A Second Rider? (Eragon X Reader) [Book 1]

Chapter 43 (pt1)

(Y/N) POV

   I woke up by a dwarf talking to Eragon. "Argetlam, you have to come! Big trouble - Ajihad has requested you. No time to lose!" "What's going on?", Eragon asked the dwarf. He only shook his head. "Go, you have to! Carkna bragha! Now!" I went to see Eragon and Saphira when I started to hear them leaving. Eragon had just put on her saddle. "Do you want a ride down?" "Gladly." We climbed up on her back and flew down.
Orik was waiting when we landed. "The others are waiting, come on." I saw Eragon and Saphira disappear with Orik.

Eragon (POV)

Orik led us through Tronjheim into Ajihad's library. I tried to ask him questions the whole way, but he just said: "I don't know that much myself - wait until you talk to Ajihad." The door was opened by a pair of guards. Ajihad stood behind his desk and looked at a map. Arya and a muscular man were also standing in the room. Ajihad looked up. "It's good that you're here, Eragon. This is my right-hand man Jörmundur." We greeted each other and then listened to Ajihad. "I had the five of you awoken since we are all in great danger. There was a dwarf who came out from one of the abandoned tunnels below Tronjheim about half an hour ago. He was bleeding very much and was talking nonsense, but was sane enough to tell the dwarves what he was running from: an army of urgals, maybe a days march away from here." An ominous silence was over the library. Jörmundur suddenly exploded into profanities and started asking questions the same time as Orik. Arya remained silent. Ajihad put up his hands. "Silence! There's more. The urgals aren't coming from above the ground, but from below it. They are inside the tunnels... we are being attacked from below." I tried to speak over all of the sounds. "Why didn't the dwarves know about this until now? How could the urgals find the tunnels?" "We can be glad that we found out about it so soon!" Orik shouted. Everyone became quiet to listen to him. "There are hundreds of tunnels that go through the Beor Mountains, uninhabited since the day they were built. The only dwarves who use it are odd ones who want to be by themselves. We could have been left with not knowing at all." Ajihad pointed at the map and I moved closer. It was a map of the south part of Alagaësa, but it was different from mine since it showed all of the Beor Mountains in detail. Ajihad's finger was pointed at the part of the mountains that was by Surda's east border. "The dwarf claims that he came from here", he said. " Orthíad!" Orik said. Jörmundur gave him a look of confusion. Orik explained: "It is one of our ancient settlements that was abandoned when Tronjheim was finished. At that time it was our biggest city. But no one has lived there for hundreds of years." "And it is so old that a few of the tunnels have collapsed", Ajihad said. " We assume that that's how they discovered them from above the ground. I suspect that Orthíad is now called Itrhö Zhâda. The column of urgals that followed Eragon and Saphira were probably on their way there, and I am sure that that's where the urgals have been moving all year. They can go wherever they want in the Beor Mountains from Itrhö Zhâda. That gives them the power to destroy both the Varden as well as the dwarves." Jörmundur leaned over the map and looked at it carefully. "Do you know how many urgals there are? Do they have Galbatorix's troops with them? We cannot make a plan for the defense until we know how big their army is." Ajihad answered unhappily: "Even if our lives depend on these questions we are not sure of the answers. We won't stand a chance if Galbatorix has expanded the urgal army with his own. But we could have a chance if he refrained from doing so, if it is for the reason that he doesn't want to reveal his alliance with the urgals, or for some other reason. Neither Orrin nor the elves will be able to help us in time. Even so, we have sent messages to both of them with news about our situation. At least they won't be taken by surprise if we fall." He dragged his hand over his forehead. "I have already talked with Hrothgar, and we have decided what to do. Our only hope is that we succeed in keeping the urgals in three of the bigger tunnels and lead them out to Farthen Dûr, so they don't hop around like grasshoppers in Tronjheim. Eragon and Arya, I need you to help the dwarves to demolish the rest of the tunnels. It's a difficult task. Two groups of dwarves have already started: one outside Tronjheim and one below the city. You will work with the group outside of the city, Eragon. You will help the group below the ground, Arya. Orik will show you the way." "Why don't we just demolish all of the tunnels instead of keeping the biggest ones?" I asked. "Since that would force the urgals to clear away the gravel heaps, and then they could go on a path that we do not want them on. They could also attack other dwarf cities if they are cut off from us – and we wouldn't be able to help them in time." "There is another reason", Ajihad said. " Hrothgar warned me that the maze of tunnels are so close to one another that parts of the city could collapse on itself if too many tunnels are weakened. That is a risk we cannot take." Jörmundur listened closely and said: "So there will be no battles inside Tronjheim? You said that we would lead the urgals outside of the city, to Farthen Dûr." "That's right", Ajihad said without hesitating. "Our troops won't be enough to defend all of Tronjheim, the city is too big, so we close off all of the gates and aisles that leads to it. That will force the urgals out to the plain outside of Tronjheim, where our troops will have a lot of leeway. We can not risk a longer battle, since the urgals have access to the tunnels. As long as they stay here, there is a risk that they will dig through the floor of Tronjheim. We would be stuck in a trap if that happened, being attacked from below and from inside at the same time. We must stop the urgals from taking Tronjheim. It's most likely that we won't have the strength to defeat them if they take the city." "And what about our families?" Jörmundur asked. "I won't let my wife and son get murdered by urgals." A jihad furrowed his eyebrows. "All the women and children will be evacuated to the valleys close by. If we are defeated there will be guides to lead them to Surda. Considering the seriousness of the situation, this is all I can do. " Jörmundur looked relieved. "Will Nasuada also leave, my lord?" "Yes she will, even if she isn't happy about it." Ajihad stood up straight and looked at us. "It's just a question of hours before the urgals are here. We know that their number is large, but we have to defend Farthen Dûr. If we lose, that will the end for the dwarves and the death of the Varden – maybe also the fall of Surda and the elves. This is a battle that we cannot lose. Now go and fulfill your tasks! Prepare the men for battle, Jörmundur."

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