"Awake little one, we must begin moving" Saphira awoke him, as promised, nudging his chest with her snout.
"Thank you Saphira" Eragon replied. Even if he had only known Saphira for a short amount of time, he had already come to accept her as a family he never had, in a sort of way. Their mental connection had grown considerably during the time they had known each other.
He saw Effiga and Dahuk standing on the edge of the clearing. Dahuks hand on Effigas neck Effiga had decided to keep to green, liking the closeness to surrounding forest he blended with. Eragon begun to wonder how deep their connection went.
"They are the last two beings of a doomed race, Effiga the last Cragon, and Dahuk the dark, as he calls himself… I am sure he's past entails many things, but we must wait for him to reveal his own past to us." Saphira said, gently noticing his wonder.
Brom busied himself with packing everything, clearly agitated. "You could help you know" Brom said, pointing to Dahuks back.
Dahuk raised his hand and clicked his fingers leaving two clicks run through the clearing. Using his thumb as a resistant pushed down on his thumb with his ring and middle finger, rolling them on to his palm as fast as possible to create the sound … everything snapped into the bags, leaving everything packed… including the blanket Eragon had been sitting on.
"Thank you, now, Eragon" Brom said looking over at him, Brom pulled out a polished stone, about an inch in length and quarter an inch wide. "I want you to try throughout the day to lift this stone to eye level and hold it there for 5 seconds. This will be the start of your training in magic. First you must search your mind for a presence of strength, and then speak the words 'stenr reisa' it means in the ancient language 'raise stone', 'stenr' means 'stone' while 'reisa' means 'rise'."
So begun the training of magic pronunciation, grammar and spelling of it.
"I, can't re read" Eragon said.
"WHAT" Brom yelled, "Garrow never taught you to read?"
"Garrow knew how to read?" a bewildered Eragon started.
"Of course the old fool knew how to read, I should have known he would never teach you." Brom said "Okay well you will not be able to learn much of the Ancient language until you have an understanding of our own tongue."
So the training of magic ceased and the training reading and writing begun, quicker than they had started training with magic. Once they stopped for lunch Eragon pulled out the stone.
He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder he found Saphiras quickly she was always open to him now, he studied her mind for a little then he started to retreat back to his own mind until he saw Dahuks, Effigas and Broms minds, he quickly pulled himself back into… himself.
"I can see other people minds?" asked a peculiar Eragon "I knew I could see into Saphiras but into other peoples minds?"
"Yes, well you seem to be quick to learn all the things you shouldn't." Said Brom a mischievous smile gracing his lips. "Yes you can see into the mind of any sentient being. Some plants even have a certain amount of thought."
Eragons hand moved, of its own accord to the Amaranth in his coat and pulled it out, Brom gasped audibly, "Where did you get that", Broms voice ran deep with shock, his face showed no difference to his voice.
Eragon knew it was among one of the rarest plants of the land but never expected that amount of shock from someone.
Eragon turned his head and nodded at Dahuk. Brom seemed to turn his head slowly head slowly towards Dahuk his eyes only leaving the Amaranth to look at Dahuk and say, "You know what Amaranth can do right?"
"Yes" was all Dahuk said to Broms question. Brom was soon lost deep in thought and when they decided to move out, followed his face still lost deep in a trance, that showed great thought.
As the small group moved slowly, slowly, torturously slowly…
No one talked, just moved slowly towards Therinsford their first destination, to get horses.
The boy had been pestering him for the second part of their journey. "Why can't you just create horses or transport us their directly?" Eragon had said, clearly annoyed. The young boy still knew nothing of magic and its relation to the world of the physical strength. Also the ability to track the magic, tricksters had much more atonement to the magic in the land then elves or even dragons.
Dragon's magic would come much easier if the emotions of beings influenced the magic. But would still never be able to completely control the magic, feats beyond even a trickster could be done true… but never any control.
True he could easily move them to Therinsford but what would if they were to overtake any travellers? Even if there were no travellers, the boy would then become dependant on this travel.
No doubt a nice quick and easy way to travel but no good to become reliable upon…
Which the boy, would all to quickly, become accustomed.
No longer pre-occupied by Broms magic training, who know was lost in thought.
Not since the boy had absently taken out the Amaranth. Dahuk had nearly stopped him, knowing what it would do to Brom.
"Let him, the more plans we have the more flexibility to do allow the boy do what he must." Effiga had said. Knowing all to well that there was only one thing that kept them out of the clutches of Galbatorix, and more importantly Sept.
"Maybe it is time to explain to him?" Effiga said.
"No, not yet" Dahuk answered.
The group reached Therinsford mid afternoon.
Holding up a young boy running around Brom asked, "Where may we find the stables?"
The boy looked at all three strangers, roughly making his mind then pointed towards the stables, which turned out to be half way across town.
Saphira and Effiga had waited out of view near the river, Effiga turning blue much the same as the river, in order to blend with the water.
"The sooner we are away from here the better, these horses better be fast." Saphira said. "These travels have been to long, Effiga and I could have travelled across the sea and back before you got to this town." Her voice hiding distaste though through their mental link he felt it as well, he could also fell the amusement.
"We will be much faster once we have horses, we will traverse much more in one day once we have horses." Eragon said, "Do not fret we will be away from here soon we are nearing the stables now."
The trio walked towards the stables fitting 13 stalls for horses and a trough for the pigs. This was all they had, the owner held out his hand to Brom to shake, Brom aptly.
"What can I do for you good sirs?" holding out his hand and shaking both Dahuks and Eragons as well.
"We are in need of some horses, the best you have… we are going to be doing a fair bit of travelling." Brom said.
The owner went around all the stalls examining each one and no doubt calculating the best to sell and which he wished to keep.
Dahuk had taken to viewing all the horses, stopping at the stall of a black mare. It was rangy but seemed to have Dahuk looking very interested.
"How much for him?" Dahuk voiced to the owner.
Brom had taken to a mare as well, and also looked at the owner, saying, "How much for this fine mare? And tack for all three horses?"
The owner looked between the two of them and said, "You two are crazy but… 900 crowns for the three mares." Having already brought out one mare for myself.
Brom pulled out a large amount of crowns and saying, "Will this do?"
The owner looked similar to a stunned mullet. Eventually he collected three sets of tact and said pointing at the mare Brom had picked, "Snow-fire is his name, the other two have no names yet."
"We should be fine with them, thank you."
"The Ra'zac passed through here." Dahuk voiced
"Well how else are they going to get out? Hmm." I said now simmering in anger, "it's not as if they have wings." Trying not to yell until we were outside of the town.
"Secrets, secrets, secrets and when you thought there was no more oh look ANOTHER SECRET". I said mentally through the connection with Saphira.
"It may not be a secret little one, just something that was not important until now." Saphira said, gently, soothing and lovingly.
"The Ra'zac may not have wings but their parents do." Dahuk said calmly. "The townspeople were surprised by them, came through, bought two horses and …'fled like demons fleeing a holy man'" the last putting a very sarcastic tone into his voice.
"Okay… so we chase after them?" I had nearly come to breaking; surprisingly thoughts of killing Dahuk actually seemed pleasurable. "Little one, stop these thoughts there not healthy, he only tries to help. He is almost as helpless as you." Saphira said.
"No, if we run after them we will die… true we may kill the Ra'zac, but we would draw attention and if Galbatorix is smart, which he is, he will have the protected and if they are killed the wards would warn Galbatorix that two of his most faithful servants are dead." Dahuk said, " This may be revenge for you, but for others this is a chance to be rid of Galbatorix."
"So we run to Aroughs and then what hmm… we just stay there and … train? Till what we are able to kill a trickster and a tyrant king?" Eragon and Saphira said mentally and verbally to Brom, Effiga and Dahuk almost the verge of yelling now having even Saphira angered and confused over through the connection each shared.
"If you must know there is a weapon, near Aroughs in the bogs… magic runs freely there… or so the elves would say, no it is trickster magic. The weapon there may only be used by those with intentions of good."
"We are here. I can't help if its hunting season, but I do feel its time to hunt some egg breakers." Saphira voiced towards the whole party
"Hello Dahuk, trying to kill me are you?" we all turned around to see an elegant man, 6 foot 4 tall, just enough muscle on his body so no bones showed, jet black hair reaching down his back ending at his hips, his face angled, dark eyebrows slightly slanted, his skin pale as death, and lastly his eyes an assortment of dark colours… blue, gold, silver, red and black mixing in an infinite amount.
"Hello, Sept"
Reviews please...
okay i know i am no artist, and sorry for the change in the style half way through but i caught my self reading robin hobb and i just love fitz chivarlry to much... kisses floor.
all Criticism welcome.
anyways here is the latest piece. of course i had to reveal sept was real sometime so anyway here he is.