My first Inheritance Cycle Fan Fic… Please be gentle if you review. Now this is about Eragon and a love interest for him (because I detest Arya she is so… I won't explain) however there will be plenty of action and other good stuff so don't worry and…
Please read, review, and enjoy.
The Last of the Grey
Ch.1 Slumber
Sleep, slumber, nap…slytha, any way you put it, tired of it, the desire to move to stretch, to dance in the moonlight once again but it would not happen, not yet. To be awakened could only happen by the one who needed help most, it was the obligation of the Grey, so time passed as events went by. But waiting can only go on for so long. Thoughts reached out for one with power.
Listen, and heed me.
I wish for your help.
Help me, come to me.
I need you.
Follow my voice,
You cannot resist.
Come to me, come to me.
Singing? Who was singing? Eragon woke from his sleep instantly looking into the darkness of the tent. No one seemed to be around singing so why had he heard singing. Roran was soundlessly asleep; the events of the day did not seem to affect his dreaming. The Varden had just taken over another village, they were expecting more of a fight, however it seemed that Empire didn't really care too much about its smaller provinces.
"Little one are you alright?" Saphira's thoughts asked in Eragon's head.
"Yes I am, but by any chance did you hear any singing?"
"Singing? No, Eragon I did not hear anything. But why are you asking?"
"Its, what woke me up. It was someone asking for help, telling me to go to them."
"Do you suppose it might be a trap?" Saphira's suspicions were valid, but Eragon felt no malice in the voice. And what if someone really needed his help, as a person, or a Dragon Rider he could not ignore a call for help. But how was Eragon to find who needed his help. The voice came to him again, but it was a whisper.
Come, come.
Follow my voice.
In the cave I remain captive.
Help me.
This time Eragon realized that, the singing was directly in his mind. He tried to lock on to where the persons mind was, trying to read their mind. Instead a picture of a tall mountain came to his mind, yet the image was accompanied with great pain.
"Eragon!" Saphira's thought echoed into his mind, freeing him from the image of the mountain and the pain. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, but I think I know where that person who needs help is."
"Do you want to go?" Saphira sounded worried.
"Yes, Saphira I do. However, we should get Nasauda's permission."
"She probably won't let us go."
"You're right. Let's go. I'll sneak out and you fly, say you're going to hunt."Eragon retorted.
He dressed quickly, and placed the saddle on Saphira's back. Glaedr Eldunari was packed into a sack on Eragons belt, the dragon still had not spoken to Eragon since the death of his rider Orosmis. Eragon snuck out of the camp, he cast a quick spell to make himself less noticeable and was out of the camp without any problems. When the camp was no longer insight Saphira landed next to him so he could ride her. They flew to the mountain that Eragon had seen, halfway up a cave was mostly hidden from view, but the powerful eyes of a dragon noticed it easily.
"Saphira, the cave." Eragon's thoughts were met with Saphira's compliance. She flew as close to the cave as her enormous body would let her, Eragon dismounted and jumped into the mouth of the cave. Farther inside the cave grew into a large cavern, a torch was mounted on the cave wall; he grabbed it. "Brisingr." The head of the torch instantly caught fire, yet the air itself in the cave seemed to react with the small magic Eragon used, thousands of flames, like fireflies ignited in the air yet a dense mist filled the cavern. "What? But I didn't do this." Eragon stood questioning the insect like flames as they danced about, there was no heat nor did they use his energy, so how were they in existence?
"Hello there." Eragon readied his hands at his sword. "Now, please let us be civil. We do not mean you harm." The voice said pleasantly and sincerely.
"Unless we must harm you." Another voice spoke but this one was cold and harsh, yet it spoke truthfully none the same. "State your business here magician."
"Glacia!" The other voice seemed to scold the colder one. "Please state your business. We-I wish you no harm but we must know what you are here for."
"I am Eragon Shur'tugal. Someone reached out with their mind and called for help, so I came to help." He spoke truthfully, yet the voices did not seem appeased.
"Dragon Rider, hmmm…" The cold voice spoke. "I suppose you could be the one we need to awaken our charge. Anyway allow me to introduce myself; I am Glacia spirit of the glacier and the patterns of events to come." The mist became less dense as it formed into a woman with skin as white as snow and blue lips her hair was covered by a silver headdress, which was more like a helmet for warriors but her eyes were two toned the color closer to the pupil was ice blue yet on the outside rim the deep blue of cornflower. Her body was covered in a skin tight navy blue cloth; however holes showed her white skin, holes covered her arms and legs and a large hole exposed her stomach. Her bosom was covered by silver armor; shoulders barely covered by silver plates, the only other armor she carried were metal boots with blades fastened to the front and back. Glacia's finger nails were long and the same blue as her lips just beneath her hand a spinning wheel levitated.
"And I am Nix spirit of the river and alchemy as well as potions." Nix giggled. The rest of the mist formed into her body her skin was as blue as the deepest parts of the ocean, her lips white along with a white marks in the shapes of fangs on her cheeks, her eyes were the exact opposite of the other spirits eyes the darker color closer to her pupil and the lighter color on the outside rim. A golden headdress adorned with eagle feathers hid her hair. Unlike the other spirit she had no armor, however she had a beaded shirt over her chest with precious stones, and a matching fir skirt that cut off above her knees. Her hands were covered in brown gloves decorated with a golden diamond stitches with white fur cuffs, and her boots a brown leather with golden stitches and white fur cuffs as well.
"We are the guardians of the Guardian." They announced together. "Any questions?" Eragon looked at them in disbelief. Saphira I have no idea what I have gotten myself into. "Eragon, is there anything you would like to know." Nix asked him.
"Why do you two look like that?" A dagger of ice was floating a hair away from Eragon's throat, the angry face of Glacia was staring into his eyes. "I-I mean you don't look like any spirits I have ever seen before." The dagger melted away.
"That is because we are ordained spirits. We have titles." Glacia answered. Eragon wished to press forward, to learn more, but Glacia's tone kept him from asking. "Any way it is time that you awaken our charge from her slumber."
"Wait, explain more, I have no idea what is actually going on here." Eragon questioned desperately. Glacia turned to Nix; Nix nodded her agreement, and began to explain.
"You see hundreds of years ago, Almaia, Chieftess of the Grey folk had a vision of the future, a great evil was to befall the land of Alagaesia, and threaten the existence of all within it." Nix looked at Eragon to make sure he was paying attention. "So four guardians were born and placed into a slumber to await this great evil and vanquish it when the time was needed. However, three of the guardians have been lost and now only one remains. The spell that keeps the guardian in slumber can only be broken by the one who fights against the evil foretold." Nix finished her speech and turned to Glacia.
"So now Dragon Rider, what plight do you have, that can break the spell upon the guardian." Glacia returned to business waiting for his answer.
"Wait, no I came here because someone said that they were captive and needed help, and now it is I who needs help!" Eragon's confusion was blatant but warranted. He had come to help someone who needed his help not to find some strange spirits and awaken an ancient guardian. "Answer my questions." Eragon was no longer going to allow the spirits to get away with only giving him half the information. "Who is it that asked for my help?"
"That would be the guardian." Nix answered. "Though the guardian is supposed to be asleep, there is a moment of awareness, for only a few minutes every ten years." Nix answered, Eragon's unasked question. Glacia followed the pattern of Eragon's questions and began to explain more.
"Though the guardian is awake there is no movement, it is like being awake for only a few minutes after waking from sleep and then returning back to sleep. The guardian probably sensed a powerful magician and called for help, sleeping for so long can get tiresome." Galcia explained wearily. "Now again, tell us of your plight Shurtugal."
"Eragon" Glaedr's voice resounded in Eragon's mind, surprising him. "I have heard of this legend before but I had believed all the guardians had perished. If this is the last guardian then he could make a most powerful ally. Tell them our troubles Eragon." Gleadr became quiet once again his thoughts had seemed to disappear except for the smallest of connections like a thread bridging his and Eragon's minds. Eragon decided.
"The King of this land, Galbatorix, is a tyrannical ruler he oppresses his citizens and…" Glacia cut him off.
"Galbatorix is the evil you fight against?" Glacia shot a look at Nix; they both seemed to agree on an unspoken comment. "It has been agreed that you shall, break the spell. Now, Eragon walk farther into the cavern. Eragon followed the order, farther into the cavern Eragon saw a carving into the cave floor, and in the center a purple rose, but on closer inspection the rose was not a real rose but one that looked to be made of stone or crystal. Above the rose a large hole in the ceiling revealed the night sky.
"Please take your place by the rose." Nix spoke to Eragon. "We will begin the summoning, however you must do the waking. Now hold out your hand." He did and was met with pain as his hand was slashed by a dagger of ice, drops of blood fell on to the rose below. The rose seemed to react, the petals opened slightly more, and the color grew more vivid. The carving on the floor began to glow with white light, in the luminescence Eragon could see that the carving created a crescent moon, the rose being in the middle of the curve, other carvings showed the moon to be in the middle of a wheel with a strange symbols throughout.
"Powers of alchemy guided by magic do my will and release the flesh that stone holds." Nix poured several potions on the floor; the carvings that created the symbols began to shine brighter. A stone table began to rise from the moon, a statue rested on it as if a person were sleeping. The statue was the figure of a girl, the rose held tightly in her hands.
"Abilities of fate, through pathways and fortune, guide the magic to do my bidding by the power of destiny, unbind the spirit that is bound." Glacia's spinning wheel began to spin as she held it above her head; the carving of the wheel began shine brighter as well. An orb of white light appeared, and entered the stone statue. At the intrusion cracks began to form on the figure, pieces began to break off, exposing soft, pale skin. As shards of the broken statue fell off the disappeared into red sparks. Eventually the body of a sleeping girl was left on the table she was wearing a simple white dress, her black hair splayed back like water around her head. Next to her body lay a sword in its scabbard, and a dagger. At the sight of the girl Eragon's thoughts froze; the guardian was a girl and a beautiful girl at that, she rivaled even Arya in beauty. His mind reached out he could feel her mind it was as Nix and Glacia had said she was sleeping. Glacia snapped Eragon back into his mind. "Now, you must wake her now." Eragon became confused he could awaken her with magic, but who knew how much energy it would take to break the spell on her?
"How? How do I awaken her?" Eragon asked the spirits.
"Eragon have you never read a fairy tale before?" Nix asked. "Kiss her and think awaken you, must concentrate the magic in your mind yet use your body to complete the action." So Eragon tried it, he thought awaken in his mind as strong as possible, like he were casting a spell, he moved his lips closer to the girls and touched hers with his softly. He could feel his energy being drained as the spell worked. But his energy began to drain to quickly, if it kept draining at this rate he would die. His mind called out to Saphira and Glaedr.
"Saphira, Glaedr the spell is taking too much of my energy I need help." Saphira and Gleadr supplied him energy Eragon could feel the strain lessen on his body as well as Saphira and Glaedr's worry.
"Be more careful Eragon you need to stop your flow of energy." Saphira's worried thoughts washed through him like water. The Glowing carvings began to die down to faint shimmers.
"No!" Glacia and Nix yelled out. Glacia continued in her anger. "Eragon you have ruined the ritual." Glacia's voice became colder than ice. "By having another supply energy you have tainted the ritual." Eragon's anger spiked he turned around to look at Glacia..
"If I had not called for more energy I would have died!" The spirit did not back down.
"That was the point! At your point of exhaustion the guardian would awake and give you a portion of the energy that she has built up these hundreds of years. With the sharing of energy a bond would be created that would allow you to share her strength." Glacia's words showed a disdain for Eragon that he did not know existed. "Foolish magicians, they believe to know everything there is to know about magic. Now she may not wake up and with her being released from her seal she will wither and die!"
"Glacia!" Nix yelled both Eragon and Glacia turned around to look at Nix. The guardian was stirring. They all looked as the girl opened her eyes. Orbs of violet looked at the beings surrounding her. "Nerezza," Nix said softly. "You have finally awakened after all these years now it is time for us to rest as you once did." Nerezza looked at Nix questioningly.
"Who are you? Who am I?" She said. Nix nearly broke into tears. Nix turned to Eragon.
"Eragon, it is your fault she does not know who she is or what she is." Nix spoke with a seething anger that made Eragon flinch. "All the skills she once had have been lost inside her mind, you will teach her or you will doom her and Alageasia. Teach Nerezza to become a warrior so she may do what she was chosen for. When she has fully awakened she will be able to call upon us once again, but until then…" Nix trailed off. Glacia began.
"By training her, the skills she once had will be awoken again." Glacia's body melted into mist as did Nix's. But one last message echoed in the cave. "Nerezza," Nerezza looked up she knew the message was to her. "This boy is Eragon, he will protect you, trust him he has a good heart." The mist dissipated and the cave became a normal cavern. Nerezza moved her legs off of the table and held the rose tightly, she grabbed the sheathed sword and daggers in a curious grasp. Nerezza stepped onto the floor her legs were not used to the wait and she fell on her hands and knees, cutting one of her hands with the dagger. She remained on her knees looking at her blood-stained hand.
"Oh, that hurt." Though she felt the pain, she barely seemed to recognize it. Eragon noticed her injured hand and helped her to her feet.
"Waise heill." Eragon could feel the little energy he had left leave him as he saw the cut on her hand heal. Nerezza looked at her hand, then Eragon.
"Thank you, but what did you do?" Nerezza looked at Eragon for an answer.
"A cast a spell that healed you, but right now we need to get out of here." Nerezza looked outside the cave and seemed to frown.
"I am not sure if I can climb down just walking seems to be difficult, and you are near exhaustion, I would not be able to help you and you would not be able to help me." Eragon looked at Nerezza he could see a worry for him in her eyes. Eragon smiled.
"Don't worry we will fly." Nerezza had a confused look on her face until, the flapping of Saphira's wings were heard. Nereza looked out and saw Saphira, she seemed to marvel at the sight of the shining blue dragon. Nerezza fell into Eragon as Saphira landed on the side of the mountain and clung to it tightly.
"So are you going to climb on, or are you just going to stand there gawking at me." Eragon and Nerezza could hear Saphira's thoughts; something in Nerezza's mind seemed to click, and so did something neither of them expected, she bowed to Saphira.
"Well then I guess we should climb on." Eragon said to both. "Nerezza hold on to me tightly when we are in the air alright." She nodded climbing onto Saphira was awkward, but no one fell to their death. "Alright now hold on tight." And she did just that. Saphira pushed off from the mountain side and flapped her wings hard to stay aloft, Nerezza squeezed Eragon tightly, he could feel her nervousness as she began to bruise his stomach. Saphira began to pick up speed and in no time she was flying quickly through the air. Suddenly Eragon could hear laughter coming from behind his head. Nerezza's laughter was like nothing he had ever heard before it was from pure joy of flight, he began to laugh with her. Then a wicked thought crossed his mind and Saphira picked up on it, Saphira went in to a corkscrew skydive. Nerezza's laughter stoped and the tight hold on Eragon's stomach returned, Saphira leveled herself out and Eragon began laughing, yet Nerezza remained quiet. Eragon began to think that he had gone too far and scared her too much.
"Nerezza I'm sorry, we didn't mean to sc…" He was cut off by laughter, this time her laughter was much louder and infectious. Eragon turned around and smile on Nerezza's face made his heart skip a beat. They flew to the Varden laughter accompanying their flight.