Disclaimer: As always, I don't own, and I have no beta. Enjoy! :)
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Harry struggled to keep the dragon mostly stationary in the air. Dragons kept themselves in the air more so by magic than their wings, which meant he was going head to head with Shruikan's innate magic that was working to keep him in the air. Shruikan's head twisted to the side and Harry let out a huff of air as the pressure against his magic increased again for a few seconds. Letting his eyes drift for a second, he looked across the spellcasters that had gathered around him and were chanting towards the beast. One of them turned to him after a few seconds.
"Our spells are doing nothing. It is like they are going and then splashing back. I can feel my energy depleting, but there are no visible effects from them." One of the elves yelled over. While they kept their attention on the dragon, the other elves nearby nodded in agreement, continuing to chant.
Harry narrowed his eyes and tried to sense if there was anything around the dragon itself. His eyes widened as he realized that there was a simple and poorly created ward that blocked most offensive magic from affecting the dragon. The reason he was able to get past it, was it seemed as though the ward was 'directed' more towards the Ancient Language. Thinking about it, it made a fair amount of sense. Since it was the only magic Galbatorix knew, it would be the only thing he could really work to protect against.
Harry waved off the spellcasters for a few moments. "You won't be able to get past it. There is a ward Gabatorix has placed around Shruikan that more or less drains the energy from the spells. Knowing that madman, he likely found a way to channel it back into Shruikan or himself. Half of you go and see if you can help the others. The half that stay here, rest a few moments while I work to break down the ward."
Without any further words, Harry turned his attention back to the dragon and let a small part of his mind begin going through various spells and counter charms that would allow him to tear down the ward. The majority of his focus and magic was still centered on keeping the dragon in place, but not all.
Holding Shruikan in place was not the easiest thing he had every done, but also was certainly not the most difficult. His worry at this point in time, however, was more so that he would not be able to give assistance to the rest of the group while he kept the massive dragon in place. The flying beast was easily three times larger than a cruise ship on Earth, yet was smaller than some of the commercial freighters he had seen traversing the galaxy.
Had the elves, and especially the humans, tried to use the Ancient Language to attempt what he was currently doing alone, they would kill themselves in exertion. The problem is that it left a dragon and rider, and a shade to be dealt with; any three of those on their own would be of little worry, two would even be manageable. All three at once was a little more than he had hoped for. Shrugging mentally, Harry focused his attention on breaking the ward, grounding the dragon, and muzzling it so that there would be no fire attacks from it.
Letting a good portion of his mind focus on the effects he wanted from his magic, he pushed out his magic to begin breaking the ward down. It did not take long since his magic was able to easily slip through the gaping holes in the defensive ward. With that, the pressure lessened even further.
Harry could feel Shruikan's fear as his magic dragged down the dragon quickly He considered conjuring ropes and chains that were reinforced magically to then be fastened to the ground, but then he would also have to reinforce the ground to keep the beast contained. However, he could use those same bindings and wrap them only around the beast, much like cowboys did in roping competitions. While dragons were magical beasts, he hoped that by binding it's wings, limbs, neck and head, Shruikan would not be able to move around much.
"That should work." Vaen stated into his mind. "Ot at least for a little while. Hopefully long enough that you can go help Arya and Oromis."
Harry paused in his actions of pulling down the dragon at that statement.
"Oh, don't worry so much. Her, A'lerí, Oromis, and Glaedr are all doing fine, but they are facing a shade. But that isn't what is causing the problem there." Vaen explained. "It is a similar problem to what Eragon, Saphira and I are facing, apparently."
Letting his eyes close for a second in realization of what the dark cloud was. While most did not have the power to spread out in such a manner, those that did, from Brom's memories, were not to be taken lightly, and were not going to hold back, especially not when it involved showing off their power. Shades could be quite arrogant at times.
Harry could feel Vaen's frustration at something, but the dragon nudged him to return his attention to the black dragon he was still reeling closer to the ground.
Said dragon was nearly to the ground when he began beating his wings heavily. There was no extra strain on his magic, but Harry had to adjust his stance so that he was not blown off his feet. The gusts of wind coming from the dragon's wings beat heavily over the spellcasters that were still situated nearby. More than half were blown tens of yards away from where they had been standing, and then they tumbled a few more before coming to a rest a good distance away. Harry quickly began working to tighten the ropes and chains about the dragon's body and, as they drew closer, the dragon was forced to stop beating its wings.
The ground shook tremendously as Harry unleashed fully and forced the dragon to the ground, giving little care about being gentle. Fissures raced out from where his feet were planted with a thunderous crack, a circumference of a few yards around him sank slightly into the earth.
Harry grunted in exertion as he struggled to keep Shruikan from breaking free from him. Amid different shouts in the ancient language, ropes and chains flew through the air. Immediately, the struggle against Shruikan lessened in ferocity as the massive beast's head became the main part allowed to swung back and forth. Urgals and Kull had launched the ropes and chains over the dragon to assist his efforts. Letting some of his concentration move, he reinforced the ropes and chains so that they would be nigh unbreakable. As the Kull and Urgals gained solid footing, Harry focused his attention more fully on keep Shruikan from blasting those nearby with mouthfuls of fire. Already, there were several blackened patches on the ground, not even the armor or scent of burnt flesh left behind from those who were swallowed by the intense heat.
Closing a mouth that could swallow a large sized boat was no small feat, and it was only once he forced it closed completely that the struggle became slightly easier. The new problem arose of Shruikan blasting super heated air from his nostrils, causing blisters and cries of pain from all who were unlucky enough to be caught unprotected before him.
The Urgals and Kull had focused on bringing the dragon's neck to a standstill, but Harry could hear the loud swooshes of wind caused by his tail sweeping back and forth. One of the spell casters called over to Harry.
"Nothing we do is having any affect on him." The elf said, his tone edging on desperation.
Shruikan's wings unfurled fully and began to beat heavily, bowling over the men and elves that were scattered about him. A number of Kull and Urgals were pulled fully off the ground before Harry focused on bringing the dragon back to the earth.
"Keep him contained on the ground. I will see what I can do." Harry shouted as the men and elves slowly forced themselves to stand once more. "He is a smart one to be sure. He put some kind of ward over Shruikan to dispel any magic coming near." Harry murmured, mostly to himself as he felt the magic flowing over Shruikan's body.
He refocused his magic after feeling the spellcasters taking up his task. He formed his magic into a lance and worked at piercing the second protective ward about the black monster. At first, the protective ward held strong against Harry's attack, but slowly, he felt as cracks formed along the surface. His magic slipped forward slightly and then was held up once more. Shruikan's movements became increasingly frantic, causing a number of the human spellcasters to drop in exhaustion. Two more spellcasters fell and Harry could see a few elves swaying on their feet. With a loud shout, Harry put more power behind the lance of magical energy and with the feeling of a stuttering step forward, the magic burst the protective layer and drove against the largely spell resistant hide of the dragon. With a slight pant, Harry focused back on containing the dragon.
"Strike now! Its protections have been breached!" Harry shouted before turning his mind fully to minimizing the movements of the dragon.
Much like Vaen had stated, Arya, A'lerí, Oromis and Glaedr were handling themselves well enough against the powerful shade. Arya and A'leri's desire to attack, however, was what made the fight much more difficult. Oromis and Glaedr were twisting about the sky magnificently and were keeping the shade from advancing any nearer to the main group of the army, but that was about all they were accomplishing. Arya was struggling to put anything into attacks and was mainly working on the defensive side of things. Every time she attempted to make a strike, she would see the face of the shade and falter slightly.
While she had no close ties to the woman whose face was being worn, she could not let herself unleash fully. Trianna was wrapped in the thick, heavy, black cloud of mist that had been approaching the Varden, elves, and Urgals. Her eyes were discolored and her face twisted into an expression that the woman had never worn before in Arya's presence, but it was far too easy to see the woman that had learned so much under herself, the two elves, and Harry before the attack on Tronjheim.
Oromis held no such hesitation, but Arya could tell that he and Glaedr were holding themselves back slightly in their attacks for her sake. As the fighting continued though, Glaedr's frustrations were slowly broadcast louder and louder to the point that she and A'lerí were easily able to sense it. The older rider pair were slowly losing ground and Arya knew that regardless of her memory of the young woman, she would have to step up her actions, or her inaction would spell their defeat. This shade, no longer the Trianna she remembered, would stop at nothing less than the destruction of every person here.
With that somber realization, she urged A'lerí forward and began casting spells, mixing the new ones she had been learning from Harry into the ancient language. Most passed through the cloud of mist harmlessly, but some others, mainly ones that she had learned from Harry, seemed to make some impact on the shade. After a particularly effective spell, the Shade shrieked.
"We are ELLI!" The being cried out and a hand shot forward, a mass of darkness erupting from her palm. Arya and Oromis dodged to the side, but they could feel the fel energies that seemed barely contained about the void ball as it passed. Some of the reactions she had felt in one of Harry's memories felt slightly similar to the aura of the magic that had been aimed at them and A'lerí rumbled beneath her. Arya placed a hand on her dragon's neck and let her mind race to the memory from Harry's pensieve. She came to a conclusion, and with the hand she had place on A'lerí's neck heating up, she gathered up her thoughts and returned a spell of her own. Her voice bellowed out the incantation as a pure white light gathered around her fingers, coalescing into a shape in the palm of her hand as the first syllable formed on her lips.
Eragon, Saphira, and Vaengrasr were in a very similar situation. Much like A'lerína had learned of Trianna from Arya, Vaengrasr knew Murtaugh from Harry. Eragon and Saphira knew the young man even better and had no desire to go on the offensive. Vaen had watched in frustration and helplessness as Eragon and Saphira defended themselves while Thorn and Murtaugh attacked all out. Eragon was constantly trying to talk with Murtaugh and dissuade him from his course of action, but he was making little to no progress in his efforts.
Once more, in a similar manner to Arya, and Oromis, the defenders were able to keep Murtaugh and Thorn from drawing any closer to the army, not allowing themselves to be outmaneuvered, but there was no way they would gain the upper hand while staying on the defensive. Vaen growled discontentedly when he realized that his rider would be otherwise engaged for a while longer, dealing with Shruikan. Something else had to be done if things were to end well for anyone.
Murtaugh was not silent in his attacks. He would pause every so often to recount some of what had been happening during his time in captivity. He would give vague statements that hinted towards an oath forced on him to serve Galbatorix in exchange for Thorn's life. It made attacking the red dragon and his rider all the more difficult. During one of the lulls in the aerial combat, Vaengrasr had noticed a spark of hope.
"We only need to draw this out long enough for Harry to come help you." Eragon had stated after a few moments.
"The wizard?" Murtaugh asked. While he had been able to speak more with Harry and had seen many of the things he could do, he did not see how a man would free him from the torment he had been forced into. Help a madman conquer any uprisings and pledge his complete loyalty to the man, in exchange for a small amount of liberty and his and Thorn's life. As much as he hated to accept it, Thorn's life was enough of a trade off in that deal, not that he liked it any more.
"He surely has a way to free you from this oath." Eragon said with a decent amount of surety, though there was some doubt that crept into his voice. Vaen nodded and wanted to agree, but that would force him to open his mind to the hostile rider and dragon, something he had no plans of doing.
Murtaugh looked down for a few moments and the three dragons seemed to still in the air. "If he can free anyone, he should free Trianna." The young man stated, tightening his fists around the harness that kept him strapped onto Thorn's back.
"Trianna?" Eragon exclaimed. "She is alive?"
Murtaugh's nod was choppy and his fists tightened further, as if he was fighting to keep himself in place. He was about to speak once more before a tremor raced through his body and Thorn gave a bellowing cry. Murtaugh's hands released and Thorn shot forwards. "I can wait no longer. Defend yourself! One of us will fall here and now, today. My oaths demand it of me."
"Expecto Patronum!" Arya's voice rang out loud and clear. The light that had gathered about her palm was blindingly white and raced out from her extended hand in a rush. The light grew brighter and more and more widespread as it drew nearer to the shade. The mass of light splashed against the wall of black mist and disappeared within it quickly. Arya blinked as the light was swallowed, trying to readjust to the comparatively dimness of the sunlit sky. Frowning, she saw the shade smirk smugly at the lack of effect after such an intense showing.
Two heartbeats later, there was a shift in the shade's expression; one of confusion, and then strain and pain, and finally settling on fear. Beams of dark grey made scattered appearances from within the mist. Slowly, those dark greys lightened, more beams making their appearance. The swirling mist seemed to thin quickly as more and more light broke out from the center of the cloud that the Shade had been resting at.
Shruikan gave a shriek from far behind and below them, shortly after which a sharp crack could be heard, but the sight before them kept it from truly registering at the time. All at once, the black mist seemed to shatter from the explosion of light, leaving only a small amount gathered about the shade, Elli. A scream of rage erupted from the possessed girl's mouth as she speared forwards. Her hand was raised over her head and some of the mist peeled away from her and formed into a sword within the raised hand. She approached Arya and A'lerína at a high speed and dragged the sword down towards the pair. Arya drew her sword and parried the blow easily, there being less strength behind the attack than she had expected.
Arya let the shade pass to one side as the momentum from her approach had thrown her far past the elf rider and dragon. The rider pair turned quickly to be ready for another pass when they noticed that the shade had not slowed in speed, and was instead diving straight for the group of soldiers, elves, and Urgals. Oromis was far out of position, and Arya was only marginally closer, that with the speed the shade was moving, Saphira or Vaengrasr would be the only two capable of catching up to the shade at this point.
The two riders gave chase all the same to be available to give support when they arrived, but there was still plenty that could happen between the time of the shade's arrival and their own. Arya took a gamble and reached out with her mind to Harry to inform him of the incoming threat, but she wasn't able to connect with him for some reason.
Eragon and Saphira had quickly lost the purely defensive stance and had begun returning attacks. Unfortunately, aerial spars had not been practiced, by either side from the observations Vaen could see, and it seemed as though more energy was being expended than was really necessary. It wasn't until quite a few passes were made that he noticed Eragon was quickly beginning to tire. In between physical strikes, Eragon and Murtaugh were casting various spells at one another. Murtaugh, on the other hand, seemed still fresh and energized while Eragon quickly showed his fatigue.
Vaengrasr had been diving towards Thorn, landing bites and scratches on the red scales of the enemy as he found openings, but he pulled back slightly and worked to feed a little of his energy towards Eragon and Saphira. He felt he was somewhat successful when Eragon straightened slightly and gave a quick nod of thanks towards the dark green dragon.
Murtaugh drew back once more and waivered for a few moments. "I am curious where you found another dragon, Eragon? I noticed two other dragon riders facing off against Tria—Elli… Where were these helpers of yours when Galbatorix attacked the Varden. The elves hiding them away?" The red rider spat venomously. "Did they care so little that they only sent spellcasters to help while hiding away the true strength for themselves? The battle would have been so different. Perhaps Trianna and I would not have been taken so easily."
Eragon shook his head. He could understand Murtaugh's frustration, but he did not want to give away any more information about the other riders…he had to say something though…
"Harry found them, while everyone was preparing for marching. Harry found them during his travels. He never said where though." Eragon said, somewhat lamely.
"While I may not agree with him on most things, Galbatorix had the right of it when he said that the elves would give him the most trouble." Murtaugh stated evenly.
Eragon chuckled. "You haven't really met Harry yet." The young rider stated with a small smirk.
Murtaugh observed Eragon for a few moments longer and then thrust out a hand, his lips moving infinitesimally, and magic gathered in his hand before rocketing towards Eragon and Saphira. Trusting the various wards that his rider had been layering over him since his hatching, Vaengrasr dove before the ball of magic and intercepted it. While none of the magic made it through the protections, it threw him widely off course and he careened towards the ground for a few hundred meters before he was able to regain his bearing and level out.
Vaengrasr shook his head, glad that he had been able to protect Eragon and Saphira, but sure that Harry would be exasperated at his actions. Vaengrasr snorted to himself as he quickly began to climb back towards where Murtaugh and Eragon had restarted their flying duel. Harry had no room to talk, and if he did try to say something about it, Vaengrasr was sure he could legitimately blame his actions on his rider's characteristics rubbing off on him slightly.
Eragon once more began tiring, quickly, as Murtaugh showed no signs of letting up. Vaen tried to give the rider some break in the attacks, even his attempts to swipe in at the red dragon was limited now as the pair had mostly adjusted to his random attacks. Murtaugh was nearly able to slip inside of Eragon's guard and land a serious blow when Shruikan let out a keening wail, followed by a crack, and then an immense wash of power flowed over them, throwing Murtaugh's attack off target. The momentum of the, now, off-target attack set the young man tumbling from his saddle on Thorn's back and freefalling to the earth. Eragon and Thorn let out cries of dismay, though Thorn was the only one to dive towards the falling rider.
Eragon reached out a hand and cast the spell Harry had learned in his first year at Hogwarts, causing Murtaugh's decent to slow quickly. Thorn maneuvered under his rider and Murtaugh was able to latch onto the saddle with a shaky hand. Vaengrasr looked back towards Shruikan, knowing it was something his rider had done that caused the wave of magic.
Eragon looked over at Vaengrasr. "Go to Harry. I plan to land and see if Murtaugh is interested in continuing on land. Hopefully there, at least, I can take a bit more time speaking with him. Saphira will have my back."
Vaengrasr looked at the two of them, shifted his gaze towards the red dragon and rider who also seemed to be making a descent to the ground themselves. With a large nod, Vaengrasr dove towards Harry's location, trying to send out his mind to his rider to let him know what was happening. However, his mental reach didn't seem to find Harry's mind easily.
A large combination of various magics splashed across Shruikan's scales; most caused little reaction, but some left small patches of blistering red whelps or scorch marks. Shruikan thrashed uselessly against his constraints, but none broke to release him from captivity. Harry was more focused on getting the superheated air from the dragon's nostrils dealt with at the moment to really notice.
Hoping against hope, Harry took a step towards the dragon's head. "Shruikan, stop struggling. You won't break free. There is no point in continuing this useless fight." The dragon's movements did not lessen, if anything, the intensified even more. Sighing, Harry forced the dragon's head to the ground and drove a mental probe into the dragon's mind, seeing if it was even worth saving at this point. Shruikan let out a deafening noise, less of a roar and more of a scream almost. A number of elves around Harry dropped to the ground, covering their ears, but Harry kept his attention fully on his probe.
There was nothing left within the dragon except instinct and hatred. Harry could not even find anything positive in the connection the dragon had to Galbatorix. Everything about this dragon screamed agony, hatred, and a desire for nothing less than the death of everything. Harry pulled back his mental probe and looked over the dragon's heart of hearts. While it was no longer residing inside the dragon itself, Harry could see the tie from it to the dragon. He was devastated to find that even that had become so twisted and crushed that he knew there was no other option left to him, even though he had known that coming into it.
Wincing slightly, Harry gathered magic from the plane of life and death itself, brought it into the natural plane of existence and forcefully tore the soul of the dragon from the tortured husk it had been contained within. The ground fissured even further from where he was standing due to the unnatural magic, splitting a meter wide and tens of meters long in some cases, leaving deep wounds on the ground; wounds that not even nature itself could heal in time. Harry followed the dragon's soul for a few seconds in its death, doing what he could to mend some of the larger wounds that Galbatorix had inflicted. Even though Alagaësia's ground may never heal, he hoped that, in time, Shruikan's soul might find healing in death.
As Harry returned mentally, only a few seconds later, he was nearly overwhelmed by two minds crashing over his. Arya was nearly beside herself in worry at her inability to contact him mentally, while Vaengrasr was nearing a similar state. He struggled to make sense of the pair's thoughts as they were unceasing and muddled together.
"Quiet." He thought to them, and while she paused for a half second, Arya continued with barely a break.
"Trianna is coming after you!" She cried out into his mind.
Harry turned and saw the smaller black cloud speeding towards him, the familiar shape of Trianna leaning forward towards him with a pitch-black sword extended towards him.
With little reaction, Harry raised a hand in front of him. "Stop."
Trianna's face screwed up in frustration and hate as her forward progress slowed drastically. She continued forwards but Harry merely raised an eyebrow at her. Her movement continued to slow quickly until she had to stretch out, trying to get her sword as close to the wizard as possible. The very point of the sword barely touched Harry's hand before she came to a complete halt.
Harry scoffed in condescension. "Spirits. You should know whom it is you strike at before letting your blade follow through. The enemy you choose just may be well beyond your ability to reach."
All the blood drained from Trianna's face. The pale girl looked as if she was already dead and buried with the lack of color shown. She seemed to shake herself and spoke with a cracking voice that gave off tones of fear.
"We…we are Elli." The possessed Trianna stated, trying to sound confident and failing entirely.
Once more, Harry scoffed in response to the spirits' claims. He knew a number of languages, and more than a few mythological tales, some more so facts than tales if Sif was to be believed about one of Thor's embarrassing moments.
"I doubt you are prepared to take me on, spirits. You will release this girl to me, and perhaps I will leave you alone. Go against me, and there will be no end to your suffering. You have more than overstepped your boundaries in your actions here, and there will be consequences regardless." Harry stated easily.
He had no desire to do what he had done to Shruikan again, especially not this close to where he had done it the last time. When he used this power, it didn't just affect the crust of the planet, it reverberated to the core, and that was where things really became an issue, but if he needed to, he would. If the spirits disengaged on their own, he could go about things in a manner that would allow him to not draw on the magic of life and death in this plane of existence, he could slip out of it and deal with things there, giving no harm to the planet. Such were the constraints he was forced to work within.
"We will bow to no mortal." Elli stated defiantly, apparently slowly gaining back its courage.
"I am no mortal. I am Master of Death. Master of Spirits. You know this. It is why you were forced to stop." Harry stated calmly.
"You would not risk this planet for one stupid little girl. She means nothing to you." Elli challenged with a more confident smirk.
Something tugged at the corner of his mind and Harry let his attention drift to it for a second.
"The patronus charm." Arya stated into his mind. It was followed by the effect it had caused on the shade a few moments ago.
With a smirk, Harry closed his fist around the blade that was held in the shade's hand, reeking of fel energy and twisted magic. From his hand, light flowed onto the blade and quickly crept up the blade, into the hilt and spread over Trianna's possessed body. The shade shrieked and tried to drop the weapon, but the light was already beginning to envelope the black cloud of mist. The cries and screams from the shade continued, but began softening in volume until, with a final cry, ceased entirely.
Trianna dropped limply to the ground and made no movement. A number of elves rushed forwards, but Harry once more slipped from the natural plane into the plane of life and death. The spirits that made up the shade had tried to disperse, but his right to judge their actions held them in place. There was no way for them to escape.
"You said you would leave us alone, if we left." The spirits cried in a single, convoluted voice.
Harry smirked ruthlessly. "I said I might."
Eragon and Murtaugh were settled into ready positions a number of paces from each other. They had not traded strikes since landing as both had taken a short amount of time to check over their dragon companions. The blue dragon, encouraging Eragon to conserve his energy, brushed off the minor injuries that she had sustained. Murtaugh seemed to hold no such hesitancy, as he seemed to easily heal Thorn's wounds and looked ready to go another week without sleep.
Due to the discussions with Harry, Oromis, and Arya, Eragon quickly understood what was happening. The rash part of his mind wanted to call Murtaugh out on the fact that he was relying on at least on dragon's heart of hearts, while he himself used none, but Harry had pounded into his mind that need to tread carefully when dealing with people. Not that it seemed like the wise wizard had heeded his own advice today.
Murtaugh watched Eragon speculatively for a few moments. "I must say, Eragon…you have lasted much longer than I ever expected. Galbatorix himself has been hard pressed to increase my training to the point that you have shown so far." His eyes narrowed in thought and suspicion. "But surely you have not been told the true strength of dragons. You cannot overpower me because you do not have the hearts to do so."
Eragon tried to play dumb and apparently succeeded as Murtaugh smirked in disgust. "There is so much you have yet to learn, Eragon. It is something else I must agree with Galbatorix on, the elves know much but share little. If they have withheld the true power of a dragon and his rider, then you would likely be better off serving the King. As much as I despise him, he has taught me more than I could imagine. More even than I would dare say that wizard could teach you."
Before Eragon could speak in Harry's defense, Murtaugh continued. "I saw his cheap parlor tricks that he used to impress the Varden. But he was stupid enough to show a few things to Galbatorix. The King easily replicated what the wizard did and used it in Surda, killing hundreds without hardly even lifting a finger. However, I discovered something else under the King's tender mercies. That sword you hold? It is rightfully mine as I am the older brother, it is my inheritance from our father, not yours. Did you not know? I am the son of Morzan. The son…of Selena."
Eragon paused, his insides roiling in distress. He knew. He knew that Selena, his mother, had been Morzan's 'Black Hand' during The Fall. He knew his mother had met Brom and fallen in love with him, escaped the castle Morzan lived in and gave birth to him in Carvahall. He also knew that his father, Brom, had killed Murtaugh's father, Morzan. They were half brothers, and yet, here they were, trying to strike each other down because some mad king had forcefully bent Murtaugh to his will.
"Brother, Harry can break you from your oath." Eragon stated again.
This time, the words brought no flash of hope to the Murtaugh's eyes as he stood across from him. "It is not just an oath. He knows my name. There is no escape for me, but his death, and the oaths I swore to him will see you meet your death before he meets his." Murtaugh ground out before sprinting forward.
Before the blow could land, however, Murtaugh stumbled and clutched at his chest in a peculiar manner. He shuddered, bent in half, seemingly trying to catch his breath and then crumbled to one knee. Thorn was likewise afflicted and laid his head on the ground before pawing at it with his feet.
Murtaugh righted himself after a few seconds of the trembling and spat in Eragon's direction. "Consider yourself fortunate, brother. The King has called me to return to his side. Next time we meet, expect no words from me, I stretched it as I could this time, but he will be most unhappy with Thorn and I. Think on the pain we will be enduring at his displeasure when you sleep soundly tonight."
Without another word, Murtaugh leapt onto Thorn's back and the pair flew away swiftly. Eragon dropped his head sadly and turned to Saphira after the two of them could no longer see the red dragon.
As Saphira glided to the ground back at the main encampment, relieved cheers went up from the crowd. The pair were still disheartened at the departure of Murtaugh and Thorn, but did their level best to put on smiles for the morale of the troops.
Eragon, as soon as he dismounted, went searching for Harry. What he found was far beyond what he was expecting, but it added a good amount of hope back to his heart. Trianna was settled into a bed and was being fussed over by other magicians and healers, her frustration clear on her face, but it was tempered by a good amount of relief.
Her eyes made a trek across those that were situated around her and her eyes landed on him. The relief that had been under the frustration disappeared quickly, worry and fear coming out full force. The people tending to her became frantic to find out what was wrong, and they turned to see what she was looking at. He was nearly forced from the area when they noticed that she was looking at him, but Harry stepped in. The man placed a hand on the young woman's shoulders and then nodded to Eragon.
"We'll get him back." Harry told the two mentally. Trianna shuddered at the mental contact, but some of her relief came back at Harry's reassurances. Eragon nodded in agreement. They would get Murtaugh back.
"Islanzadí, Arya, Oromis, Nasuada, Eragon, and I must speak with Trianna. Then, I think she deserves some much-needed rest. One of you will stay to watch over her and tend to any needs she makes known to you, but your hovering does her no good." Harry stated emphatically and the large group that had been gathered around Trianna's bed scattered quickly.
Harry turned his eyes towards the burgeoning spellcaster with a heavy look. "They deserve the truth." He stated to her simply.
Her eyes widened. "I…" She floundered under his look and then lowered her head in assent. "You're right…they do."
With a few more seconds of getting her breathing under control, Trianna looked up once more. "They will hate me…" She stated simply towards Harry before taking a deep breath and drawing herself upright. "I betrayed the Varden."
Shocked silence met her statement and she sat for a few moments in that silence. "I did it willingly…"
Harry gave a small scoff, "I doubt it was entirely your idea, but yes, I had assumed as much."
The others turned to look at him in confusion but he motioned towards Trianna once more.
"I had left my shields down during the battle of Tronjheim. Harry had berated me for it, but I was supposed to be the one relaying messages to everyone and figured since I wasn't anywhere near the fighting, I would be fine without the shielding. I was an idiot, but I became an even worse one by the end of it all." Trianna shrunk in on herself.
"I didn't know it would turn out like it did. I swear to you." Trianna stated, looking beseechingly at Nasuada. The young woman looked down at the spellcaster in confusion.
"Galbatorix spoke to me, during the battle." Gasps sounded throughout the tent that they were standing in. "He started to attack me at first, but then yielded after we fought for a little while. I thought that I had forced him into submission with my power. He seemed to grovel at my feet. Congratulated me. He then said that I was more powerful than him, possibly even more powerful than any riders that had come before him. The only thing I was missing, he said, was knowledge.
"He said I was being held back by you all, that you didn't trust me. I didn't realize until later that he had read through my thoughts and feelings on the matter while we were fighting." Trianna looked down. Her eyes filled with tears as she thought back over everything for the thousandth time.
"He told me that he would help me get all the power I wanted, even more than I could dream of having, if I helped him. I was supposed to get the Eragon alone with the shade so that he could capture him and bring him to Galbatorix. I was also supposed to get Murtaugh back to him and cause as much chaos as possible." Trianna shrank in further as Nasuada took a faltering step backwards, her hand flying to her mouth in horror.
"I was to keep my mind open to him from that point on, so that he could know exactly where I was. He said it was to be sure that I didn't get scared and tell someone what was going on, but now I know…" Trianna's eyes loosed the tears that had gathered fully in her eyes as she looked at Nasuada. "The Ra'zac were using the information he was getting from me to track us. It's all my fault." At this point, Trianna broke down entirely and cried at the death and pain she had caused.
Nasuada's own eyes filled slightly with tears, but none tracked down the side of her face. She sniffed once and turned from the tent. Harry caugt Eragon's eye and nodded for the rider to follow her. Eragon wasted no time in leaving, though he threw a conflicted look towards Trianna as he left. Arya, Oromis, and Islanzadí looked down at the spellcaster, sobbing on the bed and were each experiencing difficult emotions.
Ajihad had been a wonderful leader of the Varden, and Arya knew that the young woman before her had looked up to the man as a father herself. The guilt in that alone would be devastating on her psyche. It was compounded by the fact that the power she had so longed for and had unknowingly sacrificed for, also came at the price of her own freewill.
Arya's eyes made their way to Harry's face. He too was watching Trianna, but she could not gauge his thoughts. Her mind reached over to his and gently brushed his shields. "Harry?"
The wizard made no outward notion of recognition, but she felt him send a burst of love and reassurance to her. There was a small undertone of sadness, but she felt that if he was confident enough in the future at this point, with everything that had just happened, she could search for the silver lining on the storm clouds that surrounded them currently.
.
.
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A/N: First, I want to say a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone who has read this story, especially those who clicked the review, follow, or favorite buttons for this story. I was curious a couple weeks ago and started doing a little bit of messing around on FF's search options. To my absolute surprise, I found out that this story has the most reviews, follows, and favorites of all 115 HP/Eragon stories on this site and that made me feel pretty amazing and very appreciative to you all! You guys are great!
Sadly, I could not pull off the continuous scene for the battle. I pictured all these events happening at a pretty good size distance from each other. There wasn't a way to show Eragon and Saphira diving after Murtaugh over Harry's head as he wrestled with Shruikan, only to be lost in the dark mist of the shade while Arya and Oromis and their dragons worked to contain it's attacks like I originally wanted. I felt like they had enough warning to keep these things a little more spread out than though, which I am sure the army was grateful for. ;)
Hopefully the effects of Harry using his Master of Death abilities was explained in a way that makes sense that he can't do it consistently, but as is able to use it to do his job, just not in the common plane of existence that the planet is in.
I can't decide what I want Arya's Patronus animal to be. I am going back and forth between a wolf and a falcon. I am mostly leaning towards the falcon though. It seems to fit her better and I can just picture that with her. An eagle felt cliché, as did a lion. But the wolf or falcon seemed to fit her well.
Elli. Old Norse origin for Old Age. In mythology, she defeats Thor in wrestling match. Also means fifty in Turkish language. This event with Trianna has been planned since CH 14 or so. :) Glad to see it finally come out, though it may be a bit rushed, it will be flushed out more in the following chapters along with everything else that is getting wrapped up