Chapter Two

A Chapter by Acropolix

Whatever godless evil may lurk outside in that sweltering wasteland, there is one greater and we have named it the sun.

The creatures hissed in protest as the handlers tried to saddle them. Their rough scaly skins slipped between the bodies of the stable boys and wound around their legs. The venomous serpents moved across the rocky ground with intricate patterns. Long tongues slit in and out of their mouths and tasted the damp air. Garen and Crago watched from a safe distance as the giant snakes were prepared for the long journey ahead. Auron held a discussion with the stable master, a seasoned warrior who had seen too many days in the darkness of the fort.

"I am telling you once again. These serpents have not been fully trained. They're not ready to be ridden yet." Frendrel whistled on his fingers and waved angrily at one of the handlers. "Careful with that saddle!"

"I understand your concern for the animals, but we don't have the time nor the supplies to take horses." Auron kept a careful eye on the crawling mounts.

"Your supplies will be of little use, should you push the serpents too far," threatened Frendrel. "These are not ordinary horses. They have a will of their own and can sense fear from a great distance. They don't like to be handled by those weak of mind."

"Great rewards ask for greater risks. We are willing to take the bet and ride the serpents." And the sooner I can return, the better, thought Auron.

One serpent raised its black scales off the ground and towered above the men. Narrow eyes stared with vigorous fury as the handlers approached. The creature swept its long tail against the closest man and knocked him off his feet. A mouth opened with two long fangs containing deadly venom.

Crago suddenly stood next to Auron. "He seems to be in a bad mood."

Frendrel laughed heartily. "That black beauty is actually a lady. She is called Zeya and has never allowed anyone to mount her."

Zeya was far larger than the other serpents. Her long muscular body was thick and covered with glimmering scales in a dark shade of black. Her eyes were red with a touch of orange. Auron had never seen such a beautiful yet terrifying creature. Her wild and uncontrollable nature even intimidated Auron.

"Then today will be first time." Crago walked forward to the snake and picked the saddle up which had been dropped by the fallen handler. For a human, Crago could be called small, but compared to Zeya he looked like a dwarf. His one good eye focused on the serpent's deadly teeth as he loosened the grip on the leather in his hands.

"Careful, soldier, we don't want your journey to end already," warned Auron, though he didn't seem the least concerned.

"I have faced bigger monsters," said the spy overly confident. He circled around her, but Zeya moved along with the spy in quick and fluent movements. She hissed again, louder than last time, her tongue slipping in and out of her mouth as if she challenged the spy to come closer. The spy breathed in deeply. He set his left foot as close as possible against the wall and lowered himself to the ground. He picked up a handful of sand, constantly keeping an eye on the black lady. Zeya used her long body to surround the spy and cut off any exit routes. The spy threw the sand away and used the wall to shoot himself forward. He lunged at the serpent, but Zeya reacted lightning fast and squirmed to the side. Her body arched below the saddle and the spy fell down in the sand. Zeya lashed her tail at the ground before the fallen soldier and a wave of sand hit him full in the face. He coughed up the dust and dirt.

Frendrel clapped in his hands. "An excellent performance."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," snapped Crago. He stood up again and swept the dust off his coat. "Which of these bloody reptiles won't be as troublesome?"

Frendrel pointed at a serpent that had already been saddled. "Perhaps Myhr is more to your liking."

Crago scratched his scar out of habit. At one time, Auron had been stupid enough to ask the spy about his scar. The spy boasted a bear had clawed his face apart and an eye with it, but he had still killed the beast. Too bad the bear hadn't finished the job, reflected Auron.

Crago looked in the direction Frendrel was pointing at. Myhr was visibly smaller than his sister and his scales were dark red. He seemed relaxed and not as troubled by the presence of men. The spy was satisfied with what he saw and walked over to the serpent.

"Now then," said Frendrel, "what may my lord like - "

"I will mount her." Interrupted Garen. He had remained quiet since they entered the snake pit, at a safe distance from the crawling beasts.

"What did you say, Garen?"

"I will ride Zeya, my lord."

"Have you been drinking, boy? Did you not pay attention to what just happened?" The stable master was losing his patience.

"I'd like to see him try," mocked Crago.

"Eat some more dust, Crago." Auron was fed up with the arrogant soldier. He would get rid of him once they returned. "You can ride any of these serpents."

Suddenly, Garen walked into the pit and headed straight for the black queen. He picked up the saddle from the ground and raised an arm. Zeya hissed again as her tail rattled against the wall.

"This isn't some playground!" Shouted the stable master.

Garen stepped even closer to the serpent. Both the boy and the serpent stood perfectly still, staring deeply into one another's eyes. One moment, Zeya looked like she would assault the boy, the next moment she lowered her head and let Garen stroke her nose. She lowered her body to the ground and lay down flat. He traced a hand along her neck down to the wider part of her body. He dropped the saddle on her black scales and secured the leather straps.

The stable master dropped his mouth open and stared in disbelief at what happened. "I've seen quite some things at my old age, but this beats anything."

Auron couldn't believe what he was seeing. Garen set a foot on the saddle and threw himself on her back. Immediately, Zeya lifted her head off the ground and crawled to where Crago stood. The spy backed off with wide opened eyes. Garen gently tapped the serpent's neck and spoke with a calm voice. "You would do well not to anger her again."

"It takes little to anger her."

"Yes, it only takes a little man." Garen smiled at the spy, who didn't like the jape one bit.

"I will remember this, boy." Crago gave him a cold look and mounted his own serpent.

"I see you two are getting on along," said Auron, "better get ready myself." He walked into the pit and searched for a serpent with dark green scales. As he saw the particular snake he wanted, the stable boys ran towards him and secured the saddle. Auron stroked his nose. "It's good to see you again, Ican."

As Auron took his seat on the saddle, Garen rode up to him. "Are the names of all serpents four letters long?"

Frendrel answered the question. "You are one of the few to notice that. For years, the nomads were the only people to ride serpents. They believe the serpents are the physical embodiment of holy beings and they called them Children Of The Desert. The number four is holy in their religion, which explains why they always use four letters for names."

"Are these serpents taken from the nomads?"

"Certainly not by force. We bought the eggs from a passing trade caravan and simply inherited the tradition, so to speak."

"I'm afraid your questions will have to wait for later, Garen. We must go now," said Auron. He brought his hand to his chest and looked down at the old stable master. "Don't let them start the fight without me."

The stable master gave him a charming smile. "I will leave some wounded for you to play with."

"Give us six days to return with an army."

"Safe journey, my lord." Frendrel replied the courtesy and brought a fist to his own chest.

"Open the gate," commanded Auron.

The iron bars shrieked in protest as the gate rose off the ground. The late evening's sunlight blinded the company as they rode out into the desert. The familiar heat of the barren wasteland pressed down on Auron, though he knew the night's cold would soon replace that. They had left through a small opening far away from where the cannons fired, but they had to be cautious of any scouts. Auron urged his company forward along the rocky hill. The only sound to be heard was the occasional hiss of the serpents. A soft wind blew from the south and danced through his hair. He knew this land, from every rock and stone that covered the surface to the last lake that hadn't dried up yet.

"Which way shall we take?" Asked Garen.

"We will follow the Silk Road all the way to the Ruins Of Kelraka, there we head south along the fishing villages which lead us to Haecount," answered Auron.

"But that takes us too close to the borders of Targos," objected Crago.

"I don't like it much myself, but it's the fastest way to get there."

"How about we follow the Rose Road?" Offered Garen.

"We would lose too much time."

"Well, rushing in on Targos will have us killed surely. Better lose time and get to Haecount alive," said Crago.

"Yes, we would fill our bellies with wine and meat and fill the baron's hall with songs of glory. Meanwhile, our fellow brothers will fight to their last dying breath and the walls will run red with their blood. Yes, better lose time and get to Haecount alive." Auron glared at Crago with disgust. "I wonder what sickens me most, your insolence or your arrogance."

They continued their way to the Silk Road as the serpents crawled through the sand. A silence crept in on the company after Auron had last spoken. The spy just stared in quiet contempt at the road before them. They left the rocky hill behind them and turned their backs on the Lynx Sentinels who guarded the prison against an army superior in almost every aspect.

Night settled in like a curtain of darkness wrapped around them. They would ride on through most of the night and find shelter for the day's heat in the early dawn. If there was one thing Auron had learned during his many journeys, it was that the sun formed the largest enemy in the desert. It could kill entire hordes of men with its golden touch.

His father had told him many times. "Son, whatever godless evil may lurk outside in that sweltering wasteland, there is one greater and we have named it the sun." The Old Lion had taught him much. He struck his first blow with the sword at the age of six, killed his first deer at the age of ten and took command at the age of fifteen. Yet, now he ran from all he had been trained for. Against all reason and purpose his father had sent him off to beg for help. I am a Lynx Sentinel, a guardian of Crystalgate. I will not run from my duty.

Auron urged Ican to stop. Crago and Garen looked up surprisingly and halted. "We are going back. I forgot something, something very precious to me."

"What!?" Shouted the other men.

"Honor."

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© 2013 Acropolix

Author's Note

Thank you for reading. Any and all comments are welcome.

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PureHeaven

Great again! Can't say I expected Garen to be the one to ride the snake. I was expecting Auron, a nice surprise.
I only noticed one error, ~Zeya used her long *body* to surround the spy and cut off any exit routes~
And one sentence ~Zeya reacted lightning fast and dashed to the side~ Dashing sounds odd for a creature with no legs, maybe slithered? Or squirmed? Or "In one lightning quick movement the snake slithered to the left/right"? That's just my opinion though, just because I think doesn't mean the next ten or one hundred will.
But great chapter! Nice epic ending, Auron leaving his honor behind. Beautiful.