Chapter 27

Inside a rug-laden room, three people sat comfortably on stuffed chairs. Around them, bookshelves hugged the walls, filled with leather-bound tomes. A fireplace, piled with wood, was at the other end.

Jeod walked over, lighting it with a torch.

"You have some explaining to do, old man."

Brom huffed.

"Be careful who you call old. Last time I saw you, there wasn't a strand of grey in your hair. That's no longer the case."

"And you look the same as twenty years ago! Time seems to have preserved you as a crotchety old bastard, ready to 'inflict' wisdom upon the younger generation! Never mind, let's not get caught up in that. Tell me… how did you come to be here? I'd thought you were dead!"

That comment didn't go unnoticed by Eragon or Cedric. Of course, the latter knew riders aged slowly, and Brom must still be benefiting from that, despite his dragon's death.

If Brom was upset by Jeod revealing that tidbit, he didn't show it. Instead, he relaxed into his chair, pulling out a pipe.

"I take it you still remember what we did in Gil'ead?"

Jeod grunted, crossing his arms.

"That sort of thing is hard to forget."

Brom nodded slowly, shadows flashing across his face.

"In the midst of that… turmoil, I stumbled into a secluded room. It appeared no different from any storage closet, filled with nothing but crates and boxes. However, it wasn't so ordinary."

He dragged on his pipe, blowing a smoke ring that slowly shifted from blue to purple.

"What happened next, I can only attribute to fortune. In there, I found what we'd been looking for."

Jeod's expression was one of extreme shock.

"You must understand, I couldn't take any chances. If I were discovered, all would've been lost. Disguising myself, I fled the city…"

Brom's eyes flickered briefly, flitting from Eragon to Cedric.

"…I gave it to our friends, who stored it in a vault for safekeeping. Afterwards, we agreed it best I remained hidden, remaining until such a time came when my knowledge and skills were needed."

Jeod sucked in a breath between his teeth, slowly easing himself into an opposite chair. Until now, the tension and kept him standing.

"Then, they knew you were alive all along? I was kept in the dark by all of you?"

Brom nodded, looking apologetic.

"Yes, but it was necessary."

"…I suppose it was the best course of action, though I still feel left out. By the way, where've you been hiding out all these years?"

A short, very abridged retelling followed, one devoid of details. Cedric thought the only part of Brom's spiel that had any meaning to Jeod was them having traveled from Carvahall.

Eventually, he grew fed up with all the pointless secrecy.

"Alright, there's no need to go on and on like this. The only thing you're accomplishing is making yourself look like a tool. I've got a pretty good idea of what's happening here, but you might as well drop the façade for Eragon's sake. Is there any purpose to hiding things from him at this point?"

Still in the middle of his retelling, Brom's face scrunched up at Cedric's interruption, while Jeod showed a look of surprise. The latter eyed the boys curiously, but unaware of who they were, he'd not said much aside from basic greetings.

"Show some respect, Cedric. I don't make a habit of interrupting you in the middle of a sentence."

The red-haired youth snorted, turning his nose up. He might be hanging around, but that didn't mean he'd forgiven Brom for past trespasses. After literally being drugged and kidnapped, what reason did he have for being polite anyway?

"Your speech wasn't getting us anywhere. I'll just spill the beans, since you seem unwilling to do so."

Looking Eragon in the eye, he pointed from Brom to Jeod in turn.

"They're Varden agents, and the 'object' they'd recovered couldn't be anything other than that dragon's egg. How would Brom know so much about dragons otherwise, and why'd they be so secretive about it all? As for who they stole it from, that doesn't take much guessing."

Eragon's surprise was so great it looked like his eyes were about to pop out their sockets, while Brom ground his teeth, actually growling.

Jeod's face went pale before chuckling humorlessly.

"…what a formidable young fellow. I won't deny it, though being caught is rather vexing. I understand why you'd be upset, lad, being kept in the dark – gods know, I feel the same over what happened - but this isn't the kind of thing to speak about so carelessly."

Cedric gave a single nod.

"But as you've likely already guessed, the very same dragon's rider is currently sitting in this room. All of this greatly concerns him, and I'm assuming you'll be requesting his support. Isn't it just basic decency, letting him know the facts so he can make an informed decision?"

Unexpectedly, Brom didn't fly into a rage as Cedric expected. Instead, he sunk deeper into his chair, sighing while one hand covered his face.

Jeod swallowed dryly, having all but confirmed his suspicions were correct.

"Then you…?"

Cedric's eyes widened at the implication before shaking his head vigorously.

"What? No, not me!"

He sent a look toward Eragon, appearing somewhat apologetic.

"Sorry for outing you, but even if he didn't know your identity, Brom would've told him. Am I wrong?"

The latter part was directed toward said old man, glaring at Cedric through a gap in his fingers.

There was an uncomfortable silence, all but confirming Cedric's suspicions, though their host seemed more confused than anything else.

"…Perhaps the time has come for introductions. I apologize for ignoring you two until now, it wasn't on account of your youth, Brom's appearance was rather… startling. You already know my name, may I know yours?"

The boys exchanged glances, with Eragon seeming like a deer caught in the headlights. Clearly, things had gone beyond his expectations, and he was still struggling to cope.

"Well, I'll go first then. The name's Cedric."

"And I'm Eragon. Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir."

Jeod gave them both a smile, though his eyes rested a tad longer on Eragon, taking in his features. The boy himself was oblivious, but Cedric knew the merchant noticed the similarities between him and Brom.

"Alright, boys, it seems we have much to discuss. Do try to give old Brom a break, though. When people get to his age, they can't handle too much excitement lest their hearts give out."

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"…I have to send word to Ajihad. There must be a traitor in the ranks, otherwise they'd never have successfully laid an ambush. Do you have a messenger I could trust?"

"I think so. Where's he have to go?"

"Send him to Gil'ead. It'll be faster. However, you'll have to give him my ring, otherwise he might not believe the message is from me…"

The conversation between Brom and Jeod continued into the evening, having gotten rid of the two boys at some point. It seemed Cedric's reasoning only went so far—that Eragon had a right to know what was going on.

According to Brom, his intent was protecting them from harmful information. A load of crap, if Cedric was to be the judge. Not that he cared that much though, knowing what he did.

Justified or not, the old coot's secrecy measures were predictably ineffective. At this very moment, Eragon was eavesdropping in the stables, aided by his rudimentary knowledge of the ancient language.

When Eragon eventually heard chairs scraping against wooden floorboards, his back was already sore from hunching over. He muttered grumpily to himself, going to meet with the two men.

"Finally…"

The moment Brom saw him, his eyebrows furrowed, his expression turning overcast. For a moment, Eragon wondered if he'd been discovered, but that seemingly wasn't it.

"Damn it, where did that brat run off to now? Eragon, you're the oldest among you two. Take responsibility!"

The sudden scolding left Eragon standing there with his mouth half open. It was indeed the case that Cedric left, but how was he supposed to stop him? As for being two years older, it was entirely irrelevant.

Jeod gave a dry chuckle.

"He certainly seems like a handful. Speaking of the little firebrand, who exactly is he? I doubt you would've let him come along if the boy was simply a friend of Eragon's."

Brom let out a long sigh, looking like he needed a drink.

"He's… a gifted child. Regretfully, what the gods gave him in talent seems to have been subtracted from his common sense. We better find him, otherwise this city'll be burning down around us before day-end."

This seemed to amuse Jeod, but taking one look at the ex-rider's face, he saw Brom was entirely serious.

"Surely, he can't be that bad? He seemed like a clever lad to me, if a tad impetuous. I was no better at his age, and I can't imagine you being the paragon of sensibility either."

Brom huffed, though it seemed somewhat amused.

"Yes, I'm sure you'd side with him, of all people, until you hear what he did. He's far too reckless to be running around unsupervised. Stay if you wish, but I'm tracking the little scamp."

"I suppose I might as well come along. Things are pretty awkward around the house, given Helen's situation. Any idea where he might be?"

The merchant directed the latter part toward Eragon, who hesitated.

"…well, he said something about being hungry. Maybe he went to get something to eat?"

Brom's eye twitched.

"With what? He doesn't have any money-… forget it, the sooner we get going, the sooner this issue will be resolved."

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As 'luck' would have it, they didn't go very far before finding their first clue. It was none other than the herbalist Angela, sitting on her front porch, enjoying a cup of… questionable-looking tea. If Cedric were present, he might've described it as 'pondwater, complete with green scum on top', but the three weren't so impolite.

"Oh, look who it is. I take it you found Jeod? Or perhaps he's disposing of unwelcome guests on behalf of his young wife, hmm?"

Jeod's expression shifted imperceptibly. Even Eragon who, by self-evaluation, wasn't the best at reading people, could tell the merchant found her troublesome.

"Evening Angela. I don't suppose you saw-…"

"…a disagreeable little boy come past here? Indeed, I might've caught a glimpse of your young friend, and had perhaps even invited him in for tea. He didn't appreciate my hospitality. Where he is now, I can't rightly say."

She took a sip of her tea while Eragon watched, his eyes glued to her face. Yet, he didn't see a single sign of disgust. Was she pretending? He couldn't imagine it tasting good… whatever it was. Needless to say, Cedric's refusal didn't surprise him one bit.

Brom spoke up from the rear.

"I don't suppose you could point us in the right direction? It's getting dark, and he might get lost in the city. We're from a small town, you see."

Then, remembering her little joke from earlier, he added another sentence.

"Please tell us where he went, if you don't mind."

The herbalist's lips curved into an imperceptible smile, but then she regained her look of seriousness.

"Try South Road. That's the last I saw of him."

Jeod nodded once, stroking his chin.

"Thanks for you help, Angela. If the lad was hungry, we'll probably find him after checking a few stalls in that direction."

When they left, the herbalist's eyes lingered on them until they vanished down the street, obstructed by the scenery. Of course, her and Brom's interactions were purely an act. Having long-since dealt with the Varden, they knew each other. As such, she could guess what he wanted to keep a secret, and from whom.

While in thought, a large, strange looking feline appeared from the shadows, coming up behind her legs. Noticing its approach, Angela turned her head, meeting its eyes.

"…that boy caught your attention, don't think I didn't notice. Is there something… interesting about him?"

Being a cat, at least on the surface, it didn't reply. However, Angela's rolled her eyes, reacting as if it had.

"I'm not talking about him. Given how much he resembles that scoundrel, it doesn't take much to guess the truth. Well, if you don't want to say-… Oh? That's indeed interesting. Hmm, I'm suddenly curious myself. Do you think they'd let me…? Yes, he probably would, but not the other one. Well, I'll invite them when the opportunity arises. It's unlikely they'll leave Teirm so soon after arriving-…"

She continued muttering imperceptibly to herself, attracting a few odd looks from passing pedestrians.

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