Hey everyone! Another review - hope everyone is still enjoying it, I hope so i haven't been getting much feedback lately which is never a good sign hehe. oh well! Have fun reading!
"You really aren't supposed to be under there"
"Mr Paolini please you have to listen me! It's a long story but basically the past couple of days I've been trapped in Alagaesia with Thorn and Murtagh, I met Eragon and Nasuada and all the characters in your book. Galbatorix is trying to kill me and when I got – I dunno teleported? - back here Thorn and Murtagh got sent here with me-" Tori tried her best to explain quickly.
"Oh really?" Paolini said "Look that's great but uh, – security?"
"No!" Tori whispered "Please you've got to believe me! Gaia-" Paolini stopped and stared at Tori "-sent us back here because Galbatorix had found us and the other dragons!"
"How do you know that name?" he whispered.
"I'm telling you I've been there, I met Gaia and Draco and the family of wild dragons there, I have been locked in a dungeon and I've been to the Varden and-"
"Ok, ok" Paolini lowered his voice even more "I get it, I know, I've been there too"
"You have?"
"Yes" Paolini exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezed shut. When he opened them again he stared at Tori, evaluating her before speaking hesitantly "When I created the story of Eragon I put everything I had into it, I would spend hours developing every detail of the world, the language, the customs, everything. And then one day… I woke up there. Eveything was exactly as it had been in my head except now I could feel it all, smell it, taste it." Paolini glanced up over the table to make sure nobody was aware Tori was under there "And the longer I was there the more Alagaesia became independent of me. It started to grow – expand and develop by itself, there were new characters I had never invented, and the characters that were of my imagination changed, formed opinions of there own, developed free will! I had no control of it anymore, Alagesia had become a place that no longer depended on me in order to exist."
"So… you literally created a new world?" Tori whistled, low and quiet "Gaia isn't in your books is she?"
"No sh- wait… haven't you read them?"
"I- I was gunna but considering the circumstances I haven't really had time to."
Paolini smiled softly "Gaia is a character I've spent a lot of time developing but I've been hesitant to put her and her dragon-"
"Draco"
"-right, into the story. She was one of my characters that made the greatest changes when Alagaesia… transformed. It was lucky, though, that I created them, they were the reason I got back here." Paolini sighed "Look, if Thorn and Murtagh really are here then you should probably take me to them"
"Uh, yeah that's the problem" Tori said "I've lost them"
"…What?"
"They took off a few hours ago, that's another long story but I think they're going to be coming here"
"Why would you think tha-" Paolini stopped mid-sentence "Do you hear that?"
Tori did hear it, people screaming. She hoped with all her heart that it was just a few excited fan girls squeeling due to the presence of their favourite author, but it wasn't. No, there were far too many screams, terrified screams not excited ones. They were coming from outside.
The people lining up for autographs heard it too, many of them began to edge toward the window. A murmur broke out from those who could see what was going on outside -
"What is that thing?"
"Honey, get away from the window, don't let it see you"
"Oh Jesus"
"Mommy, cool!"
Tori climbed out from under the table, it didn't matter, no one was looking in that direction anymore. "They're here" she said.
Paolini stood up "People, people! Please remain calm you have nothing to worry about, they are all part of the book promotion! That man is purely an actor and 21st century technology never ceases to amaze does it? That mechanical dragon looks incredibly real!" Paolini gestured to Tori "Meet the mastermind behind the robots design: Everyone this is..."
"Tori" she filled in for him.
"She and I are now going to go out there and show you all how this remarkable machine works!" Paolini patted her shoulder as he smiled at the concerned crowd.
Tori tried her best to smile like she knew what was happening as cameras started to flash in her direction. She felt Paolini place his hand on her back and steer her through the crowd, down the escalators and out the front doors.
Tori's heart was just about pounding a hole in her ribcage as she and Paolini walked through the doors, the people all around them were running, screaming, crying, taking pictures, it was chaos.
The sound of sirens began to mingle with the screams. The police had arrived, guns loaded and ready. Tori took one look at the guns and shot off towards Murtagh.
She hadn't covered much distance before Paolini grabbed her and held her back "Wait! You need to stay calm! This is not the way to approach this situation" He finished quietly, glancing around to make sure they weren't drawing too much attention, which admittedly wasn't really a problem when there was a giant red dragon standing 60 feet away from them.
Tori took a deep breath and nodded she started forward slowly watching as Thorn lowered his head growling at the fast approaching policemen, Paolini tightened his grip on her a little as they saw Murtagh reach for his sword.
She was so close now "Mur-!"
One of the policemen who was closing in on Thorn stopped her "'Scuse me miss, you can't be here at the moment, this vicinity needs to be evacuated immediately" He spoke quickly and as if he was trying to hide any fear in his voice, his accent had a powerful twang to it.
"Then why are you still here?" Tori responded stubbornly.
Paolini interjected before the man had time to register what Tori had said "Sir, please we have to get over there-"
"Sorry son, but that is a dangerous, unidentified beast. We are doin' the best we can to keep this situation under control"
"There is no situation to be kept under control!" Tori growled through her teeth. She was trying so hard not to do something irrational, it was an extremely inappropriate time to be acting like herself "If you would just let me go to them-"
"Wait, you know that thang?" The policeman interrupted, Tori was becoming very agitated and his twangy accent was not helping at all.
"Yes and I can calm him down if you jus-"
"Do you mind tellin' me exactly what this thang is and where in the hell it came from darl'" The man immediately became more casual with her, Tori guessed it was his way of making her feeling comfortable forfeiting that information.
"Yes I do mind! And don't call me 'darl' you-" Tori began.
Paolini squeezed Tori's arm "Stop" he whispered warningly.
"He called me 'darl'" Tori whispered back.
Tori glanced back at the twangy Policeman who was now motioning to a few other uniformed men. He was calling them over. Tori took advantage of the few precious seconds that the attention had been taken off her and bolted forward.
Paolini's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to grab her. Instead he grabbed the cop by the shoulders and turned him to face the opposite direction "Oh my God! Did you see that?" he pointed up into the sky.
"What?" The twangy man asked scanning the sky, though he wasn't sure what he was looking for.
"It's another monster! It's big and red! Bigger maybe than the other-"
"Where?"
"There!"
Paolini was speaking loud enough to draw most eyes nervously towards the sky. Tori powered forward 10 meters away…. 5 meters… 1 meter…
"Murtagh!" Tori screamed, Murtagh spun toward the sound of her voice, his stance wide. Tori threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest "Murtagh" she repeated in a whisper.
His whole body felt stiff against her before she felt him gradually relax and breathe deeply. She felt one arm encircle her waist and pull her closer to him, the other rested on the back of her head cradling it while her face was still buried in his chest.
"Tori" he whispered, the sound of his voice - so gentle - made her ache. He pulled her away only slightly to look at her face "Are you alright?"
Tori suddenly looked angry. Very angry. "No!" She said pounded her fist against his chest "I'm not ok! Why would you leave me? Why couldn't you trust that I could look after you? Why, – at the very least – couldn't you have just gone back to the clearing?!" Tori continued to beat Murtagh's chest, but he wouldn't let go.
"Tori-" Murtagh begun.
"You there!" Tori, Murtagh and Thorn all looked in the direction of the shout. The police had their guns drawn, every single one trailed either Thorn or Murtagh. Tori couldn't determine which man had called out to them "Release the girl or we'll shoot!"
Tori's eyes widened in horror as she realised how what she had just done must have looked; a poor defenceless teenage girl struggling in the grip of a man dressed in strange clothes (and had arrived via dragon) who would not let go of her.
"Murtagh you have to let me go right now!" Tori whispered, fear in her eyes.
"No" he pulled her closer.
"You have to the count of three! One!…" Came the cop's voice again.
"Murtagh, please"
"I won't!"
"Two!..."
"Murtagh! Let go or there going to shoot you!"
Murtagh reacted instantly, pulling Tori behind him as he glared back at the wall of police surrounding them, shielding her body with his.
"Three!"
"No!" Tori screamed, pulling on Murtagh's cloak trying hopelessly to pull him out of the way of the bullets, all of which had been released simultaneously with one big deafening BANG!
The world seemed to slow down around Tori. She had no idea what to expect, would Murtagh's body shudder with the impact of the hail of bullets? Would his blood spray across Tori's face, like in the movies? Would she catch him as his body fell, just in time to see the life leave his eyes? Would he have enough strength left to touch her cheek and whisper goodbye? Would he stay with her long enough for her to tell him she loved him?
Tori never found out the answer to her questions, because the world had in fact slowed down. Slowed down to a stop. Fifty or more bullets hung in the air, all centimetres away from Murtagh and Thorn. Almost every person in the vicinity was frozen – actually frozen, like mannequins - with the same look of horror on their face, the realisation of the gruesome scene they were about to see.
Murtagh looked around, confused as Tori was. He glanced back to see if she was ok, a flicker of relief danced over his features. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, Tori didn't object. Thorn shifted uncomfortably next to them, Tori placed her hand gently on his side, letting him know they were there with him.
They heard quick footsteps and all three heads swung in the direct of the only noise that seemed to exist. It was Cat, Jay and Abby all panting, all shocked, all… moving?
"What's going on?" Cat asked, looking at the hundreds of people who had been frozen as still as statues.
"I was about to ask the same thing" All heads that were able to move turned towards Paolini, he wasn't frozen either.
"I think…" Tori began slowly, staring at a bird that hung in mid-air over head, it's wing spread wide in flight, "I think time has stopped"
"How?" Abby asked breathlessly. Good question, Tori thought, it was impossible, however grateful she was for it, it was supposed to be impossible that Murtagh had not been showered with bullets, that a bird hung in mid air that no one, save for seven people (or at least six people and a dragon) could move.
"Enlighten me Tori" came a gentle voice "Do you find trouble, or does trouble find you?"
"Gaia" Tori whispered in relief.
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