Chapter 15:

Daret had been an interesting stop. Nothing went wrong, but it didn't go as smoothly as Riley had hoped. The town was still standing and its people still alive and well, though a little disgruntled. They had suddenly blocked their path into the town with wagons, and rows of archers surrounded them. They had clearly seen destruction from bandits or Urgals, and weren't going to be surprised anymore. Riley moved to grip a dagger, but Brom held his hand out, motioning for her to remain still. One man stood out and became their spokesman. He had said his name was Trevor and asked what business brings them this way. Brom had stated that they simply needed supplies and then would be on their way. There was a little information exchanged about the travels and the devastation at Yazuac. Minutes later, a man came out carrying a bundle of provisions and a pair of gloves for Eragon to hide his gedway ignasia.

As they left toward the woods, Brom asked if they had scoured any of the men's minds to find their intentions to know if the situation would turn hostile.

"That would be a no..." Riley fiddled with her dagger, adjusting it to sit better in her belt. The notion of reading peoples minds had never occurred to her, though she doubted she'd have been able to there.

"How could I know what he was thinking? Am I supposed to be able to see into peoples minds?" Eragon wondered.

"Come now. Trevor's mind could be sensed the same way you two have communicated with your horses and Saphira. Most minds of living beings can be seen. But it is a power that should be used with caution. A person's mind is sacred to him and should only be reached in dire need, careful not to disrupt its delicate state. The Riders put strict rules when it came to reading minds."

Riley arched her eyebrows in wonder. "I can barely reach Devron. How would one touch another's mind?"

"With the right instruction, anyone can talk with their minds, albeit with varying success. I've met plenty who learned it on their own. I admit, most of them had some magical ability, and that seems to strengthen the connections." Brom said.

Eragon asked about if others can do it, how would he know if someone breached his mind? Brom informed them that only those who had a magical ability would be able to sense an intrusion. However, one can put up barriers in their mind. It was difficult and the shield could break with any distraction. If they wanted to protect their minds, they'd have to practice regularly.

Before Riley even thought about talking through her mind to another human, she wanted to perfect it with her horse; or if a small critter scurried nearby, she would see if she'd be able to sense its thoughts.

They made it to where Saphira was hiding. The blue dragon skipped to them and barred her teeth, looking up and down at Eragon. He got off Cadoc. Saphira swiped at his legs and knocked him down. She held him to the ground with a sharp talon. "What are you doing?" he yelled. Riley jumped off, took a step forward, but Saphira twitched her head to Riley. She let out a strip of smoke from her nostrils. Riley pulled Devron away. She watched worriedly.

Riley petted Devron comfortably, keeping him calm in the midst of a clearly agitated predator. She watched as Saphira bent close to Eragon, staring into his eyes. When he lowered his gaze, a solution to the silent argument must have been reached. But she still hadn't let him loose.

"Well?" Brom asked.

"She wants me to ride her," Eragon mumbled.

"That sounds reasonable to me. You will just have to be sure to stay out of sight."

"But what if you're attacked or something goes amiss? I won't be able to be there in time and-" His words were cut off by Saphira pressing her heavy foot into his chest.

Riley stepped closer, this time Saphira let her. She crouched down. "Don't worry. I'll have Brom's back if anything happens. We can stave off any danger until you and Saphira arrive. Besides, you are a Dragon Rider. You should learn to fly with her. With you in the air, you both can scout ahead for us."

"Okay. But I'll start tomorrow." He compromised, and Saphira let him up.

They trotted along until the sun began to settle for the night. Tonight, Brom had Eragon duel with Riley before dinner. To prove that she cold put more power into her swings, she switched off using one handed hits to the side as a distraction and then brought both hands to the stick to twist down and follow the motion in a spin, ending up behind him and planning on cleaving him in two. But he read her movement and spun to follow her. They crossed their sticks in such a powerful blow that both reverberated in their hands and cracked lengthways down. Riley pulled a splinter from her hand, laughing.

Brom had them toss the broken weapons into the fire and asked them to retrieve their real swords. Riley looked at him skeptically after she pulled the purple sword out of its sheath. She handed it to Brom. She never got tired of admiring the gems set into the hilt, and the violet glow that the metal gave off in the light. She'd only taken it out few times since finding it under Cori's bed. Brom took his time examining it. He had a look of longing in his eyes, but it wasn't a jealousy of the sword. It was a longing for whatever the sword had seen in its history, or in its creation.

Riley was going to ask him if he knew anything about this sword. He must have seen the questions forming. "It is indeed made similarly as Zar'roc. It is a powerful sword and you should learn to use it wisely and confidently."

He turned to both of them.

"You have both learned well with the sticks. But its time to move away from a child's play and take the blade as a formidable adult."

"Yeah, if you want us to kill each other. I only have so many medical herbs and healing skills, Brom," Riley said, pulling her hair back and twisting it into a tight bun. She was anticipating wild swings and didn't want her hair to be victimized.

Brom shook a finger at her. "We can blunt the edges with magic." He griped her sword and with one hand ran his fingers along the edges while saying, "Geuloth du Knifr!" A red spark flowed from his hand and wound its way around the sword. "Feel the edge." Eragon did so and his fingers came away uncut. Brom returned the sword to Riley and she examined it just as Eragon did. It felt blunted even though she could see the crisp, very sharp edges of the sword. Brom instructed Eragon to do the same with Zar'roc. After a few tries, his sword was just as protected as Riley's.

"Tonight, I'll have you fight each other as the start of the next level in your swordsmanship. Keep in mind that they are still bone-breaking if swung about in the wrong way. Don't be going for any underhanded blows. But next time, each of you will be against me. So prepare yourselves well," Brom said.

They nodded to each other to accept that they were both ready and Eragon swung at Riley a fraction of a second later. The swords were heavier in their hands, but they clashed brilliantly against each other. Riley discreetly enjoyed hearing the sound of the metal clang and worked hard to defend herself from it getting to close to the hilt. Her approach that night was to wear Eragon out, letting him use his full motion of his arms to swing at her. It must have only lasted about ten minutes or so, but she tired out toward the end and her defense still needed work. He was able to get her several times by the conclusion of the fight.