Disclaimer: Don't own Eragon.
Okay, it's 1 am so be happy I'm posting this today! Finally we've gotten there. No more writer's block for a long time I promise you! Enjoy.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
They walked to the cooling shade of a dune and untied the elf from Saphira's belly, laying her out on the sand. Murtagh removed his cloak, spreading it on the sand and lying on top of it. Alycie fell where she stood, closing her eyes against the light of the sun. She sighed and crawled to Murtagh. He placed an arm around her waist and she turned to his chest, falling asleep immediately. Eragon scratched his head, removing his cloak as well in the heat and lying down. He looked at Saphira, then closed his eyes, sighing himself into slumber.
After a few hours of sleep, he awoke to find Murtagh staring into the distance, absent-mindedly twisting his fingers in the sleeping Alycie's hair. He stretched, blinking in the sun, and turned to his companion.
"Couriers must have carried news of my escape to Galbatorix. He would have alerted the Ra'zac. They're sure to be on our trail by now. It'll take them a while to catch us even by flying, but we should be ready for them at all times," he said. Murtagh looked at him thoughtfully.
"I hope they won't be able to follow us past Bullridge. The Ramr was an effective way to lose pursuers; there's a good chance our tracks won't be found again," he said.
"Something to hope for indeed. I place no faith in luck right now, though. The Ra'zac could be on our trail even as we speak," said Eragon. Murtagh nodded, looking down at Alycie as she moved slightly. Eragon's eyes moved to her as well. "What is going on?" Murtagh looked at him.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Eragon nodded at Alycie. Murtagh sighed, looking down at her once more. His eyes then moved back to the expectant Rider. "She's very tired."
"Murtagh, don't avoid the question," said Eragon impatiently. "I saw her memories. I saw you kiss her. Saphira tells me it's happened before as well, while I was captive in Gil'ead. What are you two not telling me?"
"If you saw everything, then I would think it's obvious," said Murtagh, gesturing at how she was cuddled against his body. Eragon shook his head in amazement.
"But...the last time I ever heard anything out of you two it was outside Gil'ead when you were insulting each other," he said. Murtagh shrugged.
"Nobody knows how these things work," he said. Eragon laughed, brushing his hair back off of his forehead. Murtagh smiled, looking back down at the sleeping girl in his arms. "It's funny. A little over a month ago if I had left her in that cave...I wouldn't have cared what happened to her. But now...now I can't bear the thought..."
"Strange," agreed Eragon. He looked down at Alycie. "We should leave...wake her and I'll prepare the elf." He walked off to the unconscious beauty, lifting her and wrapping ropes around Saphira's belly. Murtagh pressed his lips lightly to Alycie's forehead. She stirred, opening her clear blue eyes.
"Wake up, Alycie, we need to resume the journey," he said. She nodded groggily, getting to her feet and walking to Cadoc, saddling him. Murtagh got to his feet, dusting his cloak off and throwing it on. Soon they were riding once again further into the Hadarac.
The bright, unforgiving sun shone down on them through the rest of the day, burning their necks and faces. Tempers were running unusually high, boiling in the sun as well as their bodies. Large pointed crags appeared in the distance, growing larger as the small caravan approached. The sand turned to tough, dry dirt and the dunes depleted. By sunset they had reached the jutting rocks, stopping at the base of a large pointed crag and resting in the thin shadow it cast on the desolate ground. Alycie felt the heat pressing in on her like a heavy pillow.
Murtagh started a little campfire while Eragon unstrapped the elf and laid her out on the ground. Alycie unsaddled the horses and tied them near a small patch of dry grass where they could graze. They sat around the fire, staring balefully into it's flickering depths. Eragon spoke.
"How far do you think we went?" he asked.
"I don't know!" snapped Murtagh, cursing. "We don't have enough water. And the horses have to drink."
"Calm down, Murtagh," said Alycie tiredly, pulling her knees into her chest, not looking up from the fire.
"Calm down!? I'll calm down once we're out of this damned, god-forsaken, desert wasteland," spat Murtagh, turning his bloodshot eyes to her. Eragon stood, sighing.
"Bring the horses," he said, walking to Saphira. Alycie's eyes flicked up in time to see Murtagh's furious face as he stood, storming off to where Tornac, Snowfire, and Cadoc were picketed.
Alycie got up and walked to where Eragon now stood, holding his shining palm over a freshly dug hole in the ground. He spoke a word or two and the hole darkened, filling slowly with water. The Rider opened his eyes, pleased with the accomplishment.
"I wish I could do magic," said Alycie, crossing her arms. Eragon laughed. She looked at him, smiling. "Well it is convenient."
"True," said Eragon, "but it depletes your energy. And if you try a spell that you aren't capable of yet, it drains your strength until you die." Alycie grimaced.
Murtagh arrived with the horses, handing their reins to Alycie while he filled their waterskins quickly. Then, Cadoc, Snowfire, and Tornac drank from the waterhole so much that Eragon was weakened greatly from raising the water. Saphira took two long drinks. Murtagh and Alycie bent and gulped two quick mouthfuls, leaving Eragon to drink his full before releasing the water back into the earth.
The night brought on a surprising cold, causing the companions to huddle close to the small campfire. Alycie cuddled close to Murtagh, who draped his cloak over her shoulders carefully. His frustrated sigh told Alycie that his short temper remained. Eragon watched them across the fire, finally speaking.
"What are your plans, Alycie?" he asked.
"To travel with you both to the Beor Mountains where we'll find the Varden," responded the girl. She felt Murtagh stiffen next to her.
"You cannot travel one course. Murtagh has made it clear that he will not, under any circumstances, accompany me to the Varden," said Eragon. The pit dropped out of Alycie's stomach as she realized what they were saying. "You're going to have to choose. Either you go with Murtagh to chase the Ra'zac down, or you accompany me to the Varden."
"I--"
"She'll go to the Varden," said Murtagh sharply. Alycie looked up at him. "She would be safe and may even start a new life there." He looked down at her. "It's the best place for you."
"I won't leave you," she said. Murtagh sighed.
"Now is not the time to choose," he said.
The next morning was cold and bleak. Alycie soon found that Eragon's patience had worn as thin as Murtagh's and decided to keep her mouth shut. As the Rider handed out their breakfast of stale bread, he spoke.
"Do you think it'll be long before we leave the desert?"
"We're only crossing a small section of it, so I can't imagine that it'll take us more than two or three days," growled Murtagh, glaring.
"But look how far we've already come," said Eragon.
"Alright, maybe it won't! All I care about right now is getting out of the Hadarac as quickly as possible. What we're doing is hard enough without having to pick sand from our eyes every few minutes," snapped Murtagh, tearing off a large chunk of bread with his teeth. Alycie looked at hers, then stood, turning to walk away. "Where are you going?" asked Murtagh.
"Not far," said Alycie. Neither companion raised a complaint.
She rounded a crag, strolling along at a leisurely pace as she chewed her tasteless bread. Leaning up against the jutting rocks, her eyes looked off at the horizon, squinting through the haze. Uneven dark smudges could be seen lining the flat skyline. A whinny reached her ears and her head turned sharply to see a figure standing a little over a hundred meters away.
A chestnut horse pawed the dusty ground next to him, tossing it's mane. The figure himself wore dark clothes and his face was covered with a cloth wound around his head, which was directed right at Alycie. Neither of them moved for several minutes, each keeping their eyes on the other.
Alycie jumped as the call of her name reached her ears and she slowly edged back around the crag, not looking away from the figure until the rock blocked him from sight. When she reached the camp, Murtagh and Eragon were set to leave. She swung quickly and quietly into Cadoc's saddle, spurring him on as they resumed the ride.
As they left the crags behind, Alycie cast glances around, her eyes searching for the mysterious figure. He was nowhere to be seen. Meliana had told her of these back in the palace. They were illusions caused by the heat of the desert, about as real as a ghost. This must have been one of them.
Late in the day, Eragon steered his steed over to Murtagh, pointing at the horizon.
"What?" Alycie heard Murtagh grumble.
"Look closely," said Eragon.
"What, I don't...that's...that's impossible!" Alycie looked up, squinting at where Eragon was pointing. The haze had lifted and the smudges had grown more defined. They were not hills, as they had believed earlier, but rather the tops of mountains. "I knew the Beor Mountains were large, but not that monstrous size!" exclaimed Murtagh. Alycie's jaw dropped.
"That can't be them!" she exclaimed. Eragon looked back at her, grinning.
"Let's hope the animals that live there aren't in proportion to the mountains," he said. Alycie nodded, still amazed.
"It will be good to find some shade and spend a few weeks in leisure. I've had enough of this forced march," said Murtagh.
"I'm tired too, but I don't want to stop until the elf is cured...or she dies," said Eragon. Alycie groaned internally. She longed for rest with every bone in her body.
"I don't see how continuing to travel would help her. A bed will do her more good than hanging underneath Saphira all day," said Murtagh.
"Maybe...when we reach the mountains, I could take her to Surda...it's not that far. There must be a healer there who can help her; we certainly can't."
"We can talk about it later. For now our goal is to reach the Beors. There, at least, the Ra'zac will have some trouble finding us, and we will be safe from the Empire."
As the hours passed, the climate changed considerably, the heat becoming interrupted by cool breezes and grass becoming more prominent. They rode on eagerly, keeping their eyes on the caps of the Beors, which seemed to remain far away despite the distance they'd covered. Alycie took a deep breath, smelling water on the wind. As she opened her eyes, something caught her attention. The figure mounted on his horse stood, watching them ride. Alycie twisted her head around to get a better look, but the steed turned and galloped away back into the Hadarac.
By nightfall they'd reached the foothills of the Beor, camping by a stream. Murtagh and Eragon whooped and cheered in triumph, happy to be out of the desert. Alycie joined them as well, falling over in shock when Saphira let out a gleeful roar that sent the horses into panic.
Murtagh pulled her to her feet, laughing, and held her to him, kissing her passionately on the lips. She hugged his waist and he tripped, toppling onto the ground with Alycie on top of him. They continued to kiss, breaking off in laughter or smiles several times. They had made it out of the Empire. They were free.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
REVIEW!!!