Disclaimer: Don't own Eragon.
I AM FINALLY OVER WRITER'S BLOCK! WOO! I have been working on this chapter for two days now, so it's very long thankfully! I hope you like it.
ALRIGHT 140 REVIEWS! I love you all for that, and that's what keeps me vigilant on this!
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Alycie did not get a chance to speak to Murtagh all the next morning. She had been shaken roughly awake by Eragon in the early hours to find everything packed and ready for departure. They had set out without a word, riding relentlessly as fast as the horses could bear. Near noon they neared a village only to find it heavily guarded by soldiers. The few following villages were the same. Along the trail, a past had been hammered into the earth, bearing two wanted posters: Eragon's and Alycie's.
"It's a shame my first portrait had to be this," she said, holding it up for the others to see. "I rather like it." Eragon smirked, but suddenly jerked his head to look at Saphira as she bared her sharp teeth.
"What is it?" asked Murtagh.
"Soldiers ahead. It's an ambush," said Eragon.
They guided the horses silently off of the trail, steering them in a short arc around the hidden encampment, rejoining the trail once more on the other side. The same occurred further on, and they decided to abandon the trail all together. The sun moved through the sky as the miles fell behind the fugitives, and dusk soon covered the dry, cactus-laden hills in darkness. Hours later they stopped, looking out at a distant collection of lights indicating a village.
"There's a town, Bullridge, some leagues ahead that we must bypass," said Murtagh, pointing. "They're sure to have soldiers watching for us. We should try to slip past them now while it's dark."
They continued for three hours, skirting the soldiers' many watch fires that encircled the town. None of them spoke. Eragon did not even seem to communicate with Saphira, though that would not have generated noise. There was one particularly tense moment when Alycie tripped over a root, crashing into Murtagh and sending them sprawling. They had stayed completely still for a whole eight minutes before the guard abandoned his suspicions and returned to the fire.
They traveled until daybreak, relaxing at the fact that the last town was out of their way. The Ramr River ran to their left and right, the last thing to cross on their journey to the Hadarac. Alycie was nearly falling out of her saddle with fatigue. The light hitting her eyes seemed to be triggering a piercing pain in her head.
"Can we stop?" she asked. "I can't take much more of this."
"Let's find a gully or hollow where we can sleep undisturbed," said Eragon.
They continued a short ways to a small cluster of juniper trees. Alycie began to unload her bedroll, but hesitated, remembering the night before for the first time that day. She looked over at Murtagh curiously. He was helping Eragon unstrap the elf from Saphira's stomach. She shook her head, sighing, and spread her bedroll out beneath the low branches of a tree. She curled up under a blanket, rolling over and staring at the fallen leaves that littered the ground.
It had been just that one moment...if indeed it had truly happened. She may have been dreaming for all she knew. Her lack of sleep made it hard to recall what was real and what she had dreamed up on her own. When she'd awoken she'd been alone. It must have been a dream. He wasn't speaking to her any more than he had before. Yes, for sure it was a dream. That didn't make Alycie any happier though. She sighed. Oh how she would have loved it to be real.
"I'll take the first watch and wake you at midmorning," Murtagh was saying to the Rider.
Alycie glanced over and saw him sit on the ground, laying his sword on his lap. She turned her face away, rolling her eyes. How could she ever have thought him in love with her? It was absurd. Madness must be overcoming her. How else could she have mixed dreams in with reality? She sighed and shut her eyes, praying for sleep to come swiftly.
A hand brushed the hair back from her face and her eyes opened sharply, looking up. He was there. Alycie opened her mouth to speak, but Murtagh pressed a finger to her lips, nodding at the trees. She silently rose, following him away from the camp. They walked a ways into the cluster of trees, and then he turned to her.
"Listen, Alycie. About that night...the kiss...I--"
"It wasn't a dream?" Alycie interjected. Murtagh shook his head. Alycie let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't mad.
"But listen to me," continued Murtagh. Alycie nodded. "It was a mistake to kiss you. I shouldn't have done so..." His eyes met hers and he saw the hurt filling them. "I can't deny that I feel for you...I can't explain...it's better than anything I've ever felt. Safe...complete..."
"Then why is it a mistake?" asked Alycie.
"You have no idea how much danger I've put you in by kissing you," said Murtagh, shaking his head. Alycie cocked her head to the side quizzically.
"Danger? Why would that put me in danger?" she asked. Murtagh shook his head. "Tell me."
"No," he said. "But you see...we can't do this...I can't do this...if it puts you at risk." Alycie stepped forward, elevating herself onto her toes and pressing her lips against his. She felt his shoulders relax and heard his breath rush out in a sigh. She broke off, looking him in the eye.
"Now I've kissed you," she said. "So I bring the danger onto myself. I feel for you, and I'm not going to suppress that out of fear." Murtagh looked at her, smiling, then he shook his head.
"Reckless..." he muttered to himself. "But I won't stand against you." Alycie smiled at him, leaning her head against his chest happily. "But that does not mean I won't blame myself if anything happens to you because of me."
"Nothing's going to happen," said Alycie.
"You can never know for sure," said Murtagh darkly.
"But we can hope," replied Alycie. Murtagh lifted his hand, caressing her face gently, looking into her eyes. His other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close to him. Alycie placed her arms around his middle, leaning her face in on his chest. He stroked her hair, sighing.
"I bring you out here to push you away, yet now you are closer than ever," he said. "You must have me under some sort of spell."
"If it is a spell, it's out of my control," said Alycie. Murtagh bent and kissed the top of her head, then held her out, smiling.
"I need to see if soldiers are attacking Eragon in his sleep," he said. Alycie laughed.
Murtagh took her wrist and gently lead her back to the campsite. He resumed his place on the ground, sword at his side. Alycie replaced her bedroll in Cadoc's saddlebags and snuggled in next to Murtagh, clutching her blankets around her. He twisted his fingers in her hair as the hours of exhaustion fell in on Alycie, sending her to sleep.
Murtagh stirred Alycie at midmorning as he woke Eragon for his watch. The Rider took his place alertly on the ground and Murtagh settled down for his sleep. Alycie groggily followed him to the bedroll, curling up beside him as she had before. As noon arrived, she was awoken for her term on watch. As she crawled away from the sleeping Murtagh, Eragon shot a look between them suspiciously before lying down near Saphira and giving in to sleep. The hours passed by quickly in her not fully alert state and soon it was mid-afternoon and she was waking Saphira.
That night they all awoke, drowsily saddling the horses for another long ride. Eragon was speaking with Saphira with a troubled expression. Murtagh glanced over as he adjusted Tornac's saddle.
"What's wrong?"
"The elf. Saphira is troubled that she hasn't woken or eaten; it disturbs me too. I healed her wounds, at least on the surface, but it doesn't seem to have done her any good."
"Maybe the Shade tampered with her mind," said Murtagh. Alycie shuddered, remembering how it felt.
"Then we have to help her." Murtagh walked to the elf, looking her over closely. He shook his head, standing.
"As far as I can tell, she's only sleeping. It seems as if I could wake her with a word or a touch, yet she slumbers on. Her coma might be something elves self-induce to escape the pain of injury, but if so, why doesn't she end it? There's no danger to her now."
"Maybe she doesn't know she's safe," said Alycie. Eragon nodded, looking at the elf. Murtagh cleared his throat, placing a hand on Eragon's shoulder.
"This must wait. We have to leave now or risk losing our hard-won lead. You can tend to her later when we stop." Eragon spent the last minute squeezing a wet rag so that water fell between the elf's lips, and then strapped her to Saphira and they were off again.
They rode through the darkness, clinging to the base of the hills for fear of being spotted should they venture too high. Saphira trailed along the ground with them, carrying the elf unconscious on her back. As dawn arrived, spilling light over the land, the sound of rushing water met their ears. They emerged from the hills onto the bank of a wide, thundering river. The opposite bank was so far into the distance that it could not be seen from where they stood.
"The Ramr!" exclaimed Eragon. Alycie too was amazed.
"Yes," said Murtagh. "We leave to find a place to ford safely." They looked up and down the bank of the Ramr River, squinting into the distance. They moved closer to the edge of the bank, leading the horses along. Alycie tossed a stick into the rushing current, watching it ferry off speedily.
"How deep do you think it is?" asked Eragon.
"I can't tell. Can you see how far across it is with magic?" asked Murtagh worriedly.
"I don't think so, not without lighting up this place like a beacon."
"How are we going to cross this?" asked Alycie, frowning. Saphira suddenly lifted off of the ground, soaring across the river. Eragon seemed to listen.
"A half mile!" he said in shock. Murtagh looked at him with wide eyes, eyebrows raised.
"Is that how far it is?" he asked. Eragon nodded.
"Saphira's offered to fly us each across one at a time," said Eragon. Murtagh shook his head.
"I'd rather not try it, for the horses' sake. Tornac isn't as accustomed to Saphira as Snowfire and Cadoc. He might panic and injure them both. Ask Saphira to look for shallows where we can swim over safely. If there aren't any within a mile in either direction, then I suppose she can ferry us."
Eragon turned to Saphira, relaying the message. The sapphire dragon spread her leathery wings and, with one large, graceful sweep, lifted off of the ground, soaring into the sky. Eragon withdrew a loaf of stale bread from Snowfire's saddlebags and tore it into pieces, tossing one to Murtagh and Alycie. They sat on the ground, eating in silence.
"Eragon," said Alycie after a while.
"Yes?"
"How do you read other people's minds?" Eragon thought, furrowing his brow.
"I...I don't know. Anyone can do it. It's just easier for me because I can use magic. I sort of step outside myself...and...touch other people's consciousness. I can read their emotions, see what their intentions are..."
"Can you read their memories?" asked Alycie. Murtagh glanced up at her, then at Eragon. He nodded.
"Yes, I can." Alycie nodded, looking down at the ground, tracing a design in the dirt with one finger. She looked back up.
"Is it possible for one to block a probe?" she asked. "You know, guard your mind from invaders?"
"Why do you ask?" asked Eragon. Alycie shrugged.
"Once we reach the Varden, we'll be keeping a lot of secrets and I'd like to have a way to guard them." Her eyes flicked to Murtagh, who met her gaze.
"Brom did tell me something about that. You focus on one thing and one thing alone. Then that is all an invader will encounter. Only very few people can pull off such a task though. Brom said that you can only learn to do so if you practice over and over again. If you get distracted, your block becomes weak and the invader will enter past it. It takes a lot of energy as well."
"Test me," said Alycie. "I'll try and block you out."
"Okay..." said Eragon. Alycie took a deep breath and stared at a stick on the ground.
She concentrated as hard as she could, taking in every little detail on the small twig. The familiar brush against her consciousness caught her attention, but she continued to focus on the twig, filling her mind with its picture. The probe became more noticeable for a moment, and then it retracted, poking at the outer boundaries of her mind, unable to venture further. Alycie's eyes began to water. She blinked and the picture vanished. Eragon's probe delved into her mind. It was not painful as Durza's had been, but it was uncomfortably noticeable, like when sand gets into an oyster's shell the first time.
"Get out of my head now," said Alycie, running her fingers through her hair, pressing her scalp with her fingertips as if to reach in and remove the probe herself. Eragon frowned at her.
"Most people can't tell when they're being probed," he said. "Odd...hang on..."
Alycie felt the probe jerk and memories began flashing before her eyes. She sucked in her breath, focusing hard on her shoe. The probe was pushed back and stopped forcing itself into her mind. She looked up from the leaf, feeling slightly dizzy as if she had been holding her breath. She saw Eragon stand out of the corner of her eye.
"Saphira's here," he said, looking up at the sky where the blue dragon was swooping down. She landed lightly on her claws, communicating silently with Eragon. He sighed. "The water is deep and strong both ways," he said. Murtagh got to his feet, dusting himself off.
"I'd better go over first, so I can watch the horses," he said, climbing into Saphira's saddle. He looked down at Eragon. "Be careful with Tornac. I've had him for many years. I don't want anything to happen to him." He looked at Alycie briefly as Saphira took off, flying over the river.
"Tornac will go next," said Eragon, "so Murtagh can calm him down. Then you, Cadoc, Snowfire, and then myself." Alycie nodded, looking back at the river. She felt Eragon's eyes on her and looked back.
"What is it?" she asked. He shook his head, looking back at the Ramr. Alycie raised an eyebrow, turning away as well.
Saphira returned and Eragon adjusted Tornac's saddle to cover his belly. She wrapped her claws around the panicking horse and lifted off, disappearing over the Ramr. Alycie turned to Eragon as they waited.
"So...how do you think my blocking would do against...oh I don't know...a Shade?"
"It would be as if there weren't a block," said Eragon.
"Even if I practiced for hours while we journey to the Varden?" asked Alycie. Eragon shook his head.
"It would be enough to block me out for an hour of nonstop probing, but nobody could hold a block against a Shade. I think they would have to have had years of training to accomplish that," he said. Alycie nodded. Eragon sighed.
"I saw the memory," he said. Alycie felt as if her blood had turned to ice as the words reached her ears.
"What memory?" she snapped quickly. Eragon put a hand on her shoulder.
"The Shade breeched your mind in Gil'ead," he said. "I understand why you didn't tell us, but this puts us in a bit more danger, though I can't possibly think what new knowledge he would have gained by that."
"I am sorry," said Alycie honestly, the weight of the secret collapsing into guilt in the pit of her stomach. "I didn't see him and before I knew it he was...I'm sorry."
"Do you know what he extracted?" asked Eragon.
"He saw my memories...but they were nothing important. Just my life as a slave and then my journey with you. He could have guessed we sought the Varden without them," she said.
"Then we don't have much to fear," said Eragon. He looked out over the river as the outline of Saphira's shape became visible against the pale sky. Alycie looked at the Rider.
"...You won't tell...Murtagh, will you?" she asked. Eragon looked at her.
"Not if you don't want me to," he said. Alycie smiled.
"Please," she said. He nodded. Saphira landed and Alycie climbed into the saddle, her worry breaking into a cloud of butterflies that rose in her stomach as the big blue dragon took of once again.
It was a very different thing to ride in Saphira's claws and to ride on her back. In her claws Alycie had been petrified for fear of being dropped and dizzy at the view of the spinning world thousands of meters below. Now, sitting securely in the saddle of the magnificent beast, she felt a strange freedom; exhilaration at the wind blowing past her face and her view for miles around. She turned and looked back at Eragon, but something caught her eye. More than a league away, a dark line was moving through the hills towards the Ramr. Alycie's eyes widened. The soldiers!
Saphira landed and Alycie pushed herself out of the saddle, dropping to the ground. As the dragon turned to return to the sky, Alycie called her name.
"The soldiers are closing in on Eragon! You must hurry! I saw them in the hills!" she exclaimed. Saphira's eyes widened and she gave a sort of nod, throwing herself into the air once again.
Alycie watched her go, and then turned to find Murtagh wrestling with a hysterical Tornac. The horse was inconsolable, thrashing and bucking wildly. Murtagh was throwing a rope over his head, tying it to a nearby sapling to prevent the warhorse's escape. He took the horse's head, holding his head to its muzzle, muttering to it soothingly. Tornac jerked his head away, but Murtagh took it in a firmer grip, stroking its nose and neck, attempting to soothe him.
Cadoc soon arrived, not as hysterical as Tornac, but bucking all the same. Alycie soon calmed him as well, and Murtagh was forced to do the same with Tornac again. This happened a third time when Saphira appeared with Snowfire. Tornac would whinny and buck when he saw her, his eyes dilated and white with fright. Alycie did her best to calm Snowfire and keep a hold on Cadoc until Eragon was flown over. Saphira flew far overhead for a time to allow the horses time to calm themselves. She returned to the ground and Eragon tied the elf back across her belly. Then, with the saddles readjusted, they continued their journey.
The travelers worked to keep themselves awake. They were all three falling asleep on their steeds or even on their own two walking feet. One would be awake to guide the horses, but at some points they found themselves asleep all at once with only Saphira alert enough to keep them on course. There was one incident where Alycie fell off of Cadoc in a doze and she awoke to find her sleeping companions riding ahead without her.
At noon they stopped, standing in the loose sand and staring ahead of them. Dunes rippled the earth like water in every direction, dotted here and there with some sparse plant life. On the horizon far in the distance was a jagged purple line.
They were facing the Hadarac Desert.
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