Chapter 9

The Golden Globe was the name of the Inn where they decided to stay during their visit in Dras-Leona. The food was barely edible but the beer enjoyable. Alex left the other two when they decided to drink more than necessary and walked back to their room. He disassembled his weapons and began to clean each of them, ensuring at the same time that they could still work properly if the situation arose.

When the duo came back, they were clearly drunk. Each of them laid on his mat, wished him good night and fell asleep a few moments later. The swordsman observed them silently, shook his head, slightly smiling. After all, it was a way to vent out all the stress accumulated after travelling for weeks. Less than an hour later, he was done. He ejected the magazines, took the bullets present in the chambers and slotted them back with the others. Then, with a grunt he stood up, popped a few bones and lied down next to Eragon, joining the dreaming world as fast as his companions did.

The next day, the young adult was the first one ready to explore the city while the storyteller and the rider had some difficulties to get up thanks to the effects of alcohol.

"I'm not going to reprimand you two because I did the same thing a few times, so I know how it feels to have a hangover." He clipped the sheath on his belt, did a few movements to be sure it wouldn't move too much or hinder him in case of a fight and nodded, satisfied. "If we weren't right in the middle of enemy territory, I would have joined but one of us had to stay fresh and sober if things went south."

"I can't defy your logic." Brom grunted. "However Alex, you worry too much. Until now, there's no posters with our faces on it so we can consider ourselves lucky to not have the army at our buttocks."

Releasing a sigh, the latter visibly relaxed. "You're right. We have to gather intel incognito and it also means blending in the population, even if I need to get drunk to help complete our objective."

Finally, after drinking hot tea and ice water for relieving the hangover followed by a quick breakfast, the trio split up to cover more ground and began their search about anything related to the Ra'zac and the Seithr oil. While Brom was interrogating people around the palace, Eragon talked with merchants and workers, crossing the city in all directions. Lastly, Alex was seen near the barracks, bribing a few guards that looked suspicious to him with a few coins and one or two jewels. Fortunately for him, some of them had indeed participated in monitoring the arrival of a settlement of the famous oil and even gave him its localization.

After going to the warehouse and getting the confirmation it was really here, the swordsman walked back to the inn. As the sun left its place to the moon, the group went back in the room after a long day of finding information, they all shared what they heard and tried to solve the puzzle. What each of them discovered was confirmed by the others so it was reassuring that their sources matched. Brom's intel was the most fruitful of the three, to the point of he knew exactly where the oil had transited and where it ended. The best probability was that Helgrind was used as the Ra'zac's lair. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be easy to go inside the mountain but not impossible. Maybe if they disguised themselves as slaves, it could work. Eragon and Brom would use themselves as bait while Saphira and Alex would wait in the shadows and rush on them at the perfect moment.

This time, it was Brom who was up first and had left the young men sleeping peacefully, explaining on a note he was gone to find more clues. Waking up, the two boys decided to do some sightseeing after breakfast. A few hours later, they found themselves in front of a platform with a man spelling a list and motioning at someone to come to him. The man climbed as best as possible with handcuffs and chains around his feet. The seller then described how he caught this fine specimen and in what ways he could be useful. Eragon and Alex immediately understood what they were seeing: a slave auction.

Seeing from the corner of his eye the Rider raising his right hand, his friend caught his arm and forced him to lower it. Immediately, he looked at him with a glare, not understanding why he stopped him from releasing that poor man. Looking around him and thinking for a moment, the answer came to him. «It's like that I got into trouble with the Urgals. He wouldn't stand a chance if I released him and we would be spotted the moment after. »

Nodding to each other, they left the place, their faces hard as they heard behind them a small girl taken away from her mother's arms. A few houses away, the woman's pleas were finally silenced. Suddenly, Eragon vented out his frustration in a violent punch against a wall, not caring of hurting his knuckles.

"It feels good, right?"

The farmer nodded before hissing in pain. "Yeah…" Alex walked to him and patted his shoulder. "If I have one advice to give you, it's this: you will see many other aberrations in your life so burn these scenes in your mind and remember them when you'll doubt why you fight."

"Okay."

"Good." Looking around them, the duo were surprised to find themselves in front of the cathedral. Its arrows were covered with statues and bas-reliefs. Gargoyles were squatting at the edges of the roofs. Despite the gloomy vibes it was giving off, the structure itself was magnificent and after admiring it for a long moment, they went inside. Slowly, the farmer and the swordsman approached the altar while gazing at everything around them. A cold chill traveled down their spines. They didn't know why but in the back of their mind, something was wrong.

Looking in direction of the door, Eragon gasped. Surprised by his reaction, Alex turned to do the same and froze in place, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. The Ra'zac stood in the doorway, their blades drawn.

"Eragon, I want you to listen carefully about what I'm going to say. There's a door on your right, take it and don't look back. I'm sure it'll lead you outside. Send a mental message to Brom and tell him to meet you at the Inn. Take the rest of my belongings with you and leave Dras-Leona." said Alex, in a hushed tone.

"But—"

A line of soldiers appeared behind the two monsters and filled the passageway, blocking the entrance.

The young man pushed the farmer away. "Get out of here, now!"

The duo tried to follow the Rider but were stopped by a loud bang and a bullet which finished its course in a wall, a few centimeters near their heads.

"No. Just no. Today, the only person you'll fight is me. I want a rematch from our battle on Earth and my vengeance will end right here, right now!"

One of the sibling let out a dark chuckle.

"Do you really think sssssssso?"

Alex unsheathed his broadsword, more than ready to beat their asses after all the training he had since his arrival in Alagaësia. His eyes showed nothing but pure determination. "Oh yeah, I waited too long for this moment. Your little soldiers can also participate, I don't mind."

"Let's rock and roll!" he yelled, rushing at the two monsters and the group of soldiers.

His sword collided with those of the Ra'zac, sending sparks everywhere around them. The swordsman gritted his teeth in effort, trying to not be pushed back by the two murderers.

They were still very strong but not as before and this is what made Alex smile internally. Maybe this time he could beat them, or use himself as a bait long enough to let the others put some distance between them and the town.

Eragon was running down the corridor, dashing aside priests. The sound of metal against metal and shouts of pain could be heard behind him, lacing his mind with worry. It was then followed by multiple detonations in rapid successions. Would Alex be okay, fighting those creatures and the soldiers alone? How did they find them so quickly? What about Brom?

After destroying a door which was in his way, the boy's path ended at a high wall. Deciding to not lose time, he stepped back and then, sprinted to have a little momentum and jumped. He climbed it and fell on the other side. From where he was, he could see more and more guards entering the cathedral. Now, there were also the sound of thunder and a bright flash of light coming from inside. It was then followed by an explosion. Seeing all those guards coming inside the building, people all left the area, totally panicked. Eragon decided it was a good idea to take advantage of the general confusion to go back to the Golden Globe and also notified Saphira of the situation.

He dashed until he arrived at the inn, took their belongings, readied the horses and waited for Brom to arrive. The storyteller was not amused at all by how the events were turning out. He swung himself onto Snowfire and was ready to go when the adolescent clutched to his arm.

"Alex stayed there, we must do something!"

"There's nothing we can do for him now. Don't you understand Eragon? He stayed behind to give us time. We have to use this opportunity to escape the city!"

The young rider sighed but obeyed reluctantly.

Fortunately, they managed to leave Dras-Leona before the closing of the doors.

After riding for some time, the weather worsened, forcing the group to make their camp behind a pair of boulders, not far from the main road. It was the only decent hiding place they could find for now.

«Are you alright, little one? » asked the dragoness, nuzzling her Rider gently.

Eragon sighted loudly, his eyes watering. «I-I don't know… The Ra'zac were after me, I was their prey but Alex stepped in front of them. Maybe if he wasn't here at this exact moment, I would be in their clutches right now. He helped me escape and I couldn't do anything in return. Is he even still alive? »

«I'm sure it's the case. They may be strong but he is determined to reach his goal, not a lot of things can stop him when he want something. »

«I hope so. »

"I'll take the first watch." said the farmer, sitting with his back against a tree.

Only a few minutes have passed when he caught something moving on his right. Standing and walking in this direction, Eragon frowned. Everything was standing still. He didn't know why but something wasn't right and his Gedwaÿ ignasia was itching.

"Did you see something?" asked the storyteller, talking in a low voice, almost whispering.

The farmer was going to answer when he felt pain in his neck and the moment after, his world went black.

Eragon blinked a few times and groaned in pain. His arms and hands refused to obey much when he tried to move them. It took him a few seconds to understand they were bound behind him. Looking on his right side, he saw Brom in a similar state, but still out cold.

Someone ambushed them, someone who was very good at stalking because the adolescent didn't hear him, or them, coming. Suddenly, his eyes met the face of a Ra'zac and fear invaded his mind. His magic refused to work when he tried, as if he didn't know the words anymore to use it.

"I think the drug is working well. At least, you will not be a bother for the next hours."

The Rider's attention was attracted by a rattling sound. The second Ra'zac was putting a muzzle on Saphira's head and her whole body was chained.

"Strangely, your beast was willing to cooperate when we threatened to kill you." laughed the tall creature, searching inside the bags for anything interesting. It let out a surprised sound when it found Zar'roc. His companion approached and they clicked excitedly when they saw the glyph on the sheath. "Our master will be very pleased with thissssss."

When Brom began to stir, one of the Ra'zac took him by his shirt and thrusted him into the air. "The drug is wearing off."

"Give him more."

"Let's just kill him. We can say he resisted."

It began to drag Brom to the center of the camp and shove him on his knees when a voice interrupted him.

"HEY!"

Standing a few meters away was Alex. His face was bloodied, battered and his clothes had cuts in them. His hands were also bound in his back but it looked like he didn't care. He was smirking confidently.

"Since the moment I woke up, I had the time to give it some thought and I think, I really think you need to have your asses kicked harder. The lesson I taught you earlier wasn't enough? Did you forgot what I said? Both of you belong to me, you're my bitches. Since there's not any soldiers between us now, I can make you eat the dirt properly and with style."

The taller of the two monsters approached him and punched him in the right cheek. The swordsman stumbled back, a little disoriented but quickly regained his senses.

"Is that all? If that was your best shot, I don't imagine how weak Galbatorix must be." He said, before spitting the blood he had in his mouth.

Unfortunately, this last comment earned him another punch and a kick in the stomach when he fell to the ground.

"You should be happy our master want you alive or we would have killed you on the spot."

"Too bad, I'm not going to follow you so easily."

They decided to ignore him and resumed what they were doing. The small Ra'zac yanked the storyteller's head back and put a dagger against his throat. But suddenly, the creature yelled in pain because of an arrow in his shoulder. A series of them rained down on the two murderers who took cover behind some boulders. There was a short pause and then, they appeared in the opposite direction.

The Ra'zac began to leave the camp, not before hurling a dagger in direction of the farmer. Seeing this, Alex's eyes widened and he finished to cut his ropes with his pocket knife before rushing between the weapon and Eragon. To his and Eragon's horror, Brom beat him to it and took the blow before landing roughly, his head falling limply.

Red dots invaded the Rider's vision and he blacked out once more.

Each time Eragon breathed, he felt like he was agonizing. The pain in his side made it difficult for him to have coherent thoughts or be aware of the things around him. At one moment, it went worse but it quickly calmed down. When he opened his eyes, the Rider could see a campfire less than two meters away. He could think without any problem now, meaning that the drug had worn off and could converse mentally like before. «Saphira, are you hurt? »

«No, I'm fine but you three are. Alex tended to your injury and Brom's. »

«What about his? »

She snorted. «He would have taken care of it if they were dangerous for his health but…I think his pride and confidence took a blow too. I tried to talk to him but he didn't say a word since Brom protected you from this dagger. »

Eragon sat directly on the ground, his back pressing against Saphira's side and face to a young man who sat on the far side of the fire. Alex was on his left, his eyes glued to the fire but also glancing in direction of the storyteller from time to time.

"Who are you?"

The stranger looked at him with a neutral expression, his hand tightening the grip on his bow. "Murtagh. And before you ask why I helped you… let's say you aren't the only enemies of the Ra'zac." He answered in a controlled voice.

"I see."

There was a long moment where no one said anything until, eventually, it was broken by a hoarse voice.

"I wrapped your broken ribs with soaked strips, you're not hacking up blood so that's a good thing." Eragon and Murtagh turned their heads in the swordsman's direction.

"And for Brom, I pulled out the dagger, applied a first aid spray to disinfect and cicatrize the wound. I also gave him a painkiller to reduce the intensity of an eventual fever. He's in a stable condition but for how long, I don't know. We should move before those bastards decide to come with their parents."

"How are we going to transport Brom?"

Alex sighed and stood up. "Saphira will do it. A makeshift litter will be enough to carry him around."

One hot soup later, they readied the horses and put Brom on the litter. The blue dragoness took flight a few seconds later. Alex helped Eragon to hoist himself on Cadoc before mounting Snowfire.

"Where will you go now? Do you know a place where you can stay low for some time?"

"No."

"In that case, I'm coming with you. You need help, it's obvious. Don't deny it."

"He's right, Eragon," began the other boy. "You and Brom are injured. In the possibility we run into a patrol, I wouldn't be able to protect all of you effectively or use myself as a bait again."

The farmer hesitated for a moment, weighting the pros and cons. If this stranger revealed himself as an enemy, Saphira could always scare him away. "Okay, join us if it's your wish."

The dark-brown haired man mounted his own horse and followed them in the darkness, riding away from the camp. They continued until dawn, when Saphira told them she needed rest. She found a cave big enough for all of them and the horses too, then guided the trio to it. Immediately, Alex walked to the storyteller's side and watched how he was faring.

Unfortunately, his condition was unchanged and there was no external sign it's improving or worsening.

The young man hated that.

He hated being powerless like this. Sure, he did his best by treating the wound with his modern equipment but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind and he didn't like it at all. «Something bad is coming. »