Part 6 – Something Hidden

The sun had been raised high into the morning sky when Eragon had set out from the temple to check the forest surrounding the village for the rumored dragon living there. Eragon was lead through the village by Khariaya who asked to come and help guide them. A few Varden warriors came as well, as an extra precaution in case they did find a dragon. Saphira swooped over head taking the time to stretch her wings out. Khariaya had a few times looked back at Eragon, with a look of fear in her eyes, but he never got a clear view of her.

Arya and Roran walked closely behind him and he looked to them, Roran had seen her odd behaviour and nodded to him with a firm look in his eyes. Arya looked to Eragon and stared at him for a moment before saying anything.

You think she's hiding something too? She asked him mentally not wanting the priestess to hear and maybe cause something to happen. Eragon turned and looked ahead at her back as she led them into the forest.

Yeah, she's powerful and something's not right. Eragon responded to the elf and slowed his pace down as Khariaya came to a stop. She turned a looked to the three of them, a slight show of nervousness played in her eyes but it disappeared quickly.

"Should we start searching the lower valley or towards the mountains?" she asked hoping they would go near where Eviothx was. Eragon said they should search near the mountains but some of the men argued that they found more evidence of a dragon near the valley. They decided to start in the valley and see if they can find anything that would tell them where the dragon was. Khariaya felt a sigh of relief rush through her Eviothx was more towards the mountains and would have plenty of time to get away if they started to head that way.

They walked though many meadows and areas perfectly suited for a dragon to live but found little evidence. Khariaya felt a ray of hope spark inside her as the morning passed into the earlier afternoon. They stopped for a rest as they walked through the forest once again. Arya sat on a tree stump and was looking around where they had stopped Eragon was talking with Roran and the men about what they knew about the Ra'zac that had taken Katrina. They were very helpful and knew a lot.

"We've been here before." Arya said standing up looked to Eragon quickly. Everyone feel silent and looked to the elf, Eragon took a step forward to her.

"What do you mean Arya?" he asked her confused as too why she said that. Arya looked over at a tree then back to Eragon. She motioned him over to the tree she had been looking at and pointed out a small marking made on the tree by a blade. Eragon knew from when he use to track game, that the mark had been freshly made.

"I made that mark a while ago when we passed here. We've been going in circles." She said looking straight at Eragon. He knew what she was implying when she said that. She meant to say that Khariaya had been leading them in circles. The young rider looked over to where Khariaya was but found that she was gone.

Khariaya ran quickly through the trees as quietly as she could her heart raced and throbbed in her throat as she panted for breath. She had hoped that by taking them in circles they wouldn't find enough signs of Eviothx's presence in the forest to seriously search for him. But Arya realised that they had been going and circles and now everyone else would know she was trying to trick them.

A few tears slipped from her eyes and fell down her cheek and onto the forest floor. She closed her eyes trying to push her tears back but she foot snagged on a root and she fell to the ground. She let out a small cry of pain as a hot wave burst in her ankle, the priestess knew immediately that it was broken or a muscle was torn. Rustling in the bush told her she was not alone, sensing a dark and strange aura's from the bushes as they watched her.

Eviothx I'm in trouble. She quickly told him as fear gripped her heart as three Ra'zac stepped out of the bushes and stared at the priestess with round eyes of triumph. She knew it was the beginning of the end for her.

"I knew it! She was hiding something." Eragon said feeling frustrated and confused, she left them trapped in a forest lost, and Saphira couldn't carry them all out. Arya sat on the tree stump and watched Eragon for a moment as he vented his anger.

"We should find her she did it for a reason and she knows we know she did. And she did it for a reason." Arya said standing up and walking over to Eragon. He nodded in agreement and looked to Saphira.

We need to sense for her. He said as he joined with Saphira to sense the area around them for the priestess's aura. They sensed a number of strong auras near by and knew something was wrong.

We better get to her fast. Saphira said growling lightly recognizing three of the auras as Ra'zac. Eragon told the others and Arya and Roran showed a sense of panic in their eyes. The men felt an anger surge through them, Khariaya was too being the next head priestess it was part of their job to protect her no matter what.

They started to race towards where they sensed the Ra'zac and the priestess when Saphira become overwhelmed by another presence moving quickly to where Khariaya was, and it would get there before they did.

Eragon I sense another dragon where Khariaya is. She informed him Eragon felt a panic that the dragon was coming and that in could not be friendly to anyone. Eragon quickly climbed onto Saphira's back and went ahead to where they all were. They came crashing through the tree branches over where the aura's of a human, a dragon and three Ra'zac were. Saphira landed ready to fight the Ra'zac and the strange dragon but they came onto an unexpected sight.

The Ra'zac lay dead or dieing and a single black dragon stood in the newly made clearing. It's wings had spread out around it's body hiding it's legs and it was growling at Saphira and Eragon who drew out his sword ready to fight. He glanced around quickly and didn't see Khariaya anywhere; he looked back to the dragon and knew that the dragon had her.

The dragon growled and snapped at them and Saphira growled back at the other dragon. Just then the dragon stopped growling and visibly relaxed and slowly pulled it's wings back to reveal Khariaya calmly sitting at the base of the dragons front feet. Eragon stared at her and she stared back with a pair of dark saddened eyes.

"Please don't hurt him, he's my dragon." She said and lifted her hand and opened her palm out to him. Eragon could now see the gedwëy ignasia in the middle. Eragon stared wide eyed at her; he now knew what she had been hiding from them. She was hiding the fact she was a Rider just like him.