Chapter 29

Keres knew she should have been thrilled at her first assignment as a Dragon Rider. She knew she should have been excited that Eragon trusted her to perform such an important task. But the truth was, she was more nervous than anything else. This was a mission unlike any that she had ever heard of. This was the Dragon Riders' first reconnaissance mission outside of Alagaësia. Even the Riders of old had been confined within the borders of their country. As some of the Eldunarí had put it, "We had enough on our plates without adding the worries of another kingdom." Not that Eragon intended to extend the Dragon Riders' influence into Golrazi. He readily admitted that the order was not yet strong enough to even police Alagaësia as thoroughly they once had. No, this mission was purely an information gathering endeavor.

Eragon had explained it to her very carefully, pausing to answer all the questions she might have had. He had also spent many minutes convincing her that she was the right person for this job, but Keres had already tried to put that out of her mind. This was her first mission. She couldn't very well refuse it could she? Especially when it was so important to the order. Besides, she thought wryly, when the head of your order hand-picks you for a mission, there's really no turning him down. Particularly when he's also your mentor. No, she would simply have to do her best.

The mission parameters were clear. She was to take Vikonyx and find the Bogerk line in Golrazi. They would fly northwest from Vrenbana until she established how far inland the invading army had broken. Vikonyx was to stay hidden, moving only under cover of darkness and, even then, only over heavily forested and sparsely populated areas. Keres would go into the villages they passed and gather her information during the days, disguised as a nomad. They would rendezvous every day after dusk to move to their next location. Once they had found the Bogerk line, they would fly south, parallel to the coast, gathering information as they went. However, that was where the most dangerous part of her mission would begin.

It would then be their job to locate the main camp of the Bogerk and, if possible, make contact with King Rickhard Shiverspear. It was only then that Keres was allowed to identify herself and deliver a message from the Dragon Riders. Here, yet again, she had been doubtful that she was the best person for this task. But, in this case, she had seen the wisdom in Eragon's choice. As a Dragon Rider, she was authorized to speak on behalf of the order. She was also Eragon's first and only apprentice, making her a direct representative of him. Besides, he had pointed out, she had been at his side when he met with several of the highest ranking members of each respective race in Vrenbana. She was well accustomed to the niceties of politics. She would then deliver her message. Eragon had given her a speech to memorize and she had already read it at least five times. After the meeting, she and Vikonyx would continue to map the Bogerk line and, upon completion of that task, Vikonyx would fly as fast as she could to Du Weldenvarden and they would make their report to Arya.

As far as she knew, no rider had ever ventured as far west into Golrazi as she was being asked to go. Eragon had a few maps that detailed the easternmost parts of the country, but part of Keres' mission was to complete those by adding everything she found to the newest drawing of the continent. To that end, Eragon had gifted her a map-making kit that included three separate maps of the continent detailing Alagaësia, Vrenbana, the areas in between, and the sections of Golrazi that Eragon had surveyed. There was a blank space in the upper, left hand corner for her to add her findings. One map detailed the land: rivers, lakes, mountains, and plains. The second listed cities and roads. The third was clearly a battle-map. It was set up in a series of grids so that she could note supply lines and enemy encampments.

Keres sincerely hoped that Saphira had broken the news to Vikonyx. Having to go over the entire plan again would just be exhausting. After concluding her meeting with Eragon, she had returned to her room to pack her things. She would have all of the next day to pack, but right now she needed something to do with her hands. There was so much nervous energy within her that she couldn't sit still. Dragon Riders took care not to garner too many possessions during their apprenticeship. It wasn't forbidden, but it was impossible to transport too much on dragonback. Once a rider settled into their new post in Alagaësia, they could amass as many items as they wanted, for if they chose to return to Vrenbana, a ship would be assigned to carry most of their belongings.

Keres had less than most apprentices, but that was only because she brought nothing with her from her old life. She had arrived here with only the clothes on her back. Still, she had collected enough things that it would warrant at least a few hours of packing. Doing odd jobs around the valley had provided a small source of income with which she had been able to purchase some whatever she needed. She had at least eight training outfits, the components of which could be mixed and matched as she saw fit. Apart from that, she had several casual outfits for what Eragon referred to as "lounging." More importantly, she had three sets of her Dragon Rider uniform which she would be required to wear at formal events. All of these were quickly folded and stuffed into a large bag which would hang off the back of Vikonyx' saddle. All, that was, except for two pairs of clothes that would get her through the next two days.

Her collection of dried herbs and salves would have to wait. It would take hours to go through the entire stock and figure out what to take. Some of the herbs could be dried and taken with her, but many wouldn't survive the journey. Mostly, she was concerned with taking her seeds so that she could start over once she got her final duty station. Her salves were less easy to replace. Some of them had taken weeks to concoct and were worth a fair amount of money. They could also be useful if she should sustain any unexpected injuries during her mission. Those would need to be properly packaged, labeled, and stored. Vikonyx would, as usual, call her crazy, but Keres didn't mind. This collection was one of the few things that absolutely had to be organized.

Next came her small collection of books. A few of these had been purchase, but most had been gifts from various acquaintances in Vrenbana. Several of them were novels, and served no real purpose other than to entertain her when she needed distraction. She had a copy of "The Alho Tales," a book which contained the stories of the old gods. There were also several books containing elf and dwarf ballads. These she put at the bottom of their bag. They would be the easiest to replace if they should get messed up. The more important books would need to be closer to the top. Among these were the two herbalism books that Eragon had given her for her 12th birthday. Already the pages were worn and several had notes scribbled in the margins. There were also several books on dragons, most of them written in the last 200 years. One of the older ones detailed their life cycle and stages of growth. Another contained descriptions of the various diseases that could befall them.

Her favorites she left off till last. These were three books taken from the library of Galbatorix himself. The first was a study of wild magic. It contained the most comprehensive explanation of the phenomena that had ever been found, despite the fact that no one was quite sure who had written in. The second was book on the theory of magic itself. It discussed several of the problems magic users faced and attempted to find solutions for them. The third was less of a book and more a compilation of notes and stories. It focused on the Grey Folk and what little was known of them. These three were some of the rarest books in the valley. In fact, Keres knew of only two other copies that had been made since the book was taken from the ruins of Galbatorix' castle. These she wrapped in a blanket and placed at the top of the pack before sealing it.

She was halfway through her collection of trinkets, trying to decide whether or not to take an enchanted orb she had been given for her 6th birthday when someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned, startled to find a young boy leaning against the wall. Despite his youth, his hair was grey and hung down into his startlingly blue eyes. He wore a pair of blue trousers and, wedged beneath his arm, was a cushion of the same color. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, and then Keres smiled.

"I must be very special to get a visit in human form."

The boy regarded her for a moment more before speaking. "Occasionally I, too, require thumbs."

"Don't you have a mouth?"

"Contrary to what you might believe, having to carry everything in one's mouth is a rather undesirable state of being."

When he didn't continued, Keres gestured to the bed beside her, "Forgive me, Arlentor, where are my manners? Please sit down."

He moved toward her, "While the offer is appreciated, I'm afraid that I have much to do tonight and cannot stay. I did, however, come by to give you this." He removed the cushion from beneath his arm and offered it to her.

She took it, glancing back and forth between the cushion and the boy. "Well . . . thank you, Arlentor. It's lovely."

He waved a hand, "It's not for you silly girl. See to it that you find a suitable spot on your saddle to install that. I suppose I will have to be strapped in, but I will be comfortable during this flight."

Keres nearly dropped the cushion, "Wait . . . what?!"

"I'm going with you. I figured that much was obvious." Arlentor raised an eyebrow, "You get to go somewhere no Dragon Rider has ever gone and do things no Dragon Rider has ever done, and you expect me to let you go by yourself?"

"But we're not going to be staying in a nice inn every night!" She protested. "We'll be flying most nights and doing recon almost all day. This isn't a vacation Arlentor."

'I am quite aware of that."

When she continued to look confused, he sighed. "Keres, you are the first of your kind to ever walk this land. Can it be a coincidence that you became a Dragon Rider? Or that you are being given an opportunity that no Rider has ever had before? The strands of fate fray around you. The unexpected happens wherever you step." His nose twitched in a decidedly cat-like motion. "This is the most exciting thing to have happened since I was born and I have no intention of sitting idly on the sidelines."

For a few moments, Keres was unable to speak. Finally she managed, "You know it's going to be dangerous?"

His eyes narrowed, "Naturally."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Since Vikonyx cannot come into the villages with you, it will help to have an extra set of eyes. Few people notice a cat lounging around."

She blinked. "Are you offering to help me?"

The boy let out a sound that was something akin to a human purr, "I've always credited you with being relatively intelligent. Perhaps I should revise that analysis." When she didn't respond, he continued, "You must really be worried about this. I've never heard you talk this much without a single condescending remark."

Keres sighed, flashing a small smile at him, "Is it that obvious?"

He nodded, suddenly serious. "All the more reason for me to accompany you." He was quiet for a long moment, as if he were debating what to say. Finally, he shook himself, "Do not worry Keres. This will be a fine venture." He bobbed his head, as if nodding to himself, then began to move toward the door. "Oh and remember, that cushion needs to be in a well ventilated, comfortable spot. Preferably somewhere with a view." The words were tossed over his shoulder, as if they were inconsequential. But if Keres knew him, and she thought she did, failing to comply would make the journey very uncomfortable indeed.

As she watched him go, a thought suddenly struck her. "Wait! Arlentor!"

He turned to look at her, "Yes?"

"How did you know about my mission? Eragon didn't tell me until tonight and his room is warded against eavesdroppers."

Again, the cat-like grin crossed his face. "My dear girl, I am a werecat. Are you surprised that I should have information without being directly told?"

She was on her feet in an instant. "Does that mean there's a prophesy? Do you know something?"

He studied her for a moment. "Perhaps there is and perhaps there isn't. If there is, then merely by telling you I could be altering the destiny of the world. If there isn't, then I could be altering the destiny of the world by giving you the idea there could be one. Prophecies are tricky things, as your master well knows. Good evening."

He had only gone another step before she called out again, "Arlentor . . . if there was a prophecy, would you tell me?"

He paused, but didn't turn to face her. "If there was . . . then perhaps I might consider it." And then he was gone.

Apologies for the off week. I've been a bit sick, but it's all better now. Questions and comments are welcome!