Curse of the Phoenix

Ch.70 -The Road Less Traveled

Iara~

The flight was quite longer than expected. So, just as I had been all those years ago, I was bored. Memories of when I was young filled my head, and I remembered the dragon Marumen and I had built out of snow...

Iceclaw..his name was Iceclaw..

Iara what are you thinking about? Grimm asked.

Oh Grimm...the memories..when I was little...how long it's been..it's amazing..

It's not that long. Eleven years is nothing compared to how old we'll grow to be. And just think, I would have been as big as I am now, eventually.

I would be old..

Eragon is..how many years older than you....twenty nine?

Yes...twenty nine.

He has been around that much longer than you, and still has quite a way to go. Do not fret over the future, it will only disappoint you when the time actually arrives. Just enjoy living in the now.

That is probably the wisest thing I have ever heard you say.

It's not that wise...It's just telling you the truth when you can't see it.

Then that's the trick to wisdom?

Apparently.

I snorted and looked back up. We were in a rush, and everyone was flying a bit fast. Everyone knew where we were going, so it's not like we had to stay together.

We had just reached the shore, and Narda was visible, barely, far down the shoreline. The Spine towered above everything else, it's peaks only hazy bumps from this far away. If we were only to The Spine...how long would it be until we made it to the capitol? Another five days? Maybe four?

It had taken all day to get here, over the ocean.

We made camp in the shadow of The Spine, the mountain range lining the eastern edge of Alagaesia. Snow still crowned it's peaks, and from here we could see the few pine trees that clung to it's higher slopes.

We hardly needed a fire, and the dragons were able to scrape away what little snow remained. So, of course, we were left with nothing to do.

And, again, of course Marumen would be the one to start something.

He snuck up behind Luke and shoved a handful of snow down his shirt. It wasn't even powdery, due to springtime arriving soon, it was wet and sticky.

"Hey! Marumen!" He shrieked. He jumped to his feet and danced around, while Marumen was struggling to breathe through his laughter.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Hey, you have to admit, it was hilarious!"

"He's going to get you.." I warned. Alarm crossed his face as he looked at Luke. Luke just smirked before getting to his feet, then Marumen bolted.

I glanced at the snow, before idly shaping a small building out of the snow. When darkness came we built a small fire, before falling asleep.

Come morning we buried the remains of the fire, before having a small bit of bread and then starting the journey again.

The Spine was extremely high, so we had to detour a few miles north and fly through a natural pass. Wooly goats and deer fled at the sight of the dragons.

We went out of our way to fly above Carvahall, a small town in Palancar Valley. Eragon had been from there, so that night was where we stayed.

His cousin, Roran, and his wife Katrina along with their daughter Ismira, welcomed us with smiles and open arms. Ismira seemed even older than me, she was twenty, married and currently expecting.

The children of Carvahall were amazed by the dragons, they had never seen anything like them. Well, except for the children who had seen Saphira, yet they were all grown up and had families.

It bothered me how much older Roran looked than Eragon. His head was graced with grey hairs, and Eragon was only a few years younger, yet he seemed as if he was born in another decade.

Is this one of the drawbacks of living forever? An undying flower..left to watch the other buds wilt and die?..

We stayed for another day, resting up while Eragon took the time to catch up with old friends.

The next morning we were off again, and we continued our journey southeast. We passed over a few different towns that dotted the plain. That night we stayed in a city known as Gil'Ead. It seemed to bring back memories to all three of our elder riders.

They recounted a tale that sounded quite risky. I laughed at the part where Murtagh broke in.

"I can't imagine you with a beard, fake or not." Dru said, laughing. 

"Hey, at least you didn't have to see the Shade."

"What's a Shade?" I asked. Arya looked at Eragon.

"What? I never thought to tell her." Arya just sighed.

"You better explain then. It might help someday."

"Iara, a Shade is created when a sorcerer summons spirits and is unable to control them. The spirits, they take possession of the body and usually wreak havok before they're killed."

"Are the spirits human souls?"

"No. We don't even know what happens to a human soul. They definitely aren't human."

"Then how do you kill them?"

"A blade to the heart does the trick."

"There's a reason Eragon is known as Shadeslayer to many people." Murtagh said.

"What!" Dru said. "Eragon, you killed a Shade?"

"I did." It seemed to quite impress Dru and the others...

"Which is why, if you ever see a Shade, you go in the opposite direction, Rider.or not. It's extremely risky and could get you killed."

The morning after that we resumed our journey, now angling south towards Ilirea, once known as Uru'Baen. The capitol..our father's seat of power.