Roran had yet to see his cousin, Eragon, since he and his students arrived. He was always in war councils or in teaching sessions with his pupils. And now, with the sudden announcment that everyone will be leaving Du Weldenvarden in the coming days, it seemed he was tasked with more and more work that not only tired him, but kept his scheduel from applying any down-time.
Yes it is true. The Elven leaders decided upon a great exodus as the only means of survival. But where would they be going?
Hedarth. Due to the fact that the city houses all the remaining survivors in Alageasia, it was agreed upon that keeping it and all its occupants alive was Alageasia's last hope.
Of course that meant last minute scouting missions and other military advances into the surrounding territory was put into action. And Roran was the one chosen to lead the first scouting group, a regiment of a hundred of his men.
"Why can't the elves do this themselves, Roran?" Asked one of his soldiers, a large man who had less education than he had teeth. He had yet to learn that it was the elves who they were being protected by.
"Because," replied Roran. "They are allowing us to live here, the least we can do is give a little support when and where it is needed."
"But do you think they are just trying to get rid of us?" He asked. "'Cause 'fore we left Ellesmera, they were preparing to pack up their belongings, like they're ready to leave."
Roran shook his head. "Get back in line."
The big man hung his head and stepped back into formation, dodging a fallen log hidden in a clump of bushes and gray moss. The rest of the soldiers kept their eyes forward, watching the forested horizon with keen glares.
Roran, however, slowed to a halt and watched as his company passed, rounding trees and over-stepping boulders. Eventually he glanced down and caught a flicker of gold on his finger.
The ring!
His wedding gift from Eragon. It was a matching set that was shared between him and Katrina. He always wore it and so did Katrina. But why did it never warn him that she was killed in the burning building back in Carvahall. Unless...
She's still alive?
(Nasuada's POV)
The noises from the kitchen became more and more pronounced as she got closer, turning from creaking wood, to voices. Nasuada tried to listen, but all she heard was the beating of her own heart.
With her sword gripped in her hands, she continued forward. With agonizing slowness, the doorway got closer until she stopped and peeked in.
At first her eyes swept over a table, nothing out of the ordinary, and then a couple chairs, completely normal, but once she spotted the hooded figures she jumped back behind the wall, hoping that she wasn't sighted.
Now she was hugging the sword agianst her chest as a guess of who the hooded figures were went through her mind. Trying to calm herself, breathing in and out slowly, she crept closer, still staying behind the cover of the wall.
The two beings were draped in a heavy-looking cloak that folded into a pile around their feet, their faces were obscured by a shadow, and the shapes of weapons protruded from the waist-line of their robes.
"Let's hurry, we'll have a better chance at escaping them if we leave now." Said one of them, a deep older voice.
"I know, but we are in desperate need of food." Said the other one, a slightly sophisticated tone in his words.
The older one sighed and stepped back, allowing the other to search the kitchen cabinets.
Nasuada watched with baited-breath as the being rumaged through various chests and cabinets. Most of what he pulled out was rotting food or the few utencils that were left behind by the family that had tried to escape, but now lay in the field around the house.
As the minutes passed, the searching man gave up and said, "I'm going to take a look around the house real quick."
"Hurry." Was the other's reply.
It was a suprise to Nasuada that she was out of the hallway so quickly, but now came the hard part; finding somewhere to hide.
As short a time it was before the man entered the living room, Nasuada had complied to huddling up behind a chair that was tipped over in a dark corner. Luckily the man walked right passed her as she lowered her head, avoiding detection with seconds to spare.
She refused to move and therefore refused to look up and watch the figure shuffle through whatever he could find. With time his search took him to another room and gave Nasuada a chance to peek around the piece of furniture.
It was clear of life, so she clutched her sword and crawled out from the corner and, staying close to the wall, made her way to the front door. She hoped that she wouldn't need the use of her sword, but the sudden flash of a shadow passing in front of her reclaimed her thoughts.
It was the other figure that had remained in the kitchen, now standing between her and the door, a sword in his hand.
"How long have you been here?" He asked, too calmly for someone in a possible life-threatening situation.
She shrugged nervously. "Overnight," her knuckles whitened at the force of her grip on her weapon, heart beating rapidly.
The figure remained there like a statue until footsteps shuffled into the livingroom from behind. He was waiting her out, keeping her from leaving while his partner came up from behind.
Nasauda spun around, sword out-stretched. The other man was standing just a few feet away, his face barely visible. He appeared stunned, as if suprised by her presence.
"Stay away!" She shouted, pointing her sword back to the other figure, hoping to keep both of them at bay while she formulated an escape plan.
The man in the living room stepped closer.
"Stay back!" Nasuada shouted, once agian thrusting the sword towards him.
"It's okay, Nasuada," he reached up and swooped the hood off.
Her knees weakened. "Jeod!"
She dropped the sword and stummbled to him, embracing him in a hug of relief.
"It's you," her voice escaped shakily as tears filled her eyes. It had been so long since she last had a human within sight. But this was better; a friend.
(Roran's POV)
A single beam of light pierced the canopy and plopped onto Roran's right cheek, spreading warmth throughout his aching body. Hours of marching through the thick jungle made up of uneven terrain and hazardous cliffs was enough to wear down any experienced athlete.
Most of the time was spent in a darkened atmosphere since the roof of leaves above blotted out much of the sun's light. And the beam was a welcoming sight; for it meant that the trees were begining to spread further apart.
Roran kept his eye of the soldiers around him. Their heavy armor took it's toll on them and he felt the ever-growing need to issue a break.
"Alright!" He exclaimed. "Lets take a quick break!"
He sat on the stump of a fallen tree and took out his water-skin, taking sparing sips after feeling the wieght of the almost empty container.
He watched the tree-line carefully, unable to escape the constant feeling of danger that had been nagging him since the attacks started. And no matter how safe it was said to have been, the dark forest and lichen covered trees reminded him too much of his encounter with the goblin-like creatures when he first entered the forest.
It was a disturbing sight and, though he wouldn't admit it, gave him nightmares every time he slept.
"Sir!" Came a yell from the other end of the company's formation.
The alertness in that voice caused everyone to stand and draw their weapons, looking frantically side to side.
A lone soldier came running up, pressing through the others. He was slightly taller than Roran, and held a limp in his left leg. But it was unnoticeable once he caught the expression of the man's face; worry.
"What is it?" Roran asked, feeling the stares of all the men's eyes pressing onto him.
The man began speaking quickly, too quickly for Roran to understand.
"Woah, calm down." He eased, "take it slowly from the beginning."
The man took a deep breath and, in a slower tone, said, "I was going ahead, scouting, and I noticed a house in a small clearing. But there were dead bodies littered all around it."
Roran's face went blank as he focused on the situation. Dead bodies meant that an enemy was close.
"How fresh was the attack?" He asked.
The man added something in his head and replied with, "Maybe a day or two old, maybe older."
Roran nodded as he felt the stares of anxiousness fall upon him from the surrounding soldiers. What would he do?
"We'll head over there after break," he paused. "And if it comes to it, we'll have to fight."
The men returned to their positions. Roran took the time to take a few sips from his water-skin, and, afterwards, corrected the grip on his sword in case he had to retrieve it quickly.
After five minutes Roran took to his feet, which gathered the attention of his men. As the sound of shifting armor died down, he motioned for them to follow and, going the direction the man came from earlier, watched carefully as a small, old house came into view from between tree trunks.
(Jeod's POV)
"And then we decided to head for the elves, but ran into you instead." Said Jeod, folding his arms across his chest.
Nasuada looked curiously towards the other man, who Jeod called Tenga, and asked, "So, you really think that these creatures can be stopped?"
Tenga smiled, "Yes, but it will be a hard-pressed journey for only the strongest to take. Like Jeod said; there is a secret hidden in the northern-most part of the Spine. I discovered it many years ago, but unbeknowest of it's purpose I left it alone."
"And why would I need to know?" She asked, looking back to Jeod.
The old scholar shrugged. "I figured it would be best if you knew, but it was our goal to also tell the riders."
Nasuada's eyes grew wide. "They're back?" Suprised that the riders have already returned.
Tenga smiled again. "I found out just by listening to the land. One with that skill can find out even the most secretive information."
Nasuada focused in on the man, deciphering the clues in his face. "Are you... perhaphs, related to a herbalist..."
"Angela?" Tenga appeared amused. "No, no. She was my student many moons ago, we don't communicate with each other anymore."
"Well, it's a small world after all."
"And it's getting smaller." Said Jeod, pointing out the livingroom window.
Nasuada and Tenga turned towards the glass portal and beheld a familiar face, one that Nasuada feared she would never see again; Roran Stronghammer.
(Roran's POV)
They approached the clearing with caution. The soldiers spread out along the entire northern curve of the field. Roran stopped, half concealed in the shade of a large bush, and scannedthe clearing, noting to himself that there were at least a dozen dead bodies lying in the knee-high grass.
He motioned his men forward. Whoever killed these people were most-likely still around; the kills were maybe a day or two old and no sign of decomposition was evident.
Roran flashed a look to the right and left, watching as his soldiers slowly emerged from the foilage, carefully putting ther feet ahead of themselves. They all had their weapons drawn by the time every man had exited the forest.
"Stay low and surround the house." Said Roran once he noticed shadows flash around in one of the windows.
Once they were nearly twenty yards from the house Roran turned to several men at his right side and commanded, "I want you, you, and you," pointing to each man as he went, "to go in through the back door."
They nodded and, crouched down, crawled towards the house, keeping out of view from the windows.
He watched as the men got closer and closer to the building, but in that instant a glint of metal flashed from across the field, from within the opposite tree-line.
"Get down!" He whispered.
The urgency in his voice brought the surrounding soldiers to the ground, which continued on until all the men, including those who were heading for the house, were hidden in the grass.
"Sir?" Asked the closest soldier. "What's the problem."
Roran inclined his head towards the other side of the clearing where nearly ten Ravtelr hunkered out into the sunlight. They were injured and their weapons were battered.
"See, like us, they can be wounded." Roran said, reaching for his hammer.
He soldier nodded. "And like us they can be defeated."
Roran glanced at him. "That's not reassuring."
"But it's true."
Roran smiled and returned his attention towards the Ravtelr. They would attack, but with his troops scattered he would be at the disadvantage since he would not be able to share a well-defined plan. This fight would be nothing but improvision, and that was not something naturally given, but something learned from experience.
"Roran!" Came a suprised shout, a females voice.
He glanced at the house and noticed a woman leaning out of a window, waving at him.
He didn't have time to think before the Ravtelr roared their battle-cry, causing he woman to jump back with frieght.
A single decision came to mind. Roran jumped to his feet and struck his hammer to the sky.
"Charge!"
The soldiers jumped out of the grass and surged forward, bringing a suprise push to the Ravtelr. Both fighting forces came bearing down upon each other, and with a last minute move, Roran lept, bringing his hammer up, and collided with a Ravtelr.
A/N: Another long wait that I am terribly sorry about. I've been really busy these past couple weeks and only had a few hours at a time to work on this chapter. But I am finally finished with it and can only hope that you guys enjoyed it.
Also, I have found this game called Clash of Clans. It's a really addicting game that you can play with friends. If any of you have this game and would like to join my clan please do; me and my friends are trying to find some clan members. The clan name is Skoilr btw.
Reply to reviews:
Skierider- Thank you. Galby gets real important later on, I only hope it'll be excepted into the storyline. Hope you've enjoyed.
Restrained Freedom- I'm sorry about that. I kind of rushed through the last chapter. But I hope this one is better.