Chapter 15: No Fair Trade
Eragon changed back into dragon form and transported Saphira back to their cave. It was mid-afternoon and very warm, making both Saphira and Eragon very thirsty.
I think we should go into town, Eragon told her. We could get some fresh mead there and inform the people of our presence as well.
I will go wherever you want, love, Saphira replied gently. There is a town just past the lake we were in. Perhaps we should travel there?
That is Daret, Eragon informed. We had trouble there before, so let's hope for the best this time. Eragon rose to his hind legs and mentioned the spell to change him into human form again. From there he casually picked up his knapsack and tossed on a silver color tunic.
"How should we travel?" Saphira asked him.
"I'll ride on you until we arrive," Eragon explained. "When you transform, you still have clothes on your back and I am not as blessed as you are."
"We certainly do not want you to prance around nude do we?" Saphira asked with a smirk.
"You might not mind," Eragon said, showing a nervous smile, "but I am quite certain that they will. Jealousy is very popular in this town." Saphira giggled slightly at his comment and stepped back to transform into her true self. Eragon walked over to Saphira's nest and grabbed the bronze blade he discovered earlier. Realizing that it didn't have a sheath, Eragon slid the blade between the belt that was tied around his tunic.
I am not taking any chances! Eragon exclaimed to Saphira.
Old habits die hard I suppose, she replied, snorting. I would rather be safe than sorry.
Agreed love, Eragon said, climbing up her shoulder to take his place.
Will you be well without a saddle? Saphira asked, concerned.
I will be fine, dear, he replied. Shall we?
Let's! Saphira roared. Instead of padding to the exit, Saphira flapped her wings and jumped out, immediately catching an air current. She banked to the right and climbed upwards to where the lake that they swam in looked as if it were a mere puddle. They continued to climb up past the clouds until their lungs craved for oxygen.
I never grow tired of this! Eragon said, patting Saphira on her side.
I'll never grow tired of you, Saphira replied smugly. We are to be happy for the rest of our days. Eragon smiled and placed his hand back onto one of the spikes on her neck.
Hold on, she called. We are here! Saphira suddenly rolled belly-up and tucked her wings in to fly straight down towards the town. Eragon held on tightly as the ground grew nearer.
This reminds me of our first flight together, Saphira reminisced. We have both came a long way have we not?
Yes we have, Eragon replied. There is a clear spot just before the bamboo hut. Touch down there!
As you wish, dear, Saphira said, opening her wings to slow her decent. She touched down softly, digging her giant claws into the silky sand. Eragon dismounted her and looked around the area to see that there were few, if not, any other people in the town.
It looks as if no one is here, Saphira said, preparing to change into her human form. Eragon placed his right hand to the hilt of the blade he was carrying and stood ready to pull it out.
"Is anyone here?" he called. Silence. Eragon turned to see that Saphira had changed into human form. There was a cool breeze blowing that played with her blonde locks.
"What should we do?" Saphira asked. Eragon loosened his grip on the sword and smiled.
"We get something to drink!" He exclaimed, pointing to a hut that said "Fresh Mead" on the side of it. Saphira grinned slightly and positioned herself to where she could walk right beside him. Eragon rapped on the door two times with his knuckles as Saphira stood beside him.
"What do you want?" came an aggravating voice on the other end of the door.
"We are travelers," Eragon said peacefully. "Would you by chance happen to be open at this moment?"
"Where do you hail from?" the voice barked.
"I am from Carvahall," Eragon explained. He heard a rude laugh.
"That city has been destroyed for quite some time!" the voice yelled. "The last we heard from over there were Roran and Eragon!"
"Perhaps you would care to open the door to take a look?" Eragon asked politely. The voice laughed again.
"You may be from Carvahall," he said, "but what of your fellow travelers?"
"I only have one traveler with me," Eragon replied. He winked at Saphira. "She hails from the Boer Mountains."
"Is that so?" the voice asked. "Prove it!"
"All we want is a drink lad!" Eragon exclaimed, still keeping partially polite. "If you do not wish to serve us, perhaps we will take our business elsewhere?" There was a loud grumble seconds before the large oak door swung open.
"Oh my," the man said, staring at Eragon. "Shadeslayer? Heavens forgive me for my treachery! Come, come!" He suddenly turned his attention to Saphira. "And who is this beautiful Elvin lady?"
"This is Saphira," Eragon said.
"Is that not your dragon's name?" the man asked wide-eyed.
"It is her," Eragon said. "We have a certain spell caster to thank for this one."
"Would that be the witch, Angela?" the man asked. Eragon kept silent, remembering what the witch told him about keeping her name a secret.
"No," he lied. Suddenly, the man smirked.
"Say it in the ancient language," he laughed. Eragon and Saphira stared at the strange man while he reached out his left hand, which bore the mark of the Riders. "I was a rider of old," he said. "My dragon was killed only a month after I got him."
"Who trained you?" Eragon asked. The man looked up in thought.
"It was Oromis," he replied. "He is a very great teacher."
"Was, actually," Eragon said mounfully. "Oromis passed away two days ago. It was peaceful."
"I am comforted by that, Argetlam," he said. "My name is Stave." Eragon took his hand and shook it.
"Oromis never mentioned anything about you," Eragon said. "What was the name of your dragon?"
"Galzra," he replied. "I was foolish in a war and pushed forward despite his heavy wounds. I was the cause of his death. Why should we babble like this? Come you two and take a seat to enjoy the mead." Eragon held the door for Saphira to walk through.
"A gentleman to his dragon," Stave said. "Do you enjoy this gift that Angela bestowed upon you two?"
"Yes," Eragon said, completely forgetting to withhold Angela's name. "You are very wise with your words," Eragon commented, realizing that he had been defeated. Stave showed the two to their seats and walked off to fetch their drinks.
"Another rider?" Saphira asked Eragon who was across from her. "I have never heard of Stave."
"I have not either," Eragon replied. "I do know that the mark on his hand is real."
"Galzra sounds vaguely familiar though," Saphira stated, "but I am not sure where."
"We must treat him with respect," Eragon said. "Losing a dragon hurts enough, imagine how he must feel to know that he lost his due to his own foolishness?"
"I don't want to," Saphira replied, placing her hands to her cheeks to prop her head up on the table. "We are truly lucky to be together after such a great war, darling." Eragon leaned over the table to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I would say blessed," he whispered to her. "I wouldn't live if you didn't."
"I know, love," Saphira said, taking a hand off of her cheek to place it on his. "We have a decision to make."
"What is that?" Eragon asked, smiling.
"What young should we produce together?" she asked bluntly. "I remembered what Angela told me, but I want to make sure that we do what you want to…?"
"Ah kids!" Stave suddenly shouted beside them with three mugs of mead in his hands. "Lovely little buggers aren't they? If you ask me…avoid all of them!"
We didn't ask you, Eragon told Saphira, who slightly giggled at his comment.
"You forget that I still have the power to read minds, boy!" Stave said with a hint of amusement. "Kids will only cause problems! You should just birth dragons. That way they are on their own after they hatch and you are not stuck with the brats until the grow old enough to get married!"
"Thank you for the advice," Saphira said kindly, "but this idea is up to my mate." She turned her sapphire eyes to his and smiled, waiting for an answer.
"Well," Eragon said in deep thought. "Dragons are quite scarce. Perhaps we should produce them first and move on afterwards. Remember, humans actually have to give birth instead of drop an egg."
"How long is the cycle for it?" Saphira asked tentatively. Eragon shrugged.
"Usually nine months," Eragon said. "And during those nine months, you have to stay in human form. How long does it take a dragon to lay?" Stave placed two mugs on the table and lifted up the third to take a swig of it.
"Gleadr told me that it takes four weeks to lay, but several months to hatch," Saphira explained. "He told me that I needed to know because I was a female dragon."
"A fine gold dragon he was," Stave said, swaying his mug. "I vote for a toast to the best teachers a dragon rider could have asked for." Eragon and Saphira both picked up their mugs and raised them into the air. Suddenly, the door burst open behind them.
"Well well," someone said. "People would pay good money for a dame like her!" Eragon shook his head at Saphira and Stave.
"Slavers!" he exclaimed loudly. "I thought that you lost your job after Galbatorix was killed." Eragon watched as twenty men in metal armor barged into the pub. A tall man walked over to their table with chain mail armor and a thirty-inch blade in his right arm. He reeked of sweat from traveling in the sun with his heavy armor, and his counterparts smelt no different. He reached his hand up and attempted to stroke Saphira's blonde hair, but Eragon quickly grabbed his wrist and snapped it back, shattering it.
"You touch her and you will die!" Eragon exclaimed, still clutching the Slaver's wrist.
"You will wish you didn't do that," the man exclaimed, huffing in pain. "Stave, heal!"
"I may be a rider," Stave said, "but I refuse to help you kill the saviors of this land!" Eragon watched as the Slaver lunged at Stave with his long sword. In one motion, Stave stepped to the side and watched the Slaver crash hard into the table on the opposite side of them.
"Get them!" the Slaver screamed in rage. Eragon suddenly jumped up and pulled his blade from his belt.
"It can't be!" Stave yelled. "That…that's my blade!" Before Eragon had a chance to answer, the Slavers converged onto them, swinging their swords and axes madly. Eragon parried their blows and swung with far better accuracy, smiting several of them.
"Saphira!" Eragon screamed as he looked behind him. "Get out of here!"
"I won't leave you!" she hollered back. Eragon watched as a Slaver managed to get behind him and over to Saphira.
"LOOK OUT!" Eragon screamed. Saphira turned to see the man attempting to bring his sword down across her chest. She chuckled slightly and grabbed the man by his wrist before he could finish the strike. While holding his wrist, Saphira brought her knee up into the man's crotch, knocking him down hard to his knees. From there she released her grasp and stepped back to plant a heavy kick to the man's head.
"I still would prefer claws!" Saphira yelled. Suddenly, a few of the Slavers' faces turned ghost white.
"It is the dragon!" some screamed, running outside in complete fear. Many still stayed behind. They screamed in rage and charged yet again. Eragon watched as Stave broke off a piece of timber and use it as a staff.
"Brisingr!" he screamed. The staff in his hands erupted into green flames. "I still have it, Eragon!" Eragon tossed Saphira his sword and got ready to perform the spells of death. Stave swung his staff and connected it with the skull of one of the slavers, catching him on fire. Saphira plunged the blade that Eragon gave her deep into the chest of a man, thrusting it deeper with every breathless cry he attempted to make. Eragon muttered the spells, breaking many necks with it. Before too long, there were only three slavers left.
"Do you want to join your friends?" Stave and Eragon asked at the same time. They smirked as the slavers dropped their weapons and sloshed in their armor, obvious that they had soiled themselves.
"I take it this was a rather unfair trade, eh young rider?" Stave asked, laughing at the fleeing soldiers. "Where are you two heading?"
"We have a home in the hills," Saphira replied. "It is a cozy cave with enough room to support both of us."
"If you ever want to come to Daret," Stave said, "my door will always be open to you."
"If you have any more trouble with these guys," Eragon said. "You know now where to find us."
"That I do friend," Stave replied. "By the way, how is Brom doing?"
"He has passed too," Eragon said, walking over to grab his sword from Saphira. "He died saving me."
"That was how I figured," Stave said. "He loved helping others."
"He was as good a teacher as Oromis," Saphira interjected. "He trained us both first."
"Well I have a mess to clean up here in my tavern," Stave said. "Perhaps we will meet each other soon?"
"We will stay in contact," Eragon said. "It was good mead, until they arrived."
"I will keep a cool pitcher waiting for your return," Stave said. Eragon smiled and reached out his hand again to shake his.
"It is a pleasure, Argetlam," Stave said, as they stepped over the broken door on the floor.
"As it was with us, Stave," Saphira replied. Stave watched as she changed to her true form, lowering herself to the ground so Eragon could mount her. When they flew away, Stave walked back into his tavern and made his way to the head Slaver who approached him.
"Get out of my sight!" Stave screamed, kicking the man in his gut. As he got up and left, Stave held still in thought.
"How did he get my sword?"
PEACE!