What's the look, the twist within this verbose mystery?
I would gladly bet my life upon it
At the cost of love your ray of light will fizzle out
Without hope
When the empty sand just flowing through our empty skin
Ever searching for what we were promised
Reaching for the golden ring we'd never let go
Who would ever let us put our filthy hands upon it?
((hey again, sry if this post is a little late :/ been really busy… stuff I can't type about. But anywho, don't worry about it, sit back and enjoy the show! O yea, and Eragon and Saphira discovered that Arya and my char were gone about three hours after they fell asleep. And happy thanksgiving! O and the song from last chaper was Thanks for the Memories by Fall Out Boy, and this song is Miss Murder by AFI))
Eragon POV thing
Eragon! Saphira scolded. You can't break an oath like that! What would Brom say? Or Oromis? Would Arya want you to do this for her? She can fend for herself. Don't do this. It will destroy you! When he didn't answer, she tried a different tact. Do you know what happens when you break a pledge in the ancient language? There was a pause while Eragon studied his sword's edge, missing Zar'roc.
It will either kill me or destroy my mind or just cause me eternal pain, he replied. But I'm willing to go through that for Arya. If she dies, then I will still go through the same ordeal. Saphira huffed.
What about me then? If you die, then I will surely go through the same, but with more pain. And if I survive, then madness will take me. You might want to put yourself through that, but are you willing to take me with you? Eragon froze. Saphira hated to resort to cruel reasoning like that, but it was her only remaining option. He just shook his head.
You will survive. I think I could sever our mental connection if I honestly tried. Oromis taught me how to keep you alive if I died, along with a great many other things, he answered quietly. Saphira sighed, already planning to hold him down if he didn't listen.
Fine, but at least watch first to see if she really is in danger, she growled. Nodding, Eragon crept forward, feeling Saphira slip behind his eyes to watch as her body hid behind a cluster of trees.
Carefully, he tiptoed up to the glade, all senses on alert. What he saw surprised him more than any torture.
Azalia was sitting with her back against a tree, apparently asleep. Beside a tree near her was Arya, in the same position. For a wild moment, he thought that there was two Azalia's. That struck him as odd.
Arya and Azalia didn't look too much alike, did they? But there were definitely similarities. They both had the same angular features, the same textured hair but in different colors, the same height, body build…
They're both creatures of magic, both sort of elves, Saphira reminded him. He agreed, but couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.
Then he noticed the wound in Azalia's leg. What is that? he thought, astonished. He couldn't get a good look at it, and he didn't dare creep forward.
"Atra eka evarinya," he whispered, accessing the magic. Let me see. He blinked as he seemed to zoom forward, but his feet didn't move. It was strange, as if he was looking through a telescope. Carefully, he turned his enhanced gaze upon the dark hole in her leg, and almost gasped.
The wound looked like an arrow wound, and it went straight through her leg and out the other side. It looked like it had separated the flesh and muscle from the bone.
If she had such a wound, why didn't she heal it? he wondered.
I think that our theory was right; she doesn't have magic, Saphira murmured.
Why didn't she tell us? Or at least ask Arya or me to heal it for her. Unless she just got the wound. Maybe Arya and she fought. It wouldn't surprise me if she got hurt but Arya didn't. Arya is an excellent swords…woman.
She might have not wanted us to know that she couldn't use magic, Saphira reasoned. It is very unlikely that they were fighting, and now napping side by side like sisters.
True, but I'll still stay and watch for a while. I'll keep my eyesight like this so that I can get a distance away.
Okay. You can come hid with me. There's a perfect view of them from here.
Nodding, Eragon started off to where she was.
Azalia view after about an hour
Yawning, I stretched, wondering why my legs were asleep. I opened my eyes and saw a beautiful forest scene. What the... a glade? I wondered for a second. Then- Oh. Riight, a glade I thought. I was in the forest with Arya. Everything from yesterday rushed back to me. I saw my dragon perched on my knee, staring at me curiously.
Hello there, I murmured to it, wondering if it understood yet.
Hi sleepy! it chirped back, startling me.
You can talk already? I asked, surprised.
Gee, what do you think? it said sarcastically. It's not hard. All the words are in your head. I'm borrowing your vocabulary until I memorize all of the words. Surprising that nobody has ever thought of that before.
Oh… I paused. Are you a male or female? I asked hesitantly. It snorted.
Male.
Okay. Now you need a name… I began to suggest names to him. I laughed at Grrahg and Broshk, toying with Atticus. I liked Hveg'gar, but he outright refused.
How about… Zeus? I asked him hesitantly. It was the name of one of the first dragons from across the sea. My dragon began to hum contentedly.
Zeus… he muttered. Yes, I am Zeus.
Well then, I said, standing up. I bowed low. Greetings, Zeus the Great, I laughed. He laughed along with me.
So, I thought you would like to know that a youth with the features of a rough elf was watching us about an hour ago. Do you know who he might be? He's behind a thick patch of trees over there, crouched with a purple dragon, Zeus said, nodding to our east. I straightened as if I had been stung.
What?!? I exclaimed, fury breaking out across my face. I was careful not to look in the direction he had pointed. That's Eragon, another dragon rider. He was the first of the new dragon riders. There are only five dragons left. You, Thorn, Shruikan, Saphira, and Glaedr. His dragon is Saphira, last female of your race.
Zeus froze, staring at me with wide, black, orblike eyes. W-what? There's none left? I-I don't believe it, he stammered. I nodded slowly and sadly.
I don't even know what my race or my name is, so I know how you feel. Guess we're loners, I murmured, momentarily forgetting about Eragon and gently setting Zeus around my neck.
No, we have each other. There's got to be more of us. I can feel it. We'll find our people. Together, he said, an edge of defiance in his voice. I nodded, stroking him.
Seeing a sudden movement, I spun, hand on my sword. But it was just Arya, blinking blearily.
"Morning," I muttered, taking my hand off of my hilt and yanking my pant leg down over my arrow wound, wincing as the fabric brushed against it. She nodded, standing up and stretching.
"Eragon was spying on us," I growled. "He and Saphira are hiding over there." I jerked my head in their general direction. Her eyes flew open wide, and rage played out across her face.
"How much did he see?" she asked harshly. I shrugged and turned to Zeus.
Not much. He came after you both fell asleep, otherwise you would have noticed him easily. He had his sword out, and he looked upset.
He had his sword out? He can't harm me, though. Unless he was desperate enough to break his oath.
Is it possible to break an oath in the ancient language?
Yes, just like it is possible to lie in the ancient language. But breaking an oath like that would be at a terrible cost. He would either die, go mad, or suffer eternal pain. It is a terrible thing, and it is usually not worth breaking the oath, I explained.
"Zeus says that he came after we both went to sleep, so he couldn't have seen anything. But he's watching us from his little outpost. He had his sword in hand, and was intent on harming one of us. Most likely me," I said, then proceeded to tell her the real story about why he, Roran, and Saphira were so quick to work with me. Her eyes widened a bit when I mentioned me being responsible for the Arget blodh attacks, but she said nothing.
"I know it wasn't a very kind thing to do, but as soon as he realized who I am, he would never trust me. We are pressured enough by Galbatorix; I couldn't allow him to waste time and energy on me, nor I waste on him. It was the most logical choice," I said quickly when she opened her mouth.
"Yes, I understand where you're coming from. I don't like it, but it actually seems like the right thing to do. That hotheaded rider can be as narrow-minded as an ant sometimes," she spat suddenly, something in her voice that I couldn't decipher. I raised an eyebrow, and she sighed.
"He… pursues me often, putting me in tough positions. He loves me. I don't love him back, but only like him as a friend, nothing more, maybe even less. Once, he made a fairth of me. Oromis was convinced that I was scared, but I was anything but. I actually snuck into his rooms, intent on removing his desire from his mind, but that fool dwarf Orik was in there, drunk. He woke and saw me, and ran. I quickly cast a spell to put him to sleep, and twisted the memory so that it seemed like only a dream.
"Another thing he did was almost destroy seventy years of work," she spat. I looked at her, astonished. "He pledged himself to Nasuada, in front of the entire Varden. The only reason I was able to save my work, along with his life and Nasuada's was because I knew about it beforehand, and was able to cast numerous spells on the Council of Elders to keep them from hiring assassins and killing them. I don't think the Varden could survive another death, but the Council would do it out of pure spite.
"He is a danger to everyone, including himself, when he is around me. Eragon knows how much he is putting me through, but he thinks that everything will work out all right. But it won't," she said, speaking as if she was relieved to tell someone this. I nodded, staring sightlessly at the floor.
"Magic… he thinks everything can be solved by magic. What a humane concept," I snorted, snapping a twig over and over in my hands. "I can't do magic," I whispered suddenly, wanting her to know. Arya appeared startled.
"But you're a creature of magic, aren't you?" I nodded. "Then…" she broke off.
"Look. If I had magic, I would have taken care of this long ago. Could you fix it for me?" I asked quietly, pulling up my pant leg to show her the arrow hole. She paled.
"Barzul," she whispered. "How long have you had this injury?"
"Since I escaped from Uru'baen. A magician shot an arrow at me," I said. Her eyebrows met in puzzlement.
"An arrow? How did an arrow hit you from this angle if you were running away? And why didn't they chase after you with horses?" she asked, examining the wound.
Oh boy, I thought.
"Well… about that… I can't show you right now, with Eragon watching," I stammered. She nodded, then gestured with her hand toward Eragon's hiding place. I heard a dull thump, then silence.
"There. I simply put them both to sleep. Also, I set up a barrier around this glade, so that none other than us can enter it, see it, hear it, and so on unless we give them direct permission," she said. "Now you can show me." I sighed, knowing that I couldn't get out of it.
Slowly, hesitantly, I extended my wings. She looked confused for a second, then realized what they were. Her eyes got huge, and she wobbled uncertainly on the spot. Her mouth opened slightly, and she put a hand against a tree to steady herself.
"Wyrda," she whispered, still staring at my wings. The silver veins caught the light, while the blackness of the leathery skin seemed to repel it.
"May I?" Arya said, seeming to have composed herself, and gesturing to my wings. I nodded, and she walked forward. Slowly, she reached out a hand, as if she feared they would disappear. When they didn't, she slowly traced her fingers down the edge, examining the tiny thumb and claw on the top edges, the bone pattern barely visible through the thin fabric. The bones looked like a long, thin arm with elongated fingers, and the thumb sticking out the top, with a minute claw protruding, thin enough to stab but stout enough to claw.
"Wow," she sighed, inspecting them carefully. Finally, she backed away and sat on a rock. I tucked my wings back in, but not as tightly to allow them to have some fresh air for once. It felt strange to be sitting with someone, and my wings out. I thought that it was the first time I had ever shown them to someone with good intent.
I stared down at little Arya, her staring at me with awe. I noticed that we weren't very different ages- she looked eight and I seemed to be only ten.
"How did you come back? I thought mum banished you?" she whispered. I laughed quietly.
"It wasn't hard. Look, I want to show you another reason that she sent me away. It's something else that makes me different. Look," I repeated. She stared at me, not understanding. Then I whipped out my wings, and she jumped back slightly. I laughed.
"Look! All I did was fly here! Surprising that she doesn't expect me to come back," I said, giggling. She started laughing. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and sat on the bed beside her, wrapping a wing around her. She petted it, amazed.
"Wow," she sighed.
I jerked back to the current time. Arya was staring at me, puzzled. I took a few deep breaths.
"I just got another memory," I said. She quickly gained interest.
"What happened?" she asked urgently.
"I was staring down at you. You were only about eight, and I was about ten. You asked how I came back, because your mother had banished me. I said that it wasn't hard, and that I had to tell you the other reason that I was sent away. Something that made me different from everyone else. Then I showed you my wings, and told you that I had gotten back by flying. I told you that it was surprising that she didn't expect me to come back. I put my arm around your shoulder and my wing around you, and you were stroking the wingtip. You said 'wow' like you did just a minute ago, then it ended."
Arya stared at the ground, gritting her teeth. I could tell she was trying not to get upset like last night. "I have an idea, but you will not like it. I would be able to see traces of magic in your mind if someone did something to hold our memories back, and I might be able to break through. But I would have to enter your mind to do so," she explained hesitantly. I gaped at her.
"No, no, and no! I will not let anyone enter my mind. My mind is my only sanctuary, the only safe place I have. I will now allow anyone to invade it," I exclaimed, jumping to my feet. Arya laughed slightly.
"I thought not. Do you know how much you sound like Murtagh? He said the exact same thing when he arrived at Farthen Dur. Word for word," she said, chuckling. I winced at his name.
"He is right, for once. I have met him before my attack, and I thought him to be a bit shallow," I said. What I didn't say was that I had liked him and how he thought the same way I did, but with less depth. He enjoyed being evil, but he could also be good. He liked power and havoc, putting his life first. He reminded me of a younger version of myself, before I visited the elves and learned to respect life. Non-human life, I mean. I hate humans and their naive little ideas. I knew that they would bring the downfall of Alagaësia. Galbatorix's rule had only proved my point.
"He is shallow, isn't he? Now, before we go on, I would like to heal your leg. If you will allow me," she said, a hint of humor in her voice. I laughed.
"I guess you can," I replied. Nodding, she instructed me to stretch my leg out between two rocks. She spent a minute muttering in the ancient language and passing a hand over the wound. Then she looked up at me, worry written all over her face.
"Oh boy. I know that look. What's wrong now?" I groaned. She gave me a half-smile.
"Apart from everything in this world?" she said wryly. She got serious again. "You leg isn't just maimed. It seems like the arrow was poisoned, too. An old type of poison, long forgotten, seldom used because it takes so long, and is painless until the end. It is called the Hljödhr Anglát, or silent death. It is almost undetectable, and it slowly numbs the area. That is probably why you have been able to function as well as you have with this injury, and why it hasn't even started to heal. Once the area is numbed, it takes about a month, spreading slowly, numbing the body until the entire body is paralyzed.
"Then, it takes a full day and painfully squeezes the life out of the victim's heart. Most people try to kill themselves before they get to this stage, but most are fully paralyzed before they realize what is happening. By then, they can't even move enough to kill themselves, or even cry out," she explained gravely. "The only known cure is just as rare and ancient. It is called the Hvitr Adurna, or white water."
I sat silently for a moment, staring at the hole in my leg, trying to take it all in.
We will find this Hvitr Adurna. Ask her where it is, Zeus suggested calmly. I took a few deep breaths.
"Where can we find this Hvitr Adurna?" I asked, my voice slightly shaky.
"The few places I know of it is from inside the Ra'zac lair, in Uru'baen, and from the Menoa tree. The easiest way would be to get it from the Ra'zac. Uru'baen is an impossibility, and to get the water from the Menoa tree, you would have to get some sap from the core. And none of the elves will allow anyone to harm the tree, poisoned or not," she replied gravely. "Also, from your memories, Islandi will not allow you to enter Ellesmera."
I nodded. "When Eragon and Roran go to the Ra'zac, I will accompany them."
"But Saphira can only fly three people max, and I'm going. And Zeus won't be old enough to ride by then," Arya said, looking puzzled for a second. I raised an eyebrow, and realization spread across her face. "You can't keep up with Saphira, can you?" she asked.
"I bet I could. I might have to hold onto her leg or something, but she will not have to bear the weight of a fourth."
Where will I go? I can't keep up with Saphira, Zeus added.
You can ride in my pack, or fly and hold onto my shirt.
Okay.
I turned back to Arya. "So we must leave immediately. If I'm going to fight the Ra'zac, I can't be half-numb." She nodded, and we started out of the glade, stopping to wake up Saphira and Eragon. They jolted awake, cursing.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see anything or hear anything! I didn't, honestly! Vel eïnradhin iet ai Shur'tugal! I just saw you sleeping and you talking, but I don't know what you said!" Eragon cried as soon as he saw us. ((A/N- this means 'upon my word as a rider')) I snorted, and Zeus, who was on my shoulder with his tail around my neck like a priceless necklace, let out a strange hissing sound that I assumed was laughter.
"Quit groveling like a commoner. I know that you spied on us, but I'll berate you for that later. We need to go to the Ra'zac soon. Get Roran. We leave in an hour," I growled, already starting off toward the tents.
I packed my stuff in about a minute. I always keep everything ready-packed, in case of an emergency. Emergencies seem to happen around me. A lot.
The next fifty-nine minutes were agony. I had nothing to do, and neither did Arya. We sat and talked in the ancient language, Arya trying to get me to do magic.
"You're a rider now, so you should be able to use it," she said, levitating a pebble. I frowned and tried again, but there was no magic hidden inside my brain. I did find one thing, though- I found a barrier I hadn't noticed before, that I knew had all of the hidden memories behind it. It was maddening, knowing that your brain was refusing to show you all of your thoughts.
Finally, Eragon and Roran walked into the tent, laden with heavy packs. Eragon looked livid about seeing Arya and I talking without him again, but he didn't say anything.
"We're ready," Roran said, a look of anticipation and hunger upon his face. Arya and I nodded, getting up. I put Zeus on my shoulder again, and we got ready to go.
((I don't want to go any farther, or it will be a cliffie. I probably won't post again for a day or two, so I don't wanna leave you guys with a cliff to jump off of. And…. something else I was gonna say…… but I can't remember what… whatever. And thanks to all of you who have reviewed, I don't have time to put ur names up, sorry! Hope you all had a great thanksgiving, Polo made delicious turkey. Mmmm… and school's starting again Monday :'( so I'm gonna be really busy.))