Daret: Chapter 7

Darkness surrounded Eragon. He couldn't see a thing. All of a sudden he heard a voice that sent a chill down his spine. It was telling him to surrender...surrender now or die. Eragon struggled in the dark trying to find a way out...but to no avail. Then a violent tremor overtook his body. He fought against it, losing the battle.
With a start Eragon awoke. Cold sweat occupied his forehead. He saw Kiara, Brom and Saphira looking at him, worriedly.
"Eragon are you ok?! You were having a bad dream...what was going on?" Brom inquired.
"I heard a voice...a voice so cold and evil that it just stuns you. It was telling me to surrender...but to what I don't know" Eragon said. He could tell that he was sweaty.
"We had better get a move on. I fear we will be in grave danger here if we stay any longer" Saphira told Eragon. He relayed this to the others and they too agreed.
Quickly they ate a cold meal and left the campsite. They rode hard for a very long time. By midday they stopped to let the horses rest.
"Brom what do you think the dream was about. You don't think that it will come true?" Asked Eragon.
"I cannot answer that" Brom said "All I can say is that you need to be extra cautious."
"Why don't you ride me for a while," Saphira said, "You haven't ridden me in a long while. It will be a lot safer for you and plus we can talk more"
He told Brom this. "Saphira is right. You need to get used to riding her. After all you are a Dragon Rider. Kiara and I can ride the horses. But you will have to wait until we get through Daret. It's not far from here. If we hurry we can get there and leave before nightfall"
"Alright"
Saphira wasn't too happy but said nothing.

Soon they made their way towards Daret. As they neared the village, Saphira went out of sight yet again. This time she stayed a little closer to the village in case something should happen like at Yazuac.
Cautiously the three of them entered the town. Nothing stirred. Eragon looked down and saw recent track of children's feet, but where were they. At the center of the town Brom got restless and said "Lets get out of here... now".
Almost out they had to suddenly come to a halt. In front of them stood some men heavily armed and wagons blocking the exit.
"What do you want" bellowed a gruff looking man.
"We only came for a few supplies" Brom said calmly.
"Is that it?! If you tell one of my men what you want and he gets them for you will that be alright?!" the man asked.
"That will be fine" said Brom.
He told them what they needed and ended by adding on a pair of gloves for Eragon to use. He needed them to hide the mark on his palm.
The man motioned to another man. He got the supplies. Brom paid them and said "Did you encounter any Urgals. Everyone seems tense."
"Yes a couple. But we handled them fairly well" The man stated. "What of the other Towns...have you heard anything?"
"We traveled through Yazuac not too long ago. The whole village was destroyed. No one survived save for one." Brom pointed to Kiara. She looked gravely at the men of Daret before she turned away.
A tear rolled down the mans face as he heard the news. "I am sorry my dear" He said to Kiara. She accepted his condolence with a small smile.
"Thank you. You might want to consider leaving if you don't want to meet the same fate." She said.
"I would if I had things my way. But the people here refuse to leave. They have chosen me to help them survive because of my military background. I once served for the Kings army, but no more." the man said.
"In that case may your swords stay sharp." Brom stated.
"The same for you."
The three of them left Daret. Once far enough from the village, Saphira came out of no where and startled them. "You are now out of Daret. As you promised you must ride me now." She hissed.
"I will" Eragon said. "But it will have to be tomorrow, its late and we need sleep."
"Give me your word" Saphira spat.
"Is that really necessary..." Eragon backed away as Saphira growled. He has never seen her so mad. "Yes...I give you my word. Are you satisfied now!"
"I am content. I am holding you to your word." With that the conversation ended.
"What was that about?" Kiara inquired.
"Oh, Saphira is just mad because I haven't ridden her in a long time. I had to promise that I would rider her tomorrow."
"I see. She is right you know. You should ride her, after all you are a Dragon Rider."
"Now you sound like Brom."
"Very funny" she giggled. It made her feel good when he joked around with her like that. No one ever did that to her before; she was always shunned.
"Yeah." He too laughed at her reply. He loved how she tolerated his sense of humor.
They traveled a bit more to find a safer spot to camp.
Well rested and fed Eragon couldn't help but to look over to Kiara. She was asleep and looked so serene. As he continued to stare at her, Saphira laid down next to him.
"You are starting to like her, aren't you Eragon" Saphira said.
She didn't seem mad at him anymore.
"I think I am Saphira. I just wish I knew her more though. Brom doesn't let us talk very much, or at least that's what it feels like." He said back.
"Give it some time little one. For now lets sleep. It has been a long day and I am tired."
Together they fell asleep under the stars.