Free Riders
Author's Note: Eragon is not mine. Char, Blaster, and Saranya are. Comment as you see fit. From this chapter on, the original story changes.
Chapter 27: The Ra'zac
Blaster "woke" the next morning with only Eragon as company. A note written by Brom was sprawled across the wall. He would be gone until later that night, and the two could explore the city and enjoy themselves just so long as they didn't attract attention. Blaster was specifically asked to make sure Eragon was to keep appearances, took his bow, and avoided the palace.
"Great," Blaster muttered, as Eragon was still sleeping. "Go from alien rider to babysitter." Eragon woke a few moments later, read the note, then retrieved money Brom had left under the bed. He slipped his bow across his back, then left with Blaster.
There were many intriguing stores along the streets, though none were quite as interesting as Angela's herb shop in Teirm. Occasionally, they'd look at the dark and claustrophobic houses. There was something about them that made Blaster want to return to the confines of his own ship. They grew hungry around noon, so they bought food and ate on a curb.
The sound of an auctioneer rattling off prices could be heard. Being curious, the two headed towards the voice and arrived at a small open square. Ten men stood on a waist-high platform, and a richly dressed crowd was before them. Blaster felt that something was off, but began to wonder what the auctioneer was selling.
He didn't have to wait long as the auctioneer finished his list and motioned for a young man to join him on the stage. The man awkwardly climbed up, chains dragging at his hands and feet. It then it hit Blaster. It was a slave auction.
"And here's our first item up for bid," The auctioneer proclaimed. "A healthy male from the Hadarac Desert, captured just last month. Excellent condition. Look at his arms and legs; he's strong as a bull! Perfect as a shield bearer, or, if you don't trust him for that, hard labor. Bright as a nail, if you can get him to talk a civilized tongue."
Blaster felt power rising, but not within himself. It was Eragon. He raised his right arm, newly liberated from the splint. Blaster placed a hand on his shoulder, which made him stop.
He'd never get away, Blaster said. He'd be caught before he even reached the city walls.
Eragon nodded, and watched helplessly as the slave was sold to a tall, hawk-nosed man. The next slave was a young girl, no more than six, wrenched from the arms of her crying mother. That struck a nerve with Blaster, and he decided to invoke his own magic.
"Jinca ga muter a we les er dutar," Blaster muttered. He felt the drain to his magic supply, but was glad that it didn't take more than the energy it took to sprint fifty yards.
"What?" Eragon asked.
"I invoked my magic," Blaster whispered. "Now, the person who buys the girl will buy the mother as well." He paused. "May fortune smile upon them."
The two swiftly left, still filled with anger. They merely meandered around on the streets. Once they had calmed down enough to regain their bearings, they realized they were in front of the cathedral. Snarling gargoyles perched on the eaves of the building, beasts were on the walls, heroes and kings marching along the bottom edge. Like all cathedrals, there were stained glass windows galore, but there was only one turret. An iron bound door was inlayed with script, which read, "May thee who enter here understand thine impermanence and forget thine attachments to that which is beloved" in the Ancient Language.
The two riders approached the door, and slowly opened the door to have a look inside. It was empty inside, and it was cooler inside than outside. The vaulted ceiling was so high, Blaster would have to fly himself up to reach them. Between the stained glass windows stood statues with rigid, pale eyes. They walked up the center row slowly, even though their boots padded noiselessly on the polished stone floor.
A single finger of light illuminated the golden dust in the air above the altar. Behind it was the wind organ whose pipes pierced the ceiling. Eragon knelt out of respect, while Blaster merely bowed his head. The alien felt something behind them, but waited for Eragon to be done before turning. When he did finally rise, the two turned around, and Blaster's stomach flip-flopped.
The Ra'zac were at the door.
Blaster got in front of Eragon and looked directly at the Ra'zac. Their swords were drawn, tinted red from the light, but Blaster didn't care as he pulled out one of his two pistols.
"Ra'zac," Blaster said, with all the authority he could muster, "you are both under arrest for the first-degree murder of Garrow of Carvahall. Will you come quietly?" The Ra'zac screeched, and at least fifty soldiers filed into the cathedral.
"There goes our escape," Eragon muttered.
"Take the back exit," Blaster whispered. "Warn Brom. I'll meet up with you later. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Eragon nodded, then ran to the back door. The Ra'zac began to chase after Eragon, but Blaster stopped them both with a pair of bullets. He pulled out his other pistol. "If anyone attacks, I'll shoot!"
The soldiers began advancing en masse. Blaster emptied the clips, but was only able to take out barely a dozen and a half before his bullets ran out. He holstered one of his pistols, then held out his free hand, sending the front group flying backwards. Blaster holstered his other pistol, then withdrew his short sword. He blocked attacks that were now coming from all angles except behind him. I'm surprised these guys don't practice mook chivalry, he thought, dodging three potential killing blows. Once he had effectively slowed down the soldiers for enough, he leapt backwards far enough to give himself a reprieve. Blaster's eyes glowed red slightly as he raised his hand. The earth beneath him rose, effectively cutting him off from his attackers. In the last seconds before his view of the attackers was blocked, he lost sight of the Ra'zac. He broke through a window, vaulted over the wall, and decided it was time to get out.
With inhuman speed, he raced to the Golden Globe and got to the room just as Eragon and Brom had finished packing.
"Time to go," Blaster breathed. "We need to get out of here before they close the gates!"
"If they haven't already," Brom deadpanned.
The trio quickly departed and mounted their steeds. Soldiers came into view moments later. The three urged their horses into a gallop, Snowfire in front of Cadoc and Samson. Several times, they nearly crashed as they plunged through the streets full of people. When the gates finally came into view, Blaster's stomach flip-flopped again. The gates were already half-closed, and a double line of pikemen blocked their way.
"They'll cut us to pieces," Eragon exclaimed.
"Leave them to me," Blaster shouted. He jumped off Samson and sped towards the gates faster than the horses. As he got closer, the pikemen, clearly unnerved that Blaster was going so fast, lowered their pikes, bracing them against the ground. Blaster smirked, then put both hands in front of him, and then spread them as if he was splitting apart two halves of a curtain. An invisible force caused the pikemen to be shunted to either side. He stopped under the gate, then thrust his hands up, causing the gate to come to a grinding halt. Everyone remained silent, amazed at the feat.
Once Eragon, Brom, and Samson sped under the gate, Blaster stopped his telekinesis and gripped Samson to swing back into the saddle. The gates boomed shut. Alarm trumpets sounded as they raced through the outskirts of Dras-Leona. Saphira and Sara hid behind some trees by the edge of the city. Their eyes burned and their tails whipped back and forth.
"Ride them," Brom said. "And this time, stay in the air, no matter what happens to me. I'll head south. Fly nearby; I don't care if they're seen."
Blaster quickly told Samson to follow Brom at all costs, then mounted Sara.
Are you all right? Sara asked.
Yeah, Blaster replied, his anger getting the best of him. Damn! We had them and we let them go. If only there weren't so many soldiers there.
You did your best, Sara replied. But now, we must be careful. Our exit wasn't exactly discrete.
I'm aware, Blaster admitted. Watch the deck. We're gonna have to fly low and fast. I have an idea, and I'm sure Brom's not going to like it. With a thought, he contacted Brom. Brom, I've made a decision, albeit hasty in your opinion. I'm breaking off, giving the Ra'zac two targets to follow. I know they probably wouldn't tackle a fair five-on-two battle, so I'm going to have them choose between a three-on-two, or a two-on-two match-up.
WHAT? Brom's shout was so powerful, it startled the birds. Are you kidding? We must stick together. What happens if the Ra'zac catch you at night, when they are stronger.
They may be the stronger, but I am wise in thoughts. Do not argue, for I sense that a storm approaches, and you have little time left to flee. I will make sure that they know where the easy pickings are, and hope that they follow. Blaster thought over the plan as the storm clouds started to billow. Brom, you are going to have to trust me on this one.
In Blaster's mind, he saw Brom nodding. I will inform Eragon and Saphira. Good luck, Major General Blastbone Clarkson. Atra esterní ono thelduin.
Kai fertuna drah hugan lu, Blaster replied (a). Just, get out of here while you still can. I shall meet with you later, if I am able.
Take care of yourself, Brom warned. Blaster sent an image of him nodding.
Okay, Saranya, Blaster said, a hint of madness, anger, and joy in his voice. Let's give the Ra'zac a meaning for splitting off to fight me. Bank to vector zero-niner. Deck is now only fifty feet. Give me a moment to hide the horses tracks before further instructions. Blaster turned around and, with a simple wave of his hands, the same invisible force that knocked the soldiers aside obliterated the horses' hoof prints for a good half mile. What he did next was start moving his fists up and down as if he were playing a drum roll. Behind him, a fresh set of hoof prints started where the obliteration started and curved towards where he and Sara were flying.
I hope you know what you are doing, Sara said.
I know what I'm doing, Blaster said. Trying to keep Brom and Eragon safe. Whether that succeeds or not is to be determined. The day slowly wore on, the storm growing in size. As lightning forked the skies, Blaster saw the gust front off of the rear-flank downdraft and ordered Sara to land. They continued on foot until the storm and sundown caused them to stop for the night. They found a slight gully surrounded on all sides by large boulders, yet it had a few entry points.
Blaster started a small fire, not caring that he was starting to get hungry. If all else failed, he could summon some of his MREs from Alice in a flash of light to keep him from falling victim to hunger. Before either of them could talk, both Blaster and Sara heard footsteps. Sensing danger, Blaster quickly douced the flames and ordered Sara to fly, and land a safe distance away. Blaster unbuttoned the restraining strap holding his pistols in the holsters, and prepared to draw his sword. He never got the chance as a heavy blow to the back of his head knocked him out.
FRFRFRFRFR
Sara looked on in anger as Blaster was bound by the Ra'zac that emerged from the shadows. There were two of them, one slightly larger than the other, each one holding a lantern. Blaster's saddle bags were splayed open, showing various items, including his guns, though they all looked nothing like weapons from Sara's standpoint. She growled a bit, trying in earnest to contact Blaster, but with him knocked out, and some sort of field surrounding his mind, she couldn't get to him.
Must have been whatever they forced him to drink, Sara thought to herself. She looked over to Blaster as he began to wake up. If only I could help him without risking our lives.
He moaned as his head began to throb. Mere moments later, the larger of the two Ra'zac appeared above him, snickering. Sara's blood began to boil in anger. She had to do something, but with their speed and strength, especially at night, she couldn't think of anything effective enough.
"I sssee the drug isss working, yessss?" the larger Ra'zac hissed. "You won't be troubling ussss again."
"Ha," Blaster shouted in defiance, his speech slightly slurred. "You'll find I'm more trouble than it's worth."
"I haven't found the otherssss," the smaller Ra'zac exclaimed. Sara could barely make out Blaster's smirk in the lantern light.
"Pretty nice plan, huh?" Blaster taunted. "Perhaps you bit off more than you could chew with someone like me. You're going to have a fun time trying to find out where the others went."
Sara heard some rocks shifting behind her and missed the Ra'zac's reaction to Blaster's comment. She spun her snake-like head and looked directly at a man roughly Blaster's age carrying an elegant bow in his hands. His clothes were tattered and worn, but fit him well. Before Sara could start growling a warning, the man held a finger to his lips, then knocked an arrow from the quiver slung on his back. He disappeared behind one of the boulders just as Blaster spat in the Ra'zac's face.
"How dare you call me and my dragon disposable!" Blaster roared. "You're no 've killed without remorse, and you've decided to add kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment on myself. Just wait until I get my hands on you."
"We should kill him," The smaller Ra'zac said.
"What do we tell him?" The larger asked.
"That he was killed because he tried to escape," the smaller replied, mischieviously. "That way, there is only one dragon and rider left to oppose our master."
"I can still hear you," Blaster taunted. He no longer had slurred speech. "And it was so nice of you to drug me, but I must warn you about one thing that you should never forget."
"Oh, and what is that?" the larger Ra'zac taunted.
"Never gloat over and plot to kill your prisoner until you are sure there is no way they can fight back."
As if the ground he was on was suddenly electrified, Blaster jumped from his back to a standing position. A quick yank and the ropes around his wrists snapped. Using his telekinesis, Blaster summoned Cratona from where the Ra'zac had dropped it and brought it up quickly to block the blade of the larger Ra'zac. Blaster ducked just as a low hum filled the air. The larger Ra'zac dove to the side, but the smaller soon had an arrow sticking out of its leg.
The arrows didn't stop coming for several minutes, forcing Blaster to bob and weave just to avoid getting hit by the arrows. Sara saw a second too late that Blaster had blocked a high sword swing, but was unable to block the knife that the larger Ra'zac had pulled out. Sara roared as the blade grazed Blaster's side, barely drawing blood, alerting the smaller Ra'zac to her positon. She didn't care. The arrows stopped falling long enough for the smaller to approach Sara, but the arrows started again when the Ra'zac was within ten yards of her. This time, however, the arrows came from an entirely different direction.
Blaster didn't look as if he was in pain, so the wound wasn't as bad as Sara had first envisioned. The larger Ra'zac was soon the one dodging, as arrows and Blaster's improved sword swings came heavy on him. He dropped the knife and tried to hide, only for the arrows to come from a third direction. The Ra'zac began to flee, but the smaller of the two was smart enough to pick up the knife. At the edge of the camp, the Ra'zac hurled the knife at Blaster. Sara roared again as she heard the soft thump of blade in skin, and saw Blaster fall down in pain. Before they could celebrate, though, the Ra'zac were forced to flee further when Blaster summoned his pistol and emptied the clip in their direction.
Will Brom and Eragon survive the night? Did Blaster get a dose of the bad Seithr Oil? How will the teams proceed from here? Find out in the next chapter of Free Riders. Now updating Tuesdays and Fridays again (since I am almost done with typing up this story).
(a) Translation: May good fortune wash over you.
Please R&R. I know the story has just changed, and it will take out some things, but, to let you know, there are some important things that will stay the same. And, to all those reading wondering if Blaster is desensitized to Char's absence (for nearly half a year), he will finally be going in after her starting next chapter.