Sja Fram [Inheritance Cycle | Eragon Fanfiction]

Chapter XII: Jeod

Chapter XII: Jeod

The houses of Teirm were grim and foreboding. Sparse rays of light were let into the houses through small, deep windows. Narrow doors were entrances into buildings, the tops of the roofs were flat – except for the metal railings – and all were covered in slate shingles. The closer you got to the centre of the city, the higher the buildings got. Those next to the citadel were the tallest, but paled in comparison when compared to the fortress.

"This place looks ready for war," Eragon murmured softly.

Brom nodded. "Teirm has a history of being attacked by pirates, Urgals, and other enemies. It has long been a centre of commerce. There will always be conflict where riches gather in such abundance. The people here have been forced to take extraordinary measures to keep themselves from being overrun. It also helps that Galbatorix gives them soldiers to defend their city."

"Why are some houses higher than others?" I asked.

"Look at the citadel," said Brom, pointing. "It has an unobstructed view of Teirm. If the outer wall were breached, archers would be posted on all the roofs. Because the houses in the front, by the outer wall, are lower, the men farther back can shoot over them without fear of hitting their comrades. Also, if the enemy were to capture those houses and put their own archers there, it would be an easy matter to shoot them down."

"I've never seen a city planned like this," Eragon said in wonder.

"That isn't surprising, this was only done after Teirm was nearly burned down by a pirate raid," Brom said in reply. As we continued up the street, people gave us searching looks but didn't seem overly curious, as they shortly returned their gazes to whatever they were doing.

Istal nickered and dropped his head towards the ground, the clacking of the horses' hooves on the cobblestones rang our around us. I squeezed Istal into a quicker walk. The silence was unnatural in a city of this size. As I looked around, I realised that there were no children playing in the streets, weeds grew from cracks in stone-covered yards with deserted houses. People wore hard expressions and many had weapons visible on them.

"It looks like they've had trouble," Eragon commented, noting what I had.

"The same as everywhere else," Brom replied grimly, "We have to find Jeod." We reached a tavern and dismounted. I tied Istal to a hitching post and with a mental word told him to wait. "The Green Chestnut... wonderful," Brom muttered, looking up at the battered sign that hung above the door.

The tavern was empty, and the atmosphere felt tense and unsafe to say the least. The remainders of a fire smouldered in the fireplace, creating smoke but no flames. A few lonely people sat near the fire but none bothered to throw any more wood on it. Other people were spread around the room in various corners, drinking with sullen expressions.

Brom leaned against the bar and asked in a soft tone, "Do you know where we can find a man called Jeod?" Eragon stood beside Brom, fiddling with the tip of his bow by his waist, which was currently slung across his back.

I looked at the bartender who had a cynical twist to his lips and was polishing a broken glass in his hand. I touched the sheath of my sword lightly, for no other reason but to remind me that I had a weapon to protect myself with. I had taken to keeping my quiver connected to Istal's saddle with my bow hanging beside it. There hadn't been a need to keep it on me, while I had figured it might one day prove useful to get used to having my sword ready at all times – even when riding.

"Now, why would I know something like that? Do you think I keep track of all mangy louts in this forsaken place?" The bartender replied in an overly loud voice drawing the attention to us.