The king had already left with Morgan for Uru'baen. The King did not want her to be out and about in attempt to keep her ignorant. Eragon and Lena took the day to browse the numerous shops and pavilions that Dras Leona had to offer. As instructed by Brom in the letter, Eragon had his bow with him. Despite the storm during the night, the day was warm and sunny. After a meal consisting of fresh bread, cheese, and beef jerky and a cherry pie for dessert, they strolled close to the cathedral. Within close proximity, they could see the details carved into the marble and iron. The spires stretched into the sky as if they wanted to touch the heavens.
The church was not like any church Lena had ever seen. It was very gothic giving off a sense of foreboding. "I wonder what it looks like on the inside?" Eragon asked as he started to make his way towards the stairs.
"Eragon," she whispered, "Are you crazy? That church represents a horrible religion, and you want to check it out? Just look at it; it is so ominous and even sinister!"
Eragon halted and turned towards Lena. "You have got to stop doing that."
Lena cocked her head, confused. "Doing what?"
"Using such big and descriptive words. If people were to hear you, they might wonder about your background. No common woman would say such words, but a noblewoman might. People here are not as educated as you."
Lena could not believe what he was asking of her. "You want me to act dumb? I am sorry, but omitting such words from my vocabulary will be extremely difficult, and…"
"There you are doing it again! Just the way you structure your sentences suggest that you had a proper education."
Lena scowled. "You might as well suggest that I remain utterly silent while I am here." She crossed her arms.
"That would not be a bad idea." Eragon suddenly became defensive when Lena uncrossed her arms and balled up her fists. "Lena, please; I am just trying to help. I did not mean to offend you. I only ask that you try your best to refrain from such proper language while we are in the city. When we leave, you can go back to your normal way of speaking."
Lena relaxed when she understood where he was coming from. "I hate this. There is nothing wrong with being an educated woman."
While Eragon was thinking of ways to help Lena fit in, he noticed a shop selling ribbons and lace. Upon the sight, he had an idea. "Come with me, I want to give you something." He walked passed her heading towards the shop. With no time to respond to him, Lena simply followed behind. When she saw the shop selling ribbons, she stopped in her tracks, rolling her eyes. "I don't believe this." She mumbled under her breath. Eragon came back with a long green and white paisley ribbon. Reluctantly, she turned around so that he could tie it in her hair. She had a ponytail, so all he had to do was wrap it around and tie a bow.
Finished, he dragged her over to a mirror. "Honestly, you look beautiful." Lena looked in the mirror and saw the green bow sticking out of her hair. As much as she hated to admit, the bow did compliment her. In the background, she saw Eragon smiling. Her cheeks started to heat up as she felt a blush coming on. Glancing away from the mirror, she spotted a bright pink ribbon.
"Oh look! This one can be yours." She joked.
Eragon narrowed his eyes. "Very funny." Satisfied that she was able to embarrass him enough, she asked him what he wanted to do next. "I still want to see that cathedral."
Lena groaned. "What are you, scared?" he mocked.
"I am not scared; I just do not think that going inside the church is a very good idea."
"Why? It's just a building." Eragon started walking back towards the church.
"Well, I do not want to see it."
"Fine, then I will go and see it by myself."
"What? You can't just leave me here." She ran up beside him.
"Then come on." He said, urging her forward.
With a sigh, she walked alongside him heading up the steps. Above the iron-wrought door was an inscription in a language that Lena did not recognize. "Do you know what it says?" she asked.
"May thee who enter here understand thine impertinence and forget thine attachments to that which is beloved." Eragon said, doing his best to translate the Ancient Language into the common tongue.
"Sounds lovely." Lena said with sarcasm. Eragon opened the door and stepped inside. The air was still and cold. The silence that enveloped them sent a chill down her spine. She looked around the dark room and saw that no one was around. The walls were bare and dotted with stained glass windows that depicted scenes of hate, anger, and remorse. Statues stood between the windows, the eyes pale and menacing. Their boots padded noiselessly across the polished stone floor as they walked up to the front.
The altar was an undecorated slab of stone. Organ pipes adorned the wall behind the altar. Lena felt awkward and wanted to leave the gloomy building as soon as possible. Eragon knelt to the ground, out of respect for the building, not the religion itself. Lena did not understand what he was doing, so she asked him.
"Just because the religion is not ideal does not mean that you cannot pay homage to the craftsmanship of the place."
Lena refused to kneel, so she stood there waiting for Eragon to stand back up. She was busy observing one of the windows when Eragon got up and faced the door and froze, his heart hammering like a drum.
The Ra'zac stood at the entrance. They had their swords drawn, their blades red in the crimson light. "Lena." His tone evoked a seriousness that she could not ignore. She looked at him first. Seeing him stare at the entrance, she shifted her gaze until the creatures came into view.
"The girl isss free to go; we have no need of her."
Eragon grabbed his bow and shot an arrow. Two more followed directly after. The Ra'zac successfully evaded the arrows, hissing. "Lena, go, now."
She shook her head. "No, I'm not leaving you alone with…" speechless, she pointed at the beaked monsters.
Eragon admired her sudden courage, but he did not want her to get hurt. He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Go." Once more she shook her head. By this time the Ra'zac started to charge after him. Behind them, he noticed that soldiers began to file in as well, their red capes bellowing around them as they ran.
Fear gripped Lena. I am in way over my head. She felt a warmth on her hand followed by a tug on her arm. It took her a second to realize that Eragon was pulling her. "Lena, come on!" Recollecting her thoughts, she allowed Eragon to lead her away from the Ra'zac. He spotted an opening and ran through it. They continued through the corridor until a closed door forced them to skid to a stop. Eragon pounded on the door, but it would not open.
The Ra'zac was gaining on them. Frantic, Eragon yelled, "Jierda!" Lena cringed and let out a startled cry when the door splintered into pieces. The sped through multiple chambers and eventually came across a group of priests. Shouts and curses followed them, along with a bell that tolled an alarm. They dodged through a kitchen and ran past some monks. They abruptly stopped when they entered a garden surrounded by a high brick wall.
Eragon jumped up, his fingertips barely able to touch the top of the wall. His body slammed against the bricks. Catching his breath, he forced himself up the wall. Lena was shorter than him and was unable to touch the top. Eragon lowered his right hand. "Jump!" Eragon's hand clasped hers in a tight embrace. As he pulled her up, Lena's cell phone fell out of her pocket and landed in the dirt below.
The Ra'zac and the soldiers stood at the garden's entrance, staring at them. Eragon wasted no time; as soon as Lena was on top of the ledge, he hopped down. He turned in time to catch Lena when she jumped. Their eyes met briefly upon impact, their bodies close together.
The sound of the Ra'zac hissing alerted Eragon back to reality. They continued to run for at least a good mile before they stopped to catch their breath. They were in a crowded market and were unsure if they lost the Ra'zac. Eragon spotted a wagon and dived under it. Lena followed suit. Panting and covered in sweat, Eragon contacted Saphira. When he had confirmation that Brom would meet him at the inn, he rolled out from under the wagon.
"Lena?" Eragon crouched down and looked under the wagon when Lena did not emerge. "Lena, what's wrong?" She was grasping her stomach and had a look of pain strewn across her face.
"I can't move." She managed to mutter. Her abdomen seared with pain. She mentally cursed her bad luck, holding back tears as the pain coursed through her body.
Saphira, change of plans. Something is wrong with Lena; I think she got hurt. Tell Brom to head into the market. Once there, he can find us under a wagon. Tell him to hurry! Eragon crawled under the wagon.
Is she bleeding? Saphira asked.
Eragon was about to say no, but then he saw Lena lift up one of her hands. Dripping off one of her trembling fingers was blood.