Legacy (2/?)

[bobojr]

Title: Legacy (2/?)
Author: bobojr  (Sorrow)
Characters/Pairings: OFC; reference to Kahlan/Richard; eventually Cara/Kahlan; Berdine/Raina
Fandom: Legend of the Seeker
Overall Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Language, Adult Situations, Violence, Blood and Death
Word Count: 4,782
Disclaimer: I do not own the "Legend of the Seeker" show or the “Sword of Truth” series. Its characters and situations from the show and books are property of ABC Studios, Disney, as well as Terry Goodkind.  This story cannot be sold or used for profit. The Original Characters belong to me.
Summary: What would you do if you got a second chance? A new prophecy, a new face, a new adventure and maybe a new chance at life. Set sometime after the second season of the show and the second book (Stone of Tears).
Author’s Note: I wasn’t sure if I should go for long or short chapters. This chapter is twice as long as the last one. Think I’ll keep to this size, plus/minus. The characters looks are from the TV series. Was very close to mixing with the books, hopefully this will make it a little easier. :)



CHAPTER 2

“Oh shit…” Taryn ground out between clenched teeth. She looked down at the dagger planted firmly in her lower abdomen. This was not good. Most likely, in her current state, this was a fatal wound. The cut on her arm was only a slight tingle compared to the stabbing pain in her stomach. The whole blade was inside her and the friction when she took a step almost brought her to her knees. Blood was seeping out around the dagger handle.

Taryn knew cursing herself for not being alert enough was useless, but she could not help it. Banelings were only a distraction, a way to tire her out. A bump in the road to slow her down so the real agents could get there in time. She was furious at herself, but knew the only thing she could do now was move. Stopping here would be a mistake that would only end in her losing her life faster than by the dagger sticking out of her stomach.

The edges of the blade were sharp and with every step, the wound grew slightly larger. Holding the handle carefully with her good hand, she tried to keep it as steady as possible while moving in a stiff, dragging stagger. Her breath became ragged and sweat started to spring forth on her face and neck. Her eyes flickered restlessly over her surroundings, looking for danger or a place to fix her latest problem.

Moaning in pain, she sank to her knees before a small stream, some distance away from the latest attack. It was not nearly far enough to feel safe, but Taryn did not think she could make it over the next ridge. Not without doing more damage and ripping into the already grave injury to make it more fatal than it already was.

Taking one of the scraps twinned around her shin, she dipped it in water after using a nearby branch to clear the topmost layer of the water. Underneath the layer of sand and ash, the water was only half as dirty and could even be considered clean. She dapped around the wound to make the edges more visible. Sweat was rolling down her face and dripped from her chin, she used the back of her forearm to dry her face, to keep it from dripping into the wound.

Taryn mumbled a soft prayer to the good spirits before taking a piece of the cloak into her mouth and bit down hard on it. Stiffening her body, she took hold of the dagger with a steady hand and took one last deep breath. Swiftly she pulled the dagger out and dried the blood off the blade with the wet cloth. Blood was oozing out of the gaping wound, but she paid it no heed. The bloody scraps were hurriedly rolled around the dagger handle. Muttering a few incantations the blade went from dull gray to orange and then into a pulsating red. With a slow, but sure motion, she slid the dagger back into the hole in her abdomen.

The fizzling sound of boiling blood and the smell of burned skin, made her growl deep in her chest. The burning pain shot through her and blinded all other senses but the feeling of hot steel burning her insides. It pulsated in an all-consuming way that made it hard to focus. Black dots started to dance before her eyes and her breathing was coming in short sharp gasps. Her teeth was clenched so hard on the cloak it almost tore the material.

After keeping it imbedded fully in her stomach for five counts, she slid it out with outmost care. Burning the injury was a risk in itself. The dagger could have hit something vital and the burning could have made her journey to the Keeper a lot swifter. It was a risk she had had to take. Now on her back, panting and blinking hard to keep conscious, she was not sure if she felt relieved that she would live to see another day.

She wondered idly why she had not dulled the blade of the dagger before burning the wound closed. ‘The blood loss must have made my brain turn to mush, by rights I should be dead’ twisting her neck so she could look back the way she had come. A trail of blood drops and half-bloody footprints reach as far as she could see, ‘Spirits! Oldman would have made me watch him eat while making me go hungry for a week if he saw me now.’

At the thought of food, a small rumbling sounded from her still bloodied midsection. ‘Creator save me from myself’, Taryn closed her eyes and pulled a hand through her hair before carefully getting up in a sitting position. Using the same dead branch as earlier, she removed the top layer of the water and drank heartedly. After filling her waterskin and cleaning up as best she could, she took the scrap cloth from her other shin and put it as a bandage over her newly cleaned and burned wound. The wet and slightly red tinted cloth that she had used to wash away the blood with was fastened on her head as a bandana. She had a throbbing headache and the warmth of the sun would only make that worse.

She staggered to her feet and looked around. For some reason the agents was not yet upon her. She knew not to wait around; they would follow the obvious trail she had left behind. Nothing could stop them and even without the trail, they would soon find her again.

‘Don’t just stand there! The berries won’t pick themselves!’, she felt herself grinning as the raspy voice resounded in her head. She had not thought about him or anyone else for a long time. Looking north towards the mountains, her grin softened into a small smile. ‘All right, the last stand will be where it all began’, she started her long track towards the ruins of the once great city of Aydindril. Thoughts of sweet juicy berries popped into her mind and her stomach rumbled a bit louder ‘Spirits take you Oldman!’

~0~0~0~0~

Cara could not help but smirk when she rounded the corner and saw the spectacle unfolding in front of her. Meeting bright blue eyes across the room, she saw the amusement sparkle there as well. Sliding her eyes back to the action, Cara could not repress the roll of her eyes as she cocked her hips and crossed her arms over her chest.

A small girl in a black dress was giggling with joy and excitement while running around a table at the end of the room. The top of the girl's head would hardly reach to Cara's knee if she had been standing next to her. Her long dark tresses flew around her freckled face as she looked back to the one chasing her. Brown eyes round with self-imposed fear of being caught.

Lord Rahl was right on her heals with a faux look of anger on his face. Teeth set in a grin, while he playfully growled at her. The white teeth were in sharp contrast to his full beard. His brown eyes sparkled as his hands reached out to grab hold of the little girl.

“Got you, you little rascal!” tickling the writhing girl in his arms. Happy squealing sounds mixed with gasps for air. “Thought you could get away from your dad, did you?” Richard threw the little girl a few feet up in the air and then caught her with strong, sure arms. Another giggle followed as he spun around several times with the girl on outstretched arms. Both father and daughter were grinning widely at each other.

Bright sunlight was pouring in through high windows and somewhere a door was open to let a light breeze flow through the room. The walls where artfully filled with framed canvases of landscapes and tapestry of creatures and nature alike. The room was tastefully decorated with expensive furniture in dark wood. Cara thought it smelled of summer and home. Looking at the three people currently occupying the room, she realized that it was their feelings that made her head fill with memories of her childhood.

Shaking the unproductive thoughts away, she focused on the issue at hand.

“It is past noon, Lord Rahl, Mother Confessor” a slight nod of the head to both of them in turn “The meal is ready to be served in the family dining room. Whenever you are done with your mid morning workout, Lord Rahl.” The last part was said in a drawl, with a raised eyebrow.

“Thank you, Cara” a calm reply and small smile from the Mother Confessor. “You don’t need to be so formal about it you know,” she added in a light teasing tone and a half-hidden smirk.

Richard pulled the girl closer to him and looked sternly at Cara. “Now now, Cara. I wa--“

“Down” Lord Rahls daughter wiggled her feet and tipped her head to the side in a way of question when she was not let down right away.

“Aww, but I thought I’d--” again Richard was cut off mid sentence.

“Put me down, daddy” the young face suddenly serious. A small hand reached out and patted the bearded cheek.

“As you wish, princess” Richard said with a fake pout plastered on his face. Cara thought it looked ridiculous on him.

The Mother Confessor could hardly hold her giggles and a few slipped out while she watched the girl straighten her dress. Cara could only smirk as the little girl locked eyes with her dad again and plainly stated, “I’m not a princess, daddy, I’m a Confessor.”

“Of course you are, cutie” Richard smiled and stroke some hair out of her face “but you also are my daughter, Ashley, and so you are a princess as well.” He was kneeling in front of her, eyes almost on the same level as hers.

“I am a Confessor first and then I’m Ash” the little girl slipped on a carefully practiced Confessor face. Cara felt a shiver go down her spine ‘these girls are trained from an even younger age than us Mord-Sith’.

“Is that so?” Lord Rahl's voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of annoyance. He shot a stern look up at the Mother Confessor, who was wearing her own Confessor mask. The amusement in her eyes and the smile on her lips were gone, as she calmly looked into Lord Rahl's eyes.

“Let’s go, Ashley.” Before the girl could answer, the Mother Confessor took her hand and started walking. Mother and daughter walked with a dignified confidence, white dress in sharp contrast to the smaller black one at her side. Cara gave a curt nod to both Confessors when they passed by her.

Lord Rahl watched with an unreadable look in his eyes as they left the room. Sighing he got to his feet and smoothened out his clothes. He looked like a real Lord Rahl in his new outfit, black leather boots, black wool trousers, and a black shirt with a black tunic over. The tunic had a band of gold around the edges and the leather wrist guards, belt and boots had small silver symbols on them. On his back was a cape that looked to be spun of pure gold and on his hip hung the Sword of Truth.

He had said it was the outfit of a War Wizard, which made sense to her. He looked frightening and noble at the same time. She was happy that the Lord Rahl finally took his part of the bond seriously. He being the magic against magic, while she and the rest of his people were the steel against steel.

Moving out of the room and into the corridor Cara took her place, one step behind and to the side of Lord Rahl. Richard would not have anything of it and made her walk by his side. It had been like that since they got back from the field. She suspected he was having a fallback to the days when they were traveling companions in search of the Stone of Tears. She would allow it now only because they were alone in the corridor or as alone as you could be with two hulking men walking a few paces behind you. The two men were Lord Rahls personal bodyguards Egan and Ulic. They followed him everywhere.

“The Wizard is waiting,” she reported.

“Zedd? I thought he was up in the Keep researching.” Lord Rahl's mind seemed to be somewhere else.

“He was, but he came rushing in here some time ago saying he had heard some news and that he was hungry” Cara's voice was laced with boredom of the current topic “You know how the Wizard is.” She waved a leather-clad hand idly in the air to emphasize her point.

“What news?” Richards’s sharp eyes looked her way; she could feel their intensity burn on her face.

“How should I know?” Cara just shrugged her shoulders.

Sighing Richard clutched the grip of the Sword of Truth with one hand and stared thoughtful at the floor in front of him.

When they reached the family dining room, Egan and Ulic took their places by the door, feet spread and hands behind their backs. Cara and Richard moved towards the table.

“Bags my boy, what took you so long? I came half a candle light ago.” Zedd did not wait for an answer and instead started to load his plate with food.

“I had an important mid morning workout” Richard grinned at Cara and she rolled her eyes at his jab. “What news have you got?” he asked as he sat down beside his grandfather.

“Can we not eat in peace?” Cara grumbled as she sat down next to Richard at his command.

“I think it would be good to at least know if it is important or not” Richard said offhandedly while reaching for some bread.

“Fairly important my boy, fairly so.” The Wizard pointed a finger in the air, but did not look up from his food.

“Well, what is it?” the Mother Confessor asked before Lord Rahl could admonish his grandfather for being slow.

“Why, Warren gave his first prophecy of course!” the old man looked at them as if it was the only obvious thing it could have been. They all just stared back at him, not sure if they were more shocked by the news or the old man delivering it.

~0~0~0~0~

The distinct sound of many small claws on rock reached her ears. Thanking the good spirits, she looked around in the dim light of dusk. She spotted the Gripper not too far off, coming towards her in a slow crawling wobble. It had sensed her long before she had heard it, drawn to her by the promise of fresh blood. The small hard-shelled creatures had not popped up until after the second tear of the veil. It was now one of the few edible creatures that walked the earth. Because of its slow wobbly gait, it was one of the easiest to catch. However slow it was, it was also deadly if you let it get attached to any part of your body. Taryn felt a shiver go down her spine thinking about the deaths caused by Grippers, slow and painful.

Using magic to levitate the Gripper into the air, she walked a bit closer to see what she was doing. She flipped the Gripper upside down, the small claw like feet moving desperately in the air and the mouth opening and closing. The mouth was large and covered most of the underside. Small teeth along the edge reminded her of a leech, ‘which is fairly accurate’ she thought. It was hissing and making clicking sounds at her, but she paid it no mind and focused instead to steady a stream of magic. She peeled off its hard and spiked shell with the use of magic, not wanting to risk any part of her body close to the dangerous leech.

Turning the Gripper back around, she plunged the dagger that had nearly killed her, into the soft tissues of the creatures back. It went silent and still almost immediately. Pulling the dagger back out, she used it to remove the mouth and most of the intestines. Leaving the soft sponge like mass that had been hidden beneath the shell and its heart and liver. The leftovers she burned with Wizard’s Fire. The agents of the Keeper would sense her magic signature here anyway, and giving others a free meal was not an option.

Using the dagger as a grilling spear, she started digging in. It was her third meal this week and she felt the raw Gripper meat settle heavily in her stomach. Yesterday she had come across some half-rotten mushrooms and a fairly clean stream. ‘Someone must be smiling down on me’, she thought happily as she took another bite of the bitter meat. Looking around she found she was making good time and her mood improved another notch.

It had taken a few days before she realized that the mountains she had thought was Agaden Reach were in fact the northern part of the Rang’Shada Mountains. From thinking she was somewhere in the northern part of the Wilds, near the country that was once named Tamarang, she had concluded that she was somewhere much closer to Aydindril. Closer than she had been for twelve long years.

After happening upon a small monument she remember seeing as a child, she knew that the river with canyons had been the Kern River and that she was several hard days of riding southeast of the old Kelton border. Remembering her history and geography lessons, she was almost ashamed to get lost in her native land. She hoped her mother would forgive her for that, ‘especially since everything looks the same in this deserted world’ she quipped.

She had been moving at a steady pace the past three weeks, trying to keep her tracks hidden and staying away from possible ambush spots. She was not stupid enough to think she was in the clear, she never was. Her eyes always roamed the countryside and if she could keep to shadows or away from open spaces, she did. She used magic as little as possible and not once did she dare to build a fire. Such comforts might have been fine while traveling with others, to ease their already fragile and distraught minds, but she knew the small comfort it would bring could not outweigh the danger it would put her in. Alone she was vulnerable and she could not risk it.

Shifting around a crack in the earth, she took the last bit of the Gripper and put the dagger back in her makeshift belt. The green light from the underworld was radiating from the crack, bleeding out into the world around it. Cracks like these were a normal occurrence around the world, even more so after the fall of the Drekinn Eldi. Taryn frowned a bit when her thoughts brushed those painful memories, but she pushed them away as fast as they had popped up.

She was close now. She could sense it. The air was heavy with something powerful and dark. It pushed against her chest and made it harder to breath. Taryn was not sure if it was her memories or remains of powerful magic that made it so. She came to a stop on the top of a hillside just south of what was once the magnificent city of Aydindril. Her mood was back to its normal dark and cynical self as she looked at her old home. So much happiness had once radiated from that place. Justice, peace and freedom had spread from this one city, to all lands and people over the whole world, like veins in a leaf. Its grandeur could not be match by any other manmade city known at that time.

Now, there was no buildings still standing. Everything was rubble. Even the city walls were torn down and nothing but rocks and debris scattered around. A huge rift split the city in two. The green light cast from the rift gave the whole place an eerie feeling. There was still half a wall left standing of the Confessor's Palace, but the Wizard's Keep was completely gone. She could feel the pressure on her shoulders and the sadness that threatened to overwhelm her.

“I’m home,” she whispered softly into the air.

Staring at her childhood home she for the first time in years wondered what to do.  She was standing in a world without hope, with nowhere to hide, all alone. In a world where the Keeper was close to clawing his way through the veil and his minions was running around freely killing everything left alive. No one left to stop them, ‘except me’, she thought with a determined frown. ‘I’m not dead yet, I will not give up now, not yet’, her jaw clenched as she pushed the depressing thoughts away.

As she was standing there vowing to herself and all the evils in the world that she would fight to the end, she found herself once again at the end of a surprise attack. It was mostly a surprise because she had yet again lost her focus and for that, she cursed herself. The screech was familiar and a sharp reminder of her current surroundings.

”Cursed, how could I be so stupid?” she grumbled, but she already knew. Her thoughts had once again led her astray, which had been happening more frequently the past few months while traveling alone.

She took off running towards the crumbled city. Hearing several more screeches above, as well as powerful strokes of leather-clad wings, she knew she would never make it all the way. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw no less than five Dragon Wights closing in on her. A loud howl filled the air and merged with the sound of the winged beasts on her tail. Snapping her head to the left she saw three huge Heart Hounds coming at her in a dead run. Their fangs were snapping and saliva flew into the air behind them as they growled at her.

Taking her scythe of her back, she decided to make her last stand right there. There was nowhere to run and she could swing her scythe more freely out her in the open. In addition, she remembered one of her father’s combat lectures ‘they can never come at you all at once’. His reassuring voice filled her mind and she blocked everything else out as she focused on her breathing.

Taryn spun to face her attackers, her black cape billowing out behind her. She snarled as she took a wide stance and threw one of her hands towards the Dragon Wights. They were met with a gust of air so powerful they tumbled through the air and crashed into the ground several hundred feet away. She did not waste any time looking at the winged beast and instead focused her attention to the three Heart Hounds that were almost upon her. Crouching down to make herself a smaller target, she lifted the scythe with one hand, holding it out to the side.

Her chest was unguarded and the first Heart Hound to attack could not resist going for the big price. In a swift, but powerful swipe of the scythe, she cut off the front feet of the attacking Heart Hound.  Moving quickly to the side, its body continued its momentum and crashed face first to the ground in whimpers and enraged growls. The next Heart Hound did not halt its speed or attack as it snapped its powerful jaws at her, missing only by an inch.

Focused as she was, to get away from the second Heart Hound, she almost got her leg torn off by the third one. It only grazed her lower thigh and knee, before she used the scythe to make it back up. Blood was running from the wound, but the small tingle of pain only served to fuel her anger. Taking a small step forward she lifted the scythe again. The Hearth Hounds growled at her and hunched down, getting ready to leap at her. The wounded Heart Hound was still whimpering somewhere behind her, it could not do her any harm in its current condition, so she pushed it out of her mind.

The third Heart Hound made a leap for her head. She quickly bent down and twisted the scythe in her arms. Then she sprang to meet the leaping beast. Thrusting the scythe deep into its chest, she used both her momentum and the Heart Hounds to pull the scythe right down his body, splitting him open. The lifeless body fell to the earth in a heap. Blood and gutter splattered both the ground and her.

Turning towards the last Heart Hound, she just had time to lift the scythe and put the shaft in front of her face before the powerful jaw snapped down. The power of the attack and her poor footing, made them crash into the ground. All the air rushed out of her lungs as the heavy beast landed on her chest. It clawed at her stomach and her almost healed wounds. She screamed out in pain and anger. The Heart Hound shook its big head, twisting and pulling on the scythe as if it was a bone. Saliva dripped down from its mouth, mixing with the blood and dirt.

A thump on the ground nearby was all the warning she needed. Twisting her body, she made it so the Heart Hound shielded most of her body. Not a moment later, his growling stopped and the limp body stilled on top of her. As quickly as she could, she pushed the dead body off her and spun the scythe around her in a circle, hoping to keep the Dragon Wights away. Before she came full circle a claw tore into stomach, it was plain luck that it did not strike a fist length higher. Taryn gasped in pain and wonder. Eyes going wide, she stared as the Dragon Weight yanked its claw out and stepped back.

Her knees wobbled, but she locked them and clamped a hand over the wound. She glanced around in confusion. ‘Why am I not dead yet?’ she wondered. She knew she should be and it confused her. The Dragon Wights pulled away from her and between them she caught a glimpse of something pitch black. The tattered black cloth that blew in the slight wind was all she saw, but it was all she needed to see. Her heart constricted in fear.

For what felt like a lifetime, she was frozen in place. Blood gushing out between her fingers, breath caught in her throat, eyes glued to the flapping cloth. It disappeared behind one of the still retreating Dragon Wights for a moment and it made her snap out of her dazed state. She did not think, but she acted.

A quick look around found her an opening big enough to exploit. Rushing off in that direction, she gave no thoughts to her wounds or where she was headed. She just had to get away, far away and fast. A blast of magic hit her in the back and she flew into the air. It threw her a good seven feet up in the air and almost thirty feet forward. She landed roughly on the dirt-covered ground. Pulling a deep breath, she coughed and spit out blood. Grimacing she opened her eyes slowly.

A single Marigold, proud and blooming stood a scarce foot from her eyes. ‘Such simple beauty’, was her only thought. She stared wide eyed at this one last wonder of the world. Feeling danger drawing closer she reached out a shaky and bloody hand. Her fingers clasped carefully around the fragile stem, not wanting to break it. Her mind was made; she would give the last of her strength to this beautiful, but fragile life force.

She could feel the magic pulsing and reaching out from behind her. She put most of her reminding strength in a shield and the rest she poured into the little white wonder in front of her. A loud crack was heard when the magic met her shield and it blossomed into a violent explosion of light and sound within a few heartbeats. Then everything became black. Pitch Black.

Edited: 17.02.2011, 28.03.2011 and 01.04.2011 (some spelling and grammar)

- Chapter 3 -