

"Hey, Isis." Rider tried to greet her casually while avoiding her angry glare. She had sat up a little straighter than before, hoping to look like she had only just sat down after a hard day's work.

"Don't you 'Hey,' me! Did you not get the emergency message I just sent you? Or did you block everyone's thoughts again?"

Rider looked away awkwardly, not wanting to admit anything. She was still a little surprised at Isis' outburst.

No one was allowed to call her by her first name, due to continuous dislike of it by Rider herself. Lex was the only thing that came close, but that nickname hadn't been used in years.

Isis must really be mad.

Every Dragon Rider had a mental connection with their Captain but only Rider had access to everyone at once. She was able to single out the person she needed to talk to them alone or talk to everyone at the same time.

Sometimes it was too overwhelming for Rider to handle every dragon and their partners at once so she blocked them out to allow herself a break. But she always told everyone beforehand.

This time she didn't.

A crisis had occurred while she was lazing around, sulking.

Rider slowly stood up and reopened the mental link with everyone and was met with a barrage of thoughts and emotions which almost brought her to her knees. The sky suddenly turned dark as the sun began to give way to the sudden darkness as her Trait lit up the sky in a fiery warning. Rider's mood had changed to one of pure fury.

Those who had caused such pain against her clan, had Hell to pay.

                      ................

Baker couldn't believe what was happening.

The airship was suspended in mid-air, stuck in mid fall surrounded by trees and mountainous wreckage. They seemed to have crashed halfway through some sort of village and miraculously no one was hurt. It was like someone had turned a switch off just as they were about to hit the ground.

Now they were slanted unnaturally sideways clinging to the rigging and parts of the ship, trying not to fall even though they were now only a few feet off the ground. Clickk clung to Baker's shirt still shaken up by the previous events as Aya suddenly called out,

"There's people down there!"

Baker swore. He hoped they were friendly and that no one was killed in the sudden crash. He didn't exactly have the best people skills, being a sky pirate and all.

The people scuttling about below the suspended ship were short and mole like, although there were a few regular humans. All were yelling in a language he'd never heard before. They sounded very angry and distraught, pointing up towards the sky which had suddenly began to darken, a storm on the horizon.

A flash of red fire erupted against the blackened sky, a plume of light exploding angrily against this dire situation. The fire formed into a great dragon, maw wide open as Baker looked up and stared, speechless at such a fantastical sight. The dragon disappeared as quickly as it came, the group on the ground now moving even more frantically than before seemingly unfazed by the great fire dragon in the sky.

To the crew of the Falcon's Gambit it was a spectacular sight but to those who knew it well, it was bad news to enemies of the Night Force.

Suddenly, the ground erupted as if a terrible evil that had just been unearthed, a tremendous roar echoed around the ship as it shuddered around the clearing where the ship still hung. Like a swirling typhoon the burst of sound ripped through the ground as if it were paper.

It would tear the ship to shreds.

"Abandon ship!" Baker called out.

The crew did their best to scramble down from the teetering ship but the monstorous creature was advancing fast and the drop onto the ground below was too far down.

"Get down!" Sir Valentino yelled.

The tornado rushed towards them, bringing half the undergrowth with it. Those who were beneath the ship had now moved to a safer distance near the edge of the forest, yet were firing bolts of magic to stop the momentum of the demons rampaging attack.

Nothing could pierce it, and Clickk began murmuring her goodbyes to everyone as they came inching closer, even Crowe who had awoken from his unconsciousness crawled closer beside his captain and Clickk. They all huddle on the same cluster of rigging with their heads bowing in silence, waiting for the end.

As if moving in slow motion, a figure appeared just as the sound boom approached suddenly stopped in its tracks by a single clap, somehow breaking the sound barrier and negating all traces of the impending doom which would have befallen them all. A slice cut through the air itself as the demon was decimated in an instant.

The crew clung on as the figure stepped forward and with a click of their fingers, everything was righted again. They were safely on the ground once again, the airship began slowly descending behind them as Rider stood calmly on the edge of the barrier without a care in the world before jumping down effortlessly into the grassy clearing without any hesitation.

She looked terrifying, even by appearance alone in her all black attire from her great longcoat to the swords strapped to her back and waist. The sudden show of power just now had them all immobilized with fear, even Baker was scared.

Then, as if the situation couldn't get any worse Clickk let out a horrific scream, the demon heart had possessed her entirely.

Their time was up.

"Clickk?" Baker called out, hoping to find some remnant of the woman he loved.

"Ramona?" He called out again.

Clickk hissed, the aura around her turned a murky black, veins portruding from her arms like tentacles. Shadows swept around them as they threw themselves towards their targets. Valentio tried to slice through them with his saber shot but to no avail. Aya tried to attack through the barrages of darkness as she tried to help Crowe break free from the shadowy tendrils wrapping around his legs.

They were immobilised in seconds as Baker desperately tried to bring his Ramona back but with no use. Still he clung on to her cackling form but each time she threw him back with tremendous force. Then, as a last ditch attempt he lashed out once more, trying to pierce her with one of Aya's blades.

Clickk swept around to face him, a deadly look in her eyes as she plunged the dagger intended to befell her into her lover's heart.

All life drained from them both as neither could bear the thought of what they had done.

Clickk fainted on the spot.

                   .......................

Clickk awoke in a darkened room, as various snippets of conversations passed her ears but barely registered with her clouded mind.

"So you're a girl?" Aya asked.

"Why is that so hard to believe, out of everything I've just told you?" A grumpy voice replied.

"Because Aya ain't used to other people being more badass than her." Clickk croaked quietly, trying to sit up as a few people chuckled at her response.

"Don't move." A gentle voice persuaded her.

Clickk did as she was told as her eyes focused on her kind face and mop of ginger hair. She scanned the room to find Aya talking to a shady figure, their arms folded in annoyance. They seemed to meld into the black walls away from all the attention yet Clickk couldn't help but feel nervous around them. How they had dealt with the demon so easily was not normal. Yet, she felt something was missing.

"Ignore them. How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Like I took a year long nap." Clickk joked.

The ginger haired woman smiled kindly, "Don't worry, you'll be alright in a few days."

"A few days? But-" Clickk announced, worriedly.

"Calm down. You're alright now." She replied, smiling. It was as if those words had magically made everything alright again.

"The grumpy looking one, next to your girlfriend is our captain, Rider.  I take it you were looking for a demon specialist? Well, you found her."

'More like she found us.' Clickk thought.

'Wasn't my intention, trust me.' A reply came as suddenly as it left, as Clickk felt the hidden threat of the captains words.

'What the heck! You heard me?' Clickk was stunned, she was sure she had imagined it.

'Obviously.'

"Could you please stop scaring our guests, Rider? Show some respect." Isis exclaimed.

"Sorry." Rider muttered, her voice as croaky as Clickk's. Suddenly, her hat which had hidden her gaze was removed and the deadly scars of her past was revealed.

Clickk was still laughing from the previous comment which soon turned into a coughing fit once Rider had shown her face.

The room was stunned into silence until the door flew open and Thomas Baker stumbled in from the doorway. He saw the scarred Rider for a brief moment before locking eyes with Clickk's stunned expression at both Rider's appearance and Baker's surprising ressurection.

The two lovers embraced and said nothing as Baker held Clickk close, despite the outbursts from Isis about her wounds.

All explantions could come later.

Rider placed her treasured hat onto her head once more before leaving the room. She knew she could never have that kind of relationship with someone.

A low growl broke Rider from her thoughts as her partner appeared from the darkness, just like he always did. He let out a roar and bounded towards her as Rider laughed at his antics before wrapping her arms around his neck, his scales brushing against her. They didn't need to say anything, they both just knew to forgive and move on.

Just like Baker and Clickk.

'Ready?' Nightshade called from the windowsill, his wings partly outstretched, ready to help his partner. Perks of being a dragon.

'You bet.' Rider grinned slyly, diving out towards the great forest below.

All was well once again.