Chapter 29: Murtagh and Nausada.
Murtagh dismounted Thorn, who was still invisible. He had kept his mind open to Taiven's, and they had landed on the roof of the keep, behind a large row of soldiers with bows. The dragons had feared that the Empire guessed about their plan, and had put the archers on the roof to kill them, or drive them away, but the attack from the Surdans had them all at the side where the gate was in no time, and the dragons landed without difficulty in the large space on the roof, out of the archers' view, not that it mattered. Taiven had got off Thorn as well, saying, Thank you, Thorn, for saving me.
I did what I had to, Thorn replied. He and Miremel jumped off the keep, and hovered some distance above. Taiven and Murtagh headed off to the other side of the roof to the soldiers. Their orders had been to head in when the army broke in, so they were in no hurry. Murtagh sat down on the stone floor, and Taiven did the same.
I hope they don't manage to break in. Then we won't have to go in at all, and we can just wait up here. Taiven remarked, hopefully. Murtagh laughed quietly.
That's not really very likely, and if we were up here, what would we eat? We'd just starve. Besides, they'll probably manage to break in. Zimar is at the head of their army, and he is ruthless. I only hope that the men in there put up a very good fight, so even more of the soldiers die. If they're weakened enough, then they'll have very little chance at Ilirea, especially if the city receives reinforcements quickly. Murtagh was a little less hopeful than Taiven. He was more certain about the strength of Orrin's army compared to the forces defending both Dras-Leona and Ilirea, and he was pretty sure that Orrin would win against both of them combined, so it was vital that Nausada's forces depleted his strength as much as possible.
We wouldn't starve, Thorn and Miremel could easily hunt food for us, even if it was meat... Aside from that, you're right. Murtagh was puzzled by that. What was wrong with meat? He remembered hearing something about the elves not eating meat, so he supposed it was the same for the riders. Galbatorix hadn't told him much about the riders. Only what was needed for him to fight.
I need to learn... He knew less than Taiven on the matters of the Riders, and he was almost ten years older than her! I shall have to be trained by Eragon, after this is over. I should have done it before this even began. He hadn't meant for Taiven to hear, but she did.
It won't be that bad. Arya only just went to Eragon for training, and hers took a week. Firnen's is taking longer, but you should be fine. Murtagh was surprised to hear that Arya had needed training, and he didn't even know who Firnen was.
Um, Taiven? Who's Firnen? Surprise radiated from her, she seemed shocked that he didn't know. He didn't know all the important people, but he knew of a lot, and he had never heard of Firnen.
Well, I guess you left before he... Well, Firnen is Arya's dragon. He hatched after she returned to Ellesmera, and I think he is Saphira's mate. He hatched from the green egg. She sent him an image of a large green dragon, with Arya on top of him, a circlet around her head. I thought you'd know.
No... Well, this is good news. Two very powerful riders are probably flying down to help us. He was hopeful that they would come soon, but he feared that they would not be soon enough.
Suddenly, they heard a noise. A couple of thuds, coming from the direction of the door to the keep. They were repeated soon after, and Murtagh knew that the Surdans were breaking their way in. The archers fired down, again and again, and Murtagh and Taiven moved nearer the way down into the keep in preparation.
Ten minutes later, nothing had changed. Murtagh was beginning to think that the gate would hold out forever, when there came a shout.
"Archers, prepare to fire!" Murtagh recognised Zimar's voice, and realised that the gates must be weakened. Another call rang out from Zimar. "When they open, fire! Battering rams, make this a strong one." There came a loud bang, a groan from the archers on the roof, the twangs of bowstrings, and the screams of men. The archers turned away from the battlements, rushing towards the way into the keep, where Murtagh and Taiven were sneaking down the stairs. As the archers drew their swords and rushed down, Taiven looked back and fell down the last step with a squeal. Murtagh grabbed her and helped her up, but it was too late. The men had heard, and they charged down, all but one man, who closed his eyes, and a weak mental attack hit Murtagh. Before he could retaliate against the magician, the men were upon them, stabbing at the air and yelling. Murtagh, as Taiven was still off balance, drew Zar'roc. The blade, enchanted, became visible as it left the scabbard. A brown sword appeared next to Murtagh as he blocked the blows directed at him. It lunged, and something brushed against Murtagh. He slashed at the men in front of him, with all his strength, as the brown sword drove forwards into one of them. He missed as they jumped back, and Murtagh barely stopped the blow from wounding Taiven, who was still invisible.
We're going to kill each other like this... Murtagh released the invisibility spell, drawing gasps from the soldiers, and Taiven did likewise a second afterwards. They charged forwards, working together this time, and Murtagh lunged, stabbing a man in the throat, then he twisted the sword and tore it out of the neck to the side, cutting off a head. The men were falling back, and the Riders advanced. Taiven ducked a blow, sending a kick at a man's side then spinning and sweeping his legs from under him. He cursed, as Taiven disarmed another man, and he swung his sword at her legs. She jumped over it, whilst blocking another blow, and landed on his stomach, winding him. Murtagh killed the swordless man, and then another as he went for Taiven. He deflected a blow aimed at him as Taiven stabbed the man on the floor, and he punched the man in the face. His hand was hurt, and he thought a finger might be broken, but he slashed at the man's neck anyway and he fell to the floor. There were only a few men left, and the magician, who had his eyes closed, concentrating. Murtagh realised he was contacting someone with his mind, so he raised his hand.
"Jierda!" The man crumpled, his neck broken. The men cried out, turned and ran, Murtagh and Taiven chasing them and killing them. They didn't want to, but they had no choice under the orders they had been given.
They returned to the passageway, a long, thin place of black stone and dark doors. It reminded Murtagh of Uru'baen, and he shuddered. He spoke a spell and healed his hand, the skin itching horribly. They advanced along the corridor, encountering no-one, then descended down some stairs, to a lighter level of the keep. Murtagh rounded a corner, and saw ten men outside a door. They were on the alert, swords out, glancing everywhere, and they wore the uniform of the Nighthawks.
Murtagh ducked back around the corner, signalling to Taiven to do the same. She raised an eyebrow, and he nodded.
That magician must have alerted them, and maybe someone else with a mirror and some skill at magic. The rest of the Empire may soon know about what's happened to us. But first... Murtagh steadied himself, ready for the fight. He glanced at Taiven, then ran around the corner as fast as an elf. She gasped and followed, running with the speed of a normal human.
Damn! She'll have a hard time against these guards if they're the same speed. Murtagh shrugged off his doubts and ran faster. She'd be fine.
With Nausada, though, that was a different question.
The Nighthawks saw him, and the first three charged, shields before them like a battering ram. Murtagh glanced around, then flipped over them. They turned, and he ran on, heading for the other seven. He blocked a blow, kicked the man's shin but couldn't finish him, as another swung at him, and the three were coming on from behind. He blocked the blow and spun around to face those coming up behind him, lashing out with a back kick as he did so. The kick connected, and Murtagh lunged forwards, stabbing one of the charging men and avoiding a sword thrust at the same time. The heads of the other two fell to the ground and Taiven leapt over the bodies, blocking a strike heading for Murtagh as she did so. He turned again, and they advanced upon the seven men in front of the doors. A spear was thrown, and Murtagh caught it, spinning it around and stabbing at a man, who slashed at it with his sword, breaking the spear, but Taiven leapt forwards, deflecting the sword more to the side, slashing into the man's shoulder and drawing the brown sword across his torso, blocking another strike in the process. Murtagh lunged, catching the man who had attacked Taiven in the neck, as she blocked a weak blow from the injured man and beheaded him. He swung at another soldier, one of the only five left, but a shield blocked the blow, and a sword went for him. He parried it easily with his superior speed, then sliced through the man's shield, then his arm, and then forwards into his chest as Taiven cut a man on the forehead, stepping in and bringing her sword around to do so. She blocked a blow as the blood blinded the man and he backed away, flailing at her wildly. She timed her strike right, thrusting the sword up into the man's skull, through the chin. Gore splattered the floor.
Three men stood in front of them. They were the last ones, and they all yelled and charged, leading with their shields, like the first three had. Once again, Murtagh jumped over, but Taiven slashed at a man's head. He raised his shield up and she dived for his legs. He fell, cursing, and she got up, blocking a blow just before Murtagh beheaded the two men still upright. Taiven slashed down, killing the man she had knocked to the floor.
Murtagh was surprised at her level of skill. He wasn't sure if he'd have been able to do that if he didn't have the speed of an elf. "Well fought, Taiven." She nodded.
"You too, Murtagh." She replied, and he nodded back. He turned to the door.
"Ladrin!"
Open.
The door swung open, revealing a well decorated room with a four-poster bed, a few chairs, a decoratively carved table, and Nausada.
She wore a crown, a golden necklace with a bright gem on it, a white dress, and she was holding a jewelled dagger close to her side. She looked just as beautiful as ever to Murtagh, and his love rose up within him as he saw her again after so long. But his sword was raised, and he was walking towards her, knowing and hating what he was going to do. He just wanted to tell her how he felt before he was forced to kill her, as he knew he would be. She gasped as she saw him.
"Murtagh! I-" Murtagh cut her off as she began to back away from him, seeing the blood on his sword.
"Nausada, I'm sorry for this, I truly am, I don't want to do this Nausada, I truly don't, I would rather die, I love you Nausada, I love you, and this is something I would never do willingly, I'm sorry." Murtagh blurted out, still walking, his sword raised to kill the woman he loved. Her eyes seemed to light up when he told her he loved her, but as she backed away, they showed sadness, and regret. His sword was behind his head, ready for the blow, when she spoke.
"I love you too, Murtagh, and I never wanted this. I want you to know that." She stepped forwards as his sword descended, and she kissed him. The blade didn't hit her, but the pommel did, and it pushed her onto him even more. Murtagh reeled back, losing himself in the kiss, gazing into her eyes, and he saw regret in them, even as there was regret in his, as his sword came around behind her, ready to kill.
Murtagh tried to stop it, but his arm stabbed, impaling Nausada in her back, piercing deep, even as Murtagh felt something in his own back. It burned, staying there, but he did not care, he was staring at Nausada, who was still in his arms, gazing up at him, and he kissed her lips tenderly, and with her dying breath, she returned his kiss, love in her eyes, before she fell limp and passed into the Void.
Murtagh gazed at her face, as he held her upright, sadness and rage at Orrin running through him. "NO! NO! I SHALL AVENGE HER! I SHALL AVENGE HER, THE NIGHTHAWKS, AND ALL WHO HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF YOU, ORRIN! I SHALL KILL YOU!" He collapsed on the floor, crying, as a mighty roar of sorrow came from Thorn, feeling his Rider's pain.
His back still seemed like it was on fire, and he reached around, feeling it. All seemed normal; normal for him, that is, which meant a great big scar; until he grasped the hilt of a knife. He pulled it out and looked at it.
It was the dagger Nausada had been holding, and it was covered in blood. The blood was his, but the knife had not gone deep. It had been stopped by a rib, but it had penetrated past a bit nonetheless. She must have tried to stab him just as he had been forced to stab her, or it would have gone deeper and penetrated his heart or lungs. He wished it had, for he had almost nothing left to live for. He looked at her body again.
Nausada, you never did give up, did you? Not even in Uru'baen. And now, like then, I am the one who seems to have lost hope. I swear, Nausada, I swear by my love for you, that I shall not give up, I shall fight on, and I shall slay the traitor who made this happen. Murtagh cried again, the tears flowing freely. Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," Taiven said, compassion in her voice and sadness in her eyes. "I really am." He nodded, and she looked at his back. "Shall I heal that for you?" He nodded again, and she knelt down next to him. She investigated the wound, and then spoke in the ancient language. Murtagh felt an itching as the wound healed up, and then she stood again. Murtagh kept kneeling down next to Nausada's body, too sad to move.
"Eka elrun ono," he mumbled, not looking up.
After a minute, Taiven said, "Murtagh, we should go. You can mourn elsewhere, Orrin never said to return immediately. We can fly off and bury her, somewhere nice, away from here." Murtagh nodded, picked Nausada up, and carried her out. They avoided a bunch of soldiers by darting up some stairs, and they reached the roof, which was still empty. They removed the enchantments around Thorn and Miremel, they mounted them, and then they cast the spells again, around themselves as well. The dragons took off, heading away from the city.
Murtagh walked onto the hill of sandstone and set down Nausada's body. He gazed at her, longingly, and then he spoke. "Moi Stenr."
The stone moved, hollowing out a space that Nausada sank down into. The stone flowed over her, covering the woman Murtagh loved for all eternity. He raised a spire, above her head, and inscribed a memorial into the rock.
Here lies Nausada,
Leader of the Varden,
High Queen of the Humans,
She who united all the races,
Against one evil King,
Killed because of another,
Never gave up,
Until the end,
Here she lies.
The one who holds my heart,
And always will.
He cried his heart out, Taiven looked sad, and even Thorn grieved with him. The red dragon was feeling things that he almost never felt, emotions that he was unused to surging through him, and he touched the stone with his nose, and turned it not into Diamond, but into Gold. And as the sun set over the two Riders and two dragons standing on the rock, it glinted off the gold, giving it a beautiful red hue. But then, like Murtagh's love, the sun flashed strongly, before setting, and the land was bathed in darkness, just like Murtagh's heart.
