After leaving the tent that held Trianna, Eragon followed Nasuada at a distance until she came to a stop near the edge of the camp. He hesitated for a few seconds, but then moved forward and laid a hand on her shoulder. She started slightly and looked back but calmed when she saw who it was. He was about to try to say something when she launched herself at him and wrapped her arms around his middle, the sound of her crying mostly muffled into his chest.
Deciding the silent support was best for now, he just held her and let her cry. Saphira touched his mind and relayed information to him, but he would worry about that later. Eragon was honestly impressed with the young woman in his arms right now. She had been a good leader for the Varden and was constantly doing her best to help them live the best life possible. She had wrestled control away from the advisors who had wanted to control her and secured her position completely.
She was shrewd and thoughtful in her actions and decisions, but aware of what the people of the Varden needed as individuals. Most importantly, she had been strong right after her father had been killed. The only time he had seen her distraught about it was when she first heard that he was dead in the tunnels after the battle. From that point on, Eragon had only seen her resolve to continue forward. She likely had cried when she was alone, but to the Varden, she never wavered.
It was likely the reason that she had come to the edge of the encampment. The scouts and guards were posted at various intervals around the outskirts, but they were not posted within hearing range of where the pair currently stood. Here, where she could find the rare patch of solitude that she needed. Part of him had been worried on intruding in that, but the way she continued to hold his shirt in a vice grip as she cried was enough of an indicator to him that he had made the right choice.
He swayed them back and forth gently, the distant calls and sounds of people and animals in the camp barely carrying across the wind that moved through the plains they were camped in currently. Neither had said anything for a good amount of time and Eragon was slightly relieved to notice that Nasuada's crying was slowly softening, now mostly sniffles here and there. Her fingers loosened their death grip on his shirt, the area remained heavily wrinkled as she released her hold and she began trying to smooth it slightly.
Eragon reached down and tilted her head to him, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm here for you." He whispered and then leaned his head against hers, keeping his eyes locked with hers as he gently wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.
She gave a wan smile at his words and nodded slightly.
"He would be proud of you, you know?" Eragon stated after a short pause. "You've done so much good for all of them. People that he looked after, took care of. He had helped them back on their feet and helped them grow strong to stand up for themselves. When he was taken, they would have been broken for a long time, even with the council still around to try to hold it together, their leader, their father practically was gone. But you, their sister, stepped in and showed them that the strength he taught to the Varden wasn't taken when he left, it was made even greater than before."
Her eyes were filling with tears again, but her features had grown determined, her breathing leveling out. "You are an inspiration in your strength, but also your caring. Your father loved you, would have been proud of you no matter what you ended up doing, but I have no doubt he knew you would do well where you are now."
Nasuada smiled gently and closed her eyes, leaning into the hands that were continuing to hold her face gently. Her eyes opened quickly as one hand dropped from her face and she reached up with a hand to stop the other as it was beginning to pull away as well. Once more locking eyes with Eragon, she reached out with her free hand and pulled his lips to hers.
"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled back and moved to hug him. His arms wrapped around her and she smiled and snuggled into his chest.
Eragon was enjoying the situation he found himself in. He couldn't suppress his sigh when he was contacted again. Nasuada pulled back and looked at him acutely.
"Why do I get the feeling that was not a sigh of contentment?" She asked, a slightly humor filled grimace was battling across her face, worry making sporadic appearances here and there as she fought to keep her countenance clear.
Eragon looked at her for a time and closed his eyes with another sigh. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He shook his head and rubbed a hand down his face, turning away from her slightly and trying to prepare himself for her reaction. "She want to speak to you."
Harry and Arya were the last to step from the tent once Eragon and Nasuada arrived. Harry had considered slipping the Resurrection Stone to Eragon as he left if the young rider felt like it would be beneficial to the pair of ladies, but then considered that Trianna may not appreciate having a spirit so near to her after being possessed by a number of beings only a short time ago.
Nasuada looked as composed as she had when she left, but Harry could see a hint of crying still lingering in her eyes. Trianna had been startled when the two entered and had asked if she could speak to Nasuada alone, but Eragon was having none of it. He was adamant about staying by Nasuada's side and the Varden leader made no comment otherwise so Trianna relented.
"Do you think it is safe to leave those three alone?" Arya questioned softly as she walked with Harry towards the part of the camp that was set up for eating. "I mean, Nasuada isn't one I see attacking out of rage or anything, but these aren't normal circumstances."
Harry laughed shortly at a thought. "I would almost be more worried about Eragon reacting to something in defense of Nasuada than Nasuada doing something. The two of them together should be able to control each other though. Saphira is more than likely listening in with Eragon as well. With the state Trianna is in right now, she would probably let them do just about anything they want to her without fighting back."
"I wish she had listened to your advice for resting before starting in with all this. I can't even begin to imagine what she has been through and is still going through." Arya stated softly.
Harry nodded in response. He had waited until Trianna had calmed down mostly before beginning to usher everyone out of he tent, telling her to rest up and that they would continue later, when she was ready. He had never had to deal with being possessed by that many spirits at a time before, but he had lived with a piece of Voldemort in his mind for all of his formative years.
"I can understand some." He replied thoughtfully. "Nothing to the extent that she is likely going through, but I've had some personal experiences of unwelcome voices and presences in my mind. More so, however, are the people I have helped in situations similar to her. She lost her identity, her free will, her dreams and desires. Her whole being was turned to the whims of the spirits that inhabited her. It likely would have been kinder in her mind at this point if she had been killed rather than given her freedom."
Disgust warred with sorrow on Arya's face. "I understand it is more extreme than I can imagine, but isn't that excessive?"
"Most certainly, it is excessive. Notice that I didn't say it was better if she had, only that she probably thinks it would be right now. Think of it this way, she did some terrible things while she was not in control of herself. The spirits that were in control of her were not nice beings. That can be reasoned away mostly though. What is going to haunt her are the actions she took while she was in complete control."
Harry paused and looked back towards the tent. "And right now, the only one who can lessen that burden is in the tent with her. While it is something that will never be forgotten, at some point, it will be as freeing to Nasuada as it is to Trianna when Nasuada offers her forgiveness. Nasuada has every right in the world to shun and despise Trianna for the events that she actively had a part in, actions that led to Ajihad's death, but if she holds onto that, she will never truly get over her Father's death."
Arya stepped closer to Harry and burrowed into his arms slightly, looking for comfort and closeness to him. "I hope she realizes that then. Come on. There is little else we can do for now. Let's find out how the plans are going for marching on Galbatorix."
The planning session had taken a few hours to wrap up. There were plenty of things to worry about and try to prepare for. They would be marching into a city that was full of citizens and soldiers, many on both sides were ones who had no desire to be involved at all. That fact was part of the reason the planning session took so long, the discussion had grown heated as the morality of their options were argued back and forth.
How can one protect the innocents when the enemy could be hiding within them? Where is the line for protecting those possible innocents and protecting your troops? It was a tactic that Harry would easily believe the King was capable of using to his advantage.
The other two issues were the existence of the 'Red Rider' as most of the troops were calling him. The news that it had been Murtaugh fighting against them had been kept quiet to this point, as it would be greatly demoralizing for the Varden troops that had fought alongside him and had grown to trust him to some measure. Harry planned to help the young man if possible, but it was likely that he had been oath and Name bound by the King. The only way to free him in a short amount of time would be to kill the King, or, as Arya and Oromis pointed out, find The Name of the Ancient Language. By knowing The Name, one could undo everything that had been done using the ancient language, in short, that person would control what was done with the Ancient Language across all of Alagaësia.
The other issue was the Death wards that the King had shown some talent and creativity in using. Harry was confident that they had come up with a way to deal with anything the King threw at them in that area, however. He and Arya would be the leads on that, but they were hoping to get a few more of the magic users to be able to assist them if needed.
"Well, we will have a little more time to hash out the last few issues, but I think we have a solid foundation for out attack plan. Let's reconvene in two days when we get closer to the city and go back over what we have. See if Trianna is up for speaking and if she remembers anything that could help us prepare. Otherwise, most of our preparations will have to come when we are closer to the city." Oromis stated. Jörmundur nodded his agreement, acting as the voice for the Varden while Nasuada was away from the group. He was the main one leading the army's movements under Nasuada and had a better understanding of their situation and abilities than any of the others from the council.
Harry stood up as others did the same. "I can go ahead of the army and scout around the city, see if I can find any weaknesses or troublesome areas that we are not currently aware of."
The others in the tent looked at him, but none spoke up about his statement, trusting that it was a good plan, thought they weren't sure that he would be able to do it without causing more trouble than was needed.
"I'll go with him to keep him out of trouble." Arya said; assuaging their silent worries somewhat.
"Before we do that, however, there is a stop we must take. Arya, Eragon and their dragons will need to accompany me. It will not take longer than a day, two at the very most, to get where we need to be and get back. I have let it be pushed to the side for as long as I could, but we must go." Harry stated resolutely. When questioned, he would give no more response than to say it was an important task that needed to be done before they marched on Galbatorix. Oromis nodded in Harry's direction in understanding, as did Islanzadí. Arya and Islanzadí looked at him with some confusion at that statement. Arya's confusion quickly cleared when seeing that Oromis nodded in understanding. Islanzadí followed with her own understanding nod after a few seconds of looking between the three. The others gathered at the table looked on, completely lost, but did not voice their questions.
By happy coincidence, Eragon was trailing exiting Trianna's tent after Nasuada but was making no effort to keep up with the young leader. Harry approached and sent a questioning look at the young rider. Eragon sighed softly and shook his head.
With a nod, Harry spoke up about his proposal. "So the leaders are planning on marching on towards Galbatorix and getting ready for a fight against him. The Urgals and Elves are all ready to march on as well. We will be joining back up with them, but we need to make a side trip now before we go any further."
Rather than asking twenty questions, Eragon simply nodded, trusting that whatever it was that Harry felt was so important, actually as worth pulling away from the group of fighters. Eragon asked to have enough time to try and talk with Nasuada before leaving, but came back a short time later, Nasuada had been accepting of him leaving with Harry and Arya and wished him well, but was not in a mood to speak or be around another for a short time. Harry and Arya were understanding and explained to Eragon that sometimes, even when being with another person helps usually, grieving is something that needs to happen alone sometimes. As such, within the hour, the three Riders had taken to the sky and, as Vaen and A'lerí led the way, the three spoke with their minds.
"So where are we going? You didn't mention earlier." Eragon asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.
"Is it to the Vault of Souls?" Arya asked, having grown even more confident in her assumption when Harry told their two dragons to lead the way.
"It is." Harry replied, proud of her observations and deductions. "If Galbatorix has truly twisted the Eldunari into some kind of device that will keep him from passing on, there is none that are better to ask on what to do than Eldunari themselves. If what Oromis was slowly beginning to remember, we will find some of the oldest Eldunari that exist on this planet in this 'Vault'; the heart of hearts from dragons whose riders have long since passed. Vaen said that they were teaching him many things while he was still an egg, if nothing else, they will be essential in helping train the next generation of dragons and dragon riders."
Feelings of agreement flowed over the mental link from Arya and the two could tell that the young rider was quickly catching on to the train of thought.
"Plus it wouldn't hurt to have some of them on our side if Galbatorix has his own stockpile of Eldunari holed up with him in the castle." Eragon mused darkly.
Harry gave a mental nod, "I am hoping they may be able to offer some assistance in that area as well."
"I hope I don't frustrate or offend you by asking, but if it wasn't for the Eldunari, could you take Galbatorix on by yourself?" Eragon asked after a few minutes of silence.
"Haven't I explained this already?" Harry gave and exasperated sigh that was lost to the winds, but the feeling behind it was conveyed through the mental link.
"Yes, well, kind of." Eragon fumbled slightly with his response, trying to explain his thoughts.
With a sigh, Harry started. "Galbatorix, on his own, or any magic user on this planet, for that matter, has no chance against me. That is not boasting, that is simple truth. Arya has been near me when I have fully released my power. Aside from that short time when we first met, I had kept at least half of my power contained and unused. Correction, I unleashed most of it when I put the wards up around Surda, but that was a different matter entirely. It would take a company of elven spellcasters to stop me from doing what I wanted, if I really wanted it. The power behind the Ancient Language and the versatility of my personal magic are a very dangerous and overwhelming combination that most cannot stand against. This is all before I tap into the various other venues of power I have, but those are more destructive to the planet when used in high concentration. That slightly limits me to what I can do here on this world.
"However, while they are not able to access and direct it as easily, dragons have at least as much energy in their beings, if not a little bit more, as probably five to ten elves working together. The Eldunari, thankfully are not able to control their magic any better than they were able to as dragons, but it can be drawn upon by another if the dragon is willing. What this means, is that Galbatorix, with even fifty Eldunari, is a force that I could possibly struggle at dealing with. With a hundred or more Eldunari and the spell that Thuviel used, all of Alagaësia would be wiped out, not that he would likely choose such a route…unless…" Harry trailed off in worry.
Eragon glanced at Arya to find she was confused as well. "Unless…?" He asked.
Harry waved the pair off. "Just some of my wild musings. Pay it no mind. Let's go back to your question. Galbatorix himself would be no problem, Galbatorix with fifty Eldunari? That would probably be a solid challenge. What we are likely facing, however, is Galbatorix with around five hundred Eldunari, and that might be a slightly conservative estimate."
Shocked silence met this statement from riders and dragons alike.
"The only other question that I am really curious of right now, however, is even if he has all of these Eldunari, is he able to draw from them at the same time? Or, is there some limitation on him due to mental constraints, or a dangerous excess of magic flowing through him? With those questions answered, things will be much easier to judge at. If it is only a certain number of Eldunari at a time, we may be able to come up with a few different plans on how to deal with him."
"And if he is able to draw from all of them at once?" Eragon questioned, the tone of his voice suggesting that he really did not want to ask the question.
Harry remained silent. He had a final trick up his sleeve, but it would come at a cost much greater than he felt he was willing to pay.
"How sure of this are you?" Arya questioned, unaware of his internal thoughts, the full weight of what they could be facing in the coming days truly resting on her mind.
Harry gave a mental shrug, pushing away his darker musings. "Less certain than I truly care to be, but I am hoping that will be able to be confirmed or denied once we reach the Rock of Kuthian and the vault of souls. Once Oromis was reminded of its existence, he began to remember more and more about it. Before we left, he remembered working with Vrael and his dragon Umaroth to place a number of Eldunari and dragon eggs into the vault and seal it so that it could not be found."
"More dragon eggs?" Eragon asked excitedly. Excitement could be felt from the three other dragons as well.
"Yes. Once Galbatorix and this rumored Drake have been dealt with, we will be able to rebuild the Rider Order. Hopefully into something better than what it was before its fall." Harry answered smilingly.
They had left the land behind them a short time ago and were slowly drawing upon the volcanic island that had been deserted after the fall of the riders. Harry quickly cast protective charms over their bodies to protect against the lingering 'invisible poison' that Glaedr tried to explain to them, the resulting taint from Thuviel's final work of magic.
"We must move quickly. While I have faith in these charms, it is best that we do not linger." Harry stated, casting his senses out to find the 'Rock of Kuthian'. He had an image of it in his mind from Oromis' fairth and was able to see it before he sensed it. He was unsurprised by that fact since it was being hidden with magic and against magic, making it so that any who came seeking it would fail to find it unless they knew of its existence.
The three dragons landed and Harry motioned Eragon forward. "The cat told you to speak your name. I spoke with you before we left Ellesméra and asked you to begin meditating on your name. Now is the time to see if you have found it." Harry stepped back to his dragon and climbed on, Arya following his example. "The charms on you will last for the rest of the day and most of tomorrow. If you do not know your True Name yet, spend that time to meditate on it further. We will return at the end of the day if you do not contact us before then. I wish to look around the island and see if there is anything I can do about this 'invisible poison'."
Eragon opened his mouth in frustration and to protest, but the pair had already taken flight and their dragons were winging away from the vault's entrance. They looked to be heading for the peak of the volcano.
Eragon turned back to the vault's entrance and sat on the ground, going over the various words he had been considering. Some rang true, others less so. Some of those that rang true, he was frustrated that they felt so right in describing him, but there was also a peace about him when he came to accept it as part of him. He felt like he was missing something, though, something immensely important, but not overtly obvious. He slipped into a mix of the meditations that Harry and Oromis had taught him, letting the soothing presence of Saphira anchor him and calm his mind of the raging thoughts that had slowly built up on the flight out.
Harry and Arya landed near the lip that ran along the edge of the upper rim of the volcano. Looking over the edge, Harry could see that it was inactive, though there was a sense of energy that waited beneath the surface, something almost alive, waiting to be released. His caution spiked at this initial feeling, worrying that the drake was buried here, but as he continued to poke at the edges of the sensation, he found that it was a mix of nature and magic waiting under the hardened lava. While this volcano would never again erupt, the ground within it seemed to act, almost as if an unaltered ward stone.
Letting his mind run through various possibilities and theories of how it came to be, Arya was looking out over the island. It was mostly dead. Much like the Hadarac Desert. There were a few patches of foliage, but most looked withered or mutated and unhealthy.
Interrupting his thoughts, Arya spoke up without looking away from the view. "What do you plan to do here? Do you think you can cleanse whatever this poison is?"
"From what I can understand, Thuviel's spell changed his mass directly into energy. While normally, such a conversion would not cause issue since the body is not made up of large enough atoms to cause irradiation, magic is involved, and while it is not entirely sentient, it is aware of what you desire. Thuviel sought to thoroughly destroy everything that was on the island, from best I can tell; a kind of last resort. Wipe out the enemy, and if that failed, take away any chance of them gaining resources from it." Harry explained, turning from the volcano to look out over the island as well.
"The best way to do so is to unleash a massive amount of energy and, as a long term solution, make a place uninhabitable. Mass converted to energy results in an enormous amount of energy, add in magic to that, and the possibilities are bordering on nuclear." Harry stated, his eyes tracking to a single point on the island that looked like an epicenter of a bomb.
"Nuclear?" Arya questioned uncomprehendingly.
Harry nodded. "It was technology from my world that both offered and ended peace. If it had truly been nuclear on that scale, this island would no longer exist, nor would most of the towns across the water from here. The explosion would have destroyed all of the land here, the massive amount of water displaced by that, however, would have had deadly repercussions back on the mainland also though."
Arya looked out once more and tried to envision such an event happening but it was beyond any imaging she could stir up. "So where does that leave us?"
Harry smiled gently. "Well, it leaves us with a tainted island and a number of attempts of various cleansing magic spells. Come over here and I'll walk you through what I'm doing so you can help. This first spell…"
No single spell worked to fully cleanse the air or ground. But by the end of it, Harry could feel that the air was not pressing so heavily against his protective charms. The spells only worked for a certain distance before their power waned and ultimately made no difference past that point. This made for very slow going with cleansing the air and ground, but they were definitely making progress.
Arya had picked up on the spells rather quickly, impressing Harry, and with the two of them working together, they were able to clear a good amount of area of the contamination. As the slowed to take a rest, Harry placed a number of wards around the cleansed area, hoping to keep the contaminated air from mixing back in with the area he had cleared to that point. He was hoping that once it was cleared out from the most part, the last little bit that lingered would dissipate on its own.
They had settled into chairs that the two of them had conjured for themselves when they felt a mental shout of accomplishment from Eragon. Harry smiled softly and looked over at Arya.
"Looks like he did it." Harry said.
Arya gave a slight, playful pout. "I was hoping we would have a little more time to ourselves."
Harry smirked over at her and sent a quick, mental message to Eragon. "We have as long as you want, love."
Eragon stepped cautiously into the vault after getting a message back from Harry that they were in the middle of working out some issues that they had found. If he really needed help with something, Harry said that he only needed to alert him and the two would drop what they were doing and get there as quickly as possible.
Eragon had shrugged and walked into the vault with Saphira at his side. He had finished his meditations and felt like he had found his true name. When he whispered it aloud, his entire frame shook and the rock of Kuthian moved to the side to allow him entrance to the Vault.
A chill swept over him as he entered the damp and cool, earthy chambers, a distinct contrast from the warm, arid air above ground. The pressure that he had been feeling on the protective charms that Harry had cast around him lightened to nothing and Eragon let his shoulders relax slightly at the sensation. The tunnel was decently well lit from the light that spilled in from behind him and as he reached the end, having traveled at a steep downward slope, the tunnel widened into a large chamber.** His steps faltered as his eyes took in the site before him.
Eggs and Eldunari were situated all about the room with care. He walked over to one of the Eldunari and placed a hand on it gently. As if being awoken by his touch, a presence reached out to his mind.
"Someone has come." The mental baritone rumbled in his mind, a sense of vibration rolling through his thoughts at the power from the voice.
Slowly, he felt the awareness of the other Eldunari slowly awaken after this statement and the chamber quickly filled with a thrum of energy.
"Has Galbatorix finally been defeated?" The first Eldunari questioned.
"Not yet, but we have gathered our forces to face him." Eragon answered.
"What forces? The elves have been coaxed back out of hiding? Or have you found a way to gain the dwarve's assistance?" A second voice questioned within his mind.
"Both, as well as the humans and Urgals." Eragon stated, slightly proud at the feelings of shock that erupted from the various Eldunari that were scattered about the room.
"And are you their leader?" The second voice asked with a small amount of condescension.
"No, there is no single leader. Though I would feel safe in saying that it is due to one man that they have agreed to work together." Eragon answered.
"I sense some disapproval in your tone…" The first Eldunari mused gently.
Eragon sighed softly. "We had a personal issue for a time, but I am slowly getting past it. It matters little at this point. While I do not agree with everything, I believe it has led to one of the best possible outcomes."
Agreement emanated from the main speaker of the Eldunari. "Those in leadership must often make such decisions, whether they truly want to or not. I must ask, however, why it is you here and not him that is speaking with us."
"He and his mate are busy working to cleanse the island from what I understand. The effect from Thuviel's—" hisses erupted from his statement, but none of the Eldunari made to interrupt him, so he continued, "magic caused a type of poison to linger about this island. I came here because a werecat told me to speak my name before the Rock of Kuthian to enter the Vault of Souls."
A few moments of silence greeted his statement, but something on the edge of his mind seemed to sense that a conversation was happening that he was not privy to. Part of the work that he had been doing with Harry was to make himself more aware of when people were having conversations with their mind. He wasn't taught how to listen in, but it was always good to be aware of such things, since it could often mean that people were using such secretive methods to hide plans and activities.
"We will speak on this more at another time. Since you have not defeated Galbatorix, I will assume that you are here in search of help." The Eldunari spoke finally. "My name is Umaroth. I am the consciousness of the dragon that was paired with the last leader of the Dragon Rider Order, Vrael. We are prepared to do what we need to do so that this tyrant can be brought to his end."
Eragon grimaced slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hopefully you are up for a bit more. We have had some information come in that there is a drake that was bound in the earth, a long time ago, but is slowly regaining his power and is attempting to break free."
Once more, Eragon's words were met with silence.
"Things are grave indeed." A voice spoke from the shadows, greatly startling Eragon and Saphira. "My apologies, I am Cuaroc." A shape sifted and then emerged from the shadows. What Eragon had initially thought was only a statue in the room turned out to be a metal construct of a dragonheaded man.
Eragon took a couple steps back, as did Saphira. Laughter slowly emerged from the being that called himself Cuaroc. "I mean you no harm, as you have no intent to harm my charges. I was once a dragon; much like these Eldunari, but I was given this form by the enchantress Silvarí after my death. I was tasked with guarding these eggs and Eldunari from Galbatorix." He opened a latch on his chest that opened to reveal a purple Eldunari that had thousands of wires connected to it from the body.
Eragon and Saphira looked on in amazement.
"If the Drake is reawakening, then we must move quickly. He was once a good and just leader, but magic has warped his mind and thoughts. He only seeks the domination of all beings now." Cuaroc stated sadly, his head tilting downward in sorrow.
"Did you know him?" Eragon asked, his curiosity overcoming his caution at the sight of the massive being before him.
"I did not, but my sire did." Cuaroc stated. "It was back during the time that the Grey Folk first arrived. The dragons of that time were less civilized than we became after the pact between the elves and dragons that ended our war, but they were intelligent, cunning, and had their own leaders. The King of the Grey Folk was a prideful man and demanded out allegiance, claiming that he would make us civilized creatures, tame and docile to his people. Because of his attitude, we waged war with them for half a century. There was only loss.
"The Drake, as it became his title and his name was forgotten, rose up from the death of his den and lead the dragons to peace with the Grey Folk. He destroyed the Grey King, but was also merciful to those who had no desire to fight with the dragons. They lived in peace for some time, but some magic had been put on him, for good or ill intent, and he lost his mind to the desire for dominating all life." Cuaroc trailed off in his story-telling and turned from the group, seemingly ending the retelling in that abrupt manner.
Eragon wanted to ask what else happened, but Saphira cautioned him to keep quiet on the matter for now. It likely was not an easy story to recall, even as one who was removed from the events by a generation.
"…So, how are we going to do this?" Eragon asked after a few moments.
Harry watched as four blurs sped, twisted and dove across the sky, pillars of flame erupting across the fading light of the evening. He had been forced to fall back from attacking for a few moments to once more draw the warded stones from the sky. Galbatorix had set up a number of catapults that were launching the stones with the death wards tied to them. This had been one of the possibilities that they had planned for, however, so Harry was able to easily nullify any dangers that came with that avenue of attack.
He had apparated to an area that was a good distance from any others and then summoned the rocks to his location. He was able to catch them at the peak of their arcs, keeping the wards from getting too close to the various soldiers and civilians on the ground in the city. The attack on the city had been raging for a number of hours at this point and they had mostly been able to push forward without too much trouble.
They were being cautious in their advancement. They were making sure to clear everything in a line through the city to be sure that there were no forces that would pop up behind them and catch them by surprise. It had slowed their progress and some of the soldiers were quickly wearing down mentally due to forcing themselves to be constantly aware and searching for any hidden forces. Unfortunately, to compound this issue, the civilians in the city were not being cooperative or helpful as Harry and the other leaders had been hoping for. Either Galbatorix had threatened them if they defected or assisted the incoming forces, or they had been thoroughly brainwashed, in a sense, and truly desired Galbatorix to continue ruling over them.
The most problematic obstacle the Varden, Elves, and Urgals met in their bid to take the city, were the soldiers that Galbatorix and his spellweavers had magicked to be immune to pain. While they would still lose blood and die when their wounds became too much for their body to continue through, normal wounds that would leave most men or women laying on the floor in shock or immense pain, these soldiers would continue through.
Harry was contacted by one of the elven spellcasters that they were facing a large group of soldiers that had the same magic covering them that the other immune to pain soldiers had been wrapped in. Letting Vaen know that he planned to help the ground forces for a few moments, Harry turned on his heel from the distanced location he summoned the now destroyed death stones to and apparated to the forward lines. Before he had fully left his previous location, however, ho noticed the sun gleaming off of armor and armaments.
The Dwarves had arrived in time for the final push.
As Harry appeared at the offensive front, the soldiers cleared a little room for him and continued their push forward. Shield bearers were to the front, trying to limit the amount of damage that the spelled soldiers could do as they hacked and sliced away, trying to bring the soldiers down as quickly as possible. A soldier broke from the line here and there, falling to wounds or sickness at what they were being forced to do to these human beings.
Harry tried to turn their minds and wills from fighting against the forces that were truly only seeking to help free them, but the minds of the soldiers had been broken and twisted. They had been turned into little more than animals that the King had turned loose on the rebel forces. Desiring to not force the humans and elves to go through such torture of continuously whittling away at other humans as they attempted to bring the soldiers to the end of their resistance, Harry sent out a wave of magic that targeted the broken soldiers and stunned them in one passing.
There was likely little that they could do for the poor souls, but Harry felt that they at least had to try. In truth, he held more hope for a dementor-kissed person recovering than the people he saw before him.
The soldiers warily lowered their swords, spears and shields and turned to Harry with grim looks on their faces.
"Do what you can to land killing blows. There is little we can do for them at this point. Their minds have been broken by the Black King. They will not hear reason, they will show no mercy, and they will not stop. If you feel that you cannot continue to face these…" Harry looked down and tried to find a word that would describe these monstrous creations, yet unwilling victims. "Well, none will begrudge you; fall back to support the others, if you desire, the rest of us will push forward. From what I have been hearing, most of these groups have been scattered along the main path to the capital."
Harry let his eyes glance around those that had gathered around him, as well as those who kept their faces towards the unsecured part of the city, watching for any soldiers that might take opportunity in their impromptu council. None left. Stubborn grimness settled over their faces as each man and woman readied their weapons. Harry nodded and cast healing spells over those who had been injured and received grateful nods from each of them.
"Follow closely to me. The soldiers we come across, we will work to disable. One of you, send word to those that follow behind to have a small company ready to take prisoners. I will work to dispatch the painless ones. Hopefully after the fighting is finished, we can find an answer to help them regain their minds, or at least forge a new life."
Harry conjured a staff and layered various strengthening spells over it and pulled out his sword with his other hand. Harry strode forwards, the clunking sound of metal boots and armored legs and arms signaling that the warriors were following closely behind him. The group was able to cut a wide path up the main road with Harry leading the group, catching the center of the line up with those who were taking side roads and alleys towards the main fortress that Galbatorix was holed up within.
The group had been lagging behind somewhat due to the constant meetings with the soldiers who were able to continue fighting after suffering terrible wounds. Now, the defending forces were falling in droves, petrified, or stunned by the attacks from Harry's sword and staff, or knocked out due to fists or weapons from the soldiers who caught the stragglers and soldiers who were to the outside of Harry's main path up the road.
They met three more groups of five of six soldiers that had the deadened nerves that Harry had stunned en masse. Every so often, Harry would catch a glimpse of Vaen or A'lerína diving through the skies, following or being followed by Thorn. On some of the passes, there were blasts of fire bellowing from their mouths, or roars rumbling through the skies that had begun to fill with smoke.
Oromis and Glaedr were currently assisting the elves a few streets over while Eragon was assisting the Urgals on the other side of where Harry and his group were moving forward. Angela was likely dancing between foes alongside them, as well as the majority of the Werecats. Grimmr must have been notified that Harry had joined the central-line as the werecat had randomly jumped into the skirmishes alongside Harry in his human form. The cat was landing blows that crippled the soldiers, a more brutal way of putting them out of commission and active fighting, but it worked, and with magic such things were at least a little easier to fix than without. First and foremost, it was a war, and Harry's main goal, after achieving victory, was to keep those he was fighting with safe.
The majority of the forces had cleared up to the halfway point in the city, but Harry had pulled back from the central push when the Dwarves had arrived. Aside from the long march, they were fresh and ready for battle. Their reinforcements gave the soldiers that had been fighting with little pause to this point a short respite, but also a new sense of hope and energy. The Dwarven battlecries as they crashed forward were rallying and invigorating in their intensity and volume. Harry had peeled back and joined back up with Vaen as A'lerina and Glaedr drew Thorn's attention for a time.
It was honestly impressive, and slightly worrisome that Thorn and Murtaugh were still somewhat keeping up with the others. Thorn was still young, even though he looked fairly large, larger than Saphira in fact, but he had been given little to no time to adjust to his increased size, making his movements and flying less consistent and measured. The three dragons were able to land multiple, various blows that accumulated quickly to cause the dragon a great amount of pain, but Murtaugh was generally able to patch the dragon back up quickly with little strain on himself. The others were not so fortunate as healing their dragons would mean less energy later on. Harry and Eragon were likely the two most refreshed in their energy reserves, Oromis being the most taxed as he had been hanging back from most of the fighting and focused more on healing the others when they suffered a particularly worrying wound. Murtaugh had gotten in more than a few lucky strikes, entirely due to the fact that Thorn was so unpredictable and inconsistent in his flying, Murtaugh was able to make the most of a bad situation here and there to land a hit.
The worrying part about the current standing was centered on a simple question. If Murtaugh had enough Eldunari to keep up the amount of easy healing on Thorn, how many did Galbatorix have at his disposal? The Black King would not give a large percentage of his prized treasures to what was no more than a pawn in his game, but it would require a massive amount of Eldunari to keep up such a pace of healing.
Murtaugh pulled away from the group of four riders and Harry took the short break in action to check on everyone. Arya was breathing heavily, but was perfectly fine aside from that. A'lerína had a few minor, shallow wounds that were easily ignored. Oromis and Glaedr were in the worse shape of the group, but the elf was still very clearly ready to go for much longer. Harry had gotten a few chances to see the elf fully in action since his healing was completed, but it was impressive to say the least. If the elf had never been injured and forced his magic to work harder to get through the damaged pathways in his body, he likely would have not been able to keep up with how much magic he had likely used in an effort to keep everyone healed and mended. Glaedr was mostly unharmed, but he too had been pushing his limits, attempting to keep up with the smaller, faster dragons in their sharper turns and quick dives. His magic was likely working overtime to keep his massive bulk moving in a way that let him stay close enough to do damage or intervene if needed.
Eragon and Saphira were mostly fresh and showing great form. Arya, Oromis, and Harry were the main three that had started out keeping Murtaugh off their forces when the young rider first made his appearance. Eragon had answered an early call for help when the forces first encountered the pain-deadened soldiers. Saphira had made several passes over the main streets and blasted fire into the gathering of spelled troops. They had done a check for civilians and found none until a good distance into the city. It had made the job for the Varden forces much easier. As the line moved further into the city, however, they were unable to use such tactics as those who simply lived in the city made no effort to leave their homes or get away from the fighting.
Harry looked back over at Murtaugh and found the young man's facial features twisting and distorting in pain. Eragon had apparently noticed it as well since he shouted over at Harry. "Something is happening! Do something!"
Harry looked at him with a small amount of confusion and bemusement. "And what am I to do? I don't know if Galbatorix has forced him to agree to certain things should he be captured, or fail in whatever he is supposed to do right now. Sure, I can stun him, but if Galbatorix has forced him to swear in the Ancient Language that he would capture or kill one of us, or die trying, we could very well force his death by making it so that he cannot complete his mission."
Eragon glanced back at Murtaugh and furrowed his brow in thought. A'lerina spoke into their minds. "What is his mission? If it is not to kill us, perhaps we can work with whatever it is, turn it to our benefit."
Harry considered the words. There was little that they could do at this point. Even if their forces reached the main stronghold, they would be less than useless against Galbatorix. Anything they attempted would simply end in their death. But with how Oromis was wearing down, and Arya to a lesser extent, it wouldn't be a good idea to leave them to distract Murtaugh while Harry and Eragon moved to deal with Galbatorix. Eragon would not be enough to stop the Black King on his own, even with the help of the Eldunari that had come along with the young rider in a spectacular use of an space expansion charm that Harry had never considered before.
Harry doubted he could face the Black King on his own, but if everyone that he felt would be needed to face Galbatorix and have a chance at winning came with him, it would leave their forces unprotected from Murtaugh and Thorn's attacks. The elves could protect them some, but not against the might of a rider, Dragon, and however many Eldunari the red rider had been gifted. Harry drew up a legillemency probe and let it play about the very edges of Murtaugh's mind. It was somewhat blurry, being shielded in the manner that was common among the magic users on Alagaësia, but not so much that he couldn't get a general idea of what what happening in his mind.
"What is your goal here, Murtaugh?" Harry called out to the rider as the young man patched up his dragon once more. "You can't stall us forever. The longer you take to deal with us, the closer our forces come to taking the city."
"Bahh, like Galbatorix would allow me to speak of such things to you." Murtaugh spat back, but Harry was able to glean the information from his mind. The poor young man was screaming against the oaths and bindings that Galbatorix had forced upon him, crying out for freedom from the madman and the choices he was being forced to make. "besides," Murtaugh continued. "You may take the city, but until you go yourselves, None will take Galbatorix, and even at that, not even you four will be able to stand against him. Sure, you took his dragon, and his shade, but his strength is far greater than the things you have faced so far. Besides, you will have to kill me before you can pass me by, or I will turn on your forces and burn every single being, the smoke from their bodies will rise until all of Alagaësia can see the devastation wreaked upon them by Murtaugh and Thorn!"
While his words were harsh, Harry felt the desperation and sorrow at the words he spoke. It was not a threat, not in his mind, it was the best he could do to warn them of what he would be forced to do if they left him and tried to stop Galbatorix. The others flinched back at the ruthless claim, but Harry showed them what was occurring in the young man's mind and they calmed slightly. Though he could not show it openly, he was still trying to fight against the King, as little as he was being allowed to.
Harry sighed, but with the support of the others, he made the offer that was their final avenue for getting through the next few hours without having to kill Murtaugh and Thorn. "If we go with you to Galbatorix, will you call off the forces?"
"You ask me to lead you to Galbatorix, fully armed, fully conscious and all, and in trade for that, I also call off the troops defending his city. Are you trying to get me killed, or are you just that stupid?" Murtaugh mocked.
"I don't want to see you killed. I very much doubt that he would kill you if we were to enter without weapons, without wards, without our Dragons." Harry replied. Shivers of worry and fear rang out in his mind from the others, but they had enough trust in Harry to keep them safe, keeping quiet.
Murtaugh looked at him in shock and laughed loudly. "You are a fool then. To offer such, of not just yourself, but also of your three companions. And you are all fools as well for not speaking up against his ridiculous offer." Murtaugh shouted at the other three. He tapped his finger on the saddle he was seated in and Harry could feel the mental connection being made between Murtaugh and Galbatorix.
Harry smirked inwardly at the conditions being given to Murtaugh to pass along. Even after all the man had seen, he still underestimated Harry and the difference of magic that he wielded. He likely felt that he had a trump card that would shock Harry, but there was very little in any world that was able to stop the true power that he wielded. He also still had his back up plan, if all else failed.
"You will swear in the Ancient Language that you will do no harm to Galbatorix. You will swear that you do not bring any weapons or use the Ancient Language when in the presence of Galbatorix. You will swear to not use any other magic in the Presence of Galbatorix or at any other time. All these things you will swear to follow unless Galbatorix give you leave to do otherwise." Murtaugh looked directly at Harry as he spoke and Harry felt a small amount of annoyance and frustration at the list of required oaths though wondered why he was the main focus of all this. Murtaugh surprised them as he turned to the others.
"And you all will swear that you will in no way attempt to enter Galbatorix's throne room once we have entered the fortress." Murtaugh stated finally.
Confusion from the others met this statement and Harry breathed a silent sigh of relief. While he could have taken care of the others in there, he would be going alone.
Murtaugh turned back to Harry. "You are the one he wishes to speak to."
Murtaugh's mind, which Harry was still lightly monitoring, was screaming for Harry to just kill him rather than take the offer. Apparently Galbatorix had outlined his plans while in communication with Murtaugh, or enough of them for the young man to be wary of the planned outcome.
"I accept." Harry said simply.
"Swear." Murtaugh replied without inflection.
A/N: Nothing really earth shattering here. I wanted to give Galby his own chapter, as such….here's you a cliffy. I'll get back to this when I have the opportunity, though my best friend has her wedding in a couple weeks that I have to help with, sooo, that may stall things a bit…and a vacation…and school is really only just around the corner…I'll try not to be too cruel and leave you hanging for too long. I'll do my best. I promise. :) Feeling reassured? Yeah, me neither….
**I really considered having the ghost of Eragon I show up here. Since Eragon had spent some time in the presence of spirits of those who had already passed, an argument could be made that it would be possible for him to have such an interaction with the long dead, first rider. I was reading up on some of the speculations of what the Rock of Kuthian was, back before Eragon actually arrived at it in cannon. This was one of those theories and would likely be a really fun fanfiction to write. If you're interested, check it out on the Eragon Wiki. Looking at it now, some of the comments are humorous.
The cost that Harry does not want to have to pay is that he can pull Galbatorix from the world and deal with him in a place outside of time and space, allowing him to not only disconnect Galbatorix from the Eldunari, but also be able to truly use all of his power without fear of harming the planet. However, to do so would make it to where he would then be sent to the next world by Death since he would be in the Void after accomplishing his goal. It was a price he would have to pay to use that method. Death would not bring him back to this world. Causing him to lose Arya and to leave them to deal with the Drake alone.