Chapter 7: "You Are Failing, Master Eragon"
(A/N: Sorry for the longish hiatus. I really need to remember to post notices when I'm going on vacation... Anyway, here's the next chapter you've all been waiting for!)
Ialana was awakened the next morning by the rather loud sound of a dragon clapping it's wings together. Right outside where she was sleeping. "You are here again, Argetlam." Then, she noticed it was still mostly dark outside. "Argetlam?"
"Hush. I need to speak with you."
"On what?"
"I think I may have figured something out. The Sundavar un Rakr-"
"The what?"
"'The Mist and the Shadows'...an old poem Oromis had...anyway, it describes a method used a long time ago to fight Spirits."
"And?"
"I may be able to harness it. But it would require a lot of energy from me...I would need to perform the spell out-of-doors, in order to gain energy from my surroundings."
"How will you accomplish that?"
Eragon grinned. "Tauthr eka." He placed his hand on the lock. "Jierda!" There was a sharp clannnnnk-snap, and the door swung open. "See? Easy."
"I could have done that myself."
"Well, you didn't. Follow me."
"You said that."
"No, I said 'tauthr eka.'"
"They are the same thing!" Eragon laughed. Ialana liked the way he laughed.
Once outside, Eragon stood face-to-face with Ialana, eyes closed, and even so she got the feeling he was staring intently at her. "Hona eka, sundavar", he said slowly, then paused for about nine seconds before continuing. "Eka thelduin ono. Ialana thelduin ono. Garjzla thelduin sundavar! Ganga, eldryvara pomnuria istlari!"
Ialana barely processed all this. Her mind felt hazy. Hear me, shadows...I rule you...Ialana rules you...Light rules shadow!...Go or burn in my flames!
"AH!" Ialana felt a terrible physical pain in her head as the Spirits backlashed. They seemed to be laughing at Eragon, and their words were spiling from her mouth. "Fool! You cannot defeat us with poetry, stupid Dragon Rider! We are darkness! Leave us in peace, or else eldryvara pomnnuria istlari thyself, oh Shadeslayer! A magician! Ha!" The weird, distorted voices stopped. There was only Ialana, her mind now rolling in full-on Shade mode.
"You are failing, master Eragon", she said, grinning evilly. "You have failed already!" She rushed off into the darkness, stopping only once to say one thing -
"Do not underestimate the power of the dark ones, Argetlam."
(A/N: Barzul, those Spirits are difficult! (And okay, I lied, this chapter really wasn't much longer than the last one.) Poor Eragon, he's doing all he can. Mild weirdness in the next two chapters, you have been forewarned!)