Chapter 1
Reflections
Eragon's mind wandered as much as the river did over the next week. He thought often of Arya and of the others that had been left behind; knowing that he was the one who had left them behind. He had resolved himself to this fact. But he could not have lived with himself if he abandoned the Eldunarí and the eggs to pursue his own desires. He was, after all, the leader of the next generation of riders. The immensity of that statement weighed upon him as they drifted down the river.
Eragon. Saphira gently touched his mind as she spoke to him.
What? He answered her with a snap. He had grown short-tempered over the past week, but she had understood the depth of the emotions which coursed though his body. I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment. He did not want to have her upset with him because he needed her comfort to carry him through this.
I can see water ahead of us. I am unsure if it is a lake or sea yet. But it reaches across the horizon. She spoke with something Eragon could only identify as uneasiness.
She spoke true, for as the day wore on the river widened into a vast delta that emptied into a vast sea. At Eragon's direction the elf guiding the vessel steered to the south shore of the delta. As they moored the ship to the shore to prevent the currents from carrying it off they made camp.
The waves broke gently upon the shore as the day wore on. As he gazed out upon the expanse of water before him he wondered what laid in wait for him out there. Unsure of how to proceed from here he sought out the Eldunarí's guidance.
He reached out with his mind to the hold of the ship. It was Umaroth who he first touched and who responded.
Yes Eragon? The dragon uncurled his mind as if he had been resting.
I am sorry if I disturbed you Umaroth-elda. I was hoping to seek your counsel on our next move. We have reached the shores of a great sea. Should we continue and head out upon the open ocean that lays before us? Or is there another path we can take? Eragon had hoped that the elder dragons would be able to provide a perspective he could not see.
The dragon took a moment before he answered Eragon. He supposed that he was consulting with the other Eldunarí.
We have decided that it would be too risky to head straight into the unknown as we have no way of judging how far across this sea may be. Let us first head north along the coastline to see if any islands may present themselves to us. If that fails then… well we will cross that bridge when we get to it.
Eragon conceded to the dragon's point of view. It would be foolish to not first attempt to find a nearby landmass before jumping headlong into the unknown. Nor could he transverse a vast body of water and still be able to fulfill his promise to rebuild the riders in Alagaësia.
Before Eragon realized it, nightfall was upon them. As he lay down under Saphira's wing he thought of what lay ahead. So they would have to delay their departure until morning came. And so it was with that thought that Eragon drifted off into his waking dreams.