Chapter 13: One Mystery Explained, Sort Of...
Riley sat slumped in Snowfire's saddle. She felt a throbbing in her side and knew there would be a big ugly bruise. They traveled for just under an hour, and when the sun was lazily setting, Eragon motioned for her to cut into a small grove of trees. Saphira had found a spot to recover for the night.
Brom had already prepared a fire. Riley dismounted Snowfire and immediately looked after Devron. She gently dabbed at his scrapes with a velvety plant leaf she gathered. Adding some herbs, she wrapped another leaf around his leg and tied it with leather. She hoped that the lingering essence that suck to the leaf would be good enough to numb and heal his cuts.
She unclasped a small pot from Snowfire's saddle as she heard the guys talk about needing to eat. Brom took it from her and added in some chunks of meat to let the flames heat up for them. As the last morsals were being consumed, Brom became curious to know how they escaped from the Urgals. Eragon nodded to Riley, telling her she could go first. She shrugged, knowing Eragon's would be more intersting to hear. She kept her description brief.
"Well, after Brom delayed the Urgal, I used height to my advantage. I cornered the Urgal in an alley and waited for him from the roof. And then I used all of my throwing knives to take him down. I guess I'll need to practice a bit more with my aim." She waved her bandaged hand, and grabbed the knife in her belt, spinning it around her wrist and then pointed it at Eragon. "But I'd like to hear your story. How many arrows did it take you?"
Eragon clasped his hands. "Err, one."
Riley raised her eyebrows, "And you had two Urgals chasing you?"
"Yes." He proccedded to tell them about his encounter with the Urgals, how he had his bow ready and imagined what they had done to the villagers. He had this strange feeling building up inside and released it with a word that he thought would help. He said that the arrow lit up with fire that burned as blue as Shaphira's eyes. Brom sat starring quietly, a grim frown forming toward the end of the tale. But he said nothing.
"Riley told me it was magic. And she's right, isn't she? I can't think of anything else it could be." He sat forward.
Riley coughed when Brom scrutinized her.
"Only those who know its rules and their own limits should use it. And the manner in which you did, was very dangerous." Brom took out his pipe.
Eragon begged him to tell him more about it in case it needed to be used in future fights. "Please. I must know where this power came from."
"The knowledge you ask for is more complex than you can understand."
"But I feel as though no one will explain this strange path I was pushed on and its many rules." Eragon said standing up, agitated.
Riley interjected,"I don't know much either. I would like to know more about magic as well."
Brom fiddled with a long strand of grass near him. Riley thought he wasn't going to worry any more on the matter. He finally sighed. "I understand both of you are young and curious. Growing up in this way is not the practical way those with magic would have gone. I know you will have many questions, and we must sleep. But I will relay the basics so you don't think of trying it again without proper training. Magic needs a source and a path. You used magic, Riley at my hut, and Eragon with the Urgals. You both said words of the Ancient Language. The word you said determined the path of the magic. Riley, you had said, Hraör, quick, and your reflexes sped up. Eragon said Brisingr, fire. And there, he maneuvered it to the arrow." Brom held up a hand to Eragon.
"The Ancient Language," she said softly.
Riley thought about the language. Sure, she thought the words she knew had a magical ring to them, but never thought that they were indeed a means of magic. She pictured the pages in the journal that was set securely in her bag. Almost all of it was in the Ancient Language. She could pronounce many of the words with practice, but could not depict their meaning.
"Eragon, your powers have awakened because you are a Rider now. There's a magic surrounding dragons and the bond you share with Saphira allowed for it to be released." Brom puffed on his pipe.
"Riley. It's a bit of a mystery for you. It could have just been a spiritual assistance, but maybe not. Maybe its from your upbringing."
"What do you mean? Can anyone learn to use magic?" she asked.
Eragon pointed to the fire. "Saphira and I just realized something. You can use this magic, can't you? That's how you started the fire our first day on the plains."
Brom ignored Riley's questions and inclined his head. "I am proficient to some degree. But I am not a Rider, which means that I don't have even the closest amount of strength compared to you, Eragon. Every time I reach for magic, it gets a little harder."
Riley asked her question again. "But can anyone use magic?"
"No, not everyone. But there have been humans who can. Witches and sorcerers. And then there are the elves, who are inherited with magic."
"I think my mother is a witch," Riley blurted out with the sudden realization. "I watched my mother a few times turning plants into medicine and..." she shrugged, "I could hear her speaking the Ancient Language. I noticed that she'd do her potion making right before supper. She was always very hungry after. I had never imagined it was magic she was using."
"I never knew that. It all makes sense. She was always near Gertrude to help her," Eragon exclaimed.
Brom cast a few smoke rings, looking thoughtfully to the sky.
"You knew that already though, didn't you?" Eragon said. "Always with keeping secrets."
"Enough of this. It's late. I will end the night with this; the other part of magic is its source. It needs energy to be released, and as you've come to experience, comes from your own strength. Magic takes just as much energy as if you used your arms and back. If the magic uses more energy than is in your body, it would kill you. One must always be cautious with magic use; once incited, it cannot be canceled out."
Riley curled up on her bed roll. She gazed around at her companions in new light. All of them had a special talent that set them apart from the mundane populations around them. She smiled with the thought that if they stuck together, they could change Alagaësia for the better. They would be a force to be reckoned with.