I Who Should Not Be
Chapter 16
Onika's golden eyes stayed locked on her brother's, shifting every few seconds to watch his chest. When they were young and had staged play fights for their own amusement, they had tried to watch their opponent's whole body to gain an advantage. As they aged and learned to fight for real, they were trained to watch the eyes and chest of their opponents. The eyes would be likely to betray the direction and the kind of attack, while the chest muscles would tell them when the attack was coming and how quickly they had to react.
It was finally Cain who broke the standoff, a horrible grating snarl coming from him as he slammed into his sister. Onika knew it was coming and caught her brother by his hair and dragged it as hard as she could to one side as she caught his arm, trying to throw him off balance. Cain's head jerked to one side and Onika released him as he stumbled, landing a solid punch to his chest and quickly backing up.
Cain did not like getting hit. He had seen how many tattoos she had added to her old collection, and it made him angrier. He had not minded that she had been chosen over him as the Pack's Guide. In fact, he had never been more proud of his Same than he had been on the night that the Elder Guide had chosen her. He loved her now as he did then, more than was perhaps considered appropriate by any Tame people, but that was how it had always been for them.
……….
:Same! Same, where are you?!:
:…here…:
Her voice was so weak… The younger Cain ran in the direction of his Same's voice, his heart heavy. He had already come for her three times after her Ceremony of Binding, and every time he saw the pain they had inflicted on her, pain that his own body would scream with in echos of it's connected being's agony.
:Same?:
He crept into a tiny cavern. It was always so dark, and he knew that there were creatures that he could not see living there that could kill him as easily as they could look at him, but he also knew that his Same needed him.
He found her laying on the cold stone floor, blood leaking from her eyes and mouth. He laid down beside her and put a hand on her cheek, wondering if she could see him. Last time, no matter how he called and screamed she couldn't hear him. That time, the blood had come not from her eyes, but from her ears.
:Can you see me?:
:Almost. I saw things… I saw terrible things, Same. I didn't want to look, but they tied me, and I saw what they showed me.:
Cain kissed his sister and shifted until his ear lay over her heart and she put her hand on his back. He sighed and smiled. So long as he had her, all would be well. As long as he had her, he didn't have to be afraid.
As long as he had her…
……………….
Cain and Onika attacked again and again, each drawing pained yelps and blood. Teeth were stained red and long claws dripped with the blood that they shared. As the others watched, every wound that was inflicted was echoed on the other's skin as a pain filled grimace twisted their faces.
Cain knew he couldn't beat her. Not like this. Not yet. But to save her, he had to bring her to Galbatorix. He could save her where her own Same could not. He had promised.
When Onika's eyes betrayed her, he saw his chance. The female leapt into the air, her hands leading, coming for his throat. With a whispered word, he dipped his fingers into a bleeding wound on his shoulder and flung the blood at his sister. The liquid arced through the air, coming together and solidifying into a wicked blade that was as dark as the blood it was made with. The blade met Onika's right arm between the wrist and elbow.
There was a moment that seemed to stretch out forever to all present. Finally there was a jet of blood and Onika dropped to the ground in front of her brother, clutching her arm. With a wet thud, her severed hand and wrist hit the grass and rocked for a second, the fingers twitching in a macabre 'come here' gesture.
Cain stared at Onika for a moment, then whined a singly thought as he bent to pull his Same up.
:Forgive me.:
:No:
:I'm trying to save you from them. They're like the Elder Guides!:
He lifted her carefully to her feet and made to pick her up, but was shoved back by a human hand. When he looked up, he snarled. Pointed at him were two swords and an arrow whose tip glittered with an unknown spell.
"You will not take her. You won't get five feet before we kill you."
The dragons growled their agreement. Cain looked sadly at his sister, then turn and ran, shifting as he went. When he was gone, Onika flung back her head and cried out in agony. But she didn't scream from the pain alone.
She cried out for the pain that she had inflicted on the one closest to her heart, even after that dark day. Even now she felt his pain and his sadness, and the anger and insanity that was slowly taking hold. She cried for the creature that her brother was becoming. The creature that she had made him.
Eragon lowered his blade and Arya eased off her bow, her eyes scanning the trees.
"I think he's gone."
"Yes. Onika, I can… I can try to heal you."
Eragon looked at Murtagh, who stood in front of the fallen Wolfborn, his eyes going wide and his face pale.
"Murtagh?"
He came around and looked down at the now silent Wolfborn and swore loudly.
Onika's eyes had turned black as the night sky and black liquid oozed from them as well as her mouth in thin rivulets. She was moving her mouth like she was speaking, but no sound came out. Then, just as Eragon opened his mouth to call for Arya, Onika's eyes returned to normal and the black liquid stopped flowing. The Wolfborn looked in the direction that her brother had run and in a tiny voice whimpered four words.
"What have I done?"
Eragon got down in front of the Wolfborn and took her stump of an arm and looked at it, surprised to see the bleeding was slowing some already.
"I'll try to put her arm back."
"No. Don't do that Eragon."
He looked at Arya as the elf lifted the severed arm and wrapped it in a silk scarf.
"We'll bury it in the morning. The Wolfborn… I've read that they feel that once something that was attached to the body is severed, it has died. If it were to be reattached, it would be like defiling a dead body and bringing it back to life. No, I will bury it tomorrow."
Murtagh knelt and took the bleeding limb out of his brother's hand and passed a hand over it, watching as the skin closed over the wound. He tried to smile at Onika when he finished healing her, but as Eragon stood and ran a hand though his hair, he saw that Onika's eyes were blank. He knew that behind her eyes, she was still watch her brother.
With a sigh, he reached out and pulled Onika over as he sat, letting her lean on him.
"I wish I knew more, Onika. I wish you would tell me more about you. I wish you would let me in. I wish you trusted us… trusted me."
"What have I done?"
She said nothing more.