Disclaimer: Don't own Eragon.
No Murtagh in this chapter, sorry. Plenty in the next though. Bear with me. THANK YOU FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS!
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Alycie awoke sharply as something thudded against her legs. She looked down in alarm. There, rubbing against her knees, stood a black cat. Alycie sat up slowly, not wanting to frighten the creature away. The cat padded onto her lap, kneading its claws into her legs. She winced, but petted its fluffy mane. The cat yawned, showing abnormally long, white, sharp fangs, tail flicking through the air. Alycie smiled.
'Easily amused, aren't you?'
She looked around suddenly. The voice had come from within her own head. Nobody was there. The room was empty but for her and the cat. The door stood a few inches open; enough room for the cat to have slipped through.
'I am not a cat,' said the voice in a slightly annoyed tone. Alycie looked at the cat...or whatever it was. It was staring at her flatly. She glanced to the side before pointing at herself.
"Are...you talking to me?" she asked.
'Not technically talking,' replied the...thing.
"Oh..." said Alycie. She closed her mouth. 'Well, would you mind enlightening me as to your species?'
'Somewhat. I am a werecat. And before you ask, I am called Solembum.'
'Oh...I'm Alycie...'
'Follow me,' sent the werecat. Before Alycie could speak or think, Solembum had leapt off of the bed, flitting across the floor. She slid off of the bed quickly, running to the door as the werecat's black tail flicked around it.
She ran through the hall after the black creature, turning from one corridor into another, following the furry mass. She emerged into a hallway identical to the others, turning as she heard a loud yowl. The werecat sat in front of a door, which suddenly opened of its own accord, flooding light into the hall. It closed once more. Alycie looked around, walking to the door. It opened suddenly.
Blinking in the light, she stepped inside, looking around. Plants hung from the walls, making the air warm and humid. A four-poster bed sat in the corner of the room, bedecked with even more plants. Strange objects Alycie had never seen before littered the floor, and, in the center of it all, sat a short, middle-aged woman with tightly curled hair. She looked up as Alycie entered.
"If you're part of that Du Vrangr Gata, I'm not coming down," she said. Alycie shook her head, blinking.
"No...I just...followed your ca...werecat...and..." The woman brightened immediately.
"Oh, Solembum led you here? Come in, come in. Have a seat. The floor will have to do, I'm afraid. I've no more chairs." Alycie walked over, sitting down stiffly on the cold, stone floor.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"My name is Angela," said the woman. Solembum leapt into her lap and she stroked him a few times. "And who are you? Solembum tells me you're not one of the Varden."
"I'm Alycie," said Alycie. "I arrived a few days ago...with Eragon, the Rider..."
"Oh, Eragon!" exclaimed Angela. "Is he here too? I knew he was a Rider, I just knew it. Never have I seen such a tangled future." She pulled out a wineskin, drinking from it.
"You saw his future?" asked Alycie. Angela nodded.
"Read it in the dragon bones," she said. "I'm a fortune teller." Alycie stared at Solembum. The werecat stared back.
"How can your werecat talk?" she asked.
"Oh he spoke to you?" asked Angela. Alycie nodded. "That's rare. He usually doesn't speak to anyone. Werecats have many powers, one of which is to talk."
"Can you talk to him?" asked Alycie.
"I suppose," said Angela. Alycie leaned an elbow on her knee, holding her face in her hand.
"So why are you hiding from Du Vangr Gata?" she asked. Angela scoffed.
"Oh they won't leave me alone. They've been pestering me to join their little group ever since I arrived here, so I retreated to this level. Please don't tell them I'm here."
"Oh I won't," said Alycie, nodding. She looked down at the floor. "Everyone here thinks I should join them as well." Angela raised an eyebrow.
"You use magic?" she asked. Alycie nodded.
"As of two days ago," she said, "I am an official magic user. Eragon thinks I should get a teacher, the Varden wish me to join their sorcerers, and I'm still not sure if I like the magic or not."
"Well you can't go back now that you have it," said Angela. "But I think you should do what you wish. Don't let these tangled loyalties and alliances obstruct your fate. What do you want to do?"
"I want to leave," said Alycie. "I want to get away from the war and the Empire and the Varden. I want to go to Surda, or the ocean, or somewhere, and I don't want soldiers to chase after me."
"Then go," said Angela.
"I can't."
"Why ever not?" asked Angela, taking a long drought from her wineskin.
"They've locked up Murtagh," said Alycie. Angela suddenly choked, spitting the wine out suddenly. Alycie moved quickly to avoid the spray. The woman spluttered.
"Murtagh!?" she exclaimed.
"Yes."
"He's here?"
"Yes..."
"And he came with you?"
"Yes." Angela looked at Alycie with dawning comprehension.
"And you are involved with him?" she asked. Alycie nodded slowly and sadly.
"Yes," she said. "And they won't let him out."
"I should say not," said Angela. Alycie's gaze hardened as she looked up at the woman.
"He's not as bad as you think," she said. Angela held up her hands.
"Peace, peace," she said. "But I would be careful with him. He is the son of a Forsworn, and that means more than we sometimes realize." She paused, and then shook her head, waving her hand. "Anyway, about your magic, are you going to get a teacher or join the Varden's spellcasters?"
"I don't know," said Alycie, sighing. She looked up at Angela. "You know magic."
"Yes, I do," said the woman.
"Could you teach me?"
"Yes."
"Will you?" asked Alycie.
"Of course," said Angela. Alycie was confused for a moment, and then she smiled.
"Well...thank you."
"You're welcome," said Angela. Solembum jumped from Angela's lap and trotted to the door, which opened, letting him out into the hall. Alycie watched him go, and then turned back to Angela. The woman held out her wineskin. Alycie took it, drinking deeply.
"Of course there's the small matter of my guard..."
"Guard?" asked Angela lightly.
"They've ordered a constant escort for me," said Alycie. Her eyes widened. "And I've left him asleep." Angela laughed.
"Some guard," she said. "I can see he's vigilant."
"He's nice," said Alycie. "So when will you begin to teach me?" Angela tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"Tomorrow," she said finally. "I have herbs I need to gather from the lower levels today." Alycie sighed. Angela looked at her. "Why? Were you expecting to go charging into battle wielding spells this afternoon?"
"No..." muttered Alycie. "I can't do anything else, though."
"You can fight, can't you?" asked Angela.
"Not too well," admitted Alycie. "Enough to survive for a time. I sparred with Murtagh and Eragon for a few weeks."
"I don't know their level of talent with swords," said Angela, drinking from the wineskin. "What can you do then?"
"Brom once commended me on my wit," said Alycie. "He said my mind was sharp, valuable, and by far my greatest asset." Angela raised her eyebrows.
"Brom? Coming from him, that is a great compliment," she said. "You must be bright..." Alycie shrugged.
"It hasn't gotten me anywhere so far," she said. "I've been running into every problem head on like a berserker. Reckless."
"You need to learn to control your impulsive nature, then," said Angela. "Before every problem, just think for a moment."
"I fear, if I do that, that the moment will pass and things will grow worse," said Alycie. Angela shook her head.
"There's always a way out," she said. "And it's easier to find if you're smart."
A yowl suddenly sounded outside of the door. It opened, permitting Solembum a re-entry. The door closed once more. Alycie started to turn back around, but stopped as the door began to open once more. She twisted back around to see Eragon standing in the doorway, confusion etched onto his face.
"Hello Eragon," she said brightly. The Rider looked from her to Angela.
"What are you doing here?" he exclaimed. Angela smiled brightly at him.
"Well, why don't you sit on the floor and I'll tell you? I'd offer you a chair, but I'm sitting on the only one." Eragon awkwardly walked inside, sitting next to Alycie. He looked at her.
"How do you know each other?" he asked.
"We just met," said Alycie. "She's to be my teacher in magic."
"Really? That's good," said Eragon. A shout echoed suddenly through the hallway. Alycie got to her feet quickly.
"Ferros must be awake..." she muttered. "I've got to go."
"Tell him if he had snored softer he would have heard you get up," said Angela cheerily. Alycie waved shortly before running out of the door.
She walked up to the corner, turning into a new hallway. She suddenly realized that Solembum had led her to that room. She did not know where to go. The shout sounded again. Alycie followed the voice, rounding corner after corner. As she skidded into the next hallway, she spotted Ferros standing outside of his room, hands cupped around his mouth.
"Where did you go?" he demanded, lowering his hands angrily. Alycie hurried over.
"I'm sorry," she said. "There was a cat and it told me to follow it, so I--"
"A cat told you to follow it..." repeated Ferros, raising an eyebrow.
"Well technically he's a werecat," said Alycie impatiently. "But anyway I followed him and I met Angela and--"
"Angela the Herbalist? The Twins have been looking for her for days," said Ferros. Alycie rolled her eyes.
"Might I finish?" she asked.
"Sorry."
"She's offered to be my magic teacher," said Alycie. "And I am to meet her tomorrow." She paused. "Please don't reveal where she is," she said. "She told me not to tell anyone, but I've already done so."
"I won't reveal her whereabouts," said Ferros. Alycie sighed in relief. She noted that Ferros no longer wore his armor, but instead was clad in an everyday tunic and pants. His hair looked disheveled from sleep, sticking out in every direction. "I have been notified that your sword is being renovated by the dwarven smiths," said Ferros. "It will be returned to you soon."
"Thank you," said Alycie. "Is there anything planned for the day?"
"No," said Ferros. "You choose what you wish to do." Alycie sighed in frustration.
"I've never been this free, but now that I am, I am having a hard time finding ways to pass the time!" she said. "Suggest something." Ferros shrugged.
"You could...I don't know. Usually I have duties to fulfill. I am in the same predicament as you are," he said, thinking. "There's the library."
"I can't read," said Alycie instinctively. She paused. "Well...I couldn't read. But it's been months since I first learned."
"Can't read?" asked Ferros. "Then we must refresh your memory. Come."
"First can we stop by the kitchens?" asked Alycie.
"Whatever you wish," said Ferros, shrugging.
They walked down the many flights of stairs, Alycie glancing every once in a while at the long slide that ran along the wall. Ferros led the way through the winding corridors to the kitchen again, returning once more with two platters of mushrooms.
"Do they farm in Farthen Dûr?" asked Alycie, looking at the mushrooms.
"No room and not enough sunlight," said Ferros. "They cultivate the mushrooms from the walls and eat meat from the livestock and fish. There are other dwarf civilizations that farm, however. I'd eat that quickly. The dwarves don't look kindly on food being eaten near their precious scrolls." Alycie quickly popped a mushroom into her mouth.
They finished eating as they reached the library, handing off their plates to a kind woman who offered to take them back. Ferros pushed the large wooden doors in and Alycie stepped inside. Pillars stood five levels tall in rows across the room, housing several bookcases back to back between them. Along the walls were huge shelves filled with scrolls of varying ages. In the back spiraled three staircases into the rafters. Dotted between everything were empty benches surrounding big stone tables set into the floor. The room was deserted for the time being.
"Where do you want to start?" asked Ferros.
"It's cruel to make me decide," said Alycie.
She stepped further into the room, walking slowly along an aisle between two black bookcases. Ferros followed dutifully behind her. She paused and pulled out a leather bound book with yellowing pages. It looked promising. She pulled out a few more volumes at random and walked to a stone table next to the wall, sitting and spreading the books before her. Ferros took a seat next to her. She picked up the first book, opening it and squinting at the letters. They were familiar. Slowly she eased through the first word, sounding it out in her head. She could understand it.
"Do you need my help?" asked Ferros.
"What is that word there?" asked Alycie, pointing.
"Mysteries," said Ferros, looking at the text. Alycie nodded, her eyes moving slowly across the page. Ferros picked up one of the other books she had removed from the shelf, opening it and beginning to read.
Alycie asked for help few times, happy that her memory of the alphabet had remained despite the months of lax practice. The book she had picked up told of the creatures in Alagaësia with unique intelligence, such as the werecat and dragon. As she read on, she found that any animal could be taught by skill or by magic to obtain the power of speech or other powers. Ravens and owls were among the common birds to obtain this power, as cats were the most probable mammals. Reptiles did not have much innovation in the field of magic, apart from dragons, and amphibians were used only in the use, though they could not use it themselves.
Ferros was called to Ajihad's council after a while, and, after swearing she wouldn't go anywhere, Alycie was alone in the library. Her reading increased in speed, as she grew accustomed to the vowel sounds and repeated words. She switched to another book after a time, and soon found herself immersed in a particularly clever dwarf's logical designs for ludicrous inventions.
"Hello again," came a voice, jerking her from her absorption. She looked up to see Eragon standing across the table. He glanced at the bench. "May I sit?"
"Of course," said Alycie. Eragon sank onto the bench, looking at her.
"I'm glad you've found a teacher," he said. "Angela's a witch. She is very skilled at magic."
"How do you know her?" asked Alycie.
"I met her in Teirm before we traveled to Dras-Leona," said Eragon. He looked at the book in Alycie's hands. "Reading up?"
"Yes," said Alycie. "I actually remember the letters." Eragon furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean?" he asked. Alycie looked up.
"Did you not know I couldn't read?" she asked. He shook his head. Alycie thought back. She had learned while Eragon was in Gil'ead, and she couldn't recall Murtagh ever revealing the details of their first, ill-fated visit in the city to the Rider. She told Eragon this, mentioning that she hadn't been able to read the pub signs, though leaving out the rest of her blunders out of embarrassment. Eragon shook his head, laughing.
"I can't read either," he said. "Or I couldn't until Brom taught me, but I've probably forgotten everything." Alycie felt heartened by this. She wasn't alone in the world of ignorance.
"I could help you start," she said. Eragon accepted the offer gratefully, lifting a book he had taken from the shelf and spreading it on the table in front of him. They read in silence, occasionally helping each other through places difficult to decipher.
Eragon's head shot up suddenly. Alycie jumped at the sharp movement. Eragon held a finger to his lips. Footsteps, loud and clunking, could be heard behind a nearby bookshelf. He swiftly and silently closed his book, slipping out of the bench. Alycie copied him, following him around the other side of the bookcase and up the aisle. He motioned for her to come to the corner, turning. He stopped abruptly and Alycie bumped into him. She looked around his shoulder and saw the Twins standing there. They bowed, though there was no trace of respect in their movement.
"We have been searching for you," they said.
"What for?" asked Eragon.
"Ever since you met with Ajihad, we have wanted to...apologize for our actions. We have come to pay homage to you," said the Twins, bowing again. Alycie narrowed her eyes at them in disgust. She reached for Eragon's mind slowly and carefully, but found it blocked. She retreated to her own mind once again.
"Nay," said Eragon, and Alycie saw his lips twitch, "it is I who pay homage to you. Without your approval I never could have gained entrance to Farthen Dûr." He bowed mockingly. Alycie stifled a laugh at the over-flamboyant gesture. The Twins looked irritable.
"We are honored that one so...important...as yourself thinks so highly of us. We are in your debt for your kind words," they said. Eragon frowned.
"I will remember that when I'm in need," he said. The Twins glanced at Alycie.
"We have searched for you too, for the same reason as we originally sought Eragon," they said. Alycie crossed her arms, walking around to stand even with Eragon rather than behind him.
"Why is that then?" she asked.
"The few magic users who live in Tronjheim have formed a group. We call ourselves--"
"Du Vrangr Gata," said Alycie dully.
"The Wandering Path," finished Eragon. "I know."
"Your knowledge of the ancient language is impressive," said the Twins to the Rider. "As we were saying, Du Vrangr Gata has heard of your mighty feats, and we have come to extend an invitation of membership. We would be honored to have one of your stature as a member. And I suspect that we might be able to assist you as well."
"How?" asked Eragon.
"The two of us have garnered much experience in magical matters. We could guide you...show you spells we've discovered and teach you words of power. Nothing would gladden us more than if we could assist, in some small way, your path to glory. No repayment would be necessary, though if you saw us fit to share some scraps of your own knowledge, we would be satisfied."
"Do you think I'm a half-wit!?" exclaimed Eragon suddenly. "I won't apprentice myself to you so you can learn the words Brom taught me! It must have angered you when you couldn't steal them from my mind!"
"We are not to be trifled with, boy!" said the Twins, suddenly derisive. "We are the ones who will test your abilities with magic. And that could be most unpleasant. Remember, it only takes one misconceived spell to kill someone. You may be a Rider, but the two of us are stronger than you." They turned to Alycie, glaring at her up and down. "We offer you guidance as you further your magical power, seeing as you are a complete novice." Alycie straightened.
"I have a teacher," she said. The Twins narrowed their eyes.
"Who?"
"The one who teaches me," said Alycie, shrugging. She savored the matching looks of annoyance on the Twins faces as they turned back to Eragon.
"I will consider your offer, but it may--" started the Rider.
"Then we will expect your answer tomorrow. Make sure that it is the right one," interjected the Twins, flashing matching harsh smiles and walking away deeper into the forest of bookshelves. Eragon looked at Alycie.
"I'm going to return to the dragonhold now," he said.
"I will see you another time," said Alycie, mustering a small smile despite the lingering anger at the Twins. She watched him disappear down an aisle, and then returned to the table. Just as she sat down and reopened her book, Ferros strode in.
"Did anything happen while I was gone?" he asked, sitting.
"Eragon came over, and then the Twins offered us positions in Du Vrangr Gata," said Alycie. "I declined." Ferros cursed.
"I missed the Rider..." he said broodingly. Alycie blinked, then smiled.
"If you want to meet Eragon, he's gone up to the dragonhold--"
"No, I don't want to disturb him," said Ferros, waving his hand. "But Ajihad alerted me to tell you that you may visit Murtagh now."
"This minute exactly?" asked Alycie. Ferros nodded. Alycie stood, pulling him to his feet gleefully. "What are you waiting here for? Let's go!"
"He's a few levels down in the good cells," said the guard.
"I know he's in the cells," said Alycie, tugging on Ferros' arm. "But I don't know where they are! Lead me! Why are you laughing!?" Ferros had begun to snigger, a wide grin crossing his face. Alycie stared at him expectantly, then rolled her eyes. "I don't care! Come on!" Ferros tugged his arm free from her grip, shaking his head, still laughing, and walked out of the immense library, turning towards Vol Turin, Alycie following close in his wake.
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