Chapter 16

Since her return, Medea had mostly been left to her own devices. Galbatorix had summoned her only once, questioning her about whether she saw Eragon taking anything from Geoulnaresque, to which she truthfully replied that she was unconscious, and saw nothing. She did lie when he asked what the Varden wanted with her, claiming to have been left in a tent for several days without being sent for. After every answer that Medea gave, Galbatorix paused before speaking himself, his black eyes burrowing into her probingly all the while, as if to unnerve her. As if he already knew the answer to his questions. But, if he suspected that she didn't tell him the truth, he said nothing.

After that occasion, the only brief communication Medea had was with the servants who brought her food, since her usual companion, Barbale, was still at Geoulnaresque. 'She must be worried sick about me,' Medea thought with a pang of guilt. She hadn't even thought to send Barbale a message to let her know that she was all right.

Medea wasn't confined to her room, but whenever she went outside, into the castle grounds, one of the guards stationed at the door followed. Not having much else to do, she would often watch the soldiers training. Sometimes she saw Murtagh among them, sometimes on his own. His eyes would flicker to her face momentarily, and then he would turn away without acknowledging her.

The screaming that Medea heard during the first night in Uru'baen had not repeated for the next few days. If she hadn't witnessed Murtagh dragging Nasuada out of her pavilion, she could have assumed that the noise was made by a servant who was being punished, perhaps; it could not have been a soldier because the voice clearly belonged to a woman. At that moment, Medea believed that Murtagh was going to kill the leader of the Varden, but, having thought it over, came to the conclusion that he could have done so while they were both inside the pavilion - why would he take her outside just to finish her off? He knocked Medea unconscious before she could see what he did to Nasuada, but now she was fairly sure that she knew what happened.

It appeared that Nasuada had been brought to Uru'baen and, apparently, tortured. The fact that she hadn't made a sound in days most likely indicated her death. And Medea carried on believing that, until information from an unlikely source proved otherwise.

She took her meals alone, either in her own chamber or in a dining room near the kitchens, in which neither Galbatorix nor Sared ever ate. So it came as a surprise to her when, looking up from her plate, she saw Sared standing in the doorway. Medea's first urge was to get up and leave; but, knowing that it would only amuse him further, she willed herself to ignore him, instead concentrating on manically cutting the meat on her plate into small pieces. However, out of the corner of her eye she could see that Sared was not leaving, and, unable to control her irritation, she exploded: 'WHAT?'

He grinned, sliding into a chair on the opposite side of the table. 'You're a little jumpy. Is something bothering you?'

Medea groaned with frustration and stood up, intending to leave; his next words, however, made her pause. 'By the way, your friend Murtagh should be more careful about what he does when he thinks no one is watching. I shudder to think what would happen if Galbatorix found out.'

'What are you talking about?' Medea demanded.

'I saw him helping that girl, the prisoner, more than once. Healing the wounds inflicted on her by torture, by the looks of it. I don't know what they were talking about because there is a spell on the room that makes it impossible to hear what is going on inside. But I wouldn't be surprised if Murtagh is trying to help her escape. They seemed… friendly,' he added innocently.

'You're a liar.' Medea folded her hands over her chest almost defensively. 'Why would Murtagh risk punishment to help someone he doesn't even know?'

Sared shrugged. 'You can see for yourself if you go to the Hall of the Soothsayer at night.'

'So you can have a reason to make up some lie about me, too? Tell my father that I'm also associating with the prisoner?'

Sared sighed exaggeratedly, getting up from his seat. As he brushed past Medea, he said in a low voice: 'I hardly need a reason for that.'

Despite Medea's suspicion that she was walking right into a trap, her curiosity still led her to the Hall of the Soothsayer that night. She knew that she would not be able to stop thinking about the possibility that Sared was telling the truth unless she checked.

She approached quietly and peered around the corner to see if there were any guards stationed by the door - surprisingly, there were none. 'This is too convenient,' her voice of reason piped up. Sared would probably appear as soon as she approached the door, bringing the guards and Galbatorix, and claiming that she was trying to break Nasuada out. Medea didn't know what other motive he could have had in leading her to the Hall.

She stood looking at the door uncertainly, contemplating returning to her room, when she caught sight of someone through the small barred window at the top of the door. The person turned their head towards Medea and her heart sank as she recognised Murtagh's profile. Sared was telling the truth.

Murtagh's lips were moving, but Medea couldn't see who he was talking to or hear what he was saying. Then he moved out of sight and she quickly walked towards the door, peering cautiously through the window into the room.

Murtagh was sitting on the floor next to the emaciated and heavily bruised Nasuada. Her hands covered her face; her body was shaking with sobs. The stab of pity that Medea felt for her was replaced by confusion when she saw Murtagh gently putting his arm around Nasuada's shoulders as she leaned against him.

'They seemed friendly,' Sared had said. Medea ignored his words and his suggestive tone then, considering the idea ridiculous. Now, as comprehension dawned on her, she dug her nails into her palms until her knuckles turned white.

It was late evening when Eragon heard Arya's voice just outside his tent, quietly calling his name. 'Come in,' he replied, immediately alert. Unless something important had happened, Arya probably would have waited until morning to visit him.

She entered, and Eragon quickly removed several scrolls from a chair before inviting her to sit down. 'I apologize for disturbing you,' Arya said. 'But we have just received a message that you should know about. It was sent by one of Prince Sared's servants - she says that she has Seleara, and she is willing to give it to us.'

'What? How did a servant get it?' Eragon asked incredulously.

'We can ask her. She has requested to be brought to the Varden, and with your permission, I will send for her.'

'It could be a trap.'

'What purpose would setting up a trap like that achieve, unless you went there yourself? I think you will agree that a few men of the Varden should be sent instead.'

'And why does this woman want to come to the Varden?' Eragon asked, still doubtful.

'She did not say. Perhaps she wants to escape Geoulnaresque, like the servant girl whom you brought here. I don't think that she is a spy,' Arya added, correctly guessing Eragon's suspicion. 'A spy wouldn't give Seleara to us.'

Eragon silently considered the risks and the possibilities before replying. 'The chance that she is telling the truth is too important to ignore,' he admitted. 'Very well. We will send for her.'

A.N.:
hpswst101 - thanks for your review! haha I could have given Medea some ridiculous super power to fight off all those kidnappers, but I thought maybe not ;)
Lobo de Fuego – thank you so much! I'll hand it to Paolini, though, he writes all kinds of action scenes really well and I find it a bit challenging, so I hope I don't disappoint you later on :)