XI
Ambush and Grand Larceny
Erik's POV:
We rode our horses slowly off the Uru'baen-Dras Leona Road, heading towards the woods surrounding the city. Once inside, we dismounted and headed on our pre-assigned tasks. Arya and Eragon ran a psychic sweep of the area, with Saphira scanning visually around the area at high altitude. Meanwhile I armoured up, minus my helmet, and activating my cloaking, went on a patrol around the area, sweeping right up to the edge of the forest. I then started looking for a hide where I could observe the goings-on of both the city's main gate and Helgrind. Identifying it, I broke cover and made my way to the gate, keeping the hide in my line of sight. After 10 paces, it was part of the scenery.
Nodding to myself in satisfaction, I then checked the hide's camouflage and concealment with respect to Helgrind. It was difficult to observe the going-ons on the eastern face of the mountain.
"Erik, Arya" came Arya's voice in my mind.
"Arya" I acknowledged, as I wait for her reply.
"Brom and Allister have found a suitable campsite" she said, relaying an image of the camp, a depression, lined with shale.
"Acknowledged" I reply as I scout out another hide. Making my way back, I slowly walked to my left. A hundred paces later, I locate a potential hide, but I didn't have a good view of Dras-Leona. I let out a sigh, resigning myself to a busy night of camouflaging the entire hide I first located.
We waited in our camp for six days. Six days of little activity, no movement and poor hygiene.
We were jumpy and irritable. That is, Brom and I were completely at peace, used to ambushes and waiting in miserable conditions.
The kids? Not so much.
It resulted in a hissing argument between Arya and Eragon, who now seemed always to be at loggerheads. Earlier they had the option of beating each other into a pulp to let off the building tension between them.
Honestly? I'm tempted to toss them into a cave with about a week's worth of water and rations, a fresh air supply and spring and leave 'em there.
Either we'll come back to a pair of corpses or we might end up having to get the two married.
Now if only I could remember who her mum was. It seemed like important information, but for the life of me, I couldn't recall.
I dismissed that thought as dusk fell over the land, and a sudden increase in air pressure alerted us to the presence of our quarry.
"Arya" I said sharply, who immediately picked up the rune marked stone, shaped like a cylinder with a cone on top, that had to be attached to the Lethrablaka. It would act as a homing device that she could sense through all the wards surrounding Helgrind.
She quickly threw the stone at the belly of the rearmost beast. We watched the beast fly away untroubled by the events on the ground, slipping into their nest. Then as one, the entire group turned to look at Arya, who had her eyes closed and brows furrowed in concentration. Suddenly she opened her eyes with a feral smile on her face, which caused all of us to take a wary step back. Except for Saphira, who seemed to be amused by the whole thing, given the chuffing noises she was making.
"Very well. Let us proceed with the plan" Allister said, to which Brom pulled out the egg shaped pebble, inscribed with a spell which sucked in all the air in a radius of 1000 paces. In the blink of an eye. And would shatter into a fine powder after use.
The perfect assassin's weapon. Especially when you want to leave an impression.
Eragon accepted the weaponised pebble, pouring energy into it. When it began to glow with a blue light, I started to become worried.
Apparently Arya was too, as she quickly cast the teleportation spell on it.
It vanished in a muted green flash. The next thing was that daylight seemed to envelope the land, causing us all to cover our eyes. A muted boom rolled through the land.
Once we regained our bearings, the entire group less Eragon, who was bent over, gasping for breath, turned to look at me.
"That...wasn't supposed to happen" I said into the heavy silence, broken by the sound of bells sounding the alarm.
"We'll discuss this later. Right now, we need to flee" said Allister as he made his way to the tent and began undoing it, while Brom and Arya untethered and calmed the five horses down, Saphira launched herself in the air, to both make a clean getaway, and to observe the enemy movements. I began the process of clearing all traces of our presence from the camp.
Magic is a wonderful thing if you know how to use it.
*pant*"Not Erik's fault"*wheeze* said Eragon as he clambered onto Cadoc's back. We all shared a look in askance at him as we completed our tasks and prepared to leave the campsite on horseback. Before we could ask him what he meant by that, he handed over an egg sized pebble to me.
A dawning sense of comprehension engulfed me as I examined the script in the low light of the stars.
"You replaced it" I said, to which Eragon nodded.
"Be not" he replied, a dopey grin on his face. I rub the bridge of my nose as I felt a headache come on, while Brom looked livid. Allister looked puzzled while Arya looked at Eragon in horror.
"You stupid, arrogant kid. That's a spell of last resort, not of the first strike. You..." speechless with anger, I charge up the rune stone and launch it at the Ra'zac lair by means of teleportation, to wipe away all traces of the attack.
"We're going to have a serious discussion on what is and is not advisable in the form of magical attacks" I said finally, my voice flat and emotionless as Brom fell back to wipe all traces of our horses' hooves away before we hit the road.
We made it to Uru'baen without much hassle, our group being untroubled on the road. Brom and I used the time to explain to Eragon why it wasn't always advisable to vaporise your enemies, especially when there is a chance that your friends and allies could be in danger.
I assume that the message had sunk in. Especially since Arya had been giving him the cold shoulder. They even stopped sparring, with Brom and I taking up the slack. I should have counted on hormones causing him to do some idiot move.
Problem with sensible kids is that if they screw up, they screw up in a major way. And everyone is completely shocked when they do it.
The kid's fifteen and we're already piling the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's bloody unfair on our part on doing this to him.
Which was the reason for my deciding on our present destination. Let Miss High-And-Mighty get a taste of her own medicine. Plus if I can get Murtagh and Thorn out from under Galbatorix's thumb, well I consider that a win.
"You do know that there are easier ways to die, right?" said Brom when we made camp a good twenty leagues away.
"I've taken worse" I replied as I take out Kage, gripping it's hilt double-handed. Focusing energy into the blade, I use it to cut through sub-dimension that I had found I could travel through. I then step through it.
I pop out on the other side in the guard tower I had been aiming for. During a guard change. Talk about Murphy's Law.
I quickly unsheathed Arashi and start slicing my way through the squad. Thankfully I'm fast enough to kill them before an alarm is raised.
I activated my cloaking, cast a spell to silence my feet and then make my way down the tower. I gently probed with my mind beyond the archway to see if there were any guards standing right outside. There was a squad of guards who were on the other side of the castle on the same floor.
I then launched a scan of the other floors and located the treasury, thanks to the Eldunari. Across a small army of guards, with a host of traps, pitfalls and pratfalls lining the floor, walls and ceiling, if the magic was anything to go by.
Obviously Galbatorix had an...unfortunate sense of humor. I think tying up someone in bondage gear and dangling them above a pit of saltwater with magical whips is a bit much.
The direct route it is then.
I ran towards the balcony, unhooking the grappling hook attached to my armour. I jump off, securing the hook to the wall, while the twine attaching the hook to my armour played out.
I rappelled down the side of the castle as I made my way to the treasury. On reaching the appropriate floor, I slip in through a window.
I cautiously checked the area for any guards. Using my mind, I check for any invisible watchers. Finding it clear, I made my way towards the treasury.
On approaching it, I saw a small platoon of troops guarding it. And if my senses were right, killing even one of them would trigger an automatic lockdown, while turning the would-be thief inside out, then splitting them apart.
Lovely. The same would happen if I tried to sneak past them.
I decided to do the sensible thing.
I go up a few floors, avoiding the patrols, then move into position above the treasury. Using Kage, I quickly cut a portal and jump into the treasury. I slowed down my fall by making the air underneath me the consistency of thick custard. I then began poking around.
After a good fifteen minutes, I found my objective. Quickly sliding them into a pocket dimension that I created, I decide to make myself scarce.
I know I could have killed those Eldunari. I probably should have. And seeing them trapped like this, prisoners in their own minds, I felt pity for them.
But they were warded very heavily. I couldn't make out half of it, and the stuff I could made me realise that Galbatorix was really, completely around the twist.
Seriously, what the hell is wrong with the man to cause even a dust mote entering the warded area being hit by not one, not two but fifteen lightning bolts? I mean, really. Who does that?
I shake my head and using Kage, make my escape.
As I exit, I come to find Saphira missing, the entire camp being broken and the horses being tethered.
"Brom, what's going on?" I asked him, worried about what was happening.
"We need to leave, now" he hissed as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, back to the castle.
Lights were being lit while a strange siren like sound could be heard.
"Huh...I generally manage without raising an alarm" I muttered to myself. I then notice a new addition to our little group.
On a gray warhorse, bloodied, but sitting proudly upright on it, was Murtagh.
RR!
Sorry, but RL and personal projects came in the way. Now had time to update the story so here!
In case there's any confusion regarding the modern segments of his speech, it's because of a fusion of personalities of Erik and the SI character, with Kulkaverk lurking around in the background. For reference, look up Tusken1602's 'Beacon's Effect' Kevin/Ko'le/Beast. I am using a similar premise, with the SI right now relegating the customary panic attack for later.