Ok, this may be a slow chapter for some, but i for one am very interested in how CP is going to free people (if at all) from the oaths Galbatorix has placed on his subjects, other than just chopping his head off.
This is the way my mind sees it happening.
C.P. owns Eragon, i simply bask in his greatness...
Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Severance
The intensity of the situation hung like thick smoke in the large room. Never before had oaths in the ancient language been directly severed, never before had anyone attempted to challenge one of Galbatorix's binding spells, and never before had Eragon felt so nervous. This was his plan. If it failed the members of the council would loose faith in him and resign themselves to despair. Eragon could not let that happen. All eyes and hopes were now laid upon the golden stone which lay on an oak table in the center of the room.
Lady Lorana sat in front of the Eldunari with Saphira and Eragon on either side while the others faced her from the opposite side of the table. The silence deepened as the orb began to shine with more intensity. The room became dim except for the brilliant glow which emanated from the Eldunari. It cast long shadows upon the walls and lit the observer's faces with a golden hue. Glaedr began to stir within his prison. Suddenly, Lady Lorana's face became distorted with a look of great pain and fear, yet no sound came from her. She grasped the arms of the chair till her knuckles became a shade of pure white. Sweat beaded on her brow as Glaedr continued to explore her human mind with his vast consciousness. After several minutes Lady Lorana went limp in her chair and the Eldunari dimmed slightly as if going over the discoveries he found in her mind.
Eragon rushed to Lady Lorana and transferred more energy to revive her. She stirred and looked into Eragon's eyes. "My lady, do you know where you are?"
She studied him with blank features, "Yes," she paused and took several gasping breaths, "but I feel as if I have just gazed into the abyss of infinity and lost myself within its clutches." There was a short pause in which she continued to breathe deeply, "I do feel my mind returning to me, but I will never get over the sorrow I just witnessed inside my own mind."
Relief washed over Eragon. If she had been damaged they might not have been able to continue in their attempt to free her. Again they turned their attention to Glaedr's Eldunari. The tendrils of golden rays circulated and danced beneath the surface and the white light in the center pulsed slowly. After a short period of silence, Eragon felt an ancient tendril of thought touch his mind. He lowered his barriers to let Glaedr into his mind.
It is good to speak with you again Eragon-finiarel.
Eragon fought back tears as he felt the sorrow behind Glaedr's words. And it is good to hear your voice again Glaedr-ebrithil.
I will not delay for I wish to remain in solitude for a while longer. You sensed the ties in Lady Lorena's mind which are the source of her bondage?
Yes.
Did you also notice the dark strands of magic that ran through those bonds?
Yes.
That dark web consists of two parts. First, the traditional white cord that represents an oath in the ancient language and second, the black strands that are intertwined with the white cord. I believe those dark strands represent Galbatorix's spells which he placed in order to strengthen the bond.
Eragon shook his head as the confusion began to set in. So his magic has been intertwined with the oaths Lady Lorena took in the ancient language?
Yes! It makes the bonds more inclusive by eliminating ways around the oaths. But by making the oath more inclusive he has changed the very nature of the oath. Glaedr paused momentarily, deciding how to explain his thoughts clearly to Eragon. A simple oath leaves a single strand that holds the person to their word and none have ever been able to sever that strand. But Galbatorix has a fatal flaw. He constantly fears defeat and betrayal, thus he did not trust the oaths he forced his subjects to swear to hold them to their word. So, he strengthened them with his own methods, but this other dark strand that is woven together with the original oath is breakable.
How ebrithil?
What is Galbatorix's greatest weapon?
Eragon rolled the question around in his mind and answered, the Eldunari that give him his unnatural strength.
Correct, so what would be the way he would construct his dark oath?
A light went off in Eragon's mind, by making the strand strong enough to not be broken by most who would attempt to undue the oath.
Aye, but by attempting to make the oath stronger through unnatural means, he has made an unbreakable oath breakable by any who posses the strength to undue his device. In theory, the oath is now technically stronger, for it contains a greater amount of energy than a normal oath. But Galbatorix's dark strand has bonded so thoroughly with the oaths that the bond is now tied in with the fate of the dark strand.
His strength is his weakness, Eragon murmured, more to himself than to Glaedr. He looked back to the pulsing stone in front of him. So you think that by severing the dark strand with our combined strength, the original oath will be destroyed as well.
I do believe that will be the outcome.
Eragon's mind began to move to how they would accomplish this feat. How will we proceed? Is there a spell to perform?
Glaedr hesitated, therein lies the difficulty and danger of this process. Do you remember how a spell is cast without use of the ancient language?
Yes, one must simply imagine the goal in his mind and the magic will do as directed. However if there is one slip in concentration, the magic will do whatever that stray thought entails.
Glaedr's consciousness rumbled in agreement. This is one such instance. There is no spell to perform. One must simply pour energy into the bonded mind while focusing solely on severing the dark strands. One slip in concentration and everyone involved could loose their life, beginning with the bonded subject.
Eragon pondered over the risks and rewards. Who should be the one to initiate the contact?
Glaedr seemed confused by the comment as if the answer were obvious, why you of course.
The answer chilled Eragon to the bones. After some time he accepted the responsibility the ancient dragon was placing upon him.
We will not leave it all to you Eragon. You must rely on Saphira to steady your mind while the rest of us will provide you with our vast supply of energy.
With that, Glaedr's Eldunari dimmed slightly and withdrew contact. Eragon stood silently for several seconds before he realized that every eye in the room was fixed on him. He moved to the center of the room and relayed all the information as quickly as possible. After he finished, everyone prepared themselves for the task at hand.
Arya was going to be the focal point for all of the elves while Glaedr would provide his energy straight into Eragon. Eragon looked nervously at Saphira while they were making the necessary preparations.
I can hear your heart beating inside your chest little one.
Well its not every day that the lives of one human, thirteen elves, and two dragons rests in my hands.
You need not worry. Glaedr was right to entrust us with this. My mind is not prone to wandering like yours. How do you think I managed to mend the dwarves' precious rose rock?
Arya interrupted their mental conversation, "We are ready to begin shadeslayer."
Eragon cast one more nervous glance at Saphira then moved to stand in between Lady Lorana's seat and Glaedr's table. He faced the others with his back turned to Lady Lorana and spoke, "Know that this could end very badly. I release you all from any obligation to remain here." For a long time he studied all of their faces, but none of them even flinched in the direction of the door. "Very well, I will begin."
With that he closed his eyes and spoke to Saphira, are you ready to become one my dragon? She did not answer with words, but joined her mind to his for an answer. Many minutes passed while their minds became one in every way. Saphira radiated calmness and concentration which Eragon soon felt as his own. He was almost ready to begin.
Arya's POV.
Arya stood there studying the dragon and rider who stood, eyes closed and concentrating, before her. Eragon had his eyes shut tight and looked as if he was attempting to focus every fiber of his being into one task. Suddenly, he opened his eyes. Everyone in the room gasped. The irises of his eyes, which were normally brown, were now a shade of pure blue so bright none could mistake it for Eragon's natural eye color. Arya had never seen anything like it, even among the many transfigured elves that lived in Du Weldenvarden. Eragon paid no attention to their intense gazes and slowly turned around to face Lady Lorana. Arya began to channel the elves' combined energy into Eragon, fully confident in his ability to accomplish their goal. Glaedr's Eldunari began to pulse fervently beside her.
Eragon's POV
Eragon opened his eyes, but was only vaguely aware of his surroundings. The collective gasp that greeted him was not even registered by his and Saphira's united consciousness. Without even a hint of hesitation, he turned to face Lady Lorana and pushed gently into her mind. All things around him blurred into nothingness as he swam amongst Lady Lorana's thoughts and memories. He eventually found his way back to the dark web he had discovered only a few hours ago. He concentrated intently on separating the dark oaths from everything else in Lady Lorana's mind. Once Eragon could only see those dark cords, he released the flow of magic brimming inside of him focused solely on destroying the black web. Slowly, he watched as the dark strands began to melt away as if an acid was burning them from within. Eragon did not even notice at first, but as soon as the dark magic disappeared, so did the accompanying chord which represented the traditional oath in the ancient language. Galbatorix's dark magic had rendered the oaths destructible. Eragon moved at a painstakingly slow pace, but the damage was being reversed. Finally he ran out of webs to destroy and thus ceased the flow of energy. He observed her mind to ensure he had not harmed it during the process. Nothing suggested any damage had been done. The only side affects he found were that of fatigue and due to her lack of response, unconsciousness.
After what seemed like an eternity, Eragon removed his consciousness from her mind. Saphira withdrew her mind slightly allowing him to return to his normal state. His eyes slowly dimmed back to brown with a hint of blue in the center.
She has been freed, Saphira exclaimed to the entire room followed by a fierce roar of triumph.
A ring of cheers exploded from the elves' mouths. Eragon was shocked but remembered that even elves were entitled to celebration every once in a while. Glaedr brushed against his and Saphira's minds, well done both of you!
The praise is yours Glaedr for without you we would have been lost, said Saphira.
All of us were necessary to the success of this endeavor, retorted Glaedr. Now, forgive my rudeness but my desire is to be alone.
Of course ebrithil, said Eragon, but please realize that you still have a purpose and ones who care for you. It would bring me great sorrow if you remain in mourning for much longer.
Glaedr's mind shifted, Thank you Eragon-finiarel. You are very bold to speak to me in such a way, but it was what I needed to hear. Fare thee well, I will return soon.
At that, Glaedr retreated back into his sorrow and his heart of hearts dimmed to a faint glow once again. Eragon turned to the others in the room. Nasuada, who had stayed during the entire trial, was embracing Arya. Even Islanzadi was smiling in her mirror leaning against one of the pillars. Some of the elves were singing while others were congratulating each other on a job well done. Apparently, the elves had provided all the necessary energy without the aid of Glaedr. One by one they began to notice that he had ended his conversation with Glaedr. Silence ensued.
Nasuada walked up to him and looked deep into his eyes, "Well, it appears your little idea has turned into a large advantage." He smiled slightly and nodded his appreciation.
He addressed the entire room with a quiet, solemn voice, "I wish to express my thanks to all of you for your trust and strength. This would not have been possible without you." He locked eyes with Arya for a long minute. Then he did the last thing everyone in the room expected him to do. He turned to the unconscious form of Lady Lorana and scooped her gently in his arms and headed for the door. "I will see to it that she is properly taken care of. Blodhgarm, you will inform Nar Garzhvog and King Orrin of our success. I will see to it that King Orik is informed first thing tomorrow." The authority in his voice prevented anyone from challenging his decision. With one last nod, he exited the room, leaving them to their celebration.
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well, what do you think? read and review!!