Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry this took so long to post. And I know it's short! This semester was a lot harder than I thought, so I had to cut back on writing time. Now that it's summer, though. I hope to update at least once every two weeks. Thanks for being patient!

Nasuada, standing with an arrow to her bowstring, peered down at the thousands of Varden underneath her, sending silent prayers to whatever gods there were to let them prevail. She scanned the rocks on the other side of the valley, trying to catch a glimpse of her sister.

"Please let her be all right . . ." she whispered. For a second she regretted allowing Amirah to stay. "I should have insisted she go to Surda."

She had no more time to think, however. Rocks in the mountain in front of her burst open, and with a roar, thousands of Urgals and soldiers rushed in. The leader of the archers gave the signal to shoot and Nasuada, along with the others, released their arrows. She felt a bolt of adrenaline rush through her as she drew another arrow and shot down a soldier.

On the opposite side of the mountain, Amirah sat cross legged behind her rock and reached out for Trianna's mind, to tell the woman she and Nasuada were there. Contacting the Twins was never an option. Amirah detested the bald magicians and hardly deigned to look at them, let alone speak to them. They stared at her continually, with strange looks on their faces like they knew something she didn't. Ajihad never took her seriously when she voiced her fears, so Amirah took revenge by ignoring them completely. She knew they hated her for it, but she never minded. Arya cautioned her against her rebelliousness, and Amirah's respect of the elf stopped her from doing worse.

Amirah didn't know why these thoughts were running through her mind as she crouched, waiting for Trianna to answer. Finally . . .

"Gods, Amirah! Are you insane?"

"No," Amirah told Trianna sharply, wincing at the woman's shrill screech.

"Why didn't you leave like you were supposed to? We're all in formation right now . . ."

"I'm just letting you know that we're here."

"WE?"

"Yes, Nasuada and I . . ."

"I'm going to kill myself now, before your father kills me."

"Oh shut up, Trianna. Just tell me what I can do to help."

The female sorceress let out a long breath before outlining Ajihad's plan. "But you'll need to stay where you are . . ." she finished, ". . . or else your father will have my head."

"Thanks, Trianna."

Amirah leaned back against the rock, listening to the soldiers murmur amongst themselves. All of a sudden, the cavernous room grew deathly quiet. After a few moments, the faint sounds of tramping feet could be heard outside Farthen Dur. Amirah shuddered as all eyes were drawn to the tunnel which Galbatorix's army were expected to enter.

With a resounding crack, the rock hiding the tunnel's entrance burst out of the opening. Thousands of Urgals, followed by Galbatorix's crimson and black clad soldiers, marched through the hole.

The battle had begun.

In a split second, the silence was filled with the roar of thousands of men shouting, the clanging of weapons, and the screams of the wounded and dying. Amirah busied herself with setting wards on herself and Nasuada, cursing that she hadn't done so before. She heard a whooshing noise behind her and leapt up to see a volley of arrows speeding towards Saphira.

Amirah flicked her hand backward, using her magic to consume the arrows in fire. It was one of the peculiar things about her, one only Nasuada, Ajihad, and Arya knew: that she could use magic wordlessly. She didn't even have to think the word. However, this power only worked when Amirah was controlling what Arya told her were "elements." Amirah could summon and manipulate earth, wind, and water, so long as her power could handle it. Fire was another story. She could use fire any way she wanted, without feeling drained or weak.

There was a roaring sound as the armies clashed, and Amirah leaned her head out to see what else she could do to help. For a few minutes, she concentrated on incinerating Urgals, as they were easiest to discern from the crowd. She felt someone touch her consciousness. It was Eragon.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine. You and Saphira?" Amirah answered quickly as she burnt up another Urgal.

"We're holding up. Stay safe."

"You too."

Amirah went back behind her rock, intent on searching for Nasuada and Murtagh with her mind, wanting to make sure they were all right. She had no sooner closed her eyes to concentrate when a shrill, piercing shriek echoed through the cavern, making her ears throb painfully.