Chapter 26 is here! Hopefully everyone is enjoying the story so far!
IMPORTANT!
IDK had a great question about if Eragon had completely healed Kayla. Eragon only healed the injures he had inflicted that day. She is still physically limited from her fall. Even magic has limits to what it can heal.
Sorry for the confusion!
IDK-I agree, I dislike it as well, but I felt it was important to show that Eragon, as good hearted as he is, has a breaking point.
Thanks for the review!
As always if you are confused or have questions or if you just want to let me know your thoughts leave a review and I will respond in some way!
Thank you to Sasat138 for the follow!
Onto the chapter!
Eragon's POV
Eragon sat in the hidden chamber where all the Eldunari were kept. He still stared in awe at the hundreds of gem like stones that signified a dragon's consciousness
Even though he had been in this room almost daily for years he never ceased to be amazed at the shear knowledge and power encased in this small room.
Extending his mind,he spoke to every Eldunari as once.
"Masters, I need your knowledge"
Many minds rushed through his. He greeted many by name before they withdrew and Umaroth spoke in his deep voice
"All we have is yours Eragon, you need only ask"
Eragon spoke urgently
"I need as much information as you can give me on the poison, Dragon's Blood"
Eragon emphasized this statement by sharing his memories of Arya and how ill she truly was
Many dragons seemed agitated at his words and when Umaroth spoke his normally calm voice was tinged in sadness and anger.
"There is a cure….. right" Eragon asked desperately
"Oh yes, there is a cure" Umaroth spoke bitterly
"What you ask of is one of our races greatest shames. A wrong that goes back to the Elven war with the dragons"
Umaroth must have sensed Eragon's restlessness to get to Arya for he continued
"It is crucial you learn the history of this poison and what it does to better understand the cure. It is the only way you can help her Eragon"
Eragon was still concerned but forced himself to focus
"You remember your lessons on the war? How Elves and Dragons nearly drove each other to extinction?"
Eragon gave him a mental nod to continue
"You remember the spears the elves made to slay us? Dauthdaerts?"
Eragon nodded again remembering his encounter with one such object during the war against Glabatorix.
"The spears gave Elves a decided advantage in the war. We could not block them with magic and so we were killed by the hundreds. The dragon's needed something to equalize the fight and in our desperation, we created Dragon's blood, a poison made from our own blood, to help aid us in our fight and we unleashed it upon the elves"
Eragon remembered the words of an Elven historian who had written a firsthand account of the fighting "Dragon's blood fell like rain".
Uramoth nodded as he remembered the words
"Yes, they had no way of knowing that they were being poisoned even as they slayed us"
Eragon though about his numerous experiences when Saphira was injured
"But not all dragons are poisoned…. I have gotten Saphira's blood on me many times and have never been poisoned"
"No, only a limited number of dragon's had their blood altered. It was rare after the end of the war to find a dragon with the alteration. It caused them to become very aggressive and as a result few survived the war"
"But why is your race ashamed of this?" Eragon wondered "Poison is not the most honorable way to kill but it was war…. You do what you must to survive"
Eragon was sent the mental equivalent of Umaroth shifting as though uneasy
"We are ashamed of how the poison works…. Not the poisoning itself" He said slowly
"How does it work any different than your average poison? It seems to me there are many poisons that pull someone into a coma before death. What makes this poison so different?"
"Because, just as a dragon can fight with claw or mind, the poison attacks the body and mind. It weakens a person physically and forces them to relive the worst parts of their lives over and over again."
Eragon felt horror rise within him
He sat for a minute, trying to imagine what Arya must be feeling at that moment but the ideas were to horrible to even comprehend
"How long does she have left?" he said bile rising in his throat
"Theoretically, if we ensure she is given enough nutrients, she could stay forever in this state, but very few make it farther than a few weeks."
"If the poison doesn't kill them then why do they die?"
"After a few weeks the mind cannot take any more and in a desperate fight to end the pain, they…take their own life through magic"
Eragon groaned in despair, imagining Arya going through so much torment, It was almost unbearable
"I should have been there! I should have helped" he said to himself as he felt guilt and despair swirl around in his gut.
"You mentioned a cure" he said hopefully "Can it be used to bring Arya back?"
"It can"
The reply was hesitant and Eragon sensed the rest of the Eldunari dim slightly
"They are nervous of something" He realized
"What are you not telling me?" he asked the Eldunari
There was no response for so long Eragon thought they hadn't heard him
Finally,to Eragon's surprise, it was not Uramoth who responded but the oldest living Eldunari, Valdr.
Eragon was sent vison after vison from the great dragon
An Eldunari sat next to an elf who was clearly sick, A sword swinging down, a massive explosion. When the dust settled, an elf stood over the poisoned elf and muttered several sentences in the ancient language. The poisoned elf's color returned and his breathing evened out.
Eragon returned to the present with a small jolt.
Revulsion and despair filled him as he understood why the Eldunari were so scared.
"I would have to kill one of you to save her" he said horrified by the thought
Uramoth spoke again
"You would"
Eragon swallowed hard
"Why did the elf not awaken?" He asked still nauseated
"The killing of a dragon only heals the physical body, to heal the mind someone must enter the poisoned mind and cleanse it"
Eragon frowned
"Let's say I do go through with this…..how do I cleanse a mind?"
Uramoth spoke again
"We do not know…..It has only been successful once and neither person ever spoke of the experience"
"What happens if I were to fail in cleansing her mind?"
"She will die and you may be poisoned yourself….. It is an incredibly difficult process that few even attempt"
Eragon's head swirled, he needed time to think
"Is that all?" He asked as he stood, desperate to clear his head
"It is….. but Eragon….. We need your word you will not attempt this against our will"
Eragon thought hard before speaking
"I am not Glabatorix but… I need time to think"
Eragon felt their disapproval at his lack of a promise but they let him go.
Night had fallen when Eragon emerged from the small fortress. The full moon shown above him but Eragon took no notice.
Eragon's feet seemed to have a mind of its own as he walked the streets deep in thought. He continued to contemplate his options and to his surprise he found he had entered the infirmary.
Eragon passed through several empty rooms before he heard faint singing in a room ahead of him. He entered the small room and found Arya lying motionless upon the bed in the corner of the room. Eragon felt his guilt return with a vengeance as he looked upon her ashen face. He forced himself to look away and saw Nala and Blodhgarm standing next to her singing softly.
Blodhgarm smiled slightly as he saw him.
"Any luck with the dragon's, Shadeslayer?"
Eragon's face must have told him everything as his smile vanished and his hands balled to fists
"There is no cure" He stated his voice calm as though he expected this outcome
Eragon debated for a moment if he should tell Blodhgarm and Nala all the dragons had told him. He had to tell someone, or he would go insane.
"Oh no, there is certainly a cure" he said with distain and bitterness
Nala stopped singing and turned toward him
"That is good news…. right Shadeslayer?" she asked confused by his somber expression
Eragon explained all the dragons had revealed to him about the poison that was slowly torturing Arya not three feet from him
Nala stared opened mouth at Arya with her eyes watering
Blodhgarm leaned against a wall and took a deep breath
"What do you intend to do Ebrithil?"
Eragon sat on a nearby chair and stared hopelessly at the floor
"I do not know"
Nala spoke next
"This is not a decision to be made by one person Eragon. Let us help you"
Eragon thought for a moment. He liked the idea of others aiding his decision but if he felt he had to act against their wishes… he had no wish to have to hurt any more people than necessary.
He finally spoke, coming go a decison
"Very well, this is a decision that cannot be made in haste. Let us each sleep on these decisions and decide what they personally wished to do. We will meet tomorrow morning and decide together."
Eragon put a note of finality in his voice. He hoped he could be alone with Arya for a time. Luckily, they seemed to catch on that he wished to be alone and after a few minutes they each stood and left, leaving Eragon alone with Arya's prone form.
Eragon studied Arya. She had been washed and clothed in simple white linen. A single strand of her black hair dangled Infront of her closed eyes. He reached out and gently pushed it aside.
The only sign of the pain she was in was a slight tightness in her cheeks as she lay peacefully on the bed.
Eragon found the emotions of the day finally catch up to him and he found himself gently caressing her cheek as he spoke to her. He told her how much he missed her and what had happened since the last time she had been to Mount Arngor. He recounted stories of their adventures together and of the adventures he wished they would have in the future.
Eragon grabbed her hand while he was speaking and held it in his own. He hoped Arya would be ok with what he was doing. Tears began quietly falling from his cheeks as he told her of the dilemma he was in and how much he wished he was laying in the bed instead of her.
"I wish you were here my love….. I really need your advice right now."
Eragon was aware that she likely could not hear him, but he kept talking long into the night. Finally, he decided he needed to get some rest for next day and stood to leave.
He spoke to her saying he had to leave, and he would return as soon as he could. Eragon placed a kiss upon her forehead and began to pull his hand out of hers when he felt the slightest squeeze against his hand.
He froze and stared at her trying to see if she was somehow waking but there seemed to be no change. He tried to pull away and again her hand squeezed his ever so slightly.
"Some part of her knows I am here and does not want me to leave" he thought surprised
He spoke aloud again
"Very well… I will stay…. I never could say no to you, could I?" he said with a small laugh
He sat back down and rested his head against her chest.
The rhythmic up and down of her chest along with her familiar scent of crushed pine needles lulled him to sleep quickly
"Anything for you"
He thought as his dreams took him
What will Eragon do?
Do you guys have any predictions for the next chapter?
Let me know!
As always thanks for all the support!
Stay safe everyone!