Reaching

Darken and Cara led their horses quietly along the edge of a sleeping village, hooves muffled by a saddle blanket torn for the purpose. They had to get around the mountain path, but a village of the resistance sat squarely in the valley that cut through the mountain. They were passing unnervingly close.

Darken had wanted to simply don concealing cloaks and ride through at midday as if they were nothing more than ordinary travelers. Cara had argued that the former resistance fighters would be checking identities.

The heads wearing D'Haran helmets mounted outside the village had swayed Darken to her plan of action.

So they muffled the horses' feet and snuck.

Darken was quite adept at sneaking. Sneaking was always preferable to a messy battle.

So why did it offend him so to be tiptoeing through the dark, quailing at the sight of a village of farmers-turned-bandit?

When he sat once more on D'Hara's bloody throne, this village would be the first to swear to him.

He would see to it personally.

-l-

Jennsen frowned as she watched Kahlan try to talk to her brother. Richard just shook his head at her and walked faster. Kahlan seemed so upset.

Richard had spent the night telling Jennsen of the things that Rahl…Darken…had done to save the world of the living. How he cared for Cara, how he had stopped Richard from destroying the world.

Kahlan had spent the day expressing her concerns to Richard, loud enough for Jennsen and the others to hear. Of course she understood that he had earned the right to freely live again, she said. Of course Kahlan didn't mean he should be killed again, she said.

Unless, she said.

Unless he took the throne again, unless he suppressed the people again, unless unless unless.

The only memories Jennsen had of Lord Rahl himself were of him treating her kindly, caressing the Boxes of Orden… The tears in his eyes as he recalled his childhood.

She had assumed for so long that it was all an act, a ploy to get her to betray Richard. She had even assumed that he lied about the three of them being siblings.

But he hadn't.

Was he telling the truth the whole time?

She remembered the shock that had crossed his face when she kissed his cheek. Had he ever had any affection freely given to him?

Above all, he simply wants to be loved.

"Are they always like this?" Jennsen asked her grandfather, nodding in the direction of Kahlan and Richard.

"Always," Haden deadpanned before Zedd could answer.

Jennsen giggled, unable to help herself.

"We need to camp soon. You're old," Haden continued as if she had not heard Jennsen's laughter. The sun had long since disappeared over the horizon.

"Thank you for the reminder." Zedd rolled his eyes in Jennsen's direction. She didn't bother to hide her grin.

Jennsen had never interacted with a Mord'Sith aside from the one that had come to claim her on Lord Rahl's orders. Denna had been both terrifying and terrified.

Jennsen hated her.

But Haden… Haden was like a bad-tempered dog. She grumbled and growled, but Jennsen felt secure that she would not bite.

Not so long as she owed Grandfather a life debt, at any rate.

-l-

They had almost left the village behind when the hairs on the back of Darken's neck stood at attention. Not questioning the sudden feeling of urgency, he vaulted onto his horse's back, shouting to Cara, "Ride!"

She mounted, digging her heels into her steed's side. The horses gained speed, but slowly. They couldn't run full tilt on the rocky terrain, not without the danger of breaking a leg or bruising a hoof. But still they ran, though the village was quiet and nothing chased them.

Nothing they could see, at any rate.

Darken had begun to wonder if he imagined the danger - when the first creature appeared. Was it a wolf? A hound?

Whatever it was, it was enormous, its red tongue hanging from its mouth.

Darken had never read or heard of any such creature, but its glowing eyes told him one thing.

It was made with sorcery.

A pack of them emerged, melting out of the shadows of the scrubby trees that grew on the mountainside. Could they become invisible, or had he just not seen them hiding?

The beasts were easily large enough to bring down a horse on their own. A pack was overkill.

Did they protect the village, or was this attack coincidence?

Darken didn't believe in coincidence.

Four of the creatures slammed onto the path in front of him, cutting him off from Cara. Her horse reared and then launched into a dangerous gallop, eyes rolling white, bloody foam flowing from its mouth as Cara sawed at the reins.

But the animal's fear was too great.

Darken urged his horse faster, desperate to get to Cara. He drew his sword, swinging it from side to side to keep the sorcerous wolves that harried him at bay. He watched as Cara leaned dangerously far to the side to drive her Agiel into the eye of the beast that had been snapping at her horse's foreleg.

The Agiel didn't have a long enough reach. If she came out of the saddle…

Resistance met Darken's sword and he heard a growl as black blood leaked from a cut on a creature's face.

His blade came away chipped as he struck bone.

Another creature appeared from nowhere right before Cara, cutting off her horse's flight. The horse reared, Cara leaning forward to wrap her arms around its neck to keep herself from coming off its back, her feet dangling in the stirrups as the horse stood almost completely vertical.

Darken found himself screaming her name, unable to accept that there was nothing he could do, no way for him to save her. He had just gotten her back, she was his and he would not give her up for something so trivial. He would not lose her to mindless beasts.

One of the creatures that ran at his horse's side lunged, clamping powerful jaws on his boot.

A red-hot pressure built in Darken's head, squeezing his temples from within and without. He extended a hand, reaching for Cara as her horse toppled backwards and he was dragged from his saddle.

Reaching.

The beasts howled their victory as the horses screamed their death.

Son of Blood Trailer Now Available!

The link can be found on my profile page. It's really worth checking out, you guys, I've gotten MUCH better at vidding since the Blood from a Stone trailer. I even recorded a custom voice over.

Side news: I now own one of the costumes Brooke Williams (Jennsen) wore on Legend of the Seeker. If you're interested, check out my LJ.