Wow…lots of reviews this time. You can't imagine how unbelievably happy this makes me :)
Fearie: Yeah, I found the picture. He is not cute! Jeez…I hope he restyles his hair or something. I'd think he'd make an okay Murtagh, but the base looks—ew!
Shealtiel: I like your suggestion. I'll try it out, see how it works.
Randomcat23: Wow, thanks! Yep, Murtagh's in a bit of trouble now. I had trouble of my own figuring how he was going to get out of it…
Mistress-of-Misery: There's not really a cliffhanger in this one, but it does change some things somewhat. Read on and see! Yes, family heritage is very important. I plan to hit people with a couple more things by the time this story is done.
Arya Drottning: Why, thank you!
Mrs. Pierre Bouvier: Thanks. Did you like my lovely cliffhanger?
AIDS: All right. The city of Uru'baen is surrounded by walls on all sides except one, and that's the palace. Around it (palace, city, etc) are woods. Murtagh, Thorn, and Salem exit by the back of the castle. The only way back in is through the back of the castle once more or if you want to fly over the walls. The original idea is not to attract attention, so Thorn can't just fly over the walls, and they don't let people out of the castle through the front gates. So the only way Salem can enter the city is through the front gates of the city.
It's confusing, I know, but that's the general idea. :)
Queen Caspian: Those evil Twins! Boo, hiss!
Fire Tempest: Wow, thanks. I hate the Twins too and I'm glad they get bashed in the head. One of them does get a lovely makeover via poison ivy in this chapter, though :) All that magic makes them extra allergic.
Spirited angel1305: Thanks! READ ON! HAHAHA!
Emerald Tiara: Check email for response.
AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA yeah okay here' s the story.
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4/2/101
It was the bored guard that broke the stunned silence. "Oh, what do you know," he said irritably. "Go back to your crystal balls."
The Twin's eyes narrowed dangerously. His lips twisting in rage, he barked, "Wrifthr!"
The effect was instantaneous and shocking. The guard tumbled back, his limbs jerking sporadically as he fought against the invisible grip on his neck. The crowd drew back, watching in terrified horror as he stopped shaking and fell limp. Murtagh raised an eyebrow. Next to him, Salem gasped. Murmurs seeped through the crowd as the soldiers reached for their weapons.
Thorn, Murtagh said quietly.
Thorn caught the tone of his voice. I'll hover…if he hurts you, Murtagh…
The Twin stepped closer, harshly rank breath emanating from his mouth. "You can't fight your way out of this," he hissed. "You cannot run from the king." His eyes trailed from Murtagh to Salem, and an unpleasant sneer crossed his face. "And who is your lady love?"
"Traitor," Murtagh growled, a terrible rage welling in his chest. He forced a cold smile onto his face. "Weren't you bound for glory and riches? That's what you told me…and now you're stuck guarding a gate. How glorious."
The Twin met his gaze levelly. "Not for long," he hissed. "The king will be very pleased to hear this." He cocked his head slightly and touched an icy finger to Murtagh's head. "Well, well," he said softly. "Strong as ever, Murtagh? What about her—"
He turned around, calling, "Guard!"
Murtagh released his fury in a single, fierce word—"Fálir!" The force behind the command sent the Twin sprawling, the command softened by the Twin's hasty shield. The guards leapt forward, their indecision broken. Murtagh drew his sword, shoving Salem away from him. The crowd burst into screams as they cleared a makeshift circular arena on the packed dirt for them.
Twelve guards surrounded Murtagh, ten with swords, two with spears, and also what looked like archers in the guardtowers above. The Twin clambered to his feet, wiping spit away. "Don't kill him," he hissed softly. "Not yet."
Murtagh cocked his head, measuring the odds, then gritting his teeth as a mental probe spiked deep into his consciousness. The Twin could not break his barriers, but he certainly could distract him long enough to get slashed into ribbons. Thorn! Stop this, but stay out of sight, he said, this time with a note of urgency.
I'm on it, the dragon promised as the first men drew near.
The mental pain abated as Thorn attacked the Twin, and the soldiers struck. Four of them circled him, warily watching, waiting, darting in to attack and jumping just as swiftly out. They were aware of the Twin's command not to kill him, but that didn't mean they couldn't wound him, and by that, capture him.
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Salem watched the spectacle, stunned by his swordplay. Well, she thought as strike after strike was deflected and returned. She glanced at the bald man, who seemed to be either having a migraine or insanely furious. His face contained an expression that could have been both.
You! Girl!
Salem jumped at the voice before realizing it was the dragon's, Thorn's. What? she answered cautiously.
Thorn's voice was hurried and urgent. Distract the Twin. I don't care what you do, but I need to get control of his mind. He's blocking—there was a break in a conversation, then he continued. He's barely holding, but that's still good enough. I can annoy him, but that's about it. He cut off.
"Twin?" Salem spoke aloud before switching into mental speech. Twin? What twin?
That Twin—
The bald man?
YES! Thorn roared in frustration. Salem winced, then watched with interest as the 'twin' curled his fingers into fists, mouth twisting into a sneer.
Wow, he's conflicted, Salem commented to nobody before considering how best to tackle the challenge.
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Murtagh was tiring. None of the soldiers were as good as he was, but they were decent, and there were four of them, along with the occasional arrow shot in. He hadn't wanted to kill them—that would really ruin any chances of escaping—but now it seemed like there was no choice.
Protect yourself and what you cherish, he thought grimly.
He crouched, looking for an opening, breathing hard. He heard the whirl of a blade behind him and spun to meet it, blades colliding for only a second before he withdrew to parry another on his right. He saw an opening as one soldier drew too near, and turned in a tight circle, sword extended. It worked. The soldier fell back with a cry, his sword falling from his useless right arm. Immediately, another leapt forward to take his place.
He felt a hot streak in his left shoulder and turned in that direction. The soldier wielded a blade stained with a thin stripe of blood. Murtagh gritted his teeth, slashing horizontally before raking it across the man's chest. Immediately, he twisted right to block a second blade—
A blazing pain erupted as a third sword, one he hadn't seen, bit deeply into the back of his leg. Murtagh hissed between his teeth as he dropped to the ground, rolling as he did so to return the blow. His heart sank as the remaining soldiers rushed forward to form a circle around him. Murtagh struggled to his feet, ignoring the blood pouring down from his wounded right leg.
A horrible shriek broke the expectant silence. "KAIY—" it began, before being forced down almost audibly. Hold on! Thorn told him before turning away, a note of rage in his voice.
The Twin staggered forward, shoving the soldiers aside. His face was mottled and red, swelling beginning to appear. Murtagh eyed him skeptically as a queer voice that rose and fell with staggering irregularity came from his mouth. The Twin half-roared and half-whispered, "Do NOT COME here ever agAIN do you hEAr me? LEeave—" He grabbed Murtagh's shoulders, swayed, and dropped to the ground in a dead faint. Murtagh limped away from the Twin, mouth curled in disgust.
A man came running up from the guardhouse, two stripes on his uniform marking him as a captain. His eyes flicked from the felled Twin and back to Murtagh. "Should I suppose you are leaving?"
Murtagh hesitated, then nodded, sheathing his blade. Looking at the captain, he inclined his head ever so slightly. "I—" He swallowed, then continued. "I have no quarrel with you," he said finally. "Only with him. We will leave peacefully."
"We?" he inquired softly.
Murtagh took a moment to compose himself as a jagged bolt of pain forced itself through his thigh. "We," he confirmed tiredly. "The girl I came with—Tria."
The captain studied him for an agonizing minute, then gazed beyond him into the distance. "I see," he said quietly. He nodded once, slowly. "You may leave. Do not return."
"But sir—" one soldier objected. "We're letting him go?"
The captain held up a hand. "Yes." He turned to the soldier who had spoken. "You heard the Twin, and we have our orders." He nodded to the soldiers. They parted, allowing Murtagh to lurch away. Salem joined him, her shoulder supporting him as they walked away from the gates of Uru'baen.
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Salem helped Murtagh into the outskirts of the city. There were scattered trees lying around; Murtagh gratefully hobbled over and sat down underneath one, breathing hard. To their backs lay the city, and ahead of them, half-a-day's walk for a healthy person, were the woods.
What, Thorn said in a venomous hiss as he landed in front of them with a heavy thump, did you think you were doing?
Murtagh scanned the area, searching for something that could be used as a bandage. "I—" he began when Salem interrupted him. Evidently, Thorn's rage was not directed at him.
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" she snapped defensively. "We got out of there."
At what price? Thorn cried. You told the captain how much? What's to prevent that great lump of lard from telling the whole world?
Salem crossed her arms, glaring at the red dragon. "He wouldn't betray us," she said furiously. "Not for anything. Anyway, you were having so much fun controlling the Twin and so much success—" she spat out the last word like it was a curse "—and I thought maybe we would need an ally."
An ally? Thorn shrieked. AN ALLY? SO YOU GO PICK OFF SOME SOLDIER FROM THE STREET? I WAS WELL CONTROLLING THE TWIN—WE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN OFF FREE—
"Oh, come on," she snapped back. "With your great big howls through that bald man—'doooooooo NOTTTT cummbacka hereeeeeeeeee…leeeeeeeeeeeeeeve—'" she broke off and glared at the dragon. "I couldn't hear anything coherent."
Thorn hissed with rage and lashed out. With a yelp, Salem dropped to the ground, bleeding from a gash in her arm. You idiot, Thorn said, his voice soft and deadly. What have you done?
"Salem?" Murtagh asked quietly, ignoring the pain for a second. "What did you do?"
She climbed to her knees, her eyes weary and resigned. "I told—I told," she said finally.
She told that captain git everything, Thorn said viciously. Now we'll have to kill him.
"Not everything," Salem said softly. "And no, I didn't tell that 'captain git'." She sighed. "I told—I told my brother."
There was a horrible stunned silence. Then finally Murtagh said from his seat under the tree, "I thought you said you didn't have any kin."
She smiled painfully. "I didn't. Not any that I chose to recognize, anyhow." She sighed. "It's a long story, really. He joined the army and gave Mother an apoplexy, and Father just disinherited him." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I hadn't talked to him in years, like. I haven't, I mean. And I didn't…I just didn't choose to count him as kin then."
"What do you mean?" Murtagh pressed, leaning forward and wincing as it put pressure on his leg.
She eyed him. "You're going to need a bandage," she said tiredly. "I don't like the look of that wound." Leaning down, she stripped off a petticoat that was tucked underneath her skirt and headed towards him. A soft growl from Thorn stopped her, and she shrugged. "Suit yourself." Sweeping her arm back, she tossed it towards Murtagh.
As Murtagh bandaged his wound, Thorn questioned her. What do you mean, you didn't choose to recognize him?
Salem took her time. Finally, she said, "I don't choose to recognize him because I haven't talked to him since the day he stomped out of the house swearing that he wouldn't talk to…us…ever again. Father forbade me, and…I might have said things to my brother that I regretted later." She looked up. "Both of us did, really. But I haven't talked or seen him since."
Why were your parents so furious? Thorn asked skeptically. Aren't you lot loyal to the king? Thorn said skeptically.
Salem crouched down with a sigh. "Well, sort of. I don't know. I think it was more the 'army' part of it. Mother…I used to have another brother, you see, but he died when I was eight because of a stray arrow, and she's never forgiven the army since. My father—I always thought he was loyal, just didn't want his son to join the army." Her tone indicated mild doubt. "Well, I don't know anymore."
"You can't reenter Uru'baen," Murtagh said softly, tying it tight and wincing lightly. It's not good, he said to Thorn. Won't hold.
Maybe you could heal it? Thorn asked worriedly.
I can only seal the skin back together, Murtagh said tightly. It won't do anything for the muscle underneath.
It has to be better than leaking blood all over the place! Thorn argued. We have to get out of here soon—it's too open—and it's going to hurt. Can't you do something?
"I don't know," Murtagh said aloud, seeing the wrap stained wet with blood. "It's a nasty wound…a bandage of some sort. Better than this."
Unheeded by both of them, Salem had wandered briefly around the clearing. Now, she returned, standing a good distance away. "Greensleep can help dull the pain," she said, holding a small, round plant in her hand. "I can't find any goldweed, so you're just going to have to bleed. But here." She tossed it towards him. "You're going to be woozy for awhile, but at least it won't hurt."
Murtagh regarded the green bulb in his hand with skepticism. "How do I know you're not trying to poison me?" he asked, voicing a worry that Thorn shared.
Salem laughed. "I'll take some myself," she said dryly. "If you're really that afraid, I can, though it won't help anything." She eyed him appraisingly. "If you've got magic, though, I think you should do what you can. You're going to bleed out."
I have to say she's right, Thorn said grudgingly. We really should go, so hurry.
Murtagh sighed and held his right hand to his wound. "Waíse heill!" he said. His palm glowed briefly, and the skin knitted and flowed back together. "There," he said, feeling incredibly tired. "Well, I don't think I can stand, but at least it's not hurting." He eyed the plant and pocketed it. "I'll save it for later," he told Salem, who just shrugged.
"You can use it or not, it's not like I'm going to be offended," she said, looking amused. Growing serious, she said, "Well—what next? Where do we go?"
See how she assumes it's 'we', Thorn mentioned tartly to Murtagh. How touching. Raising his mental voice, he said, Yes, we are. As in Murtagh and I. We're going to play in the woods, and you're not.
Salem's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Yes, what? Murtagh asked, disturbed. He staggered to his feet, relying heavily on Thorn. We're just to leave her?
Yes! Thorn snarled, though he didn't move. She's caused enough trouble already.
Thorn, what are you doingMurtagh demanded. We cannot just dump her off here! There was a pause, then he added softly, She saved my life, remember? That time with Galbatorix?
And we saved hers, Thorn said coldly. I dumped her so-called sweetheart in the woods. We're even.
There was a tense pause, one that not even Salem chose to break. Finally, Murtagh asked, Thorn…what's wrong?
What's wrong is Miss Blackfire, Thorn said furiously. She got you into this mess, she is interfering with things that aren't her business, and she told somebody she shouldn't have, and she needs to get out of our life! He swung his head towards Salem, eyes fierce with ire. You don't understand what you're meddling with, girl!
"And you do?" Salem retorted. "Fine, you want me out of 'your life'? Good! I never wanted to be part of it in the first place! I am not the one that started up a grudge with your 'Twin', and I am not the one who began whacking around with swords! You lot were the first to initiate contact with me. I got involved in 'your life' when he—" she jabbed a finger at Murtagh— "got his leg slashed open. I got involved when he started stalking me and listening to a conversation that he should not have listened to in the first place. I could, and would, have taken care of Reynold—"
Could you? Thorn roared. Could you have dragged him into the woods? I don't think so! You saved Murtagh's life, we saved yours. There. Now get the hell out of here.
Thorn! Murtagh shouted. Thorn—what—He grabbed the dragon's scales, heedless of the sharp edges that cut into his hands. Thorn, what are you doing? Why do you hate her so much?
I don't, Thorn snarled coldly. I just don't want to be around her for another minute!
"Yeah, well, I'm not too happy about being near you," Salem said just as coldly. "But you know what? You've completely ruined my life. Before you, I could've just gone on, hidden Reynold, and not get banished out of my own city!" Her cheeks were tinged with pink circles of rage now, her fingers balled into her fists. "I knew the risks when I joined Peregrine, and after the raid I would've taken care of myself. I could. But then you two had to come along and completely screw everything up. So don't talk to me about getting out of 'your life'. I know the dramatic thing to do would go stomp out of here, but I have no place to go. You want to know why? You two kicked me out of it! I am part of 'your life', and I will be very happy to leave it as soon as possible—"
Go back to your brother, Thorn said violently. Since you both love your king so much!
There was a pregnant pause, then eerily, Salem laughed, curtseying. "Thank you, o Red Rider, and Dragon." She straightened, smiling pleasantly. "I bid you goodbye, then."
She turned and began the trek back to the city. Her posture did not speak defiance—it was a carefree, easygoing step of someone who had found peace. Murtagh watched her go, disturbed.
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End of Chapter Fourteen
This was a long chapter and went through about three drafts. Whew! I know I promised a second chapter but I'm just so tired out by this one…maybe next week. Forgive me!
Does Murtagh like Salem…mmm…
This draws some pretty close-cut parallels to Eragon's meeting of Murtagh in Eragon…we'll see.