Okay, so here's chapter 15, I really loved writing this one so tell me how I didA.N: I do not own the inheritance cycle
Chapter 15
Eragon's wings burned with tiredness. It was roughly two days since they had pitched camp and all agreed that sailing across the ocean to lands unknown was the best plan. During this time they had flown near non stop, stopping only to eat and relieve themselves. Despite the enormous exertions that they had been under, they couldn't stop flying.
On several occasions, they had seen remnants of Galbatorix's armies, seeming to be rallying once again. Eragon didn't know if they were simply trying to spite the new king or if they were forming up under the banner of Galbatorix once again. Either situation didn't bode well and as there were three dragon's flying towards the coast, the odds of them being seen were extraordinarily high. Shruikan had suggested that Eragon, Arya, and Angela all cast spells of concealment around the whole group, so they could travel undetected across the land but the energy requirements didn't bear thinking about.
Eragon tried to ignore his burning shoulders but there was no ignoring the pain. As the hours stretched on for eternity, something all together alarming happened when his right wing seized up on him, causing him to tumble through the air towards the ground. Roran, who was riding again on Eragon, let out a bellowed oath that was all together drowned out by the alarmed screech of Saphira who dove after him. He saw the ground hurtling toward him at alarming speed, his right wing frozen in place, all though, not for long as a powerful buffet of wind snapped the bone and tore the muscles. Saphira's screech only intensified as she locked both wings to her body and plummeted like a stone towards the ground. Eragon felt his body slow as two female voices called out in the ancient language, the spells gripping his body and slowing his decent. He soon too felt Saphira's claws around his hind legs as she opened her wings and decelerated, the pain in his shoulder intensifying as Saphira strained with the effort of stopping him.
Finally, after two long moments, Eragon felt the ground under him again with a soft bump, with Eragon trying not to exacerbate his wing more than it already was. Saphira flew around him and landed with a thud on the ground beside him, running over and nudging his face gently. Her worry was palpable to him but he assured her that he was alright, attempting vainly to rise to his feet. She whined gently as she nudged his ruined wing, doing her best to shield him from his pain. Arya jumped off of Saphira's back while Roran slowly slid off of Eragon's, looking like he was about to be sick.
Arya walked over toward Eragon and carefully examined the wing, a look of concern on her face while Saphira looked on helplessly, trying not to whine one growl as Arya slowly poked and prodded the wing. It wasn't long after Arya began examining him that Shruikan landed with a boom behind the group looking on as Angela climbed down off of him, moving swiftly over towards the small group clustered around Eragon. When both Angela and Arya were present, they simultaneously cast the spell to mend Eragon's wing, the bone snapping back into position and mending along with the muscle. After flexing his wings experimentally, he folded them back to his body and thanked the two of them. Eragon looked back down to Roran and asked, "Are you alright?"
Roran nodded and pulled a small bag from around his shoulders that Eragon assumed carried what few supplies he'd managed to grab before fleeing Du Weldenvarden. To his surprise however, he saw the emerald green dragon egg that Izlanzadi had given him. Roran pulled the green egg out and examined it carefully, nodding after a moment in satisfaction before placing it back in the bag, turning to Saphira and helping his bride off of Saphira's back, Katrina looking to be very relieved to be back on the ground. Eragon shifted back into human form and rolled his shoulder experimentally, before leaning against Saphira's leg, his body utterly spent by the exertions of the past couple of days, Saphira's low humming audible as she rested her head beside his leg, a single sapphire blue eye gazing up at him, sparkling gently in the light of the setting sun. He placed a hand on her head and rubbed it gently, assuring her silently of his well being.
He had very rarely felt such fear and worry from her, and now that he had almost been killed by this most recent event, he started to worry about the love of his heart and soul. Whether he accepted or not, he was more fragile and delicate than Saphira was, a fact mitigated by his ability to become a dragon, but even then, his inexperience and carelessness had nearly killed him. Sighing gently, he leaned against her, his eyes dropping from fatigue, many of the others yawning or grumbling from the past couple of day's efforts to reach Teirm.
Before Eragon could succumb to his waking dreams, Shruikan's voice entered into his mind with the usual abruptness,
"Rider, I suppose one of us must keep watch. If not, then surely you would cast spells to alert us to an enemy!"
Eragon's face soured as he concentrated on his magic and uttered a few simple words in the ancient language to alert them to the presence of those with hostile intent. He felt what little energy he had diminish and settled up against Saphira, noticing how comfortable her body felt, he grinned as his mind slipped into his waking dreams, many of them filled with Saphira. His rest was peaceful, his mind finding Saphira's resting mind and caressing it with his love. He felt her mind return the touch, caressing his mind gently, sharing her thoughts and feelings with him. He marvelled at how they could communicate like this, even when at rest. A sense of contentment fell over him and he eventually succumbed completely to sleep.
Hours Later
A screeching filled Eragon's ears, high pitched and grating.
Eragon jerked awake suddenly, yelling out the word to cease the noise. What he saw made his gut wrench, a group of mercenaries, some wearing old, grime stained uniforms of the empire, were standing in the middle of the small group, all of them staring at Eragon with manic grins. Panic gripped him as he leapt to his feet summoning his magic to slay all of the men in an instant. A red blur flashed by him and Eragon was lifted off his feet as a sharp pain caught his ribs. Somewhere in the blackness he heard some one he hoped was Arya yelling in the ancient language. He heard a dragon roar that he recognized as Saphira's and prayed that she was all right. When he finally landed he could smell ale on the breath of the man who had pinned him with unnatural strength and he struggled against him, ramming him in the ribs with his elbow, feeling bones crunch under the blow.
The man seemed not to care as he spat blood on Eragon's face as he lifted Eragon to his feet, turning him back towards the group of soldiers. Eragon's blood boiled at what he saw; Saphira, bound to the ground by thick iron chains that had been summoned into being be a tall red haired man who was grinning evilly. Eragon knew what this creature was before he even turned his unnatural violet eyes on Eragon. Before the shade could do more than open his mouth Eragon shouted, "Eka weohnata ono vergarí, eka thäet otherúm!" The Shade scowled and nodded to the man holding Eragon, who kicked at his knee forcing Eragon down to the ground. The Shade stepped forward and bent over in front of Eragon, smiling broadly with his demonic grin before saying, "I very much doubt it Shadeslayer. You see, you are at a disadvantage it seems. Not only have I bound your dragon, but the elfling, the elder dragon, and the humans as well. You are out numbered and outmatched."
Eragon spat defiantly into the shade's face as he struggle to wrench his arm free of the soldier holding him. The shade snarled and wiped the spit from his eye before punching Eragon across the face, causing his head to snap sideways, feeling as though a sledgehammer had hit him. Eragon's vision darkened slightly as the shade gripped his jaw and turned his head towards him, his sharp toothed smile shining in the darkness. Eragon had one final defiant action left in him as he reached for his transformation, intending to turn into the dragon he could be and destroy the shade with his dragon fire. As he touched the power within him, a sudden wave of lightning like pain arced through him, burning every fiber in his being with pain. Saphira's screech was felt audibly and mental as she thrust out for Eragon's mind, trying to wrap it in her own and shield him from his pain, each attempt deflected with ease by the shade.
Finally, after one agonizing moment, the pain stopped and Eragon slumped against the soldiers grip. The shade's smile widened as he leaned in and whispered,
"You think me a fool Shadeslayer, that I wouldn't know of your trip into the spirit realm, the realm that I and those who make me called home? I know of your new power, and I won't allow you the use of it."
The shade gripped his face harder as he turned away from him, walking over to Saphira, placing a hand upon her snout eliciting a menacing growl from her. He grinned evil as he looked back at Eragon and said wickedly, "I wonder, perhaps she would enjoy the company of a true dragon, dark, tall, and stronger than you."
He glanced over meaningfully at Shruikan, who was lashed down with far thicker chains than Saphira, his enraged growl shaking the ground as he tried to wrench the chains off of him. Eragon's vision sharpened greatly as he glared at the shade as he cackled evilly before finishing,
"Perhaps even she could become the slattern that she was always meant to be."
Eragon's vision nearly went red as his rage broke.
With a scream that echoed the dragon within him, he pulled his arms forward with all his might, tearing the arms of the man holding them clean from the soldiers torso. The soldier screamed in alarm as Eragon stood to his feet and called out a spell that summoned Brisngr to him. With a a whistling, the blue blade flew into his hand and he spun in a graceful arc, beheading the armless soldier behind him before standing ready in front of the remaining soldiers. The shade snarled and commanded the soldiers to kill Eragon with a sharp command in the ancient language. The group of soldiers charged forward as one and Eragon swung brisingr in a graceful swing, hacking off the head of one soldier before bringing the blade upward through another, the two halves of the body falling to the ground with a solid thud.
A soldier managed to duck past another swing of the blade and brought his own sword around to strike Eragon who was forced to catch the blade with brisingr's cross guard, punching another soldier on the breastbone of another soldier, his entire ribcage cracking apart from the blow, the soldier collapsing soundlessly to the ground. With his foot and magic he kicked a sword into the air and directed it into the head of the soldier beside him, the blade flying clean through and striking the soldier behind him. A small piercing pain pricked Eragon's side and he snarled as he twisted to the left, preventing the blade from hitting any vital organs and killing the attacker with one fell blow to the skull. The soldiers were scattered now, only about six of them remaining and Eragon had spotted an opening, he ran forward and dropped into a crouching spin in mid stride, slicing at the soldiers hamstrings and abdomens in one twisting movement.
At the end of his twist, he let out a powerful bellow and leapt off the ground, every muscle in his legs and stomach screaming in protest at the unnatural shift, his body flying over the falling soldiers with Brisngr angled point first at the shade. The shade was ready for him, though not entirely for as the shade drew his blade and thrust it upward into Eragon's chest so to did Brisngr sink into the shade's heart and into five inches of air beyond. The shade screamed and writhed in agony as his body began dissipating and finally with a final howl, the monster was no more. The hilt of the shade's sword fell to the ground with a dull thud, followed by Eragon hitting his knees, the pale blade of the shade had pierced his lung, mere inches away from his heart and was sticking out his back, much like how Eragon's attack had wounded the shade. He felt Saphira's mind finally get through to his as the magic that bound them faded and it wasn't long before he thundering feet could be heard as she quickly closed the gap between them and caught Eragon as he slumped back against her.
He was dying, and he knew it, he couldn't seem to focus or reach for the power that could save him. He looked into Saphira's sparkling eyes the few tears he'd ever seen sliding down her cheeks as she stared at him. He felt only love from her, love and love alone. Though she had every right to be angry or scared, all she could think about was him. His eyes fluttered gently before half closing when a sudden slap to his face started him with a jerk. He looked down to see Angela pulling the blade from his chest and Arya quickly pressed her hands to his wound, chanting in the ancient language, his flesh mending under the spells work.
Angela threw the blade off into the darkness before turning back to Eragon and saying, "Now, you weren't thinking about dying over a little pin prick were you?"
Eragon chuckled feebly and shook his head as he sat up a little straighter, turning his head back towards Saphira, and wiping a tear from her eyes. He felt her relief flow into him, mixed with anger at his recklessness but mostly relief. Finally after Arya finished intoning her spells she straightened up stiffly and said,
"There, that should do for now, you have no idea how luck you are, his blade missed you own heart by an inch."
Eragon sighed and shook his head, looking back at the dead and dying. Resting here was out of the question, not now and they certainly couldn't stay here, if a shade could appear at random now, there was no telling how many more might come. They had to keep going not stopping until the seas greeted them. With a reassuring pat on Saphira's snout, he shifted back into dragon form and they soon were underway once more.
Like it? I hope so because chapter 16 is coming :D