We did it Thorn!! Finally free from that old man's power!! I feel so... Invincible!! Murtagh screamed with exhilaration into his dragon's thoughts as they distanced themselves from the Empire. Thorn hummed with pleasure in agreement.
The look on his face when he found out was quite humorous Thorn chuckled remembering the scarlet colour the Kings face went that almost matched his scales.
Murtagh laughed as he took in the breathtaking sight before him.
Ah Thorn. Everything looks so much more beautiful when the sun is out. It just feels so... there isn't even a word to describe this! I just can't believe after all this time, we are finally liberated!
Indeed we are, however, the Varden is still some days away and Galbatorix will be trying everything in his power to get us back. We mustn't forget that. Murtagh looked down at his dragon and smiled. Even the thought that the King was after them didn't deter him from his good mood. He felt that nothing could. He was interrupted with Thorn entering his mind.
But in saying that, I don't think he will be on his way anytime soon thanks to that drug you gave Shruikan. His lips lifted revealing sharp white teeth in a dragon smile. By the time that it wears off, we'll be nearly at the mountains.
Murtagh let out a loud roar of laughter at the thought. They were going to make it to the Varden! They knew the way well with the amounts of times they had been sent to capture Eragon and Saphira, but this time, they were seeking alliance with them. He just prayed that they would accept him after all the trouble that he and Thorn had caused.
We are free child. Don't spend your first moments of this freedom dwelling on what is to come. Just relish the moment, and save your worries for later.
Murtagh smiled, thankful for Thorn's wise insight and took his advice, yelling out in elation which was rewarded by a roar from Thorn. The two continued flying, putting as much distance between them and the empire as they possibly could.
Zyana ran out of the throne room as fast as her legs would take her, not knowing where she was running to. She stopped when she ran out of breath, and after recovering collected her thoughts about the meeting that had just taken place. There was another dragon egg? And not just an ordinary egg, one that had the fate of Alagasia looming over it. She felt sorry for the poor little dragon that had so much responsibility without even having hatched yet. She had to find it! It needed to be away from this terrible place and with people who would actually care about its safety, not just for the convenience of winning this war.
She sat down sighing, thinking that it would be easier said than done, even with magic at her disposal. She needed a plan, a fool proof plan. But how was she going to even get close to finding this egg without someone else's help? She didn't trust anyone enough to dare tell them about it, let alone ask for assistance. She took a quick look at the suns position in the sky and decided to get back to her duties before one of the nobles found that they had been left undone. She would have all hell to pay for that. Reluctantly getting up, she strode off back to the castle and towards her next mindless task.
Days passed but Zyana had heard no news of another meeting that was to take place. She scried the nobles' minds, but found nothing of importance, or anything that she didn't already know. Usually, she prided herself on her patience, but the knowledge of the egg made her uneasy.
The other maids had noticed a change in her once calm and collected demeanour, but knew better then to question it, as all they got in return was rushed mumbles about various rooms that needed cleaning and quick subject changes.
She was walking down a long corridor on her way to clean the throne room again when she saw a messenger boy rushing in the direction of the nobles and head guards' wing. Smiling, she quickly changed her course and followed the young boy, and as she had predicted, he came to a stop outside the large doors that were the wing. He nervously knocked on the door and waited patiently for the doors to open. When they did, he quickly whispered a few words to the noble in front of him and departed quickly. The man at the door quickly retreated, but emerged seconds later with several other men. Zyana quickly noted that they were the same nobles and guards that attended the last meeting and ran quickly to her hiding place. Upon arriving, the attendants were already seated and Galbatorix was just beginning to speak.
"Here we are, yet again," He started with an evil grin that made a number of the attendants cringe with discomfort, which seemed to please the old King. He broke the awkward silence by standing and walking towards the green egg that hadn't budged since the last meeting and picked it up carefully. He sat it down on the table and stared at it for a few moments and frowned. "All throughout this meeting, this egg will be passed between you all yet again, and if it fails to hatch within the next few days, we will begin passing it throughout my army." He gave the egg to the man seated on his right hand who looked up at the King nervously and asked, "Wh... What of this other egg my Lord? What is to become of that?"
The king glared at him for a moment, causing the soldier to shrink slightly in his seat before replying quite brusquely, "The other egg is on its way here now. As I said in the last meeting, I have taken great measures in ensuring the security of this egg and, of course, its safety. Before the last meeting, there was only one other who knew of its existence, and that other is one of my most prized guards who has been guarding this egg since we have come across it a few years ago." There was a quiet rap at the door and the King nodded to the two men guarding it to allow the person behind it passage. The heads of all the men turned to the door in curiosity to lay eyes on this mysterious guard who had been given the task of guarding the egg that could bring either their victory or their doom. Even Zyana couldn't control her curiosity, craning her neck to catch a glimpse. The doors opened and a girl who looked no older then Zyana silently entered the room clutching a small round bag. She had dark brown hair that fell half way down her back and dark, intelligent eyes that bored into everything she laid eyes on. She was wearing a light blue tunic that fitted her slim figure perfectly accenting her pale skin. Looking at her, Zyana noted that she was beautiful and she probably had most of the men in the Kingdom trying to woo her. Her wide brown eyes searched the room nervously, looking at all the men that were twice or three times her size. The nobles looked behind her as if they were waiting for the real guardian to enter, but the large doors closed with a thud behind her. The king greeted her with a small smile which she just returned with a slow nod. She quickly went to the king and stood at his side, still not taking her eyes off the men, and slowly handed him the bag. Galbatorix took the bag looking at the young girl in front of him his eyes boring into her flesh. His men, still unconvinced about the girl standing in front of them began to snigger in her direction, but she held her head high and ignored these remarks. He lifted his hand and the room fell into silence again.
"Gentlemen," he began. "In this bag, I hold the fate of Alagasia." The nobles had now completely forgotten about the girl before them and were focussed on the bag that was now on the table. Galbatorix reached into it and pulled the stunning egg out, earning stunned gasps from everyone in the room. The green egg was nearly immediately forgotten when it was placed on the table. It had a dazzling glow about it that seemed to call all awareness to it, but what took Zyana's breath away was its colour. Never before had she seen such a breathtaking sight as the amethyst egg that lay on the table before her. Underneath its glow it had gold and silver lines over its surface that only added to its sheer beauty. The men in the room almost jumped out of their seats in order to be the first to touch the dazzling egg. Zyana found that she couldn't take her eyes off it, and as was it passed around the room, she had to cringe as though it were her underneath the nobles' touches. As each man reluctantly passed it onto the next, the King continued to speak.
"Men. If this egg hatches for one of you, you will hold the fate of everything we know in your hands. Not only will the people fear you, they will respect you and bow to almost your every wish. With a dragon like this, we will be unstoppable. Now, I need the egg back and we will repeat this procedure a few more times until the egg hatches." He looked at the man who was currently in possession of the marvel harshly, leaving him with no choice but to reluctantly give up the egg to the mad king in front of him, who quickly put it back into the bag, hiding it from view. He gave it back to the girl who he dismissed quickly.
"Now, let's discuss our plan of action for..." The king began, but Zyana didn't stay to hear what they were planning; she was more interested in finding where the egg was kept. She quickly left her post and poked her head around the corner of the maids room to see the girl rush off with the bag towards the exit. Smiling, she quietly stayed a safe distance behind her to not draw any attention to herself until they came to the end of the castle and left the grounds. They continued walking for a while, until there was nothing but bare earth in front of them. Suddenly, the girl stopped and took a quick look around her to see if anyone had followed her. Luckily for Zyana, she had fallen behind her so far that the girl didn't notice her, but close enough that Zyana could see her with her good eyesight. Satisfied that no one followed her, the girl lifted up a trap door and went in quickly and disappeared. Zyana could see why the king had chosen such a remote place to hide the egg. Even if someone knew about the egg and knew it was somewhere out here, it would be almost impossible to find amongst the dunes.
She waited patiently until the girl emerged slowly, looking around carefully. When she seemed satisfied, she began to walk away, without, as Zyana noticed, the bag that carried the egg. As soon as the girl was out of sight, she ran to the trapdoor and lifted it uneasily and slipped inside. Closing the trapdoor behind her, she was met with darkness, but continued anyway until she came to a door with lights seeping through the gaps and keyhole. Trying to open the door, she discovered it was locked with magic, so she uttered a few counter spells and after a few minutes, the door unlocked with a click, and she walked in. There was the egg, sitting on a podium surrounded by a deep dark hole with sticks shaped to spears at the bottom and the walls around it were covered with sharp silver spikes that would go off if an intruder took one false step, but Zyana was oblivious to the dangers. The egg seemed to call her; it was almost as if it was asking to be taken from this place. She wished she could take it now, but it became obvious that there was no way she was going to get the egg out without some help.
"Don't you worry little egg," she said softly. "I will come back and take you away from this dreadful place and give you a nice home among the Varden with a rider who loves you. I promise you that little dragon." She never took her eyes off the beautiful egg and the glow it possessed seemed to get brighter as she talked, almost as if it understood what she was saying and believed her. Zyana smiled and reluctantly turned away and began to head for the exit with a new determination that she didn't have before.