“I saw the Dragon Rider today. Murtagh, I believe his name is.”
Lorena glanced at Kari as she trimmed her nails. Eira turned to her with a glistening grin. “I’ve heard that he’s very handsome.”
“He is, grey eyes and long dark hair. He’s built solid and he’s probably well endowed elsewhere.” Eira and Lorena exchanged looks and burst out laughing, causing Kari to turn red. “What? I’m fifteen, I’m not a child.”
Lorena buried her face in her free hand, trying to hide her embarrassment. Unsure if she was more abashed by her talking about Murtagh, or just the girl’s frankness. “I’ve heard that he’s almost thirty!”
“No! He’s probably twenty.” The girl looked back at her work. “Anyway, he’s a man but not yet married.”
“Well what are you going to do about it?” Eira asked, then grabbed Lorena’s other hand and began to file.
“I’m not going to do anything about it,” she admitted, “but I can still fantasise!”
“What about you, m’Lady? Have you seen the Dragon Rider?”
“As a matter of fact I have.”
“Is he as handsome as they say?”
“Murtagh? I haven’t really thought about it…” She suddenly realised that even though she knew his features better than her own, she had never analysed his looks before. “He’s tall, head and shoulders above me. Dark brown hair—that people seem to mistake for black—brushes his collar. He has a nicely rounded nose, well placed cheekbones, and full lips. He’s well tanned and quite muscular and fit, from lots of exercise. He also has calluses.”
“If I didn’t know better m’Lady, I’d say you fancy him.” Eira gleamed in amusement.
She remembered how he had looked back in Farthen Dûr. “What’s not to fancy? When he spars he gets this sparkle in his eyes, and he doesn’t smile often but when he does he melts your heart.”
Kari dropped her hands, which she had been examining. Eira opened her mouth to speak but Kari piped up first. “Why are calluses handsome? I thought they were a flaw.”
“I like calluses.” Lorena grinned as remembered how Murtagh’s hands had felt against her flesh. “Strong, tough hands that could easily snap someone’s neck, gently caressing you, with no hint of the warrior except for the light scratches they make.”
“You sound like you speak from experience.” Kari grinned back. “Does the King have calluses.”
In a suddenly dampened mood Lorena dropped her eyes. “Yes. The King has calluses.”
Lorena saw the girls exchange a quick glance before bowing their heads and getting on with their work. They finished off her nails in silence, then left, taking the lunch tray with them.
* * *
Murtagh closed his bedchamber door and rushed to his washbasin. His magic lessons with the King were fast evolving and he was beginning to learn interest new things. Such as his lessons today, where he learnt how to scry.
Thorn had been lying on his back next to a dresser—stomach bloated and a mouse tail dangling from his mouth—but now he ran after him, so close he was almost smacked under the chin with the backs of his heels. Murtagh ignored him and leaned over the basin, gripped the bowl and muttered in the ancient language, “Draumr kópa.”
Blackness enveloped the liquid. He stared intently waiting to see something, there was a silver flash, then nothing. He wanted to see where Eragon was, what was happening in the Varden, and just to check if he and Saphira were alright. Gripping the edges of the basin he waited, then when nothing appeared he released the flow of magic and cursed. He wouldn’t be dead… he must have spells preventing anyone from scrying him, like Galbatorix put on me.
He glanced at the clear liquid again and thought of Lorena. He muttered in the ancient language, hoping that maybe Galbatorix had forgotten about her. Maybe if he could see her, then Eragon could too. If the Varden found out she was alive they must realise what had happened, they must realise that the two of them had been taken captive. And just maybe they would try and rescue them. After all, when Eragon and Arya were captives they didn’t leave them, they came up with a plan, and they saved them.
The water once again turned black and Murtagh cursed. In a rage he turned and punched the wall. He heard a crack and gasped. He pulled back bloodied and cradled his throbbing hand, the skin mangled and he was sure he’d broken something.
He heard a whimper and looked to see Thorn hunching his shoulders. Realising his problem Murtagh quickly closed off his pain to the dragon and saw Thorn visibly relax. Still cradling his hand Murtagh made his way to the bed. Thorn jumped up beside him and watched as Murtagh examined the damaged extremity, and tried to decide how to heal it.
* * *
There was a knock on the bedchamber door. Lorena called to enter and turned to see her handmaidens slip inside. They greeted each other, then Sigrun left the chamber to run the bath. One of the young girls placed a supper tray on the table then moved away.
“M’Lady?”
Lorena looked up to see Kari and Eira standing over her
“What is it?”
The girls exchanged a look, then Eira stepped forward. “We heard that when the Dragon Rider was brought to the capital a woman was brought with him. It’s unknown where she is, but after our talk earlier… it just seems that you know him personally.”
“What are you asking?”
Kari stepped beside her companion. “Were you brought here with the Dragon Rider?”
Lorena watched the girls and wondered if she should say anything. She thought back to her conversations with the King and never recalled him placing limits on what she could say to whom. With a shrug she decided to tell, maybe she could earn their trust. “I was.”
Eira sighed and knelt next to her, placing her hand on her knee in an affectionate way that made Lorena nervous. “You were close to him, yes? The way you spoke about him earlier, it’s evident that you have a lot of affection for him.”
“We were close… we are close. We travelled together for over a month. We trained together, we hunted together, we even fought side by side in the biggest battle in the past century.” She bit her lip and took a deep breath to calm herself. “If things had gone differently we would be in Surda now, probably finding jobs and a house, ready to start a family.”
“You love him.” It wasn’t a question but she managed a small nod anyway, then wiped furiously at her wet cheeks. Eira gave her knee a squeeze. “Why are you here?”
“Murtagh is important to Galbatorix, so his servants captured us from under the Varden’s nose and brought us here. We were taken to a torture chamber where we were punished for Murtagh running away, then a dragon egg hatched for him and he’s now being trained, and I’m locked up in here to be used as a tool for punishment.”
“You must hate him.”
The three wiped around to see Sigrun standing in the entrance of the chamber. Lorena shuffled in her seat to face her. “He’s a tyrant.”
“No, not the King. You knew what he was and he hasn’t disappointed. I’m talking about Murtagh.”
“Murtagh has done nothing wrong,” hissed Lorena.
“I guess not,” the older woman shrugged, “but there’s no denying that it’s his fault. If it wasn’t for Murtagh you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t be a prisoner, you wouldn’t have been tortured, and you wouldn’t have been raped. If it wasn’t for Murtagh you’d be safe in the Varden.”
“If it wasn’t for Murtagh I’d probably be dead! He’s saved my life on multiple occasions, and when I first met him he saved us from the Kings servants. If he hadn’t rescued us I probably would have been thrown back into slavery, where I would have been tortured and raped.”
“But at least then you would have had a chance to earn your freedom. You think now that you’re here you’ll ever have a chance to be free?”
“No,” she admitted sourly, “but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have protection here. No one can harm me while I’m under the Kings guard. He won’t allow me killed until he wants me to be. At least that’s something.”
“You just need to decide if that’s sufficient. Now, enough talk. Eat your supper then we’ll get you bathed and dressed. You need to be ready for when the King gets here.”
* * *
A cool breeze wafted from the courtyard into the bedchamber. Goose bumps popped up on Lorena’s bare arms, and she rubbed them. The sun had disappeared from the courtyard and she could see a thin strip of sky, filled with clouds, blotting out the stars.
Her conversation with Sigrun continually ran over in her mind and she was having trouble telling herself that the woman didn’t have a point. If it wasn’t for her relationship with Murtagh, she would not be here. She would not be locked up and repeatedly tortured for things she had not done.
She shook her head violently and screamed in frustration. If it wasn’t for Murtagh, I’d be dead. To hell with Sigrun and her opinions. Murtagh loves me… that’s all that matters.
The bedchamber doors opened and Lorena heard someone walk in. She sighed and rubbed her arms once more, feeling fatigued. But that didn’t matter now, she had to forget her exhaustion and get ready for her usual fight.
* * *
Murtagh lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He could hear Thorn running around, he assumed chasing after a mouse. When the dragon eventually decided to go to sleep he jumped up on the bed and lay his head on Murtagh’s stomach.
Images of blue skies appeared before Murtagh and he felt a longing to spread his wings and fly. He looked at Thorn who whimpered his unhappiness, and tried to consul him, stroking his side and talking quietly to him. When he realised he was having no effect he decided on a different route.
Remembering back to his first and only ride on Saphira, he projected the feeling to Thorn. Saphira hunched—her wings held high above her—then she brought them down with a gust of air and took off. She flapped fast, gaining height and speed to soar over the Ramr river. Stars dotted the skies as far as he could see, and below him he could hear the water roar. The feel of weightlessness took over him, the cool wind struck his face, and he felt thin arms wrapped around him squeeze him tighter against the small frame at his back. When Saphira dropped altitude, angling toward the banks of the river, he had to grab hold of the saddle too keep from falling. The wind wiped past at a faster speed than he had ever achieved on horseback. They landed gracefully, and dismounted quickly, the solid ground seeming to sway slightly under his feet. They untied the elf from Saphira’s belly and watched as she took off again, disappearing into the night. He looked to Lorena, hair wild and cheeks flushed from the ride, who grinned, “Was that not amazing?”
Thorns excitement radiated over their bond and he hummed happily. Murtagh closed his eyes, content with his reaction. Then just as suddenly Thorns mood changed, Murtagh felt feelings of resentment and jealously, and before he could respond Thorn stood and leapt to the floor. He watched as the hatchling curled up on his own bed, his back to him. Disturbed, Murtagh lay back down, wondering what he could do to bring up Thorns mood, and upset that they were spending the night apart.