Disclaimer: Don't own Eragon.
Yeah, didn't you love that cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter? I'm so evil :D
Nelarun: I didn't really think of what he would say, but I believe 'silly little girl' would be the proper one.
alsdssg: I sent you the definition, but a juggernaut is something or someone that crushes everything in its path and is nearly impossible to be stopped.
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Shock.
That is the only way to describe their reaction. A piercing silence followed Murtagh's confession as the information gradually sank in. Eragon's mouth hung slack in disbelief. Alycie stared, wide-eyed.
The infamous tales of Morzan, the Forsworn, and the Empire swirled in her head as if in a cyclone, making her feel light-headed and dizzy. Morzan's son! Murtagh was the son of an evil, powerful, notorious Dragon Rider. He had been born the son of the Empire itself. This labeled him just as evil and oppressive. Morzan's son! Murtagh was Morzan's son! Alycie was in love with Morzan's son!
"N-no..." she managed to stutter after several throbbing minutes, her dry tongue sticking to the top of her mouth. Murtagh turned to her, the years of his agony shining through his pearl-gray eyes. Merely seeing his face like that broke her heart. He unconsciously held out a hand towards her wistfully, pleading.
There was a roar and Saphira crashed into the trees suddenly, snarling. She moved her foreleg strongly in front of Alycie, guarding her protectively. She bared her teeth as she stared Murtagh down threateningly. Eragon moved over to her, reaching for Zar'roc warily. Alycie tried to move past Saphira's leg, but the dragon growled ominously, looking back at her as she flicked her tail through the air like a cat ready to pounce.
"You are his heir?" asked Eragon cautiously. Alycie tried once more to step around Saphira's leg towards Murtagh, but Saphira let out a raging bark sharply, snapping her jaws. Alycie recoiled, eyes shining.
"I didn't choose this!" cried Murtagh in a voice ragged with pain. He tore at his clothes, ripping them from his torso in desperation. "Look!" he exclaimed, turning around sharply. Alycie put a hand to her mouth.
A scar, long, white, and knotted, extended from the top of Murtagh's right shoulder across his muscled back, ending in a point at his left hip. It stood out horribly against his tanned skin; a tribute to lifelong anguish.
"See that!?" shouted Murtagh bitterly. "I was only three when I got it. During one of his many drunken rages, Morzan threw his sword at me as I ran by. My back was laid open by the very sword you now carry; the only thing I expected to receive as inheritance, until Brom stole it from my father's corpse. I was lucky, I suppose. There was a healer nearby who kept me from dying. You must understand, I don't love the Empire or the king. I have no allegiance to them, nor do I mean you harm!"
Alycie darted quickly out from behind Saphira's leg, dodging the dragon's claws as she tried to hold her back. Eragon hurried forward, catching her wrist. She twisted out of his grip and flew into Murtagh's bare chest. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, feeling his do the same. She looked up at him.
"I'm not running," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm not screaming." Murtagh drew a shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he placed his lips upon her forehead. Alycie could feel the relief and gratitude loosening his muscles. Eragon let out an audible sigh, releasing the handle of his sword. He paused. Murtagh's eyes flicked up as comprehension dawned on the Rider's face.
"Then...your father...was...was killed by..."
"Yes, Brom." He picked up his tunic, pulling the cloth back on, hiding his scar from the world once more. He cradled Alycie against himself, calming as he rocked gently back and forth, holding her. A horn sounded, not so distant as before, jerking them back into the present situation. Eragon grabbed Snowfire's reins, looking warily at Murtagh.
"Come, run with me," he cried. Murtagh and Alycie separated, rushing to their horses and jogging after Eragon and Saphira. The dragon crushed her way through the dense trees and underbrush, shooting sidelong glares at Murtagh every few minutes warily. "Your tale is hard to believe. How do I know you aren't lying?"
"Why would I lie?" asked Murtagh.
"You could be--"
"I can't prove anything to you now. Keep your doubts until we reach the Varden. They'll recognize me quickly enough."
"I must know, do you serve the Empire?" asked Eragon.
"No. And if I did, what would I accomplish by traveling with you? If I were trying to capture or kill you, I would have left you in prison," said Murtagh hastily, hopping over a fallen log.
"You could be leading the Urgals to the Varden," said Eragon.
"Then why am I still with you? I know where the Varden are now. What reason could I have for delivering myself to them? If I were going to attack them, I'd turn around and join the Urgals."
"Maybe you're an assassin."
"Maybe. You can't really know, can you?" asked Murtagh.
"Or maybe he's telling the truth and he's not serving the Empire!" said Alycie, looking at Eragon. "I trust him."
"Yes, but your judgment is clouded at present," said Eragon. He looked at Murtagh. "Mine will wait."
Alycie pushed through the low-hanging branches, cutting her cheek on a twig. She was thankful that she'd cut her hair when first joining with Eragon and Murtagh. Though it had grown, it did not catch on the tangled limbs and branches that blocked her path. She stumbled over a knobby root, bruising her forehead on a particularly thick limb that hung low in front of her.
At last they emerged onto the bank of the Beartooth River, facing the large, thundering waterfall. The lake of Kóstha-mérna stretched before them, filling the valley. A small strip of rocks made up a thin path between the lake's edge and the sheer rocky wall of the valley. At the end of the path, the falling water ran along the vertical black rocks, emptying into the lake.
"Is that it?" asked Alycie, not daring to believe it. Eragon nodded.
"Do we go to the falls?" asked Murtagh, his lips pursed.
"Yes," said Eragon, walking ahead to lead them.
They followed him carefully along the left bank of the lake, stumbling their way along the slick rocks that made up the path. Alycie glanced back over her shoulder as they reached halfway. The Kull stood at the edge of the forest and were beginning to file one at a time onto the thin path. At the command of their chief, half their number had split off from them and was running around the other side of the lake, trapping them.
"The Kull! They're catching up!" she warned. Both males spun to look.
"Run!" shouted Murtagh, smacking Snowfire's and Tornac's flanks. He drew his sword as they took off, sending Cadoc after them. Alycie quickly drew her blade as well. Next to them, Saphira suddenly rose into the sky, flying back towards the Kull despite a shout of protest from Eragon. The Rider drew Zar'roc, running with his companions.
Alycie's tired muscles screamed at her as they burned. Her feet slipped on the slime that covered the rocks, sending her off-balance, but she retained her footing, struggling to keep up with Murtagh and Eragon. The burst of adrenaline from spotting the Kull closing in on them increased her speed.
Behind them, Saphira plunged into the lake as she continued to hinder the Urgals' progress. She exploded from the depths, launching a new attack. Eragon stumbled, nearly falling, but Murtagh caught his arm quickly, supporting him as they ran. They reached the waterfall, struggling to see through the white mist that rose from the water.
"What do we do now!?" called Murtagh over the noise of the falls.
"I don't know! Let me think!" shouted Eragon. Alycie cursed, turning to watch as Saphira returned underwater and the Kull resumed their chase. She looked back anxiously to find Eragon holding a large stone, hitting it on the wall of the cliff. "Aí varden abr du Shur'tugalar gata vanta!" he yelled.
Nothing happened.
He repeated the phrase, shreiking it at the top of his lungs, striking the wall. Alycie turned back to the Kull's advance. She screamed. Murtagh and Eragon whirled around as Saphira emerged from the lake, roaring. The leader of the Kull was less than twenty meters away, running at Alycie with his spear held high.
Murtagh rushed forward, reeled his arm back over his shoulder and hurled his sword at high speed. The blade pierced though the Urgal's chest plate, bringing the monster to his knees with a choked gurgle. Murtagh quickly hurried to the beast, drawing his sword from the body before the other Urgals could attack. Eragon raised his hand, shouting something in the ancient language. An oncoming score of Urgals fell to the ground, shreiking in pain as shards of bone tore through the skin on their legs. A fresh wave of Kull ran over their brethren. Alycie turned sharply as a roar sounded next to her. A Kull towered over her like a small giant, raising a javelin to strike. Without thinking, she grasped her sword with both hands, driving the point into the Kull's neck. The monster dropped his javelin, trying to scream in pain past his ruined vocal cords. Alycie jerked the sword back, backing up towards Murtagh and Eragon.
The sound of stretching bows was audible a second before the swish of air as an unseen volley of arrows whistled towards them. They ducked to avoid them and Saphira rose into the air, deflecting the attack with her strong scales. Alycie cried out as her arm was hit, dropping her sword. Warm blood spread through her sleeve, staining it red. The Urgals let loose another volley.
"What now!?" shouted Murtagh. "We can't stay here!"
"I don't know! This is where we're supposed to be!" Eragon replied.
"Why don't you ask the elf to make sure!?" ordered Murtagh. He sheathed his sword, grabbing his bow and loosing an arrow into the monstrous attackers' ranks. Alycie picked her sword back up with her good hand, now stained with her own blood, and sheathed it. She tried to move the injured limb, but a shock of pain shot up into her shoulder, making her stop, teeth clenched. Her companions seemed not to have noticed she was hit.
"Now?" Eragon was yelling. "She's barely alive! How is she going to find the energy to say anything?"
"I don't know!" yelled Murtagh. "But you'd better think of something because we can't stave off an entire army!" He let fly a few more arrows. Alycie was beginning to feel faint.
"Mur...Murta..." She struggled to speak past the weakness and pain, but the roar of the thundering falls drowned out her words. She sucked in her breath as her arm moved. "MURTAGH!"
"What is it!?" asked Murtagh, knocking another arrow. He looked over and stopped, swearing. "You're hit!" They ducked as another volley of arrows soared at them, then he crawled over to her, examining the wound. His hand grasped the long shaft of the arrow, snapping it off. Eragon suddenly shouted.
"The Varden are on the other side of the lake! We have to go through the waterfall!" he cried, sheathing Zar'roc. They looked at the thundering water that blocked their way.
"We'll never get the horses through there, even if we can hold our own footing!" said Murtagh. "And Alycie can't even do that! She's been hit!" Eragon glanced at her.
"I'll convince the horses to follow us. And Saphira can carry Arya. Alycie, I can't heal you here, but can you make it to the Varden?" He looked at her hopefully. She nodded, blinking as her vision clouded. The thought occurred to her that the Urgals laced their arrows with some sort of sedative. And dragons were less susceptible to it.
"It's better than being hacked to death," said Murtagh, hauling Alycie to her feet. Eragon cut Arya free, heaving her onto Saphira's saddle. The great dragon took off, deflecting another volley of arrows. Tornac, Cadoc, and Snowfire suddenly dashed into the water. "You go first!" said Murtagh. "I'll look after you!" Alycie nodded, kissing him briefly, and jumping into the pounding water.
She immediately felt the hammering water on her arm, nearly stunning her with pain. Her knees hit something hard and she opened her eyes to find that she had been driven to the bottom. Flashes of a similar lake flickered through her mind. She could swim. Very well, in fact. She had done so for years in Leona Lake. What was she doing, letting herself be overpowered by mere water?
Alycie kicked off of the rocks, shooting to the surface, her body straight as an arrow. Her head broke the surface and she kicked, holding her bleeding arm with the other. Her sword weighted her down, but she continued to kick with determination, battling the strong sense of fatigue that the sedative had induced. She lifted her head for breath. The shore was close now. The freezing water rushed past as her legs moved quickly, propelling her forward.
A hand caught the back of her tunic, pulling her up from the water, gasping. Alycie felt the ground drag underneath her as the hand tugged her upright, nearly choking her. She gained her footing, holding her arm and shaking her sopping hair out of her eyes. From what she could see, the Kull were not far away, but they weren't advancing. Alycie squinted. A continuous shower of arrows was falling on the Urgals from the cliff wall, keeping them at bay.
Pain suddenly erupted through her arm and she cried out as the man holding her pulled her wrists behind her back. She turned her head to try and see him. Cold metal pressed against her neck, halting her motion. A deep, threatening voice spoke in her ear.
"Don't speak. Don't fight. Follow," it said shortly. The blade pressed in on her skin to make his meaning clear. Alycie bit her lip against the pain as the man twisted her hurt arm, pressing against her back.
He turned her, leading her towards the rock wall of the cliff. Her eyes widened. Two, twelve-foot thick, stone slabs had moved aside to reveal the entrance to a large tunnel about 30 feet tall that seemed to go straight into the colossal mountain itself. They stopped at the entrance, turning back towards the lake.
Alycie watched as Murtagh crawled out onto the bank, gasping. He looked back at the subdued Kull, his face turning until his eyes settled on Alycie. He started towards her, but the man holding her pressed harder on the blade on her neck.
"Stop! One more step and slit your lovely little friend's neck," he said. Murtagh stopped, his eyes wide and worried. Saphira suddenly appeared in the sky. Her eyes hardened as she saw the situation and she growled.
"Saphira! Stay back!" Murtagh yelled up at her. She looked at him, and then landed, keeping her eyes on Alycie's captor. Murtagh looked back at him. "We come with the Rider! We mean no harm! We are just--"
"Silence! You speak one more word," The blade pressed even harder into Alycie's skin. "...and she dies."
Murtagh closed his mouth. Helmeted men surrounded him, grabbing his arms and leading him to the tunnel entrance as well. One man led the three horses, while several surrounded Saphira, who growled menacingly at them. A minute later, Eragon, lead by what Alycie perceived to be a dwarf, joined them. His eyes widened when he saw the knife. The man spoke sharply once more.
"Stop! If you use magic, I'll kill the girl and your friend here, who was so kind as to mention you're a Rider. Don't think I won't know if you're drawing upon it. You can't hide anything from me," he said. Eragon opened his mouth, but the man interrupted him once more. "None of that! If you say or do anything I don't tell you to, she will die. Now, everyone inside."
Alycie felt a tug on her hands and she backed up into the dark tunnel. The guards let go of Murtagh, merely walking next to him and Saphira. Eragon joined them, the dwarf joining the rest of the warriors. The twin doors swung back into place with nigh a sound, sealing them into the mountain.
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