Wings of a War

Chapter 8

Percy (Ragni)

We had made it through the spine, arriving just outside of Narda, with little trouble. Well, little trouble for me, but for the villagers, it seemed they had never done something so... extreme. 4 people had died, a relatively low number, considering we were being pursued by an entire empire. We were just approaching Narda at dawn, to get food for the villagers and other things needed for our continued journey. The gate of Narda was straight out of the medieval times, and two soldiers stopped us at the gate, glancing at our ragged clothes. 

"Where'd you be from?" A man no older than 25, but already looks like a grandpa says. I snort slightly, a smirk lifting onto my lips. Horst, who I am still wary around,(Ya know, doubting me and what I've been through) swells his chest, and answers for the group.

"Roundabouts Teirm, if it please you." I was finding this hard not to laugh at, and the guards kept glancing at me warily. I was probably the only one that looked like someone who could fight, having two swords swinging by my sides, Riptide and Yawe dangling, sharp in their scabbards. I had my ivory bow strapped across my back, real arrows now in my quiver. I had small daggers in my belt everywhere, and had SeaShaker on my necklace if I needed it. No one knew about SeaShaker, and I practiced with it in private. He was my secret weapon. Don't ask how I know the gender of my trident, it involved a fellow demigod called Magnus and his lovely talking sword. Again, don't ask. 

"What brings you here?"

"Trade. We were sent by shopkeepers who want to buy goods directly from Narda, instead of through the usual merchants." Horst looks proud of himself, smiling slightly. I roll my eyes, and take a dagger out. I start to boringly spin it, but it reminds me of Annabeth. A pang slices through my chest, as physical as getting hit with a Pegasus is. I grimace, and Adurna is instantly on the case.

Percy! Stay on task, we can check with the fates about Annabeth later! 

She says, and I vaguely here the wind blowing from her end of the bond. I take a quick look, and see Adurna sailing far above us, in full form. She was massive, her head towering at least another 15 feet above mine.

And you are taking safety seriously as well?

I say, and try tuning back into the conversation after she nearly takes my head off.

"And my brothers and I came to bargain with your cobblers. Shoes made in the northern style are fashionable in Dras-Leona and Uru'baen." Darmmen grimaces. "At least they were when we set out." The guards were looking less and less wary. Horst nodded, and talked about his ironwork, whatever that is.

"Aye. And I'm here to collect a shipment of ironwork for my master." The soldier looked at Roran and I, confused as to what we do.

"So you say. What about those two? What do they do?" One of them motioning towards us with his ax. 

"Pottery." Roran says, dead serious. I stare at them all.

"Don't really know what I do. I kinda just scare of people, ya know, thieves and uh, other nasty things." I say, shrugging part way through. The guards look thrown at my New York accent, and the carefree way I talk, with some schooling in it.

"Pottery you say?" The soldier says, turning away from the enigma that is me.

"Pottery."

"Why the hammer then?" Me knowing nothing about pottery, I had  engaged in a conversation with Adurna.

Percy! Cats cannot fly!

You never know! That flying pig came out of no where and destroyed some of New York! And there are sphinxes. Those things are scary by the way.

Grrrrrr. You are insufferable!

So I've been told.

"Alright, you can pass, but don't cause trouble or you'll be off to the stocks or worse." We crossed the gate and Horst laid into Roran for saying something about cracking the glaze.

"Yo! Lay off Horst! He's doing his best!" I say, grinning at his faintly offended look at me. Gertrude grabbed Horst's sleeve and pointed to a message board, murmuring

"Look." The six foot wide board had half of it devoted to official notices and the like. The other half had posters of criminals, exactly like in the movies. Right smackdab in the middle of them, was a drawing of Roran without his newly acquired beard. Roran looked around startled, making sure no one was close enough to the board to compare the two. He devoted his attention to the board I couldn't read, like what the Hades dyslexia?! Roran suddenly grinned, and it looked like he was glad he had stopped shaving. I could see his gaze drifting to the next poster, where he saw Eragon, his dragon rider cousin. Roran turned to Gertrude, asking

"What crime is he accused of?" Roran asks. Gertrude squints at the board.

"Treason, the both of you. It says Galbatorix will bestow an earldom on whoever catches Eragon, but that those who try should take care because he's extremely dangerous." Roran just blinked in astonishment, probably thinking along the lines of 'What the Hades, my freakin cousin Eragon, dangerous?!' Get used to it bud. Weird minotaur dung happens all the time. Baldor interrupted my little speech with made up Roran.

"If killing Galbatorix's men and defying the Ra'zac only earns you ten thousand crowns- large as that is- what makes you worth an earldom?" BEING A FREAKIN DRAGON RIDER! I shout in my mind. No one could see my inner turmoil though. One of the men, Larne I think, suggested

"Buggering the king himself" Ya dam right boy. And Horst, always the serious one, says,

"That's enough of that. Guard your tongue better, Baldor, or we'll end up in irons. And Roran, don't draw attention to yourself again. With a reward like that, people are bound to be watching strangers for anyone who matches your description." Nah Styx Sherlock. He runs a hand through his hair, and pulls up his belt. "Right. We all have jobs to do. Return here at noon to report your progress." We split into three, three men going to get food, Gertrude went to get herbs, and the rest of us went to the docks to look for a ship that could transport us to Surda, or at least Teirm.

"Yo! Here I come Ocean! Watch out!" I yell, earning many weird glances, and an irritated look from Horst. But I didn't care. I just started running towards the ocean, the one place I felt at home here.

Hey demigods!

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and this book in general! I'm trying my best to update regularly, and i think its working a little. I keep having to relate to the book, and that's hard! 

So enjoy, and remind me of anything you see wrong!

-Mitty