To The Lands Beyond (An Eragon Fanfiction)

The Hadarac Desert

Fírnen climbed a few hundred feet higher in order to escape the dust storm that had sprung up while they were flying, the mid-morning sun blazing hot against his back. There were not many birds in the sky above the desert, so they were relatively alone. 

Arya allowed herself to relax a little once he leveled out, focusing her mind on making sure they were going the right way. A map of Alagaësia was tucked in Fírnen's saddle bags snugly at all times, unless it was in her hand for reference. He mostly knew where they needed to go, but it was always good to double check. 

Turn a few degrees to the left; you're heading for the spot I showed you to the left of the city, not the city itself, she informed him, rolling the map and letting him avert his course.  

Her arms hung down his back relaxedly. She let out a sigh as she stared down at the vast expanses of sand billowed up in a frenzy by the sandstorm, the monotonousness of the desert taking away all the previous pleasure she had gotten out of gazing out at the vast green expanse below them as they zoomed past. 

She fell to conversing with Fírnen about various things, and both dragon and rider welcomed their newfound source of entertainment; riding and flying could both be immensely entertaining and enjoyable, but they found that this was not the case in the oppressive heat of the Hadarac. 

I don't know how anyone can stand to live here, especially those two-legs that make camps everywhere, he commented, referring to the many nomadic villages of humans and urgals they came across time after time in the middle of the desert. 

Their path curved around the center of the desert, making sure the forest of Du Weldenvarden was always in sight on their right, making sure they did not penetrate too deeply into the vast expanse of sand and dust. It lengthened their trip far more than they would have liked, but it was a necessary precaution. 

Fírnen's wings were already much more powerful than Saphira's had been at this size, something he used to his full advantage. He beat the air with powerful strokes that cut through the air with impunity and it seemed as if he had nothing on his back to Arya, who had quite gotten use to Saphira's speed. 

Noon passed them by uneventfully, she munching on some bread and apples supplemented with a swig of water from one of her canteens. 

Fírnen was content to keep on flying, for he was not feeling extremely hungry after having eaten an entire deer for breakfast, and could just as easily catch multiple small critters in the desert, or even a goat if he got lucky. 

The blankness of the desert was dotted with few vegetative plants, very few and far in between; it would take an entire day's search to find enough food for a simple meal, one of the main reasons for which Arya made sure to pack enough food to last them a few days more than expected. 

Do you think we should go ahead and rest for the night? I can already see trees on the horizon, and we should be able to reach Bullridge by midnoon tomorrow if all goes well, Fírnen suggested, veering away from a dark spot on the ground that probably meant a tribe of urgals or humans; they had seen many of these dotting the landscape, and did not wish to get into a skirmish with one of them. 

I think that sounds about right; I think I can see Bullridge from here, but I am not sure. At the rate we're going, we may even get there before noon, if we don't sleep in too much, she agreed with him, already on the lookout for a suitable place to sleep for the both of them. 

They settled upon a broad valley snugly fitted in between two very large sand dunes and Fírnen angled his wings down slightly to swoop down on top of the dune on the right. 

I think we should be able to reach Bullridge by tomorrow morning, but can we just stay there for a day before moving on to Illirea? Fírnen wondered as he landed, his feet sinking deeply into the sand. 

He pulled each foot out separately, kicking the sand off as Arya answered him. 

In my letter to Eragon, if he ever received it, I told him to meet me at that spot I mentioned by tomorrow noon; if we made him wait another day, he might not be there. And I do not want to have to go searching for him, she informed him. 

I understand, he told her, going off in search of some food past the dunes that surrounded their little alcove. 

Arya set to work making her food, setting out a mat to hold her supper and setting a canteen to the side as she procured some vegetables for herself. 

A small lizard scurried down the sand dune to her right and jumped over the other dune with a surprising leap, soaring a few feet above it. 

She shook her head in amazement and cleared her food after having eaten, still waiting on Fírnen to finish the goat he found roaming the desert from where it had escaped an urgal camp. 

The two of them settled in the dune for the night, listening to the howl of the wind as it threw sand up and over them, curling over the dunes all around them. He drew his wings around her as the temperature dropped considerably, and they fell asleep relatively quickly, readying their bodies for the long day ahead. 

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