Hey people, I will not be able to answer the review I received after my update saying I was still alive right now. But I'll add my comments in this section tomorrow or the day after, so keep an eye on it frequently ;)
Chapter 25
Eragon woke up at dawn, well refreshed. He patted Saphira's side and she folded her wing. He stood up, walked to the opening while rearranging his hair and watched the outside world. Below him, the forest was shining like a field of diamonds, thanks to the morning dew. Saphira jumped through the gap, spinning while flying to the ground before she went back up, roaring in joy.
«Good morning, Little One! »
«Good morning to you too. »
He smiled, happy that she was happy.
Two plates of fruits and vegetables were waiting for him when he opened the door. There were also a few changes of clothes next to it and a small letter, explicating the elves were sorry for not giving proper food for Saphira and the clothes were a gift from the Queen's house, in addition to those he received during his stay at Farthen Dûr.
After eating the offered breakfast, Eragon put on his new clothes and was happy to know they were softer on his skin than what he was wearing until now. At the moment he finished lacing his shoes, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in!" replied the young man, strapping Zar'roc to his side.
Orik opened the door, walking inside with precaution.
"I prefer sleeping in a cavern instead of this! How was your night Eragon? And you Saphira?"
"Rather good. And you?" Eragon asked.
"I slept like a rock." He laughed at his own joke. "It's seems you've already ate. Arya, the queen, Alex and some other elves are waiting for us."
"Fine, in that case, let's go!"
The two men took the stairs while Saphira hovered to the ground.
At seven a.m. sharp, a little before dawn, the alarm on his watch began to ring. Alex stopped it and went back to list what was remaining in his inventory. The battle of Farthen Dûr left him with little to no ammunition: two magazines for his assault rifle, six shells in the Mossberg's tubular magazine, the Desert Eagle was out of commission because of a few internal pieces which broke during the fight, his Glock 17 had 3 magazines left and only one for the PPK, a broken katana…oh, and he was also out of grenades. His next battle would be his last with his modern weapons, he was certain of it. Sure, he could make again some Molotov cocktail but that was it.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes. The fight with the Ra'zac will be a very difficult one, especially if they also have their parents with them.
Then, the young adult began his morning workout, consisting of a few stretches and some series of push-ups, sit-ups and squats in order to keep his body in shape. When he was done with his routine, Alex washed himself quickly before shaving his beard. Unfortunately for him, he was interrupted by a knock on the door.
An elf was standing behind it when he opened, holding clothes and a tray filled with fruits and a glass of grape juice. The woman elf, closed her blue eyes and bowed slightly. Alex nodded back before putting two fingers to his lips.
"Greetings Ambassador, I am Niduen from Islanzadi's house. I was asked to deliver you your breakfast and also give you those clothes I made as a welcome gift. I apologize if there's no meat but we, Elves, don't hunt or eat the creatures of the forest."
The young man took everything she had in her arms and put it on the table. "I know you guys are vegetarians, Princess Arya briefed me about this. I don't have any problem with not having an animal in my plate during my stay here. Anyway I thank you for the meal and the clothes."
"Vegetarian?"
"Yes! It's the word we use on Earth to define the people who only eat fruits, vegetables or baked goods."
"In that case, I think it fit our eating habit perfectly. It was nice to meet you, Ambassador Alex. Farewell."
Niduen bowed again and closed the door, leaving him alone. Alex went back to his task of getting rid of his facial hair before eating his breakfast.
Less than ten minutes later, there was another knock at his door. Grumbling, the swordsman opened it and found himself face to face with Orik.
"Ah Alex, good to see you awake. The Queen want us to follow her, she says she has something important to show us. We'll pick up Eragon and Saphira on the way."
"Understood, let me just take my broadsword and a gun." He replied while strapping his sword on his left shoulder and the Glock 17 on the opposite hip.
Leaving the room, Alex greeted Islanzadi, Arya and the others before they made their way to the treehouse where the Rider and his dragoness resided. The dwarf decided to be the one who would meet the duo and explain the situation. Not long after this, he came back with the farmer in tow while Saphira was gliding to the ground.
Islanzadi greeted them and they responded in kind before she beckoned them to follow her. She led them out of Ellesmera, near a cliff that was several yards away.
"The four of you have to swear in Ancient Language before we go any further. What lies ahead is our biggest secret and Galbatorix must not learn of it or the consequences would be disastrous. Am I clear?"
Orik tried to argue but his arguments were rendered useless as Islanzadi pointed it was a matter of safety, not trust. Finally, the dwarf relented. Eragon and Saphira discussed the issue mentally while Alex was immobile, like a statue, his arms crossed and a deadpan look on his face. The duo delivered their oath of secrecy. Then, they were all watching the swordsman expectantly.
The latter sighed loudly.
"The magic and Ancient Language don't work on me. I'm not bound by its laws, you know it as much as I do."
"It is worth a try." replied the queen.
"Fine." Alex huffed before doing the same as the others. A few moments after this, the air around them shuddered with a loud thud, followed by more.
«That sound is the same as when Saphira beat her wings but much bigger which means… »
A large golden dragon rose from below the cliff, an elf on its back.
«Probably a Rider of the old order…that reference to Star Wars, it couldn't be anymore cliché than this. Georges Lucas would laughing his ass off! »
The gold lizard was huge, several times larger than Saphira and far older than her, maybe several hundred years old. When the dragon turned to land, they saw an horrible sight; it's left foreleg was missing.
The Rider descend from his partner's back and walked to the group. He was wearing a white robe, his hair was silver, even brighter than Alex's but the only evidence of his age was the wisdom in his eyes. Eragon walked to him.
"The Mourning Sage… I have come, like you asked me to do."
Remembering how to greet an elf, he put two fingers to his lips: "Atra esterni ono theldhuin."
"Oromis is my real name, Eragon Shadeslayer."
"So, you knew that a new Rider had appeared and you refused to tell me?" accused the queen, close to a fit of rage. "Why have you betrayed me, Shur'tugal?"
"I haven't said anything because I didn't know if Eragon and Arya would survive long enough to arrive here. I didn't want to give you false hope that could have been crushed at any moment."
"You didn't have the right to hide this kind of information! I could've send warriors to protect them at Farthen Dûr and escort them here."
"I didn't conceal anything, except what you refused to see. You could have known sooner the truth about Arya and Eragon. I understand you forgot the dwarves and Vardens in your pain but Brom, the last friend of the Elves? You closed your eyes on this world."
A breath of warm, moist air brushed against Eragon's skin; the golden dragon had lowered his head and was examining him with his sparkling eyes.
«It's good to meet you, Eragon Shadeslayer. I am Glaedr. »
Then, he directed his attention to Saphira. She was completely immobile as he sniffled her cheek and along the line of her wings. Her tensed leg muscles quivered with a slight tremor as the older male examined her. Watching how Saphira was reacting, Alex couldn't help but chuckle.
«You smell of humans, what you know of your own specie, it's what your instinct taught you. But your heart is one of a dragon. »
While the two dragons conversed silently, Orik offered his greetings to the old Rider on behalf of his king. When he asked why the ancient elf stayed in the forest until now, Oromis told him it was because of his and Glaedr's infirmity, leaving them useless on the battlefield. Even the most basic of magic was almost out of his reach.
After a few solemn looks from the crowd, Oromis turned to the young man who stayed silent during all of this.
"And here we have our otherworldly visitor. You caused quite the ruckus in Alagaësia."
"Should I take it as a compliment or…?" he asked, smiling lightly and with an amused glint in his eyes.
"You can. It's certain Galbatorix wasn't expecting another thorn in his feet."
The ancient Rider eyed the pendant hanging around Alex's neck.
"Well, your amulet explain how you ended here."
The swordsman looked at the object, frowning. "How so?"
"I recognized this pendant because of the stories I've heard about it. It is said that they were created accidentally by the Grey Folk when they were experimenting with magic. There were also books about it, they wanted to create an item capable to store energy and a spell to teleport its owner wherever he wanted. However, it backfired, killing a few of them in the process and creating two amulets, completely identical. The spell was stronger than anticipated, leading to the creation of a portal, to another world… a world void of magic and filled with humans as the only sentient creature."
"Earth…"
"Exact. Unfortunately, it seems they fell into Galbatorix's hands… until recently, when you arrived. We have some things to talk about but it'll have to wait until later."
Oromis placed his hands on Eragon's shoulders. "Islanzadi Dröttning, by your leave?"
The duo of Riders were dismissed by a wave of the hand and a weary reply. They climbed on their respective dragon and left, leaving the human and the dwarf in the company of the elves. The Queen cleared her throat to gain their attention.
"Alex, Orik, if you would be kind enough to follow me to the throne room. I've read what Nasuada told me about the current state of Alagaësia but I'd like to hear your opinion on it, especially you Alex, you traveled all around the country during the last five months."
The swordsman nodded. "Sure, I'll try to remember as many details as I can to help you evaluate the situation beyond the forest." He then looked back to where the two dragons flew off. A weight was lifted from his shoulders, knowing he managed to keep his promise to Brom. Eragon was in good hands now.