The Herbalist's Apprentice

by the Lady of the Mists

Chapter Two: Into Farthen Dûr

Sandry hurried across the lawn quickly, the book she'd borrowed from Jeod in her hands as she ran. She wished that she had time to finish the book, but Angela had said that morning, without warning, that she was leaving, to go find some answers about the new Dragon Rider that had appeared. Of course, Sandry had explained that Eragon was the new Rider, but she was still insisting on leaving. She liked to be where the action was and that wasn't in Teirm; adventure lay to the west, with the Varden.

What possessed her to spring this on me without notice? Sandry wondered as she was allowed through Jeod's front door by the butler and escorted up to his office.

"Come to borrow another book from me, Sandry?" Jeod asked her the moment she walked in.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not, sir." Surprise rose into his eyes. "We're leaving town and I wanted to get this back to you before we did so. I don't think we'll be back anytime soon."

"Oh." Jeod nodded as he took the book from her. "Right then. Well, I wish you luck on your journey, Sandry, wherever that may be. Give my best to Angela, now. And I hope that we meet again. There are not many young folk who have the heart to keep learning with all of this," he said, gesturing towards the mounts of books. She smiled.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir," she said as she shook his hand politely. "I truly appreciate what you have done for me. And if we meet again, I shall look forward to it." He smiled back at her as she left the study, leaving the house quickly before Angela left without her.

It had been only a fortnight since Angela had begun teaching her in the arts of magic. So far, her efforts were that of a beginner, but Angela assured her that each practitioner was only as good as their skill and everyone had to begin somewhere. Even the Riders had to start as no more than a student.

Sandry wanted to believe her, but the only area where she'd been most proficient at was scrying. She could usually get an image within a mirror or a bowl of water, even if it wasn't decipherable.

"Angela!" Sandry called the moment she returned to the shop. She hurried through the shop, seeing her teacher in her room, packing some last minute things. "Are we just about ready to leave?"

"Just about," Angela said, giving her a searching look. "Where have you been, lass?"

"Returning a book to Jeod before we left," Sandry answered as she ran to her room and seized her own bag, which contained precious little. A few books, an extra dress if necessary, and her notebook which held ingredients for some ointments and other things that she'd made over the years. "I didn't want him thinking that I took off with it."

Angela nodded absently as she finished packing. "All right, there we are," she said, finishing her packing. She walked over to Solembum and patted him carefully. "Are we ready?"

Of course we are, Solembum said airily. Is the girl?

Naturally, Sandry responded as she walked away from her room and joined them. She placed a hand on the werecat's back and felt the odd sensation of fast travelling, seeing the rush of lights speed past her. The next thing that she knew, they were in a three-room suite, with a door that led to the outside.

"Where are we?" she wondered as she stepped away from the werecat and Angela, surveying the room critically. It seemed that the room had been made to Angela's taste. "Are we with the Varden?"

"Yes," Angela said with a wry smile. "I took the time to come here before now to set it up. Your room is through there. I would not advise venturing outside; I would not wish for anyone to find me here and they'll undoubtedly want to search your mind to see if you're trustworthy."

Sandry let out a deep sigh; she had really wanted to see the Varden and fight the Empire, but it looked like that would have to wait. "I guess I'll go unpack, then," she said, defeated.

As she headed into her own room, she frowned slightly as she set the bag on her bed, walking away from it. Maybe she could try this . . . "Rïsa!" she commanded, using her limited skills as a witch to raise her belongings to where she would place them.

She struggled with the spell, not ready to give up as the dress rose through the air, setting itself in a draw at the small desk and the books rose to place themselves on the top of the desk. Sandry gasped as she released the spell, almost collapsing into the chair as she struggled to remember how to breathe. How did Angela do it? she wondered as she heard someone enter the room and looked up.

Angela smiled down at her, approval in her eyes as she placed a hand on her shoulders, handing her a cup of water. "It's a start, Sandry," she told her gently as she gratefully gulped its contents down. Sandry blinked at her words, confused. "It's a very good start."

--

It was almost a month later when Sandry heard voices coming down from the main room as she was working on some ointments and salves for the upcoming battle that she sensed approaching. She had seen it, while scrying in her bathwater. There was a horrible battle moving ever so closer . . . she had seen many people lying injured or dead . . . it had been horrible. Angela had warned her about telling the Varden about it, because the future was always in motion. The vision that she had might never come to pass.

As she heard the voices, Sandry bottled up the last of the ointment and headed out into the main room to find out what was going on. She stopped short when she saw the young man who was there talking with Angela. Her teacher looked around at her as she entered and smiled.

"Oh, Eragon, this is my apprentice, Sandry," she said, sipping her tea as Eragon looked around. "Sandry, this is Eragon."

"Hello," Sandry said, trying very hard to stop the blush that was threatening to travel up her cheeks and will her heart to stop quickening, as it had the moment the moment she'd seen Eragon.

"Pleased to meet you," Eragon said, standing up and bowed to her. She sunk into a deep curtsy, keeping her eyes on the young Rider as he straightened. He was even more handsome up close, she thought. "Sandry . . . that's a pretty name."

This time she couldn't stop the blush from rising into her cheeks. "Thank you," she said, averting her eyes from his in an effort to control herself. If she looked straight into those blue eyes, then she risked losing control of her emotions again.

"Well, Eragon, this has been an enlightening talk, but I'm afraid that you'll have to leave now," Angela said dismissively. "My brew of mandrake root and newt's tongue is about to boil and it needs attending. Do come back when you have the time. And please don't tell anyone that I'm here. I'd hate to have to move again. It would make me very . . . irritated. And you don't want to see me irritated!"

"You really don't," Sandry said dryly without thinking. "She can get very scary when she's irritated." Angela shook her head in exasperation at her apprentice while Eragon grinned. "I'll walk you out, if you don't mind."

"No, please," Eragon said with a grin as they headed through the door. Angela didn't stop her from leaving the cave and entering Farthen Dûr for the first time since she arrived. Sandry let out a deep sigh as they left the room where she had lived in for so long. "Haven't you been out here since you two got here?" he asked.

"No, Angela didn't want anybody to know she was here, not to mentioned I would've had to had my head examined and I really don't feel much like letting anybody get into my mind," Sandry explained. "There's some places that people shouldn't be allowed to trespass."

"I get that. Murtagh wouldn't let anybody go through his mind and he's under house arrest right now."

"Who's Murtagh?" Sandry asked.

Eragon sighed. "He's a friend and ally of mine. It's hard to explain, but I think that his intentions are honourable and he's saved my life lots of times." He paused, looking sideways at her. "How long have you been with Angela, anyway?" he asked her.

"Awhile. I think that I was about five or six when my mother was killed by some bandits who wanted some of her cheap jewellery. They killed her and burnt the inn. I managed to find this, though," she said, holding up the locket. "It was my mother's. After she died, I came to Teirm and Angela found me in the streets and took me in. I'm indebted to her."

"What about your father?" Eragon asked her, slowing to a stop. "Wasn't he around for you?"

"I barely remember him," Sandry said, pushing a lock of dark hair behind her ear. "He was . . ." She shook her head; the truth was she didn't even remember him. How could she? She'd only been three years old when he left. "He left, went to go find someone who would give him the son he wanted."

Shock and sympathy crossed Eragon's face. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding truly understanding. "Really, I am. If it helps . . . I never knew my parents either."

Sandry looked up at him, startled. "What happened to them?" she wanted to know as she fell into step next to him again. "Did they die?"

"I don't know," Eragon confessed. "My mother left after she gave birth to me and nobody ever heard from her again. And my father . . . well, Mother didn't give any indication as to who he was."

There was a long moment when neither of them spoke and then Sandry said, "Do you know anything about an upcoming battle?"

The question caught Eragon off-guard and he shook his head wildly. "No, there hasn't been any battle that I've been told of." Sandry frowned, but said nothing until his blue eyes caught hers. "Why do you ask? You sound as though you know something."

"It's nothing," Sandry told him. "Angela's been teaching me some magic and I thought I saw a battle approaching when I was scrying earlier. I'm sure I was mistaken, though." She didn't want to worry him.

He didn't look worried, though, he only looked concerned. "I doubt it," he said quietly as he looked around. "Suppose you had better be heading back, if Angela doesn't want to be found."

Sandry nodded, though it was the last thing she actually wanted to do. If anything else, she would prefer just to stay here in his company. But she needed to get back and there were things that he needed to be doing besides talking to the herbalist's apprentice.

"I was glad to have met you, Eragon," she said softly as she turned around to head back to her and Angela's quarters. She dared not look back at him, because she wasn't sure if she would be able to look away again.

"I was glad to meet you, too!" Eragon called after her. She looked back at him and saw the smile on his face. Smiling back, she ducked through the portal that led to her and Angela's quarters and vanished from sight, a shiver travelling up her spine as she thought about the smile that had appeared on his face when he saw her and the feeling the surged through her when she looked into his eyes.