Returns

Eragon was in the armory gathering his armor and other necessities for a campaign when the door opened and Wolf slipped in. He padded across the room to where Eragon stood trying to decide whether to bring mail, or the new plate armor that they had begun making.

Wolf stood beside him "From what I have heard about the Ra'zac you will need all the protection you can muster."

Eragon grunted, "There is one thing I do not understand." He set down the armor and turned to Wolf "How could just a small number of Ra'zac, two at the most, been able to sack a town as defended as Carvahall? It was very well defended when I last heard from Roran."

Wolf shook his head "I cannot begin to fathom how, perhaps they had help? Who can know?"

Eragon nodded "Aye and that is what worries me, there may be something out there that we have not anticipated. I have a dark feeling about this Wolf a very bad feeling." He looked down at the armor on the table in front of him. "Have my armor packed there is something that I must attend to before we leave." He turned and walked to the door, he opened the door but before he walked out he said over his shoulder. "Take the plate armor, the upcoming events may warrant more precaution than any before." With that he turned and walked out the door.

Eragon travelled through the halls and corridors until he reached the base of his tower. Reaching out with his mind he contacted Saphira

"Meet me at the top of the tower; there is something we must talk about." He felt her acknowledgement and began to climb the stairs. When he reached the top he opened the door and stepped in. Saphira lay curled in the bowl that had been carved into the floor for her. Eragon embraced his mind with hers; he showed her what he had learned. "The Ra'zac have been sighted in the spine near Carvahall."

"Galbatorix hid other eggs outside of Dras-Leona then?" Saphira asked

"It would seem so. I sense something else though; something darker, something evil, an unnamed shadow that stalks the land." Eragon could not shake the feeling of dread that had been hounding him sense he had received the news.He was shaken from his melancholy when Saphira blew a cloud of smoke at him. Coughing he fanned the air in front of him until it was clear.

Her amusement travelled across their link. He was just about to berate her when his door knocked. Extending his consciousness he felt Arya outside his door. He was about to retreat back into his mind and let her in when, instead of erecting her barriers she drew him in. He allowed himself to be drawn into the depths of her mind. The single act of trust left him speechless.

Amusement flashed in Arya's mind, "Eragon, we shared our true names. What could be more trusting?"

Aware of that she was able to read his thoughts embarrassment shot threw him. This led to more amusement to come from Arya, and he heard her laugh outside the door. No matter how many times he heard it, her laugh still struck him. Eragon felt her sigh in his mind, she had heard that to.

"Eragon let me in before you embarrass yourself anymore." Color spread through his cheeks as he walked over to the door, he was dimly aware of Saphira's dragon chortles following him. He opened the door and beckoned for her to enter. He opened the door, and still smiling Arya walked in and seated herself in one of the chairs arranged in front of the fireplace.

"Good morning Saphira." she greated the sapphire dragon. Saphira hummed in pleasure before closing her eyes. Eragon placed himself in the seat across from her.

"What do you plan on doing?" Arya asked him.

"Wolf and the Honor Guard leave today; they will meet us at the foot of the spine in Palancar Valley when they can. We will leave tomorrow with several other riders to investigate the area and see if we can get to the bottom of this troubling matter." He sighed before running his hand down his face.

"I have a bad feeling about this Arya." He said meeting her eyes.

Arya nodded "I feel it also, something has changed." She looked around the room at the various fairths before her eyes settled on Eragon again.

"Wolf is an interesting man. How did you meet him?"

She watched as a smirk crossed his face. "Why do you want to know?"

She shrugged "No reason just curious"

Eragon laughed "Are you sure? It's not because he bested you is it?"

"No it is not." She said her voice deadpan. She glared at Eragon fiercely, trying to intimidate the man.

It didn't work, she watched as instead of shifting and fidgeting as he would have done before Eragon simply smiled.

"Very well, I'll tell you. It was just after I took sick. I had just recovered from my sickness when he appeared at our doors. He was dressed in rags and looked like a wild man, he proved himself to be a mighty warrior and a cunning tactician. It was his idea to form the Honor Guard, a sort of first response he called it. They would travel to Alagaesia and take a look around and see if there was something that required our attention. He has been here ever since. Why the sudden interest?" he asked.

Arya wrinkled her nose before she answered. "He smells different." She watched as several expressions crossed his face, starting with surprise, followed by confusion, and finally humor. His laugh echoed through the room, causing Saphira to open one eye, she snorted before closing it again.

"He smells different, you're concerned because he smells different." Eragon was still laughing and could barely get the words out.

Arya did not see the humor in the situation that Eragon did. "Very well, do not bother yourself with my concerns."

The smile on his face wouldn't leave him, he had to take several large breathes to calm himself before speaking. "I appreciate your concern, but he has served the Dragon Riders for years without cause for concern. If he smells different that is his problem, he chooses when to take baths." Eragon turned his gaze out the windows and looked upon the tiny community that had formed around the Dragon Riders home. He could see the patches of ground where farmers had tilled their fields.

Arya was content to sit there and enjoy Eragon's company when he looked at her with a smile on his face.

"Did I ever tell you about the time when Saphira tried to perform a bow." Eragon's question brought a low growl from Saphira; she banged her tail against the floor.

.

Arya smiled "I assume that it did not end up as planned."

Eragon scoffed "That is an understatement; it was just after she promised to heal the star sapphire the dwarves held a feast in celebration. After she had consumed four barrels of mead, the dwarves thanked her and she raised one leg placed it in front of her chest and promptly fell over on her side." By the time Eragon had finished both he and Arya were laughing.

Saphira raised herself off the floor she moved her bulk to the large window in the side of the wall. She turned her head and before launching herself out of the tower she blew smoke into the room filling it with smoke. Eragon and Arya's laughter soon turned to coughing. Eragon managed to collect himself enough to cast a spell that forced the smoke out the window. When the smoke had cleared and they had managed to clear the smoke from their lungs Eragon looked to Arya. "She never likes being reminded of that." They returned to their seats and the room was filled with the sounds of their voices and laughter.

When Eragon next looked out the window he was surprised to find the sun sinking beneath the horizon. They had talked away the hours.

"It grows late and we have a large day ahead of us. We need to get some rest." Eragon said.

Arya nodded she went over to Eragon's bed and started pulling back the covers. Eragon raised an eyebrow.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked.

"Well I'm not going to walk all the way back to my room when there is a perfectly good bed here, and besides you stole my bed now I'm stealing yours." Arya said as she climbed under the covers. Eragon glanced around the room trying to figure out what had just happened to him.

"I don't understand where shall I sleep?" he kept glancing around the room.

Arya's exasperated sigh drew his gaze back to the bed. She patted the side next to her "Right here."

Eragon couldn't fight the smile that spread across his face.

Many leagues away on the shores of the Az Ragni a band of warriors on horses reigned in their horses. The lead rider stood in the stirrups and looked around. This was the narrowest the river was along its entire length.

"We will make camp here tonight." At his word the other men began unrolling equipment while others went in search of firewood. The leader stepped down from his horse and walked over to an Urgal that was currently setting up a cooking spit.

"Otvek, handle the camp I'm going to scout ahead." At the sound of his leader's voice the urgal turned and nodded.

"Do you require assistance." He asked in the gravelly voice that all urgals had.

"No, tonight I hunt alone." With that said, the man walked away. When he reached the bank of the river he slowly waded until he was able to swim across. When he reached the other side he crept along to the edge of the forest. When he was confident that his men could not see him he began to strip. He hung his clothes from branches to dry and then began to run. The rays of the moon floated down through the canopies of the trees. Soon he felt the blood in his veins start to boil; he could hear the call of the hunt ringing in his ears. As he ran he felt the bones in his body begin to elongate and enlarge. His skull stretched outward and his teeth grew as sharp as daggers. His pupils dilated and his ears stretched into points. Fur grew over his body, the muscles in his shoulders, legs, and arms exploded. His fingers grew sharp claws; soon he was running through the forest on all four claws. He ran until he came to the top of a cliff, he raised his head skyward and called for his pack brothers; they would hunt tonight for the eaters of men.