Torn Between Two
Chapter 15
Murtagh sat in the tent and listened to the rain pour down. It had been three days since the fight, no one had told him of Reilyn's condition, and he had learned quickly not to ask.
At least they put me in a tent, he thought, touching his bloody lip. I'm out of the rain. Dogon had slapped him pretty hard when he'd asked if Reilyn was going to be all right, but at least he'd avoided being beaten. . . So far.
That's the second time she's saved me. Boy, now both of them have to make things difficult for me, he smiled wryly.
"Traitor," Dogon grumbled, walking into the tent. "You have a visitor."
Murtagh straightened up on the bed and attempted to fix his clothes, he wanted to be at least presentable for whoever decided he was worth visiting.
Dogon held the tent flap open and bowed his head.
Eragon? Murtagh hoped, seeing the hooded figure enter.
"I'll be just outside if you need me," Dogon said humbly.
The hooded figure nodded, staying silent.
"You'd better not try one damn thing, Traitor!" Dogon growled. "Or I will take you head myself."
"That is enough, Dogon," the hooded figure said quietly. "I'm certain he will behave."
The guard glared at Murtagh, then ducked out into the rain. Murtagh watched in silence as the figure turned to Murtagh, then slowly rose their right arm and lowered the hood.
"I don't believe it!" Murtagh gasped, his voice filling with pure joy and relief.
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Standing before him was the immortal red-head.
"Miss Reilyn," he breathed and bowed his head.
"I take it no one's informed you I was still alive?" her cool voice said.
"No," he touched his lip, "and I dared not ask for a second time."
Murtagh couldn't stop staring at Reilyn, he felt certain that if he looked away, she'd be gone when he looked back. She looked at him with knowing brown eyes and smiled as she removed her sopping cloak.
"Besides your lip, have they treated you fairly decent?" she asked, looking around the tent for a place to sit.
"For the most part," he said, sliding over. "Here, sit."
Murtagh watched as Reilyn considered the open space on the bed. He hadn't meant the invitation any other way than to just sit, but she didn't seem to comfortable.
"I mean," he covered his mistake, "if you'd like."
She smiled at him, making his heart quicken and his body weak, and nodded.
"Thank you." She sat on the edge of the bed. She flicked her head to the side, tossing her hair behind her and creating a soft breeze.
Oh my, Murtagh thought as he breathed her scent in, she smells of rain. His hands desperately wanted to touch her hair, her neck. . . He clenched his fists to force them to obey and stay at his sides.
"Is it really bad?" he asked through very clenched jaws.
She cast him a sideways glance, questioning his clenched jaw and fists, but dismissed it with a shrug.
"Not really, I've lived through worse," she sighed and sat back farther on the bed.
Murtagh's mouth started to speak before his mind caught up with what it was saying.
"May I look?" he heard himself ask.
What in the hell are you doing?! Trying to get yourself killed?! he screamed internally.
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Reilyn stared at Murtagh unbelievingly. He had asked to see her wound, an innocent request under any normal circumstances.
But these aren't normal circumstances, now are they? she asked herself. She stared at the pale teen, who had clasped his recently clenched hands over his mouth, and stared at her with shocked and apologetic hazel eyes.
I don't see any harm in letting him look, Saphira said. But I'd keep a close watch on him.
Saphira, I- I don't know! she confided in the dragon. There's something in the way he looks at me sometimes, it makes me feel. . .
Jittery? Weak all over?
Yes, that, but also very nervous.
He fancies you, the dragon said.
Reilyn stared at Murtagh. She figured the boy felt for her, but had tried to ignore it. Now, it was staring her right in the face. No more ignoring it.
Do you feel the same for him? Or is it just that he seems so familiar to you that you keep going out of your way for him?
I don't know why I keep going out of my damn way to save him!! Saphira, the dreams are still here. . . Getting more intense. . . I swear they're memories. . .
Humans are poor liars. You are going out of your way merely due to his familiarity to you, and you really can't see that?
I don't know. . . Things are so weird right now. How can he be so familiar to me? How am I so familiar to him? HOW do we know each other?!
Only time will tell you the answer to that riddle, Reilyn, the dragon whispered. For now, trust him. With that said, the beast detached herself.
Reilyn took a deep, steadying breath and turned to the pale Rider.
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"I guess you may," Reilyn whispered.
Murtagh couldn't believe it! She was actually agreeing to let him look at her shoulder. His heart raced and he felt his palms go sweaty.
Just give it a quick look, nothing more, nothing less. He instructed himself.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she rolled the short sleeve up, wincing when she tried to get the sleeve over the bandages.
"Here," he whispered, moving to her. "Let me."
This was not part of the plan! his mind screamed.
She dropped her hand into her lap as he knelt behind her. With very shaky hands, he gently rolled the sleeve up, taking care when he reached the bandages. She winced and flinched back into him, pulling a small gasp from him in the process.
"Sorry," he whispered, holding his hands up and away from her.
She stayed silent, but shook her head. She reached into her boot and handed him the dagger. "You'll have to cut the first bandage to unwrap the rest."
Murtagh took the weapon and looked at it.
She trusts me, he told himself, or maybe she's testing me. . .
Either way, he didn't plan on ruining this. He put the blade between his teeth and with both hands, brushed her long hair from her left side, moving it out of his way.
Soft, he noted, allowing his hands to run through the locks briefly.
He felt Reilyn shudder when he touched her neck and biting down on the blade, repressed the urge to do it again. He pulled the dagger from his mouth and placed his left hand on her side, telling her that he was about to cut the bandages.
She jumped slightly and he moved closer to her back, to keep her as still as possible. With a steady and precise hand, he slid the edge of the blade under the first layer and twisted it, slicing through the fabric with ease.
"Here," he said, handing her weapon back. She took the dagger and wordlessly slipped it back into her boot.
Murtagh bit his lip, sinking his teeth into and through the soft flesh, as he set to unwrapping her shoulder. He shifted and lowered his head, obscuring his face with his raven hair, and focused only on the task.
Reilyn relaxed into him a little bit, only making things worse for him. As it was, he could barely breathe and his heart was pounding so hard he felt like it could be visible through his shirt. When he chanced a look up, he was met with brown eyes, and he froze.
He jumped and nearly screamed when her hand touched his. He felt his face burn when he saw that she was only taking off the final layer herself.
Idiot! he scolded.
Murtagh watched as Reilyn looked at the wound, inspecting it. He winced when she ran her fingers over the torn flesh, feeling ghost pain in his own shoulder.
"It could have been a lot worse," he managed to say, "had Eragon not healed you."
"I almost didn't let him," she whispered, running her fingers the length of the cut. A tear slid down her pale face when she spoke and she turned away, realizing that she had literally been on Death's doorstep.
Impulsively, Murtagh gently put his arms around the girl. Surprised when she turned and sank into him.
Too far! Too far! his body warned.
He ignored the warning and held the pale girl close to his body, gently rubbing her back and resting his head against her. She turned her face into his neck and put her arms around his waist, pulling closer.
"You tried to warn me," she cried quietly into him, "why?"
"Returning the favor," he whispered into her ear, "you saved me for the second time, so I did the same."
Rain and forest, he realized as she pressed against him, She smells of both. . . I know this smell! Someone from my past. . .Is she?. . .No, she can't be. . .
Murtagh buried his face into her neck, losing the battle with his body, and gently kissed her skin.
She even tastes of rain, he sighed, kissing her cool flesh again.
Reilyn pulled away and looked at him, her face just inches from his own. He leaned in and brushed his lips on hers, putting a hand on her neck at the same moment. He pulled her in and locked lips with the familiar girl, who at first didn't resist, then without warning, she pulled back and slapped him.
He watched, stunned, as she pulled her cloak on and left in a hurry.
Shoe: What the hell is Murtagh thinking?! Who knows. . . There's just something about Reilyn he's in love with...