Free Riders

Author's Note: Eragon is not mine. Char, Blaster, and Saranya are. Thank you.

Chapter 11: Storms

Blaster thought that morning as Eragon got up. There were things that had to be taken care of, and one of them was trying to figure out how to take care of the Ra'zac. Eragon thought to use his bow, but Blaster thought he'd take care of the other one by using his pistol. The thought of having one Ra'zac with arrows sticking out of them, the other riddled with bullet holes was amusing to say the least.

Eragon had some difficulty getting up that morning. His muscles seemed to cramp with the slightest movement, and one of his fingers was swollen. When they were ready to leave, he mounted Cadoc and said acidly, "If this keeps up, you're going to batter me to pieces."

"He wouldn't push you so hard if he didn't think you were strong enough," Blaster said, mounting Samson.

"For once, I wouldn't mind being thought less of," Eragon muttered.

Cadoc and Samson pranced nervously as Saphira and Sara approached. They each eyed the horsed with something close to disgust. Saphira spoke to both of them, saying, There's nowhere to hide on the plains, so we're not going to bother trying to stay out of sight. We'll just fly above you from now on.

They took off, and the other group began the steep descent. In many places the trail all but disappeared, leaving them to find their own way down. At times they had to dismount and lead the horses on food, holding on to trees to keep from falling down the slope. The ground was scattered with loose rocks, making the footing treacherous. The ordeal left them hot and irritable for the most part, despite the cold.

They stopped to rest when they reached the bottom near midday. The Anora River veered to their left and flowed northward. A biting wind scoured the land, whipping them unmercifully. The soil was parched, and dirt flew into their eyes. It unnerved Eragon how flat everything was; the plains were unbroken by hummocks or mounds. He had lived his entire life so far surrounded by mountains and hills. Without them, he felt exposed. Brom and Blaster were used to it.

The trail split in three once it reached the plains. One branch turned north to the city of Ceunon, one of the greatest northern cities. The second went straight into the plains, while the third led to the south. They examined all three for traces of the Ra'zac and eventually found their tracks, heading directly into the grasslands.

"It seems they've gone to Yazuac," Brom said with a perplexed air.

"Where's that?" Eragon asked.

"Due east and four days away, if all goes well," Brom replied. "It's a small village situated by the Ninor River." He gestured to the Anora, which bent to the north, away from them. "Our only supply of water is here. We'll have to replenish our waterskins before attempting to cross the plains. There isn't another pool or stream between here and Yazuac."

Finally, Blaster thought. We have a destination. Another week and one of those damn Ra'zac will be riddled with bullet holes. Then… He didn't want to think about what would happen afterwards. He still had to find Char.

They filled the waterskins, watered the horses, and drank as much as they could from the river. Blaster filled an extra military canteen he had hidden in his saddlebags, right underneath his AK. The dragons joined them and took several gulps of water each. Fortified, they turned eastward and started across the plains.

FRFRFRFRFR

Eragon seemed to be miserable, and it didn't take long to figure out why. His lips were chapped, tongue parched, and his eyes burned. The ceaseless gusting followed them throughout the day. The evening only strengthened the wind, instead of subduing it.

Since there was no shelter, they were forced to camp in the open. Eragon found some scrub brush, a short tough plant that thrived on these harsh conditions, and pulled it up. He made a careful pile and tied to light it, but the woody stems only smoked and gave off a pungent smell. Frustrated, he tossed the tinderbox to Blaster. "I can't make it burn, especially with this blasted wind. See if you can get it going: otherwise dinner will be cold."

"Okay," Blaster said. He reorganized the brush, then struck the tinderbox. The cascade of sparks landed on the plants, but there was nothing but smoke. He tried again, but couldn't figure out why it wasn't lighting. "Okay, Brom. Let's see if you have more luck."

It was just as bad as the other two attempts. No matter how hard he tried, Brom couldn't get the brush lit. Finally, he swore, "Brisingr!" as he struck the flint one last time. Flames suddenly appeared, and he stepped back with a pleased expression. "There we go. It must have been smoldering inside."

He and Eragon sparred with mock swords while the food cooked. Fatigue made it hard on the both of them, to they kept the session short. After they had eaten, they lay next to Saphira and Sara, glad for their shelter.

The same cold wind greeted them in the morning, sweeping over the dreadful flames. Eragon's lips cracked during the night, and every time he smiled or talked, beads of blood covered them. Licking them only made it worse. Brom and Blaster were in the same boat. They let the horses drink sparingly from their water supply before mounting them. The day was a monotonous trek of endless plodding.

FRFRFRFRFR

By the third day, everyone woke well rested. That, coupled with the fact that the wind had stopped and Eragon was in a cheery mood. That changed when he saw the sky ahead of them was dark with thunderheads. Brom too looked at the clouds and grimaced.

"Normally I wouldn't go into a storm like that, but we're in for a battering no matter what we do, so we might as well get some distance covered."

It was still calm when they reached the storm front. As they entered its shadow, Eragon looked up and Blaster pulled out a strange device with a fan on top. The thundercloud had an exotic structure, forming a natural cathedral with a massive arched roof. With some imagination, they could see pillars, windows, soaring tiers, and snarling gargoyles. It was a wild beauty. However, Blaster was starting to get worried due to the green hue of the clouds.

"Just so you know, if either of you two see any rotation in the clouds, tell me as soon as you can," the alien said. "I've seen storms like this, and I don't want to be underneath a rotating supercell just in case it drops…" He saw a giant ripple racing towards them through the grass, flattening it. It didn't take long to figure out what it was. "Gust front!" Brom saw it too and they all hunched their shoulders, preparing for the storm.

A nasty thought came to Blaster. The dragons weren't suited for this weather, so Blaster twisted in his saddle and shouted, both verbally and mentally, "SARANYA, LAND! NOW!" He sent her an image of a jet landing in a strong headwind and the possibility for something like that to slam into the ground. Eragon had yelled at Saphira the same way. Overhead, they saw the two dragons dive toward the ground. They're not gonna make it!

The dragons angled back they way they had come to gain some time. As they watched, the gust front struck them like a hammer blow. Blaster's device recorded the gust at well over fifty-five miles an hour. Eragon gasped for breath and clenched the saddle. The horses dug their hooves into the ground, manes snapping in the wind. The wind tore at their clothes with invisible fingers as the air darkened with billowing clouds of dust kicked up by the wind.

Blaster squinted, searching for the dragons. He saw them land heavily and crouch, talons dug into the ground. Before they could fold their wings properly, the front reached them. The gust unfurled them and dragged the dragons into the air. They hung in the air for a moment, then slammed down on their backs.

Eragon yanked Cadoc around almost as fast as Blaster did for Samson. The two galloped back up the trail, goading their horses with both heels and mind. I'm on my way, Sara, Blaster shouted to his dragon. Try to stay as low to the ground as you can and try not to get any wind under your wings. He felt a grim acknowledgement from her. As they neared the dragons, the horses balked, so Blaster and Eragon continued on foot.

Eragon's bow banged against his head. Blaster could feel his own weapons rattling inside his pack, but he couldn't do anything about it. A strong gust of wind pushed the two of them off balance, but Blaster was able to regain what he lost while Eragon flew forward, landing on his chest. He skidded, then got back up with a snarl, ignoring the deep scrapes in his skin.

When they were within three yards of their dragons, they could go no further. Sara struggled as much as Saphira. Just when the dragons thought they had time to fold their wings, another gust filled them and sent them further backwards. However, Blaster wouldn't have any of this. Using his powers openly for the first time, he used his ability to control the air around him to gently drop Saphira and Sara to the ground. His powers started to drain him as the dragons found it much easier to fold their wings. He slowly lifted his powers and the dragons came up to their Riders.

You okay? Blaster asked, breathing heavily. He could feel Sara trembling.

Yeah, Sara replied. Nothing's broken. The wind was just too strong. Even with your landing guidance, I couldn't do anything. That is until you did what you did. What magic do you hold?

One that can never be transferred to another being, Blaster said. That is the power of my ancestors. With that, I will allow you information of my past, but you must keep it secret. You must promise me in the Ancient Language.

After Sara had promised in the Ancient Language, Blaster allowed Sara access to the part of his mind that he had blocked off. Once she understood what he did, Eragon approached with Samson and Cadoc close by.

"That was wild," Eragon said, shook up. "Thanks for letting us all know about that gale."

"You can thank me once this storm passes," Blaster said. "We must continue if we are to gain more distance before the rain-shield hits." As he mounted Samson, he muttered, "I really could use RADAR now. The National Weather Service would be overjoyed with hurricane-force wind gusts from a storm like this."

The pace was slow as Sara and Saphira crawled back to Brom. He asked if they were hurt, but Blaster and Eragon assured him that they weren't. Blaster dismounted, then cursed. Brom pointed to sheets of grey ahead; the rain shield had arrived. "What else?" Eragon cried, pulling his clothes tighter. The rain hit them hard, causing them to wince. The rain stung when it hit them, and before long, they were soaked to the bone and shivering.

Lightning forked through the sky, flickering in and out of existence with every bolt. Mile-high blue bolts streaked across the horizon, followed by the loud cracks and rumbles of thunder that even shook the ground below. It was beautiful, yet deadly at the same time. Grass fires started in some areas where the lightning bolts had hit the ground, but the flames were quickly extinguished by the rain.

The storm slowly abated, but as the day continued, they all traveled elsewhere. The sky was once again visible, and the sunset was beautiful, and less deadly than the storm. As the light struck the clouds, the world gained a sharp contrast; light on one side, but deeply shadowed on the other. Ordinary things took on unnatural beauty. It was almost as if they were walking through a painting.

The rejuvenated earth smelled fresh, and it cleared their minds and raised their spirits. Saphira and Sara both stretched and craned their necks before letting of a happy roar. The horses skittered away from them, but Eragon, Blaster, and Brom all smiled at their exuberance. When they made camp that night in a shallow depression, they had dinner, then went to bed, too exhausted to spar.

Blaster too felt exhausted, especially after helping calm the winds long enough to let the dragons fold their wings. Instead of falling asleep, however, he went into a state of meditation and began to absorb the power of the stars above, taking in the energy he would need to perform his special brand of magic at full power for at least a week or more. It wasn't long before he too went from meditating to sleep.


Will they make it to Yazuac before another storm hits? Will Blaster's powers be enough to help a second time? Will there ever be a simple way of doing things? The answers to these and more when we return next time to Free Riders.

Please R&R, and no flames please.