Murtagh cut the rope that bound Lena's hands. Without hesitation, Lena stood up and grabbed a nearby sword. Her hands shook as she pointed the blade at the man in black.
Murtagh put up his hands. "There is no need for that; I am not going to hurt you."
"I will be the judge of that." Lena said, trying to stay calm. "Eragon and Brom are hurt, but before I tend to them, I want to free Saphira." She pointed at the dragon.
"I just saved you from being captured by the Ra'zac, and this is how you repay me?" Murtagh was becoming annoyed.
"I appreciate what you did, but that does not mean that I can trust you. How do I know that once I turn my back you will not run off, or worse, hmm? If you mean well, then you should have no problem helping me free Saphira. Then, we have to attend Brom and Eragon."
When Murtagh did not speak immediately after, Lena became nervous. But, he finally spoke after he pondered her words for a few more seconds. "Fine." Lena dropped the sword when he started to walk over to Saphira. It did not take very long to free the dragon.
"There, you are free." Lena said as the last chain fell to the ground. "Now, help me with Brom." She ran over to where the old man lay. The dagger had went right between his ribs, the blood oozing around the wound. "This is bad, this is very very bad." Lena said softly to herself. Murtagh kneeled down next to her.
"I have to remove the knife." Lena nodded her head. Murtagh placed his hand on the hilt. "When it's out, I need you to place your hand over the wound and apply as much pressure as you can." Again, Lena nodded her head.
"I'm ready." There was more blood than what she had anticipated, but she still held her hands over the wound while Murtagh grabbed a few rags.
"Okay." Lena lifted her hands so that Murtagh could replace them with the shredded material. "This is all I can really do for him right now. Until the bleeding is under control, I cannot properly clean the wound."
"I understand." Lena's stomach flipped as she looked at her hands. "I am going to wash off the blood." Walking away, she heard Spahira's voice enter her mind.
I am not letting him touch Eragon until you get back, so hurry! She growled.
The water was cold as she rubbed the blood off her hands. When she returned to camp, she noticed Murtagh pinned to the ground. A smile formed on Lena's lips. "It seems I am not the only one who doesn't trust you."
"How can I prove myself if no one will even give me a chance?" He asked as Saphira released him.
Lena ignored his question to focus on Eragon. She lifted up his shirt to reveal a large bruise on his left side. Using her fingers, she pressed down against the discolored skin. "I can't really tell if any of his ribs are broken, can you?"
Murtagh gestured her to move over. She complied to allow him to prod Eragon. When he finished, he sighed. "It is hard to tell, but I think he has at least two that are broken."
Between the two of them, they mended Eragon's chest using strips of a blanket. When they finished, Murtagh got up to take a drink of water. He offered Lena the canteen after.
"Thanks." Murtagh stood there awkwardly waiting as Saphira gazed down upon him. "Now," said Lena, "how did you find us?"
"Will you believe what I tell you?" Lena narrowed her eyes. "It's an honest question. What I am about to tell you may not seem like the truth, but I assure you, it is."
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."
"I was chasing the Ra'zac."
"Why?"
"I am not going to lay out my entire life story before you, but you are not the only enemies the Ra'zac have."
"Fair enough." Lena looked around the camp. "I guess we should clean up and then make a plan. Do you know if they will come back anytime soon?"
Murtagh shook his head. "We have at least a day, but I'd rather we not linger that long."
Lena frowned. "Linger? You aren't suggesting that we move them? That's ludicrous!"
"We can't just stay here until they are healed either."
In frustration, Lena rubbed her temples. "Unless you can come up with a safe way to move them, we are staying here."
"Whether it is safe or not, we have to move them or else we will all be captured, or worse!"
"Look, I do not know who you think you are, but those are my companions, and Saphira and I are in charge of them- got that?" The venom in her voice startled him.
"Then you will be the death of all of us!"
Saphira growled, ending their argument. Tell him that we are staying here, and that is final. We will stay here until either Brom or Eragon wakes up so that we can ask for their opinion. Lena relayed Saphira's message to Murtagh.
"Well I very well can't argue with a dragon can I?" he snapped, giving in.
"Now, let's clean up, and maybe get some rest.
Within two hours, Eragon began to stir. By that time, Murtagh and Lena had built a fire to keep them warm and to make some soup. Lena hovered over him when he began to open his eyes. Looking up at her in the dim light, he started to remember what had happened. Upon the revelation, he quickly sat up. Pain erupted from his broken bones making him cry out.
"Some of your ribs are broken, so you need to take it easy." She instructed.
When most of his pain eased, he finally spotted Murtagh sitting at the far side of the fire. "Who is he?"
"His name is Murtagh. He is the one who saved up from the Ra'zac."
Eragon studied the man for a moment, then, "Help me up." Taking his hand in hers and placing her other arm around his back for support, Lena helped him to his feet. With her continued help, he staggered over to where Brom lay. "How is he?"
"Not good." Murtagh said. Eragon slowly knelt to the ground and lifted the rags that covered the wound. "No, he will bleed to death!" Eragon did not listen.
Saphira, I will need your help. Placing his right palm over Brom's chest, he chanted, "Waise heill." A garish blue light emancipated from his hand as the magic knitted the skin back together. When the process was over, Eragon was even weaker than before.
"Come, you need to eat and rest." Eragon nodded and allowed Lena to help him over to the fire. After, she handed him a bowl of soup. As Eragon ate, he kept glancing up at Murtagh.
Who is this stranger?
I am not quite sure myself, but he means well. Saphira said.
How long has it been since the Ra'zac fled?
Only a few hours. We need to leave before they come back, but how can we with Brom this hurt?
Eragon thought for a moment then said, I can make a litter and attach it to you. That way you can carry Brom.
Little One, that is a great idea.
Returning his attention to Lena and Murtagh, Eragon told them how they can move Brom. Satisfied that they had a reasonable plan, Lena was finally able to get some sleep while Eragon stayed up with Murtagh. As she slept, Eragon could not help but stare at her.
Taking notice, Murtagh said, "You fancy her."
The statement was true, but hearing it come from a stranger made him uneasy. With a hardened expression Eragon glanced at Murtagh.
"Whoa, I meant no offense," he said, putting up his hands. "She's not like any girl I have met, so I can understand why you like her. I mean the way she took control while you were unconscious was unbelievable. How did you meet her?"
Eragon stiffened. "If you don't mind, I'd like to keep that to myself." To Saphira he said, What did Lena do when I was unconscious?
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry." When he was silent, Saphira explained to Eragon all that had happened since he lost consciousness. When she finished, Eragon looked at Lena.
She has a lot of potential. Now, we have to try to keep her true identity a secret from Murtagh. I do not trust him yet.
Aye.
Durza scowled. "How dare you come here without the boy."
The Ra'zac cringed, "We may not have him, but we do have this." Pulling Lena's cellphone from his pocket, the Ra'zac presented it to the Shade.
Durza's eyes widened upon seeing the purple device. "Where did you get this?" He snatched the phone from the creatures hand.
"We found it in Dras Leona. A woman traveling with the boy dropped it."
"A woman?"
"Aye."
"Very well. You may go now." Durza gestured them to leave, still staring at the phone, a snarl on his lips.