When I awoke, it took me a considerable amount of time to remember what had happened. My head throbbed as I swayed back and forth, as if unable to control my movements. I refused to open my eyes until I got my wits about me, though, afraid that my attackers would know that I was awake. Instead, I kept completely still, allowing my mind to calm down and remember the situation I was in. It took all of my strength to focus on the past and not try and figure out where I was at the moment; there would be a time for that later.

'Focus Talia, focus,' I said to myself, trying to organize my thoughts, 'I was in the town square. The egg ceremony was going on. I was attacked from behind- no, wait, I stepped forward first. Why did I step forward? The figure! The figure in the black cloak disappeared. And they must have attacked me when I stepped forward and revealed myself. They knocked me out and now I'm... where am I?'

Once I regained my senses and organized my thoughts, I finally felt the sting of rope cutting into my skin. My eyes snapped open as I realized there was nothing beneath me except rope and empty space, but what I saw took a moment to comprehend. I was encased in a large net hanging from the ceiling of a fairly large room. I quickly felt my waist for my sword, but was disappointed to feel nothing but my own hip. Whoever had attacked me had obviously been smart enough to take my sword.

Suddenly, my mind groggily realized that something else was also missing. It felt as if a piece of my heart and soul had been snatched from me, and, in a panic, I began to thrash around wildly in the net.

'Vascar!' I shouted into open space, 'Vascar where are you?'

But I could not touch his mind. He was blocked from me, as if someone had trapped me in my own mind. It was terrifying, and despite the pain from the ropes digging into my skin, I continued to flail in a vain attempt to escape my confinement. Knowing that I was trapped physically and mentally made my blood run cold, but I fought all the harder because of it. I would get back to Vascar. Who knew what had happened after I was knocked unconscious. My mind immediately turned to the dreadful thought of what the figures in black might have done to Oromis, Brom, or Morzan. Had they tried to attack the new rider? Or, I shuddered thinking about it, had they attacked the egg couriers?

My body began to tremble as an immense fear descended over me. I was helpless and completely clueless as to where I was or who took me. I was terrified to be separated from Vascar.

With one final lash of my leg, I quit struggling against the ropes that surrounded me, it had done nothing but exhaust me. But, as I hung limply from the ceiling, I realized that something other than sweat was dropping down my side. Reaching under my tunic, I felt a warm liquid beginning to seep into the fabric of my shirt. As my fingers brushed the skin beneath it, a sharp sting of pain blossomed up my side, causing my teeth to clench in pain. I pulled out my hand a stared in awe at the dark red blood staining my fingers. My blood.

I pushed away the panic that was threatening to overwhelm me. Lifting my tunic, I stared down at my side, smeared with blood and sweat. But, beneath the blood, I knew there was some type of wound, I was just unsure of the type of wound and how I had received it.

Taking my hand, a quickly wiped the blood away from the tender area. At the contact of my hand, the injured skin throbbed in protest and caused me to groan in pain. I carried on despite the pain lacing up my side, knowing that I needed to know the severity of my wound. When I had finally wiped away the blood, I could finally see the injury which had released so much blood. A cut about a hands-length long trailed down my side, starting at the bottom of my ribs and ending just above my hip. I took a sharp intake of breath as the blood continued to seep from the cut. It didn't look too deep, but I was at a loss to where the wound had come from.

Suddenly, a flash of steel caught my eye. Lifting my tunic the slightest bit more, I stared in awe at the dagger strapped to my side, its blade smeared with my blood. I was in shock at the sight, but not because I had been stabbed by my own blade, but because I had a weapon. They hadn't taken everything from me. I wasn't helpless.

Grasping the handle of the my dagger, I pulled it gently out of my tunic. It had somehow slipped from its sheath, probably when I was thrashing around. Not wanting to lose my one opportunity of escape, I once more slipped the dagger back into the sheath, taking care to not let it slip from my grasp and fall to the ground below. Then, once my dagger was secure, I quickly went to work trying to staunch the bleeding from the cut. Ripping off a long strip of my tunic, I layered the fabric on top of the cut, effectively covering the entire wound. Luckily, it felt like a shallow cut, but it still ached terribly.

Tying the fabric as best I could, I then turned my attention back to my escape. It was an extremely far drop, and I knew that if I fell I would end up hurting myself. Instead, I would have to ease my way down. Glancing around, I noticed a stone table a few feet in front of me. If I dangled from the ropes, there was a chance I could swing over to it.

A wave of hope surged within me. Whipping my dagger out of its sheath, I did not hesitate to begin cutting away at the ropes in front of me. I did not cut the ropes below me, for I did not want to risk cutting away my only support. The rope was thick, but soon enough I had chopped away several strands and had made a hole large enough to stick my arm through. At the sight of my progress, I felt determination flood through my veins and new strength seep into my limbs. My hand moved even faster to saw away at the ropes.

Fianlly, I allowed myself a small shout of joy as I snapped the last strand of rope and created a hole large enough to fit myself through. Not sparing a moment of hesitation, I crawled forward, struggling to move quickly over the unstable net. I ignored the pain from my side as I pushed my feet through the hole and slid myself out of the net. Grasping the edge of the net tightly, I moved myself to the very edge of the hole and prepared to dangle below the ropes. Taking a deep breath, I finally swung myself down from the net into the open air below.

But, my breath caught in my chest as I felt the net slip between my fingers. I fell through the open air and crashed onto the floor, effectively knocking the breath from my lungs. As soon as it returned, a shout of pain tore from my throat as I felt my legs give beneath me. My body collided with the stone floor, and instead of moving away to safety, I curled up and muffled my cries by biting down onto my hand. I knew that someone had probably heard my fall, but I was in too much pain to do anything but lie until the pain faded away.

I was prepared to lie there until my attackers returned. The pain spreading throughout my body was overwhelming. It would be simple to give up and just lie there. It would have been easy. But a single word broke through my haze of agony. One word pushed away my doubts and gave me the strength, no the courage, to go on.

Vascar.

I couldn't leave him. I couldn't give up on him. Reaching forward, I pulled myself closer to the stone table, the dagger still clenched tightly in my hand. I was lucky to not have impaled myself upon my own weapon, again.

I continued crawling forward, my motivation carrying me towards the stone table where I could pull myself up into a standing position. But, as I continued to drag myself closer, I realized another sound had reached my ears besides my own loud breaths and the sound of my body sliding across the stone below me. I lifted my head towards the doorway as I recognized the sound of footsteps echoing in the hall.

Adrenaline surged through my body as I realized I had only seconds to hide. With a final push, I launched myself forward and crouched beneath the table. I was weak, but with danger fast approaching, my body seemed to put forth an extra effort to survive. Laying flat on the floor under the stone, I hoped to conceal myself from whoever was coming, but as my eyes peered underneath the table towards the door, I happened to glimpse something red out of the corner of my eye.

I gasped as my eyes focused on the trail of blood that started in the middle of the floor and lead straight to where I was crouched. If anyone entered the room, they would know where I was hiding in an instant. My only chance would be to fight.

At the thought of a fight, all traces of confusion left my mind. It was as if a curtain had been lifted away from my thoughts. I was determined to fight off whoever decided to take me hostage. They would pay for their mistake.

Gripping my dagger tightly in my hand, I struggled to a crouch as the door swung open. There was a moment of silence, and I almost allowed myself to believe that I had imagined everything, but then the noises began. A loud chittering echoed throughout the room. It almost sounded like a strange clicking noise. These clicks were followed by hisses and spits, noises so terrible that it made my skin crawl in disgust. But the sounds were only the beginning.

Allowing my curiosity to dictate my actions, I peered beneath the stone table towards the doorway. I needed to know what kind of creature could make those sounds. What I didn't expect was to see something even more terrifying than the noise.

A pair of skinny legs walked slowly towards the table, their black color making them appear decayed and diseased. But, the most unusual thing about them was their joints; the knees were bent in the wrong direction. My heart sped up as I stared at the deformed appendages, knowing that something was unnaturally wrong. And, despite the slow and uneven way the thing walked, I knew that it was dangerous. Underestimating it would be a deadly mistake.

My hands grew clammy with nerves as the thing stopped directly in front of the table. If I had wanted, I could have reached out and touched its scaly legs. Only a slab of stone above me and in front of me kept it from seeing where I was hiding, but my trail of blood would do that soon enough anyways.

Once more the creature hissed, but instead if clicks, it's hiss was followed by words. The creature spoke, and it's voice made me think of mold and death, as if words were a foreign to this creature. But, nonetheless, strangled words come from its mouth, ones that paralyzed me in fear.

"Come out foolish rider," it hissed, each word scraping against my ears like grinding rocks, "you cannot hide from me, I can ssssmell your blood."

Suddenly, the table was picked up an thrown towards the far wall, sendings self tumbling with it. As each of my sore limbs hit the ground, I was reminded of the amount of pain I was in, but I had to be strong and fight through the pain. My survival depended on it.

Swiveling around on the ground, I turned to face the creature before me. But what I saw made me drop my dagger in fear. The creature's body was just as deformed as its legs. It was hunched over and it looked as if someone had stuffed the creatures cloak to make it look even stranger. but the most terrifying part was the effect it had on me.

I was frozen where I sat. I wanted to move, but it was as if this creature had complete control over my actions. The thing clicked, as if laughing at my misery, before leaning in close to my face, close enough that I could smell it's rotting breath.

"You thought," it hissed in my face, "that you could essscape? Foolish girl."

"W-what are you?" I asked, ashamed of how my voice stuttered in fear, but unable to control myself.

It once more clicked with laughter, "What does it matter, you will be dead soon anywayssss."

My heart raced in horror, but deep down I knew I could not die without a fight. But, in order to fight, I needed to move, and I still could not control my actions.

"Such a young girl," the creature cooed, reaching out with its hands to stroke my cheek, "you will be so delicioussss. I will enjoy eating the flesh of a rider. And not just any rider, but one with elf blood. So much better than human flesh. More rich, more juicy."

I shuddered in disgust. This thing planned to eat me. It was this realization that allowed me to grab my dagger and scramble away from the creature's touch. I lifted my dagger in dagger in defense, trying to keep the blade from trembling in my grip.

"You wish to fight me?" The creature taunted, "Fine, I do not mind hunting my prey. And you will be delicioussss prey indeed."

The creature pounced forward, landing on top of me and sending my back slamming into the ground. Lashing out, I swung my dagger towards the thing's chest and was pleased to feel the tug of fabric and flesh. Hissing, the creature jumped back, away from the steel of my dagger. Not wanting to lose the advantage, I shakily pushed myself to my feet and brandished my blade.

The creature's head darted back and forth around the room, but I did not give it the chance to run. Instead, I lunges towards it, swinging my dagger down towards its neck. The creature stepped to the side and came up behind me. Not wanting to be attacked from behind, I spin around and prepared to lash out at it again. But, as soon as I turned, the creature laughed menacingly.

"Big missstake, Rider," it spat, clicking in pleasure. But, I did not understand what mistake I made until I heard the second pair of footsteps directly behind me.

I didn't even have the chance to turn before something jumped onto my back and dug in its claws. I screamed in agony as I fell to the ground, the deep wounds left by its nails causing lines of blood to trail down my back. As my body hit the ground, my dagger was knocked out of my hand and sent spiraling across the stone floor. I bit down hard onto my tongue as I thrashed around in an attempt to throw the creature, but it was to no avail, I was too weak to dispel the creature on top of me.

"Get off of me!" I shouted in vain. Both of the creature's clicked and hissed in response.

"Foolish rider, you thought you could defeat us. Instead your blood will flow from your lifeless body as we enjoy the marrow in your bones."

In one last attempt to escape, I twisted my back, and at the same time began screaming for help, desperately hoping someone would hear my calls. I was cut short, though, as the first creature brought its foot back and kicked my jaw, causing my head to snap to the side and my scream to change to a startled cry. These creatures knew I was defeated, and now they were going to taunt me, and I shuddered to think that they might even torture me.

"Let'sss see how pure your blood is, rider," the creature in front of my hissed before taking a single clawed finger and holding it in front of my face. It clicked in laughter as it then swiped its sharp nail across my face, leaving a stinging cut that immediately began dripping blood down my cheek. I tried to hold back my shout, but it was impossible to stop the whimper of pain from escaping my mouth.

Placing its claw to its mouth, or what I assumed to be its mouth since the creatures face was covered with a hood, the monster went silent for a moment. I could feel my body trembling with fear despite the weight of the other creature on my shoulders. When the creature in front of me spoke again, I was once more left in complete and utter terror.

"Ah yessss, your blood is delectable. So enticing. I wish to enjoy the rest of your flesh, but not yet. You will die in due time, after you ridersss have paid for your crimes. We shall make you ssssuffer."

Biting my lip hard enough to draw blood, I closed my eyes and tried not to imagine the horrors these creatures would put me through. "If you're going to kill me," I said, "just do it already! I won't stand for your taunting. I am not a toy for you to use to your satisfaction, I am a human being!"

"Ah, yesss, but you are not completely human, are you young rider?" The creature on my back asked with a hint of humor lacing its tone.

"What's it matter to you?" I asked, snapping my eyes open to glare at the thing in front of me.

"Not only is elf more delicious than human, it is also interesting information to our devoted followers. They were particularly interested in your heritage and your abilities."

I growled unconsciously before spitting in the face of the creature in front of me. It screeched in surprised before jerking back. I knew that my actions would not help the situation, but at that moment I did not care.

Hissing in rage, the creature brought its rancid smelling face close to mine once more. But, this time I did not flinch away, despite how strong the desire to do so was. Reaching out, the creature grabbed my face with its clawed hand, piercing my skin in several places and allowing more precious blood to drip down my face. My jaw clenched in pain, but I was able to stop any sounds from escaping my mouth.

"I ought to rip you limb from limb for your disssrespect," the creature hissed, following it's sentence with a loud 'clack.' Keeping its hand imbedded in my face, the creature then took it's other hand and brought it to its hood. A small wave of curiosity suddenly washed over me, but it was quickly overwhelmed with complete and utter terror as the creature lowered its hood and revealed its face.

I screamed and pushed away from the thing. The force of my blow dragged it's clawed hand from my face, which left long gouge marks in my skin, but it was not strong enough to force the other creature off of my body.

The face of the beast in front of me reminded me of a horrifying cross between bird and insect. Large, lidless eyes stared directly at me, their completely black surface drawing the breath from my lungs. Directly below it's terrifying eyes sat a large beak, it's curved surface looking just as deadly as any sword.

"Yesssss," the beaked monstrosity taunted, "I will enjoy tearing your flesh from your bones. Perhaps I deserve a taste. Just a taste."

The creature lunged forward faster than a bounding deer. Even if I hadn't been immobilized, I would have never been able to dodge its attack. All I could do was watch in terror as it opened its beak wide and angled straight towards my neck. I knew I was dead, and all I could do was close my eyes and hope it was a quick, painless death.

But, the only pain I felt was from the injuries I had already received. Instead, my ears caught the sound of a sharp twang as well as a high pitched whistling. This happened so quickly that I did not have the chance to open my eyes until I heard the ravaging, pained shrieks of the creature. I opened my eyes to see it fall to the ground, the long shaft of an arrow sticking out of its chest. The beast clawed futilely at its wound, but the damage was done; a blue-green substance seeped from around the arrow shaft, staining the swan feathers with the creatures strange blood.

Quicker than I could comprehend, the other creature jumped up and hauled me to my feet in front of it, using my body as a shield to any other attacks. The sudden change made my head spin, and the large amount of blood I had lost made it hard for me to focus my blurry vision on the figure in front of me. But, I could have recognized the broad shouldered silhouette in front of me even if I was barely conscious, which, in a way, I was.

"Let her go!" Galbatorix shouted, his voice ringing powerfully throughout the room. Stringing another arrow into his bow, he lifted it threateningly and pointed it towards the beast behind me.

"And why would I do that?" The creature hissed, it's beak dangerously close to my face, "you're going to kill me either way. Might as well take one of you with me."

Galbatorix took a step forward, but stopped as the creature wrapped it's clawed hand around my neck and said, "Not a ssstep closer dragon rider, or I will tear her throat out. How about we make a deal, you and I?"

Galbatorix did not lower his bow, "What kind of deal?"

"You allow me to esssscape, and I will spare her life, as long as I am allowed jusssst one taste. I will not kill her, I jusssst want one sssmall taste."

"You are disgusting creatures," Galbatorix spat, his eyes full of malice, "I will make no deal with creatures as evil as you."

The beast clicked in anger. "Very well, her blood is on your hands then. You can watch her die-"

The creatures angry threat was cut off as Galbatorix released the bowstring, sending the arrow barreling towards the creatures head. Unlike his last shot, the arrow did not land exactly where he aimed, but instead grazed the side of the monsters head, sending a spray of blue blood onto the floor beneath it. Letting loose a blood-curdling scream, the creature released me and jumped back away from Galbatorix and I.

Distantly, I heard Galbatorix shouting for me to move out of the way, but I needed to finish the beast off. Quickly grabbing my dagger off of the floor, I dashed towards the creature, feeling a deep desire to kill it deep within my chest. It did not expect me to pursue, though, so as I sprung forward to deliver a deadly blow, its eyes took on an expression of fear and shock. Taking joy in its misery, I lifted my hand and plunged the dagger hilt deep into the creatures chest before pulling back and doing the same to its head. Each time the blade penetrated the beast's body, a loud crunch echoed in my eardrums, but I did not care, I only wanted it dead.

Once I was sure it's final breath had escaped its chest, I allowed my rage to seep away. All my exhaustion and pain returned to me in an overwhelming wave, but I could not stop yet. There was still something I needed to do.

"Galbatorix," I croaked, my voice cracking from the amount of shouting I had done, "take me to Vascar."

"Talia, I should heal your wounds first, you've lost a lot-"

"No! I need to see him now! If you won't take me to him then I will go on my own."

I turned and took a step forward, but Galbatorix put his arm out in front of me and stopped me. "Talia please, I know how important this is to you, but if you do not allow me to heal your more serious wounds, then you may not make it to Vascar. Please, I promise it will be quick."

I glared at him for a moment before sighing. He was right, of course, but all I wanted at that moment was to be reunited with my partner or heart and soul. Nodding, I told him to be quick about it. He started at my back, healing the deep wounds the creatures claws had inflicted. As he moved his attention to my face, I could not help my curiosity from surfacing once more.

"Galbatorix," I said, my voice surprisingly soft, "what were those things?"

He did not answer immediately, but instead looked at me in concern. "They're called the Ra'zac. They are some of the most foul creatures to stalk Alagaësia. They feed on human flesh, as I'm sure you know now, and they are natural predators. The Priests of Helgrind worships them like gods, but in my opinion, they all deserve to be slaughtered."

For once, I did not completely disagree with his opinion. They were horrible creatures. I would not be that sad if their race was exterminated. And, I doubted anyone would miss their presence.

"Are you almost done?" I asked impatiently, my desire to see Vascar growing by the second. Already I could feel my mind clearing so that I could begin reaching out and touching things around me. But, I was still too weak to sense Vascar, it was extremely frustrating.

"Yes, I just can't seem to remove this scar-"

"I'll live with it," I said, pushing past him to move towards the hall. I had not made it five feet though before Galbatorix was in front of me once more.

"Wait," he said, stopping me once more, "we must tread carefully, we do not know if there are any more Ra'zac lurking in this place. We wouldn't want to be ambushed."

I nodded and allowed him to lead the way. He kept his bow strung as we moved quickly through the halls, always on the look out for any other Ra'zac. I wanted desperately to stop and rest, but despite my aching limbs and exhausted mind, I kept moving towards my other half. And, as soon as Gabatorix opened the door to my freedom, I spotted my orange dragon and my heart immediately filled with joy.

Vascar continued to tear frantically at the stone building, unaware of my presence. His enraged roars echoed across the city as he dislodged several more stones and flapped his wings in agitation. Stumbling forward, I shouted Vascar's name and waved my arms to catch his attention. Luckily, my voice broke through both mentally and physically, and the large dragon quickly snapped his jaws shut and jumped down onto the ground next to me.

Vascar encircled me in his embrace, wrapping his wings around me protectively as his mind enveloped my thoughts. I was bombarded by his emotions, a mixture of fear, rage, relief, and love. I blocked him from my memories for the moment, not wanting to put any more stress on him until he calmed down.

'Talia,' Vascar said, and the simple word was enough to convey all his love for me. He tucked his head under his wing so that he could stare at me with his large blue eyes. Now that I was safe, a few tears trickled from my eyes, but I did not focus on that, or the pain that lingered in my bones; instead, I wrapped my arms around Vascar's snout and buried my face in his warm scales.

'Oh, Little One, I was so worried about you,' Vascar said, his voice thick with emotion.

I allowed a watery smile to cross my face, 'Oh Vascar, I could never leave my partner behind. You and me, we're a team. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.'

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AN: HEY GUYS, AREN'T YOU GLAD I DIDN'T MAKE YOU WAIT TOO LONG AFTER THAT CLIFFHANGER? WELL, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR SHOWING YOUR SUPPORT THROUGH YOUR READS, COMMENTS, AND VOTES. THEY REALLY DO MEAN THE WORLD, SO PLEASE....

READ/COMMENT/VOTE. and if you have, then...

THANKA YOUUU

~Britt