The Bonded Ones

Chapter 7

Ana was unusually quiet today. She didn't even defend Eragon when I was digging on him. It worried me. I'll admit that of late I haven't been the most attentive older sister, but if this was the way that Lurana had been acting since we left that damned hill then someone should have made it known to me! For Star's stake there were dark circles under her striking grey eyes that I had seen briefly this morning before she donned her veil. My sister wore her veil even this far from Alegiesa and those that would try to use us for their own wills.

It was disquieting. There was also the fact that many of our villagers were falling ill and it seemed that nothing that they were given was helping. Some of it actually seemed to be making it worse…this paired with the shadows in Ana's eyes worried me more than I could say. As we rode across the plain toward the cliffs of our small isle I too fell silent. The sense that something was coming caused me to stop trying to gain a rise out of my younger sister. Something wasn't right and I really hoped that it didn't have anything to do with the visions that had been plaguing my sleep of late. Somehow though, the idea that the beasts, from my people's past, had somehow returned caused my heart to tremble in fear, a feeling that wasn't as alien to me as I would like others to believe. None of what those demons had done was in anyway good or righteous; they made Gallbotorix look like a mouse in comparison.

"Ana," I called to my sister as she had gotten a little ahead of me.

"What is it Faye?" she asked her usually soft voice somehow taking on the battle weary tone that had been in our father's voice near his end. She pulled Mist gently to a stop.

At first I was unsure of what I was going to speak of. It was rather apparent in that moment that I was unused to speaking of my worries. Still this one worry had become a fearful intrusion on my mind. "My nights have not been restful of late," I confessed softly, knowing that Ana's keen ears would hear me. Her worried gaze burned me despite the barrier of her head clothe.

My younger sister I knew now was worried about me. Most of the people that had taken ill had shown signs of not being able to sleep through the night. This was one of the first symptoms according to Ana. "I am not ill, Ana. The problem lies solely with the fact that my visions have been affecting my rest." My demure apparent sister nodded as she waited patiently for me to continue. She knew more than most that it took me time to gather my thoughts. "I've been seeing many things from our people's past; things that bode ill for what is to happen if they are appearing before me now." It went unspoken the things that I was seeing were causing me to worry about the welfare of my bonded even more than usual. Bad things happened the last time that this enemy appeared in the old world. If what these visions of the past gave any ideas as to where the future was headed it did not bode well for us or the distant peoples of Alegisa.

"I see. The first of our people's struggle against the Dark ones from the Barren Reaches, yes?" I nodded at her statement. It was that war that had changed us from our original beings into what we were today. It was that part of our history that truly defined us as the Bonded.

The thoughts about history brought a bitter taste to my mouth. This knowledge had been taught to us two by our brother on one of the rare occasions that he was home. The memory of him was bittersweet.

I chose then to move away from those thoughts as I knew the silver eyes of my younger sibling were still watching me with concern beneath their gossamer covering. Thinking instead on what the connection to the present my visions were showing me.

Many of the dreams showed some of our ancestors lying in beds apparently ill. t took me a moment to connect the dots. It was so clear now. My gift never showed me anything that was useless to the here and now.

All the people that were falling ill were showing all the symptoms of that dreaded disease and it had been staring me in the face the entire time whilst I had been wallowing in my self pity. I turned then to my sister who as usual had been waiting patiently for me to finish muddling through my thoughts. "Ana, do you remember when we had our lessons on that time?" She nodded her body going stiff as what I had just realized dawned on her as well.

"No," she whispered in a broken tone her usually soothing, bell-like voice breaking over the single syllable. She looked at me through her veil, her posture sagging in her growing despair. "It's that illness, the same disease that they sent against us in ancient times." She trialed off to take a deep breath as the reality of it all crushed her. She stated in a tone I haven't heard her use in many sennights, "There's nothing that we can do to help all those people that are afflicted. There is no choice, but to let this run its course." She sounded so serious, but I knew that the healer inside her was fracturing at the mere thought of those in her care being taken.

I nudged Shadow over toward Mist so I could place a hand on my sister's arm. "We cannot lose hope, Ana for that is all that we may have."

Murtaugh and Thorn had been traveling for quite some time. So long that they had forgotten exactly how long. The two had traveled to the North where the snow rarely left the ground and the air was thin. Even as they continued their trek they both felt the emptiness that came with the fact that neither of them had heard even a thought from their scarlet haired Bonded. This worried them, but they knew that she wasn't one to be pushed into answering them if she wasn't in the mood to talk.

'Murtaugh,' Thorn called mentally to his partner of heart and mind.

'What is it?' the scared young man answered in kind his eyes watching the horizon.

'The air is becoming heavy and too hot for it to be normal. Should be go down and see what there is to be done?'

Murtaugh gazed down at the black ground, the cracks in the earth appearing to give off an almost warm glow. If it weren't for the sense of foreboding that the red rider felt he would have answered his companion immediately. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind as if there was something that he was forgetting. 'No let us just observe from the air. Something tells me that landing would be folly, this place doesn't feel right,' the young man stated mentally to Thorn.

The dragon didn't reply, instead he just flew higher to gain a better vantage point to see more of this forsaken land. As they rose higher it became easier to breathe. It was at this moment that the two travelers took notice that the air that they had been collecting in their lungs was poisonous. With a few words in the True language, Murtaugh cleared both of their lungs of the foul air. Lucky for the two the poison had no time to cause anything due to the quick ascent into the clouds.

Circling the black stained world below dragon and rider observed the evil place. As they did so they saw that about a league from them to the north there was an obsidian spire the cracks in the stone were more prominent around the foot of the structure. The tower gave off an intense aura of malice even stronger than anything the rider of the black dragon rider could ever have conjured. Even as the two watched they witnessed a figure that was cloaked in black making its way to the tower.

The figure seemed unbothered by the evil air. Silently to even Murtaugh and Thorn's hearing the figure moved until it stood at the foot of the building. Soon after that a door way appeared, leading into the malicious place.

As the figure went inside the spire the structure's aura became even more intense. The feeling was making both of them ill. Unknowingly Murtaugh reached for his connection with his Bonded. He needed the comfort of her mind within his own even as the thoughts that were nagging at him resounded in his mind. The words of Umaroth echoing, 'Tread not where the ground grows black and brittle and the air smells of brimstone for in those places evil lurks.'

Far away the ruby haired, golden eyes young woman's eyes snapped open at the tentative touch of her other half's mind on her own. She could sense both the distance and the fear that drove him to reach for her on instinct.

The malice she felt at the other side, close to him and her other Bonded gave her pause, but that did not stop her from sending comfort through their connection. She also pushed urgent feelings of need to come to her through the bond. She recognized the press of the malicious power from the memories of her ancestors' books, the magic of them leaving behind impressions for the future generations. Pairing the recognition with her visions, the past was almost bound to repeat itself.

Moon-chan: Hi everyone I hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter and all of its twists and turns. I hope to be updating more often soon, but at the moment I just finished this one chapter and I am happy with that.

Shade: It took her forever because she was looking for a job, she has one now. That and writers block.

Moon-chan: WRITERS BLOCK IS A KILLER! Please send plunnies! In the mean time R&R let me know what you think…points to whoever understands the allusions I am making to the enemy that is loosely introduced in this chapter. What book series are they from? CAIO!