Age of the Dragon 2: The Thedas Rider

Chapter 3

Cold and sore, Fallyn stirred as a breeze restored her to her senses. Bruises marred her pale skin, and she winced as she moved to a seated position. Breathing was hard, and her chest felt tight.

She recognised her escape and survival as a miracle.

She also knew that unless she acted quickly, her pursuers would attempt to find her again.

A wolf growled, and she looked at it with a mildly annoyed expression, before sadly bowing her head.

"Ir abelas, fen," she said, as she reached out with her mind and with a word, the wolf fell down dead.

Wincing, she used magic to heal the most prudent of her injuries. Then, carefully moving, she set up the scene so that it would appear that wolves had found and torn her apart. Her cloak, coated in the wolf's blood was scattered about, a struggle in the mud was forged, and with wolf's corpse, she used the other magic to change its form into her own.

Nothing but meat and bones.

She drapped the wolf's fur over her shoulders, and carefully left the scene of horror behind her. She knew it would be difficult to hide unless all thought her dead - and she had no way of knowing if those bald ones were the only spies Galbatorix had in the Varden.

She would send word on the swift wings of birds... only one could know of her survival, and that one would help her orchestrate her long-awaited vengeance. For the deaths of those she had once loved... for the grief and indignities she had suffered along the way. No one else would know.

No. She turned her golden eyes back to her false corpse.

When she again would reveal herself, it would be to kill Galbatorix. For now...

Turning her gaze north, she proceeded into the trees. A stag happened to be passing by, and with gentle coaxing, she convinced it to carry her away. The fewer signs of her passing through the were, the easier her escape would be.

Her thoughts returned to Murtagh, and she gritted her teeth in frustration.

Her attempted escape previously had been a spur of the moment panic. Had it been otherwise, she would have tried to rescue him as well. As it was, she was well aware that her current situation was the result of pure luck.

"Endure, Murtagh," she spoke aloud, turning her eyes to the sky. "Endure until I can remind Galbatorix of Kamirth's bite."