Managing the Shadows (Star Wars Legacy - AK, After Krayt, Part 1)

Chapter 6: The Bond

Krayt promised, Krayt promised, Krayt promised.

Traya pushed through some ferns to join Cade. "Okay, Cade, I waited. Lemme see what-"

Cade couldn't let her hear, "Traya, wait!"

It was too late. Traya had barely pushed apart the ferns when she began to hear the whisper.

"Krayt promised, Krayt promise-"

Cade went to grab Traya before it was too late. With ease, she sidestepped his lunge. Before Cade knew what was happening Traya, blade out, had launched on top of the injured creature. She grabbed his hair and shook his head with one hand while the other held her blade to the creature's throat.

"What did he promise you?" She was shouting now. "Where did you learn that name? It's all a lie! It's a lie!"

Cade grabbed Traya from behind trying, with all his strength, to pull her off of the dying creature. He felt a sharp pain on the side of his thigh as a lit saber grazed his flesh.

"Traya, he's barely alive! Get a hold of yourself."

"No he's dead! He's dead I tell you!"

Cade had now wrapped his arms around Traya's waist, the lightsaber was turned off, but he was still struggling against her uncontrolled flailing. He managed to pull her into the air and off the fatally wounded creature. He was always struck by Traya's immense power in moments of rage like this.

She began slamming her fists onto his head and chest, wherever she could land a blow. In a fury she kept yelling, "he's dead! He's dead!"

Cade knew every second he wasted was one less moment to save the creature. He couldn't sense their body in the Force, but he didn't need to to tell that it was barely hanging on to life.

Yet, he couldn't calm Traya and was terrified that if he let her go she might actually manage to land a killing blow on the creature on the ground.

Traya continued shouting at the creature. "You tell Krayt! You tell him I'll find him! I'll find him and I'll kill him I tell you- I'll kill him!"

Cade could barely contain the child who was so wildly flailing when suddenly the repeating mantra stopped.

Cade and Traya both froze as a whisper rose from the creature whose head was now lifted and was looking directly at the struggling pair. "The deal has been made, signed in blood. We will get what we are due. The bond can't be broken." And with that, the creature dropped its head and ceased breathing.

Cade released Traya and she fell to her knees. It felt like someone had kicked the wind out of her. All these years she had hoped the voices in her head were just voices, figments of her own imagination. She could almost take comfort in that. But to hear that name whispered by living flesh.

She didn't want to believe it, but she knew how the old Master planned. This was undoubtedly his work. She knew for sure in that moment that Krayt was returning. She had never felt more sure of anything in her life.

Cade took the sudden pause to run over to the incapacitated creature. He began attempting to pump his life force directly into the dying creature. However, something was wrong, the life Force seemed to have no direct path into the body and instead simply seemed to defuse out around it.

He looked over the body, trying to assess the injuries. He had been so busy with Traya that he had been unable to do any assessment of the state of the creature's injuries.

Laying next to the body now he saw blaster marks across the creature's chest. He had a deadwood chestplate that lay in splinters. Much of the wood had lodged itself into the creature's chest and abdomen.