A/Notes:
Posted 2-29-2012 I know I really rushed this cause I thought it would be fun to post on this day. So I apologize for the lack of Quality. It almost feels like two short chapters. I will likely go back and split them up for that reason... not sure. Please feel free to suggest your thoughts. And I thank you in advance.
Please remember that the previous chapter was a sneak peek at a future chapter and has not yet happened.
Chapter Six: Unexpected Visitors
The pair's destination was to be the northeastern coast of the great lake of Leona. There, nestled securely within the foothills of the Spine Mountains, stood the secluded estate of Edoc'sil'baen. Due to the overgrowth of trees, shrubs, moss, and ivy, it would be difficult to see. Even if it were spotted, it would appear long abandoned. Still, to the red pair it was a beautiful sight. It was a calm refuge in a dangerous world, and one they were yearning to return to.
Actually the world around them had been becoming much less dangerous; for most of the land's inhabitants. But when it came to the king's former henchman, there was little tolerance to be found. Locating the rider's childhood home had offered them an unexpected welcome, and the only likely source of comfort and security; and for this they were both grateful.
The ruby scaled dragon sailed over the moon kissed surface of the lake, when he spotted a large school of fish just below them under the waves. There was a slight twist to Thorn's flight, and an upward tilt that brought the flight to a complete stall. The unexpected dive into the water took his rider by surprise, but at the last moment he caught on to what Thorn was doing.
As they struck the cold fresh liquid, Murtagh let go of the dragon, giving him a better streamline for his underwater chase, and he felt the thrill of the hunt surging through his scaled partner's being. Rising to the surface, the rider pulled in deep breaths of air, and glanced around at the rather large expanding ripples that their impact had made in the surface. It was a rather enchanting view, but Murtagh cleared his mind of such sentimental thoughts, and began swimming towards the shoreline.
The rider hadn't gotten far when he was lifted out of the water by the sparkling, water soaked, fish filled, happy humming dragon. Straddled either side of Thorn's snout, Murtagh leaned back and laughed. Once again the feeling of freedom flowed between them, growing stronger until it seemed their hearts would burst. Nothing had ever felt so good. It was all Thorn could do to keep from blasting the lake and countryside with an exuberant flaming roar; an action which would have shook the inhabitants of any nearby villagers, and would have likely singed his rider.
Leaning forward with his arms outstretched, Murtagh rode his dragon's head high into the air and towards their awaiting haven. Wind from the flight whipped his wet hair behind him, and he grinned with a playful sarcasm.
I hope you saved one of those fish for me... the rider teased, pressing his own feelings of hunger into the dragon's contented fullness.
Ooops... Thorn responded with only the slightest hint of regret, and even that turned quickly into humor as their dwelling emerged from the mists at their approach.
Home, the dragon hummed with a quiet satisfaction as he angled into a gentle glide aiming for Murtagh's balcony.
The rider had chosen the guest suite as his own. Being on the upper floor, and the south west corner of the castle, it offered the best view of Leona's distant shoreline. It also allowed for a wonderful breeze that wafted through the adjoined rooms. Murtagh closed his eyes as they descended, and smiled at the thought of lying in a soft bed with the fresh air gently stirring.
The clacking echo of dragon talons against the stone surface pulled him from his reverie, and he opened his tired eyes. Much of the water from their unplanned swim had been blown away during the last leg of the flight, leaving the pair damp but not dripping. Sighing, the rider slid off the saddle and muttered a spell that let the harness drop from the dragon's back.
Thorn growled with approval and shook the kinks out of his limbs before kicking the leather trappings into the far corner of the balcony. His hunger having been sated, the dragon's only purpose now was a long well earned sleep. He circled his bedding, which consisted of the thick skins of some creature that they could only guess at, and thumped down with a heavy exhalation. The dragon's relief and exhaustion assaulted Murtagh's senses, and in response he sent his partner a wave of acknowledgement and gratitude for the gift of bearing him on the distant journey.
"It is good to be home my friend," the rider said turning longingly in the direction of the large plush mattress that made up his bedding.
It is nice to know that you value my friendship, boy rider... the mental voice of the Guardian teased, inserting herself into the pair's conversation. Murtagh blinked in surprise at the unexpected interruption. He had nearly forgotten about the talkative ward.
"Guardian," the boy rider greeted once he had recovered. "I gather all went well while we were away."
Of course. Edoc'sil'baen is secure, as always; in spite of the visitors.
Over the next hour or so, the Guardian nonchalantly informed the concerned pair of the incident that had occurred during their absence.
Apparently, a group of four magicians had approached the estate that first night, when the moon was at it's height. They had attempted to gain entry using a selection of pathetic spells; all of which were easily countered by the sentient ward. One of the spells even attempted to tap into the Guardian's power source, and was rewarded with the death of the hapless sorcerer. The three remaining 'would be' intruders retreated back the way they had come.
Of course this conversation caused Murtagh to question further as to what exactly the Guardian used as a power source, and the answer surprised both dragon and rider... Eldunari; there was quite a collection of them stored below the castle, but only two of them were currently giving aid to the castle defense. One was Knaogr, and the other... Saphira.
Stunned; there was no other word to describe it. Just the thought that the Heart of Brom's dragoness was willingly working to secure Morzan's estate was utterly staggering. Murtagh's shock had been great, though Thorn seemed to think the turn of events to be rather intriguing. Curiosity finally began to overcome the rider's astonishment, and he had been about to request to see the Hearts for himself, but before he was able, the Guardian mentioned in passing that the magicians had spoken of an assassination before departing.
This news immediately drew Murtagh's focus, and as the Guardian shared her gathered knowledge with her young master, his worry deepened. Nasuada was in danger.
"You are going to have to be especially vigilant, M'Lady. I do not yet know who is behind this, or how many of them there are. Thorn and I will be searching for the remaining magicians in the morning, but they will be more than a day ahead of us, and we can't be sure of their direction."
Seeing the beautiful face staring back at him with her serious expression made the rider long to reach into the scrying mirror and touch her reassuringly; but he could not. Instead he curled his hand into a fist, in an effort to curtail the urge.
"Please Nasuada... please be careful."
"You be careful. You are the one chasing after assassins, after all."
"Perhaps, but I am not their target, nor do they even know that I exist. Additionally, I have a dragon."
The queen gave in to a small smile of concession, and nodded agreement to his request. She would need to strengthen her guard in light of this news.
"Very well... You are right of course. I will take extra precautions here. So do not worry."
Then as her gaze swept over him, a look of longing crossed her features momentarily.
"When will I hear from you again?"
"I don't know," he admitted with regret. "But as soon as I am able, you can be sure I will contact you."
A thick silence fell between them as they gazed across the magical distance between them. Neither seemed to want to break the spell; the connection that seemed all the more real, in spite of many leagues that separated them.
"Be safe, my queen."
"And you, my rider."
The edge of Murtagh's mouth lifted in a slight smile, and a sparkle of appreciation graced the lady's dark eyes. There was something almost magic in their mildly possessive titles that seemed to secure the unspoken bond between them. As the image in the mirror dispersed with the released spell, the rider whispered.
"Wiol ono."
Updated 5-2-2012
Edited into two separate chapters; Chapter Six and Chapter Seven. This posting was originally set up as one chapter, but I felt that it would work better if there was a clearer division between the above section and the one below. Other than that, nothing has changed.
Chapter Seven: Unexpected Visitor, Part II
The man looked to be in his early forties with greying sandy hair long and pulled back and tied, tanned aged skin covered a stern unshaven face, and an alert posture and gate that spoke of casual competence. The faded leather cloak hung open revealing what looked like an ordinary sword, but the man didn't bother hiding beneath the cowl. His identity was hidden by means of magic.
Piercing blue-grey eyes ever scanned the caravan and the surroundings as they progressed further southward. This whole search was taking much longer than he had first thought, and as of yet it had revealed little.
.
It had been almost a week earlier that they had departed Edoc'sil'baen on their new venture. The overcast weather had worked greatly to their advantage, as they were able to hide within the clouds, and use magic to be able to see through them.
Luckily the retreating magicians had no idea that they were being hunted. In fact they had been so involved in finding their way back from the warded castle, that they were quite oblivious to anything else. This was due in part to the disorientation spell placed upon the hidden estate. It's purpose was to skew the perception of those unlucky enough to happen upon it uninvited.
By the time the dragon and rider had spotted the trio of mages, they were just north of Dras Leona. The three had approached a large group of travelers, and seemed to have arranged to join them on their southward march. And the numbers only grew with the addition of those leaving the dismal city. Dras Leona had never been an ideal place to live.
Judging by the size of the group, it looked as though they had chosen to travel together for safety reasons. And that was a very smart move. There were still factions of troops loyal to the fallen king, or to their own individual lords and generals; and these men now posed dangers to anyone that stumbled across their paths.
This particular caravan was a strange sight to behold, with its varying banners and members. Many were dwarven warriors making a return to the Beors. Still more were Surdan soldiers heading south, with the intention of securing their new borders. Families and solitary individuals made up a civilian population as well, but their reasons for travel were varied, and held little interest to the son of Morzan. He was there for one purpose; to find and deal with the threat to the queen.
Donning his disguise, the red rider met with the group near Helgrind, and journeyed south with the caravan in order to observe the mages activities more closely. All the while, the ruby scaled dragon was never too far away; either high in the clouds, hidden in the lake, or hunting in the mountains. The trip was uneventful so far, and seemed painfully slow to the pair, used to flying as they were.
.
Being evening, the caravan had stopped to make camp for the night. Fires dotted the hillside along the road as groups came together for meals and rest, each according to kind. Dwarves with dwarves, Surdans with Surdans, and various town and family units. Not really being welcome anywhere, Murtagh stood on the edge of camp, leaning against an ancient oak and pretending to puff on a lit pipe.
I'm back from my hunt, Namechanger.
Murtagh smiled at his dragon's greeting. Smiling within this forged face was even more foreign than usual, but in a strange way it was liberating too. He was a nobody to these people, a stranger with no ties to anyone but himself. Why would any of these travelers even think twice about him smiling.
That is good to know, Airi.
Murtagh could feel the dragon's contentment at hearing his new name... his free name. It had taken a day or two of suggestions and contemplation, but they had come up with Airithorn Freedomfire, which Murtagh quickly shortened to Airi. He still reverted to calling him Thorn half of the time, and the Freedomfire had been tacked on in jest, but afterwards it had grown on them and they decided to keep it.
Have you gotten any closer to discovering the leader of the magic two-legs?
The only answer Murtagh gave was a mental scowl, and a noncommittal grunt. It seemed that most of these travelers were giving the stranger a wide berth... and the magicians were more cautious than most.
Originally arriving as a lone figure, Murtagh had been questioned and scrutinized rather thoroughly before being allowed to join the procession. He had claimed that he was Eldmoi Tornacson; a dealer in unusual trinkets and artifacts, selling to anyone who would meet his price, whether they be Nomad, Surdan, Varden or the Empire. In truth, it had been the generous presence of silver in his coin-purse that convinced the officials to admit him. And so, by the travelers, he was simply referred to as 'the trader.' But in spite of his willingness to deal with any faction, or perhaps because of it, he found there were few who would tolerate him.
Just as the trader tilted his head back, scanning the sky for any sign of his friend, he was startled by a voice from behind him.
"You don't strike me as the type to be found daydreaming."
Murtagh froze. The accent was most certainly that of a dwarf. Gathering his composure, he turned to face the shorter, broader, well armed figure. He prayed his disguise would hold, and did his best to present what he hoped was a calm expression. But he couldn't help wondering whether the other could sense his heart pounding like the Drums of Derva...
A/Notes: Posted 2/29/2012 How about that... It's Leap Year!
Paolini Logic Flaws... Just how strong and capable IS Galbatorix? Now this is a serious question to ask, so before you answer please consider the following facts...
Murtagh was captured and taken by the twins to the king, and tortured. Then his mind was breached by Galbatorix, who found and used Murtagh's true name to force his cooperation. How long did this process take? It isn't revealed. But apparently it involved the torturing of the ruby hatchling to accomplish.
And during the battle between Eragon and Galbatorix, even with Eragon being a rider, and having the support of his dragon and numerous eldunari, the king almost breaches his defenses in just one scene... Eragon's mind would have been forced open if not for one last desperate act; spelling the king into a forced empathy with all of his victims, which luckily diverts the king's attack.
But when Nasuada was taken, things were quite different. Galbatorix had her repeatedly tortured, and tried continually and unsuccessfully to breach her defenses... But she holds her own... even after weeks of abuse... {Really?}
So, I have to wonder... How is it that Galbatorix is able to overcome all the other minds, including the riders of old, but not Nasuada's? I know that she had Murtagh helping her, but did she really have the strength to thwart Galbatorix when Eragon and the other riders couldn't?...
Either Galbatorix WAS powerful enough to break them all, or he wasn't... I find the image of him being able to quickly break Murtagh and Eragon incongruous with his inability to affect Nasuada.
Sorry, it just seems NOT logical.
