Chapter 37
As it turned out, Arlentor was absolutely correct. After watching the last hour of swordplay at the military academy, Keres had managed to attract the attention of one of the older boys, a youth of some 19 years. It had taken minimal persuading to get him alone and, upon doing so, minimal effort to overpower his mind. The insights she gained were few, but crucial. Due to the fragmented nature of the country, even the individual cities didn't always get along with each other, the central government was struggling to raise a proper army. The cities usually kept a fighting force within them, but they were so suspicious of each other that none of the eastern cities were willing to give up their protection. As a result, the few garrisons they had been able to send to fight the invaders had been rag-tag groups of men plucked from their livelihoods, or else released from prison with the promise that, if they lived, they would be free men.
It's really no wonder they're losing this way. Keres had commented to her companions. Especially if the Bogerk are everything we've heard they are. Even a decently trained army would be enough to overrun most of the country.
It was Vikonyx who responded first. "They have grown complacent in peace. Alagaësia was too busy with its own power struggles to cause too much trouble in the past. Even now, there is no pressure to expand our borders and, without any other neighbors to keep them vigilant, it seems they have come to see peace as the natural state of things."
"It's true. The state of their eastern border is proof of that." Yawned Arlentor.
Aside from Vrenbana, there were several large cities in the northeastern part of Golrazi that considered themselves independent. They paid taxes to the central government sporadically, if at all. However, the government of Golrazi had long been content to let the cities do as they wished without any real threat of repercussion. As it was, the Dragon Riders weren't even sure if Golrazi knew that the city states had been banding together to form a union. The process had begun nearly 20 years ago and had steadily gained traction. Of course, the Riders weren't in any hurry to tell Golrazi. As Eragon had often said, Dragon Riders should stay out of politics as much as possible.
The following day had dawned without the faintest hint of a city, meaning that Vikonyx had landed in one of the few forested areas that dotted the Golrazi landscape. Keres had spent part of the day cleaning up and detailing her maps. That done, she reviewed the journals she had kept of all the information they had gathered thus far. The full situation was still pretty hazy, but each piece of information helped to put the puzzle together. After adding a few of her new theories to the journal, she had practiced with her sword for a few hours, going through the various forms and motions that Eragon had drilled into her through years of training. She had yet to use Skraván in actual combat, but already the blade felt like an old friend in her hand. It necessitated adjusting her fighting style slightly, adding more slashes and removing some of the thrusts, but the end result was well worth it. The black blade clove even the stalks of the grass around her cleanly in two. The results excited her, but they also instilled a healthy respect for the power of her new sword. This wasn't a sword that would stab a man, this was a sword that would lop off limbs without the slightest bit of effort. It was well named, but not a sword to be used indiscriminately.
After careful inspecting the blade for any chips or dullness, which she didn't find, she set it back in its sheath and found a nearby stream to wash her clothes and bathe in. This was one of the few aspects in which Golrazi surpassed Vrenbana in her mind. Their streams were perfect. The water ran crystal clear over usually stony riverbeds, meaning that there was none of the mud she frequently found in Vrenbana. She was also quickly confirming that Golrazi had earned its nickname: Land of a Thousand Streams. Though they varied in width and length, there seemed to be a stream everywhere she looked. It was making her mapping much harder having to figure out which streams flowed where and connect them to the map the elves had provided.
Keres had just returned from her bath, carrying a bundle of dirty clothes in her hand, when Vikonyx's head snapped up. At the same moment, Arlentor's ears pricked up and settled down into a half-crouch. Sensing the tension, Keres froze, mentally calculating the distance between her and her sword.
What is it?
Vikonyx lowered her head, pressing herself against the ground, "People. About half a mile away to the southwest, but they're making enough noise to make the dead. They must be certain that no one is about to be making that much racket."
Should I check it out?
"I would." The dragon responded, "You're small enough to go unnoticed in this tall grass. And something doesn't feel right about them being so far off the usual roads."
Keres nodded, glancing over at Arlentor, "Will you come with me?" In response to the quizzical look, she replied, "You can come back and get Vikonyx if things go really badly."
The werecat raised an eyebrow, "If things go that badly, even she might not be able to save you."
I'm well aware of that but a contingency plan makes me feel better.
He shrugged, "As you like."
Tugging on her cloak, Keres set off through the grass, placing her feet as carefully as she could. There was a near-constant breeze that blew across the land, swaying the grass almost rhythmically. She had to take care to move with the wind, so that she didn't disturb the regular motion. She had gone about 45 yards when she stumbled upon a worn footpath that wound through the grass. She pulled up sharply to avoid stepping out into open ground. Arlentor, who had been padding silently beside her, streaked across the path, taking up a position almost directly across from her.
Vikonyx?
"Yes"
There's a path here. Not a well-kept one, but it looks frequented enough. I'm guessing this must be the route those people are taking.
"Any sign of them?"
No, there are no tracks and the ground seems relatively soft. They haven't gotten here yet.
"Well, keep your head down and stay hidden. We don't want to attract any unwanted attention."
Breaking the mental contact, Keres settled down into the grass a few feet back from the road. The sun was already touching the horizon, casting long shadows through the grass. This meant that her black cloak kept her well camouflaged in the dying light. She had only waited for about 15 minutes before the sound of horses hooves finally reached her ears. She shrank a little further back into the grass. The horses would certainly smell her, but they were unlikely to spook at her scent alone. Luckily, as she had just taken a bath, she didn't smell like Vikonyx. Arlentor would also not be seen as much of a threat, so it was unlikely that the horses would spook or give them away, but she didn't want to take any chances.
After another five minutes or so, the small group, for it was several people, finally came into sight. There were eight people in all. A man on a large, red-roan horse rode at the head of the small column, a sword at his hip. Behind him walked two men, neither of whom looked terribly happy to be following behind the animals. Each of them held the halter of a horse, both of whom were carrying heavy sacks as well. Next came a man on a black horse with smaller sacks fastened to either side of the saddle. A rope trailed from his saddle. To it was attached a second rope, with either end bound around the hands of two people who were walking slowly behind him. Or rather, the two people who were begin dragged behind his horse. Their sentiments could not have been plainer if they'd been openly weeping.
One was a woman, roughly the same age as Keres. Her long, beautiful hair was tangled and filled with bits of grass. The clothes she wore, though clearly of good make, were stained and dirty. Makeup from her eyes trailed down her face, giving her a pathetic, woe begotten appearance. Beside her, and casting worried glances her way every so often, was a boy who looked to be a few years older. A bloodied bandage was wrapped around his brow and his clothes showed obvious signs that he had been roughed up. Blood stained the collar of his shirt and there was a purpling bruise beneath his left eye.
Behind them rode two more men, their horses each bearing several sacks fastened to the saddles. As Keres watched, the woman stumbled and was rewarded with a sharp smack from one of the men's riding whips. It cracked across her shoulder and she cried out, staggering back to her feet and moving out of his reach.
As she felt Vikonyx watching thought her eyes, Keres reached out to her partner, pausing only to widen her mind so that Arlentor could hear her as well. What do you think? Slavers?
"No" The werecat answered. "Slavers would have more humans and fewer bags. My guess is bandits. Merchants wouldn't frequent a road like this. It's far too narrow for caravans."
And the people?
"Could be hostages." This time it was Vikonyx who spoke. "They took a few people from those they robbed and could have threatened to kill them if they were followed. Do you think . . ."
The dragon fell silent as the men drew closer and, as the wind shifted, their conversation because audible. "Don't understand why we have to walk the whole way. Could take turns easily enough." That was one of the two men who were leading their horses. As he spoke, he glowered back at his mounted companions.
"Aye, we could take turns." The man leading the two prisoners answered. "But why should we? If you and Kanja hadn't lost out pack horses, you could have ridden along with us. I don't see why we should all have to suffer for your mistake."
"Wasn't our fault." The speaker replied. "Maybe if Pallav had tied them up properly, they wouldn't have been able to break free and run."
"And maybe if you don't shut your trap, I'll put one of these bolts between your eyes." Retorted the man leading the prisoners, drawing a crossbow from his back and leveling it at the original speaker.
Silence immediately fell. The man in front didn't even acknowledge the conversation, just glanced around them, clearly watching for any signs of life.
The man named Kanja turned his attention to the leader, calling up to him, "Vinay, you can stop looking around. With these two, there's no way they'll follow us."
Vinay glanced back at him scornfully before returning to his searching. "Doesn't mean they won't send someone after them."
"Who would they send?" Kanja scoffed. "The city guard would take days to even get on the case. And, given that we have all their gold, they can't afford to hire any mercenaries. We're in the clear."
Oh are you now? Keres was now seething with anger. Bandits were relatively high on her list of people who needed a major attitude adjustment, ranked only under rogue magic-users, slavers, and politicians. She shifted her seat slightly, straightening up slightly as Vinay passed directly in front of her.
"Aren't you going to stop them?" Arlentor asked, yawning widely.
"I can't." Keres hand was trembling on the hilt of Skraván. "The Dragon Riders have no authority here. I can't legally interfere with anything inside the boundaries of the country."
The werecat glanced sideways at her. "We're in the middle of nowhere. It's not as though anyone would know."
Vikonyx warning growl may have been audible only to Keres and the werecat, but she felt the vibration of it in her chest. "Chose your words more carefully werecat."
Keres made a calmly hand gestured toward her. "I would know. Our laws are absolute, I cannot disobey them. To raise my sword against any citizen of Golrazi in anything other than self-defense would break the peace we have with them. Still . . ." She shook her head in disgust, "it doesn't sit well with me to leave them like this." Her mind was racing. The rules were clear. Every apprentice had been drilled extensively on the tenuous nature of the peace between Vrenbana and Golrazi. The people of Golrazi, though they revered the dragons, were ill at ease with concept of the riders. Magic users were much rarer in their country than in Alagaësia. It wasn't that there were fewer magic-users, it was the fact that practicing magic was strictly forbidden to anyone outside of the Sadhu class. As the class system was of utmost importance to the people, anyone with magic who didn't fall into that class was expected to simply ignore it.
The leaders of the country feared that the people, if exposed too much to the Dragon Riders, would begin to revere them as gods. Dragons were sacred to the Golraz. People who could communicate with them, even ride them, would be revered even above the monarchs and city rulers. As such, the Dragon Riders had been forbidden to show themselves any further than twenty miles beyond the borders of Vrenbana. They had also been forbidden to interfere with any of the county's inner workings. Even now, this seemed incredibly stupid to Keres. To make demands of someone who was infinitely stronger than you was folly. It wasn't as if the government could punish the riders if they chose to disobey. The mountains ringing Vrenbana were impassable in the spring, fall, and winter months due to snow. Only in the winter could anyone make their way through the narrow, winding trails and, even then, getting an army through during that 4-5 month period would be a feat unto itself. It was unlikely that the Alagaësian army, well trained and supplied though they were, could manage it, let alone the pathetic rabble of noblemen that made up the Golrazi army.
It was these laws that had prompted Keres and Vikonyx to move as they did now, with Keres investigating cities and towns in the day and Vikonyx flying only at night and high above the clouds. Leaving these people seemed wrong. There had to be something that she could do.
Vikonyx?
"Yes"
I take full responsibilities for my action in the next few minutes. I acknowledge that what I am about to do goes against the rules of our order and that, should my actions have unintended repercussions, I can and will be punished according to our laws. I will accept any such punishment without complaint. Understood?
She heard her partner sigh over their mental link. The black dragon seemed to sense that there was no point in trying to argue with her. "Yes, I understand. But consider what you're about to do carefully Keres. We just became fully fledged, don't muck it up just yet."
Acknowledging the comment, Keres raised her voice so that all of the people on the road could hear her. "Slytha!" The word cracked like a command and she felt the magic drain out of her, more than she had anticipated. It took only a few seconds for her to see why. Not only had her spell affected the people, who either collapsed on the ground or slumped over the necks of their horses, but it affect the horses too. The staggered to a halt, heads drooping as they fell into a deep slumber. They stumbled forward a few steps before folding their legs beneath them and curling up on the ground. Within moments, the entire group was on the ground, snoring softly.
Arlentor emerged from the grass, sniffing the nearest horse. "Did you mean to put the horses to sleep as well?"
No. Keres admitted, but it would have been a bit problematic if they had kept walking.
The crunching of grass behind her warned her that Vikonyx was approaching, so Keres rose to her feet, stretched, and strolled out into the path. Working quickly, she untied the two prisoners and muttered a few spells to heal what wounds she could see. It didn't appear that they had any serious injuries. They'd just been roughed up quite a bit. Having attended to them first, she them turned her attention the bandits, who were still laying sprawled on the ground and slumped atop their horses.
Vikonyx snorted, "So you put them to sleep so they wouldn't know what had happened." It was a statement, not a question, but Keres sensed the intent.
Speaking aloud this time, she said, "The Golraz are a notoriously religious people. With any luck, they will see this as an act of their god." As she spoke, she quickly bound the bandits' hands behind their backs. With each person she came to, she relieved them of any weapons or objects they could use to cut themselves free, quickly smashing them and scattering the remnants. Only when she had each bandit tied securely to a horse and completely disarmed, did she finally begin her inspection of their minds. She began with the man they had called Vinay. His mind yielded few clues, as did those of his companions.
It was not until she finally began to inspect the mind of the two former prisoners that she learned anything of significance. They were part of a merchant family that regularly made a cross-country trip trading goods. Though they had no knowledge of the war itself, Keres was able to piece together a rough idea of the route they took. Amongst the many memories were several towns which, as far as the two young people knew, had already been overrun in the war. One was a port city where they usually stocked up named Keta Mand. The other was a bit further inland and to the south, a river city they knew as Tandi. More importantly, however, she found the names of several other cities she could expect to come across on her way toward the west coast. Though they meant nothing to her, the names invoked several memories from the minds of either the young man or the young woman: Drisana, Chandri, Jyotish, and Banasal.
Only after a thorough inspection of their memories for any information relevant to her mission, did she finally withdraw from their minds. By that time, the sun had dipped beneath the horizon, plunging the scene into almost complete darkness. With Vikonyx's help, Keres started a fire a few feet away from where she had set the young man and woman, whom her inspection had revealed to be named Gaurav and Anahita, a brother and sister. Surveying her handiwork, she nodded to herself. If she were ever punished for her interference, it would be worth it. Now, the lives of the bandits rested in Gaurav and Anahita's hands. What they chose to do with their former captors was no concern of hers.
"And if they kill them?" Vikonyx prompted, "Will you feel guilty?"
Why should I? I spared them, though it would have been easier to kill them. I didn't owe them even that much.
"But you left them in the hands of someone who has the motive to kill them."
Keres shrugged. If that should come to pass, I won't lose any sleep over it. Do I think Gaurav and Anahita will kill them? No. But if they do, that is their right. I wash my hands of this. Keres knew that Eragon would likely have had something to say to that, but it didn't matter. Eragon's philosophies were not her own. He was, in her opinion, too softhearted. Certainly, the weak needed to be protected, but she saw no reason that those who preyed upon the weak should receive special protection. Fate would deal with them sooner or later, regardless of what she chose now.
So it was, without any reservations in her heart, that Keres withdrew from the scene. As the grasses closed around her, she barked, "Vakna!" Behind her, she heard the first stirrings as both men and horses woke and discovered the much changed situation. But she didn't bother to look back. She had made her choice. She would live with the consequences one way or another.
