Irony Is the Cruelest Thing
Disclaimer: We all know I don't own Eragon, correct? Good. On with the story.
Kazul stared in shock at the man holding her rider.
"Well, dragon?" the man asked her.
You would not kill her. The king needs her. He has no females, Kazul protested.
"He was not Shruikan's original rider. For a man like Galbatorix, that would not be so hard" Talson corrected. The mad glint in his eye had not gone away.
Kazul could see no other alternative. She was about to agree to Talson's terms when the door swung open.
A tall, blond man stood there. He stared at Talson for a moment.
"Talson, what have you done?" he shouted.
"Done?" Talson stated incredulously. "Done, dear uncle? Only what I have waited years to do: serve the rightful king of Alagaësia."
"What have your father and I taught you? I thought we put a stop to this on Vroengard," Carlo protested.
Talson shook his head. "You lied to me. Both of you did. You didn't tell me that my mother was an elf. You didn't show me that I could use magic. The king did. He's the only one who's ever told me anything that wasn't lies meant to keep me under control."
"Your mother was mad. She turned against her own people to serve the king who would give her power. Your father didn't know what she was when he married her. I turned her over to the Varden when I found out the truth. I destroyed a threat to them. Your father and I wouldn't kill you. We didn't think you'd become like her. Then the king contacted your mind on Vroengard. We made you swear oaths; we cut you off. Why didn't it work?" Carlo yelled.
"You can't control me," Talson hissed. "None can. Magic runs strong in your blood, but mine is stronger. You were jealous. You kept me from it. You both did. You cannot stop me now."
Kazul could feel Carlo reaching for the magic. Pain crossed his face. He didn't want to kill his nephew.
Talson's face hardened in rage. "NO!" he shrieked. He shouted a word in the ancient language in a deep voice. Kazul didn't understand it.
Carlo was thrown back into the wall. He staggered upward and shouted back. The attack hit Talson in the arm. The spy growled and reached for his dagger. He lunged forward and slashed at Carlo's side with all his might.
The magician's eyes went wide. He staggered forward and fell to the ground. He put both his hands in front of him and coughed. A red liquid came from his mouth. It was blood.
Talson's lip curled in disgust. He turned away from his uncle and saw Kazul moving swiftly towards her fallen rider. He grinned and snarled the word, "Rïsa!" Kazul felt herself rise into the air.
"I have elfin gifts, dragon," Talson muttered. He put his dagger to Ardis' throat and released Kazul.
"You will consent to let me ride you to Cithrí," the spy ordered as he wrote a word on the floor in Carlo's blood.
Kazul growled at him. She hated this man with every fiber of her being, yet for Ardis' sake she had to let him ride her. It was cruel irony.
Talson smiled sadistically at her. "Maybe he'll replace Ardis with me. Be careful, dragon."
He climbed into Kazul's saddle, which Ardis had never removed, and flew threw the window.
Iormungr was lying in the field. He hated being cut off from Luce. This had never happened before.
Calm yourself, Thorn told him.
How can I remain calm when my rider is gone? Iormungr demanded.
Thorn bowed his head. Galbatorix had Murtagh and I sever our connection. You get used to it. They were alone last night. Be glad that you couldn't feel what she felt.
Iormungr decided to ignore Thorn. He didn't know how someone could bear it. He had never been apart from Luce in his five months of life.
He sighed after a moment. He had to get used to it sometime.
Both dragons rose up as a purple and silver dragon landed in the field.
The spy has come, Thorn stated.
Iormungr said nothing. He could only stare at the female dragon before him. She was perfect. His green eyes at last moved to the man and girl on his back.
"I shall summon your riders," the man told them nonchalantly. He did not move from the beautiful dragon's back.
The female dragon gazed forlornly at the ground. When Iormungr moved towards her to comfort her, she growled. He leapt back.
She won't be very happy with you right now, Thorn remarked dryly.
Iormungr sighed and turned away.
Luce awoke without opening her eyes, as she felt something touching the corner of her mind. She thought it was Murtagh, so she lowered her defenses. A nonchalant male voice simply said, Your defenses are pitiful. Come to the field.
She opened her eyes. Murtagh was lying on her.
"Arise," she breathed in his ear.
He pushed himself off her and stared down. He grinned. She returned the gesture.
"You are right. I am no lady," she told him as they both got up.
"I figured that out," he teased.
Luce laughed. They both dressed and went downstairs. The innkeeper glared at them as they walked out.
"You make too much noise," was what Murtagh gave as an explanation when she asked him why.
She glared at him and rolled her eyes.
They reached the field in Cithrí again an hour later.
Luce ran towards Kazul to help Ardis, but the spy put up a hand to stop her.
"Don't even come near her, rider. The king has ordered it. You," he added with a glance at Murtagh, "are to keep her under control. Don't let her near her sister. I won't be going to Helgrind with her. I have some important business matters to attend to in Urû'baen."
Trianna walked towards the rider Ardis' room. She was fuming about having been sent to fetch her for the meeting. Eragon hadn't been able to touch her mind, so Trianna had been demoted to messenger. This fact did not please the sorceress. She was, after all, leader of Du Vrangr Gata. She pushed knocked on the door. There was no answer. She knocked harder.
Trianna glared at the door. How could the rider not have heard that? She couldn't be that heavy a sleeper. The sorceress opened the door to get her. She shrieked loudly at what she saw.
Ardis was not in the room. The only person there was Carlo. He was lying on the floor, bleeding profusely from his side. He was biting down on his lip hard to keep himself conscious.
"Trianna," he gasped when he saw her.
The young woman ran to him. She pulled off his shirt to try and stop the bleeding. She tried to close the wound, but she could only heal it a little.
"What happened?" she asked.
Someone came crashing through the door at that moment. A tall, powerfully built man stood there. Trianna remembered he was Carlo's brother. Jemez was what she thought he was called.
"Carlo!" the man yelled.
The magician fixed his green eyes on his brother. "He's done it, Jemez," Carlo rasped.
The smuggler's eyes widened. "What has he done, Carlo? What has my son done?"
"He took the rider. I couldn't stop him. He's too powerful," Carlo managed to convey. His breathing was becoming shallow from trying to speak.
"Don't talk," Trianna crooned to him.
Carlo bowed his head. His nails dug into his arm now. He was on the brink of unconsciousness.
"I'll get the rest of the Varden," Jemez shouted.
"Don't let him die," he added to Trianna.
Trianna only hoped she could do that.
Eragon was in conversation with Nasuada, Orrin, Arya, Vanir, and three elves called Lebrantí, Analien, and Lirano when Jemez burst through the door.
"What is it?" Eragon inquired.
"Ardis and Kazul are gone. They've been captured," the man yelled.
"By whom?" Arya inquired suspiciously.
Jemez looked at the floor. "My son," he finally managed to whisper.
"Your son?" Analien gasped incredulously.
"Wasn't that the nervous boy?" Lebrantí put in.
Jemez nodded. Lirano's pale green eyes had narrowed. He looked angry at this.
"Explain yourself," Orrin ordered, trying to regain some order.
"Yes," Lirano commanded, "explain how your son turned traitor. Explain why a spy was residing in the Varden, and you, his own father, did not know."
"He has an excellent point," Lebrantí conceded.
"Listen, both of you! Let me explain!" Jemez yelled.
"Yes," Nasuada ejaculated. "All of you be silent. Let the man speak."
"Thank you, Lady Nasuada," Jemez indicated with a bow of his head. "It began years ago, even before Talson was born. I was enchanted by a woman. She was the most beautiful and docile creature I had ever seen. I thought myself in love with her and married. Carlo was away at the time.
"When he returned, he was suspicious of my new bride. He didn't like her. He eventually found out that she was a spy for the king. Even worse, she was an elf who had turned against her people for power. She was to turn in Carlo and me once she learned all our secrets. She was as mad as they come. Carlo and I managed to kill her. Unfortunately, she had already born me Talson.
"I could not bear to kill my own child, and neither could Carlo. We decided to raise him and keep him ignorant of his origins. All were told that his mother had died bearing him.
"When we were shipwrecked on Vroengard, Galbatorix found his mind. He had known the boy existed, and he had finally found him. He told Talson the truth about everything. He even taught him magic. The boy became devoted to him. When Carlo found out what was going on, he made Talson swear in the Ancient Language to tell Galbatorix nothing he knew of the Varden and to stop contacting him. Carlo kept an eye on him at the Varden, but the boy had grown sneakier than we realized.
"When we left Vroengard and came to you, Talson found one of Galbatorix's spies. Carlo and I didn't find out about this until tonight. The man who helped Talson was not good at spying. He was once a great magician, but he was disgraced somehow. I believe Carlo said his name was Finn. He served as a messenger between the two.
"This night, he captured Ardis, and my brother fought him. Talson triumphed. Carlo is near death. Carlo and I have failed the Varden. We were fools. I apologize for that," Jemez finished. The man's voice had faded, and he looked as though he knew not who or where he was. It was pitiful to see.
"Do you know where she is?" Nasuada asked quietly after a few moments.
Jemez looked up. "He wrote Helgrind on the floor in Carlo's blood," the fisherman whispered.
Shaheen had been sent to Ardis' room to help Trianna with Carlo. She strode through the door. She almost vomited at the sight. The wound on the man's side was gaping. Shaheen wondered how he could lose so much blood and still live. Maybe he wouldn't.
Trianna was sobbing quietly. Shaheen had only spoken with the girl a little, and she had never liked her. Even so, she felt a hint of pity for her.
"Did you bring bandages?" Trianna snapped.
Shaheen nodded and handed them to her. She felt a lurch in her stomach. She barely managed to keep the vomit back. Her head was spinning.
"Help me tie him up," Trianna ordered. Shaheen grimaced at having to touch the wound. She felt her head spin even more before she fainted.
When she came around, Trianna was looking at her in disgust.
"A man is dying, and all you can do is faint," the girl snarled.
Shaheen felt too sick to protest as Trianna berated her.
"Stop harassing the poor thing!" a female voice shouted.
Shaheen turned to see the witch Angela standing in the doorway.
"Come to help me, Angela?" Carlo asked. "I guess I'm not that repulsive to you after all."
Angela ignored him and healed his side. Carlo stopped trying to stay conscious.
"Trianna, take him to the infirmary," Angela ordered, turning to Shaheen. "You stay here," she continued.
When Carlo and Trianna left, Angela asked, "What happened?"
"I fainted," Shaheen explained.
"Oh, are you one of those people who get squeamish around blood?" Angela inquired.
"Not usually," Shaheen replied.
Angela frowned. "Have you been feeling nauseous a lot as of late?"
"I threw up today and yesterday," she answered. She had a bad feeling she knew what Angela was getting at.
"Dear, how long has it been since you had your bleeding?" the herbalist asked tentatively.
Shaheen thought for a moment. It had ended a few days before Arya's birthday. She clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Who's the father?" Angela questioned.
Shaheen was silent.
"Do you not know?" Angela pressed.
"I know," she said forlornly.
"Were you unwilling?" Angela continued.
"We were drunk," she replied.
"I've always wondered who invented alcohol. I'd love to know what possessed them to do it," Angela remarked.
Shaheen groaned.
Angela rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't think I think badly of you. I suppose things like that happen. You're in a bit of a quagmire, though."
"I know," Shaheen grumbled.
"Don't get angry at me," Angela told her.
"He loves another. He didn't know what he was doing. He was angry that it ever happened," Shaheen muttered. She felt tears in her eyes.
"Oh, poor dear," Angela comforted. "I'll help you."
I added that slight twist. Here are the review responses.
Samalamadingdong: I'm glad you like it. I hope this update came soon enough.
Parnagan: Good job. I'm glad you liked this chapter better than the last.
Teenchic2004: Hey, first cliffy so far. I hope this update came soon enough.
EJCHJ: Like I said for Samalamadingdong.
Silvershadowkittie: It's kk. I hope you like this update.
Vixen Hood: No, it is not.
Amantine: Like I said for EJCHJ.