Eragon's POV
It was quickly decided that we would head with all haste back to Bullridge. Brom had sent an anonymous letter to a captain there that Brom, one of the rider's of old, had been spotted riding toward the city. Hopefully it would be enough to provoke the Ra'zac and draw them from their hellish safe haven. We had left Jeod and his wife, who said if we were heading towards the Varden soon after it would not be long before we met again.
After the near two weeks apart from each other, Saphira and Eragon were happy to be reunited once more, looking forward to having the loneliness of the road again. Saphira had been quite upset at what Brom had been keeping from us and in no uncertain words told him if he lied about anything else she might just have to eat him for breakfast. I had laughed heartily at that before we began the hard ride back through the mountains towards Gil'ead. We all still got the feeling of being watched, so Saphira stayed low to the ground or high above the clouds with Eragon on her back.
After travelling through the foothills of the Spine again, we could see beneath us the Woadark Lake splayed out below. We traveled until nightfall, when we stopped for the night a few hours journey away from the lake, where we were more likely to encounter strangers looking to cause trouble.
By now we were pros at setting up camp and cooking up a little dinner before starting our watch shifts. I slept for two hours or so before Brom woke me for my turn on watch.
The night was silent and I found myself grateful for the small respite. The sounds of the day, whilst rhythmic and steady, were always so distracting. The horses' hooves and huffs, their saddles shifting with their movements, Saphira's wing beats overhead, and the chatter between my three companions was beginning to wear on my nerves. As much as I loved them, we had been on the road for months and they rarely stopped. The only reason I hadn't complained because I knew Eragon was using this time to learn as much as he could. Now, as I sat on watch, staring at the starry sky, the silence was blissful.
That is, while it lasted.
Off to my left in the woods I heard a crunch in the dry leaves. Then a twig snapped somewhere off to my right. I scowled, and stayed alert, but didn't let whatever it was know that I was aware of its presence. Instead, I reached out with my mind and roused my friends, telling them not to move.
What is it? Came Eragon's groggy voice.
Something is either moving very quickly around our camp or we are being surrounded, I whispered back to the three of them. I quickly took stock of my surroundings, seeing that by some lucky chance, the other two had lain down near their swords making it easier for them to spring into action should we be attacked. My dagger was still strapped to my side from the day before and my bow and arrows, which had only been used for hunting thus far on the trip from Teirm, were also nearby. Perhaps I could take down a few before they reached us.
I began sensing the area like Brom had been teaching us on this leg of the trip and what I found was not very assuring. All around us were about twenty or so Urgals, and two large bird-like creatures I had not seen before. They were about half the size of Saphira and had a strange grey feeling to the walls guarding their minds. I relayed all of this information and I heard Brom mentally curse. Apparently we were on the same train of thought.
Then suddenly, a horn rang through the night air, full and deep, causing the clearing to burst into action. We all hopped up, grabbing our weapons and formed a triangle, while Saphira took to the air. I grasped my bow first, and fired at the creatures that had flown from the shadows with terrible speed. They were large, bigger than the ones we had faced in Yazuac, which I found peculiar. I managed to shoot down six or seven before the first of them reached us.
I kept my bow in one hand, and pulled my dagger with my right, slashing at weak points in the leather armor they wore like Brom had taught me. I twisted and turned, slowly realizing they had separated us and we were all on our own. The wind was knocked from me as I failed to completely dodge a fist thrown by one massive urgal, causing me to grunt and fall onto my back. He leaned over me as I fell, following me down, and pressed his hand against my neck.
I grasped at it, fighting to get back the air I had lost, but soon black spots began taking over parts of my vision. Then the hand was ripped away as a sword tore into the arm holding me, and I could breathe again. Before I could thank Eragon, his eyes widened as his head snapped to the side, then he slackened, falling over me, where I could see a creature had swung his massive club and knocked the boy out.
All action stopped as the same creature lifted him and held a knife to his throat, causing Brom and Saphira to stop their fights against them as well. We complied as they bound us, Brom and I in rope, Saphira in chain. They tied us to posts, and set up camp where we had, and now I could see what the bird creatures were. They were like older, creepier versions of the Ra'zac Brom described in his stories. Before I could see more, an urgal came up and stuck a needle into both our arms, a needle coated in some kind of serum.
As the world became fuzzy around me, I could hear the odd clicking sounds from long ago, back in the village of Carvahall.
When next I awoke, we were in the same place. A fire crackled nearby, and judging by the heat, it was just behind me. I could see Eragon from under my blindfold- which hadn't been there when I passed out- lying on the floor, gagged, bound and blindfolded as well. Behind him was a large canvas tent where noise was coming from. A language I didn't know was being spoken in a guttural voice in the distance, and Eragon groaned slightly, obviously in pain. A pair of boots walked into my vision, nudging him.
"Looks like he's waking up," one of the voices from earlier spoke, then the feet shifted and kicked him in the stomach. I yelled, and Eragon grunted as the kick landed. "What, you'd rather it be you in pain?" The shoes began walking towards me, and I twisted my shoulders to remove the blindfold and gag. As the dark, ugly face got closer, I leant up, and as it stopped, I spat right in his eye.
"You bitch! You ought to learn some respect, and I would sure be glad to teach you," he said, growing from angry to cunning and sly as he spoke. My eyes narrowed at his tone but I continued to stare defiantly at him. He backhanded me across the face causing me to grunt in pain, before untying me from my pole. By now, Brom and Eragon had figured out what was happening and both began to shift and wriggle with muffled protests as I was dragged further and further from them.
I was able to get my leg up and kick the urgal in the stomach, knocking him away, before one of the Ra'zac, who appeared to be orchestrating this whole thing, scared the creature away. They had a conversation in the other tongue, and I only got that the Ra'zac was mad at the Urgals, and the Urgals didn't see why, and as I stood there still, all of the Urgals packed up and left the clearing together.
Then the Ra'zac turned to me, it's strange black beak appearing to be longer and thinner than I remember as it pecked at my shoulders harshly. I twisted away, but it continued, and I could feel it breaking skin in some places. Then, suddenly, I saw from over my shoulder, just as the other one came from the tent, an arrow whizz past striking the one closest to me in the shoulder. The creature cried out in pain, then pushed me to the ground a few feet from Brom's post so I couldn't escape. I thought maybe the Urgals had come back, but seeing the white feathers of the arrows, I knew this wasn't the case. Another arrow flew from the opposite direction, confusing us. It missed its target, landing in the mud a few feet from me.
The Ra'zac closer to Eragon again kicked him in the ribs and shoulder, before a loud whistling sound erupted from his beak and the winged creatures from before flew into the clearing, landing on either side of me. One of the Ra'zac moved closer to Brom with a knife, hitting him across the face. He stood over Brom, and everything seemed to fall into slow motion.
The creature raised the knife above his head and Eragon began to flail and yell on the ground. I kick one of the beasts off me with a sudden burst of strength. As the knife fell I dove between Brom and the blade, my back facing him to hug him close. I feel nothing as the knife plunges into my side, creating a large wound above my hip. I hear Eragon screaming my name, and feel Brom press into my side, trying to stop the bleeding, and I hear another voice screaming. It sounds like my own, and my mouth is hanging open, but I am not trying to make any sound. My vision grows fuzzy, and I can hear the angry hisses of the Ra'zac as I'm pulled from the safety of Brom's arms. All at once everything fades to black.
Eragon's POV
My mind went blank upon hearing Elaina's scream which cut off abruptly, and finally shifted enough to remove my blindfold. Ignoring the pain of my torso, I sat up, watching in despair as the large creatures flew off into the sunlight. I kept wriggling, trying everything to get these damned restraints off me, until a pair of hands grasped my wrists and a gruff voice told me to hold still so he could remove them. Only when this was completed, did I glare over at the stranger who had come to our rescue.
He had grimy, stringy black hair that dropped to his shoulders, and his face had dirt smeared across it. The more I stared the more his face gave me a nagging feeling of familiarity. I could still see through the dirt, that his eyes were the same strange black from the bar in Teirm. He wore ragged leather armor and over that a black cloak. He was armed with a massive broadsword and a bow. His quiver was missing a few arrows, and I figured he had used them to scare our captors away.
Immediately I was on guard, wondering if he had been following us all this way. I slowly walked over to Saphira, never turning from the man, and released her growling form from her chains. Before I could even blink, she was in front of me in a defensive stance, shaking in what was either rage or fear.
"Who are you?" I asked him in a strong voice.
"My name is Murtagh," he stated, matching my tone. I told Saphira mentally to stand down. We had bigger things to worry about at the moment. I glanced around the clearing once she had, and noticed something important was missing. "That's some woman you got there."
"Elaina?" Perhaps she had run off sometime after the Ra'zac had left… Doubtful.
"Is that the name of the girl you were with at the bar?" I nodded in response. "She took a knife in her side to save the old eagle nose over there." I can feel the panic rising in my chest as his face is cast in a shadow.
"Where is she?" I asked, noting the guilty look on his face. I could feel the rage building in me even though I had not heard the answer yet. He turned away when he said it, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
"They took her."
Silence rang through the clearing, and only Brom's groan as he regained consciousness permeated it. I glanced at him as he stood; taking stock of the clearing but otherwise ignored him. I noticed his head snapped towards me at my icy words.
"You just allowed them to take her?" His head lowered in shame and I growled out, "you were able to save me but they got away with her? Damnit, it should've been me." I ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the roots. The pain was miniscule compared to how my heart was throbbing in my chest, and Brom walked towards me.
"Eragon, it's alright," he spoke, though his voice sounded pained and worried. "We will get her back."
I glanced up at him through the tears that were now glazing my eyes, and was reassured by the look of promise and determination on his face. I was able to calm down a bit, and nodded my head.
"We need to move," I said. "They may come back with reinforcements, and then we will stand no chance of ever getting her back."
"I'm coming with you," Murtagh said. I saw Brom's eyes narrow at his voice, having just laid eyes on him for the first time.
"You. What are you doing here?" Brom asked, getting in front of me as Saphira had. He looked incredibly wary of the man before us, and I couldn't blame him.
"I had a feeling trouble was going to follow this kid," he said gesturing to me, "so I did too. Never know when you might need a little help," he said glancing around at the clearing. Something seemed to pass between the two mentally and Brom huffed before nodding his head.
"Gather the horses. It's going to take almost a month to reach Gil'ead and that's if we are moving fast. I have no doubt that is where they'll be taking her and once they get word of my message from Bullridge, they'll be expecting us. If we can beat the message, maybe they won't have time to fortify and we will sneak in unnoticed. Eragon, fly ahead with Saphira and keep an eye out for danger. Now is not the time for stealth to be a priority, but avoid being seen if you can."
"Brom, what were those things?"
"They're called Lethrblaka. They are the old, ancient parents of the Ra'zac. That is what they become when they continue living for centuries at a time. The fact that the king has them makes me that much more worried over what he could have in that black castle of his..." He trailed off, staring in the direction the abominations had flown.
I nod and silently follow his orders and our race to save Elaina and the elf began. Somehow I just knew that we would find them both in the same place. This brought me no comfort however, for I had seen the condition the other girl was in. I did not want such a fate to befall Elaina too.
She had already seen too much suffering.
Elaina's POV
When I finally came to, I shivered at the harsh cold of the air around me. The stone I was resting on seemed to suck all of the warmth from my body and I quickly sat up, only to find myself swaying with dizziness. The wound on my stomach burned and it reopened, letting a new trickle of blood fall from it at my movement. When I opened my eyes, nothing changed from when they were closed, revealing the pitch black room I was in. Once my eyes had adjusted, I could see metal bars of a cell, and through them, another cell. Through the bars, I saw the woman that Eragon had shown me memories of from his dreams.
Her condition seemed to have deteriorated over the last few days he hadn't dreamt of her, and I was almost grateful for his ignorance. Her cheeks, which were turned skyward as she lay on her back, were blackened with bruises. Her arms and legs were exposed due to the miniscule amount of clothing she was wearing and I wondered if she could still feel the bruises, lumps and burns in her sleep.
I tried to call out to her, but all that came out was a hoarse wheezing. My throat was so dry, at the test of using it I felt it would begin bleeding from another breath. I reached a hand up to massage my throat, only to regret the action, agitating the bruises from nearly being suffocated by the urgal during our initial capture. My body lurched forward at my command, standing on weak legs, and I briefly wondered how long I had slept without food or water. Ignoring the thought, I walked forward and pressed my face to the bars. I could see a short hallway, with doors on either end, but our cells were the only things in sight.
Just as I turned to lie back down, the one to my left opened and a man with bright red hair and glowing red eyes, which were a sickening contrast to his pale, paper thin skin, approached. He smiled at me and I cringed in fear at the show of sharp white teeth.
"Hello, I'm Durza. I believe it is time that we become…" he paused as though searching for the right word and waving a hand nonchalantly, "acquainted with each other, now that you are finally awake."