First Blood

Isabella woke to find herself still in complete darkness. She had a stiff neck and had no idea how much time had passed. Thanks to her dragon, she was still pleasantly warm, and it definitely had not been the worst night she'd had out camping. The sound of regular breathing from beside her let her know that Eragon was still asleep.

Reaching out with her mind, she mentally prodded Volund awake. He grumbled in a manner she found kind of adorable. As soon as she thought that the black wing over her lifted without warning causing harsh sunlight to practically blind her. She covered her eyes and groaned. She heard an amused mental chuckle from her dragon and rolled her eyes. At least he was no longer the vicious ball of fury he had been yesterday.

Yesterday.

Garrow.

They had to get back to the farm. It was quite a long flight back and she was terrified they would be too late. That they would lose Garrow and Brom.

She shook Eragon awake. He blearily looked around and yawned. As he stretched out, he let out a pained groan as the movement pulled at the scabs on his legs. The noise woke Saphira who let out a snarl before she realised nobody was attacking.

Isabella rebandaged the wounds as best she could. If they had time, it would have been better to boil some fabric, but they had nothing with them to start a fire and the dragons weren't old enough yet so she had to make do. Hopefully, it would only be until they got back to the farm and then he could be treated properly.

While Eragon prepared himself for the flight back, Isabella attached the extra saddle to Saphira. Eragon looked mildly terrified, glancing between Saphira and his legs.

"Come on, you can't stay here forever. You need to fly back home," she told him.

"I know…but…" he trailed off, now avoiding looking at Saphira.

"It hurt. I can see that. And normally, I would suggest you recover before trying again, but we don't have the time for that. I have the saddle, which should help make the journey back more comfortable. Come on, little brother, you can do this. Think of Garrow. And Brom."

"Yeah. Yeah." Eragon nodded. He seemed a little more convinced than before. As he agreed, Saphira's head swung over in their direction. Eragon recoiled ever so slightly, and Isabella saw the blue dragon's head drop just a little. She and Eragon had a silent conversation and thankfully, he eventually let Isabella assist him into the saddle. Once he was ready, she clambered up onto Volund, who had watched the proceedings without commentary for one, who launched himself into the sky.

The flight back felt like it took forever. Once again, Isabella was too keyed up to appreciate the views below which were truly spectacular. As they grew close to the farm, she tried to think about the best way to approach whatever was waiting for them.

You should land in the forest. We don't know who will be at the farm and you might be seen.

No. Volund's refusal was absolute. There may be danger.

She knew arguing was futile and sighed. And honestly, Isabella felt better knowing her dragon would be so close in case the Ra'zac were still around.

Isabella watched the sun's position and judged it to be almost lunchtime by the time the farm came into sight. Volund landed right by the front door, and she leapt off his back. Running to the door, she found it locked. Keeping the connection with Volund wide open, she made to force the door open.

"Father! Father! Are you in there?"

The door was wrenched open and Brom's face became visible. He had a black eye and dried blood down the left half of his face. She gasped.

"Brom! What happened? Where is Garrow?"

"Right here." Her father came into view just behind Brom. He looked marginally better than Brom in the injury department, but a livid bruise stood out on his gaunt cheek. "And you two have some explaining to do." She grimaced.

"Yeah. Ok. Let me just give Eragon a hand."

"Eragon? What happened?" Garrow asked with a frown.

"Is he alright?" Brom demanded at the same time, brow creased with worry.

"He hurt his legs, but he'll be fine. We'll explain once we're inside." She went back to the dragons. Eragon hadn't moved from the saddle, and she slowly helped him down.

Once they were inside, Isabella gasped. The inside of the farmhouse was a complete mess. The table was broken and lay in shattered pieces. Pots and pans were strewn around the floor and the door to her bedroom was caved in.

"What happened?" Eragon asked on horror as he staggered in behind her.

"We could ask you the same question," Garrow replied.

"Flying without a saddle?" Brom asked. Eragon nodded. Garrow looked between the two.

"You two first. What happened after Eragon and I…went to the forest?" She demanded of Brom. The old man sighed. Garrow opened his mouth, but Brom raised a hand. Garrow glowered but said nothing.

"I arrived before the Ra'zac. I gave a brief explanation to Garrow."

"Brief is an understatement," Garrow snorted. "You came in and said my two remaining children were now dragon riders and I was in danger." Eragon and Isabella both froze as Garrow referred to them as his children. Warmth flooded through her. Unbidden, Isabella felt moisture gather at the corners of her eyes. While she did, on occasion, refer to Garrow as her father in front of him, he had never claimed her as his own out loud. The only exception had been directly after her mother died. She had never really thought about it, until hearing those words from him made her realise just how badly she had craved them. Brom rolled his eyes.

"Stubborn man refused to leave," Garrow opened his mouth to interrupt again but Brom barrelled on, "The Ra'zac arrived as soon as it was dark. I managed to hold them off, and they left, not without a struggle." He gestured to the destruction around them. "It is possible they will be back again this evening. Probably with their mounts. What happened to you two?"

Isabella briefly explained about the enraged dragons and Saphira taking off. Eragon took over and told them about the rest of their unintentional trip.

"What do we do?" Eragon asked once he'd finished explaining.

"The Ra'zac don't know for certain about the dragons. But they do know me. They may attack again tonight, or they may head back to Galbatorix to inform him of my whereabouts."

"Why? Why would news of your whereabouts be important enough for them to tell the king?" Isabella wanted to know.

"It's not important."

"You need to leave," Garrow stated.

"What?" Eragon stared at him in horror. "We can't leave! This is our home."

"And we put our home in danger by staying. The Ra'zac are looking for our dragons. If we stay, we draw more attention to Carvahall. If we leave, and make sure they know, they will leave the town alone," put in Isabella with a sigh. She had known it would happen eventually, but she'd hoped to have at least a little more time.

"You want to be bait for those monsters?" Eragon gaped at her.

"Or, they may use the people you care about in this town to lure you into a trap," Brom pointed out.

Then we hunt them down and rip them apart. Garrow gasped.

"What was that?" He demanded.

"That was Volund. My dragon," Isabella told him.

"While that is an option. The two of you need more training before you attempt to take on a foe as deadly as the Ra'zac," Brom stated. "I believe the best option…"

"Well, why don't you find out what they are going to do before you start making all these grand plans," Garrow put in gruffly. Brom nodded at that. Silence fell momentarily and Isabella took the opportunity to look around the house. She got up and started a fire going, finding some spare rags with which to rebandage Eragon's legs once they had been boiled. Seeing what she was doing, Brom rose from his seat and began rifling through his bag before gathering a few things from around the farmhouse.

Together, they helped Eragon into the room he had shared with Roran and onto the bed which was thankfully still intact. Taking his pants off, she undid the bandaging from that morning. Brom handed her a bowl with some weird looking mixture inside.

"It's a healing salve. I'm not much of a healer, but I know a few things. Put a thin layer of that on his legs before you bandage them up." She nodded and tended to Eragon. As the salve was applied, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

"What is that stuff?" He asked Brom. "That's amazing. My legs hardly hurt at all now." The old man smiled slightly.

"Just a mixture of a few herbs. I will teach you both what I know about healing during your training. It will probably come in handy sooner than I would have liked."

Once Eragon's legs had been sorted, they returned to the main room. Garrow was still in his chair, staring pensively at the floor. "I promised Marion and Selena I would keep the pair of you safe," he murmured. "How can I do that with you being dragon riders? The king himself wants you and has sent deadly monsters to hunt you. Leaving Carvahall killed my little sister. My beautiful, fierce sister. You remind me a lot of her, Isabella. I do not want the same fate for you." The raw grief in his voice made Isabella's heart ache. They all stared at him for a moment. He almost never spoke of Eragon's mother. Garrow was a practical man, always saying that dwelling on the past didn't put food in your belly. Isabella suddenly wondered if he had ever allowed himself to properly grieve the death of his sister, or if he had simply put all of his energy into raising Eragon alongside herself and Roran. Suddenly a large, scaled head appeared in the doorway, and one red eye looked directly at Garrow.

I will not allow the same fate to befall Isabella. You have my oath on my honour as a dragon to my rider's sire. Volund's mental voice was more solemn than Isabella had ever heard before and held a gravity that made a shiver run down her spine. But that was a large promise. An impossible promise.

You cannot possibly know if you will be able to keep that oath. Isabella pointed out, making sure to speak only to her dragon. He ignored this, still staring unblinkingly at Garrow. She expected her father to dismiss this. He must know that it was an impossible promise. Not even a dragon could guarantee her safety out in the Empire with the king and the Ra'zac hunting them. Anything could happen. It simply wasn't practical.

"I will hold you to that oath, Volund of dragon kin," he replied in a steely voice. Her mouth fell open. Even Brom looked stunned. The red eye of her dragon blinked once and then retreated.

What the heck? That oath is just ridiculous. Anything could happen out there, especially if we chose to fight the king.

I will keep you from that fate, Fierce One. Volund's tone was somehow soft and steely at the same time. She shook her head. Her impulsive dragon was going to drive her insane. You did name me the Eternal Warrior. She sighed and chuckled slightly.

That I did.

"Right. I am going to scout out what the Ra'zac's next move is likely to be," Brom stated. "Once I come back, we will make plans on how to proceed from here." They all nodded. He left without any further words.

After a quick lunch, the rest of the day was spent clearing up the farmhouse as best they could. The dragons helped to shift some of the heavier beams, including the one blocking the way to her bedroom. She and Eragon both packed everything they would need for an extended trip, in case they needed to leave in a hurry. Eragon's bow and quiver were still in perfect condition, though her quiver had taken some significant damage. Thankfully, her bow would be fine, it just needed re-stringing.

"What will you do if we have to leave?" Isabella asked Garrow as they sat down for some dinner. "Roran won't be back for some months, and you'll need help around the farm."

"I will manage." She sighed. Then she asked Volund to head out and hunt so that they could at least leave some meat for her father to help him through. He was reluctant to leave, especially given the oath he had made a few hours previously, but after she promised to keep Saphira nearby he agreed.

Darkness fell and Brom still wasn't back which made them all edgy. Volund had brought back two deer that they had prepared. Both Isabella and Eragon were relieved that Garrow would at least have food for a while. They had also completed some chores around the farm. Thankfully it was the quiet season and Isabella hoped Roran could keep to his promise to be back before planting. Then she felt bad. Her brother would hopefully be returning with a wife as a newlywed, and they would be running away leaving him with all of the work. It wasn't fair. But she wouldn't give Volund up for anything. It was a mess, and she couldn't see a way to fix it. A pulse of fury, bloodlust and concern came across her bond with the black dragon.

The murderers are approaching. Volund's warning took a few moments for Isabella to process. Then she swore, causing the other two in the room to glance at her.

"Ra'zac."

"You need to leave," Garrow stated. "Go out the back. I'll just tell them the same as I told them last time."

"No." Eragon shook his head. "They might kill you."

"They will definitely kill you. Or capture you and take you to the king," Garrow pointed out. "Leave."

"Not a chance," Isabella told him. She ran to her pack and withdrew Zar'roc. Eragon did the same with Undbitr. The sword felt heavy in her hand. It was unbalanced and felt wrong. The anticipation of possibly using it in a proper battle increased her awareness of the awkwardness. Garrow raised an eyebrow at the pair of them.

Where are they? She asked Volund. He sent her an image of the Ra'zac creeping towards the farmhouse. He was chomping at the bit to attack. She was honestly impressed he hadn't already.

"You need to leave. Now. Brom isn't here. They must have surprised him and if they can best Brom, you two don't stand a chance," Garrow hissed.

"Come with us then," she suggested. He shook his head. Heaving a sigh of irritation, he grabbed both her and Eragon by their collars and dragged them bodily towards the back door. Isabella just had time to grab her pack as she stumbled past. As Garrow opened the back door, the front door burst open in a shower of splinters. Isabella turned, sword in hand. The Ra'zac let out a hissing noise and moved towards them with inhuman speed. She just had time to step in front of Garrow and raise her sword. The blades met in a shower of sparks and the power behind the strike forced her to her knees.

"Iz!" Eragon cried. A deep, rumbling snarl sounded from outside.

"Out! Out!" She yelled. They had to get outside the farmhouse where the dragons could help. Twisting the blade of Zar'roc, she pushed the Ra'zac's sword to the side and let herself fall backwards to avoid another slash. Rolling to the side, she bounded to her feet and sprinted out the door.

"Duck!" Eragon shouted as she sprinted off the porch. Without question, she flung herself to the ground and heard the whistle of air right above her head. These things were so quick it was terrifying. She wished Brom hadn't held back in their practise fights. They were in no manner prepared for this. As she got to her feet for the second time, she saw Eragon trying to hold off the second monster. She couldn't watch his fight though, as a sword came flying within an inch of her face. It was all she could do to stay alive. Catching another blow with Zar'roc, she only had the ability to deflect the hit to the side. They were far too strong for her to meet the blows outright which meant dodging was the best option except they were too quick. Having only fought with wooden swords before, the additional weight of a steel sword slowed her down as well. One slash of the Ra'zac's sword caught her on the side. She gasped in pain and turned, raising Zar'roc for the next onslaught.

Deflecting a third blow at an awkward angle caused her to cry out as the force of it sent a shockwave of pain up her arm. A loud roar sounded, and a thud came from right next to her as Volund landed at her side. A snap of teeth and slashing of claws had the Ra'zac on the defensive. Isabella took a second to catch her breath.

Even Volund was struggling to keep the monster at bay. The Ra'zac was quicker and evaded his attacks. However, it also thankfully failed to land a blow on the black dragon.

The momentary breather allowed her to catalogue her injuries. Aside from a shallow graze on her side, her left wrist was broken. She could tell that much and wielding Zar'roc in her weaker right hand was going to be nigh on impossible against these things. They needed to retreat except there was nowhere to retreat to. She also had no line of sight to Eragon to see how he was doing, and no idea where Garrow was either. As she attempted to re-join the fight, to help Volund, his tail swept out and blocked her path.

A scream from Eragon rent the air. Isabella cried out her cousin's name and tried to make her way towards him, cradling her bad arm to her side, Zar'roc in her right hand. Volund's tail kept her where she was, practically wrapping around her to stop her moving. Before she could yell at him, Saphira roared. The blue dragon had been previously crouched in a defensive position but now she snaked her head out at lightning speed and snapped at the offending Ra'zac. There was an inhuman screech as she tore off an arm.

Spurred on by Saphira's success, Volund attacked with renewed vigour. He landed a glancing blow on the one he was fighting. Slowly but surely, the monsters began to retreat. Volund followed, making sure they actually left while Saphira remained crouched by Eragon. Isabella had finally been released from the black dragon's tail and kept watch, in case one of the Ra'zac managed to get around Volund, but she needn't have worried. He kept them both at bay easily now they were no longer on the offensive.

Once they were definitely gone, Isabella ran to Eragon. There was blood pouring from his legs. She awkwardly struggled to pull his pants down with one hand to inspect the damage. The wound wasn't deep, but it had torn through all of the scabs on his legs from the dragon flight.

"What happened to your arm?" Eragon asked her through gritted teeth. "And where's Garrow?"

"I'm here." Both her and Eragon heaved sighs of reliefs as her father's voice sounded from the other side of Saphira.

"Wrist's broken," she replied. "Those things are bloody strong." Volund reappeared and stared at her arm. Shame radiated from him.

I failed to protect you.

No, you didn't. You and Saphira saved us. If you hadn't been here, we would have been toast.

You are hurt. I swore an oath to protect you. The self-loathing and shame in his voice was something she had never heard from Volund before, and it made her stomach twist uncomfortably. There wasn't a trace of the fury or bloodlust that had been present not a moment ago. His mood swings still confused the hell out of her even after all these months.

You swore an oath to make sure I don't meet the same fate as Selena. I'm alive so you kept your oath. He let out a frustrated snarl, thick grey smoke billowing from his nostrils. Besides, I've had worse than a broken arm. It will heal soon enough. I'm more worried about Brom.

Saphira managed to rip an arm off. I did nothing. Now he sounded almost petulant and a little jealous.

She caught it off guard while it was focused on Eragon. You were half focusing on protect me with your tail and fighting one, she tried to sooth him, patting the scales on his flank with her good hand. She felt a wave of gratefulness, but there was still a mix of anger at himself, shame, concern for her and determination in him. As she spoke with Volund, Garrow patched Eragon up this time and then made a makeshift splint for her arm.

"You need to find Brom and leave," he stated as they staggered back into the farmhouse.

"We can't leave you here alone. What if they come back?" Eragon demanded.

"They won't," Garrow replied confidently. "They know about the dragons now. They will either go straight to the king or try to capture you. It's not me they need now."

"What if they capture you to try to force us to surrender?"

"Then you don't be so foolish."

"Father! You can't expect us to just leave you if they did capture you?" Isabella asked in horror. He fixed his piercing gaze on her. His expression was softer than she had ever seen.

"My sweet Isabella. I have lived for many years. It has been a good life. Yours is just beginning. If you were to save me and end up enslaved to the king for your efforts, you would do me no service. Go and do not look back. Remember my advice to you and the pair of you will take the world by storm."

"Uncle…" Eragon's voice was small and lost. Garrow made to reply, but suddenly his face turned ashen, and he swayed where he stood. "Uncle!"

"Father!"

"I'm fine," Garrow snapped. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. "Get your things and be ready to leave as soon as dawn comes. I believe your dragons have scared them away for the night and Brom said they dislike the sun. It is the best time for you to leave and get a head start." Isabella could tell there would be no arguing with him. Instead, she helped Eragon into his room and onto the bed.

Going to her own room, she flung herself onto the mattress which was now on the floor. Her bed had been broken in the earlier attack. She knew sleep would be a long time coming. The last thing she wanted to do was leave her father, especially unprotected. But, leaving may be the best thing they could do to protect him. If they were seen somewhere else, it would soon reach the Ra'zac that they had left and that there was no reason to return to the farm. While it was possible, they would try to force her and Eragon's hands through kidnapping Garrow, or even Roran, there was nothing they could do to prevent that. Staying would be worse. That didn't stop her being terrified. Where would they even go? It would have to be the Varden. If she ever wanted to be free, Galbatorix could not remain the king.

We will fight Volund stated firmly. But first, we must grow stronger.

Yeah. Once we leave here, Brom will be able to teach us every day instead of only once a week. Maybe we could even visit the elves. She couldn't stop the shiver of excitement at that idea. She'd always hoped elves were real and that she'd be able to meet one.

Sleep Fierce One. Her dragon's mind seemed to suddenly encompass hers rather than simply be touching which was the oddest feeling. A feeling of peace settled over her that she knew wasn't her own, but it helped to quiet her mind. It was all she could do to send her thanks to Volund before exhaustion took her.