The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 37: Hidden Memories Part 5

Akaysha barely managed to open her wings in time to stop herself from a full crash landing. She still hit the ground hard. If there had been anything other than sand she likely would have broken something. That still didn't stop her from being winded in the crash, but that wasn't what hurt. What hurt was the unfathomable pain rising through her, spreading out through her entire body. It was like her very soul was being devoured from the inside and the life was leaking out of her.

She didn't register anything that was happening around her. Not the yelling of concerned riders or the rumbling of worried dragons. She didn't even notice when her mind was broken into as they tried to figure out what was wrong. What she did hear however was their diagnosis.

"She's dying!" Logan exclaimed from somewhere to her left.

"What? How? Nothing was wrong a moment ago," someone else replied.

"I don't know. The only possible reason would be if Ragin..." the hesitation in Logan's voice caused a deep panic to suddenly rise in the dark dragoness.

Her rider was in danger. With a snarl she forced herself up onto wobbly legs, only to collapse again with a long groan. Pain continued to pulse through her, a pain she realised originated from her bond. It seemed even the ring Ragin wore could not shield such a strong connection entirely. But that didn't matter now. If Akaysha didn't do something soon then her rider would die.

She gave a frustrated yowl as her head began to grow heavy. She could feel herself slowly drifting away into darkness. There seemed to be two ways she could direct her soul. One into a coffin of light that would keep her alive, her Eldanuri, and the other into an endless black like sleep. Part of her wanted the light... but a life without Ragin would not be a life worth living. But she didn't want to die either, not without seeing him one last time.

So instead of letting herself fall she reached into the pits of her mind and broke through the barrier that held back her wild magic, and sent it through her bond with as much force as she was able. A massive amount of energy flowed through her in an instant, nearly making her loose control of it once again, but she couldn't afford to. Instead she forced it into the partner of her heart and mind, trusting that it would heal him, that it would keep him safe.

Almost immediately the pain became a dull throb, and her life returned to her, making her gasp in relief. She wasn't sure exactly what she had done, only acting out of instinct, but whatever it was seemed to have stabilised her rider's condition. Even so, he was still in trouble. Without the pain, there was no direct link to him anymore, but that pain had given her an idea of exactly which direction to go.

The riders around her backed away in surprise as she got to her feet with a snarl, shaking the sand off her scales. She reached for her magic again, letting it flow through her like a frightening torrent, and leapt into the air. With a single beat of her wings she was going so fast that no eye could find her, leaving a massive boom in her wake. She didn't care about anything else other than getting to her rider, and no one would stand in her way.

* * *

It would usually take a dragon almost a day of travel to fly across the Hadarac desert at a reasonable speed. Akaysha did it in little less than an hour, her magic flinging her across the landscape like an arrow from a bow, and straight into the storm that was now attacking the lake Isenstar. The storm didn't affect her. She just tore it apart with her magic as she searched for her still dying rider. There was a barge travelling across the lake, but she knew he wasn't there. Instead she turned her attention to the banks, her draconic eyesight picking out every detail.

It took her a moment to recognise the black figure laying unconscious on the sand, but when she did she let out a roar of panic and pulled in her wings, diving from the sky and toward the sand. She landed near the dying human, ignoring the pellets of rain that smashed into her scales. There was really no obvious wounds in him at first glance, but she did see the hole in the centre of his shirt, as well as traces of diluted blood being washed away by the storm. She whimpered, lightly nudging him. He still had the ring on so she couldn't see into his mind.