Sorry I've been a bit late in updating. I sort of got Ocarina of Time as an early Christmas present and I couldn't tear myself away from the screen long enough to finish this chapter any sooner.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle or Twilight Princess.
Soon after that night Saphira's wing had completely recovered from the lightning strike and she was free to go. As for Eragon, Uli insisted on him staying in Ordon Village for at least another couple of days so that his arm could properly heal. The pregnant woman was so watchful of his injured arm that Eragon could not use his magic to speed up the healing process without arousing suspicion. Finally, the day came when even Uli deemed Eragon fit enough for travel.
Eragon now waited in the clearing outside of the tree-house, taking in his surroundings for what would most likely be the final time. Saphira's saddle, cleaned and well-stocked with food and other provisions, lay beside him. The sword that Nar Garhzvog had given to him in behalf of his tribe was strapped to his belt, ready to be used in case of an emergency.
Eragon and Saphira had already said their goodbyes to the villagers, the latter doing all of her farewells silently, so as to keep up with the ruse that she was a dumb beast. Eragon waited in that clearing with all of the supplies, waiting for Saphira to return. She had gone a final hunt so that she had enough energy to keep herself in the air for as long as possible.
The Dragon Rider glanced over to Epona, who was grazing happily on a patch of grass. The roan mare was tacked up and ready to herd the goats back to the barn as soon as she wa needed. "I'm going to miss this place," he murmured aloud. "It's so beautiful here and the people are more hospitable and friendlier than they are back home. Must be because they're not in the middle of a war right now.
Epona raised her head from the grass, munching on a particularly juicy mouthful. She snorted, looking at him expectantly with big, dark eyes.
Eragon chuckled. "I'm going to miss you too, Epona. Horses where I come from aren't anything like you."
Apparently satisfied, Epona swallowed her mouthful of grass and resumed grazing. Eragon smiled and turned away from the intelligent mare and turned his gaze upward, searching for the familiar shimmer of sapphire blue scales against the slowly darkening sky.
Suddenly hearing the sounds of small bare feet behind him, Eragon turned in the direction of the path that led to Ordon Spring. Colin was running toward him, gasping for breath with every stride. Finally stopping, the boy panted heavily for several moments, struggling to regain his breath.
Eragon looked down at the gasping boy in slight surprise. He had already exchanged goodbyes with Colin and the other children. What was Colin doing here now? Sensing something was off, Eragon's look of confusion turned to one of concern. "Colin," he asked, "is everything all right?"
Still breathing heavily, the boy shook his head. Struggling to remain coherent, he replied, "No.....we were...down by spring...playing....Talo saw a monkey...chased it...we followed...I couldn't keep up...fell behind....came back home...."
Eragon took Colin by the shoulders, blue eyes sharp. "How long ago was this?" he demanded.
"A...while ago." Colin broke away from his grasp, looking up at him. "Please, Eragon.....you have to help them!" He was regaining his breath now, but his voice was panicked. "Night is coming and the Bulblins will be coming out soon."
Eragon had heard of the Bulblins and how they roamed Faron Woods. He had heard terrible things about these creatures and the even more gruesome they did to people that were unfortunate enough to happen upon them. Not to mention the other animals that lurked in the forest, animals that would be happy to have an easy meal in the form of a small child.....
"Don't worry, Colin, I'll find everyone and make sure they all make it home safe and sound. Go back to the village and tell your father. If I can't them, he will." The young boy nodded and hurried off, leaving Eragon alone in the clearing.
Saphira! he called.
The chances of finding the children before nightfall was slim in a big forest such as this, even for a Dragon Rider. Having a lookout in the sky, especially a lookout accustomed to hunting prey in heavily wooded areas, would be invaluable.
There was nothing but silence on Saphira's end of the link. That meant she had travelled far beyond the range for speaking telepathically, most likely trying to avoid hunting game that the nearby settlements heavily relied on.
Saphira! He called again, just in case she had not heard him the first time.
Again, there was only silence in reply.
Cursing, Eragon looked around for another method of finding the children. He could travel quite fast on foot, but judging by the time his quarry had been missing, he would not reach them by nightfall. His eyes fell upon a faster, easier kind of transportation. Epona, all tacked up and ready to ride, ate on, oblivious to the fact that Eragon was eyeing her.
Eragon took off at a running start and gracefully landed in the saddle, seizing the reins. Epona, startled by the sudden weight on her back, whinnied in fright and attempted to buck her rider off. Eragon, with expert skills born of riding the temperamental Snowfire, forced the mare onto all four hooves. He sent soothing thoughts to Epona, calming her down.
With the horse now under control, Eragon whirled Epona around, making her face the way to Faron Woods, and spurred her into a full gallop. She was off, thundering down the path to Ordon Spring and through the open gate and over the bridge that led into Faron Woods.
The race against the clock had begun.
The gallop through Faron Woods proved helpful. Eragon had happened upon small footprints that undoubtedly belonged to the children, along with strange tracks he guessed to be the monkey's (he had never seen one himself, so this was merely an assumption.) He had slowed Epona to a canter so that he could follow the tracks more carefully, painfully aware that the shadows of the trees around him were beginning to grow longer and darker as time wore on.
Eventually Eragon had reached a tunnel and a point where Epona refused to go any further, her fear of small, dark places too strong to be conquered. From there he had set off on foot, easily defeating a plantlike creature that had been in front of the tunnel.
Near the entrance he found a familiar wooden sword, one that Talo was quite fond of. The dirt here had been disturbed, almost as if a struggle had taken place. Had the children been captured by someone, like the Bulblins? It was the only feasible explanation; Talo would never had left his precious sword lying in the dirt willingly.
Eragon quickly advanced through the tunnel, his keen eyesight strong enough to see in the darkness without the aid of a lantern, fending off small bats and plantlike creatures that got in his way. The small creatures were not dangerous, but there were plenty of them, and getting rid of them cost him time he didn't want to waste. It was with great relief when he finally reached the other side, entering a big forested area.
The first thing he saw was a small creature he took to be a Bulblin. It was roughly about his size and looked like a goblin in appearance, with bluish skin and white hair that wore only a pair of leather pants. It wielded a crude club in its tiny hands, which it raised when it saw Eragon. With a wild battle cry, the Bulblin (if it was one) charged.
Eragon didn't hesitate: he plunged his sword deep into the Bulblin's flesh and ripped it out before it could even swing its club. The Bulblin screeched in surprise and pain, tumbling to the ground as Eragon easily avoided its crashing body. Blood pouring from its wound, the Bulblin wreathed on the ground, its spasms growing gradually weaker.
Unaffected by the creature's agonised cries, Eragon easily invaded its mind and got the necessary information. A pack of Bokoblins (for that is what these creatures were) had been sheltering in the tunnel when the children had ran by. They had captured the kids, taking them out deep into the forest for reasons that Eragon didn't want to find out. Leaving the Bokoblin's mind as it gave one final shudder than went limp, Eragon rushed deeper still into the woods.
He came upon a couple of loners that had lagged behidn the main group as he chased after the Bokoblins' tracks, easily killing them as he deftly avoided their swinging clubs.
Finally, Eragon reached the party of Bokoblins, and their young captives. Each of the missing children was held by a Bokoblin, who were arguing in their own language about what to do with their prisoners. Hearing Eragon approach, the Bokoblins stopped, those not with a child brandishing their weapons in preparation for battle. Eragon hesitated, looking over at the captive children. Not wanting to accidentally wound them in battle, he decided to try a different tactic before resorting to violence.
"Stop!" he said in a loud voice. The advancing Bokoblins halted, their beady eyes travelling from Eragon to his blade, which still shone red with the blood of the Bokoblins it had killed. They paused as well, unsure of what to make of this stranger.
Eragon and the Bokoblins stared at each other, sizing each other up. The Bokoblins knew Eragon was only one person, but his sword showed proof that he had successfully killed their companions. Eragon knew that the Bokoblins were quite easy to defeat, but they had numbers on their side, and could easily kill one or more of the children before he reached them.
Eragon pointed at the children. "I have come for them," he continued on a voice that invited no argument. "Either you will give them to me, or-" he gestured at his blood-covered blade "-you will die."
The Bokoblins lowered their clubs and glanced at each other. Most likely they couldn't understand his tongue, but they had caught the gist of what he had meant.
"They're going to let us go!" Talo called, staring at the Bokoblins. "They wouldn't dare try to fight against you, Eragon!"
Malo, held tightly in a Bokoblin's arms, peered from Eragon to the Bokoblins and back. "Don't be stupid, Talo," he said in a flat voice. "There's one of Eragon and at least ten of them. Even the Bokoblins know that they'll win."
Apparently the Bokoblins thought the same way. Some of them grinned maliciously, chuckling at Eragon's command.
The Dragon Rider didn't appear to be threatened. He continued to glare at the Bokoblins, blue eyes emotionless. "I wouldn't do that," he said in an even voice.
The Bokoblins didn't appear to have heard him. They raised their clubs, and charged with battle cries similar to the first Bokoblin. The captive children screamed, fearing their hero doomed.
Eragon easily evaded the charging mass of brutes, aiming a blow to one's head as he hurried by. With the speed of lightning he dodged their clubs and thrashing bodies, killing them with well-aimed jabs of his sword, killing or maiming most on his first try. He was as fleet as the elves, untouchable by these slow and klutzy Bokoblins.
"Wow!" Beth exclaimed in admiration. "Look at 'im go! I've never seen sword-play like this in my life."
"Go, Eragon!" Talo yelled. He strained against his Bokoblin's hold, eyes shining as he tried to get closer to watch the fight. "Give those dogs all you got!"
"Watch out!" Malo cried, catching something that Eragon, caught up in his sword-play, did not notice.
A Bokoblin that had managed to sneak up on the Rider's back unnoticed. However, instead of aiming a hit at his back or head, the creature heaved his weapon at Eragon's sword. The heavy club it the sword, knocking it out of its master's hands and sent it flying through the air where it landed with a clatter beyond Eragon's reach.
Eragon cursed, looking for a way out of the situation. He could use his magic to defeat these enemies, but doing so would reveal one of his secrets to the children. He jumped at the alternative, trying to lunge out of the crowd of Bokoblins to try and retrieve his sword. The Bokoblins, however, blocked his way, one raising its club to deal a blow that could not be blocked.
"Jierda!" Eragon snapped. The Bokoblin that had raised its club fell down, its neck broken. Thinking fast, he barked other spells that came to his mind.
"Thysta!" Several of the Bokoblins were shot backward by an invisible force and landed against several trees with sickening crunches.
"Malthinae!" A Bokoblin was suddenly rooted to where it stood, unable to move.
The Bokoblins tried swinging their clubs at the air, trying to fight an invisible enemy, or simply dropped their weapons and shielded themselves with their arms. But whatever they did could not protect them from this strange and mysterious force Eragon commanded. Frightened, the survivors of the magical attack dropped their holds on the children, and fled into Faron Woods.
Eragon walked over and retrieved his sword, frowning when he realized that the club had broken it in two. Sighing, he sheathed both parts of the damaged blade, hoping he could find a way to repair Nar Garzhvog's gift. Oh well, at least the children were safe. He turned to face them, afraid of what they would think of his powers.
The children, though stunned by the sudden and surprising events, were staring at him in awe instead of fear. They were silent for quite some time, gawking at him like they had when they had first laid eyes on them.
"That was amazing!" Talo suddenly shouted, sending the other children into hysterics. "How did you learn to fight with a sword like that?"
"A sword?" Beth repeated "Who cares about the sword fighting!" She looked up at Eragon in admiration. "What was that strange power you were using, Eragon?"
Eragon blinked, unused to being admired soley for his magical abilities. Most people couldn't get over the fact that he was a Dragon Rider and couldn't care less about the power that came with his position. "Magic," he answered simply.
Malo gaped. "You know magic?" he asked in disbelief.
Beth and Talo were suddenly all over him, asking all sorts of questions. "What kind of spells did you use? Can you teach me how to use magic? Can all the people where you come from use magic?"
Eragon raised his hands, calling for silence. "I'll tell you everything you want to know about magic," he said, "but you have to promise me you won't mention what happened here to anyone, okay? Not your parents. Not Ilia. Not even Colin. Can you promise me?"
The children nodded, eager to sell their souls if it meant learning anything about magic. "We promise," they chorused in unison.
Sighing, Eragon tried to contact Saphira for a ride back to Ordon Village. To his frustration, she was still out of range. So Eragon and the children, not shaken up with their encounter with the Bokoblins in the least, set off for home on foot. For some reason, whether it was the non-stop questions about magic or Beth blathering on right in his ear, the journey seemed even longer.
Hmm, not as much action as I wanted :/. Ah well, we got the plot moving and the Twilight is coming up real soon.
Next chapter: Dark forces fall upon Hyrule and Eragon finds himself stuck with it. Meanwhile, Arya's worry for Eragon and Saphira becomes too unbearable to handle, and, now back in Du Weldenvarden, sets off to Oromis for help in finding the missing duo.