Chapter 4:

keeping her mind focused on Marcus, Sapphire threw the rosaries high into the air and watched it land nicely in Zaharra's open hands, Marcus noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to investigate, using this moment of distraction to her advantage Sapphire dived into his mind and started screeching 'MURDERER! SCUM! FILTH! HEARTLESS! ' his reaction was just what she needed, as Marcus clutched his head to try and make the screeching stop Zaharra lunged at him and pulled his sword free of its scabbard with her newly freed hands, and without hesitation run him through with his own blade, and pulling it free dashed over to where Sapphire stood mentally assaulting anyone who tried to inter fear, and together they fled before anyone could really grasp what had just happened.

"I missed him! my one clean shot at killing that stupid bastard! and i miss." Zaharra was absolutely fuming.

"what are you talking about? i saw you run him through, the blood on his blade proves it."

"but it wasn't a fatal blow! he'll be up and walking in no time!"

"all the better, he'll be fuming mad that you practically maimed his sword arm," sapphires smile was a little twisted as she envisioned what it would be like to battle Marcus now, oh the taunts she would say.

"where are we to go now?"

"uuhm...well thats where things get iffy, the night furry said she would meet us and take you of our hands, but since i was the only one to go through with the plan and i actually fled with you, because now that i think of it i really didnt need to, but no going back now is there? so i say we go back to my place so i can grab my things and then we head out immediately."

"where are we going?"

"to hide, we're officially on the run, and the only thing i can think of is to keep ourselves alive and free until the night furry comes to get us, or at least to tell us a portion of her plan."

"the night furry has a plan?"

"she must do, no offence but she wouldn't have been interested in your freedom nearly as much as she was if she didnt have some kind of plan to over throw Pantan and her father, each day that passes life gets more and more miserable for the people and more and more dangerous for Queen Lillian, for Pantan is craving her crown, her grandeur, and we both know that she is capable of murder to get what she wants."

"and you think that the night furry is just going to indulge her plans to you?" Zaharra sounded amused by Sapphire's assumptions

"she has to tell me something, i just gave up my family, my freedom and my home all to save you at her request, she owes me at least a little explanation, other wise ill force it from her."

"what by reading her mind like you did mine?" Zaharra sounded bitter all of a sudden, and Sapphire new exactly why, it was always like this when she inserted thought into someone elses mind.

"i didnt read your mind Zaharra, i simply entered thought."

"oh sure i know that you saw into my mind, you dont have to lie."

"not to be rude or anything but , yours is the last mind that i would want to delve into."

"excuse me?!?"

"inserting thought into someones mind as a means of comunication or distraction is one thing, but to actually enter someones mind and to delve into their thoughts, its torture, as a payment i have to take most of their pain, and grief and fears upon myself, they eat away at my mind added on to my own sufferings, added onto the the pain of the mind before theirs, its absolute torture, so just imagine entering the mind of a Rider who's dragon has just been taken down? imagine what it would be like. so no i do not read minds, i simply embed thought, but its no less dangerous to the person who's mindim assaulting, you saw how Markus was clawing at his head madly trying to get me out, and ive lulled many into a dream like state, murmured softly to them, let them believe i would make their dreams come true, gave them a false hope, and told them that i would make all the pain and the suffering going away, which in the end i or one of my sisters do, its easier to kill a willing soul, my sisters say, they have me put the soul to rest before the heart stops beating. but i dont think it is mercy what they have me do, id hate to be standing helpless before my enemy, myweaponclutched uselessly by my side, id rather die fighting, as i know many would."

"how do you do it? ive never heard of elves with such an ability."

"im not pure blood, im a highbread, an elvgon, one of few but one none the less, gifted enough to look elven enough to live among them, and gifted enough to be trusted by dragons, for the ability to share minds is one that dragons and dragons alone are supposed to have, its a way for them to communicate to each other, and it is in that way the they talk to their riders. as you should know"