Chapter Thirty Six
"No!" Eragon and I shout in unison. The wall falls with a thunderous crash, burying Roran and five men beneath a giant pile of rubble. A cloud of dust spreads through the air. Eragon and I both cough then he gasps out "Vaetna."
The dust scatters with his command and a wave of his hand, leaving the center of the courtyard clear. The spell had to take quite a bit of energy out of him but he doesn't show it. He's so concerned for Roran as am I. "No, no, no," he mutters. "He can't be dead."
The Varden all around us are coughing and wiping their eyes. The keep is now wide open to the element and clearly visible with the wall gone. Inside, many soldiers are scrambling, trying to get away from the gaping drop in front of them. The stones from the wall are all very large and heavy. I could try to move them with magic along with the Varden but it would take a long time and too much of our energy. Crystalina could move some but once again, it would take time and energy.
"Saphira, help them!" Eragon shouts then he takes off running. I hurry after him instantly and I notice Arya running behind me. Eragon jumps at the pile and starts climbing and jumping up to the top. He bounds into the keep. I'm not quite sure what he's doing yet but I go along of course. I trust him and love him. I want to protect him and help him whenever I can. I will always follow him wherever life may take us.
He shoves the door in front of us with such force that it breaks and is sent flying into the corridor beyond. He runs through the hall, knocking a soldier over on the way through. He flies up the stair, taking them five at a time. I struggle to keep up with him. We arrive at the top of the keep which resembles a cathedral of sometime. A man in a robe yells "You!"
"Me," Eragon agrees.
"Kill them!" he orders the men around him. "Whoever kills them shall have a third of my treasure!"
Eragon pulls his sword out, seeming more frustrated than anything. He raises it up and I know what he's going to do. I lung forward and place my hand on his sword too. We say the word together so that the spell doesn't drain him anymore than it has to. "Brisingr!" we say.
The men scatter, running away as fast as possible, some of them tripping in the process. Eragon runs to the large gate like door blocking the place where Roran was standing. "Brisingr!" he yells and his sword is surrounded by flames so hot that it warms my skin from just standing next to him. He cuts through the door. We hurry down a dark passage and Eragon mutters "Naina." Make bright. The passage becomes illuminated.
We look ahead and there Roran is. He's covered in dirt, blood, ash and sweat. He's grappling with a soldier. The soldier seems surprised to see us and Roran takes advantage of that. He grabs the soldier's dagger and stabs him. Roran stands there panting and stares at us. "About time you…" he passes out.
Eragon drops his sword, which I know he hates to do, in order to catch Roran before he hits the ground. I pick up his sword. Mine is safely sheathed at my side.
Arya and Blodhgarm rush up to us. "Is he badly hurt?"
"I don't think so," Eragon pats his cousin's face gently. "Come on, wake up."
Roran finally opens his eyes. He seems confused. Relief washes over us all.
"You blacked out for a moment," Eragon tells him.
"Oh…"
'He's alive!' Eragon says to Saphira risking a brief moment of contact.
'Good' she seems pleased. 'I will stay here and help the elves move the stones away from the building. If you need me, shout and I will find a way to reach you.'
'Is Crystalina okay?' I ask. If Saphira's link is already open to us I figure I shouldn't risk us any more by opening up her mind too.
'She is doing well, moving the stones with us.'
Roran stands up now.
"Are the others…" Eragon starts to ask.
"Gone," Roran shakes his head. "I only escaped because I was partially sheltered by the eaves."
"You're all right?"
"What?" Roran seems as though the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "I'm fine. My writs might be broken. It's not bad."
Eragon glares at Blodhgarm until the elf goes over to help heal Roran. Eragon grabs his sword from me saying "Thank you."
I nod.
When Blodhgarm is done Roran rolls his wrist in a circle to test it then goes to find his hammer. He picks it up and tells us "I've about had my fill of this Lord Bradburn."
"He was in the main hall a few minutes ago," Eragon says. "But I doubt he stayed to await our return."
"Then we'll have to hunt him down," Roran leads us back down the passage.
We run through the levels of the castle. When we reach the third and final one soldiers pour in with spears. Roran is ahead of us, Eragon and I standing side by side, right behind him. Arya and Blodhgarm are behind us. A spear cuts Roran's cheek and thigh. He slams into the soldiers with his shield.
Eragon switches Brisingr to his left hand and reaches around Roran, grabbing a spear and throwing it back at the men. One screams. He repeats the process and I join him. After a while enough of the men drop that Roran is able to force the rest of them back.
We start for the stairs and some soldiers try to stop us. Eragon knocks two soldiers who are standing close together down. He uses his sword on one and I use mine on the other. We fight our way through until all of the soldiers lay dead around us. Roran bends over with his hands on his knees and tries to catch his breath. "Would you like me to heal you?" I ask him, looking at his wounds.
"I can wait," he shakes his head. "Let's find Bradburn first."
Eragon and I take the lead this time. Finally we find Lord Bradburn in the highest room of the western keep. Eragon, the elves, and I use spells to get past the door. There are guards but after we kill a few the rest surrender.
"Now will you order your forced to stand down? Only a few remain but you can still save their lives," Arya faces Bradburn.
"I would not even if I could. I'll not give up my men to filthy unnatural creatures such as you, elf. Death would be preferable. I know of your alliance with the Urgals. I would sooner trust a snake than a person who breaks bread with those monsters."
Arya places her hand over his face and begins to work at entering his mind.
[A/N: Thank you so much to Katherinered1 and loverofthesilly for commenting. I super appreciate it. It means so much to me. Please continue to comment and I will keep updating. Does anyone see any difference in my writing then when the story started to now? If you do see a difference is it good or bad? Did my writing improve at all? Do you like the style of my writing now or do you not like it? Is there something you want me to do different?]