Age of the Dragon 1: Return of the Riders

Chapter 10

As morning arrived, Fallyn was feeling tired. Having had little sleep the previous day, and none all night, she was reaching her limit. But with no saddle, and no time to stop, there wasn't much choice. At some point, she felt a hand touch her shoulder as her head nodded. She looked over to see a concerned look on Murtagh's face.

"When last did you sleep?" he questioned.

"The last time we stopped," she answered truthfully.

He shifted on his saddle and waved her over. Cocking an eyebrow, she tipped her head at him.

"You need sleep," he said firmly, and she sighed heavily, accepting his arm as she swung over onto Tornac's back.

Clathus snorted, nipping at Murtagh.

"Jealous, isn't he?" Murtagh snorted.

"So it would seem," she chuckled, leaning her head back against Murtagh's shoulder and closing her eyes.

When she next awoke, it was to Murtagh moving behind her. She lifted her head, as he carefully climbed off.

"We're stopping?" she questioned.

"Saphira needs to eat something," Eragon explained while Murtagh helped him tie Arya to Snowfire's saddle.

Fallyn touched Clathus's head and the horse threw his head, but grudgingly trotted over to Eragon and nudged him.

"Clathus will let you ride him while we wait for Saphira to return," she said.

Eragon nodded gratefully and climbed up onto the black stallion's back. The horse flicked his ears back, baring his teeth with an annoyed whinny, but did not try to throw the boy off.

Eragon rode close enough to Snowfire to keep Arya from falling off, and Murtagh climbed back on behind her.

It seemed the boys were not speaking at this point.

After an hour of riding, they stopped at a pond for the horses to drink, Eragon sitting nearby while Fallyn stretched her legs. Murtagh suddenly drew his sword, and Fallyn returned to Clathus's side, swinging up onto his back as she grasped the hilt of her sword. On a hill in the distance, a group of horsemen could be seen.

"Could they be Varden?" Murtagh questioned.

"No," Fallyn said, gripping the hilt tightly. "We're still too far away."

"A patrol, or raiding group?" Eragon suggested.

Fallyn shook her head again.

"Should we try outrun them?" Eragon said, throwing a blanket over Arya while Fallyn pulled her hood back on.

"Won't do any good," Murtagh said. "Tornac and Snowfire are excellent warhorses, but they're not built for speed. Clathus might be, but like our horses, he's also tired."

"Best tell Saphira to hurry back," Fallyn said. "If they have something important to say, it couldn't hurt to have her in range if things turn foul."

"We also have magic if we need to frighten them," Eragon said lowly. "I wonder how they would react to a Rider or two? So many stories have been told about their powers... it might be enough to avoid a fight."

"Don't count on it," Murtagh said flatly. "If there's a fight, we'll just have to kill enough of them to convince them we're not worth the trouble."

The leader signalled his men and the horses started streaming down towards them. The ragtag group circled around them, and Fallyn carefully shifted her cloak so it would hide her sword, though it left her hunched somewhat over Clathus's neck. The horse stomped nervously, as the men trained their arrows on Eragon and Murtagh - who were obviously armed.