Dear Readers,

The beginning of this story is under reconstruction. When you read a chapter that has nothing at all to do with what you have just read, please keep in mind that is the previous version of the story and I am redoing it as quickly as I can. I apologize for the inconveniance. I am not trying to confuse you! Later on, after chapter 28, things mostly fit together with the revised chapters of the story.

This is Chapter 22, revised.

Thank you and enjoy!

DragonRider2000

They were eight days into their journey, eight days from Dras'leona, but it felt so much longer for the three travelers. The days were warm, and the farther they travelled from the eastern cities the less rain they had and the climate gradually turned drier. The landscape was changing drastically too, with more dunes and flatter terrain.

It was evening, and at that point they couldn't decide where they were, as they knew that they were ahead of their estimated travelling time. All they really knew was that they were following the Jiet River until they found a bridge with a road towards Feinster. None of them knew when that would be though. But none of them would say they were lost, because they weren't really lost. But they all agreed that it would still take a few days to reach Feinster.

Taya had not noticeably worsened, but they could only go day by day with her conditions, and they were still only eight days from Dras'leona, nine days from Murtagh's attack. They had a long way to go yet.

As the sun began to set, Raya suddenly pointed ahead, and their eyes focused on distant lights and structures. It was far enough away that they couldn't tell the size of the structures, not with the growing darkness. Sasha frowned.

"What, or who, in the world would be this far out from civilization?" She wondered, almost annoyed because the settlement, or whatever the lights were associated with, was directly in their travel path and made them go off their beaten track.

"There are probably lots of people who do, Sasha, especially in this part of the country. When you think about it, it's almost directly between Belatona and Feinster, if we are as far along as I think we are." Raya said matter-of-factly, and then turned her horse west.

Sasha hesitated. "Are you sure that we should go west, Raya? We should probably continue following the river. There is more chance of us getting lost heading west." Sasha looked east, the direction they knew the Jiet River to be in. Raya hesitated, not really liking the idea. A river seemed much easier to patrol than the wilderness. But seeing Sasha's expression she conceded and swung her horse east, falling in beside her cousin.

"Besides," Sasha began, "we run into the main road that way."

It was Raya's turn to frown. "No we don't. The road is closer to the river's edge."

"Have you looked at the map?" Sasha asked with a raised eyebrow, and Raya's expression grew stony.

"I've been this way before, going both directions and yes, I have looked at the map. Have you?"

Sasha hesitated in her reply, having heard something else in Raya's tone besides forced calmness. "We'll make camp soon, and then we will look at the map again together, how does that sound to you?"

Raya relaxed. "Good idea. Maybe we can find a good place by the river for a fire. It's starting to get chilly."

The ground started to decline slowly, and after a little while they could no longer see the lights from the settlement because they were behind a ridge. Kabarak had remained quiet through their discussion, and remained so. Raya thought he was listening, to what she didn't have a clue, and she would wait to find out until he said something.

Gradually they began to hear the sound of rushing water, and then the horses' footfalls suddenly sounded different. The girls looked down, and sure enough, they were crossing the road. Sasha's eyes were wide, and she looked to Raya, realizing something.

"Go and see where those lights are now compared to the road, Raya. I'll hold Gypsie."

Raya nodded, almost seeing Sasha's thought process. She handed off the lead rope and with Kabarak flying silently beside her, she rode a ways up the ridge and stopped when she could see over.

It's as I thought. Kabarak said softly. What they saw was a large camp with a few huts and buildings off to the side, in between the road and the river. It seemed that the Empire had found one of the easier crossings and set up a patrol headquarters there.

Continuing this way will do us no favors. We must go back the other way. Kabarak relayed to Sasha. We must circle around west beyond this ridge if we still wish to be warmed by fire this night. Any light tonight will be seen from a long ways.

Alright. Sasha replied evenly, but it was easy for them to pick up on her feeling of self-annoyance.

It's not your fault Sasha, even if you did say that we should go this way. No arguing. We will be there in a moment and then we should ride fast. We are all tired.

"I don't blame her for wanting to go this way." Raya said to Kabarak. "It would be really easy just to follow the river. In a perfect world."

Yes, in a perfect world. But it does seem that we should consult the map more often. Not that it would have made much of a difference, but at the least to keep track of the roads.

They were all silent when they met up with Sasha, and they rode on directly west, urging the horses to a faster pace. There was a hint of fear around them, by being so close to an imperial post. The chance of running into a patrol was especially high, and in the dark, and not really knowing where they were, the very thought set them on edge.

After what Raya thought to be an hour Sasha stopped her horse and motioned forward, to the dark shape ahead of them, which was most likely a lone tree.

"If you two don't have any objections we'll stop here tonight. We can't go any further."

"Alright, I agree." Raya replied, exhaustion coloring her voice. The horses, sensing their riders tiredness and a stop ahead, picked up their pace towards the tree.

They dismounted, and Raya said,

"I'll untack the horses if you get the fire going."

"Deal." Sasha replied, carefully pulling Taya from the saddle and laying her down away from the horses, and then she grabbed the bag with their fire starter. Raya walked the horses up closer to the tree and as she untacked the three animals she talked to them softly, all the while hearing Sasha searching around in the dark for wood.

After a little while Sasha sat down and tried to light the fire, and to her dismay the wood would not catch. Her first reaction was dismay, then resignation that it was going to take a little bit. But no matter what she tried, nothing worked.

Raya looked over a couple times while she took care of the horses, but Sasha was having little success. She'd managed to get a flame going, but after a few minutes it flickered out and Sasha's frustrated exclamation made Raya sigh. It was apparently going to be a long night.

"How's it going?" Raya ventured a little while after Sasha's exclamation.

"Fine." Sasha tried not to snap her reply, and barely succeeded. Her pride was being battered by nothing but a spark. Raya shrugged to herself and finished brushing and feeding the horses, and then she brought over Taya's bedroll. Luckily their eyes were well adjusted to the dark; otherwise she wouldn't have been able to find where Sasha had put Taya.

"Grrr!" Sasha growled, glaring at the scorched wood. The leaves she'd tried to use hadn't done anything at all, and she was losing her temper. It had never been so hard to light a fire!

"Calm down, Sasha, you'll get it." Raya said softly, and her only reply was a grunt. Raya smiled slightly, and stood from Taya's side and began walking back to the horses to get another bag, when she paused and turned to suggest something to Sasha, just as Sasha angrily threw a stick onto the pile in front of her and said viciously,

"Brisingr!"

It was as if the world stopped moving as a bright flame exploded to life inside Sasha's pile, and then they had a fire. Just like that.

Sasha sat back, gasping for breath, her eyes wide in astonishment. Raya was frozen in surprise, staring at the crackling and flickering fire.

"Sasha… you just…"

"I know." Sasha gasped out.

"Used magic!"

From Taya's side there was a satisfied 'hrmph' and Kabarak stated in a bored tone. It's about time. It seems that you just needed a little push in the right direction.

"Why do I feel as if someone hit me in the chest?" Sasha gasped out, trying to control her breathing.

Magic, as you know, requires energy. I believe Taya told me once that it would even be likely for you to pass out the first time you used magic, but it was such a small flame anyways.

"It sure didn't feel small." Sasha grumbled, unable to understand if she was excited or afraid. Kabarak's statement didn't help.

"I can't believe that you just did that!" Raya exclaimed softly, and she sounded far more excited than Sasha felt. "Taya was right; you sure do have the talent!"

Sasha looked over at her unconscious cousin, who was illuminated by the light of the fire. She frowned.

"Maybe I do, but how does that help her?" She said quietly, not looking at Raya. "Does this bring us any closer to the Varden?"

Well, we won't freeze to death before we get there, so that at least is something. Thank you for the warmth, Sasha.

Sasha took a deep breath, but couldn't help but smile slightly at Kabarak. He could be a pain sometimes, but he always made up for it later.

"And it brings us closer to being better when she's healed, because we will be able to do things well without having caused her much grief along the way." Raya was trying to act light hearted, but the whole subject was gloomy and so Sasha didn't reply for a long minute, waiting for the moment to pass. Besides, Raya's comment was rather strange.

I believe that is the kind of grief she does not mind. Kabarak broke the silence, and Sasha winced, wishing he wouldn't continue the subject. But Kabarak had different plans.

I am going to hunt. If you two want to keep chattering, go ahead, but now that you have a fire I suggest that you use it. With a couple strokes of his wings he was in the air, and they only heard a whisper as he flew away. Sasha looked at Raya, who looked back.

"You get the food, I'll see to Taya." Sasha said, to which Raya replied,

"Deal."

Sasha moved away from the fire to Taya's side, and gently felt her forehead. She shivered, not from the night air but because her cousin was burning. And there wasn't anything that she, Sasha, could do about it.

Fire surrounded her.

Everything was burning.

She couldn't move… She couldn't scream… She couldn't cry out for help.

Her body was burning; her head felt like someone was pounding it with an anvil.

Memory's choked her… Good ones, bad ones… Happy days and sad days… She couldn't get rid of them… There was no escaping them.

Why was this happening to her?

Don't surrender… a voice echoed painfully through her mind… yet still the fire raged on.