Chapter 10 (Rewritten)

«…Up. »

There was a moment of silence until the voice spoke again.

« Wake up! »

Suddenly, Eragon felt pain in his right cheek and immediately sat up because of this.

"Don't blame me, it's Alex who told me to slap you. There's something's wrong with Brom." replied Murtagh.

The swordsman was restraining the old man who was wildly thrashing on the ground. His friend rushed to his side and helped him until the convulsions ceased. Despite the medicine Alex gave him, he had a fierce fever and his breathing was labored.

Suddenly, his hand shot up and grabbed Eragon's shoulder. "The wineskin! I need it!" Confused by the fact his mentor was awake, the farmer shook out of his stupor before obeying Brom's orders, he took it from the backpack and washed the old man's right hand. The Rider in training let out a surprised gasp when he saw a Gedwaÿ Ignasia appearing.

"But, why? Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's in the past, there was no need to reveal you everything, not until now. A long time ago, I was a Rider. My dragon, Saphira, was killed during the battle of Doru Araeba. I had a friend, Morzan, before he became a Foresworn and betrayed us to Galbatorix."

"I still grieve for my beloved Saphira… and damn Galbatorix for what he tore away from me." He looked into Eragon's eyes, conviction and strength filling his voice. "Don't ever let that happen to you. Life isn't worth living for without her."

"Nothing's gonna happen to her, don't worry."

Relaxing, the old Rider exhaled loudly, his eyes unfocused and observing the cave's ceiling absently.

"Maybe I'm losing my mind but will…will you take my blessing?" The farmer nodded and lowered his head. "In that case, I give it to you. May you find happiness for the rest of your life." He also whispered a few words in ancient language and their meaning. "That's the best I can give you, use them only when there's no other option."

"Alex, come here please."

The light brown-haired man, who stayed silent until now, walked to his side and kneeled down. His eyes were already red, tears threatening to appear.

"Don't do this Brom." he croaked, barely able to restrain himself from breaking down right here, right now. "Don't leave us. Don't leave me with the fact I wasn't able to save another life."

The storyteller chuckled. "Sorry but I don't think I can do this. You alleviated a lot of pain but I know my end is coming. However, I want you to promise me something… take care of them, protect them until they can do it themselves. Those two needs someone to watch their back, they're still children after all."

The swordsman couldn't help but smile, a sad one however. "Yeah… I'll do it old man. You can count on me."

"Good, good." He coughed a few times. "You know, even if we didn't like each other at the beginning, you're a great boy. I'm sure that one day, you'll find peace in your heart."

"Thank you." whispered Alex, trying his best to keep it together.

Brom turned his eyes to the ceiling again. "And now, for the greatest journey of all."

Hours passed as they all watched the Rider of old times slipping away. During the evening, his body stiffed and as a last gesture, he brought his hand to Eragon's cheek.

The moment after, he let out his last breath.

Rushing to his backpack, Alex took something from his first aid kit. It was a syringe and a small bottle with a transparent liquid.

"If I can't save him with this adrenaline shot, nothing will."

He filled the syringe with the liquid, planted it where the heart was and injected the shot. Alex pulled out the needle and waited. After a few seconds without any reaction, he stood up, threw the shot against the wall with all of his strength.

"Dammit!" he yelled, followed by swears and curses directed at the Ra'zac. However, he was interrupted in his tirade by his friend. "Alex, we can't leave his body here. We need to bury him."

The young adult with almond eyes relented, wanting nothing more than considering this as a prank and nothing else.

The trio transported the corpse and climbed to the top of the mountain, the Rider used magic to create a grave and placed his mentor inside with his belonging. Eragon watched his serene face for one last time before the rock covered him from the outside world. Then, he wrote something in the stone:

Here Lies Brom

Dragon Rider and Good Man

He was like a Father to me

His name shall live on in Glory

"Was it Brom…the Brom? The one who was at the origin of the fall of the Foresworns and helped the Varden compromise some of Galbatorix's plans?"

Still contemplating the tomb, Eragon nodded. "Yes. It was him."

Without a word the young adult quickly walked away, hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face, sniffing loudly as he tried his best to stop the flow of tears.

« I'll try to reason him, we'll be back soon. »

Saphira quickly left too, following him by his scent.

It was an easy task for the blue dragoness to follow the young man. He didn't bother to cover his odor. And after what happened, it wasn't the first thing he had in mind right now. She knew she had to be at her Rider's side to support him in a moment like this but she also had to convince the swordsman to go back at the cave with her. He had to understand it would be better for him to mourn Brom's death in their company rather than alone.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking, she emerged from the forest and found him near a small lake, his eyes admiring the water and the reflection of the full moon in silence.

The two of them didn't say a word for what seemed a long time. The blue lizard knew how his mind was working now and she patiently waited until the moment he decided it was good to open his shell and talk.

"It's the third time a tragedy like that happen. First my friend Robert, then Garrow and now Brom. I couldn't save Eragon's uncle because of my injuries from the Ra'zac but damn, it's Brom we're talking about! What use do I have if I can't protect those around me?"

« You tried your best, you shouldn't blame yourself for this. He knew his time was coming. He said it himself in the message he left for Eragon. »

"I know but it don't make me feel less guilty. I may be a simple human without fancy magic but I have technology, knowledge. I can heal or take care of an injury better than all the healers of this world and still… I couldn't save someone from dying of an internal bleeding. I feel like I'm useless."

Alex turned toward her and when their eyes met, he could feel the sympathy and compassion emanating from her. He walked to her and put his head on her chest before his legs gave out, too weak to support him. The moment after, he cried and sobbed uncontrollably, tears falling like waterfall. The dragoness put her muzzle on his head, closed her eyes and whispered words of support and comfort in his mind. A soft purr could be heard coming from her throat, her consciousness embracing his.

They stayed like that for what felt an eternity to them, but in truth, only a handful of minutes had passed. Slowly, his body stopped trembling and his breathing calmed down. Despite the fact they had to go back to the camp, Alex didn't want to leave the warmth produced by Saphira's inner fire. With a grunt, he released his grip on her chest and stood up.

"I…thank you for being here. Really. I needed it."

She winked at him and licked his cheek.

«We should go back before the others worry. We've been absent long enough. »

Eragon and Murtagh were sleeping peacefully when the duo came back. Without a word, both of them also went to bed, expecting this nightmare to end and wake up the next morning with Brom sitting in front a fire and preparing breakfast.

But they knew it would never happen again.

It was the smell of food which woke up Alex. Murtagh, Eragon and Saphira were eating silently, too lost in their own thoughts. The swordsman took a small cereal bar from his backpack and made it disappear in his mouth in matter of seconds before standing up and equipping all his weapons on him.

"I think we should leave this place as fast as possible. Galbatorix will know why the Ra'zac didn't bring us back to Urû'baen with them and he's not going to be happy about this. The guards will be looking for us everywhere."

"He's right." replied Murtagh. "And that's why I volunteer to travel with you. You'll need another pair of hands."

"But-"

"Eragon, even if I hate to admit it, I'm not at my top condition right now. That bastard know how to land a blow and it'll take a week or two to heal. The fight in the cathedral left me with some nasty cuts and bruises too."

The farmer sighed and decided to accept the help. If the stranger couldn't be trusted, Saphira would be delighted to chase him away.

«Brom told me there was someone in Gil'ead who could help us find the Varden. »

"To the North, heh? It'll take us some time to reach the city, maybe enough to nurse our injuries properly. In that case, let's go."

In the absence of Brom, Alex thought it would be the best if he was the one to take the initiative and lead the group. The storyteller gave him a mission and he's going to accomplish it, no matter what. They readied the horses and after a final gift from the blue dragoness to the storyteller, by transforming his rock tomb into one of diamond, the small group left the caves, toward their next destination.

Due to Eragon's broken ribs, the four of them were moving slower than anticipated but it didn't matter much. Even if it was as far north as Carvahall, they weren't in a hurry.

Alex refused to share his true origin and purpose in Alagaësia with Murtagh, not trusting him about this kind of information. The Rider was also kept in the dark but for a completely different reason. He didn't need to know about this, he had other things to think about. As days passed, a friendship between the three boys blossomed even if the swordsman was a little suspicious of the newest addition in the team.

Eragon didn't dream of the mysterious woman anymore and each time he tried to scry her, he was met with an empty cell. Since more and more posters of them appeared in each town they went, Alex thought it would be a good idea if he stopped shaving. It took them a few, difficult, days to bypass the capital of the Empire. Then, they took the best road to reach their destination: follow the Ramr River.

When the day he turned sixteen arrived, Eragon didn't mention it but was surprised when Alex cooked a meal far more tasty than what they were used to until now: rabbit stew with potatoes. He even added a few ingredients he had in his backpack to give it a better taste.

Soon, Eragon's ribs were healed, meaning he could train with his sword again without any risk for his health. He even asked Murtagh if he wanted to spar with him. The latter accepted without a second thought. Now, the three young adults were sparring against each other, the Rider and the swordsman learning from the dark-haired man and same for him.

However, nor Murtagh or Eragon was able to best Alex, even when they were working together. Fortunately, their pride was intact because their elder didn't beat them by much.

One month. It took them a full month to reach Gil'ead. The city was a little away from them but they could clearly see its layout.

"We should camp a few leagues away and decide what will be the plan for tomorrow." declared Alex, observing the fortress in the center of the city and the defenses posted everywhere around the town.