Chapter 4: Lunch
It had taken Eragon and Roran an easy eight days of flying to reach the area around Helgrind. They were about two leagues away when Eragon insisted that they land. They would have to wend their way closer by foot. They spent the next day traveling out of sight, Saphira and Roran both grumbling as they walked.
"I still don't see why we don't just fly up there and kill them that way? No one takes on a Dragon that easily." Muttered Roran, for about the fiftieth time. Eragon had gotten tired of hearing it and decided to give a reason for them walking the rest of the day.
"Listen to me carefully, fighting the Ra'zac is different. They are strong where we are not. It's very hard to level the playing field. If we 'just attacked them' they'd do everything in their power to haul me and Saphira off to Uru'Baen. Last time Brom and I went up against them, he died and I barely made it away alive. We have to play at their weaknesses. That means, for one, not letting them know we are here." Eragon was frustrated with the walking and had been pondering how to use his and Roran's skills against the impossibly strong Ra'zac.
"Have you come up with a plan?" Roran asks Eragon, actually rather glad that Eragon had responded to him. The silent treatment had been getting on his nerves. Saphira grumbled some more, about how it was undignified for a dragon to be walking.
"Well, no" said Eragon. "I've been going through what I know, and I'm coming up with very little." Saphira please stop grumbling. We have to do this, I know you don't like it. I've half a mind to ask you to dull your scales, just to make sure we aren't seen. And don't broadcast your thoughts. Just mine and Roran's minds. Eragon could feel her surliness at the thought of dulling her beautiful hide. But she knew why it was important and walked off to roll quickly in dirt.
Though mind you,she said, I do this only because you ask me to. No wild dragon would ever dull their scales. I'll keep my mind open but only broadcast to the two of you. Now, let's talk about what we know.
"Good idea, Saphira." He responds, patting her side and then turning to Roran. "She thinks we should brainstorm together about what we know."
"Well, they're ugly, strong, and don't like light or deep water." Starts Roran. He scoffs. "Fat lot of good that will do us. There's no ocean near here. And we can't just make them fight us in sunlight."
No, started Saphira, we can't. But we have the upper hand right now. They don't know we're here. What else do we know? She was mainly asking Eragon, for he had read all those scrolls in the Elven libraries.
"Well, they look something like a giant cockroach with a beak under those black cloaks. They'll eat anything that moves. But they aren't human, they ride on the backs of their parents, and they can't use magic."
"That's a blessing." Exhaled Roran, truly relieved at the fact that he and Eragon had a weapon that the Ra'zac didn't. "If those monsters could use magic, I'd just suggest heading back to the Varden."
But those are just the basics. When do they eat? What hours do they keep? How do they converse? Mate? Do they sleep? These are questions we must answer. Saphira wasn't musing, she was thinking solidly. When she noticed Roran's confusion she spoke again, the Ra'zac are hunters. They stalk their prey, observe their habits, find out what they fear or love, and then use that to get what they want. When I hunt deer, I know they congregate in herds at dusk, where they can protect their young in groups. If I want a better chance of catching one, I hunt them at dusk or at dawn, when they are in a large group, and readying to sleep. If we want to be the hunters of Ra'zac, we must know what their habits are.
"That's actually a fair excellent idea, Saphira. Only one problem: how do we observe them without them knowing we are here? We can't just walk up to Helgrind?" Asks Eragon, loving that Saphira was so wise, but seeing the flaw in her almost perfect plan.
"Why not? We could just watch them from the base? Right?" asks Roran. His enthusiasm at being so close to getting to Katrina was palpable.
"Because Brom died the last time we tried. No. We have to stay a steady distance away from Helgrind for the moment." Eragon's words were hollow as he remembered Brom, his death, and the arrival of Murtagh. The night was a blur of anger and pain.
Eragon, I have it! Remember Cadoc? Eragon could feel the joy in her thoughts at having figured out a good plan.
"Yes. But he was sold to someone else, miles from here Saphira. You know that." Said Eragon, trying to feel out Saphira's plan, but she was guarding it, so she could tell Roran and Eragon together.
No. When you met him. You reached for his mind. And Brom said it wasn't unheard of, anyone could bring an animal to them. She was practically shaking with enthusiasm. I was thinking, if you can reach for my mind, see through my eyes, than maybe you could do that with some other animal. See through the eyes of a bird of some sort.
"That's a fair interesting idea, Saphira." Eragon mumbled, his mind racing at the possibility. He would be safe enough, hiding inside the animals mind and the Ra'zac wouldn't be able to sense him. If he chose a small bird, no one would notice it flying around during the day. But it would have to be a bird known for it's curiosity, one not afraid to fly up toward the Ra'zacs lair. But what?
"What are you pondering Eragon?" asked Roran. He had noticed Eragon's silence, but had known that Eragon wasn't talking to Saphira.
"I was musing, what sort of bird could get as high as the spires of Helgrind, without being obtrusive. A bird anyone would excuse its curiosity?"
Why not just be an eagle? Or a hawk. Asks Saphira, feeling some disdain that Eragon would be considering a creature other than a hunter of the sky.
"Well. Eagles and hawks are obvious. And they don't tend to be curious. I need a curious bird, one that will be written off as a nuisance, rather than a threat." Explained Eragon. His reasoning was solid. But what bird. The thought was there, he just couldn't reach it. He knew of the perfect bird, but its name eluded him.
Saphira felt his confusion. Ugh Eragon. I haven't been this confused since Blagden fed you that nonsense in Ellesmera about two being two or two being one or one being two. Saphira snorted abruptly, blue flame tickling at her nostrils.
"Saphira! That's it! Blagden!" Eragon explained quickly about the pure white raven which followed Islanzadi around, and that was a favorite pet of Evandar's.
"But it's pure white? That calls attention to it, won't it? Besides, you can't just bring the darn bird down here, it's all the way with the elves." Roran was skeptical about the use of Blagden as the animal of choice, and didn't quite fathom what Eragon was getting at.
"No, no. I don't want to use Blagden per-say. But let me see if there are any crows or ravens in the area. A crow can fly around someone's laundry, through their field, and no one will think anything of it, except that it's a nuisance." Eragon melded his mind with Saphira's and the two of them opened their thoughts wide, to accept the thoughts of everything. With some work, Eragon felt only for the birds. Then only for raptors and scavengers. He found the crows breaking apart an old deer carcass. He picked a young one, strong, but young enough to still have some curiosity in it.
Okay, thought Eragon to Saphira, now to see if I can touch its mind and bring it to me. They young birds thoughts were focused on the carrion. But the second Eragon touched its thoughts it brought its head up, confused. Eragon told it, that he didn't want to hurt the bird, but that he wanted to ask its help. The bird looked around, observed the carcass some more. Eragon promised it meat. It could eat from the kill of a Dragon, unharmed. He showed an image of Saphira and a fresh, half-eaten kill.
The bird was intrigued. It had a wouldn't-that-be-fun, thought process. The thing thought about how great it would be to say he stole meat from the kill of a dragon. How much he could preen and be preened. He would come to the head-voice. With that, it took off, flying haphazardly until it reached the air around Eragon.
"Saphira, you have your lunch. Will you share with him?" Eragon asks, finally disengaging from the bird as it landed at their campsite. It gave a loud caw! And hopped over to Eragon. Again, he reached for the birds mind, this time asking if he could test an idea. See through the animals eyes, while being inside its mind. The bird didn't understand, but it liked games. He would play the Mind-Voice's Game.
Does the dratted little thing have a name? Grumbled Saphira, looking at the bird which shrugged and hopped in a way that showed off its glossy black feathers.
The bird issued thoughts of confusion. It was just a crow. It was not special enough, it was too young. But now it could be crow-with-mind-voice. Crow-that-took-from-great-lizards-kill. Eragon was confused at how much its thoughts jumped around, yet how they were still organized.
If you don't behave, you will have the name "Lunch." Saphira grumbled, grudgingly nudging her kill with her nose. The bird leaped up, happily calling cawing as it dove into the kill. Eragon's mind raced with the birds thoughts of 'lunch-lunch-lunch'. When the crow had eaten it's fill, it hopped in front of Eragon again.
Something about its thoughts had changed. Unlike most animals, they weren't just thrown in there, pell-mell. Eragon felt he could have a conversation with the dratted bird.
Where now, mind-voice. I have my lunch. What you want, mind-voice? The birds "voice" was a projection it gave itself. Much like Saphira did, it crowed and squawked its words, in that rough raucous caw!
Would you like to tell me your name, first? Then we can fly to the Helgrind, the big stone mountain. Eragon was surprised at how easily he and the crow spoke with each other. He felt that Saphira's presence, much like Evandars spell so many years ago, had magically influenced the crow.
Lunch. Name is Lunch. Lunch Lunch Lunch. Fly to mountain now? We fly. It decided after Eragon hesitated. With Eragon's mind still firmly connected, it took off, reaching for the sky. It didn't fly with the same grace as Saphira, it seemed to almost fall through the sky. Eragon carefully attempted to see through the creatures eyes. He did, and it was an alien world. He could see up-drafts, much like he did when he flew with Saphira. But the world was in strangely alien colors. Red wasn't just red, but a bright venom-red. Blue was acid-blue. Green was so strong and bright. Only black had any semblance of normalcy, and it always shined with an iridescence that Eragon figured was only visible to crows. After a few moments, Helgrind came into view.
We fly there.Eragon said, keeping his words simple. It was dusk and the sun was going down. The Ra'zac were milling about in their lair. Helgrind was a mountain that reached high, high, high, into the air. And rather than their lair being at the very top, it was just under a ridge, which formed a deep cave. Eragon asked Lunch if he would fly around, to see if there were any other entrances. There were none. The cave entrance under the ridge, was the only way in.
Only way in, is only way out. Grumbled Lunch, imitating Saphira. Lunch have fun. We fly back to Scale-flapper. Big-giant-lizard?
One moment. Eragon had the bird land, and watch the cave mouth. The Ra'zac took off on their winged mounts and Lunch shivered, cocking his head.
Let's go head-voice. If sun sets, Lunch no see. Scale-flapper will be cross. We fly again? With that, Lunch took off, taking his same haphazard flight back towards Saphira and Roran, and Eragon's waiting body. When Lunch landed, Saphira nudged it. Ack! Scale-flapper cross! No eat Lunch!
"Yes, no eat Lunch" said Eragon, still feeling his thoughts whirr with Lunch's odd style of speaking. "I mean. Don't eat the crow. Wow. That was interesting."
"Lunch? You named him Lunch?" Asked Roran, amused at the crow, hopping around the tiny fire Roran had set. He had taken a risk, just in case Eragon and Lunch couldn't get back.
"He gave the name to himself. He is hence-forth, named Lunch. He showed me the Ra'zacs lair. They flew off as the sun set." Eragon took a drink of water, not realizing how thirsty and cramped he was.
"And? What did you find out?" Roran scooched forward, giving Eragon a bowl of oatmeal, with some nuts in it. It was the easiest food to make, without using too much fire. They couldn't have it on for too long. There would be moonlight, mercifully, but the fire went out now.
"Well, they left as soon as the sun set, and there is something in the cave that interests them. They were moving around rather animatedly." Eragon said, putting out the fire. Lunch gave a muffled caw and fluttered around, sitting finally on Eragon's traveling pack.
"And Katrina?" asked Roran. "Is she in there? She's still alive right? Is she awake?" His panic was noticeable.
"I couldn't look. I wasn't sure. Tomorrow, Lunch and I will look further. Maybe, we can find another creature, like a bat, that will let us see into the cave while the Ra'zac are out? But take heart. We've learned that I can see through another creatures eyes, if I am in it's mind. But sleep. I will take first watch as I plan some more." Eragon reached over, and taking Lunch into his lap, he stroked the glossy black feathers. Lunch enjoyed it, and fell asleep, while Eragon thought.