Sja Fram [Inheritance Cycle | Eragon Fanfiction]

Chapter XXXI: The Varden

It was late in the morning when Eragon saw the narrow valley and pointed it out to us. The valley was so restricted it could easily be overlooked. The Beartooth River, which Arya had mentioned, flowed out of it. Meanwhile, the distance between the Urgals and us had shrunk to little more than a league – five and a half kilometres.

"If we can slip in there without being seen, it might confuse them."

"It's worth a try," I said.

"But they've followed us easily enough so far," Murtagh added.

As we approached the valley, we passed underneath the knotted branches of the Beor Mountains' forest. The trees were tall, with creviced bark that was almost black, with dull needles of the same colour, and knobby roots that rose like bare knees. Cones littered the ground, each one being of giant size. Green beards of tangled wolfsbane hung from the gnarled branches.

The forest reminded me of the Spine, hostile and dangerous. I could tell Istal had picked up on it, considering he seemed to be suddenly paying much more attention to his surroundings. I smiled, feeling glad to be somewhere that was familiar.

The forest grew thicker the further in we travelled. The lack of space eventually forced Saphira into the air with Arya. Without a clear trail to follow, the thick underbrush slowing us down. The Beartooth River wound next to us, filling the air with the sound of gurgling water. A nearby peak obscured the sun, causing almost no light to get through the thick branches to where we rode.

"The Varden are hidden at the end of this valley," Eragon told Murtagh. "If we hurry, we might get there before nightfall."

Murtagh grunted, "How am I going to get out of here? I don't see any valleys joining this one, and the Urgals are going to hem us in pretty soon. I need an escape route."

"Don't worry about it," Eragon said impatiently. "This is a long valley; there's sure to be an exit further in." He released the elf from Saphira and lifted Arya onto Snowfire. "Watch Arya – I'm going to fly with Saphira. We'll meet you up ahead." The shorter boy scrambled onto Saphira and the dragon took off.

Istal took off at a trot as Tornac did, and I led Snowfire behind us. "Do you know if there's an exit further in?" Murtagh asked.

I paused, tracing Arya's memories. "I'm not sure... Arya's memories don't exactly look around for exits. However, from what I can see... It looks like there aren't any."

Murtagh cursed, "I never should've followed you in here. I could've escaped, Eragon could've flown Arya to the Varden, and you could've been wherever you wanted to be." Murtagh frowned, "How did you even get stuck with Eragon and Brom?"

"I saved them from a bear," I said with a wry grin. "Although, it was probably less saving and more blundering. Nonetheless, I stopped one of them from gaining a grievous injury." Murtagh fell silent after that, and the pair of us rode in grim silence.

Istal halted suddenly with a snort; I jolted in the saddle, jerking into wakefulness. I dismounted with Murtagh, moving forward to see what had the horses so nervous.

I stared at the giant wolf tracks, I swore. Murtagh measured it with his hands. "I really don't want to meet the wolf that made that track," I said. Murtagh nodded in agreement, just in time for Saphira to land in the small field next to us. I looked over to where Eragon was slumped in the saddle. "What's wrong?"

"I made a mistake," Eragon said. "The Urgals have entered the valley. I tried to confuse them, but I forgot one of the rules of magic, and it cost me a great deal."