The ear splitting howl of the giant wolf of the Beor Mountains struck through the clearing as great as any arrow. The soldiers looked around in slight fear at the sound. Many of them had heard of the stories of the creatures that roamed these mountains, of giant creatures as large as houses. Not many had actually seen them however.
Sharrag snarled as he struggled to hold his weakened mind barrier against the wrath of the creature before him, yet it was proving impossible. Ever so slowly his mind barriers began to fall. The creature smiled at his victory over the wild dragon, knowing that he now had him right where he wanted him. He wasn’t counting on one thing however.
Another howl ran through the valley and a murmur rumbled amongst the soldiers. There was suddenly a cry of fear from one of them as five Shrrg burst from the undergrowth. The swords in their mouths glittered green amongst the fire that burned the forest.
The small pack crashed into the men and their wards. While a ward was good for defending against most attacks, it would take an extremely strong one to hold against a full on attack from the Shrrg. Men fell before the five like trees to a fire but Talismen only had his sights set on one. He picked up speed, aiming for the creature attacking Sharrag’s mind.
The creature faulted as it saw the giant wolf running towards him. That falter was all Sharrag needed. With a shove he pushed the creature out of his mind and reinforced his mind barriers with all he could. The creature screeched in alarm and leapt out of the way of the wolf. It drew a sword in the same movement. It was a short sword that seemed to suck the light from the air.
Talismen turned so he was facing the creature, and at the same time contacted Sharrag.
‘Go, I’ll keep this thing focused on me. You fly, and as soon as you are up in the air, we retreat,’ he said.
‘I can’t. That creature has me under some sought of magical spell,’ growled Sharrag, ‘I can’t move.’
Talismen glanced back at Sharrag in surprise. It was that movement that cost him the fight. The creature jumped forward, slicing it blade across Talismen’s maw. The Shrrg yelped in pain and surprise and dropped the blade, backing away. The creature didn’t stop and instead hit Talismen across the jaw with far more strength then should have been possible for a two-leg, knocking him over. He then raised his sword above his head, ready for the kill.
Sharrag let out a strangled roar of sorrow and anger as he watched as his friend was about to loose his life. The creature hesitated and looked towards the dragon, a smiled spreading across his face. He placed his blade against Talismen’s neck.
“Call off your wolves,” it hissed.
Sharrag whimpered again but spread out his mind to the other Shrrg, ‘Stop, they have Talismen.’
The rest of the Shrrg stopped what they were doing and turned towards what was happening in the middle of the burning forest.
“Now,” rasped the creature, “Open your mind.”
Sharrag hesitated. The creature drew its sword back, as if it was about to stab Talismen through the neck. Sharrag whimpered.
“DO IT!” It yelled.
Sharrag whimpered again and bowed his head in defeat. The creature smiled and lowered his blade from Talismen’s neck. Talismen growled a deep rumbling growl causing the creature to look back at him. It held up its sword at Talismen and almost snarled at him.
The wild dragon looked up at the creature and hesitantly reached towards its mind. He lightly tapped against its mind, as if knocking on a door. The creature snarled at him.
“What do you want?” it hissed.
Sharrag whimpered a little then tapped its mind again.
“You’ll have plenty of time to talk to me once I’m in your mind,” It said.
Sharrag shook his head and lightly tapped its mind again.
The creature tilted its head sideways a little, confused at the dragon’s motives, “Try to take over my mind and I’ll make you whish you were never born, and I’ll kill every one of your pathetic mutts.”
Sharrag nodded his head in understanding. The creature snorted and loosened its barriers just enough so Sharrag could talk to it.
‘Thankyou,’ Sharrag spoke to it, ‘I want to tell you that I will open my mind to you, but only if you let my pack go.’
“Okay,” said creature easily.
‘And I want you to swear it in the ancient language,’ said Sharrag.
The creature barked a laugh, “If anyone is swearing anything in the ancient language this day it will be you. I will not bow to your wish dragon. I do not swear to anyone.”
‘Then I won’t open my mind,’ stated Sharrag.
“Then I’ll kill your pathetic pack,” it snarled back.
‘And if you kill my pack then my mind will be closed to you forever and you will never be able to brake it, for I will enforce it with enough barriers that not even the king, with all his power, would be able to brake!’ growled Sharrag.
It laughed, “You clearly do not know the power of Galbatorix, dragon.”
‘I do,’ Sharrag replied, remembering what he had seen in Thorn’s mind, ‘And I know fully well of what he is capable off.’
This caused the creature to hesitate. It stared at the dragon for a few seconds, trying to make up its mind, “Fine.”
It chanted in the ancient language the words of truth. Sharrag listened closely. He wasn’t fluent in the ancient language but he knew enough from Thorn’s mind that he knew what the creature was saying. Once the creature had finished it stared at Sharrag once again.
“Happy?”
Sharrag nodded his large head, before bowing it to the ground. Talismen whimpered from where he was trapped. Sharrag made eye contact with him and nodded slowly.
‘Take care of the pack,’ said Sharrag, ‘Take them somewhere away from here, to where they can’t find you.’
‘What about you?’ asked Talismen, ‘You’ll get free right?’
Sharrag hesitated, ‘I don’t think so Talismen. They will know my true name, and will make me obey them. You will be on your own.’
This caused the wolf to whimper, ‘We will save you.’
Sharrag snarled, ‘No! Run, get as far away from me as you can, and don’t look back. Once they have control of me I know what they will do and if I see you again, I may be forced to kill you.’
Talismen whined.
“Shut up mutt!” yelled the creature.
It turned towards Sharrag, “Now keep your end of the bargain.”
Sharrag looked at it, before slowly and hesitantly lowing the barriers that kept his being. He snarled in both pain and fear as the creature delved into Sharrag’s mind. His body tensed and his tail twitched and he bellowed in pain, swinging his head, tyring to resist the entry of the shadowy intruder.
‘It’s too late now,’ whispered the creature, ‘I am in your mind, and I must say, you have an interesting thought process.’ It picked out the memory of his first time breathing fire with his battle against the two Urzhad, ‘And you are very resilient. This will please his majesty quite well.’
The creature continued to delve deeper into Sharrag’s thoughts and being, all the while Sharrag was twisting in pain, but he was also able to gain some information from the creature’s mind, like it was actually five different souls that had become a creature known as a Shade, and its name was Sythrel. It had once been a human called Sam, a sorcerer that had lived in solitude until he was called by the king, and through us of his true name, was forced into becoming a shade with the soul purpose of capturing Sharrag.
‘Oh what’s this,’ said the shade, bringing forth a memory off the blue dragoness named Saphira, ‘My, my you are an interesting dragon indeed. In wouldn’t think that beasts like yourself are capable of feeling these… softer emotions… for others of your kind. But then again, this is my first time inside a dragon’s mind, and a wild dragon as well.’
It brought forth another picture, this time of Angela, ‘I would like to meet this women. She’s a very interesting person. The human that is this body met her once or twice. I’m interested to see how she manages to get around all this time.’
‘Well I don’t know,’ snorted Sharrag.
‘Of course you don’t know. I know everything you know,’ it said to him, then laughed.
The shade continued painfully slowly through his thoughts and memories, then towards his emotions and ideas, before finally making it to the centre of his being. The very essence of who he was. It was there the shade stopped. It took its sword from Talismen’s neck.
“Run wolf, you were lucky this time. If we meet again you will die,” it said to Talismen.
Talismen got up and growled Sythrel, taking a step forward. He stopped when Sharrag shook his head, sorrow in his eyes. The shade smiled, knowing exactly what Sharrag was feeling.
“That’s right wolfy, obey your Alpha,” it laughed, “Get out of here as fast as you can.”
Talismen whimpered one last time before turning and running off into the forest. The other pack members followed quickly and at the same time Sharrag breathed a small sigh of relief. The shade turned back to him.
“Now, Sharrag,” it said with an evil smile, “Or should I call you…”
He spoke a word in the ancient language. A word that made Sharrag’s scales shine and his body rumble. His very soul leapt at the word. His tail twitched and his wings flexed. The fire in his belly rumbled and Sharrag’s heart jumped. His wings then drooped by his sides as he felt a huge sense of dread.
The shade screeched in laughter as it said the word again. Sharrag roared in response. A roar full of sorrow and remorse. A roar that held the last of a dragon’s freedom, and then he collapsed to the ground knowing all hope was lost.
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Hey guys! New Chapter! I got this one out early :) Anyway, vote and comment if you enjoyed. How do you think Sharrag's gonna' wriggle his way out of this one? Comment what you think. Anyway, vote and comment if you enjoyed. Next chapter should be out soon. See Ya!
Pennator^^