The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 2: An Unwelcome Surprise

The river flowed along smoothly, gently guiding the small boat across its length. The thief sat as comfortably as he could, only occasionally touching the water with his paddle to keep it on the right course. In front of him on the spare seat sat the bag with the dragon egg, slightly lulled to one side. He hadn't let it out of his sight since his escape, and a small part of him wondered whether it would be worth keeping it.

He sighed and shook his head. It wouldn't be worth the trouble, especially since it likely wouldn't hatch any time soon. And the man he was doing this job for... it wouldn't be a wise idea to cross him. If he did the only safe place on the planet would be somewhere far away from anything in Alageasia. So he continued his way down the river, keeping one eye on the banks and the other in front, searching for anything that could cause him harm.

The trees swayed in the light breeze and nearby birds chirped inquisitively at the passing stranger. A doe darted from the bank when she saw him. A group of hares quickly disappeared into their holes around the river back when he passed. He hadn't seen much else along the banks. Occasionally he would pass a stranger walking by to which he would give a curt nod, making sure to touch their minds to make sure there was no ill will.

One man he passed had a wall around his mind, and there had been a tense couple of seconds as the two travellers watched each other suspiciously, before continuing on their way. The Thief had been travelling for over a week now, and was getting a little cramped in his boat, but it would be well worth it in the end. The amount of coin he would get from stealing this dragon egg was absurd. It would be enough to set him up for the rest of his life if he was smart with it.

He sighed softly as he felt himself drift off into his own thoughts. His real name wasn't Cayden, of course. He wouldn't give it out so easily. His real name was Ragin, a twenty-year-old man who had lived on the streets pretty much all his life. He was an infamous thief in the underground, one that many relied on for all assortments of jobs, from breaking into rich houses to delivering secret and dangerous messengers. He had even been contacted by the riders at one point, though he refused to do the job. He had a deep hatred for them, one that many people didn't understand.

That was partly why he had undertaken the mission for the dragon egg. But he was no fool either, it had taken a good deal of bribing on the byer's part to have him even consider the mission. Nothing like it had been done before, at least not in the past two hundred and fifty years. It hadn't stopped people from trying however. Trying and failing.

Ragin looked down at the bag holding the egg and sighed. He sent out his mind in multiple directions, making sure no one was near, before picking up the bag and pulling the egg out. Its warm surface was comforting to hold, like cradling a newborn babe. He studied the surface of the egg with interest. The dark blue shell reminded him of the night sky. He would have loved to keep the egg, and was loathed to give it up. Such a prize was so rare nowadays. Five eggs every five years. And this one was his. Well, not his, but he had it in his hand.

Another sigh slipped out of his mouth as he pushed the egg back into the bag. Part of him wondered what his hirer wanted with it. Nothing good, he expected, but he had no right to ask questions about it. That was one problem with his job. He never knew what happened to the items he stole.

He looked to the sun again. He would arrive at Gil'ead soon, by the end of the day with the speed the river was moving. He had made sure to stay close to the west side of the river, as it was wide, to a point he could barely see the other side. The west side was also safer, considered Illirea was on the east. They would likely be looking for him on the east bank.