Sja Fram [Inheritance Cycle | Eragon Fanfiction]

Chapter XVI: Of Reading and Plots

Chapter XVI: Of Reading and Plots

As the sky started to darken, I mounted Istal again. We'd raced together for about an hour in short bursts, before I'd dismounted and simply played games with him on the ground. For the last twenty minutes, I'd watched the sky while Istal grazed nearby, we'd spoken mind to mind as well.

Do you think Eragon would've stayed late? I asked Istal. Istal knew what I was saying most of the time, although he took a few minutes to reply. He was getting faster; I had always known he was quite intelligent.

Eragon... with dragon. Istal said with a toss of his head, enough said. I grinned and stroked his neck. I guided him towards the cliff and stopped beneath it.

"Eragon, Eragon, get your arse down here!" I called out, trying to copy a line from an old story with different words. I managed to stuff it up and laughed at myself.

"Umaroth?" Eragon called down, confused.

"No, I'm a soldier of the Empire. Of course it's Umaroth, who else?" I shouted back, sarcastically.

"Why are you here?" Eragon questioned.

"Because we have about fifteen minutes to enter the city without being locked out, and I thought you might like to enter the city with me." I replied.

A few minutes later, Eragon replied. "I'm coming down, clear the clearing though. Saphira is flying me down."

I backed Istal out of the clearing and into the trees. Saphira flew down and Eragon dismounted, Eragon gave Saphira one last hug before she flew back to the cliff top. I urged Istal out of the trees to Eragon. "Hop on," I said with a smile.

Eragon looked at Istal with a worried expression before hoping on. Eragon gripped my shoulders, and gasped. "Your horse just replied to me!"

"I've been teaching," I said with a grin. "Let's go Istal!" I cheered.

Istal neighed and started cantering after a few strides of trot. As we reached the main rode, I could see the portcullis was still up but we had about five hundred metres of road left. "Want to see how fast we can go, Eragon?" I asked.

"Hell yes!" Eragon replied with a laugh. I urged Istal forward with a small nudge and a mental word. Istal instantly leapt forward and started gaining speed. I leant forward a bit, and Istal covered the distance quicker than I expected, considering how he had two riders. When we reached the portcullis, I pulled Istal to a canter before letting him walk again. "Istal sure is fast," Eragon said.

"Don't push his ego," I said with a grin as we entered the city.

When we reached Jeod's house, Eragon waited by the door while I wiped Istal down and fed him. When the butler answered the door Eragon was quick to question, "Is Neal back?"

"Yes sir. I believe he's in the study now." The butler replied, Eragon strode inside with a quick thank you.

"Thanks," I said in passing as well before entering the study after Eragon.

Brom was sitting before the fire, smoking. "How did it go?" Asked Eragon.

"Bloody awful!" Brom growled around his pipe.

"So you talked to Brand?" I assumed.

"Not that it did any good. This administrator of trade is the worst sort of bureaucrat. He abides by every rule, delights in making his own whenever it can inconvenience someone, and at the same time believes that he's doing good."

"Then he won't let us see the records?" Eragon asked.

"No," snapped Brom, exasperated. "Nothing I could say would sway him. He even refused bribes! Substantial ones, too. I didn't think I would ever meet a noble who wasn't corrupt. Now that I have, I find that I prefer them when they're greedy bastards." He puffed furiously on his pipe, and mumbled a steady stream of curses.