DISCLAIMER: Eragon is the property of Christopher Paolini.
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"By the Gods! What is that?" Murtagh gasped out, disbelief and a certain horror detectable in his voice, something Eragon was able to empathize with. The first clear glimpse of Beor Mountains had certainly managed to render Saphira speechless, and then what chance did they have in front of such majesty?
'Those are the Beor Mountains. Spanning the entire South -Eastern Alagaesia, these mountains are taller than anything the Order ever found. Even the oldest and most powerful of our order were unable to scale the tallest peaks in that mountain range.' Jormun voiced his thoughts to him and Saphira, the elder dragon showing them images of the heyday of riders as several dragons flew amongst the very mountains they were gazing at.
'Only the likes of Beglabad and Vermund were able to even fly past the second tallest peak here' Istalri, the only female dragon they had amongst the Eldunari spoke before the Elders cut their connection off, leaving Saphira tense and longing to reach that size and power.
'Stop getting so excited, you are making me jittery. It will be centuries before you can hope to reach that size and power in your body, so for now, focus on hunting a deer for us. We don't want to get caught by the giant bears and wolves roaming these lands.'
Snorting a plume of smoke directly in his face, Saphira spread her wings before taking off towards the forest, leaving him and Murtagh to gallop forwards towards the valley, Eragon pointing out the way they had moved to reach the Varden's outpost as fast as possible. About an hour later a small roar announced the arrival of the azure dragon, a small deer clasped in her right paw with her muzzle bloodied from her lunch.
Tethering their horses to a small tree and laying Arya down on the soft grass, Murtagh started collecting firewood while Eragon set about skinning the deer and removing the flesh for their food. When the firewood was arranged properly, Eragon set it to fire with a whispered Brisingr, the blue flames burning steadily once the wood caught the fire.
"Rïsa" he intoned, raising the morsels he had carved above the fire, roasting them till the pleasant smell of cooked meat wafted through their camp. Murtagh and he ate in silence that night, something which caught Eragon's attention. After they had eaten their fill, Eragon put out the fire and they once again started towards the Varden. Murtagh's behaviour started worrying him, the older man's melancholy and resignation towards something increasing by the hour. That night as they sparred, Murtagh's blows were far more aggressive than anytime before. Eragon was sure that if it weren't for his enhanced constitution, he may very well have gone to sleep with a few cracked bones that night.
As he watched the stars twinkle above him, Eragon thought back to all that happened to him since his transformation. He had become stronger in body, mind and magic. According to Jormun and Istalri, both of whom had bonded to Elven Riders, he was almost as magically powerful as an Elf, while his physical attributes were marginally better than them. His dual-wielding was also coming along nicely, that being something Murtagh wasn't aware of since he practiced it after he fell asleep. The Eldunari were also something they had decided not to tell Murtagh about, the Elder Dragons warning against spreading knowledge meant for Riders only. Standing up slowly, Eragon lightly touched Murtagh's fortress of a mind before coming back to himself once he was satisfied that the human was truly sleeping.
Bringing out the swords from the scabbards strapped to his back, Eragon got into the pose Jormun's Rider, Thorin himself had used, who in turn had learned it from Ingvar.
For the next two hours, he went through the motions shown to him by Jormun's memories of his Rider and their master while tweaking and shifting some strikes to suit his broader and swifter frame. When the sunlight broke out, Eragon quickly woke up Murtagh before binding Arya's arms and torso to his own before they rode out, Saphira flying over them in circles as she kept a lookout.
'Eragon, there is a big problem.' Saphira spoke to him as they rode through the slight grove of trees growing in their way, Obara having shown him the swiftest route to Kostha-Merna lake. Eragon tensed at the worry and apprehension in Saphira's voice before he melded his mind with hers at her prompting.
He adjusted to draconic vision quickly before he spotted what Saphira wanted him to see. A line was visible at the horizon, a line which wasn't a geographical feature in any way, since the only thing that way was the Hadarac desert.
"The Empire is at our backs. Presumably Urgals and Kulls and Durza too. We have to go even faster now, and reach the Varden before they reach us!" he shouted to Murtagh as he came back to his body before spurring his horse to go even faster.
They pushed their horses to their limits and when the equines started flagging, Eragon supported them by transferring his own energy to both of them, giving them a few hours more of uninterrupted riding. After two times of transferring so much energy, Eragon could barely keep himself awake, let alone ride atop the horse while supporting Arya's weight too.
'Eragon, leave the horse and fly with me, Murtagh can ride alone below us. You cannot support two horses once again with your own energy!'
Begrudgingly agreeing with her, Eragon dismounted his horse with Arya and climbed on Saphira before they flew, both of them flying slightly ahead of Murtagh to show him the direction. Once or twice a day when the horses and Murtagh would rest from the riding, he and Saphira would keep a lookout towards the steadily growing line of Urgals, Saphira's vision able to make out a teeming line of huge beings growing larger and more definable as the time went on.
When Murtagh stopped for filling their waterskin with a small pond, Eragon decided to scry on the approaching army and when he saw nothing but moving darkness, Eragon was confused for a moment before Murtagh swore.
"What happened?" he asked him, causing Murtagh to look at him with a pale face.
"That is the army Eragon! There are so many Urgals and Kulls that you cannot even see anything but their dark fur!" Eragon paled at this and clenched his fists as he turned towards Saphira and leaped on his saddle before saying
"Then no point in wasting time! We shall ride towards the Kostha-Merna and find safety in the Varden.", Before Murtagh turned around and climbed his own horse, Eragon caught the expression of anger and sadness on his face, confusing him a lot as he thought up the reasons Murtagh wanted to avoid the Varden.
That night, Eragon cooked the leftover meat while flying on Saphira and gave it to Murtagh by flying over him. Skewered on a thin stick, Murtagh and Eragon ate the food while traveling swiftly, the threat of the Empire looming over them like a dark shroud. Despite their near-constant movement and as sparse rest as possible, the Urgals kept closing in on them with their legendary endurance and high speed.
According to Obara-Elda, for every league they traveled, the Urgals could travel two to three at the same time. When the Urgals came close enough that even Murtagh could see a faint line of black in the distance while on higher land, Eragon told him the directions the best he could and flew with Saphira towards the army, aiming to delay the army the best he could to buy them some time.
In the darkness of the sky, Saphira was nearly invisible to the army below and as Eragon watched the teeming Urgalgra run towards the Varden's direction, he raised his palm towards the trees and took a breath before intoning "Rïsa" and uprooted numerous trees from the path of the army, causing widespread alarm and confusion.
Istalri and Aeidail, the latter being the most reclusive Eldunari poured energy into him, filling him with such vigor that he reached out to several more trees and brought them into the air. Floating them down parallel to the ground, he waited for a moment for the Urgals to reform. "Hvass" he spoke, his magic sharpening the wood, making the ends into spear-like tapers.
He was about to launch them at the Urgals with all the remaining strength in him when Jormun said 'Let them came a little forwards and drop the trees when they are climbing uphill, no need to waste energy.' The other Eldunari also sent him feelings of agreement with their fellow dragon's statement, and thus Saphira flew a little back with him dragging the trees through the air up to their level, Obara also contributing with energy to keep the trees afloat. The Urgals once again started running forwards within moments, the strange events probably meaning nothing to their primitive minds.
When they started climbing over a small hill with a steep incline instead of going through the ravine or the forest, Eragon threw the sharpened trees towards the climbing Urgals with a shout of "thrautha". He had poured all the reaming strength within him and what Aeidail gave to him in that spell, and the result showed for themselves as the thick trees collided with the Urgals in the lead, crushing them instantly with sickening cracks and squelching sounds. The gravity and the magical force made them a lethal weapon, one which continued to roll down the hill towards the Urgals behind them, none of them stopping the climb even for a moment even as dozens were crushed or cut from the wood.
Guttural roars of anger were interspersed with the groans of the dying as the Urgalgra watched with what he hoped was confusion at their crushed comrades. The charge stopped as some from the back screamed in roars and growls, presumably telling the beasts to stop running forwards. The scent of blood and defecation overwhelmed both of their senses and they flew back towards Murtagh, knowing that they would have to be swift, for such a tactic won't delay the Urgals for long.
Eragon ate the remaining meat from the bag at his side, his eyes falling on the Eldunari resting within, more specifically the dimmed ones of Aeidail and Istalri, the dragons had given him much of their energy causing them to go into a trance-like state to conserve their energy and recuperate.
They flew over the entrance to the valley at the end of which the Kostha-Merna was located. They were flying swiftly towards the cliff when they saw the first glimpse of the lake. With a tranquil surface and the moonlight reflecting through a gap in the clouds, Kostha-Merna looked like liquid silver from their height. Saphira saw Murtagh trotting along the edge of the moonlit water and flew towards him/
They landed in front of the surprised rider who calmed his horse before getting down.
"Come fast, we delayed them the best we could but they might still reach us. We have to get to the cliff and get to the Varden!" he shouted as he untied Arya's hands and legs from around him and then tied her to Murtagh's horse.
Murtagh tensed immediately before he said, "You go to the Varden, and I will find my way out from this valley."
"What? Have you taken leave of your senses; The Urgals are only a league or so behind us! Come with us to the Varden! They will surely pardon you if you have killed some of their men." he argued, Saphira besides him growling as both of them caught the scent of Urgals coming towards them.
Murtagh started laughing uproariously at that and as Eragon looked at him with alarm and concern, he ripped his shirt off, baring his torso to the world. Before Eragon could question the apparent waning sanity of his companion, Murtagh turned around causing him to gasp and recoil a little in surprise.
In the little moonlight they had, Eragon could see a horribly raised scar running from his right shoulder to his left hip, the twisting line of knotted flesh not even wavering once, showing a deep and clean stroke had been the reason for it.
"THIS! This is the reason I cannot, nay, I will not go to the Varden Eragon, for this is the proof of the blood that runs through my body, blood that will never be accepted by the Varden!"
"Wha-What do you mean by blood?" he asked, confused out of his mind at his companion's words, his hand stilled upon Snowfire's flank.
Murtagh turned around with a mad gleam in his eyes as he pointed at Zar'roc and said, "That is the sword which cut my back open when I could barely speak! I was running from my father when he hurled that very sword at my back, slicing me apart as you do to any soldier!"
Casting a horrified glance at the crimson blade sheathed on his back, Eragon asked, "But wh-"
"MY FATHER IS MORZAN! The butcher of Cuenon! The man who was killed by your mentor Brom! And that is the reason I will not step even a single foot inside that mountain. You take that elf and go inside, I will find a way out!"
For a moment the world stopped existing for him as he tried to match Murtagh, the man who had saved his ass from mortal peril to Morzan, the man who had butchered thousands in Cuenon alone, to say nothing of the wars against the Riders and the Dwarves. Before he could think any more on the matter, he heard Urgals approaching them from the treeline and the valley itself, the sound barely discernible past the crashing of the waterfall.
Shaking his head, Eragon shouted the words Arya had told him as loudly as he could but no response came. Frustrated, Eragon shared a look with his Dragoness before he shouted once again
"Aí Varden abr du Shur'tugals gata vanta!"
Before they could do anything more Urgals started becoming visible from the treeline and Murtagh swore as he unsheathed his hand-and-a-half sword. Eragon cast a look at the unresponsive elf before he cast one of the minor wards the Eldunari had taught him.
"Skölir fra mïnen"
Satisfied that Arya won't come to harm now, Eragon brought out his swords while Saphira took flight, both of them thanking Obara as he gave them enough energy to make the fatigue in their muscles dim down. They weren't at their full strength, but it was certainly better than what they had been before.
With roars and shouts, Urgals started running towards both of them, their feet sometimes slipping on the pebbles and wet rocks surrounding the lake. When the first one reached him, Eragon marvelled at the fact that he could fight them easily compared to the time in Yazuac as he ducked beneath a wild swing from the axe and slipped Zar'roc into his throat. Removing his sword immediately to let the Urgal drown in his own blood, Eragon jumped forwards and twirled his swords around, cutting and slashing wherever and whenever he could.
He was also aware of Saphira diving and raking her claws across dozens of Urgals at once, her speed too great for Archers to find any purchase as she ripped apart their enemies before going back into the sky.
As he slashed an Urgal across his stomach making his guts spill out, Eragon blocked an overhead strike from a Kull, making his muscles scream out in protest before he tilted his sword and slipped beneath the brutish hands of his enemy as drove the purple blade through his side and almost split him in twain. For how long he fought he didn't know, only that at one point he slipped on a rock himself and fell into the lake, the dark waters filling his lungs and... And making the burn in his muscles go away at once. Before he could do anything other than claw at his throat, a strong hand grabbed his forearm before pulling him out of the water. As he was dragged upwards towards the surface, Eragon felt a jolt in his ribs and a part of his mind told him that it was Saphira who was hurt. His eyes erupting in a purple inferno as an uncrossable line was crossed, Eragon ripped his arm free from the man dragging him upwards, and found a reserve of strength in his body to kick his feet against the water.
Erupting from the lake like an arrow loosed, his eyes sought out his dragon immediately, finding her fighting Kulls with an axe lodged in her stomach, the crimson blood staining her scales. A wave of anger like never before drowned him and he screamed with nothing but wrath
"BRISINGR!" blue and purple flames gathered above his hands, forming into a giant fireball even as he stayed afloat in the air. Silence enveloped the battlefield, as every human, dwarf and Urgal looked at him like something straight out of their nightmares.
With a guttural scream, Eragon launched the massive fireball at the Urgals, Saphira taking flight moments before the blue and purple inferno crashed amongst the Urgals. The flames spread out like Urgals were naught but pitch and oil, their bodies turning to ash within an eye-blink. Saphira alighted below him and he dropped into her saddle, his fury immediately drained as he felt the love and assurance from her.
They flew down towards the congregating forces of the Varden and landed beside Murtagh who was holding to the reins of Snowfire on which Arya was saddled.
Healing Saphira the best he could with the remaining energy within him, Eragon turned towards the Varden's forces looking at him with wide eyes and pale faces. He had a sudden urge to shout "BOO!" like Roran used to do to him in the stormy nights only for a dwarf to come forwards and interrupt his line of thinking.
"Come inside that force was just a vanguard. The main host may yet come for our heads." His voice was deep and hard like stones scraping against each other, commanding respect and showcasing authority. Coupled that with the blood staining his face, the dwarf gave off an air of command and danger.
Nodding his acquiescence, Eragon and Murtagh started toward the open cliff face with Saphira coming after them, the azure Dragoness baring her teeth at the humans and dwarves until there was a lot of space around her.
When they entered the mountain, the cliff slid back into its place with a groan, masking the sounds of the waterfall completely. Torches lined the cavern they were in, the rocks and arches thrown in sharp relief due to the lighting.
"My name is Garfak and this is Orik, the dwarf who was attempting to save you until you flew up into the air." The lead dwarf said as he pointed at himself and then at the dwarf behind him, who was dripping water due to his dive.
"My name is Eragon, and this is my dragon Saphira. Thank you Orik for saving me." Eragon nodded at the shorter dwarf before turning towards Murtagh, worry in his mind at how the Varden would react to the revelation.
"I am not staying here. Give me shelter till sunrise and I will depart your rocks and caves." Murtagh said his voice barren of any emotion as he stared stoically at Garfak.
"That is not possible. You have seen too much of the Varden and this rider to be left alone now, either by the Empire or by us. Your mind will be searched by our magicians and then you three will be allowed to travel into the Dwarven Kingdom."
"Three?" Eragon asked sharply, his violet eyes darkening, something which caught the attention of Garfak who pointed silently towards Saphira to gasps from some in the crowd. Orik looked at the lead dwarf in alarm and opened his mouth to speak only to close his mouth again.
Murtagh stepped a little away from Eragon at that, his own anger at the potential breach of his mind's sanctity overshadowed by a primal instinct telling him to move away from the suddenly incensed Rider.
The Eldunari all called out to him in anger, urging him to kill the Dwarf for his insolence, while Saphira curled herself and bared her bloodstained teeth as her tail whipped around. Eragon, he just stared at the dwarf before he started laughing maddeningly, his cold voice echoing through the walls, reminding Murtagh of Durza and as uncomfortable as it was, of Morzan.
"If it weren't for the fact that I am not here to make enemies and Brom himself told me to come here, I would have turned you inside out for even daring to suggest such a thing. No one will search my mind; perish the thought of even coming close to Saphira's."
Silence descended in the hall at Eragon's declaration with Garfak paling a lot, knowing that he was fully capable of delivering on his threat. Before anything more could be said, a voice from the back of the group said, "Your mind is going to be searched Rider, and so shall it be for the dragon and your companion. These are the laws of Varden human."
The crowd around them parted, revealing two humans dressed identically in robes of purple standing before them. Twins, Eragon realized as he watched them with his purple eyes.
"No"
Eragon and Murtagh spoke at the same time, causing the twins to grow scowls on their faces and within moments a mental probe struck Eragon, causing him the grimace for a moment before he steeled his mind and struck back with a lance of mental energy fueled by his hate for Durza, Galbatorix and the Ra'zac. The twins were attacking his mind simultaneously with the strength of two minds well versed in mental combat and while Eragon had improved leaps and bounds under the tutelage of the Eldunari after Gil'ead, he was unable to find purchase on the walls of their minds. He knew that if it came to a long battle, he would lose eventually, and after his experience at the hands of Durza, such a thought terrified him beyond measure.
The Eldunari were unable to help him, the danger of being discovered too great for them. Saphira however had no such qualms as she roared her outrage and bolstered his mind with the fury and strength of a dragon. Slamming into the twins' joint mind like a hammer against clay, she made both of them flinch and retreat at once to save their minds from being torn apart, their mental attacks ripped to shreds by Eragon's and Saphira's combined might.
Blood trickled from the dwarves' noses as they stumbled backwards with Eragon heaving a silent sigh of relief, unsure on how much longer he could have continued after such a day.
"Bind them, they will not step a foot inside Farthen Dûr until they are searched thoroughly. We will return tomorrow with all the magicians under our command and then we will know everything there is to know about you." The dwarf spat at them. The soldiers moved forwards with ropes, causing Eragon to once again being his swords to bear as Murtagh did the same at his side.
"Barzûl! Stop you piles of dung!" Orik cursed before he whirled on the twins, "and you two, have you been inhaling fumes of a nishgra? That man over there can kill us all with a single word if the ashes outside say anything! And do you even see that Elf over there, she is Arya, the ambassador from Queen Islanzadi! They have brought both the key to resuming communication with the elves and also a hope for us to defeat the Empire!"
"Know your place Orik! We are the ones entrusted with the safety of the Varden!" the twin on the left spat before Orik shouted something in dwarvish, causing laughs to ring out from the crowd as the twins flushed and ran towards the exit on their stubby legs. Garfak paled and also ran after them while Orik came towards the Dragon rider and bowed.
"I apologize for the actions of the Twins, Rider. I hope that this doesn't make you believe the entirety of the Varden is as despicable as them."
Sharing a glance with Murtagh, Eragon cleared his throat, uncomfortable by the deference and all the bowing. "It is of no consequence Orik. We have been traveling hard for the last few days, and Arya requires immediate treatment. Durza poisoned her with Skilna-Bragh and she needs Tunivor's Nectar to cure her."
Orik nodded and shouted in dwarvish, causing a few men to come and take the horse by the reins while he bid them to follow him towards the exit. Knowing Murtagh was still having second thoughts, Eragon turned towards him and brought his hand to his shoulder while tentatively offering supportive feelings through his mind, his thoughts lightly touching Murtagh's mind.
Surprise and gratitude flashed through Murtagh's face as he nodded and took a deep breath before he started following him and Saphira into the tunnels. As he shared a quick smile with the brown-haired man, Eragon couldn't help but think that while not by blood, Murtagh had become every bit of a brother to him since they had met and he was glad to have him with him as he traveled deeper into the Varden and the fight against the Empire.
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