Chapter 18. Thieves of Urubaen
Early morning sunrise and Shruiken was in the courtyard saddled and ready to depart. Galbatorix came out with Casmuss and Elva who came to see him off.
"My lord…" Casmuss came up and whispered into his ear before he climbed up into the saddle. "What if she tries something while you are gone my lord?"
Galbatorix sighed; "Fine double the guard at Eragon's cell and if she tries something you have my leave to kill her… but first find out anything you can from her…" He climbed onto the molded saddle and strapped his legs and arms in and they took off. Elva waved as they rose into the sky. When they were out of sight, Elva left the courtyard with Casmuss' eyes on her.
The entire day went by slowly for Elva; she saw none of Solembum that day as he was sneaking supplies into Saphira's saddle in the dragon hold. Saphira would distract the guards for him whenever he came to the hold. Then sunset came and Elva sat in the window waiting for her dinner which was served by a young girl. When bells in the towers tolled the tenth hour, she left the window and reached under her bed for a bag and leather satchel. Elva was already dressed and walked to the door, she reached into her bag and pulled out two small glass marbles. She slipped them under the door and whispered; "Tuthor vaiyos…" Which meant release the gas. The marbles shattered and the two guards at the door hit the floor unconscious. Elva opened the door and dragged the two guards into the room; then she locked the door and ran down the hall to the main stairs. She ran down the stairs towards the east wing. Elva had hit the third step when a voice came from behind.
"Galbatorix hasn't been gone for a full day and you show your true colors…" She turned to face him and smiled; "…You smile at your own death… This is good because now I will torture you then I am going to kill you…" Casmuss grunted as he was stabbed from behind. He turned to see the face of his attacker and it was the kitchen servant. "You…"
Solembum bared his pointed teeth; "Yes it is me remember… Angela the witch sends her regards…" He slashed the blade across his neck and Casmuss died on the bottom step.
"Are you alright?'
"I'm fine…" She replied.
Together they hid the body under the steps and ran up the east wing stairs two at a time. The egg was held in a room on the third floor and to insure Graywin wouldn't interfere Solembum slipped something into his drink. Four members of the elite guard guarded the room; they all had enhanced speed and strength. Elva and Solembum peeked around the corner at the guards.
Elva reached into her pouch for more marbles, but Solembum stopped her. "That won't work on them… I will have to kill them by hand…"
Solembum removed his clothes and handed them to Elva. Then he transformed into a cat. He went around the corner unnoticed and brushed up against the soldier's leg. He looked down at the strange looking cat and raised his spear to kill it. As the spear was coming down Solembum became a boy and snatched the spear, killing the man. He killed the second soldier with the same spear and used it to block the sword of the forth man. The blade went through the wood and Solembum jumped over the man. The third man tried to stab Solembum, but he rolled in between the man's legs and stood in front of the forth man. He stabbed his sword at Solembum, but he did a split causing the man to stab his comrade. Solembum turned into a cat and jumped into the third man's face ripping his neck out with his mouth. All four men were now dead and Elva walked around the corner handing Solembum his clothes when he became human.
"Thank you…"
Elva walked past him up to the door, "There is no lock…"
"Sometimes the simplest magic can overcome the greatest obstacles…" Solembum reached into his bag and pulled out a doorknob. He placed it in the spot where the knob would normally be and said something in the ancient language. The knob stuck without any bolts or screws and he opened the door.
The egg sat in a basket on a marble pillar; sunlight shined on the egg, but there were no windows or doors in the room. Elva was about to reach for the egg when Solembum grabbed her hand. "Don't watch this…" He took the tip of the spear and dipped it into the sunlight and it dissolved as if it had been dipped in pure acid or molten led.
"How are we going to get it…"
In answer to her question Solembum reached into his bag again and removed a large hand mirror. The mirror had two snakes writhing around the edge of the entire mirror. Both snakes had the other's tail in its mouth. When Solembum dipped the mirror into the light the snakes slithered up and down the edge of the mirror as the glass reflected the light.
"Hurry get the egg…"
Elva carefully reached her hands into the basket and when she touched the egg she received a jolt. She ignored the strange feeling and placed the egg in her leather satchel. "Come we must hurry…"
"Eragon's sword is the royal treasury, along with his bow, ring, and belt…"
It took a while for Solembum to circumvent the magic on the door to the treasury. It was during this time that a riot broke out in the city, the nightshade drove the citizens of Urubaen into complete rage. The citizen's burned, looted, killed, and committed all sorts of crimes. Men who had been carrying secret desires for other men's wives, daughters and mothers took what they had been wanting all along. People who owed money to lenders sought out the people they were indebted to and killed them. Slaves and servants turned on their masters and the families they served. The soldiers were unaffected because they had their own supply of water separate from the city stores.
"My lord awaken, you are needed…" Hurmon jumped out of bed and followed a soldier to the courtyard. As they walked, he explained what was happening in the city.
"Find Casmuss immediately…"
As the chaos broke out Eragon was in his cell still trying to figure out a way past the spell on the amulet, around his neck. Then his mind turned to the fact that Galbatorix had not been to see him today. He was relieved and scared at the same time. Galbatorix never visited him at the same time and he tried to sleep, but the slightest noise awoke him. So he decided to stay up until the mad king would visit him. Then there was a noise at the door and the guards at the door cried out in horror. Eragon feared that Galbatorix had gotten so angry he killed his men and was about to enter the cell. The keys jingled and then the door opened. Eragon beamed when Elva and Solembum entered the cell.
"Elva, Solembum… how in the world…"
"There is no time…" Solembum said removing a glove from the bag on his hip. The glove was made of leather but there was an indent in the glove where Solembum placed a jewel. He said a bunch of strange words in the ancient language and his leather gloved hand became Galbatorix's hand. "We figured Galbatorix is the only one who could remove those chains… This glove is designed to mimic the hand of anyone who touched an object…" The glove had been made by Angela; Solembum had been collecting the dishes used by Galbatorix. He unlocked Eragon's chains and then he removed the amulet from around his neck.
"My sword…" Solembum reached into the bag and removed the sword, then he gave Eragon his belt. He put his arm deep inside looking for the ring. He was up to his shoulder when he pulled the ring out.
"Here drink this…" Solembum said handing Eragon a bottle. The liquid he drank removed every foul thought he had received from Galbatorix and it boosted his mental awareness. "Come we must hurry…"
Together the three companions ran down the hall to the dragon keep where two guards stood in front of the door. "Slytha…" Eragon shouted and the two men collapsed and fell to the floor. Saphira had been wondering about Eragon and why Galbatorix had left Urubaen. She thought maybe the varden had killed Thorn and Murtagh and he was flying out for vengeance, but Galbatorix seemed happy with himself so she quickly dismissed that idea. Saphira lay on her stomach scratching the ground with her claws when she heard the guards hit the floor. Then she noticed her connection to Eragon was getting stronger. In fact she could feel stray thoughts coming from his mind.
The doors opened and Saphira jumped up twitching her tail; ("Eragon!")
He jumped up onto her neck; ("I have missed you…") He said.
("So have I little one… Did Galbatorix hurt you?")
("Only mentally, but I am getting stronger now that we are together again… Did they hurt you? Did Shruiken…")
("He can't…") She explained what happened between her Shruiken and Galbatorix. (Remove these chains and collar…")
Eragon took brisinger and cut the chains from her feet; then he looked at the collar; ("Don't move…") He slashed the collar without cutting her and when it was off Saphira released a jet of flame from her nostrils.
("That feels good…") she then turned her attention to Elva and Solembum. ("The two of you took a big risk… Thank you…")
("Thank us later… we need to leave now…") Solembum said.
Eragon quickly saddled Saphira; ("What about my armor?")
("We don't have time…") Solembum said.
Eragon smiled; "We do if we use magic…" He reached into his belt of Beloth the wise and pointed his hand at the amor. He spoke the words to activate the magic and in a flash Saphira was dressed head to tale in her armor. The energy used took up one diamond.
As Solembum transformed into a cat Elva opened her leather satchel; "Look what we have…" When Eragon looked into the bag he gasped and told Saphira what it was.
Eragon placed Elva in the saddle and latched her legs into the leg holds. Then Solembum climbed up and sat in Elva's lap and then Eragon sat behind Elva.
("Okay Saphira…lets leave this evil place…") She stood up on all fours and walked towards the doors. "Jierda!" He yelled in the ancient language. Eragon didn't just open the double doors; he splintered them. As Saphira climbed up into the courtyard shouts of alarm came from the walls of the courtyard. The archers shot arrows at them, but Eragons wards protected all of them. As Saphira took off Hurmon ran into the courtyard and spotted Elva with Eragon and a cat in her lap. She smiled at him as Saphira took to the sky; he fell to his knees and took a dagger from his belt to end his life, but one of the soldiers stopped him.
"If we have to face Galbatorix's wrath then so do you…"
The soldiers searched the palace and discovered Casmuss' dead body, but the most dreadful thing they discovered was the stolen dragon egg.
("Head south towards Surda…") Solembum shouted with his mind. ("When we reach the border you can fly west")
As they pulled away from the city Eragon looked down and saw the city was on fire and he felt the people rioting. As they flew off a shadowy figure stood on a hill watching them escape and headed down the hill to use the confusion in order to sneak into the city.
Saphira flew all night and all day; as the sun was setting the next day she glided towards the ground and landed in a hollow piece of land surrounded by three hills and trees. As she folded her wings Solembum jumped off of Elva's lap and when he landed he was a boy again. Eragon un-strapped himself and then Elva and leapt to the ground with her in his arm.
"That was unbelievable !" Eragon yelled in excitement as Saphira went to a large pond and drank several droughts before she returned to them. "How did you pull that off… You have to tell us everything…"
"Perhaps we should save the story until after we have returned to the varden… I only want to tell the story once…" Solembum had already set up a fire and was getting water to boil.
"Well at least tell me how you got Galbatorix to leave the city…"
Elva smiled; "I told him about a girl in a village near Ceuneon who is destined to be a rider…"
("And he believed that…") Saphira asked in disbelief.
"Well there is a girl in Ceuneon destined to be a rider, but not the rider of this egg…"
('You put the girl's life in danger…") Saphira said.
Elva hunched her shoulders; "Not really… when Galbatorix returns he will find the two of you missing and his egg stolen. The girl will be cared for until he gets the egg back."
"May I see the egg…" Elva reached into the satchel and when she touched the egg she felt a jolt. She cautiously handed the egg to Eragon. He stared at the green egg in wonder; "You know this reminds me of the time when I found your egg…"
Saphira snorted; ("I seem to recall that when you found my egg… you tried to sell it for some meat…")
He tried not to laugh; ("Well I had no idea what it was, but when I fond out… oh what an adventure…")
("I need to hunt…") Saphira said as Eragon handed Elva the egg back.
When she touched it this time a crack appeared in the side of the egg, then another. "Uh guys… something is happening…" They all returned their attention to Elva and the egg as it cracked again a foot smashed through the shell and clawed the air.
("It's hatching!") Saphira said as Elva set it on the ground.
Eragon looked at Elva; "Then that means…"
"It can't be…" Elva said.
Another large crack almost circled the entire egg, the foot came out and began clawing the ground. Eragon reached his hand out to help, ("No don't…") Saphira said; ("Glaedr taught me that a Dragon must free himself from his own egg… it will determine his or her's strength…")
A tail popped out the other end and another foot; the front right paw this time. Then the egg fell apart and a small creature the size of Eragon's forearm began licking the membrane from its body. It stopped in mid lick to look at Saphira, who snorted when she saw his pink eyes.