Updates every Mondays and Thursday!
I'm looking for a possible new beta Reader, if anyone is interested. I don't ask for much, just that you read through and say when words don't sound right or get rid of repeated words. Grammar as well, but only slightly. I have/had a Beta, but she isn't answering my PM's or opening my DocXs. *shrugs* Anyone?
Eragon's mind had been slowly calming down over the past week. Rhonny seemed to be someone he could trust, Saphira admitted to liking the young woman as well, and they had developed a system for not getting in each other's way. When they landed, Rhonny would fix them something half edible to eat while Eragon unpacked his gear and helped Saphira get comfortable. Eragon made it clear after the first landing, and at Saphira's advice, that the only reason she was doing the cooking was because she was obviously the better cook. She had found it funny he felt the need to clarify, but accepted it anyways.
The third time they made camp, Eragon watched her work as he did his own tasks, noticing she wasn't as uptight as he thought she'd be, and she didn't mind getting her hands dirty. When she caught him staring she raised an eyebrow but handed him a bowl of stew anyways. He went hunting during the night when the other two were asleep, eager to catch some of those surprisingly tasty lizards that burrowed into the sand until the sun went down and came alive under the moon. Crouched safely on a rock as he waited for the desert animals to move so he could hit them with a bit of magic, he thought he was alone until Rhonny whispered in his ear.
"What are you doing?" She asked, sliding onto the rock next to him. He jumped and swore, nearly tripping in his own haste. Blushing, he sat back down on the boulder, grateful the moonlight wasn't bright enough for her to see his embarrassment. He glared at her yet she smiled at him, choosing not to retaliate.
"I'm lizard hunting," he grumbled, hitching a leg up and resting his arm on his knee. Rhonny looked out over the sands, searching for any signs of the animals he hunted. She frowned and turned her head to him.
"I don't think it's working," she whispered, and he glared at her again knowing she was the one who scared them all off.
"Well yeah! After your little stunt they've all gone back under the sand. Now we just have to wait," he answered, and they sat in silence for a few minutes before Rhonny grew bored and hopped down from their perch, beginning to walk away aimlessly. Eragon frowned, "where are you going?"
"This is no fun, I'm going to find some," she shouted back to him. He opened his mouth to reply and then closed it again. No, lizard hunting was most certainly not fun, but that didn't mean they could just wander away from camp in the middle of the night to god knows where. They might get lost, or worse, attacked. His hand flew down to where he kept his sword, and remembered he had taken it off his belt at supper and left it leaning against Saphira's saddle. This is not good, Eragon though as he jumped off the rock and ran after her.
"We can't just leave; what if we don't find our way back?" He reasoned, walking next to her. She rolled her eyes and stopped to point behind them in the direction they came.
"We won't get lost if we can still see Saphira. I can still see her, can you?" She argued, and Eragon could see her point. So he sighed and they continued walking. The silence continued until Eragon's mind made it to a random thought and he spit it out without thinking about it.
"So what's up with your ears? Are you an elf or something?" He asked bluntly, and her hand flew up to her ear. His eyes widened and he started to apologize at his lack of courtesy, but she waved him off.
"I am only half elf, dragon rider. Just enough to curse me with these knife ears," she growled, and his gaze flicked to her ears. She looked to his as well, noticing he had the slight point as well, "you too huh? I guess that's one thing we have in common then." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Ah no, that's a dragon rider thing. I don't know why it happens, but it has something to do with the magic the bond gives us," he explained, and she nodded. Truthfully he didn't like his ears either, the slight point made him appear to be some kind of mutant, a crossbreed between elf and man. It also made it hard to act normal in cities; the only thing people noticed about him was the ears.
They walked in silence for a while again, and Eragon settled for watching the clear sky. Rhonny looked back casually to make sure she could still see the giant heap of sleeping dragoness before looking back to her feet. She thought about the man next to her, and with slight surprise, realized he must be young than she. "How old were you when you became a dragon rider, Eragon?" Not daring to ask him his age outright, she settled for a calculated guess and hoped he'd tell her anyways.
"Huh? Oh, I was fifteen," he answered, and her eyes must have widened considerably because he continued to explain, "I found Saphira's egg in the woods when I was hunting one day. I tried to sell it for some meat for the winter to feed my family but the butcher wouldn't take it. Then…" He trailed off, remembering his uncle Garrow and his first flight with Saphira, Brom and Murtagh, "the rest is history…" he finished, looking back up to the sky to distract himself. He noticed the memories didn't hurt him so bad anymore and realized it had been nearly five years since it all happened.
Not really knowing what to say to that, she remained silent. He glanced at her but didn't mind the lapses of conversation; it had been a while since he had talked with… Anyone. "So do you really have the silver hand?" She chirped, turning to him as he walked. Eragon grinned and held up his right hand, flashing the metallic insignia in the moonlight. She gasped and grabbed his hand before he could let fall back to his side, facing him completely. "Arûna Gûntera!"
He looked at her, startled by her words. She looked up a few seconds later and released his hand, letting him retract it slowly. Eragon stared, confused, until he found his words again. "Rhonny, do speak Dwarfish?" She looked down, gluing her eyes to his chest as she answered.
"I am half elf… and half dwarf. I was raised by my father, that is why you found me on the edge of the Beor Mountains," she half whispered, and now he understood. He made him think back a week when he chased after her and his eyes widened, I kidnapped a woman! Oh my god! She stepped away from him and marched on, "but that doesn't matter because my mother abandoned me because I wasn't pretty enough. How I look is just a stupid reminder for me." She growled as he caught up to her.
"Wait what?" he asked, but she didn't answer him, and they were back to silence. Eragon looked behind them to check where Saphira was once, and then set his attention onto Rhonny again. He felt the need to say something, not wanting to leave it on such a sour note for her. "My mother left me with my uncle and aunt after I was born," he whispered to her, and she offered him a sad smile.
"Well, then THAT can be something we have in common," she laughed, and he grinned in response. For the next hour or so they walked slow, trading questions and answers about each other's lives. Eragon told her about Brom with surprisingly little difficulty, and she told him about growing up with dwarves. He explained his training, and she explained why she was on the edge of the desert in the first place.
"So you really ran away from home because you were bored?" He asked, incredulous. She chuckled, not quite believing it herself.
"Well yeah, I was looking for adventure!" She laughed, and his whole kidnapping guilt was ease considerably. So he was really just a means for her to get out into the world instead of being stuck in the mountains for the rest of her life. Sadly, it probably wasn't the venture she was hoping for. "When did that get there?" She screeched, and his gaze snapped from his feet to her, then where she was pointing.
A mountain loomed in front of them, its form lost in the dark of night from a long distance away, but now that they were closer they could see it. Eragon wondered how they didn't spot it when the sun was still up; after all they hadn't made camp too far away. He realized it was probably because they were all so tired, and none of them were really looking out for mountains. "Let's check it out!" Rhonny urged, but Eragon grabbed her arm and turned her around.
"No, we've gone far enough, we can see what's on the other side after we get back to Saphira and sleep a bit. Then in the morning we'll all fly out to explore," Rhonny pouted, but didn't complain as he led her back the way they came. He could feel the pull of Saphira's not too far off, but lost in their conversation he had forgotten to check if he could still see her.
The next day they did exactly what Eragon had suggested, and with Saphira, they discovered a secret haven in a world of sand. When the rain fell down the mountains, one of them being the one Eragon and Rhonny had spotted, it collected in a valley between them. It was an unusually large oasis, and it was shockingly lush for a desert area. It was full to bursting with strange colored birds and odd looking scaled creatures that flicked their tongues out, tasting the air, and scattered whenever one of them came to close. Saphira couldn't stop her humming, Eragon, this place is perfect!
It went unsaid that she was referring to both her needs, and her eggs'. Eragon smiled up at her as he hung his legs over the ledge in front of their selected cave. They could look out over the whole paradise from their vantage point, and it wasn't that bad of a climb to get there from the small lake down the side of the mountain. Eragon had made sure to climb it all the way at least once to be sure he could make it up without Saphira, and Rhonny did the same, but the half dwarf made it up the rocks much easier than he. By the time he had reached the ledge, panting, she was nibbling lazily at the foreign fruit she had plucked from a tree, giving him a smug look.
"How much longer," he asked, glancing towards her slightly swollen stomach. If anyone saw her they'd guess she was just eating more lately if they didn't already know her secret, but it was all Eragon saw whenever he looked at her. Despite the circumstances, Eragon was overjoyed at the idea of raising a baby dragon. He had done it once already, so he was confident he could help Saphira out, but the thought still made him smile.
I do not know, Eragon, Saphira muttered, craning her neck around to look at her belly as well. They were both nervous, and she knew Eragon worried for the well-being of her eggs as well, but she was anxious about other things as well. She knew the birth would be painful, and she knew she had yet to build a nest (which she was planning on doing in this cave now that she found it) but there were times she knew she wasn't ready for an egg. It was too soon, she was too young, she didn't have a mate and there was a war going on. If anyone got a hold of her babies they'd take them away from her and use them for their side of the war. Bless the gods, what if Nasuada get a hold of one, nay, all of them? The idea made her shudder; the naïve dark skinned woman would ruin them. Saphira didn't even want to think about the elves taking them either.
"Eragon!" Rhonny called as she climbed up the slope towards their cave, "this place is huge!" She had been exploring every chance she got after they arrived, and had set a personal goal to know her way around the oasis perfectly. That morning she had finished this side of the lake, and that afternoon she would set out for the other side, but only after she sat down with them for a bit of lunch. It was good for them to finally have a break from the constant flying they had endured over the past few weeks, more so Eragon and Saphira.
Rhonny heaved herself up onto the smooth rocks and plopped down, exhaling heavily. She pulled her knapsack off her back and set it down next to her, beginning to fish out everything she had collected on her adventure. "Look at all this stuff! I found these rocks by the river, and you wouldn't believe how many fruit trees there are down there!" She exclaimed, excitedly placing food all around her, and handed a few to Eragon. "Those are delicious, try one!" She sang still fishing through her bag for more as the rider eyed the reddish fruit; it certainly wasn't anything he'd ever eaten before. He glanced at Saphira and she gestured for him to try it, so he took a tentative bite and chewed slowly as if he expected it was poisoned. "Like it?" He nodded slowly, before taking another bite. And another. It did taste good; sweet, yet tangy, and utterly foreign to his tongue.
So they ate, and Rhonny told him all about what she'd seen in their sanctuary, from the strange hairy creatures that swung through the trees with arms like men, to the boiling ponds that dappled the mountain side. "You should see them Eragon, I tested the water and it's just like a bath!" She seemed giddy at the idea, and Eragon reasoned he could probably use a bath as well. He looked down to his clothes and cringed, no, I definitely need a bath.
When their stomachs were full and their conversation about Rhonny's discoveries had lulled, Eragon leaned back against the cave wall and splayed himself out in the sun, yawning. It was a good time for a nap, and he needed one after walking around with Rhonny the night before. He sighed heavily and his eyes slipped closed, listening to the strange animal calls from below and the bubbling of the springs Rhonny had mentioned.
Saphira was not soothed to sleep by a full stomach, so she settled for laying her head down on the stone and watching Rhonny swing her legs on the edge, looking at everything with fascination in her eyes. Her sandy hair fluttered with the breeze as she leaned back on her hands, content with the world. That girl seems to be a good influence on Eragon, Saphira thought as she watched the human girl sitting in the sun. She knew Eragon found her pretty, but she had felt no deeper feelings than that, so she did not worry about that, yet something was bugging her. Rhonny, when you first saw me you didn't seem frightened at all, why is that?
"Hmm? Oh don't worry Saphira, you are terrifying I'm sure, but I've seen dragons before is all," Saphira's eyes widened at her words and she stood to walk over and carefully sit next to the human on the ledge, craning her neck around to look her in the face.
Tell me, she demanded firmly, and Rhonny seemed taken back for a moment.
"Well… When I was six years old my father took me to Orthiad for the meeting of the clans. It was said the Empire had sent a dragon with eggs, so I begged to go. Apparently the clans had made a deal with Galbatorix that if one of their own was made a dragon rider they would side with him in the war against the Varden, so all thirteen clans had come. My father shooed me into line even though I was a bit young, and I saw the dragon that had brought the eggs and sat behind them, guarding them, and scrutinizing every single one of us." Saphira inhaled shakily, wondering if she knew who it was. It was most likely the King's dragon himself, but she was told Shruikan never left Uru Baen.
Can you tell me what he looked like? She asked softly, and Rhonny nodded, standing up.
"He had four spikes here," she recalled, gesturing to Saphira's cheek spikes, "but a second horn here, smaller," she added, touching the spot just below Saphira's horns. "And he had all these along the top of his muzzle and head and down his neck, but they weren't as rounded as yours, far sharper. A few were broken as well." Rhonny said, pausing to remember more. She ran two fingers over Saphira's lip, whispering, "and the slightest scars over his lips… it looked so sad." She closed her eyes, trying to remember more, standing there with her hand on Saphira's face until she did. "His eyes were golden orange, like fire, but his scales were night black. He was larger than you too, and his scales didn't lighten up so much on his underside… He was… terrifying."
Saphira let her stand there watching the young woman's face as she recollected, patient yet needing more. From the description she received it most certainly was Shruikan, but that made no sense. Shruikan hasn't left Uru Baen in 100 years, just like Galbatorix… Why would the Varden lie about that? Who cares if the King's dragon had been seen; if they told us we would've been prepared for it, not taken completely by surprise should it happen! She fought back a soft growl, wondering what possessed the Alliance and convinced them not to share this vital information.
And the eggs, Saphira asked Rhonny, what about them? Rhonny frowned, scratching her face as she thought back.
"Uhh… There was four of them all in a row placed in padded boxes, and we made our way towards them one step at a time. You were permitted to touch one egg at a time and had to wait for the black dragon to tell you to move to the next. My father said he was checking the minds of the hatchlings for any sign of a connection, though I had no idea what he was talking about," she grinned, sitting back down between the sleeping form of Eragon and Saphira, swinging her legs over the edge again. "There was a bright blue one, a hazy grey, a salmon orange, and a muddy purple. I loved the look of the orange one, but obviously none of them responded to me. It was pretty disheartening, but I was young and completely forgot about it until I saw you… Saphira, I think I touched your egg!" Rhonny exclaimed, but Saphria eyed her suspiciously.
Four eggs, this human must be mistaken. There is only one egg left after Thorn hatched. And those colors! Saphira thought incredulously. Though she didn't want to admit it, a spark of hope ignited in her core. Four others? The idea of more eggs was heart wrenching. Not only did it mean there was a chance of her eggs finding companions, but also a big possibility she was not the only female out there! The fate of her race was no longer on her shoulders; surely there were others to share the burden. She smiled, yet frowned, the Varden was wrong… Did they not know, or… did they lie?
You guys made me so happy with the recent fluctuation in the reviews, I was so tempted to post this early! But I have a big Biology project to work on this week, so I don't think I'll find the time to write Thursday's chapter if this one was posted today instead. Sorry :/ Also, towards the end of this month I might skip an update and work purely on plot because I'm slowly running out of planned chapters xD Heh, so yeah, we'll see
Also: Look guys! Another 3,000+ word chapter! 8D Proud of me?
So with that, till next time my darlings!
Next Update: 3/12/12 Next Monday!