Chapter Five
After I'd paid, I got down out of my chair and joined her. As we were about to walk out with her arm around my shoulder I asked her quietly "Out of curiosity, who are those two men in the corner?"
She turned her head to see who I meant and then glanced back at me. As we were walking out the door, she said "The one with the hooked nose and dark hair is a man called Brom. He's the village story-teller, and a strange person to have in your company. The man he was talking to was a traveler that had come to visit him from some other village outside of Palancar Valley. Why do you ask dear?"
She took her arm off my shoulder as I went to Karnus and stroked his side, checking to make sure everything I had brought was still there. "They were talking about me and I was just curious. Apparently, the word has spread that I died in that fire, and I think I'd rather keep it that way. If anybody asks, tell them that my family was slaughtered by Urgals down in Yazauc. I came here to hide and seek shelter. The second half is true at least." I told her as I patted Karnus' side.
She nodded slowly, giving me a strange stare. Karnus caught her stare and laid his ears back flat on his head, baring his teeth at her and snorting in distrust. I rubbed his side again and asked him quietly "Did anyone give you trouble?" My warhorse gave me a silent look that practically said Are you kidding me? I smiled and patted his side affectionately before untying his reigns from the post.
Tara gave me a searching gaze and said "You'll need housing for that horse too, which means you probably won't do so well here in town. You'd be better off living on one of the farms nearby. In fact," She said, a light filling her eyes with a sudden thought, "I know the perfect place for you to be. It won't seem very suitable for you to be living in a home with three men and no women, but you look strong enough to manage it. Do you think you could do that?" she asked. I nodded silently. After living the way I used to, anything else would be a haven.
"Good. Now it's quite a distance off, but with that strong horse of yours you should be fine. It's the farthest farm in the valley, and it's owned by a man named Garrow. He, his son Roran, and his nephew Eragon live there as farmers. They could use a woman around the house to keep things moving along, and another helper in the fields would do them some good as well." She said matter-of-factly. I nodded in silence again.
"You don't say very much, do you dearie?" she asked in a quieter voice. I shook my head silently, looking down at my feet. Karnus nudged me and I looked up into his sympathetic gaze. I glanced away from him and back at Tara who was waiting patiently.
I sighed and climbed up into my saddle, holding the reigns tightly and looking down at Tara.
She sighed and said "Now, can your horse support both of us out to the second farm in the valley? A man named Thane lives there, and I'll bet he can loan me a horse so I can go explain things to Garrow for you." I nodded and offered her a hand to help her up, but she declined and hoisted up on her own. She sat just behind the saddle and wrapped her arms around my waist loosely.
"Hold on tight." I warned her as I flicked the reigns. Karnus picked up an automatic trot as he wound through the streets and out of Carvahall, towards the majority of the farmland. When we reached the second farm, I guided Karnus in and avoided the crops that were waiting to be picked, going towards a man that was standing by the stables hollering at a couple of teenaged boys that were to be seen inside. I came to a halt near the man and he turned to give us his searching gaze as Tara got down from the large warhorse.
"Tara! Good t' see yuh lassie. What're you doin' so far from th' village?" the man asked her in a rough voice. She glanced back at me and explained my situation to the man, using the cover-up story I had created when I met her. The large man looked around her at me in some surprise and a little sympathy.
"Come down 'ff yer horse lass, I don' bite." He said, his gaze a mystery to me. I hopped down off of Karnus, who was giving the man a flat, unfriendly stare. I patted Karnus' side and stayed close to him, feeling very shy all of a sudden.
"Come clos'r child, there's no need t' be 'fraid. Nobody 'ere is gonna hurt ya." he said, beckoning me forwards. I took slow steps their direction, feeling like a frightened deer. When I reached Tara, she wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders as she faced the man with me.
He scrutinized me carefully before holding out a hand for me to shake and saying "Th' name 's Thane. Who migh' you be?" I shook his callused hand and gauged him silently for a moment.
"My name is Ayla, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." I told him quietly. Tara gave me a small encouraging smile and Thane nodded before releasing my hand. He then turned to Tara and said, "So, ya be needin' a horse? You can borrow ol' Tinker. She'll get ya t' where ya need t' be."
He then turned and hollered for one of the boys. He poked his head out of the barn door and listened as his father told him to saddle up the horse for Tara. The boy quickly disappeared, but then peaked back out at Tara and me when Thane wasn't looking. I glanced over at him and stared for a moment until he went back inside. I then backed out of Tara's arm and stayed next to Karnus, stroking his mane.
While the boy was saddling up the horse inside, the two others came out of the barn to peek at me. I sensed their stares and glanced over at them, which seemed to encourage them to come out and actually talk to me. I wasn't afraid of them really, but I was still a little shy. The two boys came up and I judged their appearances equally.
The first boy appeared to be about sixteen, and he had curly, straw-colored hair and a lot of freckles. His eyes were a dull brown and his nose was severe over his thin lips. He was about four inches over five feet tall, and he was as thin as a twig. He had a friendly face, though it was roughed up by years of hard labor. His brother seemed to be much the same, except he looked about two years younger, about three inches shorter, and had a mass of dark brown hair that was in tangles.
The older looking one came up to me and shook my hand, saying "Hi there. I'm Jaren, and this is my little brother Kallen. That's a mighty fine horse you've got there." he said, eyeing Karnus with approval and a little mischief. Karnus bared his teeth at the boy and took one side-step closer to me, keeping me in close guard. I fisted my left hand up into his mane as I replied.
"I'm Ayla, and this is my horse Karnus. You probably should get back to working before your father gets upset with you." I warned them, seeing Thane looking at us out of the corner of his eye.
"Psht, that old man? He probably doesn't even realize that you have a horse next to you instead of an old mule. I doubt he'll notice us at all." the older boy said, winking at me. Just at that moment, Thane caught their attention.
"I though' I told yuh boys t' work on th' framework in th' barn! The ne' time I catch yuh two 'lacking off I'll switch ya good!" He yelled, his voice loud and gravelly in the afternoon air. The two boys quickly scurried away, not even bothering to say goodbye. As they were hurrying into the barn, the other boy came out leading a sad looking mare in an old set of tack. He handed the reins to Tara and joined the other two boys back in the barn without giving anyone a second glance.
Tara mounted the old mare and was thanking Thane as I climbed up into my saddle. Tara and I rode off together, going South on the road towards Garrow's farm. After thirty minutes or so of steady riding, which would have been much faster if it were just Karnus and I, we made it to the farm.
The place was uniformly run-down, though probably the neatest they could make it with the money they had. They had row upon row of crops in their fields, and had the protective forest surrounding it all. They had a small barn with a bunch of chickens, a cow, and a pair of old horses sitting inside. There appeared to be a pen for a pig as well, but there wasn't a sign of any recent inhabitance.
At the back of the property was a small timber house. The timbers had been glued together securely and were supporting a thatched roof. The front door stood wide open, and as we started down towards the stables and around the crops towards the house a man walked outside. He appeared to be about thirty-five, and had little in the way of fat and more in muscle due to hard labor. He was somewhat short and had darkly tanned skin from long hours under the sun, and his intense eyes gazed out from under thick brows. He welcomed Tara heartily, but kept a cautious eye on me when we approached.
"Ayla, this is Garrow, the man I told you about. Garrow, this is Ayla. She had a tragedy strike her recently and is the sole survivor of an Urgal raid down in Yazauc. I was hoping she could stay with you a while until she's back on her feet with some money and a few more years under her belt." Tara explained to Garrow. I sat patiently on my horse as Karnus kept a close eye on Garrow. He trusted Tara a little, but all these new strangers were worrisome.
Garrow considered this for a very long moment before turning to me and asking "How old are you child?"
I sat up straight in my saddle at being spoken to and automatically replied "I'm fifteen, sir."
"A bit formal aren't you? Come down off of that horse; I want to get a good look at you." I complied silently, going to stand beside Tara. Garrow got a good look at me before sighing and saying "Well, I suppose she could stay here for a while. It might be nice to have a woman around the house to make the boys grow up a bit more." He cast an amused eye out towards the field where two distant voices could be heard.
Tara smiled and said "Thank you Garrow. I expect her to come visit me from time to time so I know you fellows are being fair." she said, winking in my direction. I smiled at her.
"Thank you for all the help Tara. It was much appreciated." I said, smiling shyly at her. She smiled back and got up in Tinker's saddle, riding off with a wave of her hand.
As she disappeared onto the road and out of sight, Garrow turned to me. "It's nice to meet you Ayla. I'll help you with your horse and then we'll find some room for you. After that I might set the wild beasts on you!" he laughed and I really smiled. I was going to like it here.