In the
kitchen, Eragon brought a stone platter of food to a low
table. Saphira watched him carefully in case he should have
another attack. Several people tried to approach him, but she
lifted a lip and growled sending them scurrying away. Eragon
pretended to ignore the disturbances and picked at the food.
Finally, trying to divert his thoughts from Murtagh, he asked,
Who do you think has the means to take control of the
Varden, now that Ajihad and the Twins are gone?
She
hesitated. It's possible you could, if Ajihad's last words
were interpreted as a blessing to secure the leadership.
Almost no one would oppose you. However, that does not seem a
wise path to take. I see only trouble in that direction.
I
agree. Besides, Arya wouldn't approve, and she could be a
dangerous enemy. Elves can't lie in the ancient language, but
they have no such inhibition in ours-she could deny that
Ajihad ever uttered those words if it served her purposes. No,
I don't want the position. . . . What about Jörmundur?
Ajihad called him his right-hand man. Unfortunately, we know
little about him or the Varden's other leaders. Such a short
time has passed since we came here. We will have to make our
judgment on our feelings and impressions, without the benefit
of history.
Eragon
pushed his fish around a lump of mashed tubers. Don't
forget Hrothgar and the dwarf clans; they won't be quiet in
this. Except for Arya, the elves have no say in the
succession-a decision will be made before word of this even
reaches them. But the dwarves can't be-won't be-ignored.
Hrothgar favors the Varden, but if enough clans oppose him, he
might be maneuvered into backing someone unsuited for the
command.
And
who might that be?
A
person easily manipulated. He closed his eyes and leaned
back. It could be anyone in Farthen Dûr, anyone at all.
From Eldest by Christopher Paolini. Copyright Christopher Paolini 2005. All rights reserved. No part of this book maybe reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Stranger than fiction, blending tragedy and farce, How to Create the Perfect Wife is an engrossing tale of the radicalism, and deep contradictions, at the heart of the Enlightenment.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
read more
Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
read more
Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
read more
British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
Full Story
