First of all I was really surprised to see that most of you somewhat liked the last chapter. I was really not pleased with it :l Anyway here's chapter 10! Two major events happening in this! I was thinking of adding a third, but it would be too much; you'll understand when you read it :D
Draco Lucis, Stick-Man should be very, very, very afraid ;) *evil laugh*
Before I stop my rambling, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, for the alerts and for adding this story to your favourites. Just WOW!
Chapter 10
The flight back to Feinster seemed to go by quicker as the trio anxiously wanted to rejoin the Varden. After the funeral and after recovering from the fact that she had, once again, threw herself into Eragon's arms, she contacted Nasuada informing her of their departer the next morning and of their new found hope: the egg. They briefly discussed about a possibly spy, but the Lady of the Varden had no leads.
This had been one of the many topics discussed during the course of their journey; Saphira and Arya both agreed that the spy must be high within the ranks of the rebels if he or she were to gain any information of use, but that would entail searching the minds of over twenty people, all of which seemed trustworthy to Eragon, and he was firmly against it.
He is young, yet he is old. He is naive, yet he is wise thought Arya as the Rider admitted his trust in the Varden. How can he not see this? she added bitterly.
"Eragon, you must see the foolishness in your words. How can you possibly trust politicians? Surely, even after experiencing first-hand with Nasuada, you must at least understand that they only seek power. Who knows what riches and what promises the King" spitting the last word with utter disgust, as she regained her breath "has filled his or her mind with. You place your trust in far too many people, Eragon. Mark my words, we are acquainted with this spy."
Little one, Arya is right. We can not trust anybody but ourselves, Arya and Nasuada. said Saphira, trying to cool down Eragon's raging temper.
"Eragon," continued Arya, trying to make an impression on him with her words. He had to heed the wisdom, if not in her words in at least his dragon's. "look at Murtagh. He is your brother and yet he does not even trust his own freedom with you. He would rather suffer at Galbatorix's hands than even try to regain his true self!"
As soon as Arya uttered her words, she regretted them. Murtagh was a sore spot for Eragon and he obviously reacted.
"Don't you dare speak to me about him!" he yelled. At this point Saphira interveined.
Enough! Eragon, I am sorry, but Arya is right. Let us not dwell on that traitor Rider and let us focus on the task at hand: Alagaesia her words rang through their minds so loudly that the elf even covered her ears, although it was useless.
Silence reigned over the three as no other words were spoken until there came a thunderous roar that echoed throughout the sky.
Thorn! screamed Saphira as she dived to avoid the dragon's massive frame. It was not a clear sky and it looked as if it were about to rain. The dragoness hoped that the clouds would give them enough cover to escape, but unfortunately Thorn came from behind to engage Saphira in an airbourne battle. Arya and Eragon in the meantime had drawn their swords, waiting for Murtagh. The straps, however did not allow them much movement and they could not remove them. Eragon cursed; he should have known that something like this would happen and he foolishly had chosen an unsuitable saddle for battle. The Blue Rider unwrapped Arya's arms from his waist, which had tightned at the moment of the dive, to remove his straps. He carefully sat up, trying to gain some balance as his eyes focused for the first time in months on the Red Rider's appearance.
Murtagh wore a red armour, very similiar to the colour of Thorn's scales. He did not have a helmet and Eragon could easily gaze into the dephts of his black eyes that stared at him and the elf with hatred.
"We meet again, brother! said Murtagh over the roars of the dragons and the thunder that started the heavy flow of rain to pour from the sky. Though his eyes were blurry, Eragon could clearly see a wicked smile etched across his face.
Saphira had managed to turn, despite the red dragon's efforts and was now directly in front of their enemy. The wind was furiously blowing in our heroes direction and Saphira had to stready herself to prevent Arya and Eragon from falling into what was now a massive storm. They could no longer see the trees of the Spine, so she could no longer pinpoint their position.
"Murtagh, " pleaded Eragon "as you said, we are brothers. Let me help you; you know not how it has tortured me to know you were in the grasp of that hateful man. Come back with me to the Varden. Please, let me help you."
"Eragon, time for games is over. He wants you. You and Saphira. You can come quietly and surrender or I will fight you and I will win." replied Murtagh with a smirk.
"With Eldunarì? How many has he given you? Just enough to be worthy of the title of a Rider, or just enough to not appear weak?" said Arya, once she had regained her voice. Until now Murtagh had not even glanced at the Elven princess, deeming her unworthy of his attention. His black eyes pierced hers as he regarded her with the same hatred he did with Eragon.
"Ah yes, Arya Drottingu. Loyal companion to the Last Rider of Alagaesia. I'm surprised it took you so long to discover the heart of heart's existence"
Before either Eragon or Arya could even think of a response, Murtagh began to draw Zar'roc from its sheath.
"So, it will come down to this brother? It's a shame that you will not come quietly, I was even thinking of keeping your precious little Arya alive, but now I believe that your time is up. I almost forgot, thank you for retrieving the egg, it saved me the trouble of burning Gil'ead to the ground. "
With a frightning roar, Thorn lunged towards Saphira; his jaws snapping ferociously at the dragoness' neck. As Murtagh was about to take Eragon by surprise, he was intercepted by Arya, who swung her thin blade, effectively blocking his powerful blow.
Eragon was left powerless as he watched Arya duel Murtagh and Saphira engage Thorn. He had never felt so helpless as the slightest movement from his part could unbalance Arya.
He watched in horror as Murtagh took advantage of a blind spot left carelessly by the elf who struggled to block his strikes, and plunged his sword through her stomach. Bloood gushed out from the wound as she fell towards the invisible ground. Eragon let out a scream of pure agony as he watched Arya plunge into the darkness caused from the storm. Murtagh watched the scene with a twinkle of amusement in his eye and evil grin.
"Letta! Letta! Letta!" screamed Eragon in his attempt to break his beloved elf's fall. Energy began to drain from his body as the magic took effect, he prayed to the gods above that she did not die. He let go of the spell, hoping he saved her.
His eyes were once again fixed upon his brother's amused expression. Rage begain to boil in Eragon's blood as he watched Murtagh.
"How does it feel to lose those close to you, Eragon? How does it feel?" yelled Murtagh in an attempt to gain a reaction from an extremely angry Eragon. He had enough.
The Blue Rider lunged towards his brother, thrashing and swinging Brisingr at every opening he could find. Whatever Eldunarì Murtagh possessed greatly increased his strenght and agility, but his movements were still human.
The battle between Riders increased and decreased its tempo, depending mostly on the actions of their dragons. Saphira seemed at an advantage, having more agilitly than the much larger Thorn. She also had more confidence in her airal attacks than Thorn who seemed uncomfortable at most times. She snapped her jaws at his neck, biting through his tough scales and causing blood to pour from his wound. He screamed out in agony.
Murtagh also yelled and attempted to heal his wound, but whenever he did the dragoness simply repeated her action. Saphira had firmly secured the red dragon, preventing him from escaping.
Seeing an opportunity to gain the advantage, Eragon lunged once more for his brother, aiming for his throat. He somewhat succeded by plunging his sword through his shoulder. The force of the blow was so powerful that both Riders were suddenly thrown into mid-air. Eragon watched his brother scream for his dragon as they were falling to their deaths. He was not afraid. If he died, he would make sure that Murtagh died with him.
Out of nowhere came a huge amount of energy that filled Eragon from head to toe. He knew not the source, but he was grateful. The pair were still falling when they finally caught sight of the ground that was quickly approaching.
Murtagh realizing that this would be his last fight said "I'm sorry, brother." Eragon murmured one word in the Ancient Language "Jierda" and with a crack he broke the Red Rider's neck.
Arya watched helplessly as she watched the battle in the sky. As she saw her beloved Rider fall she screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!". The princess tried to stand up, but pain coursed through her body as her would impeded her from doing so. She had not the strength to heal it.
Saphira had since released her grip on Thorn's neck to save her Rider. She flapped her wings faster and faster, trying to gain more speed. She reached him just in time to grab him from the ground. The dragoness landed roughly in the Spine, snapping like twigs several trees as her body crashed. Thorn was not so fortunate, he slammed into the ground with such force that it shook the whole forest. And so ended the lives of Murtagh Morzansson and Thorn.
Eragon stumbled as he tried to regain his balance; the rain still poured and his vision was blurry as he searched for Arya. Saphira had injured left leg, but other than that just a few scratches.
Arya lay against a tree, trying to stop the bleeding with her tunic. She had lost a lot of blood and her will to fight was fading; before she fell unconscious she saw a figure approach her and beg her to stay with him. He shook her shoulders violently, trying to get her to stay awake.
"Arya.. Arya, I love you. Stay with me" he pleaded with tears flowing down his cheeks.
"Eragon.. I.. I" she said in a cracked voice that was barely audible.
With that, Arya Drottingu knew no more.
"What do you mean he's dead? He had ten Eldunarì with him, two of which are extremely powerful!" yelled the King to a figure who stood in the dark, allowing the shadows to mask his face.
"My King, he is nothing but a farm boy and a disgrace to the Riders. I am sure that he shall perish before he will even reache the great walls of Uru'baen." said the figure in a surprisingly calm voice.
"You are right.. Faolin."
How about that, huh? :D Faolin is going to play a major part in this story, so watch out for him. I'm sorry about Murtagh, but don't worry you haven't seen the last of him *hint, hint* Tell me what you think, people! R&R!