Chapter 24: Equipped

They arrived in Aberon in mere hours, as Link had predicted. They flew over the Hadarac Desert, away from the Empire's borders. That flight was murder, but Link had endured worse. The Fire Temple, even with his Fire Tunic, was like an oven.

After they passed over the Hadarac Desert, they were briefly within the Empire's borders but nowhere near any large cities. The first city they encountered was Petrøvya, but they didn't stop until they reached Aberon.

They arrived at the castle at Aberon, with many of the residents staring up in awe. They had seen Eragon fly in on Saphira before the Battle of the Burning Plains, but they had not even seen Vanilor at all. This was a first for most of the Varden as well; only Jörmundur and Nasuada had seen him.

They both thudded into the courtyard, surprising many of the surrounding Varden.

Nasuada and King Orrin were outside immediately, striding up to them in a hurry.

"Shadeslayer," said Nasuada. "It's good to see you. The rest of the army is already outfitted. We plan to leave at dawn tomorrow. You will need to be equipped as well." She then turned her attention to Link. "I assume you are here to see him off?"

"No, I'm here to fight," said Link defiantly.

"Have you finished your training?" she asked, surprised.

"Nearly," said Link.

"You must return to Ellesméra," she said sternly.

"No, Nasuada," said Eragon. "He will be a great asset to the Varden in this battle. Let him fight."

Nasuada reluctantly conceded.

Vanilor, take Saphira to your courtyard, said Link.

Of course, he said. Link could tell that he said something to Saphira before they flew off, buffeting him with their massive wings.

"Link, follow Eragon," said Nasuada. Link nodded and walked past her, ignoring the stern look on her face. Link quickly caught up with his fellow Rider.

"Nervous?" Link asked.

"Quite a bit," said Eragon shakily. "I must admit that the past two battles I've fought seem to pale in comparison to this. You?"

"Somewhat," said Link. Eragon turned to him.

"Somewhat?" Eragon asked.

"I've had a lot of experience," said Link. "I will admit I am a bit shaky but it's not a huge thing. There's a feeling I can't quite get rid of, though."

"What do you mean?" asked Eragon.

"I mean that I get this feeling that we're getting in way over our heads. Nobody fully comprehends Galbatorix's power, because nobody's been around him for nearly a hundred years. They say that his power has never stopped growing."

"I know," said Eragon rather impatiently.

Undeterred, Link continued, "What about the dark powers he and Morzan discovered? We don't know where that was. And what about Solembum's prophecy? The part about the rock of Kuthian and the Vault of Souls? Something's missing. We've forgotten something. Ever since—"

He stopped. Realization dawned on him.

"What?" Eragon asked.

"The Vault of Souls…."

"What about it?"

"That's where Galbatorix and Murtagh get their unlimited power! Don't you see? The Ra'zac were Galbatorix's servants. Why do you think they were fed humans?"

"Because they ate humans," said Eragon bluntly.

"No," said Link ominously. "Because they lived in Helgrind, which is the rock of Kuthian."

Eragon was silent. He had an absent look on his face. "I don't quite get it."

"When the Ra'zac ate those slaves, they extracted the souls from their bodies and deposited them in the Vault of Souls."

"Where is this coming from?" asked Eragon, who was beginning to get frustrated. "How is this coming to you?"

Link acted as if he hadn't heard him. "Then, through sorcery, Galbatorix uses those souls to continuously draw power from. The evil place that he retreated to… was Helgrind. The place that no Rider dared set foot in, the place that housed great evil. They only discovered a new way to use sorcery. That's the source of their power."

"What about the part where I speak my name?" asked Eragon.

"That's what you have to do to destroy their power," said Link. "When you speak your true name into the Vault of Souls, the souls within it will be released and finally be allowed peace."

Eragon's face brightened. "I remember something! When the Ra'zac imprisoned me, they took me from the bottom up. I saw something at the very bottom, past the cells that Vanilor and Saphira were kept in. It was a huge, massive door made of thick redwood. There was a blinding white light coming through the slats between the boards. I had to shield my eyes, so I couldn't look at it long."

"I'll bet that's the Vault of Souls," said Link.

They were both silent. Passersby looked at them strangely, but they paid no mind.

"Link, the Varden are preparing for battle as we speak," said Eragon with worry. "We don't have time to discover my true name and travel to Helgrind."

"We'll have to make time. While the Varden leave for Urû'baen, we will have to go to Helgrind and destroy Galbatorix's power," said Link.

"Should we get outfitted first?" asked Eragon.

"It will be more convenient if we are prepared for war when their power is destroyed. That way we can leave straight from Helgrind and assist the Varden in battle."

"What about Arya?" Eragon asked.

"It's up to her," said Link. "But I think she would do more good on the battlefield."

"Or you just don't want to be around her," said Eragon.

"That's got nothing to do with it," said Link impatiently. "She's a good fighter and the best the Varden's got next to you and me."

"No, I'm pretty sure she's the best they've got," said Eragon.

"I'll bet I could beat her," said Link.

"No, I don't think so."

"It doesn't matter!" Link cried. "She'll do better on the field."

Eragon agreed, but was loath to be separated from his love. They finally set off toward the armory, where someone was most likely ready to equip them for war.

When they arrived, there were two squires chatting. As soon as the door opened, the squires immediately started grabbing breastplates, pauldrons, bracers, greaves, gauntlets, and coifs.

When they finished, there were two full sets of armor. One set was traced in a beautiful emerald, which dripped in a steady line down the side of every piece. The other set was exactly the same, only it was traced in sapphire instead of emerald. It was pretty easy to guess which set was whose.

Link kept his green tunic on under his armor but unbelted everything, including the Master Sword, Edoc'sil, and his various items acquired from his travels.

First went on the plate mail breastplate. It was fastened behind his back. Link was given large plate mail greaves that fit over his Kokiri Boots. They went up to his knee, and bracers were given him to cover his thighs.

The armor was incredibly light, but strong. In fact, it was so light, Link couldn't even tell he was wearing it. This would allow him great maneuverability during battle, a luxury most soldiers were not blessed with.

Plate mail gauntlets went over his leather gauntlets, which covered up to his elbows. Two more bracers were placed on his upper arms. On top of those bracers were placed two large pauldrons.

Finally, Link was given a chain mail coif that was placed under his green hat. The squire proposed that it be removed, but Link refused. Then a finely crafted helm was placed over the coif.

And hour later, they were both ready for battle, each of them matching the scales of their dragons with their swords and armor. Once they were fully equipped, they made for the barracks, where the soldiers were surely gathered for the coming battle. They found Nasuada there and told her they were going to Helgrind as soon as possible.

"Will you be back before the battle?" Nasuada asked, concerned.

"No, but we'll be back before it's over," said Eragon. "We will come to assist you. Of that, I assure you."

Nasuada nodded and sent them off.

"We have to go now," said Link. Eragon nodded and followed Link to the courtyard since he didn't know how to get there. They stepped into the courtyard and found Vanilor and Saphira both clad in magnificent dragon armor that covered their necks, heads, underbellies, and backs.

We are ready to ride into battle, Link, said Vanilor.

Where our Riders go, we will go, said Saphira. It was the first time Link had ever heard her voice. He assumed she was speaking to them both, because Eragon seemed to hear it too.

"You ready?" Link asked.

"As soon as you are," Eragon replied. With that Link climbed on Vanilor's saddle and waited for Eragon to lead the way; he knew how to get to Helgrind better than Link, who would probably still need a map.

"Remember to stay outside the Empire's borders," Eragon called back before Saphira lifted him into the air. Link made a mental note of Eragon's comment, and told Vanilor to follow Saphira.

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A/N: How's that for a quick update? I didn't promise, but it was way quick! A little longer this time around, too. The next one should be even longer. Things are coming to a close.

I wrote all this on Sunday within about an hour. I was so excited about the second part of Solembum's prophecy. There you are, bluenavydragon!

I would like to remind everyone of my upcoming sequel, Visions from the Dark. Those of you readers who enjoyed Whispers in the Dark, be sure to read it. I don't really know how things are going to play out, but please read! If you haven't read Whispers, be sure to read that too; it's one of my more successful stories.