It took Eragon a lot of promises in the ancient language that they would rescue her egg and avenge Roran's death to calm Saphira down. Afterwards, he sent Nasuada a message that he would do everything in his power to find the daughters of Galbatorix and anyone who supported them. Unfortunately, neither Eragon nor Murtagh knew anything about the girls. As far as Murtagh remembered, Galbatorix had only one child, a girl named Jezebel. She was only five years old when her father died, and her mother, Freja,was Galbatorix's favorite concubine. Not to mention a very dangerous sorceress and necromancer. He knew Freja was imprisoned after Galbatorix fell, but he had no idea what had happened to Jezebel.
Therefore, Eragon sent a second message to Arya, who probably knew more. Upon receiving Eragon's message, Arya decided to forfeit her throne earlier than planned and came to the Sanctuary immediately. In the meantime, Eragon made sure the training of the young Riders wouldn't be disrupted, while Murtagh cast all the locator spells he knew to find Jezebel or the egg. It was futile. Other times, he went on long hunting trips with Thorn. The elves and Eragon didn't eat meat, and the dwarf Rider was adapting to their diet. Not having received the traditional Rider training, he had no such restrictions. He didn't really care about the meat, though. Hunting was a way to remind himself that he was still free. After all those years in the wilderness, he felt trapped in the company of people.
He and Thorn were returning from another hunting trip when he noticed the young Riders had gathered around a green dragon. Fírnen and Arya were finally here. Thorn landed nearby. The children were asking questions about Fírnen's size, age and abilities. It was understandable, as he was only the third adult dragon they had seen. And they didn't feel comfortable enough to ask Murtagh such questions, although Thorn was much bigger than Fírnen. They had probably heard it was due to Galbatorix's magic, a taboo subject.
Unnecessary jealousy, Murtagh. Stop comparing yourself to others, Thorn advised.
Eragon let his students satisfy their curiosity, then sent them inside. Only then Saphira did join them. The two dragons appeared to exchange thoughts, as two rings of smoke rose from Fírnen's nostrils when he snorted. The egg might be Saphira's, but Fírnen was the father. He was as furious as her, though admittedly better at controlling himself.
Murtagh and Arya politely greeted each other in the Elven way before Arya turned to Eragon. "First of all, my condolances, Eragon. Roran was legendary warrior and a dear friend. His heroism will always be remembered among my people. May his soul rest in peace."
"Thank you."
"Murtagh and Thorn, it is good to see you join us once again. Now, I assume you would like to hear more about Galbatorix's family?"
They all nodded. Arya gestured them to sit on a marble bench under a large maple tree. Its scarlet leaves were dancing with the gentle evening breeze. The atmosphere here was too peaceful to discuss such disturbing things, but it had to be done.
"Galbatorix only had two daughters, with a dangerous necromancer named Freja," she began.
"Was he married?" Eragon asked.
"No, she was his concubine," Murtagh replied. "But I only remember one girl, Jezebel. I never saw a second child around the court." And what I remember isn't very pleasant, he thought. Thorn agreed, recalling the incident with Shruikan.
"Because the second one was born after Galbatorix died. Most of his concubines were released as they hated him as much as we did, but Freja was imprisoned for her crimes. Jezebel was sent to an orphanage, as no one was willing to adopt her. Soon, in the dungeons, Freja discovered she was pregnant again. Nasuada made sure she gave birth safely to her second daughter, but took her away from the mother right away. This time, there was a couple who wished to adopt the child, but a group of bandits kidnapped her while she was being transported. Then we discovered Jezebel was missing as well."
"Didn't Nasuada do anything about it?" Eragon asked, with a hint of accusation in his voice.
"Of course she did. She sent out a spy to find the girls, but I fear he either died, or joined them, as we haven't heard anything from Ari for years."
"Them?"
"Slavers, torturers, mercenaries, sorcerers Nasuada exiled… Everyone who wants their privilages during Galbatorix's reign back. Any of them might have taken the girls. What I really fear is, someone might have organized these people."
"A resistance group like the Varden, only this time they are against us."
"Who is their leader?" Murtagh hoped it was someone he remembered from his days with the evil king. A familiar enemy would be an advantage.
"We don't know. They clearly use Galbatorix's daughters as a symbol, but they are too young to lead such a force."
"Even if they are in the leadership position, they must be only puppets. We need to know who the real leader is," Eragon said.
"What do they want with the egg?" Saphira asked. "Surely my child wouldn't hatch for one of those vile thieves…"
"My guess is they are planning to force it to hatch, but as far as we know, that's impossible."
…
"WHY DOES IT NOT WORK?"
Jezebel slammed her fists on the table, her beautiful features twisted with fury. Exhausted by the overuse of magic, her body was shaking, yet her eyes were still locked on the only thing that mattered: The white dragon egg on the table.
"Sister…" Claris gently grabbed her forearm.
"What? Unless you're going to suggest something useful, shut up!"
"I suggest you take a rest."
She gave her a death glare. "Get out before I rip off your tongue!"
Uninfluenced by her threat, Claris spoke with a certain authority this time. "This morning I saw Seskel. He didn't seem contented."
Claris finally had her attention. "What?" she gulped.
"When was the last time you bed him, sister? You gambled with our true names in the past, and I will not be enslaved by a Shade because of your recklessness."
A seductress like Jezebel could make an army of Shades, Urgals or even Raz'ac fight for her, she only had to have the stomach to touch them.
Jezebel thought for a moment.
"The egg belongs to us now. It's only a matter of time. Go, Seskel is no fool. You have to keep him happy. I will work on the egg myself for the rest of the night," Claris assured her.
"If it hatches…"
"It will be yours." She sealed her promise with a genuine smile.
Even after all those years, Claris was still surprised by how smoothly she could lie.
Jezebel left the room. Now, alone with the egg, she lowered the barriers of her mind, trying to reach Ari.
Master?
Is she gone?
Yes.
So, it was really happening. Claris was going to betray her sister, return the egg to Elves, and surrender to Nasuada.
Claris, you know this is the only way, Ari reminded. With a dragon, Jezebel would become unstoppable.
I know.
There is one other thing you should know… I am not a Galbatorix sympathizer. I never was.
She wasn't shocked that Ari wasn't who he had said he was, but then why had he been protecting Galbatorix's children with his life? He had been with them for more than twenty years, since Claris was a newborn babe. Who are you, then? she asked, calm as always.
A spy Queen Nasuada sent to bring you girls back. But I haven't been in contact with her in years. Once we get there, people will recognize me.
It still didn't answer her question. Why?
That's a subject we can discuss some other day. Now let's focus on the task ahead. Can you hide the egg under your cloak on your way out?
Yes.
The freezing climate of the North would probably come handy for the first time ever. It was so cold that no one would judge you here if you wore a fur cloak indoors.
Good. Now we will wait.
Master Ari had withdrawn from her mind. The plan was simple. Take the egg, replace it with an illusion, and leave for Alagaësia before anyone noticed it was gone. She just had to wait, so the guards outside would think she was working.
Half an hour later, Claris thought she heard the egg shake as she watched the snowy scenery out of the window. When she turned her head, the egg was still. Nevertheless, to make sure, she approached and looked closer. Right in front of her eyes, it began shaking again.
Claris cursed silently. Whatever Jezebel had done, it had worked. It rattled for a few seconds, then a crack was heard. And a squeak. Claris quickly cast an isolation spell; she didn't want the guards to hear the noises and she didn't want Jezebel or Seskel to sense its magic. Surely the hatching of a dragon would emit a certain energy.
Now a white baby dragon was inspecting her with big, round, silver eyes. With a little struggle, it completely got free of what once was its shelter. If Claris didn't know what Jezebel was going to do with it, she would say it was cute.
She wanted to consult Ari about their next move, but she had isolated the room. She couldn't contact him without undoing the spell. And she couldn't risk Jezebel or the Shade discovering the dragon.
It had to die. It was a painful decision to make, and the consequences would even be worse. Be it Jezebel, Arya or Nasuada, they would all torture her to death for slaying a baby dragon.
She extended her hand as the innocent creature watched, constantly reminding herself not to be emotional, but logical. Thousands of people, as well as the other dragons, would suffer if this one lived. Once her hand was close enough, its nose touched her palm and stung. Instinctively, Claris withdrew her hand.
No, this was unthinkable. What was worse than a dragon who was forced to hatch for Jezebel was a dragon who willingly chose Claris. Jezebel would kill them both. But maybe, just maybe, it had sensed Claris' intention and protected itself in some curious way. After all, this was a dragon. Maybe it had not marked her. But she knew she had never been that lucky. There was no reason for her to be now. Preparing herself for the worst, she slowly opened her fist.
The mark of the Rider, the legendary gëdwey ignasia, was shining silver on her right palm.
A/N: Dear Hop, thanks for the review! It means a lot to me, and I will definitely continue writing. Yeah, Murtagh and Nasuada will soon meet, under very interesting circumstances, in my opinion.