Hey guys! I'm back! (no, no more Star Wars character impersonations—this chapter. Mwahaha!)
But… I must confess… I do NOT own anything affiliated with the Inheritance Cycle other than my wonderful Tania and Ophelia. And some other stuff. Liiiiiiiiiike the fact that apparently Du Weldenvarden is an ENDLESS forest. And Tania came from the north. Then again, she did come from above the Spine… hmm…
Oh, and I am now listening to Be Prepared—you know, Lion King? Scar? Voiced by the same guy who did Brom in the Eragon movie? (to those who hate the movie—SHUT UP, IT'S A GOOD MOVIE. I don't really care that it diverged from the book in basically every scene, it's good. Plus, Saphira's CGI effects are awesome. Don't bother flaming me in the reviews, I'll just delete them. (I can do that, yanno.))
Ah, phooey, it changed again. Humph. *mutters something about Frozen and stuck-in-your-head melodies* I will not complain if it changes to Sound the Bugle by Bryan Adams. If you can, listen to it, there's a great War Horse video on YouTube that has that as its audio—it's a bit… how to put it… 'modified,' but it's good.
Wow, a 200-word AN. Sorry for keeping you, I'll go now.
Soon, the forest ended, and Tania and Murtagh pulled the horses to a stop. They were on a pebble beach directly to the left of the mouth of the Beartooth River. The deep lake Kóstha-mérna filled the valley, blocking the way. The water gleamed with flickering starlight. The mountain walls restricted passage around Kóstha-mérna to a thin strip of shore on either side of the lake, both no more than a few steps wide. At the lake's far end, a broad sheet of water tumbled down a black cliff into boiling mounds of froth.
Ophelia, remember what we agreed? Tania asked.
Yes, the camouflaged dragoness answered unhappily. But you had better hope your assumptions were correct, or I will tear the mountain apart.
Noted. The dragon's retreat from her mind was like exposing herself, and Tania mourned the loss for a moment before concentrating on the present.
"Do we go to the falls?" asked Murtagh tightly.
"Yes," Eragon said, taking the lead and picking his way along the lake's left side. Tania followed, noticing that the pebbles were damp and slime covered. There was barely enough room for Saphira between the sheer valley wall and the lake; she had to walk with two feet in the water.
They were halfway to the waterfall when Murtagh warned, "Urgals!"
Tania barely spared a glance backward, instantly taking in the hulking figures streaming out of the forest where they had been only minutes earlier, before urging Cadoc forward, yelling, "Eragon, keep moving! We can't stop to sightsee!"
Her sharp words snapped him out of the trance-like stare he'd kept on the approaching Urgals, and they kept running. Saphira took off without warning and wheeled back toward the Urgals.
"No!" Eragon cried, but she continued, heedless of his pleas. Quickly, Tania darted ahead of him, grabbing his arm. "Keep moving!" she yelled again, glancing back to make sure Murtagh was still with them.
Turning back to the front, Tania concentrated on one thing and one thing only—getting to the falls. She pushed everything else out of her mind, ignoring the commotion on the lake, seeing nothing but the gradually approaching waterfall, not noticing when she released Eragon's arm to give them both better balance—though she did notice when he stumbled, noticed when Murtagh's strong arm kept him on his feet, and noticed how, clasping each others forearms, they urged the horses forward.
It struck her, then, how much like a pair of brothers they were. That one thought sent her mind racing, looking back on everything either of them had said about their parents. Eragon was the son of Brom, and Murtagh the son of Morzan, but neither one had named their mother in the other's presence. Eragon had briefly mentioned his mother, Selena, to her, but Murtagh…
Tania, snap out of it and get to the falls, Ophelia commanded. You can poke around those two's family trees later.
I know, I know, Tania muttered.
Finally, they were almost to the falls. The noise was overwhelming, like an avalanche. A white wall of water gushed down the cliff, pounding the rocks below with a fury that sent mist spraying through the air to run down their faces. Four yards from the thundering curtain, the beach widened, giving them room to maneuver.
Saphira roared as an Urgal spear grazed her haunch, then retreated underwater. With her withdrawal the Kull rushed forward with long strides. They were only a few hundred feet away. "What do we do now?" Murtagh demanded coldly.
"I don't know. Let me think!" cried Eragon. Tania glanced at the Urgals and drew her bow, taking careful aim before loosing. The arrow hit its mark, burying itself in the left eye of the lead Urgal. Quickly she released three more arrows, two hitting their mark while the third was dodged.
Behind her Eragon grabbed a rock, then pounded on the cliff next to the falls, shouting, "Aí varden abr du Shur'tugalar gata vanta!"
Nothing happened.
Tania gave the cliff face a panicked glance. Eragon tried again, shouting louder than before, but only succeeded in bruising his hand. He turned to them in despair. "We're trap—" His words were cut off as Saphira leapt out of the lake, dousing them with icy water—and making Tania glad once again that she had put wards on her bow. She landed on the beach and crouched, ready to fight.
The horses backpedaled wildly, trying to bolt. Tania reached out with her mind to Cadoc, trying to steady him. He snorted ferociously, but calmed slightly and sidled closer to her.
Behind you! cried Saphira. Tania turned and glimpsed the lead Urgal running at Eragon, heavy spear raised. Up close a Kull was as tall as a small giant, with legs and arms as thick as tree trunks.
Before Tania could draw an arrow, Murtagh drew back his arm and threw his sword with incredible speed. The long weapon revolved once, then struck the Kull point first n the chest with a dull crunch. The huge Urgal toppled to the ground with a strangled gurgle. Before another Kull could attack, Murtagh dashed forward and yanked his sword out of the body.
Eragon raised his palm, shouting, "Jierda theirra kalfis!" Sharp cracks resounded off the cliff. Twenty of the charging Urgals fell into Kóstha-mérna, howling and clutching their legs where shards of bone protruded. Without breaking stride, the rest of the Urgals advanced over their fallen companions. Tania, after shouldering her bow again, held up her own gloved hand, muttering, "Haina theirra hjart!" The front row of the charging Kull clutched their chests, stopping and blocking the way for the rest of the Urgals, who roared in anger and tried to bat the front row out of the way, starting a brutal brawl among them. Drained, Tania clutched Cadoc's saddle before her knees could buckle.
A flight of arrows, impossible to see in the darkness, brushed past them and shattered against the cliff. Tania, Eragon and Murtagh ducked, covering their heads. Tania hissed when a lucky arrow grazed her thigh, leaving a bloody gash.
"What now?" shouted Murtagh. There was still no opening in the cliff. "We can't stay here!"
"I don't know!" Eragon cried desperately, looking around wildly. "This is where we're supposed to be!"
"Is it on the right side?" Tania asked, grimacing.
"Why don't you ask the elf to make sure?" demanded Murtagh. He dropped his sword, snatched his bow from Tornac's saddlebags, and with a swift motion loosed an arrow from between the spikes on Saphira's back. A moment later an Urgal toppled into the water.
"Now? She's barely alive! How's she going to fund the energy to say anything?"
"I don't know," shouted Murtagh, "but you'd better think of something because we can't stave off an entire army!"
Saphira growled urgently, conversing with her Rider. A moment later, Eragon slammed Zar'roc back into its sheath and exclaimed, "The Varden are on the other side of the lake. We have to go through the waterfall!"
Murtagh's eyes shot toward the violent deluge blocking their way. "We'll never get the horses through there, even if we can hold our own footing."
"I'll convince them to follow us," snapped Eragon. "And Saphira can carry Arya." The Urgals' cried and bellows made Snowfire snort angrily. The elf lolled on his back, oblivious to the danger.
Murtagh shrugged. "It's better than being hacked to death." As he cut Arya loose from the saddle, Tania tiredly reached out to Cadoc with her mind, calming him and telling him in a combination of the Ancient Language and a series of images that staying here would mean death, and going through the waterfall would mean safety. He tossed his head and made for the falls, Tania running alongside, and they dashed into the thundering downpour, the bay whinnying as it struck his back. He floundered, trying to stay above the surface.
The water struggled to push them down, bash them against the rocks, drown them and carry them away, but Tania pushed against the current, letting Cadoc swim beside her. Soon, a strong hand grasped her upper arm, pulling her out of the water. She glanced in his direction, too tired to be surprised to see a man, about the height of her waist, pulling her through the water. They surfaced onto the pebble beach, before the little man—a dwarf, Tania realized—dived back into the water.
Behind her, two twelve-foot-thick stone doors had opened in the cliff, revealing a broad tunnel nearly thirty feet tall that burrowed its way into the depths of the mountain. A line of flameless lamps filled the passageway with a pale sapphire light that spilled out onto the lake.
Before she could take in anything else, someone grabbed her elbow and pulled her closer to the entrance. Letting out a shout, Tania struggled against the arms that wrapped around her, snarling viciously. But when a new face leered in front of her, she froze, staring into cold black eyes—before letting out a terrified screech.
Ahem. Yes, it's a cliffhanger. I'm sorry. But… meh.
Please review, even if you hate the cliffy!
FF