Chapter Thirteen

The Diamond of Helgrind

Outside the walls of the city, there was forest. It spread down from the land surrounding the triple peaks of Helgrind, the sacred mountain; mostly fir-trees and other conifers. Although the people of Dras-Leona were in the habit of taking wood from the forest for fires and building, they had not managed to thin it too much. Empty grassland lay outside the city walls, and beyond that the forest remained; a dark, bristling mass, circled by flocks of croaking crows. Once the Dras-Leoneans had left their city from time to time to walk in the forest; to hunt for small game or gather firewood, or simply enjoy being away from the noise and dirt of the city.

But now that had changed. Now the forest had become a menace. Now a pall of fear lay over it, stifling the birdsong. Now people only ventured into the forest when they had no other choice. It was the dead of winter, and the air was icy cold; the Dras-Leoneans desperately needed firewood to warm their homes, and the forest was the only place to find it. Forced to go into a place that was no longer safe, they would band together in groups, and carry weapons and burning torches. The governor sent troops with them for protection, and most of them came back.

But not all. In spite of all their precautions, the danger could not be averted, only avoided. And from time to time some poor fool, some unfortunate soul, would find himself in the forest, separated from his companions, lost, perhaps, or brave and foolish enough to go alone. And, inevitably, those people were claimed by the menace that lurked in the forest, dragged to their deaths by serrated black claws.

In the cold light of the afternoon, a dark shape crept among the trees. It looked vaguely human; hunched and ragged, with a great hump on its back, and its slow, shuffling gait meant that, from a distance, it could easily be mistaken for an elderly cripple – someone harmless. But the disguise was inadequate. Anyone who ventured closer would quickly realise the truth, but by that time they would already be dead.

The creature moved quietly, low, hissing breaths issuing from under its hood. It was frightened. It had ventured too close to the edge of the forest, and the humans on the walls had spotted it. Soon there would be soldiers everywhere, hunting for it, and even if it managed to avoid these there would be no food for it today. All the prey-humans would have run back to their city by now. Tonight it would go hungry.

The Ra'zac felt a terrible pain gnawing at its insides, like a worm. It had not eaten for days, and was fast becoming desperate. If it did not eat soon, it would die. The Ra'zac was an unintelligent creature. It had little comprehension of abstract thought processes or human emotion. Its drives were simple, basic and primal. It did not understand the concept of planning; its entire life was lived in an unending moment, and its only goal was to survive from moment to moment, never thinking beyond a few hours into the future. It wanted food. Sweet human flesh, that would nourish it. It needed to eat well over the next few weeks; if it did not, it would fail and then everything would be lost.

But, as the Ra'zac shuffled away back toward the dark heart of the forest, it picked up a scent. It sniffed, lifting its beak to catch the icy breeze.

The scent was there. It filled the Ra'zac's nostrils and filled its mouth with a wonderful, aching tang. Human flesh…

The Ra'zac sped up. Its shuffling gait disappeared, gradually melding into a light and deceptively fast prowling stride. Now it was on the hunt.

It ran on, following the tantalising scent with all the dogged certainty of a creature born to hunt. The breeze, with its delicious scent of food, led it straight to the edge of a clearing, and there it paused, its multi-faceted eyes staring through the branches at its oblivious prey. The Ra'zac hissed softly. It was there. Right there. A human. Unarmed, and alone. It was small, but the Ra'zac could tell from its scent that it was young, and it clicked its beak in anticipation. Young humans were the best. Their meat was richer and fattier, much more nourishing than that of an older one, and the bones were softer. Perfect.

The Ra'zac was too hungry to wait. It stalked its prey as it wandered through the trees, watching its every move, closer and closer in the gathering gloom. The human stumbled on, oblivious, and the Ra'zac finally reached striking distance. It lowered itself on its powerful legs, preparing to spring.

And then –

Galbatorix turned, simultaneously pulling his sword from under his cloak. The blade flashed brightly, and the ragged monster, taken by surprise, screamed. Galbatorix launched himself at it, his sword moving with lightning speed, slashing through cloth and claw and into the thick carapace beyond.

The Ra'zac had no chance. It screeched again, this time in pain, and fell backward onto the snow, its robe falling away to reveal the horror beneath.

The fight was over almost before it had begun, and Galbatorix stood over his defeated enemy, holding his sword at what he thought was its throat. He was breathing heavily, but he managed to grin. 'Is that all you've got?' he asked. 'Was that it? I was hoping for more of a challenge.'

The Ra'zac's insect-like legs twitched feebly, its beak clicking. A horrible, thick, greenish fluid was oozing from several deep gashes in its carapace, and the creature made an attempt to get away. But Galbatorix jammed the point of his sword under its shell and into the vulnerable flesh beneath, making it screech again and stop moving lest he drive the blade in further and kill it.

There was a rush of air from overhead, and Laela came down to land a short way behind her rider. She stepped forward to look at the defeated Ra'zac, and shuddered. 'It's even more horrible than the picture.'

Galbatorix watched the Ra'zac, his disgust mingled with curiosity. He had never seen anything like this creature before. It looked like a giant insect, its body covered by a hard carapace with a leathery texture. Its limbs were many-jointed and equipped with claws rather than hands, and its face was dominated by a huge serrated beak and a pair of shining, multi-faceted insect eyes. It was impossible to tell what it was looking at.

The Ra'zac suddenly relaxed, lowering its limbs and letting its head loll back onto the snow. 'Plssss.'

Galbatorix blinked and withdrew his sword slightly. 'What?'

'Kill it!' Laela urged. 'Now! What are you waiting for?'

The Ra'zac's shiny black beak clicked. 'Pleessss…' it said.

'Kill it!' Laela said again.

Galbatorix didn't move. 'Laela… did you hear that?'

'Hear what?' said Laela. 'Just kill it, will you? Put it out of its misery!'

'No,' said Galbatorix. 'I heard… Laela, it spoke.'

'Don't be silly. Ra'zac don't speak.'

'Did you speak?' said Galbatorix, addressing the Ra'zac now. 'Are you trying to say something to me?'

The Ra'zac raised its head slightly. 'Pleasssse,' it said.

Please! That was what it was trying to say! 'Please what?' said Galbatorix.

The Ra'zac wrapped its claws around the swordblade, trying feebly to push it away. 'Pleaasse,' it said again. 'Pleaassse. Don't kill me.'

Galbatorix was astounded. 'You speak?'

'Yessss. I sssspeak, human. Pleasssse. Do not… pleassse do not kill me.'

'Why not?' Galbatorix demanded. 'You kill people! You eat them!'

'I mussssst eat,' the Ra'zac hissed. 'I mussst survive.'

Galbatorix hesitated. 'I… you don't have to eat humans, do you?'

'Humanssss… the only flesssssh I can eat,' said the Ra'zac. 'I musssst eat. I mussst live.'

'I was sent to kill you,' said Galbatorix, the words feeling somehow weak as he said them.

'Pleassse,' said the Ra'zac. 'Let me go. Let me live. I want to live. Pleasssse. I don't want to die.'

'For the love of gods, Galbatorix, kill it!' Laela almost shouted. 'What are you doing? Why are you talking to it? It's evil!'

'I mussst live,' said the Ra'zac. 'I mussst… I am…'

'You're what?' said Galbatorix. 'What are you?'

'I am the lasssst,' the Ra'zac whispered. 'The lasssst of my kind. The only one left. My kind… the riderssss… all gone now… I musssst live. Musssst eat and mussst live. Live for my…'

Galbatorix stared at the creature, all his certainty gone. 'You're pregnant, aren't you?' he said. 'You're going to lay eggs, aren't you?'

'Yesss,' said the Ra'zac. 'I musssst live for my eggsss. Pleassse…'

'Kill it!' said Laela. 'Just kill it! Now!'

Galbatorix hesitated a moment. Then he withdrew his sword. The Ra'zac picked itself up but made no move to run. It stood there, staring at him through its metallic eyes.

'Galbatorix, what are you doing?' Laela exclaimed. 'Are you mad?'

'No,' said Galbatorix. He sheathed his sword and faced the cringing Ra'zac, his face and voice steady. 'No, Laela,' he said. 'I can't do this. I can't kill it.'

'Why not?'

'You heard it,' said Galbatorix. 'It's the last of its kind. The last Ra'zac left. If I kill it, I'll have destroyed their entire race.'

'Galbatorix, they're monsters! They don't deserve to survive.'

'Like the dark elves?' said Galbatorix. 'Like the red dwarves? Like the plains dragons or the werewolves or the shapeshifters? Like them?'

'That's different,' said Laela.

'No it isn't,' said Galbatorix, this time out loud. 'We aren't gods, Laela. We weren't put on this earth to say who will live and who will die. We have no right to do this. If I kill this Ra'zac, I'll be no better than any of the other riders. I'll have wiped out an entire race… just because I didn't like them.'

'But they eat people!'

'Everything needs to eat,' said Galbatorix. 'You eat deer.'

'Deer aren't people!'

'Even so,' said Galbatorix. 'I don't know what I should do. But I do know that killing it would be wrong.'

'Galbatorix, no! You're being ridiculous! If you let it go…'

'Look at it, Laela,' said Galbatorix. 'Look at it and tell me what you see.'

Laela looked. 'I see a monster. I see a vile creature that should not be allowed to live.'

'Like me?' said Galbatorix. 'Like a half-breed? Like a dark elf? No. What I see is someone who is the last member of her race… all alone, forced to live like this, hated by everyone simply for being born… no. I can't kill her.' He faced the Ra'zac, and in that moment something about him changed. It was something subtle, something invisible, but something that began to define him from that moment and would continue to do so for the rest of his life. 'Go,' he told the creature. 'Leave here. Find a new place to live, and lay your eggs. Keep them safe. Don't let your race die. Don't be the last of your kind.'

The Ra'zac did not move.

'Do you understand me?' said Galbatorix. 'Go. I'm letting you go.'

The Ra'zac took a step closer to him. He withdrew instinctively, but it made no move to attack him. It leant forward toward him, and sniffed at him, its foul breath touching his face like the caress of a disease. He fought down his urge to move away, and the Ra'zac scented him carefully, not touching him. Finally it withdrew and said; 'Your name. Human. Tell me your name.'

'I am Galbatorix Taranisäii,' said Galbatorix.

'I ssshall remember your name, and your sssscent,' said the Ra'zac. 'I ssshall remember what you did. I sshall not forget, and I sssshall tell my hatchlingsss.'

'I'm sorry I hurt you,' said Galbatorix. 'Here…' he held out a hand over the creature's injuries. 'Waíse heill.'

The Ra'zac sighed gently as its wounds healed. 'I ssshall leave here,' it said. 'But later… if you need me, I sssshall help you. But now there issss one thing I can do for you.'

'Yes?'

The Ra'zac stretched out a long foreclaw, pointing at the central of the three peaks that loomed overhead. 'There. On that peak. There issss a cave there. The humansss from the city do not go there. I have ssseen… find thisss cave. There issss a great treassssure there. Take it assss a gift.'

Galbatorix nodded. 'I will. Thankyou.'

The Ra'zac hissed softly, then turned and loped away through the trees, heading away from Dras-Leona's walls. In moments it had disappeared into the darkness, and Galbatorix could feel Laela's anger mounting.

'You realise you just condemned more people to be killed and eaten by that thing.'

'Laela, dragons eat people too. No-one except a rider would dare go into the Spine. Did you know that?'

Laela shifted uneasily. 'Yes.'

'Are we going to wipe them out too, then?'

'It's not the same.'

'Explain how it isn't,' said Galbatorix.

Laela said nothing.

Galbatorix sighed. 'I don't know how I'll explain this to Vrael. I'll have to lie. And hope he doesn't ask me to say it in the ancient language.'

'And what if I decide to tell him the truth?'

An unpleasant queasy feeling arose in Galbatorix's stomach. 'You wouldn't!'

Laela shifted slightly, scuffing up the snow with her talons. 'I could, but I won't. I count myself as loyal to you before that old bastard Vrael. Even if you are out of your mind.'

'So you'll support my story?'

Laela sighed. 'I suppose I'll have to. If I didn't I'd be in trouble too for not doing anything to stop you.'

'Thanks, Laela.'

'Don't mention it. Now, what are we going to do?'

'Go and look for this treasure the Ra'zac told us about,' said Galbatorix.

'You really think it exists?' said Laela.

'Why shouldn't it? We can at least look. It'd be better than coming back empty-handed.'

Laela nodded. 'I can't see the harm in it… climb on, then.'

Galbatorix bent and picked up something from the snow. It was a Ra'zac claw, severed during the fight. He put it into his pocket, and climbed into Laela's saddle. Once he was secure, the white dragon took off with a quick flick of her wings, flying up and over the forest.

The mountain of Helgrind looked big and menacing in the darkness, outlined by the light of the setting sun. Laela made straight for the central peak and landed about halfway up. Galbatorix slid down out of the saddle, gathering his cloak around him. It was freezing cold this high up. He was standing on a steep rocky slope among patches of snow and tufts of tough alpine grasses, and there was no sign of a cave anywhere. Laela perched beside him, digging her claws deep into the rock to anchor herself. 'Don't look down,' she advised.

Almost instantly, Galbatorix looked down. He cringed and turned away, grabbing at a shelf of rock by his head to steady himself. The mountain sloped almost straight downward. One slip, one false move, and he would go sliding to his death.

For the second time in his life, a horrible feeling of vertigo took hold of him. He started to feel dizzy and frightened. His grip on the stone tightened until his knuckles went white. He felt nauseous again, but though he didn't throw up he quickly found himself rooted to the spot, unwilling to move in any direction.

Laela didn't waste time asking questions. Without a word she stretched her snout out toward him and gently took him in her jaws, lifting him away from the mountainside. He hung passively from her grip, and the white dragon began to make her way around the mountain, her head held high. She was in her element in a high place like this, and walked calmly and steadily, her claws gripping the rock and her tail held out rigidly for balance. Once she had reached the little hollow between the central peak and the one beside it, where the ground flattened out, she put him down.

Galbatorix breathed deeply, holding onto her snout. 'I don't know whether I should be grateful or embarrassed.'

Laela shivered her wings. 'Be grateful. I wasn't going to let you risk walking that far. Not on a slope like that. Even I had trouble with it.'

Galbatorix adjusted his clothing, and pulled a face when he discovered the large damp patch on his front. 'Yuck.'

'Just a bit of spit,' said Laela. 'It'll wash out, I'm sure. Now…' she looked around at the gloomy little valley they were now in. Two peaks loomed in front and behind them, and the valley itself had some sparse vegetation – a few stunted trees and some grass. Snow had built up in there, providing some stark patches of white amid the dank greenery. Galbatorix, his fear gone, wandered here and there looking for some sign of a cave. 'Nothing. Can you see anything, Laela?'

'We should look more closely,' said Laela. 'It could be buried under a snowdrift or something. Look among the rocks. We don't know how big the entrance is.'

They spent the next few minutes searching the hollow, probing at the sides of both peaks in search of an opening. Night fell, and the air became steadily colder and colder. At first Galbatorix didn't notice it, but when he paused to rest, he suddenly found himself trembling. His fingers were going numb, and he clamped his hands into his armpits to try and warm them up. There was just enough light left for him to see his breath misting in front of his face. The snow had soaked into his boots, and his feet ached savagely. He forced himself to walk on, but as the cold bit right through his clothes he slowly realised that it was dangerous to stay out too long in this weather. If he stood still for too long, he would start to freeze to death. He hadn't found the Ra'zac's treasure yet, but he was feeling less interested in it by the minute and much more interested in the prospect of a fire and a warm bed.

He looked around at Laela, whose white scales were easily visible in the gloom. 'Laela, this is pointless. Let's go back.'

Laela brought her head around to look at him. 'Why? Aren't you dying to find out what this treasure is?'

'I suppose so. But it's getting cold. I don't want to get sick.'

Laela radiated surprise. 'Oh! I didn't realise… Galbatorix, I'm sorry… I don't feel the cold much, you see. Here, hold still.'

He did so. Laela took in a deep breath, and seconds later a plume of silvery-white fire bloomed in the darkness. It melted away the snow and burned the trees, scorching the rocks all about and bringing light and heat into the hollow. Galbatorix kept as still as he could, and Laela directed her fire around him with a power and control that was astonishing. By the time she relaxed and the jet of fire vanished, the hollow was warm and steaming and he hadn't got so much as a blister. He shivered gratefully. 'That's much better. Thankyou, Laela.'

Laela flicked her tail proudly. 'It was nothing-,' she stopped. 'Galbatorix, look at that!'

There, on the mountainside amid a heap of fallen rocks, there was a dark hole. Galbatorix picked up a stick and muttered a few words over it. Almost instantly, flames sprang into life around the end, burning fiercely without consuming the wood. Holding the magical torch over his head, he shoved a few rocks out of the way and peered into the opening.

Beyond was a big, dark space. Faint echoes and the smell of leafmold came from within. He had found the cave.

'Is that the cave?' Laela asked.

'I think so. Wait here. I'll go in and have a look.'

Without waiting for an answer, Galbatorix squeezed through the entrance. He straightened up once he was inside, and promptly banged his head on the roof.

'Damn!'

Rubbing the bruise, he held the torch out in front of him with his other hand to have a look around.

The cave was quite small. It only extended a couple of arm's lengths in front of him, and the roof got abruptly lower about halfway along. He would have to walk bent almost double to reach the back wall, but he couldn't see the point. There was nothing in the cave except rocks, dirt and rotting leaves.

'Find anything?' said Laela.

'No. There's nothing here. I suppose I'll have a look around on the floor, but I don't see how there could be anything there…'

He crouched and began moving aside rocks and dirt, on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary. At the end of the cave there was a little heap of stones a little like a cairn, and he set about demolishing it, tossing the rocks aside one by one.

When he was at the very bottom of the pile, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat – something was glittering in the torchlight among the dullness of the rocks and the dirt all about. He worked more quickly, thrusting the rocks aside until he had uncovered the Ra'zac's treasure.

It took his breath away.

He lifted it into the light, ignoring the dirt packed under his fingernails.

It was a diamond. A huge, pure white diamond. The light glinted off its finely-cut facets in a hundred tiny rainbows, throwing little gleams of red and gold onto his face. It had been cut into a sort of flattened ball shape, and fitted perfectly into his palm. It was almost exactly the same size and shape as the gedwëy ignaesia on his hand, and he stared at it in wonder.

'What is it?' said Laela, sensing what he was feeling. 'What have you found?'

He sent her an image of it. 'It's a diamond!'

Laela shared his astonishment. 'It's so big! Quick, bring it out and show me.'

Galbatorix needed no further prompting. He shuffled awkwardly backward until he had room to turn around, then climbed out of the cave's entrance, thrusting his hand with the torch in it ahead of him to avoid burning his clothes. He rejoined Laela, and showed her the diamond. She peered at it, and he could feel her excitement. 'Give it to me!' she urged, making a grab for it. 'I want it!'

Galbatorix moved his hand away. 'Why?' he asked, bewildered.

'I want it,' Laela said again. 'It's so shiny…' her voice had gone all childish, even whiny.

Galbatorix started to laugh. 'Oh my gods… it's really true then, is it?'

Laela tore her eyes away from the diamond with some effort. 'What?' she asked sulkily.

'Dragons really do love shiny things.'

'Of course we do,' said Laela. She made another grab for the diamond.

Galbatorix dodged. 'Stop that. It's mine.'

Laela growled. 'I just want to look at it again. Please?'

Galbatorix relented. Laela stared at the diamond for some time, not moving at all. After a while, he realised she was making an odd little crooning noise in her throat.

'Why can't I have it?' she asked plaintively. 'I mean, what are you going to do with it?'

Galbatorix hesitated. 'I'm not sure…' The cold had seeped back by now, and he shivered and put the gem in his pocket. 'We should head back now.'

Laela sighed. 'Yes, they're probably wondering what's keeping us so long. Let's go.'

Galbatorix tossed aside his torch, which promptly went out, and got into the saddle with the ease of long practise. Laela flew away, back toward the city, and it was during the journey that Galbatorix had a brainwave.

'Laela, I just had a great idea.'

'Do tell.'

'I know what to do with the diamond. They're going to make my sword now, aren't they? Well, I'm going to send the diamond to Ellesméra and ask them to set it into the hilt.'

'That's a good idea,' said Laela. 'That way you'll always have it with you. And your sword will be white, too. So the diamond will match. I wonder where the Ra'zac got it from?'

'Who knows? I'll have to ask it if we ever meet again.'

'I doubt it.'

'You never know,' said Galbatorix. 'Maybe one day we'll meet again, and maybe… well, maybe one day I'll be very glad I let it go. That's how it happens in the stories, anyway.'

'Yes, but this isn't a story.'

'Hmm. Oh, Laela?'

'Yes?' they were nearly back at the city by now.

'I'm going to get a tattoo tomorrow. Just a small one.'

'What, one of those skin drawings? Why?'

He shrugged mentally. 'I have a design in mind.'