by Zora Marie
Keller bunched his eyebrows. “Why don’t you use one?”
She patted Bête Noire’s elegant neck, a true trait of an Arabian.
“He hates tack. I use leg pressure and verbal cues. Leg cues are hard to learn as you’ll be more concerned with staying in the saddle and most horses won’t listen to your verbal cues. They’re free spirited creatures and have minds just as you and I do, so they can be tricky. You got lucky with Evergreen and Elm; they accepted you right off the bat without any trials. The horses will try you. You have to be firm to begin with.”
She went on explaining the basics for a while longer. Until Jack showed up with horses and supplies.
He handed each of the boys a lead rope and a heavy pack, then headed to Zelia with a pack for her.
“Take care of yourself now.”
She slung the pack on her back as Eragon and Saria rode up on matching chestnut mares.
“The Elves are going with you?” Jack asked.
“Since we’re all going the same direction, we might as well travel together. Thank you for your help, Jack. The ship is yours, just take care of yourself.”
“Yeah, yeah, you too, little lady.” He gave a dismissive wave as he headed back into the town.
Keller and Kafthry clambered onto the horses’ backs. At least you did one thing right, you two didn’t get on backwards.
Eragon snickered as he watched Keller and Kafthry.
“I take it your friends haven’t ridden before.”
“Not horses anyway.”
Saria’s long red hair shimmered as she turned.
“Then what have they ridden?”
“Dragons, though they’d only been doing that for a couple days.” Eragon and Saria looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, so she continued, “They are from across the sea. I spent some time on Dragon Island. They didn’t really fit in with the other riders so chose to come with me back to the mainland. No worries, we didn’t bring any dragons with us. Now I have a question for the two of you. What has happened here? I always knew the Darkans would spread, but I never thought they would have the numbers to run the Dwarves from their homes.”
“They not only spread from Darkan Territory, but from the Darkan Mountains in the north. Truthfully, we don’t know all that much about what is happening across the mountains. Messenger birds haven’t crossed them in over a month, from any of the kingdoms. King Erolith has grown concerned, which is part of the reason for our going,” Saria said.
Keller and Kafthry finally joined them so they all turned towards the three giant peaks of the Mountains of The Old Ones.
“Then let me tell you what my dreams showed me. The Darkans marching south are at least one hundred thousand strong and I only got snippets of their forces. Everyone from the Kingdom of The Mountains will gather at The Hold. They won’t be able to defend themselves against those numbers. Even with the help of Elyluma. That’s unless I can take at least half of them out.”
“Do what?” Both Saria and Eragon spun around to face her and spoke in unison.
“Have you heard the stories of the girl created by the guild of wizards?”
“I’ve heard rumors, but King Erolith never confirmed anything. Why is that relevant?” Saria replied.
“I am that girl. And I’ll do everything in my power to save Alrindel, even if I’m not as powerful as they wanted me to be.”
Images of Alrindel’s death flashed before her eyes and she gritted her teeth to suppress those thoughts.
“Alrindel? As in Eadon’s son?”
She nodded in reply.
Eragon continued, “Why do you care so much about him?”
“He’s the closest thing I have to kin in this realm. I owe a lot to Alrindel and Eadon. Besides, the images of his death will haunt me until the end of time if I don’t at least try to save him.”
She glanced over her shoulder to Keller and Kafthry. “So, are you two ready to pick up the pace?”
They were both pale as they nodded.
With their okay, Bête Noire quickened his pace to a fast walk. His stride was so long the others had to trot to keep up with him. Keller and Kafthry gripped the horns of the saddles as they bounced around.
They rode until the sky was but a sea of stars, and made camp.
They were close enough that she could feel Kniteoff’s presence as he hibernated deep inside the Mountains of The Old Ones. So Connan was telling the truth.
Keller and Kafthry gathered wood as Eragon and Saria tended the horses. And she wandered off to find something to eat.
It didn’t take her long to find something. She picked big black berries from thorny bushes, using the broad leaves of a Maple tree to keep from staining her tunic as she carried them back to camp.
“How do you know those are safe to eat?” Saria questioned.
“I was raised by Eadon. Trust me, I know what plants are safe to eat.”
Keller and Kafthry puckered their lips when they tossed a tart berry in their mouths.
“I hope everything doesn’t taste like this here.” Keller ran his tongue across his teeth.
“They aren’t quite ripe, they get sweeter with time,” Zelia said.
Eragon and Saria tried to hide their amusement to no avail as they snickered, and their glowing skin made their grins even more evident.
After they all had their fill, Eragon and Saria insisted they take watch that night.
29
When she woke, she climbed up and sat with Eragon as he kept watch from a tree.
“Did you know you stop breathing occasionally when you sleep?”
She nodded as she stared down at the others. “There are a great many things you don’t know about me.”
“Well, if you’d let me, I think I would like to learn more about you.” He turned towards the others. “Should we wake them?”
“The sun will come up soon. So, I guess so.”
“Wake up, little birdies. It’s time to tack up the horses,” Eragon spoke with a silvery voice and jumped out of the tree.
Kafthry sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”
“I don’t care, as long as you keep waking us up so nicely.” Keller elbowed Kafthry. “Come on, Kafthry. Look at the bright side.”
Eragon came up behind Zelia as she threw her rope around Bête Noire’s neck. “Need a lift?”
She looked around briefly for something to use as a step up and when she saw nothing she sighed. “Yeah.”
Eragon picked her up around the waist and set her on Bête Noire’s back. “You know, many people tried riding him, but no one could get near him.”
“He wanted Alrindel to be his rider. I copied his whistle so much when we were little that it just kind of stuck. He thought I was him when he heard it.”
Keller and Kafthry lagged behind, and she offered them a smile.
“I bet the two of you wish you’d stayed behind on Dragon Island.”
“Ha, ha, very funny, can we get going now?”
“Sure, let’s see if you can keep up.” She gave Bête Noire a nudge, and he stretched his legs to gallop ahead of everyone on the trail. “Easy, we have a long ride ahead of us.”
“Just showing them what we can do!” He pushed a little harder but didn’t even strain to thunder up the hill. “Slowpokes!” he called to the other horses from his pedestal atop the hill.
“Show off.” The others scoffed between heavy breaths.
“You know you love me for it!” he lowered his head and munched on the grass while waiting for the others.
Keller and Kafthry held on for dear life as their horses galloped after the Elves. When they reached the top of the hill, they were as pale as ghosts.
“I think I prefer dragons,” Keller spoke with a wobbly voice.
Zelia chuckled to herself. “I’m not sure about that. Bête Noire is a much smoother ride than Raven ever was.”
Eragon’s curiosity stirred. “Why did you go to sea in the first place?”
�
�I didn’t plan to go there, I just kind of ended up near Dragon Island. They took me in, much like they did Keller and Kafthry.”
Kafthry chimed in, “Then we went to an island of Fairies and leaf people!”
For a moment, Zelia couldn’t help but shake her head, then she went along with the change of subject.
“They spoke an older language that was thought to be dead. They’re very interesting little beings.”
Eragon and Saria asked her many questions about the dragons, leaf people, and Fairies as they rode. It was about mid-day when a change in the winds cut their conversation short.
“There’s a storm approaching,” Eragon said.
Saria nodded. “Looks like a bad one. We should start looking for shelter soon.”
“There’s only one place left on this side of the mountain is the cave where they found Asenten.” As soon as he said it, Eragon seemed to make the connection. “Are you alright with that?”
Zelia nodded her approval, but she was sure her expression showed how she dreaded returning there. They all followed behind Eragon in silence as none of them had a better suggestion.
A few drops of rain fell as the wind swept through the trees. The horses cantered with an uneasy pace as they weaved between the trees until they stopped in front of a cliff covered in vines and roots.
She paused just outside the entrance and stared into the darkness behind the curtain of leaves. A flash of lightning struck nearby and shook her from her trance. She shuddered then entered.
Inside she saw remnants of her past life. But what bothered her most was the crater in the center of the room and the dried blood across the wall and floor. It was as if the cave was a sealed time capsule, a testament to the horrors she had faced.
Her lungs burned, and she felt as if a fist squeezed her heart as the memory of that night flashed before her eyes. She leaned against the cool cave wall as her chest constricted, her ribs pushing against the metal plate. She was about to double over in pain when Eragon’s hand rested on her shoulder.
“You’re not alone here.”
Keller gasped when he saw the crater and dried blood. She had told him a little about this place, but she always glossed over what had happened here.
“Are you okay?” Keller asked, kneeling beside her.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath.
“I’m fine.”
She put on a brave face for Keller and Kafthry. She might appear younger than they do, but they looked to her for guidance.
“A little help here?” Saria called.
With a light squeeze of her shoulder, Eragon hurried out. Keller and Kafthry set up their little camp, while Eragon and Saria led the horses in and untacked them.
Zelia sat closest to the entrance with her back against the wall and stared at the crater. That day kept replaying through her mind.
“Zelia is coming with us, release her now,” Yargo demanded as he stood between her and the wizard.
“Never,” Asenten spat as he raised his staff and chanted, “Fe father en dais lath en thesinos.”
“No!” she screamed and jumped from behind Yargo. Everything seemed to slow as Asenten’s staff slammed on the ground and she threw a wall of ice in front of Yargo and his two warriors. A blast of fire, metal, and rock caught her and threw her through the air. She landed with a sickening crunch against the far wall.
Metal clanged, then silence hung as she lay crushed, her heart thudding against the cold stone beneath her.
“My lord Yargo…” Gaeru’s voice bounced in the cave and in her ears.
A gentle hand turned her over and cradled her limp body close. Her eyes flashed open to see that Yargo held her.
“Plea... please, don’t leave me,” she begged, through ragged and choked breaths.
Her friends shifted to steal a glance at her, and their movement brought her back for a moment. Outside they could hear rain as the wind whipped by. Then the crashing sound of thunder shook them.
Everyone but Zelia jumped. She just sat there until the sound of thunder quit reverberating through the cave. Then she leaned her head back against the cave wall.
Eragon finished tying the horses up so they couldn’t bolt during the storm and sat next to her. His usual Elfish demeanor was replaced with one of compassion and understanding. Even his Elven glow had dimmed to match her emotions.
“We’re here for you if you need us.”
She let out a deep breath and leaned against Eragon. She might have just met him, but she needed someone, anyone to lean on.
Eragon wrapped his arm around her and sat unmoving, becoming a steady warm presence for her to cling to.
It was a while before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Neither one of them ate that night, and the others divided watch amongst themselves.
Sleep wasn’t much better than being awake for her. As once again her mind dragged her through the past.
“Do it!” Asenten demanded.
“No, she’s just a child. I’ve done everything you’ve asked, but I won’t torture her, not like that.”
“Fine, then you can watch.”
He drove a blade through Zelia’s shoulder and into the cave wall. Her eyes watered, but she didn’t let out so much as a gasp as she stared into the flames that seemed to glow behind his eyes.
“No looking away or I’ll bring another for you to watch.”
He patted her check and turned back to the girl he had tied and gagged in the corner.
Once he had tied the struggling girl down, he removed her gag and she screamed, begging for her life. Asenten took no heed of her pleas and began to pick her apart, piece by piece.
“Enough,” Zelia yelled over the girl’s screams, she couldn’t take it anymore.
“What are you going to do about it?” Asenten mused.
“This.”
She clenched her fists and made ice shoot across the cave, ending the girl’s life in an instant. She drove spikes of ice at Asenten, knowing full and well the spells would give her all his injuries, all his pain. But he moved at the last second, and they only hit his side and shoulder.
Her heart pounded in her ears as she shot upright, choking down a scream.
“Zelia?” Eragon asked.
No, I can’t, not here. She ran past Saria and out into the storm. She didn’t make it far before she collapsed against a charred stump. Lightning struck all around her, her hair bristled with electricity, but she sat unmoving in the pouring rain. Her ribs burned as they tried to move with her rapid breaths and raindrops froze mid splash all around her.
She was drenched yet covered in ice when Eragon pulled her into his arms without waiting for her approval. She crumbled in his arms, and, for the first time in centuries, she let herself cry. It wasn’t just a cry of pain but rather of turmoil from centuries of pent-up emotions. The ice no longer spread; her emotions finally being released outside her powers.
The storm raging around them drowned out the sound of her sobbing. She buried her face in the crook of his neck with her arms pulled tight against her chest.
The rain lightened as one last tear ran down her face, and she sat back.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her rain-soaked hand.
“Thank you, Eragon.”
Eragon hugged her once more.
“Anytime, Zelia.” He sat back and continued, “Now, we should go dry off. As soon as I figure out what way the cave is.”
She wiped her eyes one more time as she took his hand and led him through the trees.
Saria looked them over when they entered. “You guys look like drowned rats.”
She forced a smile at Saria’s joke.
“Here, I can fix that.”
She waved her hand over Eragon and then herself. Eragon looked down at himself; he wasn’t even damp, but there was now a small pile of snowflakes around their feet.
“Uh, thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do.”
30
“Are you always up this early?”
“Yes. Here, come with me. I want to show you something that I noticed last night.”
She waved for him to follow her as she passed through the vines.
A dense fog rose from the ground, wet from the previous night’s rain. She slipped around the edge of the cave. Above the cave entrance stood a huge hedge tree, the roots draped around the opening as if they were loose tug ropes strung out to dry.
Zelia climbed up the tree and Eragon followed her until he came up beside her. They were well above all the surrounding trees and could see a long way off.
They sat there in the top of that tree, watching as the sun broke atop the peaks of the Faithful Mountains far in the distance. The fog lit up with a golden glow to match the sky. Specks of red and green treetops broke through the fog here and there.
She flashed Eragon a smile and slipped from the tree. She craned her head back to see that his glow had faded with his heart in his throat. Then, with a deep breath, he gathered his wits and followed suit. He was as graceful in the trees as any elf she had ever seen.
He smiled when he landed beside her.
“Are you sure you aren’t an elf?”
She swept her hair behind her ear.
“I wish.” She watched as wheels turned behind Eragon’s eyes. Just what are you thinking?
“Come on. We need to get going,” Saria called up and interrupted their thoughts.
Zelia turned from Eragon and jumped from above the cave onto Bête Noire’s back.
Kafthry tossed Zelia her pack and climbed onto his horse. Both he and Keller had gotten better at getting on their horses, even if they waddled around anytime they were back on foot.
Once they were saddled up, they headed out.
“You know, you never said what your orders were if the war was already upon them when you got there.”
“They did not give us orders for that,” Saria replied. “They only sent us to be their eyes and ears.”
