You may read this without reading book one, Broken, but it would be much better if you knew the entire back-story. However, if you want to be even more shocked and confused, keep reading! I hope that I can keep on track with this one, because I tend to lose sight of my original goals when writing. I will do my best to not let the plot in this one get out of hand!
Please review each chapter, if you have the time, as it helps me continue writing. I nearly gave up writing because I had no reviews, but thanks to Given-Inside, rnsintrepridwriter, Psyclone, and Fallen Dragonfly, I have decided to keep at it, just because I still have some devoted admirers somewhere out there. Thx guys for your persistence in reviewing!
Calren was heartbroken, his mind numb from grief. The fact that his parents had died was something he couldn't accept, and he tried to tell himself it wasn't true…but it was; he had seen the two elves lying side by side as they were burned. They were the happiest couple in Ellesmera, that was often said, and now that they were gone the entire city had an emptiness, and not just for him.
Calren had shrugged off most of the people who tried to help him, all but his friend, Lara, whom he had to admit was something of a lover. He sat on a stump while Lara paced around him, the cloudy sky erasing all shadows with its indistinct light. It had been only an day ago that the two elves had perished in an accident, a miscast spell, and the pain tore at his heart like hot knives.
"Cal…" Lara whispered to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You know that they loved you, and that they would want you to continue living."
"I can't…" Calren muttered beating his foot into the earth.
Calren was not like any of the other elves. First, and most disturbing, even though he could feel the minds of the animals like they were other people, he had no trouble at all eating meat of any kind, and he usually preferred it when it was not completely done. He had no fear of blood or gore, no fear of violence, and he was often called irrational at times because of his blazing temper. He was faster in the mind than others, and more than thirty times stronger than any elf. Why, no one was sure, but they often said it was because of his powerful connection to magic.
"Calren, you are acting like a child." Lara said sharply. Calren looked up at her with blazing blue eyes that cut into her heart and made her gasp.
"I am fifty-seven. I am a child." He retorted, nearly snarling at her. Lara sighed.
"Stop acting your age, then. You are the son of the king…that makes you heir, doesn't it? You have more things to do than dwell on their passing. You must be strong, Calren, if not for yourself then for your people."
"I am not the heir, remember?" Calren said quietly. "I declined the title before it was even bestowed upon me. Eragon-elda is more than capable of it."
"He is not the one. Ever since his dragon…left him…he has not been a reliable person. When Saphira left for the western shore-"
"He is the heir, that was the decision that was made." Calren snapped, ending the discussion. "I wonder if Saphira found anything over the sea…"
"We will never know, Calren. Come on, people are going to worry where we are."
"You go…I need some time to think…" Lara nodded and Calren stood, walking away into the trees, heading north.
The hairs on his arms stood up as it began to rain. Why did this happen? He asked himself. I guess I had to deal with this eventually…but why now? Why did it have to happen now? Calren scratched his arm as it tingled. The rain came down harder, and lightning lit up the sky. Calren didn't flinch as the thunder made the earth tremble. He feared lightning, he had since birth, but the sound of thunder did not cause him worry. As long as he was among the trees he was safe from the bolts.
What will I do now? He now asked himself, rubbing his tingling arms as the rain soaked his clothes. What will I do now that my parents are gone? Who will take me in? I am not an adult until seventy, and that is more than a decade away! He rubbed his chest as it too tingled, and he felt a slight twinge in his back muscles. I have nothing left…what will I do with my life? I haven't even studied magic to its extent, and no I'm on my own?
Calren's eyes widened in alarm as he realized his entire body was tingling, and he stopped and looked at his arm. As he watched, the hairs on his skin shriveled and crumbled to dust, leaving his skin bare. What- He cried out as a pain leapt across his entire body, and he saw his skin begin to crust like old blood, as if his skin was turning into a giant scab. What's happening?!
He screamed as hot pain seared his back, and a feeling like he was being torn apart came to him as his spine moved inside his body. His skin was ripped apart and he bled on the ground as he fell to his knees, his back being ripped apart as his bones broke. The last thing he felt as he lost consciousness was his face being torn and his teeth tearing into his lips as they sharpened.
Lightning crackled as it bore witness to his pain, and it, like all of nature, did nothing to ease it. The gods had long ago turned their backs on him, even before he was born. There was nothing that could help him as he was torn apart from the inside out…
Holy crap! Man, I creeped myself out writing this, so hurry up and review before I quit writing this story!
I love how I can begin stories like this…
