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 35, things mostly fit together with the revised chapters of the story.
This is Chapter 28, revised.
Thank you and enjoy!
DragonRider2000
A couple days after leaving Feinster found the foursome a good ways from the town, in the middle of nowhere. The landscape was drying up, and the days were hot while the nights were very cool. There were no clouds to speak of, and the air was clear.
They found Sacar to be a worthy companion. He was quiet, but not overly so, and his dry sense of humor was refreshing. Kabarak seemed especially happy that there was another male in the group. They found that Sacar was just alright with a sword, better with a bow, and a good hunter. He told them that while his and his father's home was in Feinster, they travelled a lot and his father had made him do the hunting. Sacar had never liked the outcome of being hungry.
After two days of hard riding, they all felt more comfortable with each other. Raya and Sacar talked the most, as they were close to the same age and they both had risked something for the other in Feinster. But Kabarak seemed to talk with Sacar more than he did with the others, and he picked the young man's brain, finding out all about him. Sasha guessed that he was also looking for a different view on life and the crisis of the world. At first mind talking disgruntled Sacar, but he became used to it, although only with Kabarak. He did not like the idea of someone else getting into his head at all.
But Sacar had his own questions, and they were mostly about Taya. Kabarak mostly answered him, because Raya and Sasha could only tell him a month's worth about Taya while Kabarak could answer a direct question aimed at something Taya had done years ago that Sacar's father thought was terrible. Sacar had no other option than to believe Kabarak, as Taya was his rider and he knew her better than anyone, and he also knew everything she'd done, said, and seen all through her life. Sacar quickly realized that the world hardly knew Taya Corsallen, but knew instead the version of her that the king wanted known. Still, Taya Corsallen was mostly a secret, as many men were sworn to secrecy about her existence, especially as Galbatorix's daughter.
Taya seemed to be frozen. Her condition neither worsened nor improved, although her appearance was deteriorating, becoming gaunt and hollow looking. It disconcerted them all.
As the week progressed, Raya and Sacar began swapping horses. Raya had taken a liking to Mirax, and Sacar found that he liked Shacour's personality better than the mare's. Mirax they learned was a rather temperamental horse when being ridden, and an absolute sweetheart on the ground. Sacar's patience for the horse was constantly tested, and it annoyed him to no end, especially when Raya would see his expression and burst out laughing. Raya didn't have much better luck with the mare, but she somehow managed to stay calm and smile when the horse did something stupid.
They were trotting leisurely along, talking about anything that came to mind when all four of them froze at a distant sound. They stopped the horses, and turned to look behind them. Raya gasped, backing her horse up.
"What was that?" Sacar asked softly, his skin crawling.
We are being hunted, Kabarak said and his voice was thick with fear and anger, hunted by some demon of Galbatorix's. Run!
"A what?!" Sacar yelled, as they turned their horses and bolted.
"Is it Thorn?" Sasha yelled at Kabarak.
No.
"Then what is it!?"
I don't know!
"Just run!" Raya screamed but her words were drowned out by the roar from the creature behind them. Only, where could they run to? They were caught. Caught by what, though?
You failed to catch the girl the first time, Murtagh.
The first time?
The Kcaros has found their trail. It will not fail me. If it is the girl you spoke of who so closely resembles my daughter, perhaps she can tell her story. And after all, this girl might be a part of Taya's company.
Why the Kcaros, my lord? Thorn and I-
You are too far away and besides, the Kcaros needed a job. I expect it not to fail. Continue your mission, Murtagh. Do not disappoint me.
I will not, my lord.
Murtagh felt the king's mind retreat, and he turned his head to look behind him. His brow furrowed.
Thorn turned a ruby eye on him and asked,
Are you worried?
Yes. That is a beast she cannot hide so easily from. She is surely caught.
The giant beast flew on steadily, sensing and seeing its prey. Ages old, it was massive; it's wings long and powerful. Its four legs were tucked beneath its belly, its talons, long and razor sharp, curled close together.
It did not like humans. It did not like to be controlled. Even dragons left the Kcaros alone, knowing that it was not worth it to engage it, to anger it.
The Kcaros lived deep, deep within the mountains where nothing but animals roamed. It was a beast of legend, no one knowing if any still existed. It cared not at all if humans were killed. It didn't even know what humans smelled like anymore. It only knew it hated them, and wanted nothing to do with them.
Somewhere, far back in the history of its race, far back in the world's history, the Kcaros might have had something akin to friendly contact with two-legged creatures, but that was history.
The Kcaros had been content in its region of the mountains, living alone, the greatest living power of the mountains, and then a dark, black hand of magic reached out and snatched at its mind. A strange battle ensued, as the Kcaros could understand what was going on; its freedom was in jeopardy.
But the black magic was too strong and the Kcaros's mind was twisted to its will, although it fought against the power as best it could.
A picture of a two legged creature appeared in its mind, with the thought that it must find the creature as fast as possible and bring it to the castle of black magic.
The Kcaros's hatred of humans grew, but it had no choice. So it spread its massive wings and launched itself into the air. Its large, golden eyes were fiery with rage, and deep within itself there was a rumble. The Kcaros left its mountains, something it had never done before, and it hated what it saw around it. It could see and feel where the black hand of magic had reached to and destroyed. This was not a happy world beyond the mountains.
The Kcaros had no sense of time as it flew. Then during the time when the sun was in the sky it saw the two legged human female it was hunting, with three other humans and a small, strange, worthless looking creature flying beside them. The humans were on four legged beasts that smelled like food, although they also reeked of human scent, which the Kcaros now knew.
The humans turned their beasts and ran, but the Kcaros knew it could easily catch them, and it quickly gained on them. It wanted this to be over, so it could go back to its mountains and never be touched by magic again… only, somewhere deep down it knew that the magic would not go away.
The Kcaros dove, swooping close to the fleeing creatures. Its massive jaws snapped, causing the four legged beasts to jump forward faster, and the Kcaros smelled fear. The human girl ducked when one of its legs reached out and its six talons opened to grab her. And then the girl looked up into the enraged eyes, and the great beast stared into small, green eyes filled with fear.
Motion seemed to stop in that brief second, and then the shining talons snapped back and the Kcaros flared its wings, bringing itself to an abrupt stop just above the ground, where it hovered, watching the humans and their beasts run.
The great golden eyes watched them run, and a smooth female voice echoed in its mind as the hold of the black magic snapped,
You have done your duty. You are free.
The Kcaros pointed its nose to the sky and roared in triumph over the magic, and with several beats of its wings it sped away back toward its mountains. No evil king or his black magic could break an age old pact between fire and earth.
Galbatorix was frozen, staring out of a window of his castle, feeling his hold on the old beast snap, and no effort of his could regain control of the old mind.
His plan was shattered at the last moment, and that was not supposed to happen. The Kcaros, the mighty beast of legend, had stopped, with no explanation in its mind. And then the king's control was gone, and so was his chance to find out the answers to the puzzle of the girl who looked like his daughter but was not. With no Raz'zac and Lethrblaka to do his bidding when Murtagh and Thorn were busy, he had reached far back into legend to find a beast worthy of doing his will, and he had by chance found the Kcaros. He had been thrilled, as it was a terrifying beast. It had been a struggle to win over its mind, but he had done it… but that control had been so easily broken!
What had happened?
Raya nearly fainted with relief as the great, reaching talons of death were snatched away at the last second, and she shuddered, her eye contact with the terrifying beast shaking her to the core. It had been so close… she'd seen the hatred in its eyes, which were old and intelligent. Her mental scream still echoed in her mind as the talons came so close to grabbing her, and Raya wondered what had made the beast stop. Had she imagined the softening of its eyes as it stared at her?
The horses were lathered with sweat by the time Raya looked back to see the beast only as a dot on the horizon that she could barely even see. It was flying away as fast as it could, back to where it came from… where it longed to be.
"Stop! We have to let the horses rest!" Raya shouted above the wind, slowly tightening Mirax's reins to slow her down. The horse fought the bit, and Raya finally reached down and pulled the horse's head around, causing her to move in a bone jarring circle before finally slowing to a stop. The horse stood shaking and blowing, her head up high and her ears forward, and Raya patted her sweaty neck, seeing her own hands shaking. Her head pounded, and she gasped for air. Sacar rode up to her side, Shacour dancing under him, and Gypsie, who he was leading, was in no better condition.
"Raya, are you alright?" He asked worriedly, but he was shaking too. Sasha took a little longer to double back, and when she rode up she was looking off towards the retreating spot on the horizon.
"We have to keep going, what if it comes back?" Sasha scowled, and Raya shook her head.
"It won't, I know it won't. It's going home."
"How do you know what that thing is going to do!? It tried to grab you, Raya!"
"But it didn't, Sasha! It stopped and left. I don't know how I know it. I just do. And we can't go on, unless we want to kill the horses. Don't be stupid." Raya snapped as Sasha was about to speak, and Raya gently asked Mirax to walk, and the horse complied by trying to run. Raya wouldn't let her, so the mare had no choice but to calm down, and the others had no choice but to follow Raya's slow pace.
"If that had been Murtagh, we would still be running." Sasha came up beside her, and Raya shook her head.
"If that had been Murtagh I wouldn't be here."
"All I know is that that was close, and I agree with Raya. We don't want to kill the horses. It would be best if we found some place to camp, and do so as soon as possible. Raya looks ready to keel over, and I don't blame her." Sacar said, and Sasha glared at him.
"You stay out of this."
"Why?" Sacar shot back. "I'm just as much a part of this group now as you are. I may not be related to you, but that doesn't mean anything. Our nerves are all on edge; otherwise I don't think you'd be snapping at us. You weren't the one that thing grabbed for and suddenly changed its mind. Kabarak? You be the deciding voice in this."
The dragon hovered by them, and Sacar noticed that he was shaking too. The swift flight had been taxing on him as well. Sacar had no doubt that the dragon would be working on his speed and strength in long spurts like that in the coming days.
You are all right. We must find a safe hiding place, and soon. There is no use arguing, because we are all exhausted. That beast… it was old, old beyond this time of darkness. It will not come back to haunt us. It does not care for us. It was being driven by Galbatorix, by black magic, but I do not know why it did not finish what it was supposed to do. We can only wonder, because I doubt we will ever know. All we know and can be thankful for is that Galbatorix has once again been thwarted. Now, let's start looking for a camp. I'm afraid my wings are about to give out.
"Alright… I'm sorry, Raya, Sacar. I should not have snapped at both of you. I… I was afraid."
"I forgive you, Sasha." Sacar replied softly, looking over at Raya, whose face was pale and drawn. "We were all afraid. We still are."