The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 43: In a Final Breath

Fear. That was all Ragin felt resonating from the dragon in front of him. It was such a raw, real emotion that it stripped away her anger and malice. Her eye was wide, staring at him in dread. Her breathing was erratic and her body tense. She wanted to jump away, to run, do anything to survive but the spell of her true name trapped her in a cacoon she couldn't escape. The fear in her flooded through their bond. Ragin recognised it. He knew she had felt this fear before, but never had it been directed at him. Never had he been the cause of it.

He closed his eyes, trying to shake off the emotion, trying to force himself to step forward and drive his blade through her skull. She needed to die and he was the only person that was capable. If she wasn't stopped now many more would fall through her magic. She would drive fear into the very heart of Alageasia, if she hadn't already. And the old Akaysha wouldn't want this. He knew his dragon. If she knew what she was to be turned into she would choose death a hundred times over. This would be a kindness. It wasn't like he could turn her back. Tharin's spell was a blur to his mind. While he knew the general intention of the spell the words were lost to him.

Yet as he opened his eyes, looking into the frightened dragon that bowed before his mercy, it was like a wall hit him. Tears ran down his face as he staggered backwards, dropping Fate to the ground. He fell to his knees, bowing his head as he slammed the ground with his fist, again and again.

"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit all!" He cried, his entire body shivering with sorrow.

Akaysha blinked, fully expecting to be dead at that moment. Surprise was her first thought, followed by relief. Ragin didn't have the heart to kill her. The man that had once been a murderer and thief could not even bring himself to slay the one thing that threatened the entire structure of the world. Simply because it would hurt too much. Still, Ragin's choice confused her. She could feel the amount of pain their bond was causing him. If their roles had been reversed, she felt as though she could do it in a heartbeat. But she didn't understand the love he still had for her.

A rustle of armour caused her to look up, her panic spiking again as she noticed a small band of surviving soldiers appear from the ruins of their destroyed city. They hesitated when they saw her, instantly ducking behind the shelter of the ruined buildings, expecting her fire or magic to chase them. But when nothing happened, they looked out again.

Ragin, having noticed them, got to his feet, Fate in his hand. They seemed startled to see him there, but with Akaysha so passive they seemed to grow in confidence.

"You there? Who are you that has managed to stop that monster?" one of the guards called.

Ragin tensed at the use of the word, but seemed to keep himself from reacting, "I'm Ragin."

The soldiers looked at each other in unease. They couldn't help but notice the rider's rather hostile positioning, "What are you going to do with it?"

"She is under a spell," Ragin responded, glancing back at Akaysha, "I'm going to try and break her out of it."

The dragoness snorted in surprise at that, her anger growing as she reached out with her mind, 'I am under no spell. I'm going to destroy you all!"

Her rider flinched again and the soldiers grasped their heads, unable to comprehend the depth of her hate. Ragin reacted instantly, covering her mind with his own, keeping her from mentally attacking the guards. She snarled, magic still twisting uncomfortably through her body, building and building as it tried to get out. But Ragin's order against the wild magic kept her from using it.

"It... She is too dangerous," the soldier called out again, recovering from the mental assault, "She has wiped out nearly the entire population of Gilead! She needs to die!"