Chapter 12 (Rewritten)
His plan didn't go as well as he thought. He managed to get out of the fortress without a lot of difficulties but now…to put it simply, he was surrounded from everywhere. As he was standing in the main courtyard, archers, spearmen and swordsmen, the soldiers of the Empire were all around him, waiting for Alex to surrender.
The latter was standing with one knee and one foot on the ground, his face and body had small bleeding cuts and a small trail of blood was following him. His breathing was ragged and his arms were sore. But he was still smiling stupidly, like a boy who received his favorite toy for Christmas. He did a few movements with his head and they all heard a few cracks coming from it.
"Well, I'm not going to wait all day!"
One of them had the bright idea to take the bait and rushed at him. The swordsman jumped to the soldier, his broadsword went through the guard's neck and he fired at another's head with his handgun. It happened in less than ten seconds.
At this moment, all hell broke loose. A few archers launched their arrows but Alex used the nearest corpse to protect himself. Those who tried to approach him fell to the ground without one of their hands or their arm, for others, their armors had a cut on their torso or ended with a hole in their bodies. A lot of corpses were scattered around him and more were following. A few arrows managed to hit him but miraculously, his tactical vest took the blows, leaving him intact.
Even if the young man was a great warrior, the fight was already lost for him. Saphira could see it clearly from her position and she was sure Alex knew it too but he didn't care. He was clearly outnumbered but would never go down without fighting until the very end.
The blue dragoness knew it was her moment to help the adult when one of the soldiers managed to hit him on the face with the back of his sword while he was struggling with another. She dropped on a group of guards, crushing them at the same time and used her tail as a whip to create some space between her and her foes. Alex took this distraction as his opportunity to jump on her saddle, strapping his feet and shooting down those who tried to approach the duo.
"You're an incredibly stupid lizard, you know that, right?"
«Yes but I'm not going to leave a friend behind if I can save him. »
Saphira flexed her four legs and then, jumped in the air, also using her wings to gain height and leave Gil'ead. The swordsman took something from his belt and launched it in the troops. Less than five seconds later, there was an explosion. Arms, legs, hands and trunks went flying everywhere and the ground was stained with more fresh blood. She decided to fly low and fast in the direction her rider took. After what happened, she wanted to join him as soon as possible.
"I could have killed them all if you didn't decide to interrupt the party."
Her magnificent eyes meet his and a grin grew on her draconic lips. «You're too cocky for your own good. »
"I know, I know. People tend to say that about me. I suppose we're going to regroup with Eragon and Murtagh soon?"
«As much as I'd like to, not yet. We have to take care of your injuries or you'll bleed to death and I don't want to carry a dead body. »
Saphira spotted a small river and landed softly near the water.
"Okay but for your information, I don't have anything to heal myself on me. All my equipment for this is in my backpack." replied the young man as his boots touched the ground, he momentary lost control of his legs, unable to support his weight anymore. Alex let out a curse as he caught himself with his hands, before inhaling and exhaling deeply, his body trembling after his intense fight, the adrenaline slowly leaving his blood system. Shakily, he grabbed a small metallic bottle tied to his belt, opened it and swallowed two mouthfuls of water, then closed it to put it back in its place. It took him a few moments to regain a total control of himself but he finally stood up. Still thirsty, he drank again.
«In that case, there's only one solution. Dragons can use their saliva to disinfect their wounds, I'm pretty sure it'll work on a human. »
*PFFFFT*
Alex spat out his drink and coughed, his face completely red in embarrassment.
"Pardon? I don't think I heard you correctly. You want to heal me with your… tongue?"
«Yes. »
"How about no? How about I use the water in this river to clean my cuts?"
She growled menacingly. «Alex, stop putting your life on the line like this. Just because you think the others' safety is important doesn't mean you should neglect yourself. Now please, do as I say. »
"Okay, okay. Sheesh, you sound like my ex. She meant well and loved me a lot but she was worried about my health all the time."
The young man removed his vest and t-shirt, shivering at the contact of his injuries with the ambient air.
«Don't move, I'll be done in a few moments. »
Her warm tongue passed over all his cuts, wiping off the fresh blood from the wounds. Alex hissed slightly, feeling a little sting because of the saliva and its effects. Then, the duo decided to take off and catch up with the other two. Finally, they found them rather quickly and followed them. When her feet touched the ground, Eragon walked to the dragoness and began to explain what happened. Apparently, he found out that the elf was tortured during her stay in Gil'ead because of the numerous bruises and cuts on her body. Fortunately, he healed all those that were life-threatening and covered the others with bandages.
In the end, the group decided to take the road again. The woman elf was strapped to Saphira's saddle while Alex was on Cadoc.
The trio slowed down and stopped near a small cliff. Alex and Murtagh prepared the meal while Eragon was tending to the elf. They ate in total silence but at the moment their bowls were empty, Murtagh talked. "Unfortunately, we're not gaining any ground on those following us. If we don't find a solution, they'll be on us in a day or two."
It was on these words Eragon snapped. "So, what do we do? It's impossible for Saphira to carry us all if we leave the horses behind!"
"True but we can get rid of a little weight and reach our goal faster. Murtagh, can Tornac ride without too much difficulties with two persons on his back?"
"I think so, why? What do you have in mind?"
The dragoness whipped her head in his direction, a scowl on her face. «Alex, I know what you're going to do and I refuse. It's a bad idea, you could be in danger, more than we are right now. »
"I don't care if you like it or not Saphira, we don't have a lot of choices. You continue in direction of the Varden, directions that you can find inside the elf's head and I go solo, taking Cadoc and Snowfire with me. Those idiots will only follow where there's more horses or split their group in two. I'll sell Cadoc on the way and meet you three at the final destination, understood?"
The farmer looked at his friend, clearly unhappy about this plan. Because of everyone's tiredness, stress and anxiety, tension was quickly rising in the camp and didn't need much to snap.
"You stayed behind to help us at Gil'ead, we need you! We can't leave you behind lik-..."
He was abruptly stopped by a slap to the right cheek, his current expression was quickly replaced by pure shock.
"Do you think I like to stay away from you? Do you think I want to do this? No. I hate that but I have to!" yelled the young man, now angered because they were wasting precious time. He pointed at himself, then at Eragon. "It is MY job to protect you, I promised Brom that I'll give my life if it was necessary. Now, I want you to obey and do as I say, that's an order!"
Even if he wanted to protest, Eragon knew it was the best idea they had. It was the only thing to do. Even in the dire situation they were in, he did everything he could to keep a cool head and think logically. This was extremely risky, they didn't knew if it would work and the odds weren't in their favor. However, it was worth a shot.
"O-okay, I'll do it."
Alex patted him on the shoulder. "Listen, I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds but you have to understand that she's far more important than me. Now go talk to her to find the information we need."
The Rider walked to the woman, sat at her side and put a hand on her forehead. Then, he closed his eyes and furrowed his brows in concentration. After a few minutes, he fell on his back, breathing heavily. Eragon told what he learned with the others and it was decided to split here.
"First, I go to Furnost with the horses and then the Beors. One more thing, don't wait for me, I'll certainly be behind you. Saphira, I want you to take off with your paws in my direction, they'll think that the biggest part of the team went my way while the other decided to go on his own."
The dragoness put her nose in the crook of his neck, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
«You shouldn't do this, it's the third time you use yourself as a distraction. You're exhausted, I can see it in your eyes and your injuries haven't completely healed yet. »
"Maybe I do this because I'm used to play solo but don't worry for me." He whispered, chuckling and smiling warmly before scratching under her chin. "Everything will be just fine. I'll be back alive and in one piece. Come on, I have to go now. See you soon, Saphy."
«Saphy? You have to bring me dinner first before doing this kind of things, you know? » she joked, winking at him. «But... please, be careful and come back to us unscathed. I don't want to see you in a worse state than what you already are right now. »
The man with light-brown hair ignored her comment, blushing furiously, gave two bottle of water he had in his backpack to his friends and mounted Snowfire. He then took Cadoc's reins in one hand and rode to the South. The dragoness jumped in the air and followed him for a moment before changing her direction, now flying above the two youths. She didn't know why but her heart sank when she saw him riding away until he disappeared from her sight.
Meanwhile, her rider was experimenting to find a way to have water in the desert. He found one by pulling the water in the ground to the surface. After this, they decided to leave the camp and sleep on the saddle of their mount, under Saphira's watchful gaze.
For the first time since he stepped in Alagaësia, Alex was completely on his own. No storyteller, rider or dragon at his side. And boy, how good it felt to be alone, with only his thoughts as company.
But as he continued to ride, the taste of ash appeared in his mouth and felt as if something was missing but didn't know what. When he replayed in his mind what happened earlier with the blue lizard, his heartbeat quickened and blood rushed again to his cheeks.
«What the heck is wrong with me? Giving her a nickname, just like I did with my ex before we got…together. Dammit! »
He shook his head and concentrated again on the road in front of him. Alex pushed the horses to their limit from time to time and when he looked back, he was happy to see a long line of men on horses, holding a torch in their hand. It seems they were stupid enough to take the bait and follow his trail.
"Alright, now, all I have to do is to put some distance between me and them. Easy."
During the next hours, Alex had to dodge a lot of patrols. It seems that the news about their escape from Gil'ead has been shared pretty quickly. The young man fell into a few ambushes on the road but quickly dispatched them, only leaving corpses and a lot of blood behind him. There was only one thing he dreaded: Urû'baen. If he was found near the city, there was a one-hundred chance for him to be captured and brought directly in front of the mad king. He wasn't ready to fight him, not now at least.
«If those two only paused a few times and not for long, they should be near Bullridge right now. I hope everything will be fine. »
When the sun let its place to the moon, the young man stopped near a few trees, a little away from the main road. The horses drank from a pond, not far from the camp and ate green, fresh grass while the swordsman engulfed another cereal bar in his mouth. Strangely, and despite how much he rode, he couldn't sleep. In truth, he was worried for his friends… for her.
He let out a deep sigh, his body slightly trembling and a cold pit forming deep in his stomach. But finally, he closed his eyes and relaxed his body. A few minutes later, he was completely asleep.
The next morning, Alex crossed the Ramr, where the water only reached his calves and rode as fast as the horses could without risking to injure them. He passed along the tall hills on his left and when he reached another valley, the adult could see a dark line on his right with what looked like a castle and a few towers. He recognized it immediately as the capital of the Empire.
Fortunately, he was far enough to not be seen by the watchmen on the walls of the city.
It took him another couple of hours to reach the outskirts of Furnost. The first part of his plan was almost done; now, all he had to do is sell Cadoc to someone at a reasonable price and buy some food. He had his disguise on him and his modern weapons were hidden as the two guards at the entrance of the town eyed him suspiciously while he entered, but did nothing to ask him where he was coming from or his identity and let him in.
Here, almost all the houses were of the same height but there were a few exceptions, bigger than the others and certainly belonging to the nobles. Then, with the directions he received from a few persons, Alex arrived in front of the only stable of the town. A few minutes later, he left the place with only one horse and thirty crowns in his pouch. He didn't like to part away with the mount after all that happened during the beginning of this adventure but he had to if he wanted to execute his idea perfectly.
"I think I earned a good night of sleep in a real bed and not on the ground." He said to himself, while he tied Snowfire to a pole, near the door of an Inn.
The man with almond eyes took one of the best room available, put his gear in a corner and decided to take his dinner in the main room. The food was… good. Better than what he was used to since he arrived here but not as tasty as what his mother cooked back home. Just like in Dras-Leona, he refused to drink a single liquor, only satiating his thirst with water. When he came back to his chamber, Alex locked the door behind him and left the key in it.
With the room still plunged into darkness, he slowly walked to the only window and looked at the sky, admiring the moon in perfect silence. He didn't know why but he was feeling uneasy as if something bad happened or is going to happen, soon. Despite his ability to keep a straight face and his emotions hidden, Alex couldn't help but tremble again, just like last night.
All he could do for now is to go to take some rest and wait for the new morning to come.