Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and that the New Year is treating you well :) I am so very sorry for this untimely update, but life just isn't simple enough to be timely!
Thank you, all my faithful reviewers, and thank you everyone who is following this story! I appreciate you very much.
As a side note, the middle of the story is still undergoing revision. So it still reads funny. I'll get back to that someday!
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter written to the Avatar soundtrack.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Christopher Paolini's.
~Chapter 47~
~Secret Trials~
"Did you notice how distracted Taya seemed at dinner? I could have sworn she was in a whole different world." Raya Corsallen asked the young man sitting beside her.
Sacar Liastrin nodded. He was sitting on the railing of his balcony, swinging his feet over the edge like a five-year-old and marveling at the massive city around him.
He'd never seen a big city, as his father had always steered clear of them when they traveled, and for Sacar's whole life they had lived in Feinster, a relatively small town.
Beside him sat Raya, with one leg drawn up to her chest and the other hanging over the railing. The sixteen year old boy couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked, sitting there under the light of the lantern and the moon. Her red/gold hair shimmered when she moved her head to look up at the different stars, and her soft voice brought back memories; memories that he had forgotten, about a kind young woman with a soft, re-assuring voice that had always comforted him.
He hardly remembered his mother, though he was eight when she died. His father never spoke of her and Sacar never brought her up. He could still see the pain of loss in his father's eyes. No one else could tell, but Sacar was the only one who really knew the man besides his uncle Kuntar.
"What are you thinking about, Sacar? You have the same look on your face that Taya did. Do you want to talk about it?" Raya shifted her position so she was turned slightly towards him. Sacar sighed, and half smiled.
"I've never been in this big of a city before. It's hard to believe I'm here, when I was in Feinster a month ago. When I was a boy I always dreamed of big cities, but my father never liked them. When we would travel we'd always avoid them. It's just incredible here!"
As he looked up at the stars, he felt slightly guilty for not telling Raya what he was really mulling over, but he didn't want to bother her with his family problems. He did not notice Raya's dark expression.
"It is incredible, at that." She said quietly, and rested her chin on her knee, the strange feeling of old fear growing inside her. Raya had seen Aberon before a couple years ago, and she'd never wanted to go back. She'd seen most of the big cities, actually, and while they were incredible and huge, they held a young girls fear.
She had never liked Dras'Leona. It held too many memories, bad memories, and seemed to reek with slaves and contempt and cruelty towards the lower classes of people. Raya had been lucky when she'd been bought by the Tatanya's, but what about all the others sold alongside her?
Dras'Leona and Helgrind with its demon-like spires had always frightened her, and while she was safe with the Tatanya's, she had felt weighed down by the bad things.
She'd lost her best friend her first day in Dras'Leona, Aralia having been sold after her.
Sold… Raya shivered, drawing her other leg up and pulling them closer to her chest. She shivered again, seeing Aralia's sad face as Raya had been led away from the podium.
Sacar looked over at her, having noticed her silence, and he saw her gloomy expression.
"Hey, are you alright Raya?" He asked anxiously, not liking the feelings rolling off of her. Raya started, and tried to smile.
"Of course! Why?"
"Well, you had a strange look on your face. What are you thinking about that merits such a look of despair?"
"Despair? I'd hardly call it that…"
Sacar raised an eyebrow at her, and Raya sighed heavily, knowing he wasn't going to give up. Honestly, she wanted to tell someone, but she didn't want to burden Sacar with the awful memories of being a slave. "I'm just thinking about Dras'Leona and all that happened there."
For a moment Sacar was silent, as he was thinking hard. He was still watching her closely, trying to decipher her expression and tone of voice. Then he said quietly,
"You are thinking about all the bad things that happened to you in Dras'Leona."
"No!" She defended, straightening, but her tone did not convince him. He merely stared at her with his dark eyes, trying to tell her without words that she could talk to him.
Raya broke then, and confessed.
"Yes, I was thinking about all the bad things… I feel as if my life back then was overrun with them. I mean, I have Taya, you, Sasha and Kabarak now. But I can't forget all that happened. Silly, huh?"
"Of course not!" He scoffed, suddenly understanding. "You'll never forget the bad things that happened to you. We keep those memories inside of us, and no matter how hard we try we can't let them go. It's part of our learning curve. I bet if you asked Taya or Sasha, they'd tell you they both had bad things happen to them and they still remember them.
But life shouldn't revolve around the bad stuff. Look where we are today!" Sacar paused for a deep breath. He didn't know what kind of affect his voice was having on Raya. To her, it was calm and reassuring, and the words seemed to hit the sore spot inside her. She began to relax as he continued, but his next words surprised her.
"I can't even begin to fathom what you went through growing up."
Raya could not see his expression as his face was in shadow, but she sensed something in his voice that she couldn't place. Before she could identify it though, he continued more softly than before.
"It must have been a living hell. I don't want to dredge up anymore bad memories, Raya, and you don't have to tell me anything. I just… want you to know that for every bad thing I think there are two good things. Don't drown yourself in thinking of the bad days, but look ahead, look around you!
We are going into a battle!" He paused again, surprised at his own words. He made a face and commented. "I don't know about you, but I'm a little worried."
Raya was about to say something when he held up his finger, silencing her. He thought out his next words carefully, remembering how his father always did the same thing when he had something very important to try to explain.
"While I may be worried, Raya, I have this gut feeling that we are going to win and everything will turn out alright in the end, I'm not even going to try remembering how I couldn't even hold a sword properly… Why did I say that? Now I remember it!"
Raya laughed, and on impulse she reached over and gave Sacar a hug. The teenage boy was startled at first, but he hugged her back, feeling accomplished and pleased.
"Thanks, Sacar." Raya whispered in his ears. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Raya." He whispered back, cherishing that easy moment.
As they broke the embrace, Taya's voice floated through the open double doors.
"Hey you two! It's time for you to call it a night! You have an early start in the morning and I will not have you two walking around like the living dead!"
Sacar cocked his head to the side, and Raya frowned.
"She sounds as if she could be our mother." Sacar commented dryly, swinging around and planting his feet on the balcony.
"What's worse is that she's my sister and she knows she's right." Raya grumbled, following his lead and swinging around, still frowning.
"It's nice to know she cares about us, though." Sacar tried to defend the rider, but it was half-hearted, and they both knew it. They both laughed, but froze when Taya's voice floated to them again.
"Hah! I just don't want to be picking the two of you up on the battlefield halfway through the fight because you're both exhausted! And since Raya is my sister and Sacar's like my younger brother, I do have the pleasure of acting the parts of your big sister, mother and trainer. Now, get in here and get to bed before I really make you!"
They could tell that she was in a very good, but they didn't want to push their luck so they hopped off the railing and headed quickly inside and through the door separating Sacar's room from the girls'.
Taya was sitting by a couple lit candles polishing her sword, and her other smaller weapons were laying about her. She looked up when they walked in and grinned, winking. "Good children. It's nice to know someone takes me seriously. So, I'll wake you both up when it's time. And I'll remember to wake both of you up." She threw a sly grin at Raya, who glared back, grumbling.
"Yeah yeah yeah, rub it in sis." She crossed her arms, eyeing her older sister and her weapons. Taya teasingly pointed a pointed a finger at her. "Gotcha! Now, you two can get to bed."
"Wait, what about you?" Sacar asked quickly, glancing at her armory. Taya shrugged, wiping the sword with her cloth.
"I just have a couple things left. It won't take too long."
"Uh uh, you are not pulling that one on us. There is no way I am letting you get away with that." Raya reached over and snatched the sword carefully out of her sisters' hands.
"Hey!" Taya cried indignantly, making a grab for the weapon. "Give that back!"
"Nope." Raya smirked, victorious over the rider. "You need more sleep than we do, sister dearest, and I am going to order you, for your own good, to go to bed! You can finish this stuff in the morning, since you get up at unearthly hours of the morning. Now, you, get to bed!"
The situation was too funny for Sacar, and he started laughing. "Well, it looks like the tables have turned against you, Taya! So much for people taking you seriously."
"You'd better take me seriously." Taya glared at them good naturedly, "It's just that people don't like to listen to me. This is a conspiracy! I just know it." But nonetheless she put down her cleaning tools as Raya sheathed the sword. Taya took it then almost covetously, and her expression quickly sobered when Raya tried to protest.
"I never let this sword out of my sight, Raya. I promise I'm going to bed… as the two of you should as well." She turned away, and both younger teens stared at one another, taken aback by her suddenly serious attitude. Sacar shrugged, and with a grin headed quickly back to his room.
"Don't look at me!" He called. "I'm going!"
"I can see that." Taya drawled, still holding her sword. With a shake of his head, Sacar shut the door behind him, and then leaned up against the shut door, closing his eyes and thinking. The image of Taya, holding her sword, and the semi-serious expression on her face seemed to be frozen in his mind.
She was so strange, unpredictable, and Sacar never knew when something would touch a sore spot with her. He knew practically nothing about her, but he did know that he trusted her with his life. She had made an effort to teach him how to defend himself and his mind. Taya Corsallen really did care about him, he knew. She didn't want to see him hurt…
He asked himself: Am I ready for battle?
His answer was simple: I'd better be.
Taya awoke just before dawn feeling anxious and strangely refreshed. It was easy to wake up, but very hard to disentangle herself from the blankets and hop out of the bed.
There was something strange in the air, something she couldn't quite place. Taya felt as if she had missed something, or something important had happened that she didn't know about.
For the first time in a while she had slept soundly, and there was something of a dream lurking in the back of her mind. She tried to remember it, but like most dreams the harder she tried to remember it, the more it faded away, yet she had a sneaky suspicion that the dream had been profound.
Good morning, Kabarak. She projected as she hopped out of bed and caught up her already laid out travel clothes. She paused, frowning when he didn't answer, but instead a strange emotion flowed across their link.
Kabarak? She queried, stretching out with her mind only to find him blocking her!
He must really be sleeping... dreaming, maybe. Huh. She frowned, suspicious but unworried. He'd done this to her before. Taya shrugged and started to get ready. First, she went and pounded on Sacar's door, yelling,
"Wake up! Wake up wake up wake up! Outta bed, kiddo, before I come in there! You're burnin' daylight!"
From inside she heard a thud, a groan and then a mumbled 'I'm awake now."
She laughed softly, and then shook Raya and Sasha awake. Like usual, neither were excited about waking up.
Suddenly, the door between their room and Sacar's banged open, revealing a disheveled, bleary wide eyed Sacar standing in the doorway. His dark hair was standing on end, and Taya couldn't but laugh again.
"You!" He gasped in apparent shock, staring at Taya as if she'd grown a second head. Taya raised an eyebrow as Sacar looked at a similarly disheveled Raya, who was blinking at him, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes.
"She's demented, I swear!"
"You aren't sleep walking, are you Sacar?" Taya queried, finding the situation puzzling and amusing.
"It's not even light outside!" He nearly cried in despair, his shoulders lowering in defeat. Unable to contain herself, Taya tossed back her head and laughed.
"Well, of course! We have to be on the field in just a little over an hour! So, snap snap!"
Sasha froze, staring in horror at her cousin.
"What!" She exclaimed, bolting upright with no hint of tiredness about her. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner!" Sasha proceeded to rush around the room, and as Sacar and Raya packed their own things, Taya had to tell her cousin more than once that she couldn't bring something.
"Look, Sasha, we are going into a fight. It's not a vacation!" Taya placed her hands on her hips, staring her cousin down. Sasha blinked and then set down the unnecessary object she'd been about to pack.
"Right…" After that Sasha was packed in five minutes with only the things she would need… plus some extra stuff she though absolutely necessary that Taya classified as 'unnecessary'.
Raya's saddlebags were all packed, and as Sasha finished changing, the younger Corsallen was buckling on her sword.
Sacar knocked on the door and entered the room, his pack slung over his shoulder.
"Do you have everything you need?" Sasha asked him quizzically, glancing at his small bag doubtfully. Taya rolled her eyes , but Sacar, having heard the controversy, grinned.
"Yes, I have everything. The couple pieces of armor I have with me, 2 changes of clothes and a pair of shoes. That's all I really need."
Raya burst out laughing at her cousin's perplexed expression, and Sacar, trying to make it seem like he hadn't overheard, asked innocently, "Why do you ask?" but Taya answered. "Sasha's afraid she over packed." She shot Sasha a wicked smirk, and Sasha stammered,
"I am not! He's a guy. He doesn't need as much as us women."
Taya glanced at her own pack, which was nearly as small as Sacar's, and then back at Sasha. "Right, Sasha." Taya picked up her pack, making sure she had everything, including her weapons, and when she straightened, her expression was completely serious.
"Ok!" Her sudden bark nearly caused the three to jump. Taya laid a hand on the hilt if her sword, looking from one to the other, and they felt as if they were being sized up by a great general. Taya's eyes flashed mischievously and she asked,
"Are you three ready?"
Sacar nodded, although he looked slightly uneasy. "As ready as I'll ever be going into my first real battle."
Taya nodded, understanding his position, and then looked to the other two. Raya was slightly paler than usual, but she nodded her head determinedly, and Taya praised their heritage. Though frightened, Raya would go into the fight with her head held high.
Sasha shouldered her saddlebags.
"We are ready, Rider Corsallen. Lead the way to victory."
Victory... The word crashed through her mind. What would victory cost them?
Taya smiled to hide her sudden discomfort. "It'll be hard for me to do that, since I'm only the back-up plan. But I can sure lead you now! So walk tall and proud you three, because like you, I've never done this before!" She lowered her voice at the end, and the others had a hard time stifling their laughter.
Kabarak...? Taya queried through her mind as they exited the room and headed at a brisk walk towards the stables. The strange emotion was still flowing from Kabarak, but she thought it might be stronger than before.
Kabarak, She said again, you are really starting to worry me!
Taya marched the three out of the castle and looked up into the sky, her face crinkling with worry when she didn't see a solitary speck circling the city. She didn't even feel Kabarak's presence outside.
"What is it, Taya?" Raya asked worriedly, seeing her worried expression.
"It's Kabarak. He isn't responding to me. I'm sure he's just concentrating on… something."
"But that's not like him at all!" Raya turned to look at her, and Taya wished she hadn't said anything. Now Raya was going to be worried about Kabarak, and not about herself.
"Well, I'm sure he has his reasons. Raya, don't worry about it! He'll contact me when he's ready. He could still be hunting, after all."
"Oh… right. He does tend to concentrate really hard when he's hunting… and flying." Raya looked slightly embarrassed for having reacted in such a way, but the smile on Sacar's face seemed to wipe the embarrassment away.
Flying... Taya would bet lunch on the fact that Kabarak was concentrating on flying. The strange emotion would make sense then… except… Taya frowned, rubbing her neck. She'd never felt that emotion, even when he was flying.
If that was the case and he was flying, she wouldn't continue bothering him. She might accidentally mess him up… and he needed all the practice he could get.
Once they reached the stables, they hurried to tack their horses. As Taya could not ride Kabarak, she had to go horseback. That fact bothered her, but it had to be done.
When they were mounted, the idea that they were riding into battle seemed to start to sink in, and while the younger teenagers became jittery, the older two quieted.
War was not a pleasant thing, Taya knew. She, unlike the others, had killed men before. Granted, Raya had killed one man, but somehow that seemed different.
From Murtagh's memories she had felt and seen what a full scale battle was like, and she did not like it. Taya knew she could handle the death and misery, and the fact she would be fighting not just for a cause but for her own life as well… but how would the others handle it?
"I wish I could say I was confident." Sasha suddenly spoke, drawing Taya away from her thoughts.
"What do you mean?" She asked, reining Chester down to a slower walk to match Sasha's pace. Her cousin's face was set in lines of worry, and there was a shadow over her eyes.
"Well, for a while I thought I could easily handle a battle, with fighting and death and the like, but now I'm not so sure."
"Why not?" Taya's blunt question caused Sasha to fumble for an answer.
"Well…" She screwed up her face, thinking hard for the right words to express what she was feeling. "I am not so confident in myself. I thought fighting was up my alley, so to speak, but now I doubt that. I don't know if I'll be able to stomach killing other people… I don't know if I'll break down and turn and run."
"You won't run, Sasha." Taya's positive tone startled Sasha, and she glanced sideways at her cousin. Taya was staring ahead with a hard set expression. "I've known the exact same feeling. I can't say much to help because I've felt the same way and still do. But the fighting and the killing became… easier, though that sounds awful, when I suddenly realized that I couldn't die because I had too many things to do, too many people I cared about that needed me. And I realized that all those people I was fighting were trying to make it so I couldn't help anyone; they were going to kill me if I didn't kill them. But then you start to think about the person you killed or are about to kill and wonder if they have any family or people to care about, and if by killing them you are killing someone's dear husband, father, brother, etc. You weigh your life against theirs… and you always come out on top. It all sounds so selfish when you look at it like that, but when you fight, there is hardly any time to think. Otherwise you die, and there's no point in thinking about it anyways."
Sasha sat stiffly in the saddle, completely surprised by her cousins heartfelt, knowing speech. Those exact thoughts had been bouncing around her mind ever since she knew she was going into battle. She had never been able to voice those thoughts like Taya just had, to be able to put them into so many words. The way Taya said it made Sasha realize that this was a topic her cousin had dwelled on many times, and had come to those conclusions that Sasha felt, but could not voice. This thought, and Taya's words, made her feel better.
"Thanks, Taya." She said softly, smiling a little. Taya nodded, a smile tugging at her own lips. Letting those thoughts and feelings flow freely had lifted a magnificent burden from her shoulders.
"My pleasure, Sasha." She replied, and from there on they walked in silence towards the commotion that was the gathering army.
Flags were flying, horses were moving about with anticipation, orders were being shouted from every direction, men in full armor were everywhere, and polished helmets, shields, swords and metal glinted under the hot Surdan sun. Although it was early, it was already beginning to warm, and soldiers grumbled about having to march in the heat, but they rarely said this to anyone but themselves or their horses.
People stopped to watch as Rider Taya Corsallen and her three companions rode past, and many bowed their heads as Taya passed. Some shouted greetings, while some raised their hands in a saulte. To all of these Taya responded with dignity and a familiarity that one would not have guessed her to have with the soldiers and the men of the Varden. She was honored to be held in such high esteem by so many brave soldiers, who had fought in and lived through other battles when she had not. They did not know her; they did not know if she would run from death or pain... but they trusted her, and they believed in her. She was the last rider; their last hope.
Sasha, Raya and Sacar watched in fascination as Taya would respond to men she did not know as if they were her closet friends. Once she even stopped Chester, bent down and laid a strong feminine hand on a man's shoulder, saying something to him that no one else heard. The man had then grasped her arm, a relieved smile appearing on his lined face, and then he bowed his head to her. Taya moved on, leading the threesome to the magnificent white banner flowing in the wind that marked where Lady Nasuada and King Orrin were.
Apprehension was building in the pit of Taya's stomach as she rode forward towards the leaders, sitting straight and regal in the saddle of her magnificent black horse. Nasuada, sitting astride her large roan horse, garbed in chain mail and a full-body leather jerkin/coat. Her ebondy hair was down and playing about her shoulders, and from Taya's point of view she looked far more like a leader than many of the leaders Taya had met. Beside the Varden leader was King Orrin, his own chain mail and armor shining brightly. He had removed his gold circlet crown from his head for a silver helm. They knew he would take it off on the initial march, but the effect of his wearing it was potent. Their leaders were battle ready, prepared to fight and possibly die beside them. Standing side by side, looking across the expanse of soldiers, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were fierce and strong leaders.
Whispers went among the ranks, and as Taya approached the leaders heads turned, and there was almost a respectful silence. Many had never seen her so striking, and many had never seen her before that slight encounter... and many would remember it for the rest of their lives.
Between the ranks rode the last rider, her red/gold hair flaming in the sunlight, blowing around her shoulders and adding such an effect to her figure and energy that many were frozen. Her armor, similar to Lady Nasuada's, fit her perfectly, in body and persona, and the sword at her side only added to the effect. Her face was not set in lines of worry; nor did she look terrified or angry. Her expression was perfectly controlled for each and everyone who saw her, and her eyes seemed to say something different to each of them, and it was the look that said she cared... that she was there. With an easy hand on the reins of her black horse, whose black tack and silver battle armor moved smoothly with the horse as he walked, Taya Corsallen looked ready for anything.
Taya stopped and saluted the leaders, and both acknowledged her salute before Nasuada waved them forward.
"We are nearly ready. It will not be long before we move. Where is Kabarak?" Nasuada looked at Taya with inquisitive almond eyes. The Rider, despite everyone's eyes on her, answered calmly,
"He is hunting, at the moment. He has not told me yet when he will join us, but since I cannot ride him, he has more liberty to do what he wishes and catch up with us before we reach Lithgow."
"That is very true." Nasuada nodded in agreement, but Taya caught the little frown on the Varden leader's face, and her own expression darkened ever so slightly. She could easily guess what Nasuada was thinking. Glancing sideways, Taya saw that King Orrin was watching her, and she met his gaze evenly. Surprisingly, he did not look away.
"We are honored to have you and Kabarak fighting beside us during this battle, Rider Corsallen." His usually booming voice was softer now, and his words struck a chord inside her.
A brilliant smile blossomed on Taya Corsallen's face, and she straightened even more in her saddle. "As we are to fight beside you, King Orrin. There is nothing stronger that those who are banded together by what they believe in." Her eyes shone brightly, and the smile on her face turned slightly cocky. She was remembering something that had been said by a Hljodhr Evarinya back in Uru'baen.
'Those who are united and truly believe in what they are united for will always be stronger than those who are united but only slightly believe in their cause, for they are not really united.' She thought it was Kell who said it, because he always seemed to be wise beyond his years... but then she remembered that it had actually been Marthl Duven who had said it.
Even though she didn't know as much about Marthl as she knew about the others, she knew him to be a quiet and loyal companion. Perhaps a little bit more level headed than say, Zen, and he was smart. During his time in the castle, they had all trusted him as they trusted one another. He was a good man.
Kabarak... where are you?
Taya looked around her, failing to spot the one person who might know where her dragon was.
"Where is Vanira?" She asked the leaders, and both suddenly looked exasperated. It was Nasuada who spoke.
"She has not been seen at all this morning. She was with me last night, and I know she was planning on being here. I have had someone check her room, but she was not there, and there was no sign of her. We cannot wait for her. If she has to catch up, she will."
When it comes to Vanira, Taya thought, it is us that need to catch up with her. But the absence of Vanira irked Taya.
She acknowledged Nasuada with a nod, and moved Chester away to stand between Sasha and Raya, out of earshot of the leaders.
"So," Sasha leaned over and asked quietly, "both Kabarak and Vanira are nowhere to be found?"
Taya sighed heavily, watching the army. "That is the gist of it. I have never felt anything like the emotions I am getting through my link with Kabarak, but while our connection is strong, I cannot touch him. It is disconcerting. Strange."
"What can we do?" Raya asked quizzicaly, and Taya shrugged.
"We wait for them to show themselves, be it now or right before the battle..." Her expression looked a little miffed, and her next words were more like an afterthought, "They will be there for the fight, without a doubt..."
"What is the look for?" Sasha teased, hoping to lighten the mood. Taya glanced at her, and back at the army.
"It is the fact that Kabarak and Vanira are missing together, and almost at the same time. It is highly unlikely that either would go off and leave us without alerting someone, unless they had every intention of coming back. And thinking of them together in that sense makes me wonder just what is going on out there. Sometimes I wish I knew what Vanira was thinking."
"I don't know... she is sort of strange. I don't think I would want to know what she was thinking." Raya commented, looking worried again.
"What's that?" Taya placed her hands on the front of her saddle and leaned forward slightly, trying to act surprised. As Raya did not know about Vanira's ability, the Elf would seem awfully strange to her. She seemed to be strange to everyone, and Taya had a sneaking suspicion that only she and Arya felt comfortable around the woman. Even Arya was more cautious around Vanira than she, Taya, was. Taya couldn't afford to treat Vanira like she was different; she couldn't, either. There was something about the future-seeing elf that drew Taya forward. She supposed she should be wary, but she had put her trust in Vanira, as Vanira had in her.
"Well," Raya hesitated fiddling with her reins. "She's so self-assured, as if she knows exactly what is going on. And the way she looks at me, it is really peculiar. It's like she knows every detail about me, and then some... like she knows what is going to happen." Raya shivered. "I can't say I don't like her, but I can't say I trust her completely either." She looked over at Taya apologetically.
"That is strange." Taya conceded, but she did not continue for a moment. She had to be careful about what she said, even to Raya and Sasha, lest she break her promise to Vanira. They would learn about Vanira's ability in time. "Now that you mention it, it does seem that way sometimes. But hang on a little while before you make up your mind. You may be surprised, and she may end up helping us in a tight spot. She is an elf, after all."
Talk idled between them, and they watched as more soldiers and horses joined the army. Suddenly, waiting became very hard. Excitement rippled through the masses, and horses started to paw and grow increasingly impatient, feeling everyone's high nerves. Taya narrowed her eyes and straightened in her saddle. She was watching Nasuada, and the leader had leaned over to talk to a messenger who had just run up to her.
"Be ready." She said softly to her companions, who at her words straightened and gathered their reins.
Taya felt the familiar nudge of someone's mind against her own, and after a moment of checking, Taya opened to corner of her mind to Trianna. The woman was stationed at Nasuada's side, to be the main communicator throughout the battle for all the magician's.
Yes, Trianna? Taya asked, still watching Nasuada from where she was.
The last of the troops have arrived. The march has begun.
We are ready, Trianna.
Very good. I will inform Lady Nasuada.
It did not take long for everyone to start moving, and the emotions that spiked when the marching started were enough to give Taya a headache. Somewhere close a horse reared, and someone let out an excited whoop as his feet began to move. Taya's stomach tightened. At least someone was excited about marching off to battle and to the unknown... but then, she thought, some people did enjoy the unknown. She herself wasn't too enthusiastic, but there was no regret in her as she rode tall and proud beside her family and fellow soldiers. She knew what she had to do, and she was ready... mostly.
"Here we go." Taya breathed, and relaxed into Chester's long swinging gait. The march would be long, but not horribly so. They would all be tired, but she didn't think they'd be nearly as tired as their enemies.
Melcar Di'Acor stopped his horse and wiped the sweat out of his eyes. Tempers were short among every group, and more and more men were grumbling. Murtagh led them on without mercy, seemingly unaware of the chaos behind him.
The captain looked around him, noticing again the weary faces of his men, and then catching side of Larton Zax not far away.
"Zax!" He called out over the din around him, and the other man looked quickly over. Melcar gestured, and the smaller man turned his horse towards him and rode over.
"Yes, Captain?" He asked, not unkindly. Larton Zax was not one easily perturbed. It made him a great soldier. Melcar didn't know him as well as he could, but he knew that Zax's loyalty to him, Melcar, and to the Hljodhr's was the only thing keeping Larton from deserting Murtagh's army. He might not be easy to perturb, but Murtagh had already pushed him up to his limit.
"Have you seen Zen or Raneck? They are the only two I haven't counted." Melcar caught the slight look that flashed across Larton's face, and he winced inwardly. He'd done it again... no matter how many times he told himself that Zen was no longer one of them, his heart and mind never listened. He knew that the mention of Zen was hard on all the Hljodhr's. But Larton replied smoothly and surprisingly he knew exactly what Melcar thought he wouldn't want to know.
"Raneck is back by the supply wagons. They were having wheel trouble, and apparently Raneck and his father used to build wagons when he was a boy. So he went back there to help them out."
That was something new to Melcar. But then, not everyone knew each others past.
"And Zen is on the outer edge of the middle flank, by himself. He was with Sen earlier, but their conversation took a turn and Zen rode off. I can tell something is bothering him more than usual."
"How so?" Melcar was curious. Larton was an interesting character, and his skills were very singular. Melcar could tell if something was bothering Zen, and that was because he knew him very well. He also knew that Zen had no particular affection for the shadow-like Larton Zax. They had never been what people would call 'close'.
At Melcar's inquiry, Larton hardly blinked. "His expression says it all, and I'm sure anyone could tell by that, but when something is bothering him he braids the end of Antara's mane and slouches his shoulders slightly. I noticed that habit when I first joined the Hljodhr's. We were riding through Uru'baen, hoping not to run into some guards, and Zen later admitted when I asked him what was up that he had been very worried for Taya's safety, as she was still at the castle."
Melcar nodded. "I remember that. He always was ancy when the Katzia's were around, as Sharac drove him crazy with his liking of Taya. I was just starting to recover by then, I think."
"It's been that long." Larton commented dryly, watching Melcar acutely. "If only our worries now were as small as they were back then." Captain Melcar Di'Acor was one of the few people that he greatly respected, and one of the reasons was because he was still alive, after having endured torture and pain that no man should ever have to endure. Not to mention the lingering drug in his body that had nearly killed him more than once after his torture. Another reason he respected Melcar so much was that he was one of the only Hljodhr's besides Larton that believed Taya Corsallen had escaped on her own and was still alive, somewhere. It also took a lot of man to lead a bodyguard unit assigned to protect the Princess of Alagaesia, and deal with the trial of leadership when the princess, their core, was gone. And with the tension between the Hljodhr's and Zen Drayson, Melcar's job was that much more difficult.
Melcar sighed, patting his mounts thick neck. "Many things have changed since then." His eyes strayed in the direction Larton had said Zen was, and he was silent for a long minute. Larton vaguely wondered what he was thinking, but he dared not ask.
And then Melcar looked up towards the front of the army, and said quietly. "It is enough that we are riding unwillingly to battle and to also think of what once was. It will do no good for now. Maybe we will find some answers at the end of this road."
The captain clapped Larton on the shoulder, his face set with grim determination. "Until then, Lieutenant Zax, we must be wary and on our guard. And," He suddenly smiled wryly,"we must do our very best to stay alive and keep one another alive as well. Keep an eye on everyone for me, will you? I don't have enough eyes to watch out for everyone at once."
Larton chuckled humorously, trying as well to lighten the gloomy mood.
"I think you look better with just the two eyes anyhow."
Melcar laughed with him, shaking his head. "I would hope so!"
With a salute, Larton turned his horse and rode back to where Larel Katzia was.
Melcar watched the two men for a little while, and then concentrated on riding forward. They still had a ways to go yet, which meant long hours of trying not to dwell on their situation and Taya's, and plenty of time to think about how they were all going to survive the slaughter of their army. Melcar knew it was inevitable. He also knew that he wouldn't let himself die before he found out if Taya was alive and safe.