Chapter 17: Fight and Flight
The squeezing sensation of apparition blanketed Harry as he pushed his way through the very fabric of space to reach the cabin. He emerged with a crack to find an enormous blue dragon, concernedly watching over Eragon floating in the pool.
Harry sprinted over. "I don't know your name dragon, but I swear I shall only heal your rider." The dragon growled warningly, baring her fearsome teeth. Already the beast was twice the size of a horse, sapphire scales glittering in the moonlight. Her blue eyes had a faintly crazed look about them, though it was overshadowed by concern for her rider. A mosaic mermaid concernedly peered at Eragon's legs from the pool's wall, pointing at something Harry couldn't see. He spotted tracts of smeared blood on the dragon's scaly back, up by the crook of her neck where he expected a rider would sit.
Harry gingerly extracted Eragon from the pool where he moaned unconsciously. The dragon gave another warning growl, but he pacified her with calming gestures and promises that he meant no harm. The inside of the young rider's legs was a mess. The skin had been flayed straight off through the leather pants by the dragoness's razor sharp scales. He must be in a lot of pain.
"I just need to see where he's wounded," Harry reassured the dragon. "He rode you bareback, did he not?"
The dragon looked guilty. Tracing the wound with his holly wand, Harry chanted the skin-knitting charm, sealing the skin quickly and hopefully whatever shallow muscular damage had been done. The worst of it was on his thighs and around his knees where Eragon must have clenched the dragon with his knees, fearful of falling off.
Harry summoned a blood-replenishing vial from downstairs, tapping his hands impatiently waiting for the potion to fly out. The dragon's eyes narrowed at the sight of blatant magic. Suddenly, a presence touched his mind, large and female.
"If you harm my rider, The old man and young woman will not find enough of you to bury."
"How did you think I healed his legs, by praying hard? Just because I can use magic doesn't mean I'm evil. Now why the hell did Eragon decide to ride his dragon without a saddle or any protection on the very night he suspected his farm would be attacked!" Harry demanded, forcing the potion down the rider's throat. He massaged the boy's adams apple, forcing him to swallow. As color returned to his cheeks, Harry rounded on the dragon. "What is your name?"
"Saphira."
"Saphira, did you see anyone approaching the farm when you left?"
"The egg-breakers, two cloaked men. I will protect my bonded." Saphira's voice was uncompromising.
"So be it. You can deal with Eragon when he wakes up, I have to go keep your rider's uncle from being killed." The wizard urgently twisted through space and arrived just outside Garrow's barn.
It was too dark to make anything definitive out. Cloaks billowed and occasional flashes of moonlight glinted off the flurry of swords. Harry spotted Brom's white hair, the man wielding the sword whose pommel he had seen earlier that night. It was an odd iridescent red color, speeding through the air too quick for Harry to track. His vaunted seeker skills could read the situation. Likewise, Arya's leaf-shaped blade engaged the Ra'zac's partner, furiously defending and attacking with equal vigor.
The combatants moved so quickly Harry could not fire a spell for fear it might strike an ally. Brom's assailant let out a victorious screech, plunging its steel blade into the old man's side. Brom shouted in pain but tried to continue the fight. The creature's head bobbed forwards and bit the old man's shoulder, strange double jointed legs sweeping the storyteller off his feet. He sprawled in the grass, bleeding profusely. The second Ra'zac spied Arya holding her own and hesitated. It wanted to help its pair, but instead whirled towards the house. Harry gave chase, but its speed was too great. In scant seconds the door was ajar, swinging outwards in the creature's wake.
The interior was dark, yet Garrow was obviously up. The clatter of steel on steel sword fighting had woken the older man. He grunted desperately, then shouted in pain. Seconds after, a dreadful scream emanated from the house. Harry sprinted across the lawn, hurtling up the porch and into the house. The Ra'zac was crouched over Garrow, a long curved cruel beak slurping greedily from the man's neck. All over his body Harry spotted a black substance like crude oil, yet even more reflective. The old man was writhing and screaming desperately as if under the Cruciatus Curse.
Harry brought up his wand in fury, his anger so great the tip of the Elder wand shook. "AVADA KEDAVRA!" he screamed. The bolt of green sped towards the creature, who instantly leapt backwards, crashing against a shelf. Where Garrow's bed had been, up against a window, was empty. The man had tried to barricade the doorway. A pitchfork with bloody handprints on its handle lay discarded on the ground in a pool of steadily growing arterial blood.
Harry narrowed his eyes and dashed into the room, intent upon finishing the creature. "Avada Kedavra!" He cried again. Again, the creature displayed inhuman speed, twisting out of the way of the jet of green light, leaping to his feet. It leapt out the window, crashing through the shutters and onto the ground below. Harry sprinted across the room, intent upon finishing the murderer when he placed a foot in the enormous pool of blood gushing from Garrow's neck.
He screamed in frustration as a black cloak billowed in the night, dashing faster than Harry could follow towards the treeline. Harry fell hard onto the ground, his foot slipping and kicking Garrow's head. The old man made some feeble grasping motion with his hand, breathing wetly. Blood poured out the corner of his lip. Tortured muscles contracted desperately, causing him to contort in agony. Whatever the liquid poured over him, it was clearly unbearable. Harry knew Garrow had lost too much blood to live. His carotid artery was severed by serrated beaks. All Harry could do was stop the torture.
"Avada Kedavra."
The green light sank into his frail body, and Garrow instantly relaxed. Harry hung his head out of the window and threw up.
Arya swiftly entered the room. She had a couple bad cuts, one along her cheek, and two nearly parallel ones on her right bicep, but otherwise the elf was no worse for wear. Her green eyes darted across the room, lingering briefly on Garrow's body. Suddenly a roar shook the night.
The treeline lit up blue, turning darkness into an eerie sort of blue moon night. Another roar sounded, then the flapping of enormous wings. The ground shook as Saphira landed heavily outside the house.
She crushed the roof over Garrow's room, batting aside the flimsy wooden walls with her paws. Snarling, she projected her thoughts to them.
"The egg breakers got away." It didn't look like it to Harry. Her ivory talons and fangs were stained with a blackish blood, darker and more foul looking than urgals. Arya gasped and laid her hands on Saphira. Her left wing had a deep wound running from where the wing joined the body, all the way through the thick muscles which controlled her wings down to the flight membrane. Hot red blood pooled on the ground beneath her. Saphira's breaths were laborious and her chest heaved painfully.
"You will take care of my rider, wizard. Go. I shall join you in time on foot."
Harry wanted to heal Saphira, but the murderous look in her eyes stayed his hand. "Saphira and Eragon showed up at the cabin tonight. Eragon tried to ride her without a saddle and ripped up his legs. I will make sure he is okay."
Arya's face was frightening. It was the visage of a third degree murderer. She was coldly planning how best to painfully slaughter the Ra'zac for the offense of harming Saphira. During the fight her human glamors had faded, exposing her sharp and dangerously beautiful face to the moonlight.
"Brom, grab the circlet from Horst's forge but nothing else, and pack your house up. I moved everything from the big room into the tent. All you have to do is say 'Deconvenire' and it will instantly pack up with everything in it. I tied the space expansion charm to a glass bead atop the doorframe. Crush it underfoot once the room is empty and it will collapse back to normal." Harry rapidly ordered before slipping back into the space between space.
He emerged by the pool where Eragon had sat up, his eyes frantically flickering around. He jerked at the crack which heralded Harry's arrival, locking onto the wizard instantly. "Where's Saphira!"
Harry helped the rider to his feet. "Back at the farm."
"Is she okay? And Uncle Garrow?" he demanded.
Harry hesitated. "Grab my arm." Eragon looked like he wanted to demand answers, but obliged anyway. Though his hands were clammy, his grip was firm and Harry pulled them through apparition, emerging at the farm with a deafening crack which echoed throughout the valley. Harry winced at the sound. Arya looked angrily at him. "I couldn't twirl him while injured to reduce the noise."
The elf's brows were furrowed in anger. "We need to leave, now. Carvahall will have certainly heard everything. Look!" she pointed a graceful finger towards the trail where torches bobbed towards them in the hands of the townsfolk. The village was looking for them.
Suddenly Brom popped up, panting, the tent slung over his shoulder. Harry looked over the group. Saphira was too injured to fly, Brom was completely out of breath, a bite wound on his shoulder and a stab wound in his side. Arya was still bleeding, and Eragon could barely walk. "Back away and gather close," Harry ordered. The group did so, though Eragon and Saphira were unsure why.
"Incendio!" Plumes of fire enveloped the farmhouse, catching the whole place ablaze instantly. Eragon cried out in anger. He tried to leap at Harry, but Brom held him back with a steel grip.
"You have a reason for that, boy?" Brom asked accusatory.
Harry nodded darkly. "There was nothing in there worth saving." At his words, Eragon sagged in the old man's arms, sobbing. "We couldn't leave this for the village to discover. Trust me Eragon, this way is better. Garrow would not want you to see him like he was."
The wizard clambered onto Saphira. "I'm sorry, Saphira, but you're the biggest and if there's even a hope of this working, I need maximum contact," he apologized. "The rest of you, grab a tight hold of something."
Arya looped an arm around Brom who did the same with one of Saphira's forelegs. Eragon did the same on the opposite side. "Deep breaths everyone, this is going to be rough," Harry warned.
Tightening his grip around Saphira's scaly neck, Harry drew up all his magic and twisted. A deafening blast echoed through the whole valley as air filled the enormous and instantly vacated space a dragon, four humanoid bodies, eight legs, and seven arms had occupied.
AN: I have written up to chapter 24 at the time of posting this. I admit I intend to stagger them so my story stays at the top of new as long as possible, so do try to be patient. Cheers!
-androidrainbow