Murtagh stared at the girl before him in bewilderment, and for the first time, he was dumbstruck at his loss for words. He didn't know how long he sat there staring like a buffoon, and Zyana took his silence as confirmation of who he was. She released his hand and locked the door with magic and cast a spell so no passing servants or guards could hear them speaking.
"I need you to tell me Murtagh, if you have successfully found the Varden, and if so, why you are back here. No one will hear us, and I will not say a word to another soul. Your secrets are safe with me." She repeated what she said in the ancient language which puzzled Murtagh more.
"How do you know the ancient language? Who on earth are you? And how do you know magic?" He demanded, but Zyana shook her head. "All will be revealed in time. I just need you to tell me if you are with the Varden or not." Her blue eyes searched his face intently and Murtagh couldn't help but look away. Zyana sighed.
"Look, I can help you get the dragon egg back to the Varden if you will just trust me. Because you left, the king is holding meetings every week with his men, trying to see if it will hatch for one of them. It hasn't yet, so that means that there is still time to get it out of the empire. I've been trying to figure out a way to do this, but now you're here, it won't be that hard. We just need to work together."
Murtagh was still unconvinced and uttered a spell to cover his gedwey ignasia, cursing himself for his carelessness. "Why are you telling me this? For all you know, I could just run off and tell the old king what you just said."
Zyana shrugged. "These are desperate times Murtagh, and in desperate times, the people themselves become so as well. I have no other option, and the Varden will fall if I don't do everything in my power to get the egg out of the Kings reach."
Murtagh nodded his understanding. He wanted the egg and this girl was the only one who could help him get it. "Alright," he said slowly, still not knowing if he could trust her. "You have my word I will not speak of this to anyone but Eragon." Zyana's eyes widened, and once again Murtagh cursed himself, but could not take back what he had said.
"Eragon is here as well? This is even better than I had hoped. Murtagh, when Eragon is dismissed, bring him to the servant's room and wait for me there. We will discuss plans then." She released the room from the spells and left, giving Murtagh a few easy jobs to do to fill in time.
"Is everything clear, Tomash?" she asked as she crossed the threshold. Murtagh nodded slowly and followed her out, but after leaving the room, noticed she had already vanished from sight. He looked up both ways of the corridor but found no trace of her, and shook his head. She was getting stranger by the second.
Murtagh went about the jobs he was given still not knowing if Zyana could be trusted. He could not think of a reason not to trust her, because she had told him so much, but at the same time, she did live in the king's household and her family were probably some of his most loyal followers. He felt as if he had hit a wall and didn't know where to go next. He longed to see Thorn again and have his opinions on the matter, but the distance between them made their connection impossible.
Sighing, he went down to the stables to see if Eragon had been dismissed yet, and upon arriving found his brother in one of the stalls mumbling a few choice curses. Grinning, he went up to the door and said a very cheerful hello which made Eragon almost jump out of his skin.
"Mur... I mean, Tomash! You scared the life out of me! What on earth are you doing here? Aren't you meant to be in the castle cleaning?" Eragon said exasperatedly. Murtagh had to smile at the state his brother was in which Eragon returned with a scowl. He had straw poking out of his hair at every angle and his face was almost black with grime.
"This is not funny Tomash!" Eragon yelled picking himself up off the floor before stumbling on a rake landing with a thud into a pile of muck he had just finished cleaning. Swearing again, Eragon got up and kicked the rake as far away as he could. Murtagh could not contain his laughter which earned an angry glare from his brother. "Why exactly are you here?"Eragon asked through clenched teeth. Still chuckling lowly, Murtagh explained everything about Zyana in a quiet voice and watched Eragon's anger change quickly to surprise.
"So, what do we do?" Eragon asked quickly.
"We go and hear her out. We have nothing to lose; she is the only one who can help us." Eragon nodded quickly in agreement while Murtagh continued. "When do you think you will be able to get away from here?" he asked. Eragon glared into the stable. "As soon as I finish this stall. I will come straight to the servants room afterwards."
"Hmm, maybe not straight afterwards," Murtagh said. Eragon looked at him with a confused expression on his face. "Why?"
"Well, it is only a small room and you smell bad enough to draw attention to it. Someone could assume some animal had died in there." Murtagh laughed again at the glare Eragon fixed him.
"Thanks, brother for your kind words."
"No problem Blayne, anytime." He said as he walked towards the exit.
Zyana paced the room nervously waiting for either of the riders to enter. What if they didn't come? She gave Murtagh enough information to see her downfall should he still be loyal to the Empire. Cursing and muttering constantly, she watched the door open and close, as servants passed through giving her strange looks as if they thought she were almost as insane as the king himself. Giving up on pacing, she sat on a cushion she had laid on the floor and closed her eyes, hugging her knees tightly. The door opened yet again and Zyana sighed in relief at the sight of Murtagh before her with another boy a few years his junior. The boys hair was wet and messy and his clothes had dark stains all over them and Zyana guessed he had been given the arduous task of the stables. Smiling, she ushered both of them into the room and uttered a few spells quickly. Sitting down on one of the cushions she had laid out, she bid the riders to do the same with the remaining two. When they were comfortable, she began to speak.
"I cannot even begin to tell you how relieved I am that you decided to come. I was beginning to think you were..." She trailed off. Murtagh nodded understanding what she was getting at. "Don't worry. We would never." He surprised himself by assuring her. "Eragon here had some trouble in the stables and had to clean up before we came. Sorry it took so long, but we couldn't get his clothes back to how they were, even with the help of magic." Murtagh smiled in the direction of his brother who still glared at him. Zyana looked at Eragon again and assured them she would get him some new clothes once they were done here.
"So, you are Eragon? I must say it is wonderful to be finally meeting you. You have become somewhat famous in the empire, I'm afraid, but nonetheless it is good you have come here at this time. The king seems to think that the egg will hatch soon and we need to get it as far from here as possible." Zyana told Eragon who just nodded. "How will we do this?" he asked.
Zyana was about to speak when Murtagh interrupted. "I have a rock that is around the same shape and size as a dragon egg, we can disguise it with magic and switch them. By the time anyone notices, we should be close to the Varden."
"That sounds good, but we have to time it perfectly. The next meeting the king will hold will be in two days time. If we take the egg straight afterwards, no-one will notice until the meeting after that when the king touches it. That should give us around a week to get it to the Varden." Zyana said. Murtagh and Eragon nodded in unison not taking their eyes off her.
"There is... something else." She began again and averted her eyes slightly.
"What is it?" Murtagh asked, alarm apparent in his voice. Zyana looked at both Eragon and Murtagh in the eyes before continuing. "The information I gave you before was enough to see me tortured, but what I'm about to tell you now will definitely see me killed without a second thought. I need you to swear in the ancient language that you will not tell a soul, with the exception of your dragons of course, of what I'm about to say, for my sake as much as yours."
Eragon and Murtagh exchanged looks then spoke in the ancient language, promising secrecy. Zyana sighed in relief then began telling them of the second dragon egg that could bring about the destruction of the Empire if it hatched for the Varden. Once she had finished, she looked at their faces which mimicked the others expression perfectly. They both stared at her with wide eyes and open mouths neither moving for some time, then Murtagh broke the cycle and began speaking.
"This... I... It's... What?!" he muttered in complete disbelief. Zyana looked at him intently and continued, only slower this time. "When this egg hatches, it will be so strong that even Shruikan will shudder under its gaze. It is of great importance we find its rider and transport it to the Varden."
Murtagh shook his head quickly as if to wake himself up then began to speak again. "Where is it being kept, and how do we get it if it's so secure?" Murtagh asked quickly.
"We will need to be crafty in how we approach the matter, but with the help of your dragons, we should have no trouble. However, if we need to disguise a rock, we would need some pretty strong magic to make this work." Both Eragon and Murtagh nodded in agreement.
"So, what do we do now?" Eragon asked.
"We wait until the meeting finishes, then we get the green egg out first. That way, we can leave straight after retrieving the second egg and because it's away from the castle, it will be easier to escape with no questions being asked. The only tricky part in the plan will be finding a second rock and disguising it exactly." Zyana told them.
"I could find a second rock. Because I am in the stables, it wouldn't be hard to go into the yard and search every chance I get." Eragon said. Zyana nodded. "Very well. Murtagh, you will work on a spell that will disguise the rocks and I will figure out the best way to get the other egg out of its hiding place. When I find a way, I will let you know." She took a glance out the window and looked at the suns position. "It is getting late and there are still some jobs that need to be done. I will see you after the next meeting here. Good luck to you both." She said as she undid the spells and exited the room with a certain grace.
The day of the meeting arrived and Murtagh had successfully changed the first rock to match the green egg perfectly. He had gone to see the amethyst coloured egg to get the colour right, but he had found that it changed colour slightly every day, so this made his task all the more difficult.
Zyana had found that the entrance to the hideout could easily house a dragon and thought this could be used to their advantage. Analysing the distance between the spiked walls and the egg, Zyana guessed that a dragon would be able fly over and retrieve it without much difficulty. She assumed that Galbatorix wouldn't have even considered a dragon breaking in and stealing it, because of the small amount of people who knew about it, and none of them riders.
Going to find Murtagh, she came across Eragon who was cleaning the stables grudgingly. She smiled at him as she passed, but he didn't even look up from where he was standing, muttering softly to himself. Shaking her head, she continued passed and found Murtagh cleaning one of the guards rooms and knocked on the door softly. He turned to look at her and flashed her a smile flicking his dark hair out of his eyes. Zyana entered the room and closed the door gently behind her before sitting down. "Are you ready?" She asked him looking at the disguised rock in the bag that Murtagh carried with him everywhere. He nodded at her and picked the bag up and cradled it as if it were the real egg inside and left the room in the direction of the throne room.
The pair eavesdropped on the meeting and watched nervously as the egg was passed around again, but sighed quietly with relief when it didn't show any sign that it would hatch in the near future. The purple egg was once again brought out and passed around, but once again, nothing happened. The meeting finished soon afterwards and when the room was empty, Murtagh and Zyana made their move and switched the egg with the disguised rock. Relief swept over them both as they placed the egg in the bag and out of sight, and quickly left the room before suspicious guards could even take a look at them.
"One down," Murtagh started.
"And one to go." Zyana finished for him.
They grinned at each other and went to find Eragon to begin the next phase of the plan. They went to search the stables first, but found he wasn't there and made their way to the servant's room. They were relieved to find him there packing provisions for the journey, and tucking the second rock safely away into his backpack. When he heard them enter, he turned to them with a huge smile plastered on his face. "Everything is ready to go! Did you get the egg?" He asked excitedly. Both Zyana and Murtagh nodded and pointed to the bag on Murtagh's back. Eragon's smile widened. "Excellent! Now, let us get out of this god forsaken place, find our dragons and rescue the last egg."
"Yes, that would have to be the first intelligent thing you have said all day Eragon!" Murtagh laughed earning a glare from his brother, which made Zyana giggle softly.
"Now, now children. Stop bickering for five minutes while we get out of here." She said smiling. Both Eragon and Murtagh rolled their eyes but followed her from the room into the yard where they once again found themselves at the stable.
"Alright, we will leave one at a time. I will go first and meet you some way from the gates. It will be easy for me to get out, but not so much for you." she said to both of them. "Because Eragon's job is in the stables, it won't look strange if you take two of the horses out for exercise with Murtagh for company and assistance. Once we are far enough out, we can send the horses back to make it look as if you had fallen. The guards wouldn't worry at all because of your being lowly servants, you probably wouldn't even be worth the trip out of the castle. Once we meet up, we can get the egg and fly out of here."
Eragon and Murtagh nodded and Zyana left to leave the grounds saying she needed to find some spice for the kitchens that only grew outside the grounds to the guards who blocked her way. Analysing her for a few seconds, they let her pass, but seemed to forget about her almost immediately. She walked into some bushes that grew some way away and waited for Murtagh and Eragon to show themselves.
They appeared sometime later sitting on two large, proud horses. She climbed up onto the horse behind Murtagh and gave them directions to where the purple egg was hidden. The riders called for their dragons when they were in range, and within a short amount of time, they could hear them roaring loudly with elation at being reunited with their riders. When they came into view, both Murtagh and Eragon jumped off the horses and began leaping into the air, waving at Thorn and Saphira until they landed in a flash of blue and red.
The four of them ran circles around each other catching up on missed time happily and Zyana had to reluctantly break them up saying there will be plenty of time for that on the way back after they had retrieved the last egg. Murtagh, slightly flushed, agreed and they proceeded to the trapdoor which Zyana opened quickly. Murtagh and Thorn entered with Zyana closely behind them and left Eragon and Saphira to guard the entrance should someone try to enter.
Everything went dark as the trapdoor closed behind them and Thorn lit a small torch they had found and proceeded to the door that contained the egg. Zyana muttered the same spells that she had the first time she had come here and the door opened with a click. She exchanged a quick look with Murtagh and whispered, "Well, this is it."
"Here goes nothing." Murtagh responded before walking through the door with his dragon and Zyana close behind. They all paused as they laid eyes on the egg whose glow intensified slightly as if it knew what was happening. "I just can't get over how beautiful it is." Murtagh said not taking his eyes off the spectacle. Thorn just growled slightly in the back of his throat at his rider being distracted, and Murtagh quickly turned to his dragon with a large smile plastered on his face, "Aw, don't be jealous Thorn, it is still not as beautiful as your egg was."
Jealous! You think I'm jealous of an EGG! I will tell you Murtagh, that I am jealous of no creature. Thorn said haughtily so Zyana could hear as well. She looked at Murtagh who turned to her and whispered loudly, "He's jealous." Thorn shook his head and grabbed the bag that Murtagh kept the stone in and flew off towards the egg nearly taking his rider with him. Zyana chuckled quietly and watched as the red dragon switched the rock and the egg with ease. Relief swept over her and she felt a rush of excitement that she hadn't felt in so many years. She was finally leaving the empire and she was never coming back! Murtagh was finding it hard to control his emotions as well, and when Thorn landed, he climbed onto his back dragging Zyana with him. Together, they quickly flew out of the room as Zyana muttered the locking spell making the room appear undisturbed. As they flew out of the trapdoor Thorn roared loudly, startling Eragon and Saphira who were conversing happily. Not waiting for them, Thorn flew in the direction of the Varden with a laughing Murtagh and a terrified Zyana on his back. The blue dragon and her rider caught up seconds later and Eragon began to ask question after question until he was satisfied he knew everything that happened while they were getting the egg.
The dragons continued to climb higher until they were shielded by the clouds but Zyana barely noticed. Her grip around Murtagh's waist had tightened so much she was scared he couldn't breathe, but didn't falter.
"Zyana, are you fine back there?" She heard him call, but she couldn't open her mouth so she just nodded into his back slightly. He shook his head and continued flying for some time until he decided Zyana couldn't handle more, then gestured to Eragon that it was time to make camp.
Once they landed, Murtagh dragged her off Thorn and stood her up. She wobbled slightly then recovered, her blue eyes wide with puzzlement and wonderment.
"Did... did I just... fly?" she stammered. Murtagh smiled and nodded. She wobbled slightly again and Murtagh steadied her grabbing her arm and sitting her on a nearby log.
"You should rest. I will find you some food and Eragon will build a fire. We'll stay here for the night." She nodded, not really understanding what he just said. "I... flew? I flew." She kept repeating as if to convince herself. "Yes, you flew." Murtagh said with a smile. "Don't move too much and I will be back soon." He said leaving her with Thorn and Saphira. As he was just about to leave the camp, he heard her say his name. "Er, Murtagh. If you're going to get food, can you bring back some berries? I don't eat meat." She smiled.
"Alright." He said returning her smile, but by the time he returned he found both his brother and Zyana fast asleep by the fire. He smiled and ate alone then decided to try to get some rest before the day that lay ahead. He found his mind wander towards the Varden. His home. He began to think of what Nasuada and Arya would make of the news of the two eggs and who they would hatch for. Seeing his friend's faces in his mind, he fell asleep with a smile upon his face.
So... that was chapter five. I hope you liked it. I didn't like this chapter at all, so I'm sorry I made you all wait for nothing. The next chapter will be better, I promise!!