Magic is Force: Chapter 29
Barely a minute had passed since Meetra's departure before red and yellow strands of lightning erupted across the landscape of Farthen Dûr. The sound of clashing lightsabers soon drowned out the cries and sounds of the surrounding battle. Both Varden and Urgal struggled to stay out of the Force-users path of destruction.
Both armies soon parted and traversed around the two combatants, leaving a large open clearing for them to fight in. The speed of Karn and Fóvos was beyond any normal being; their lightsabers nothing more than blurs of red and yellow light. Their bodies disappearing at one point then suddenly reappearing in another section of the field.
Shrugging off a kick to his side, Karn force pushed Fóvos across the field – his feet digging into the ground leaving two troughs in his wake in an attempt to stop himself. "Is that all you've got?" Fóvos yelled out.
Bursting with renewed energy from the Force, Karn danced across the field, zig-zagging in multiple directions. He circled around the Sith looking for any possible openings. Yet Fóvos' stood utterly still, his eyes darting back and forth watching his movements.
"Let's see you handle this," Karn exclaimed.
His racing around Fóvos grew smaller and smaller as he closed in. Diving behind so he faced his back, Karn brought his lightsaber to bare. As he swung, the Sith pirouetted and blocked the strike. And performing a quick counterstrike, the red blade flew through the air towards Karn's head.
Dashing to the right, Karn avoided the deadly strike and continued to run around the Sith. He continued the pattern again, closed the distance and attacked at another potential opening. However, his attack was blocked again as Fóvos predicted his attack.
Karn performed the same move set for ten more instances, each strike repeatedly blocked. The Sith was somehow able to predict his strikes, even though he was accelerating at blinding speeds.
He's good, Karn thought as he came around for another pass. However this time, he planned something different. Bolting once again around Fóvos, Karn pushed his legs harder and faster. A trail of dust kicked up behind him at his growing speed. All the while, Fóvos was watching him; watching him for the slightest hint of when he'd make his strike.
Performing the act for several more seconds, Karn felt he had achieved his goal. By running faster and faster around the Sith, he had hoped he could trick Fóvos into thinking he'd continue with the pattern so that way when he made his strike, it would be a success.
Breaking hard with his foot digging into the blood-soaked earth, Karn's muscles strained to stop his momentum. Then pushing off again, he made a mad dash straight towards Fóvos.
As he charged, the Sith's eyes continued to travel the length of Karn's earlier path. It worked. Preparing to thrust his lightsaber forward, the gap between the two closed exceedingly quickly. With his forward momentum, he let it carry him straight towards Fóvos, thrusting his lightsaber forward.
Unexpectedly, Fóvos side-stepped and pirouetted once again, his lightsaber falling parallel to the ground and swung directly into Karn's path. Thinking on the spot he dropped backwards, his leg coming out from underneath him, and came sliding a hairs length away from the blood-red lightsaber. Fóvos swung as Karn passed and narrowly missed, his blade screeching in the earth and slicing into the dirt; leaving nothing but a three foot long smoldering trench.
The Grey Knight dug his fingers into the dirt to stop his momentum and bounded back up to this feet. The Sith swiveled on his heel, never slowing his lightsaber as he swung it towards Karn. Bursting blots of light and the sound of high pitched energies enveloped Karn's senses as he blocked the attack. The strike strong enough to cause him to skid across the dirt.
"Your pathetic tricks will no longer work on me," Fóvos exclaimed as he broke away and proceeded to launch a series of large swinging, violent attacks.
Blocking left, right, down, up and every which direction possible, Karn struggled to keep up his defenses. Each attack had enough strength behind it to cause him to recoil slightly. Luckily, Fóvos' attacks were predictable – his large swooping strikes giving off their possible intended targets. Because of that, Karn's lightsaber was brought down to deflect the attacks at his arms, legs, chest or head.
And the attacks continued. Fóvos, it seems, was intending on trying to push Karn to a breaking point, by diminishing his strength and destroying his defenses. And it was long before tendrils of the Darkside began to prick at his conscious. Blackened arcs of lightning shot out from Fóvos' fingers, raced up and down the blood-red lightsaber and lashed out in violent surges.
As Karn brought up his lightsaber to deflect an oncoming strike, the lightning racing up Fóvos' lightsaber arced over to his and discharged, his body becoming pained. It was a good enough distraction for the Sith to create an opening; whipping his leg around, he swept it around Karn's leg knocking him right out from underneath him.
He landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs while silently cursing himself for being so careless to allow that opening to occur. Gazing up, Fóvos was instantly upon him. His boot placed onto Karn's wrist where his lightsaber was gripped tightly onto his hand, a knee was shoved directly on his chest, and a firm grip placed his shoulders down holding him in place. The tip of the crimson blade soon floated inches away from his eye socket.
Karn struggled against the weight against him, but as he tried to do so Fóvos brought his weapon ever closer to Karn's flesh. An evil grin slowly crept over the Sith's corrupted visage. "Oh irony! The 'mighty' living long enough to ultimately see their own demise."
"This isn't over," Karn exclaimed. "You won't win!"
"Oh?" Fóvos said as he raised an eyebrow. "Look around you," he said with a wave of his lightsaber.
Karn spared a quick glance towards the fighting taking place around him. The battle lines were blurred in the chaotic mess that took place between the armies of the Varden and the malicious beasts of the Urgal horde. Screams of pain and agony could be heard from every corner of Farthen Dûr. Blood sprayed into the air and fell upon the grass and dirt like rain. Urgal and Kull viciously slaughtering man and dwarf.
He could feel the pain and anguish that swept across the battlefield. Their thoughts of despair and fear filling his inner conscious. He winced as his mind began swimming with the thoughts of the pained and the dying. The balance inside him was beginning to tip.
"There is nothing left to fight for," Fóvos stated. "The Varden will soon be eradicated from the face of this world. Leaving nothing for your fight for." He brought his lightsaber square to Karn's face once more. "Surrender or you will die."
The Darkside was growing stronger inside Karn. He could feel it surging through his body. The pain and loss of all those around him saturated his being. It needed a release; he needed a release.
He turned back, staring up passed the lightsaber and into the eyes of its holder. He focused on the pain, the anger, and fear that dwelled inside him. Letting it fester. "This isn't finished," he said with an edge.
A scowl replaced the grin on Fóvos' face. "You have no way to stop this. Especially me. With each passing second, I grow stronger. The fear that grips this place; it gives me focus, gives me strength!"
"As do I!" He threw his conscious out against his foe, attacking his mind. Fóvos immediately put up walls against him, but Karn battered them with his mental probe. Letting the power of the Darkside take hold over him, he used it to reinforce his mental focus. Driving his mental probe deeper against Fóvos's mind. A growl escaped the Sith's lips as the barriers slowly began to break.
I will see to it that the Varden wins. No shade, no Sith, not even Galbatorix will stop me from achieving that!
Amidst Fóvos' mind, he could sense his thoughts, his intentions. Quickly throwing up a force barrier around his body, Karn was able to save himself in the nick of time as the red lightsaber glanced away from his skin. Releasing the grip on his lightsaber, Karn grabbed a hold of Fóvos' armored boot. Black and yellow arcs of lightning soon engulfed the Sith causing a scream of pain to erupt from him.
Drawing more on the darkness inside him, Karn increased the intensity of the lightning. Arcs danced along his opponents' body and discharged across the ground, scorching the earth. The power of the lightning began too intense that it actually caused Fóvos to be sent back flying. His body rag dolled – rolling and summersaulting – over itself.
Taking the advantage created, Karn 'kicked up' from the ground and rushed the Sith. A wave with his hand brought his lightsaber soaring through the air and landing right back in his grasp. Black and yellow lightning arced between his fingers in his opposite hand.
Digging his lightsaber and feet into the ground finally brought Fóvos to a sudden stop. His eyes glowed with pure and unadulterated anger. His darkened teeth formed into a wild snarl.
Jumping high into the air and spinning his lightsaber wildly, Karn brought his might down upon Fóvos. He quickly parried a pitiful thrust to his chest and followed it with a stream of lightning. It surged into the blood red lightsaber and deflected off into the surrounding carnage of the battlefield. Fóvos retaliated with a quick flourish of this lightsaber and also followed up each floury with a burst of force lightning.
And so the two dueled with a series of vicious lightsaber strikes and streams of force lightning. At times, the two would disengage and engage from a distance in shocking force duels. Balls of energy being exchanged between the two were easily deflected and dispersed. Lightning met lightning, jutting out bolts extreme enough to strike the sides of the mountain – others electrocuting the soldiers of the Varden or Urgal.
The streams of lightning soon closed in on each other, as the two Force-users advanced. The convergence of the two powers grew stronger and intense as the distance closed. Each step was a struggle as the powers attempted to overcome the other. Their anger and powers over the Darkside fueled their strength as they continued their advancement. Soon, both Force-users were no more than a few feet away from each other, their arms outstretched as torrents of energy tried to overtake the other. Their robes whipped about around them as the wind ripped past. The atmosphere disintegrated by the second as the electricity overcharged the atoms in the air. The seconds seemed to be minutes and the minutes seemed to turn into a lifetime as Karn pushed against the torrents of energy against him.
Amidst the crackling of electricity and wind brushing past his ears, Fóvos' voice was still loud in his ear. "The Darkside is strong with you! It's wild and unchecked. Surrender now and I can teach you the ways of the Darkside – to become stronger!"
"I chose to follow a different path!" Karn shouted. The pain, fear and anger he felt was ever more tipping the balance inside him. He had to bring it back. He needed its strength to persevere, but now he had to reel it back in check. Only through balance, can I achieve victory!
An image appeared on the fringes of his mind. Of his partner. Of his friend. Of the one being who has been able to bring him some semblance of peace throughout his chaotic life. Focusing on the bond that connected the two of them together, Karn drew from her, her sense of tranquility and serenity. Balance was beginning to return to him. And his true potential began to show.
A new burst of energy sprung forth, reinforcing his assault against Fóvos. It pushed the opposing power back towards the Sith. The sound of a small explosion occurred as Karn's power overtook Fóvos. It sent him reeling back across the open space until he came short from mixing with chaos that encircled them. Fóvos fell to one knee with a hand clutching his chest, breathing heavily. A pained expression appeared on his face. A sudden series of violent coughs brought trickles of blood sliding down the sides of his mouth.
Not even producing a look of concern for his well-being, Fóvos wiped both sides of his mouth. "Don't think that this is your victory," he said sharply. "Until I lie dead in a pool of my own blood, I will not fall."
As Karn prepared himself for another bout with the Sith, a large wave of confusion filled his being. It came from both sides, men and dwarf and Urgal. Then feelings of jubilation and howls of joy echoed across all of Farthen Dûr. Karn looked around him and saw a stunning sight. The Urgals were breaking rank. Their forces suddenly dropped their weapons and turned tail heading straight for the three openings that they had arrived from. The soldiers of the Varden were chasing after them, forcing them into a full blown withdrawal.
Fóvos gazed in bewilderment at the scene before him. He rose slowly, an arm wrapped around his chest. Then acknowledgement replaced his bewildered look.
"I believe this is victory," Karn called out to the Sith.
Fóvos spared the Grey Knight a quick glance, "This is just the beginning." Without another word, he slipped into the Urgal horde without a trace. Karn had half a mind to go after him but drove the idea away. The powers inside him were dwindling away; the adrenaline coursing through his veins began to recede leaving him tired and exhausted. His beaten and battered body was telling that it was time to rest and not seek out any other engagement. The soldiers of the Varden could route out the Urgals on their own without his assistance.
As he stood in that blood soaked enclosure, a surreal sense of his surroundings was coming full circle. We won… The fear and anxiety from hours before, weighing down his shoulders slowly began to recede. Karn stood in there, like a statue, as that dreamlike sensation swept over his being. A giddiness soon blossomed inside his chest. I'm alive…
His feet soon took hold over his mind, guiding him away from the field. Soldiers cried out for healers to quickly tend to wounds over the injured. Some men and dwarves rushed over to Karn, beckoning him to see to the wounded. Giddiness soon fell behind the unforgiving reality that had befallen the armies of the Varden; that had brought Karn from his blissful stupor. His life was safe and out of danger; other lives, though, were not so lucky.
"My lord?" A dwarf stood before Karn, covered in blood, his armor rented in places. His once long and braided beard became unkempt and several strands dried together – either by blood or sweat. "We have hundreds of wounded needed attention. Will you please lend them your strength?"
Karn gazed down at the dwarf and then up towards the dwarf's racial counterpart. The man looked tired and out of breath as his chest heaved up and down struggling to gain air back into his lungs. His wooden shield was missing several sections of it, making it hardly fit to be called a shield. Their emotions were clear as day as they touched Karn's consciousness. Resolve. Determination. Uneasiness. Fear for their comrades who laid on death's door.
With a quick nod, Karn acknowledged, "Lead the way."
Swinging his shield out in the direction they indicated, the human soldier exclaimed, "This way, hurry!"
The three trudged across the field at a quick pace. In the distance, Karn could already see several clearings being made, allowing the injured to lay upon the ground while the healers performed triage – determining the severity of the soldiers wounds. The familiar sound of pained cries filled Karn's ears once again.
As he came up to the some of the first magicians, they quickly recognized Karn, indicating him towards a group of men and dwarves laying not more than a few feet away. "Tend to them first!"
"What's their conditions?" Karn quickly asked as he gazed at the group of injured soldiers.
The magician quickly knelt down towards an injured dwarf, determining the severity of his injuries. The dwarf looked ghastly pale, dried blood coating his mouth as several blackened arrows pierced his armor.
"They'll have a rune written in blood on their forehead. Each rune will determine their need for healing." She dipped her index in the dwarf's blood and wrote a strange symbol on his forehead. "Start with the soldiers who need immediate intention first before healing anyone else. GO!" She stopped her evaluation over the dwarf and quickly moved onto the next person in need. Karn was about to protest her sudden action when his attention was pulled back to the dwarf.
Karn could sense his life. It was fading. The spark inside his chest that gave him life was beginning to dwindle down to nothing but a soft glowing ember. In the next few short seconds, the ember went out; his life taken before his time.
A horrific ordeal to perform, to determine whose life was were preserving other another. Standing there, Karn could only stare blankly at the corpse that gazed back at him with lifeless eyes. In the blink of an eye, a life was taken away from this world. Perhaps a life that he could have saved. Or perhaps it was a life that would be taken, regardless of intervention.
As Karn looked about, he could feel the lives of all the men and dwarves around him slowly began to flicker and diminish. For a Grey Knight, life was a precious thing; if it could be saved then it was his duty to preserve it. However, if it was impossible, that it was inevitable.
Karn quickly scrambled over towards the soldiers now under his charge; quickly taking note over every single rune that each man and dwarf had scribbled on their forehead. He instantly sorted through the lot and started work beginning on those who were in desperate need of healing.
Over the course of the hour, Karn had healed a multitude of wounds; deep, shallow, long, small, critical and minor. Several times he had to cauterize men and dwarves who had lost an appendage of their body – a leg, foot, arm, hand – with the use of his lightsaber. He had to cause pain in order to preserve life. However, there were several cases where injuries exceeded his healing capabilities – internal bleeding and damaged organs. Bones he could easily mend since he was already accustomed too, but it required time and patience in order to put the bone back into proper order – time which other lives did not have.
It wasn't uncommon for Karn to finish healing a person and move on to the next before he realized that their life had passed on. With each passing death, it allowed Karn to focus on those who were in need. However, each passing death brought him a sense of dread.
If I could only have more power, I'd be able to save every single life here¸ he thought to himself as he placed his hands over a young man who laid in a pool of his own blood from being disemboweled. All he had to do was push the intestines back inside the boy's abdomen and heal the muscles that had once encapsulated it. A simple task but one that required time.
A second solder knelt right alongside the wounded boy, gripping his hand trying to comfort him while Karn struggled to push his innards back inside. His screams of pain drowned out almost all other noise.
"It's going to be alright, Yulst. It's going to be alright," the soldier said gently while he stroke the boy's forehead.
Pouring the Force through his hands and into the boy's abdomen, Karn took a moment to ask, "You know him?"
"I do," the soldier replied. "He's my son. My eldest."
"He's going to be alright," Karn exclaimed as he used the Force to manipulate the cells to accelerate their growth. The laceration that opened the abdomen slowly began to close in on itself.
"I don't know what I'd do without my boy," the father said as a slow stream of tears began to descend down his dirtied face. The boy's cries of pain slowly began to die down as the wound continued to heal. In a few short minutes, only haggard intakes of breath came from the boy. His injuries fully mended.
Karn wiped his brow, covered in sweat, and was about to move on before the solder reached out, taking hold of hem of his cloak. "Thank you," he said. "You've given me back my reason to live. To live for my son." Karn replied with a curt nod of acknowledgement and a gentle smile before the soldier released him.
He walked away with the sudden worry on his mind, What happened to Meetra? Eragon, Saphira? And Arya?
He hadn't seen Eragon, Saphira and Arya since he left them on the left flank. Then he had received Eragon's mental probe warning him of Durza. And to finally regroup with Meetra as she confronted Fóvos then sending her away to go assist Eragon. It seemed like so long ago, and he had heard nothing from any of them regarding what had happened with Durza.
Reaching deep inside his being, he searched for the bond that still held he and Meetra together. He could feel the binds that held them together – she was alive! He focused on the strands of the Force that connected them and reached out towards her consciousness.
Meetra?
Karn! Her voice came back quickly with a hints of relief and an edge of worry.
What's the problem? He asked in response to her feelings of urgency.
Eragon's hurt! She said. He could feel her presence straining to keep the mental touch from disappearing.
Hurt?! How? Where are you?
Quickly make your way to the infirmary in Farthen Dûr. I'll explain everything when you get here. For now, I have to focus on keeping Eragon alive. Her presence quickly disappeared until all that was left was the faint spark that signified their bond.
Without a seconds thought and disregarding his body's exhausted state, he ran at full speed heading back towards the Mountain City. The Force allowed him to push his muscles passed their limit. With the sudden knowing of Eragon's life in danger, all care about his own well-being was thrown out the airlock. People barely could get a good look at him as he flew by like a bat out of hell. He made his way through one of the large guilded gates that allowed access to Farthen Dûr and quickly recalled the route to the hall where the Varden had established an impromptu medical ward. He had to climb several flights of winding stairs, dash down, darkened corridors until his destination finally came in sight.
The large sapphire mass of Saphira stood out amongst the dark corridor. The enchanted flames on the walls casted shadows along the hall reflected light off of Saphira's scales, sending hundreds of sapphire specks to dance around the stone walls. Her body blocked the doorway that lead into the infirmary, her mass too allow her access further in.
Karn came up alongside her side and gave her a quick pat along her scaled belly. A conscious pressed against his and he lowered his mental wards to allow Saphira access.
Karn, you are needed! Please hurry inside! As she tried to situate herself, giving him room to move, he couldn't help but notice several new wounds that were inflicted upon Saphira.
You're hurt, he said as Saphira withdrew herself away from the doorway, her large triangular head becoming visible.
Do not worry for me, I'll be fine. Hurry inside!
He didn't need told a second time. The infirmary was littered with healers and plenty of wounded soldiers. However, most of the soldiers here were now in the state of recovery; their wounds healed and or on the mend.
The first bed left of the door was surrounded by several people. He instantly recognized Meetra, her hands outstretched towards the bed with her hands aglow. A bloodied Arya stood opposite, mimicking Meetra, hands outstretched with a green aura surrounding. Orik and Murtagh stood on each side of the bed, each holding down an arm. As Karn made his way up to them, his fears skyrocketed; Eragon laid on his chest, a large gaping wound stretched across his back. His body was convulsing violently, which explained Orik and Murtagh's need to be there to hold him down from hurting someone and more importantly himself.
He came to stand at the head of the bed, frozen at the scene laid before him. "What happened?" was all he could say.
"Durza," Arya replied. Sweat glistened across her face as she struggled to maintain focus. "He broke through into Farthen Dûr. Eragon, Saphira and I tried to stop him but he was to strong. He dealt this blow."
Karn's fury for the shade came full circle. His hands clenched together, his fingernails digging into his skin. He recalled the pain and torture he had endured by Durza's hands and it fueled his hate. And now gazing at Eragon mutilated body, his hatred was nearly about to burst out. "Where is he?" He said through gritted teeth.
Dead. Saphira's voice interjected. Eragon… he was able to project Zar'roc into Durza's heart. Killed him instantly.
At hearing those words, Karn's hatred slowly began to simmer and a sense of awe began to overtake him. He was astonished to see that Eragon was able to overcome where he had failed.
"But now we are experiencing a serious problem," Meetra butted in. Much like Arya, Meetra's face was coated in sweat. It trickled down from her brow and continued down her neck. Her hands were even beginning to shake slightly.
Karn wasn't sure what Meetra meant until she gazed down at Eragon's wound. It wasn't healing properly. Amidst the glowing white and emerald light, a dark aura rose from the wound. "What's that?" Karn pointed out.
"That's the problem," Meetra stated. "The last traces of Durza's magic are preventing any healing from being performed. It's the same problem that I occurred when I tried to heal your wound, Karn; right after you had faced Durza and received that nasty shoulder wound."
Karn instinctually gripped his left shoulder remembering all too well the pain that he had endured from Durza. "How did you heal my wound from that time?"
"My powers over the Force were insignificant to perform any healing. The powers of the shade were too strong. It was only through forming a Force Bond with you and drawing upon your strength that I was able to do it," Meetra explained. Her focus never leaving Eragon.
"Let me see if I can help," Karn insisted. He raised his arms and placed them over Eragon's back. Drawing on the power of the Force, his hands glowed in a darkened amber light. Much like he had been doing to many soldiers out on the field, Karn focused on trying to accelerate the speed of the cells growth, allowing the muscles and skin to form.
As soon as he tried to manipulate the skin surrounding the wound, Karn felt a sudden mental block. Some sort of obstacle was pushing against him. He focused harder, attempting to pour a large amount of Force into the wound. His hands glowed brighter. However, the dark aura rising from the wound began to spew out like a miasma. Eragon's body began to uncontrollably flail. A cry of utter agony escaped the Dragon Rider's mouth. Orik and Murtagh doubled in their efforts to hold him down.
"Whatever you're doing, it's not working!" Growled Murtagh.
"He's only going to hurt himself at this place," Orik added.
"I don't understand," Karn shouted. "Why isn't it working?"
"The powers of the shade are much stronger than I could imagine," Meetra exclaimed.
"You did it to me! It should work here as well!"
"That was with a small matter like in your case," she snapped at him and finally spared him an aggravated look. "This is far more difficult than you can possibly imagine."
Do something! Saphira's voice cried in urgency.
"We are trying everything we can," Arya rebuttled.
The three continued to pour their powers into the wound but it only seemed to be useless. The miasma seethed from the wound at an alarming rate. The wound growing darker, causing the skin surrounding it to turn a sickly pale color.
"It's spreading across his back," Karn immediately noted.
"Sith's blood!" Meetra exclaimed. "This 'curse', if we can call it such a thing, will spread across Eragon's body until it takes its toll."
"If my magic and your Force can't save him, then what will?" Arya stammered through gritted teeth.
A deadly awkward silence quickly engulfed the room. Everyone in the room was focused on them. Their faces possessed a look of confusion and worry.
We've got to do something! I'm not losing Eragon, not again! Saphira's voice boomed with anger inside their minds.
What can we do? Karn thought to himself as he stared at the onlookers and back towards the young man laying helplessly in the bed.
The sound of quick pattering feet hitting stone floor caught Karn's attention. A presence weighed on his mind and a large feline figure suddenly jumped up onto the end of the bed, away from Eragon's kicking legs.
"Solembum?" Meetra exclaimed. "Where have you been?" But the werecat blankly stared at her, silently giving her an explanation which resulted in her giving a harrumphed.
Werecat, do you know how to heal Eragon? Saphira's voice broke out across Karn's mind. He admitted the werecat's mind to meld with his own, allowing him to hear the conversation taking place.
Shades, when they inflict an injury upon someone, can bestow upon them a 'curse'. Most people never experience this curse because they immediately die when they come face to face against a shade. However, the curse will eventually take the person's life. If left unchecked.
"You said that only great power, can cure such a thing," Meetra pointed out. "When I healed Karn, it wasn't until after I drew on his powers of the Force that his wound began to heal. So why now, when we have our powers and Arya's combined, can we not accomplish the same feat?"
Curses can only be healed by a great power, yes. But I never said what 'power' was required in order to heal a person from a shades curse.
Meetra produced a look as if she had just been slapped across her face, "Excuse me? Solembum, you better start talking. Now!"
The werecat took several seconds to gather his thoughts before he continued. To cure someone of a shade's curse, the person afflicted must have their soul be joined to a new host. By binding a second soul with the afflicted, the curse will lesson in its power. When that happens, the bonded soul must cleanse the wound of the curse which will eliminate it entirely. If it proves to be a failure then both souls succumb to the curse.
"Sounds similar to a Force Bond," Karn stated as a matter of fact as he glanced over to Meetra.
"That would explain how I was able to heal you from your injury," Meetra affirmed in understanding, looking over at Karn.
Can it be any soul that Eragon can bind himself too? Saphira asked with a slight trace of hope in her voice.
Unfortunately, no. That's the problem. The souls must be compatible. In theory, if two souls were bound together and were found to be unsuited, the souls would fracture apart and the life they produced would be blown out like a candle in the wind. The werecat looked up at each and every one that stood around the table, his large yellow-slit eyes trying to convey a sense of importance as he spoke those last words.
"Whose soul would be considered the best match then?" Arya asked as she continued to pour emerald green light over Eragon's back.
My advice: the soul should come from someone whom Eragon has developed a close attachment too. Souls can favor or disfavor one another based on the amount of positive or negative interaction the two have had with one other. The more favorable soul, the better the chance to have a higher compatibility.
Then let me be the one to do perform this task, Saphira declared with such resolve in her voice that everyone was impressed by.
The werecat turned and shook his head, Your soul has already been bound to Eragon before the curse took place. It wouldn't work. The soul needs to be one where it has not been bound to Eragon. He looked at Arya, Murtagh, Orik, Meetra and finally stopped his gaze at Karn. Perhaps one of you five could fulfill that role?
Quickly running through each possible candidate, Karn determined who could possibly possess a compatible soul to bind itself with Eragon's. Orik was new to Eragon which didn't give the Dragon Rider much time develop a personal relationship with the dwarf. Murtagh had been with him, Eragon and Saphira since Brom's death. They fought many battles together, rescued Eragon from prison and managed to get him, Saphira and Arya to the Varden. He could be a possible candidate.
He already knew that Meetra was not going to be a likely possibility. Eragon knew her just as much as he knew of Orik. Plus, with her soul bound to Karn's, he wasn't sure how much splitting her soul once again would take a toll on her. That immediately excluded Karn from the possibility of him being a possible candidate even though he had known Eragon longer than anyone there – aside from Saphira.
That only left Arya. Karn wasn't sure how much of a relationship Eragon had developed with the elf since they had rescued her from Gil'ead. But during their travels with Brom, Eragon had dreams about her. And it was unclear to him how to two had faired during their journey across the Hadarac Desert.
Before he could even begin to take anyone else into consideration, Arya blurted out, "I'll do it." Every eye turned to her and the air seemed to expand with tension.
"Are you sure about this?" Meetra questioned opposite from the elf. "If your soul proves to be ill-suited to Eragon's, you'll both die."
"I know," Aryra blatantly stated which a determined look gripping her face as she continued to magic into Eragon's wound.
"Your queen would not allow this," Meetra continued. "If you die, it may put the entire Varden on the brink of destruction without the elves support."
"If the Dragon Rider dies, then the Varden will lose hope and fall against Galbatorix," she retorted.
Meetra breathed in as her shoulders rose into the air and fell back down as quickly as they rose, "This is a bad idea," she said in defeat.
"How does this work?" Arya asked, staring at Solembum who had to retreat farther back on the bed from being kicked sideways by Eragon's flailing legs.
Meetra, can you explain how your Force Bond works. What Arya will be doing will be of a similar nature, the werecat asked nonchalantly as he took a paw and rub it against his face.
With a quick nod, Meetra briefly explained what the Force Bond was and how it was created. Arya would have to breach deep inside Eragon's subconscious and find the source that represented his soul. From there, she would have to meld it within her own subconscious, bridging the two souls. From there, it was a simple matter of staying consciousness long enough to heal the wound while Arya suffered the side effects of the bond.
"Sounds simple enough," she said sarcastically.
Please Arya, Saphira's voice echoed through all of them but her voice was focused on the elf, Help save Eragon.
She gave a sympathetic smile towards the sapphire dragon and took several deep long breaths, preparing herself for perhaps an early death. Slowly she receded her hands from their fixed position, the emerald glow diminishing and changed her position to stand next at the head of the bed. "I'm ready."
It's up to you now, Solembum said.
"Times of the essence here," Orik said as he continued to hold Eragon's arm down.
"You can do this," Karn commented from the opposite end of the bed. "Eragon put a lot of faith in you, Arya, we'll do the same."
She curtly nodded and placed a hand gently on the side of Eragon's forehead. Her eyes rolled back beneath her eyelids as she focused on sending her mental probe inside Eragon's.
"What do we do in the mean time?" Murtagh asked, pushing Eragon's elbow back down onto the bed.
"Hope for a miracle," Meetra said in a cynical tone of voice. She and Karn continued to hold down the fort, pouring their Force energies into keeping the curse at bay.
The seconds rolled by into minutes as the surrounding company waiting on Arya's success. Eragon's thrashing continued all the while. Meetra and Karn continued their healing over the wound. At nearly one point, Orik nearly lost his grip on Eragon's shoulder nearly being whacked on the side of his large noise.
The minutes rolled on by with no change occurring to Eragon or Arya. Everyone was on edge. Saphira especially. Dark gray streams of smoke rose from her nostrils while her tail outside the infirmary twitched uncontrollably. Her piercing eyes watched over the proceedings, intent on on searching for the slightest bit of difference in the change of her rider or the elf. Karn could sense her fear wash over him like a waterfall. The torrents nearly crushing him. The emotions flooded Karn's mind, and after a point he had to slowly place up barriers around his mind from them affecting him.
Almost nearly a quarter of an hour past before Meetra broke the silence. "What happened to the Sith?" She asked with a blank look on her face.
"Fóvos," Karn started off. "His name is Fóvos."
"I remember."
"We faced each other. And he matched me, nearly blow for blow." Karn reflected to earlier as the images of the duel swam before his eyes. "He even managed to subdue me. Fortunately, Fóvos is not accustomed to fighting a Force-user who uses both sides."
"So you bested him then?" Meetra asked with a hint of astonishment in her voice.
"Barely. He's strong with the darkside, almost on par with several of my teachers that I've studied under. Fóvos' affinity with the darkside is...abnormal. Even for a Sith."
"I noticed that too," Meetra affirmed. She spared herself a second to raise her arm across her brow, wiping the sweat that glistened her skin. "I think his powers over the darkside are being amplified."
"Amplified by what?" Murtagh croaked as he maintained a strong grip on his friend's arm. "Does he possess some sort of enchanted amulet or gauntlet?"
"Quite the opposite, I believe." Meetra's eyes glazed over to Karn. "Could you feel them too?"
Karn knew instantly what Meetra was referring too. He indeed felt 'them' during his fight with Fóvos. But the first time he felt 'their' presence was back on Alderaan, when he first met the Sith Lord.
"I'm aware of them, yes," admitted Karn. Solembum, Saphira, Murtagh and Orik gave him and Meetra bewildered looks. Karn explained to each of them the truth of Fóvos' strength. "Much like how Shades achieve power because of the spirits that live within the host's body; this Sith has achieved a similar feat. He has managed to summon the ghosts of dead Sith and trapped them inside his body, drawing on their connection to the Force to amplify his darkside powers."
"Barzul," Orik swore beneath his beard. Murtagh's face grew slightly pale at hearing his words. "Does this world need any more bastards of their ilk?"
"Apparently," Meetra said as a snide remark. "What's the Sith's condition?"
Karn shrugged at the question, "Still alive even after I blasted his body head over heel across the field. I'm sure I broke one of his ribs based upon his immediate reaction soon after though. Didn't faze him though. He'd continue on fighting on until he laid in a pool of his own blood."
"Bloody hell," Murtagh squirmed. "He seemed impossible to beat while Orik and I assisted Angela. I'm surprised you were even able to best him."
"I didn't though," Karn said sharply.
"You're alive and left him fleeing for his life. I'd say that's a victory."
"You don't understand," Karn was beginning to say but a sudden deep growl emanated from Saphira, the vibrations from her growl felt like the room was shaking. The color of her sapphire scales seemed to shimmer, reflecting a tint of emerald green. It lasted only for a second before it disappeared, while her talons dug into the stone leaving deep scratches along the polished floor.
"What's wrong, Saphira?" Meetra gasped.
It's Eragon… Someone's…wrong… Her growling only grew in volume.
Karn glanced from Saphira over to Arya; her skin was coated in sweat, a determined sneer spread over her lips revealing gritted teeth. The air around her and Eragon seemed to shimmer as if the hot sun bared down onto them. "Arya?" Karn called out.
Everyone's eyes bore heavily onto the elf. All nerves were on edge. Had she managed to bind Eragon's soul to her own?
The answer came not long after. Eyes still closed the elf slowly raised her arm running her hand over Eragon's damp back. It came to rest directly over his wound; and through gritted teeth, she growled, "Waíse heill!"
Bright glowing emerald light filled the open wound, spreading from the top of Eragon's shoulder and down across his back to his hip.
Meetra relinquished her hold over the Force letting Arya take over. Karn followed suit and every one watched with anticipation. The seconds that followed suit were experienced in dreadful expectancy making it seem far longer than it should.
The black miasma seemed to no longer spread over Eragon's body but it still did not relinquish its hold over him – the wound not properly mending.
"Waíse heill!" Arya suddenly screamed, her voice echoing across the room. Power seemed to reverberate from her voice; and as if beckoned, a force fell upon that section of the room. Arya's emerald green light developing a sapphire hue to it. Instantly, the miasma slowly began to recede back into the wound until only tendrils remained. As the miasma withdrew, skin began to mend anew. The exposed muscle, tendons and ligaments were soon hidden behind a new patch of pale skin, contrasting against the rest of Eragon's back.
The emerald light slowly began to dwindle until it disappeared, leaving Eragon's back completely healed. Eragon's body gradually began to relax; his flailing becoming nonexistent. Murtagh and Orik both looked at each other and nodded before slowly releasing their grip on the boy.
A deep series of painful intakes of breath came from Arya as her eyes shot open. Her head came to rest on the bed, right next to the Dragon Rider's, her hand not leaving his back. And soon enough, Eragon's back rose and fell as he finally began to take in a decent amount of air, unhindered.
Saphira's growls quickly turned into purrs and her muscles began to relax. Stretching her neck as far inside the infirmary as she could, her eyes observed over the elf's handiwork.
Incredible, Solembum's voice broke the silence.
You've done it, Arya! Saphira's voice cried out in jubilee. It's gone. The curse, it's gone!
Meetra and Karn gawked in utter astonishment. "Their bond is strong," she uttered.
Indeed, Solembum said. Their souls were a perfect match for one another. 'Luck' must follow these two.
"I don't be it was luck," Karn remarked. With learning how the Force worked and manipulated people and events in the galaxy, Karn couldn't help but wonder if perhaps there was some other force at play over this spectacular miracle.
Rushing from her position, Meetra made her way around the bed, pushing Murtagh aside, and knelt beside the elf. "Arya?" concern gripping her voice. "Arya, are you alright?"
A slow drawn-out nod followed. Relief swept through everyone.
"Poor girl, you exhausted so much magic just now." She put her hands on Arya's back, glowing white light spewing forth. A few minutes later, Arya's labored breathing soon turned steady, her eyes flickering open. "Get her something to sit on," Meetra ordered.
With a wave of his hand, Karn Force-pulled a stool over from one of the corners of the room, handing it off to Meetra. She then situated it, pulling Arya to her feet and gently sat her down on it. She kept an arm around her for support.
"That was incredible to watch," Orik chirped in from across the bed. "By Helzvog's beard, I've never seen an act of sorcery done like that."
Through gritted teeth, Arya spoke with a haggard voice, "It-it's never been done before."
"Well for beginner's luck, I'd say you did pretty well," the dwarf said with a gleaming smile.
"How are you feeling though," Karn asked as he came to stand beside Meetra.
Arya placed her feet on the crossbar on the stool, resting her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. "I'm fine. My mind is intact as well as my soul. But now," she looked over to Eragon and stared blankly at him. However, in her eyes, Karn glimpsed at an emotion that he was unsure how to interpret. If he could guess, it was of a curious nature. "I can sense," she shook her head, "I can feel everything he's feeling."
It is how I am with Eragon, Saphira stated. Our minds can sense each other's thoughts but it is because our souls are bound together that we can feel what the other feels – to a very deep degree.
"As I said," Meetra interjected, "Your bond is strong. The strength of your bond will determine how much you sense from one another; feel from the other; and strengthen one another."
"It's going to take time to get used to," Arya side with a fatigued sigh.
"Yes, it will," Karn confirmed.
"What happens now?" Murtagh voiced from the back of the group.
"I will stay and keep watch over the boy," Meetra answered. "If something else happens to Eragon, someone skilled at healing should stay close by. Everyone else should report to Ajihad, then get some rest." She rubbed Arya's shoulders and the elf seemed to appreciate the comforting touch.
"Rest sounds very tempting," agreed Arya. She tried to stand but Meetra kept her in place.
"You're staying here as well," she ordered. "I'm going to want to monitor your condition as well. Who knows, your new sudden link to Eragon may cause some after effects to your person that may require my attention."
"Very well," she said without question.
The bed next to Eragon's was available, and Meetra motioned for Arya to walk with her, the elf's arm wrapped around her shoulders, while she was guided over to the feathered-filled mattress. Her weapons were set aside under the bedframe, allowing her free mobility to stretch and relax. Her eyes immediately closed as her head came to lay on the feathered pillows, her chest rising and falling as her body was overtaken by exhaustion.
May I stay and watch over Eragon with you? Saphira asked.
"Of course," Meetra exclaimed while moving the stool in between the two beds.
A deep appreciative purr produced deep from inside Saphira's chest. She slowly backed herself out of the doorway where she was not impeding the flow of injured heading to the infirmary. I'll be out here.
"We'll take our leave then," Murtagh declared. He gave a nod at Orik, indicating him to follow. "Inform us of Eragon's condition when it improves?"
"Naturally," Meetra answered. Solembum leapt up onto her lap, curling in on himself like a typical feline cat. She stroke his back, a deep trill coming from the werecat as she made several passes.
Orik gave Meetra a comforting squeeze on her arm and a pat on Karn's back before he followed Murtagh out the doors, most likely to report to Ajihad before helping the Varden in any way possible after the battle.
Even as fatigue began to grip at Karn's body, he remained awake, drawing small amounts of the Force to restore some energy into his being. The battle was won, but work needed to be done. He needed to report to Ajihad and determine the Varden's next course of action. However, before he could do any of that, a sense of longing gripped his being.
He glanced over to Meetra and her eyes were fixated on him. Tiredness weighed over herself like a blanket, but she also drew on the Force; she would need it in order to stand watch over her two wards. And amidst her weakened state, he could still feel her yearning for him.
A gentle expression grew on his face, slowly walking over to her, "You did great today," he complimented.
She produced a very dry smile, "Thanks. You did as well."
"I can stand and watch over them," indicating to Eragon and Arya, "If you want to get some rest."
She continued to stroke Solembum's mangy mane, his purring rising in volume, "Perhaps later. I'm awake now." She nods to Karn, "You look like you could use some rest yourself though."
"Do I look that bad?" He chuckled lightly. He probably looked like he had been through hell and back, covered in dirt, gore and wounds. In all honesty though, Meetra was looking very much the same. Her hair was dirtied and bloodied, and she had several cuts and bruises marking her body.
"You look like you've been thrown into a trash compactor that just so happened to be the largest mynock's nest – and they were all in heat."
Karn couldn't help but give a hearty laugh after hearing Meetra's description of his current state. He pointed at her, "Well looks like you fell down in that same pit with me."
She waved her hand in front of her face, "I think I fared better than you."
"Of course, of course." The two stared at each other, the yearning for each other growing by the second. His worry for her throughout the entire battle didn't help quench it, only stoking it. And he could sense that the same occurred with her.
"I'm glad you're safe," he said as he reached out and cupped the side of her face; his thumb caressing her cheek.
"The feeling is very much mutual," she said, her own hand coming up to lay on top his.
The two stayed like that for several minutes, basking in each other's company before Meetra pulled his hand away, "Ajihad will be wanting to hear from you. The Varden needs your assistance."
"I guess I should go. I don't want to though," he retorted.
"And I don't want you to either," she responded. "But don't worry, we'll have time to be together later. I'll call if I'm in need of a reprieve."
"Very well. Until then," he bent down and gave a tender kiss on her cheek before moving his lips onto her own. And she welcomed it, her passion blossoming inside her chest. She surprised him by gently sucking on his lower lip, his own passion and excitement soaring. A large intake of breath came from him as his body responded to the fervent act. He wanted to do more, but Meetra withdrew and teasingly pushed him away. She gave a playful wink at him, "Later," sensing his thoughts.
Pushing past the spell that was being woven over him, Karn reluctantly left Meetra's side and made his way towards the door. He gave one last look at her before he left, taking in her figure, and imagining the things to come between the two of them.