Omnivore

The Contract

Murtagh checked Brom's wound before covering it up. The wound wasn't healing and it didn't look good; in fact it looked fatal. There was nothing he could do. With a defeated sigh , Murtagh sat in front of the fire he had built to keep warm, in the centre of the cave. He could feel the sapphire dragon watching him carefully but he chose to ignore it; it wasn't like he could stop it anyway.

A violent coughing fit caught both Murtagh and the dragons attention. Ignoring the dragon, Murtagh moved to Brom's side and helped him to sip some water.
"Morzansson, is that you? I thought you were in Uru'baen?" Croaked Brom.
"I ran away," replied Murtagh simply and without emotion, giving nothing away.
"I'm glad you're here."
"Why?!" Asked Murtagh, shocked by Brom's admission. Brom didn't answer, instead he asked,
"Eragon?"
"He's still unconscious," answered Murtagh assuming the boy curled by the dragon was Eragon. He watched the old man carefully as he reached into his shirt pocket. Pulling out a folded piece of paper, he handed it to Murtagh. Not immediately looking at it and with the eyes of the dragon boring into him, he gave Brom a questioning look.
"A deal with the Devil," said Brom in response. Murtagh could hear the deep regret and sorrow in the old man's voice. Opening it he read,

"I'll stop hunting them, if you stop hunting me

For as long as we both shall live

Till death do us part

If you agree to my terms put a notice on the board in the centre of the City."

Murtagh re-read the note to make sure he had read it right. There could be no doubt as to what it said, so he turned his attention to the symbol at the bottom of the note. He starred hard at the symbol hoping it would disappear. It was a symbol he knew well; it haunted his nightmares.
"This is a contract," said Murtagh quietly, looking accusingly at Brom before adding,
"You made a contract with The Reaper?"
"I had to! You know as well as I do that we weren't close to finding him. If it didn't work I could re-open the investigation; I waited six weeks before I left. But it worked, the killing stopped," said Brom desperately.
"We'd have caught a brake eventually," insisted Murtagh.
"How many people would have died whilst we waited for that break?" Growled Brom, looking hard at Murtagh.
"We don't get to make that choice," said Murtagh gently, before adding a bit more forcefully,
"We don't let them get away with it."
"Then perhaps you can do what I could not," said Brom gently as he appraised Murtagh, who gave him a questioning look.
"The contract is about to expire. I probably won't last the night. You have to catch him," said Brom before closing his eyes in pain.
"Why me? And do you really think he'll start killing again?" Asked Murtagh, who could feel a knot forming in his stomach.
"He's been waiting for this. I can feel him watching me and when I die, he'll kill again."
"So you want me to return to Uru'baen?" Asked Murtagh angrily. He had just escaped and now the old fool wanted him to go back? Was he insane?
"No, he won't go back to the capital, he'll go somewhere where he can cause the most fear, somewhere where people live safe and in freedom..."
"...The Varden," finished Murtagh and if he knew The Reaper like he believed he did, then he probably already knew where the Varden was; knowledge he had no doubt obtained by brutal means. Looking at Brom, Murtagh could tell he had already realized this. The Reaper was simply waiting for Brom to die.
"I'll do all I can to catch The Reaper, I swear," promised Murtagh. Brom nodded and gently folded Murtagh's fingers over the paper.
"Keep it as a reminder, so you don't make my mistake," said Brom before closing his eyes.

Putting the paper into his pocket, Murtagh left Brom to rest and resumed his place at the fire, waiting for the young Rider to wake and trying to ignore the disconcerting feeling of being watched.