A/N Hey people! You guys ready for the next chapter? GOOD!
Dragon-miko- I know! How could I!! Yep, these next two chapters will be about the worse I'll have to write. Kleenex at the ready!
Moonyasha- Aww, glad you had a good Halloween! And I know it's like a week late but... Happy Halloween!
Twilight Unicorn- NO!! it's not me, it's the Ra'zac! I want Leggy back. sob.
Xiad Rusco- yeah, you'll have to find out. What do you mean you're looking forward to it?! I bet you wouldn't be if you knew.
JediPadawan18 – I know, I've been reading ahead in the book and I'm at that part now when we first meet Arya (in person) and I'm looking forward o it. Hm, wonder what Gimli will think or her?
DaAlCh- Yep, we will meet Murtagh erm, next chapter I think. I've already written that part and me likes it!! Alas, we loose one great character only to gain another! Lol. I kike Murtagh, he's my fave character along with Brom.
161 reviews, I love you guys!!
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Chapter 24- False Hopes Laid To Rest
They were packed and ready to go. They led the horses out into the busy street, Gimli rode behind Eragon who led Loshîth by a piece of rope around his neck. "We have to get out of the city as soon as possible," Brom called over his shoulder. "We must leave before they close the gates; if they are shut it will be almost impossible to get out. Follow me and do not get separated."
"We can't leave Dras-Leona!" Eragon protested, "What about Legolas?"
"He said he would follow us did he not?" Brom replied.
"Yes," agreed Eragon.
"Then he will. He can take care of himself, he'll be fine," Brom reassured. "And if he gets into any trouble he will be able to contact Saphira. She can also track him down when he gets out of the city. He'll just be laying low for a time," He was trying his best to think positively, though as the minutes passed the shadow of doubt at the back of his mind only grew. If Legolas had escaped the Ra'zac in all truth he should be back by now. If...
They were approaching the gate now, frantically lashing their horses on. To their horror and dismay they reached the gate to find it half closed already and a line of pike men blocking their way.
"Trapped!" Eragon exclaimed.
Brom cursed furiously. "We have to make it! I'll deal with the men, Eragon you will have to keep the gate open for us."
Eragon nodded in understanding. "Hold on Gimli!" he called over his shoulder to the Dwarf who without a word tightened his grip around Eragon's waist. Eragon was surprised he did not protest, but then he had not said a word since they had escaped the Ra'zac.
They charged towards the line of soldiers who stood firmly in place, lowering their pikes towards the horse's chests and bracing weapons against the ground. The horses snorted with fear but were kept in place by their riders. Eragon heard the soldiers shout at them to stop, but he kept all his attention on the gates.
As they neared the pikes, Brom raised his hand and spoke words in the Ancient Language. They struck true and the soldiers fell to each side as if their legs had been cut out form under them. The gates were almost closed. Reaching for his power Eragon shouted. "Du grind huildr!" The gates trembled then ground to a halt, they were open just enough for the company to slip through and out of the city of Dras-Leona leaving a group of stunned soldiers and on lookers in their wake. Eragon released the and they boomed shut behind them.
In the city alarms sounded as they rode through the outskirts of Dras-Leona. Eragon swayed on Cadoc with the weariness that was bound to come after just performing such a task.
Saphira was waiting for them on the very outskirts of the city hidden behind some trees. "Go ride Saphira. And stay in the air, no matter what happens to me or Gimli. We can take care of ourselves. We'll ride south, fly nearby. And never mind if Saphira is seen, it doesn't matter anymore," said Brom.
Eragon did as he was told, leaving Brom and Gimli far below. 'Are you alright?' Saphira asked.
'No,' Eragon sighed. 'Well yes, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Legolas. Saphira, has he contacted you at all?'
'No,' she replied.
'How could I have left him?' Eragon said in despair. 'Saphira, what if he didn't escape the Ra'zac? What if-'
'Eragon!' Saphira yelled at him, suddenly furious. 'You do not know whether Legolas escaped the Ra'zac or not. I for one think he did and is on his way to find us. I will not tolerate that attitude. If I hear of anymore doubt in your heart of what has become of Legolas I shall drop you and you shall go crashing back to earth and shatter into a thousand small pieces. Do you want that?'
Eragon shook his head and a smile tugged at his lips. 'You would never do that!'
'Just try me,' she returned coldly.
'Fine, sorry. I just hope that he finds us, if he is alright as you believe. But we are talking about the Ra'zac and-'
Saphira rolled over in the air and Eragon, caught unaware, slipped from her back and began to plummet back to the ground. Saphira swooped down and caught him in her talons however.
Fear shone bright in Eragon's eyes. He scrambled back up to sit on her back, clinging tightly to her for dear life. 'Told you. Don't tempt me,' she smiled down at his maliciously.
'Don't – ever – do – that – again!' Eragon managed to murmur through the shock. 'I believe Legolas is alive and well and will come and find us soon.'
'Thank you!' said Saphira triumphantly.
They carried on as Leona Lake receded far off into the distance and it was with a heavy heart that Eragon looked back. He kept it to himself, but a part of him told him that he would not see his Elven friend again.
The wind began to pick up. It whistled in Eragon's ears as Saphira began her decent back to earth. The winds were too strong to continue flying. Eragon mounted Cadoc, climbing up in front of Gimli; he took Loshîth's rope that Brom handed to him. Saphira had to follow on foot behind the horses, a thing which displeased her greatly. She was far less graceful on the ground compared to her agility while in the air and she found it increasingly difficult to keep up with them.
Soon darkness forced them to stop and make camp for the night behind two boulders providing a little shelter from the wind. It was too risky to light a fire for fear of been detected so they ate cold food while Saphira helped also to shelter them from the wind.
"How did they find us?" Eragon asked bluntly.
"I don't know," Brom shook his shaggy head gravely. "I was warned in the palace that there were spies among them. Somehow word of me and my questions must have reached Tábor, and then the Ra'zac. Well we certainly can't step foot back in Dras-Leona for a few years. I dare say the Ra'zac will be hunting us tonight. We'll all have to trade watches until the morning."
"Right, I guess I'll take the first watch then?" said Eragon.
"Much obliged lad. Wake me in around two hours to relieve you. Good night," with that both Gimli and Brom settled down for an uneasy sleep.
It began to rain lightly as the wind howled around them. Saphira covered them all with her great wings as they moved in closer to her to escape the cold pricks of rain. Eragon sat apart form them in the dark, barely sheltered. He suddenly had an idea. He fished out a sauce pan from one of their packs and let it fill with rain water. He focused his mind with all the will and power he could muster and stared hard at the water. "Draumr kópa!" he said quietly so as not to wake the others.
After a few moments concentration a picture began to form on the surface of the water. He gasped at what he saw and felt a tear slide down his cheek as grief overwhelmed him. it could not be! It simply could not be! He focused more strongly, trying to change the image before him, but to no avail. He had been right and Saphira had been wrong. What would he do? What would he tell Gimli? Tars innumerable slid down his cheeks and splashed into the water as he held the image in place. Suddenly anger took him and he threw the pan away form him, spilling the contents on the already soaked ground. He put his head in his hands and wept. Silent sobs shook through his whole body, but he did not care. How could he have ever let this happen? Why had he stopped them from taking the ship back in Teirm, from escaping this cruel world? And now one of the best friends he had ever had was gone.
Raising his head, revealing a tear stained face he stared into the blackness around him. he squinted, he thought he had caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye, a small patch of colour that stood out form the surrounding dark. He got up and took a step out into the rain, ignoring the discarded saucepan; he stepped cautiously towards the edge of camp. Gimli grunted in his fitful sleep and he quickly turned round to the Dwarf.
Pain erupted in the back of his head and he heard Saphira roar. Then Eragon toppled to the ground... unconscious.
-:0:-
When Eragon eventually came round, he found that his hands were bound behind him, attached it seemed to Brom and Gimli. Eragon's eyes roved around the camp and came to rest upon one of them- the Ra'zac. Without taking much time to think, Eragon quickly reached for the magic and began to form the words that would kill the Ra'zac, only to find he could not actually say it. He stuttered and stumbled, then heard one of the Ra'zac hiss as it walked over to him. "Ah, the drug is taking effect," it said as Eragon peered up into the cowed face.
"Yes, it will not be bothering us again I think," said the second Ra'zac to the left of them. Eragon glanced over to it and was appalled to see a muzzle been fitted over Saphira's crushing jaws. Her wings were pinned to her sides by black chains and there were shackles on her legs. Eragon also found he couldn't contact her either. "She was most cooperative once we threatened to kill you," the Ra'zac hissed menacingly.
The other Ra'zac was going through Eragon's pack, examining various items before discarding them until he came to the thing he obviously desired. Eragon's sword Zar'roc. "Hm, very nice this is. I think maybe I will keep it. And if you behave, maybe our master will let you polish it once in a while."
"I would kill you first before I let that happen!" Eragon said with venom.
The Ra'zac cackled. "Hm, kill us you think? No, we are far too valuable to our master, you on the other hand- are not. Besides, that is just what your pretty little friend said to us, but we made quick work of him. Elves have no strength."
"Legolas!" Eragon breathed. "What did you do to him?" he then demanded.
"What did we do to him?" hissed the Ra'zac, taking delight in Eragon's obvious distress. "Hm, we disposed of him of course! No use for Elves ruining our plans. I would have thought him hardier, but he did not last long. Be assured, his death was not swift but slow and painful..." the Ra'zac trailed off as Eragon's face broke into a look of utter horror.
Of course Eragon knew this already. He knew Legolas was gone, he had scryed it, but to hear of the manner in which the Ra'zac had treated him was too much.
Brom groaned suddenly and rolled onto his side, Gimli nudged him, obviously the Dwarf had been faking unconsciousness for a while until this moment. Turning his head slightly, Eragon saw Gimli's face to be haggard and full of emotion the hardy Dwarf would not consent to release in front of these dark creatures. The Ra'zac easily lifted Brom up by his shirt. "It's wearing off it is," it hissed.
"Let us kill it, it has already caused us much grief. Let us be done with it!" said the other Ra'zac coming over to his companion. They both agreed and dragged Brom to the centre if the camp, shoving him to his knees. Eragon strained against the ropes that bound him, as did Gimli, they could n0ot bare to loose another friend. The taller one pulled Brom's head back and placed the dagger under his chin to his exposed throat, preparing to deal the lethal slice.
Suddenly an arrow whistled through the air and imbedded itself into the Ra'zac's shoulder, the other ducked, narrowly avoiding another of the projectiles aimed at him. he crouched next to his wounded companion, hissing and spitting at the surrounding darkness, Brom managed to crawl over towards Eragon as more arrows flew through the camp, fired by an unseen attacker.
Eragon's thoughts immediately swivelled to Legolas, remembering the lightning speed and precision of his attacks. And for one moment Eragon dared to believe hat his friend had in fact returned. It seemed Gimli was formulating the same ideas as he was, he heard the Dwarf mutter to himself, just catching the words 'Legolas' and 'found'.
Both Ra'zac stood and made a dash to get away from the camp. Their cloaks now pierced with arrows, and with some protruding form their bodies also. Eragon was kicked viciously in the ribs by the smaller one as it fled, the other close beh8ind it. Though it hesitated for a moment, before snatching a dagger a hurling it at Eragon.
A strange light suddenly burned in Brom's eyes. He threw himself in front of Eragon, his mouth open in a soundless snarl, the dagger struck him with a soft thump, and he landed heavily on his side. His head lolled limply as Eragon screamed, doubled over and winded. He heard footsteps, then his eyes closed and he knew no more.
A/N There you go another chapter done. Really not looking forward to the next chapter, for obvious reasons I'm sure you can guess after reading this one. anyways, please go review and tell me what you think!!
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