Chapter 20: Time to Sleep

Riley found herself in Jeod's study, still a little breathless. They had sprinted to the city gates and gotten there just in time before they shut. Once in the city, they kept up a brisk walk until Jeod's manner was insight.

Brom and Jeod were looking over old texts laid open on his desk.

"What are we up to tonight then?" Riley asked, walking over to the wall of books. She was idly examining the spines. Many of them were worn leather, and some had titles inscribed on them. She saw some of maps, histories, and a few folklore.

Brom held up a small book. "Just going over some of Teirm's building history, in case we need to maneuver around with the least amount of on-lookers."

"How long will we be staying in Teirm?" asked Eragon. He went to sit in a cushioned chair in front of a lit fireplace.

"Well that depends on how quickly we can get to and through the shipping logs. I'll be talking to Brand tomorrow to see. After that, hopefully with all of us checking the logs, we should be able to find what we are looking for easily enough."

"I won't be able to help," Eragon frowned. Riley tilted her head in confusion. "I can't read. Well, very little. Riley tried to teach me."

"Ah, that's right. I only just found out a few months before his hunting trip in the Spine. I was showing him Jocelyn's collection. I was working on teaching him the sounds each letter makes to put them together." Riley sighed. "But we didn't get very far, after he got... tied up with his new hobby." Riley wasn't sure how long she could keep up with the pretense of ignorance in front of Jeod.

Brom seemed both amused and annoyed at this news, stating that Garrow should have taught him long ago. "Well, Riley and I will have to continue your learning."

"I suppose it will be necessary." Eragon looked a little glum at the prospect of picking it up again.

Riley tapped her hand on the bookshelf with a grin. "Of course. There's nothing better than getting lost in a good story."

Jeod laughed. "I couldn't agree more."

"Alright, my young apprentice, come pick out one of these bound pages we call books." She smirked as she swept her arm over the top of the bookshelf to the bottom.

Eragon rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'd rather just have Brom teach me." He came over to stand next to her and looked over many of the books. His gaze stopped on one that, even though looked tattered, held an aura of importance. He pulled it out and handed it to Riley. She slid her hands over the leather cover and turned it to face Jeod and Brom.

"Ah. Domia abr Wyrda. The Dominance of Fate. This is a rare book in Alagaesia. Those found are burned along with the owner. I came across a trader trying to sell it at the docks and quietly relieved him of it."

She had heard of this one from Jocelyn. It was one her mother had when she was only a little older than Riley. But it was taken from her before she left her parents and met her father.

"What is it about that makes it so dangerous?" Eragon asked.

"It tells the true history of Alagaesia, even before the elves. The Empire disagreed with its teachings and had the author burned and destroyed any copies found." Jeod said simply, as if he didn't notice his own risk at keeping it.

Riley handed the book back to Eragon and she pulled him to a rounded dark stained table aligned with the fireplace. Eragon sat in a matching chair. She moved the stacks of books that were on the table to the floor and used them as a seat. She asked Jeod if he had any spare paper and pens. He dug in his desk and set some loose papers and pen and ink in front of her.

For the next hour, Riley started out reviewing the alphabet with him and then moved on to reading passages from the book and picking out interesting or useful words for him to learn. Brom and Jeod's strategy plans became a murmur in the background. After two hours, Riley's eyes began to droop and she accidentally read the same line over three times before she noticed. She inhaled deeply and looked over at Eragon. The pen laid lightly in his hand and his head was tipped forward. He had fallen asleep.

"I guess my voice puts people to sleep," she mumbled, and nudged Eragon's leg with her foot. He raised his head.

"I was concentrating, that's all," he yawned. Eragon sat back straight in his chair. Riley closed her book with a loud snap.

"Uh huh. I'm sure." His yawn made her yawn. She got up and stretched. Their movements caught the mens' attention over to them.

"It is quite late. And all of you must still be exhausted. I think we shall retire for the night. Please feel free to use the baths and if you should need anything, my butler would be happy to help."

Jeod pointed out which was the bath and the corridor with the spare rooms. There were enough for each of them to have their own. Riley marveled at the enormity of Jeod's estate and how well his business must have been before the Empire found out his dealings with the Varden. Riley went to the door on the right while the other two got rooms on the left.

She dragged her feet into the tiny room. There was a small lamp already lit for her entrance. The bed was made up in the corner of the room. There was an end table with a water basin and a low bookcase that was wide enough to also act as a desk. The floor was covered in one large oval ragtag rug. It was modest, and that pleased her. It kind of reminded her of home. Riley put her bag she had kept with her on the desk, and took out a cloth. She would have liked to take Jeod up on the offer of a bath, but she was too weary to wait for the water to be ready. Instead she cleansed herself with the water in her room.

She had never completely had her own room before, and in the past couple of months, she had always had another near her. Normally, she would have welcomed the privacy, the quiet. But she felt the darkness alone and in her exhausted sleep, her dreams were heavy with lonelyness.

She dreamed of never finding Cori and on her return home, her mother was gone. The townsfolk told her the Ra'zac had taken her. Riley in her dream, crouched in the empty house, wrapping her hands around herself. She called out from her dream. She called for her mother and her brother. And she called out for her father.

A man entered her home. He was slender, his pitch black hair making his green outfit shine and sting her wet eyes. He knelt down by her, and pressed his hands around her face. She felt warmer and calmer.

(for those of you who have followed this story all the way back from 2011, I apologize for the weird super long gaps of posting. I swear I have a whole detailed outline of the inheritance series with Riley typed up. I just really suck at finishing things.)