Author's Note:
'Lo everyone. Chapter Two has been slightly modified, and Chapter Three is on the way. Thanks to all the new reviewers (or, I should say, reviewer) for reading. And now on to the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Eragon. Anything familiar belongs to Christopher Paolini, but everything else belongs to me.
Chapter Two
Kaiya felt relieved when her feet finally touched the soft, moist grass. By then the rain had let up slightly, but she still felt it tug at her drenched clothes and hair. Jevden reached the ground right after her and they waited for the rest of the men to come down from the ladder. Each small noise made her cringe and listen over the rain for the sounds of guards yelling.
But the guards did not hear, and the group started towards the castle once more. A sound of muffled footsteps caused everybody to tense considerably. Some of the swordsmen started unsheathing their weapon, but Jevden shook his head vigorously. "Wait," he whispered, barely audible over the wind.
"Hello?" a nervous voiced asked. Kaiya frowned, thinking that the voice sounded definitely out of place. "I-It is Fendal!" The voice squeaked.
"Fendal?" Jevden repeated. "Is everything still set?"
A lanky servant of the castle appeared in front of them, his face pale with fright. "Yes, of course Jevden, sir! I am here to lead you through the back way. It should not be a problem. Follow me, but be wary! King Galbatorix has stationed many guards outside the castle since his leave. Inside is a different story. Galbatorix has grown careless with the security indoors."
A smile tugged at Jevden's face. "Then that shall be to our advantage. Lead on, Fendal."
Fendal gazed at the group, his expression growing puzzled at the sight of the young girl in their party, but then turned around and wordlessly led them across the grass to the castle. Eventually the servant led them to where a large wooden door stood out plainly against the gray stone. Fendal groped in his pockets for a key and they made their way into the menacing-looking castle. Three more of the swordsmen posted themselves at the door, looking with regret as the others escaped from the rain.
Fendal grabbed a lantern that had been left on the floor and started forward once again. The sounds of muffled footsteps echoed throughout the vacant hallways. Kaiya tried keeping track of the turns they made, but soon she lost track of the many twists. Left, right, straight, right, left… When she cast a cautious glance behind her, she found a puddle of rainwater trailing behind them. So much for getting a head start, she thought nervously, her throat dry.
Finally the servant stopped in front of a door and turned around to face them. "The dragon eggs are hidden in this room. I have already unlocked the door, but do not ask me how I managed to get my hands on the key. Go swiftly!"
Fendal's words caused Kaiya's brow to furrow in question. Mind racing, she turned hesitantly to Jevden, who was deep in concentration. He quickly snapped out of his peculiar mood, however, and turned the brass knob. The door creaked open slowly, and Jevden briskly strode into the room, Kaiya following. When she looked around the room, she noticed that it was quite small for such a grand castle. The room was dark, as there were no candles to light up the place. Large portraits of cross-looking men hung on the walls. The room itself was vacant of all objects, save for a table stashed in the corner of the room. A large case sat on the table.
Kaiya let a small smile appear on her face, though something troubled her. This seems too easy… Something doesn't feel right. What is it? Shaking her head to the foreboding sense, she started towards the case with Jevden following. Her trembling hands touched the wooden case and undid the latch. Then, she pushed open the lid.
A gasp escaped from Kaiya's lips as her eyes first met with what lay inside. Two large eggs, one a rich crimson color and the other a deep shade of green, were nestled safely in a bed of cloth. Jevden took no time to admire the eggs; he snapped the case shut and pressed it against his chest. "Let's go," he murmured, and Kaiya nodded wordlessly.
When they reappeared, Fendal hastily shut the door and locked it once more. "Now follow me," he stammered, eyeing the large case in Jevden's arms. They then started back outside, this time at a quicker pace.
When Kaiya first took a step out of the castle, she knew something was wrong. They reunited with the three men outside of the door, and suddenly a dull buzzing could be heard. Kaiya cocked her head and wrinkled her brow as she wondered vaguely what it was. An arrow shot right past her head and hit the door to the castle. Kaiya gave a small cry and jumped back, her heart beating madly within her chest. Fendal made a strange gurgling noise and tried backing into the safety of the castle, watching Jevden with a nervous expression.
Suddenly Jevden turned towards Fendal and yanked him back. "Fendal!" he snarled, his face twisted with rage. Fendal gave a squeak and tried wriggling out of his grasp. "I-I'm sorry!" he cried, his whole body quivering with utter terror. "T-They forced me to tell. My old friend, I-I had no choice! Please—have mercy!"
"We must go!" a swordsman shouted to Jevden. Kaiya looked out to see the many flickers of lanterns bobbing up and down. A few more arrows rained down on them, though none of them managed to hit their targets. Fear flooded throughout Kaiya and she tried talking to Jevden.
"Jevden! Please, leave him. He is not worth it! We must go now!" she pleaded desperately. Jevden finally gave Fendal a hard shove, which sent the man spiraling to the ground. Then he turned and broke out running, followed quickly by everyone else.
Kaiya felt numb with worry. Her heart was racing and her mind was overwhelmed with many terrifying worries. She had trouble keeping up with Jevden in the dark; the slick grass and rain made it hard enough as it was. In the distance, the faint outline of soldiers could be seen pouring out of nowhere. And we're heading towards them, she thought faintly.
As they neared the ladder, Kaiya could hear their own men shout from the wall, "Hurry! We cannot hold off the guards much longer!" Her shaking fingers grabbed the slick wooden ladder and she tried to force herself to move faster. Yet another rain of arrows pelted down at them, and this time she heard the loud cries of pain coming from those who had been hit. From under her, she could hear Jevden telling her in an urgent yet comforting tone, "Just keep moving, Kai. Hurry now, and I'll hand the case up to you."
Once she had reached the top of the wall, she turned around and reached blindly for the large case and snatched it up. At first she thought she would drop it; it was heavier than it looked! With a grunt, she managed to get a better grip on it, though the corners dug into her side and fingers mercilessly. Jevden reached the top and quickly took the burden from her, then they made their way down the other side.
More cries could be heard, and Kaiya tried in vain to block out the horrible sounds of death. Suddenly, she felt her footing slip on the wet ladder. In an instant she was tumbling to the ground. A cry of surprise escaped her, and then Kaiya felt herself hit the soft ground with a thud. For a second everything seemed to be spinning.
"Kai!" Jevden called hoarsely, panic in his voice rising. "Are you all right?"
She realized numbly that he thought she had been hit. Jumping up, she called unsteadily, "I am okay!" Relief sounded in his voice as he answered to her, "Thank the gods. Here, grab the box from me; I can't hold it any longer."
Kaiya grabbed the box from him in a flash and tried waiting for him. However, a swordsman grabbed her arm and jerked her forward. "What are you doing?" she yelled angrily, trying to escape from his grasp while keeping her hold on the case. "Come on! Jev will catch up in a second, but we cannot wait for him. There are soldiers all over Urû'baen rushing here at this very moment. We mustn't let them get the eggs!"
Kaiya realized the truth in his words and stopped resisting, though the man still had a tight grasp on her arm as they ran. The sound of soldiers yelling could be heard from behind them, but Kaiya didn't dare glance behind her for fear of what she would see. Around every bend she expected to see soldiers waiting for them, however, each time she only saw an empty street. Shabby houses rushed past them in a blur. A few curious people watched from the safety of their homes as they dashed in and out of view. Finally they reached the boundaries of the city, and only then did they slow down their pace. Gasping for breath, Kaiya looked behind her in hopes of seeing Jevden. Every second that went by worried Kaiya even more, and she tried angrily to stop the tears that stung her eyes.
"Kai!" an all-too-familiar voice called. She spun around at once to find her blonde-haired brother saddling a group of horses. Forsaking the valuable case on the ground, she leapt up and hugged Tesu tightly.
"Get on a horse," he said after she released him at last. Kaiya's eyes widened and a look of outrage crossed her face, "I'm not leaving Jevden!"
Tesu glanced behind her nervously, hearing the shouts of angry soldiers. "Jevden knows where to meet us. We need to be ready to leave." His tone suddenly grew from comforting to bitter as he saw the case lying abandoned on the ground. "Grab the eggs, Kaiya! Whatever you do, don't let them out of sight… ever!"
Kaiya nodded sullenly and picked up the case, her eyes lingering into the night in hopes of seeing Jevden. Suddenly an object hurtled at them, followed instantly by a few more. Tesu and the man that had helped Kaiya both grabbed for a weapon immediately, though it wasn't necessary. Jevden and five others had managed to make it to the horses, each one covered in darkened blood.
"Jev!" Kaiya cried in alarm, but Jev merely smiled. "It is okay, Kaiya. We were ambushed back by the Whitehorn Inn." His smile disappeared suddenly, "Four of our men died. I do not know where the other six are. Hopefully they made it out of the city safely."
Kaiya noticed in the distance the endless streaming of yellow pinpricks. Tesu followed Kaiya's gaze and smiled grimly. "We will have to leave immediately. Kaiya get on a horse."
The girl scowled but obeyed, handing Jevden the case. There were a mass of horses, and Kaiya marveled at the quality of them. Surely Tesu paid a fortune on animals such as these! Plus there were the packs on each one, filled with the food and supplies they needed. Kaiya knew her father had left some money stashed away, but how did Tesu manage to get a hold of this kind of money?
She walked by each horse quickly, trying to inspect the horses for the best one. Before her father had died, she had learned from him a great deal of riding. The horse she finally settled with a young, black stallion. When she looked back she saw that Jev had hastily picked a brown and white horse. Tesu had been a little fussier, finally choosing a horse with a glossy brown coat.
When each had gotten on a horse, Kaiya looked at the extra horses with a frown. "Are we going to take them, too?"
Tesu shook his head, "They'll only slow us down. We can take the packs, but any extra animals will be just another mouth to feed."
Poor horses, Kaiya thought absentmindedly. She suddenly thought of something as she watched Tesu quickly grab the packs off the horses. "Where exactly are we going?" she questioned. "The Varden?" For the longest time she had always wondered if their rebel group was an ally of the Varden. She had never heard them talk of the Varden in any meetings, but it was true that they were an enemy of Galbatorix.
They started at a brisk speed, Kaiya riding in between Jev and Tesu. Although it was late into the night, she felt no trace of tiredness. Jev thought for a second before replying with a sigh, "I suppose it is our only option. Galbatorix will be searching for us, sending all of his troops to retrieve the stolen eggs. At least with the Varden we can be ensured protection."
Kaiya then turned to Tesu. "How did you get money for all these horses and supplies, Tesu? These horses must be some of the finest in Urû'baen!" To herself she thought, I hope he did not steal them. We have enough to worry about as it is.
Tesu sighed softly, "Father had quite some money, Kai."
Kaiya wasn't satisfied with this answer. "But where did he get the money? An innkeeper does not make enough spare money to pay for nine horses and supplies. At least, none that I know of."
Tesu looked gravely at her. In a quiet voice he said, "Father wasn't always an innkeeper, Kai. He had only started the inn when you were five. I was nine at the time."
"Well," Kaiya persisted, "What was he before?"
Tesu mumbled something too quiet for Kaiya to hear. Growing irritated at her brother, she asked impatiently, "Well, what?"
"He was—at far as I know of—a traveler of Alagaësia. Father had traveled everywhere: from the wild Spine to the dry Hadarac desert to the giant Beor Mountains. That's how he met mother—she was in a tribe from the Hadarac desert."
Kaiya's jade eyes opened wide in shock as Tesu's words hit her hard. She had never known that her mother was from the Hadarac desert! Her mother had died when she was five, and she couldn't remember anything about her. Then there was Kaiya's father, who rarely spoke of her mother. "But… how could he afford traveling?" Kaiya asked in confusion.
"He was a thief." Tesu finally said lowly, avoiding her eyes.
"What?" Kaiya cried, and several of the men looked up at her wearily. "Father couldn't be a thief! He—he couldn't be a thief because…because Father wasn't that type of man!" she stammered. "Father hated thieves and hated anyone who cheated through life. He couldn't have been a thief!"
"Father was a thief. He took what he wanted and killed whom he wanted," Tesu said sharply. "He met Mother on one of his travels and happened to take an interest in her. Eventually they got married and she moved with him to Urû'baen. But Father wasn't ready to give up his life of thievery and travel. He often went on long trips across Alagaësia, and he did not realize that I was born. Even when he found out, he still did not wish to settle. The same routine happened over and over: Father would come home for a few months, take off without warning, and come back many months later. This would happen over and over, until you were five years old and Mother became ill. The only reason Father settled in Urû'baen was because of Mother's death."
Kaiya pondered what Tesu said, angering rising quickly within her. "Why did Father tell you of this and not me?" she demanded.
Tesu shrugged, "He simply did not want to worry you."
That was the end of the conversation, as Kaiya did not want to hear any more about her father's previous life. Her head was buzzing with confusion and rage at the topic, but she remained silent. When they had traveled far enough from the city one of the men found a cave hidden from sight. Inside was dry, and Kaiya hastily peeled off her wet clothes and fell asleep in the corner of the cave, a blanket wrapped around her shivering figure.
