Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or settings of the Inheritance Cycle.
Prologue - Chapter 1
Never before had Eragon cursed the sun so. Even during his days fleeing from the Urgals across the Hadarac desert with his half brother Murtagh, he had never experienced a heat wave such as this, nor an endless expanse of sand dunes and cloudless skies. The sun sat in the center of the sky and maybe it was because he hasn't had a drink for a while, but he was sure the sun bore a mocking face.
As he reached for his water skin, the lightness of it's weight he felt made him hesitate to take a sip.
Drink up, little one. The voice of Saphira spoke through his mind. Connected by a bond greater then any other, they need not communicate through words. It's still leagues away, but my eyes were not fooled. There is an oasis up ahead.
The relief that Eragon felt was not limited to him. Not too far behind his stride, Blodhgarm let out a pleased sigh. Though his expression gave no hint of his condition, his labored walk, that still somehow retained grace, gave him away. To either side, the two elves Ulithr and Danlir were of the same condition.
Though she had been in the sky moments before, Saphira returned to the fluid dunes. She landed away from the traveling ground so they would not be engulfed by the sand she sent flying, then closed the distance between them. With no wind in the air to support her and the sun bearing down as it was, staying above had been a taxing exercise.
A month had passed since Eragon had left Alagaesia, setting sail along the Edda River. The river had flown on for leagues and the journey was relatively pleasant. Though they had left behind friends and loved ones, Eragon and Saphira had achieved a sense of peace between them. Instead of spending their days weeping for their loss, they focused on the challenges ahead.
The Edda River had taken them through lands which grew increasingly barren. The size of the river began to drop, becoming shorter and more shallow. Eventually, what little water was left flowed out into a dried lake bed that appeared nearly half the size of Leona Lake. The Talita had served them well, but it could do them no more. With the dragons eggs and Eldunari safety gathered within the pocket of space behind Saphira, they collected their supplies from the ship and departed on foot.
Towards the start of the desert journey, many troubles began to occur for the metal warrior known as Cuaroc. The weight of his form may have been lighter then Saphira, but she had the size to balance herself out. After a number of falls, Eragon had sealed him within the same pocket of space that held all the eggs. It had taken some time to get him to agree to the plan.
Crossing the desert was no easy task, even for those such as Eragon and his company. The early days of their journey west had filled Eragon with a profound sense of dread. Unlike the Hadarac desert of Alagaesia, this one had no confirmed end. For all he knew, it could stretch on for a length greater then that of his home land. However, he would not turn around and none of his company had attempted to convince him to do so.
Nevertheless, he was plagued by concerns each day, and none of them seemed to have a solution.
As time passed, the sun sank and the blue sky turned orange. It was close to setting by the time Eragon and company arrived at the Oasis Saphira had informed him of.
It was quite a small but healthy break of color amidst the sand dunes. The pool was in the direct center of the green vegetation and was perfectly circular, almost so much that it looked artificial. It was about twice as wide as Eragon was tall. Arching over the shallow pool was the sole tree of the Oasis, yet it's wide leaves would provide more then enough shade for a small party during the day. Happy with the discovery, Eragon and company set up camp for the night.
"Is it me or does it look like-"
Someone created this?
Blodhgarm drew in close to the pool, and with cupped hand splashed some of the surprisingly cool water over his face. "I believe so. This pool is filled by an underground source of water that was likely found and summoned."
"Would this be the work of a Rider?"
"Only a Rider would travel this far. A capable magician could perform the same feat, but only the wings of a dragon could take them this far, or in our case, the power of the Eldunari. It's reasonable to assume that whoever created this made it so others could follow, or that he would have a way back."
If that was the case, then it solved one issue for Eragon. One thing that had concerned him was how he would transport the eggs back over the desert should they settle on the other side of it. If oasis' such as these had been set up along the way, then that would make the journey much easier.
Just as he had the nights before, Eragon mounted Saphira, leaving the elves to the camp. Taking advantage of the cooler weather, they soared up above so that they could spot out the route for the next day. With any luck, they would find another sight to camp at.
I wonder if this desert has a name? Eragon though to his dragon partner.
If it doesn't, you could always give it a name yourself.
With his power over the ancient language, given to him by the Word, such things were feats Eragon was capable of. With any luck, maybe we'll find a town along the way and they could tell it to us.
You really think people would settle out here? I know the many races can adapt, but faced with a challenge that this desert provides, I'd say otherwise.
If there are no inhabitants here, then what about on the other side?
If there is an 'other side.' The chance of us meeting the sea always exists.
That was always a chance, but what Eragon suggested voice an additional concern he had with the journey. There was always the possibility that whatever lay on the other side of this desert may be just as populated as Alagaesia. The thought of that filled him with a mixture of emotions. On one hand, such a case would mean that this journey would be pointless should the reason of his arrival be found out. On the other, Eragon was excited at the prospect of coming into contact with another culture. Alagaesia had been so diverse, but with such a split between lands, it was hard to imagine that they developed in a similar manner.
The desert during the night was a difference scene to it's day version entirely. The yellow sands had acquired a dark blue hue and the night sky was so clear, it felt as if he were gazing up into a different sky then that over Alagaesia. Countless stars glittered across the dark void, all of varying color and sizes. For a while, Eragon was more preoccupied with the sky, then he was the ground.
I just thought of something...
Saphira glanced back. Yes, little one?
If the world is round, then does that mean if we keep going, we'd eventually reach Alagaesia again, but coming from the other side?
...I believe so! That would mean this world has no end. Unless you escape into the hollow sky. Imagine if we did so. We could raise the dragons on the moon!
The idea seemed both absurd and fantastic to the both of them. From what their encounter with the highest reaches of the world had told them, the air gets thinner as you go up and would eventually come to an end. From that, they could only guess that the moon held no air.
It does look quite empty.
That it does.
The pair spent a good three hours gliding in the skies, careful to maintain the whereabouts of their camp in their heads. As the land moved beneath them, they eventually spotted an Oasis almost identical to the one they were camped at, but it was so far off that it would take another day or so of walking.
Running was always an option, and the elves were the best at it, but under the desert sun, they tired very quickly. For the first few days, they had run across the desert dunes, but the exhaustion they felt reached such a level that they had to spend two days in recovery in the first of the oasis; they had come by.
With the sight of their next stop, Eragon and Saphira returned to their camp, where their elves companions awaited them.
0000
In his sleep, Eragon dreamed of those he had left behind. His subconscious brushed against Saphira, and felt that she was doing the same.
As much as he didn't want it to effect him, Eragon missed them.
He missed the villagers of Carvahall. He would have liked to seen them rebuild their town and even join in.
He missed Angela and her secretive ways. He never did get a chance to find out who or what she really was.
He missed Roran, and Katrina and the fact that he would most likely never be there to see their family grow and pass. He had promised to maintain contact with magic, but it wasn't the same as being there. Half brothers they may be in blood, but Roran would always be a true brother to him.
Even his other half brother, Murtagh, entered his dreams, but Eragon missed the person he knew before Galbatorix had claimed him, not his enemy after.
He missed Nasuada. In her time as Queen, she and Eragon had grown quite close. Though their duties were important, that didn't stop them from sharing a conversation and a drink once in a while. At times, they might have disagreed with each other, but they could always work things out between them. But he did not worry for her safety in his absence. Elva was there and she had promised to stay by her side.
He missed Orik and his companionship. Though Eragon was the hero of Alagaesia, the Shadeslayer and Kingkiller, and Orik was the king of the Beor Mountain Dwarves, the two were like best friends when around each other. Their titles and positions didn't seem as important, and neither let it get in the way. He wished he could have hugged his friend once more.
And then, there was Ayra, whom he missed the most of all. She was his first love, and even with the knowledge that they may never see each other again, it felt like she would be his last. At the very end, Eragon had learnt of her feelings for him, that she reciprocated his love for her, but even then, it would never be. Knowing they would be forever apart still left an ache within his chest, but no longer did it cripple him with sadness.
Even in his sleep, Eragon could feel Saphira felt much the same, but her strongest feelings were for those of her first mate, Firnen, dragon to Ayra. But she was more practical then Eragon. Though she would remember her times with Firnen, she knew she would move on.
As the sun rose the next morning, and in the mornings after, Eragon, Saphira, Blodhgarm, Ulithr and Danlir continued to cross the immense desert. No end seemed to appear, but each night Saphira would always find the next stop along their journey. As predicted, oasis' were set up along the way, like markers leading them on.
Days had turned to weeks. Eragon had begun to feel that he should be worried over this, but the consistent appearance of the breaks in the desert stopped him from doing so. If anything, it filled him with hope. If a Rider had done this, then perhaps that Rider lay at the other side.
"This will be quite the journey each time eggs and riders must be exchanged," said Ulithr one day, his voice a pleasant tune. "If my sense haven't failed me, we've crossed a distance close to equal of that of Alagaesia."
Gliding above, Saphira's thoughts were cast down. I for one will be happy to not have to repeat this crossing. Many days I have gone without meat, feeding myself with the brushes and berries of the oasis'. I do not mean to alarm you all, but each of you looks exceptionally tasty.
Eragon had laughed, for he knew she would never resort to that.
The days continued to pass without much incident. The elves never complained about the conditions, even Blodhgarm, whose quarter inch fur must have been heating him up more then his fellow elves. Nor did they say anything about the nature of their journey, that they had come all this way yet seen nothing but sand.
Until one day, something else greeted their eyes. They had stopped over again and in the setting sun, they had seen it.
Far off into the distance, something stood. Even with his enhanced eyes, he could not make out any more then it was a tall, yet thin structure. So he asked Saphira to fly ahead a take a closer look.
When she returned, Eragon felt an excited curiosity ebb from her conscious.
What did you see?
A lone tower. There was nothing but sand surrounding it, nothing in sight other then that structure. But it was an amazing sight. That structure is enormous!
Saphira fed the image from her own mind into Eragon's and the elves. The instant he saw it through a dragons eyes, he was blown away.
Enormous had been an understatement. It was the tallest land based object that he had ever seen, and that includes the Beor Mountains.
It's leagues high!
It had a solid based, shaped like a cone with it's top severed. Above, it's cylindrical rise was decorated with a type of ornate architecture that none of the party had ever seen before. Images of strange creatures and scenes decorated it's entire surface, from the base, to the very top, which reminded Eragon of a pair of hands joined at the base of the palms, yet spread and fingers clawed. In the yellow of the desert sand, much of it's stone was a brilliant white. To the base, the images had been stripped of color, but those above retained theirs. Despite the clarity of the images above, Eragon couldn't make sense of them.
Just what is this thing? Why is it out here all alone?
Couldn't tell you, replied Eragon. Possibly the remains of a city lost long ago.
Then why is just the one structure left standing?
Perhaps we could find out if we investigate it?
Blodhgarm interrupted them. Is that so wise? Who knows what could be inside that thing?
"Nothing, if the rest of the desert is anything to go by," Eragon said aloud.
Saphira stretched her wings out as she yawned. I didn't see any spots where we could stop the next night. It could be that whoever came before us stopped over there, and continued on.
Blodhgarm didn't seem too convinced. "Or perhaps they stopped over there and never came out...However, it's not like we have much choice. We can either on forward, or turn around and head back."
"That's not an option," said Eragon with a tone of finality.
Though they could see it, the tower was days away so they filled their water skins and bellies as much as they could and set off, camping in the bare dunes for three nights. Unfortunately for them, wind had started to pick up and they often woke to find sand all over them.
Soon enough though, they arrived at the tower's base.
It feels like the tower is swaying, like it could topple on top of us at any moment.
Eragon shared Saphira's feelings. It was a very daunting sight, one that Eragon didn't want to stare at for too long. Somehow, the sight seemed to unbalanced him.
Before they proceeded, each of them let their conscious stretch out towards the interior of the tower. Eragon couldn't stop himself from frowning when his thoughts didn't get past the walls. Looking around, he saw that everyone had experienced that same thing.
Even after speaking to the dragons of the Eldunari, they had gotten nowhere. Not even Umaroth, dragon to the famous Vrael, could peer inside it's walls.
Blodhgarm eyed the entrance cautiously. "I don't like this, Shadeslayer. This tower must have wards of some kind upon it's walls, even though...it does not feel like magic."
"Could it be that whatever stone this thing is made of naturally blocks us for seeing past?" offered Danlir.
"If so, then this would be quite a discovery," mused Ulithr.
No signs of travel marked the entrance to the tower, but being all the way out in the desert, it wasn't likely that any would remain, even if they were from the day before.
"No other option, but to look," said Eragon, starting forward. Saphira followed behind without hesitation, as did the elves, despite their words.
Eragon wasn't actually as worried as he thought he ought to be. Maybe it was the fact that he held so many Eldunari with him that comforted him. From them, no voices of rejection sounded out, only those of curiosity, to see a structure that went beyond those of Doru Areaba.
The chamber they entered into was very wide and had a ceiling so high that Saphira could easily fly. Symbols of a language alien to them all decorated the walls, as did mosaics crafted from what appeared to be precious jewels. Even the floors were host to such creations, and the sheer number of jewels involved in the crafting should have them all in awe. But it was not the symbols, nor the mosaics that their attention was occupied by.
They all looked elsewhere, towards a large archway, leading further into the tower's first floor.
The skull of a dragon and the bones that made it's neck up crept out of the archway, but beyond that, there was nothing. The rest of it's body was missing.
It suddenly occurred to Eragon that this dragon could possibly be the dragon of the Rider that summoned the oasis'.
Saphira moved up beside Eragon. If so...then it looks like this road is at an end.
Just as she finished her thoughts, there was a loud crash from behind. All of them spun to face the direction of the noise, only to see that where there should be the bright light of the desert, there was only a solid wall.
"In the worst way possible..." said Eragon, grimly.
[A/N: Just thought I'd make an apology in advance over any grammatical or spelling errors. No matter how many times I go over these things, I always seem to miss some. Anyways, Enjoy!]