so close to the end i can almost taste it...lol
claimer: ditto to all the others coz i totally don't feel like writing the same thing over again...
64.-Protection of magic
"Lady Nasuada, we are here." I announced our arrival after finding it unimaginably easy to get past the guards standing in front of her tent; their resumes apparently didn't cover standing up to giant and seemingly intelligent wolves.
Nasuada looked up in surprise as she saw me, a slight smile flickering over her lips.
"Somehow this form doesn't surprise me. Thank you for bringing the elves, they arrived this morning, and it looks like you have somehow managed to bring a pack of long-forgotten werewolves…but then again nothing you do astonishes me anymore." I smiled, my fangs baring and causing the guards surrounding her to draw their swords, taking my grin as a threat. But Nasuada just laughed and gestured for them to lower their weapons. Tala appeared through the tent flap, her gold-clad head just visible in the growing dusk.
When do we attack? She projected into our minds, startling the guards. Wow, they just didn't train them like they used to.
"At dawn, our camp is hidden so they will be unable to see us until we break in. We have people on the inside who work in the guard so they will open the dark gate. Is your pack ready?" Nasuada asked, looking as if she was talking to any leader, and not a giant wolf that was as tall as she was.
Of course, we have been preparing all our lives. Have you figured out battle tactics and line ups yet? Tala replied, shouldering her way in the tent and causing everyone to take a step back to allow her space. I ended up pressed against a nervous-looking guard who kept glancing at me as if afraid I would suddenly turn on him and rip out his throat.
I rolled my eyes at him and morphed into my human form, the tent suddenly growing much larger with the absence of a huge werewolf. The guard stared at me in amazement and recognition and I realized that he was the tawny-haired guard that had been guarding Nasuada's chambers.
I smiled at him, then walked out, pausing as Nasuada called after me, telling me that an elf called Rhunön wanted to see me. I walked through the green and brown tents, the colors camouflaged with the surrounding forest.
Why was Rhunön looking for me? Maybe she remembered something about the sword that she wanted to tell me. If that was true I hoped it was something other than the power I had discovered myself.
It was only then that I realized that I had no idea where the old elf actually was. I made my way over to one of the metal-clad members of the Varden and asked him if he knew where the elves had pitched their tents. He pointed to a group of black silk tents and I could have smacked myself for not noticing them earlier.
The first elf I came to had no idea where the she-elf was, but as I was turning a corner I ran into Boden, his golden hair almost completely hidden by a silver and bronze helm.
His eyes went wide as he saw me and I mentally cringed, he was perhaps the person I least wanted to see at the moment. Him, the traitor Dorran, and the King of course.
I took a deep breath, "Look Boden, I'm so sorry for running off again but I had something exceedingly urgent to take care of…" I stared at him, my eyes pleading for him to believe me. He rolled his eyes and replied.
"Of course, one can't expect you to say good bye when you have to save the land." My eyebrows furrowed when I heard a trace of scorn in his tone.
"Whatever Boden. I'm sorry, good luck with the fight." I snapped back, then walked around him to a group of elves talking amongst themselves. Boden's sarcasm had been completely unnecessary, if it were up to me I wouldn't have gotten mixed up in all this in the first place and I would still be training as a healer's assistant back in Menefer, and my grandmother wouldn't be dead.
Thinking about her made me wonder what she would think if she could see me right now, would she think of me as a monster? Discourage me from fighting? Or think that what's happened to me as a gift, made to be used for the greater good?
I paused for a moment, hiding behind a tent until I got my emotions under control. It wouldn't be good if the soldiers saw me crying as we were about to fight for our lives.
I angrily wiped the tears away, startled as I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I spun around to see Eragon, his sapphire eyes sympathetic and understanding.
"Eragon…I…" I stammered, then threw my arms around him in an embrace. My actions surprised both of us, but he didn't protest and instead hugged me back, stroking my hair gently.
"With all your duties it is easy to forget just how young you are." He whispered and I snorted.
"I am not that young, you are only two years older." I replied, remembering that it had been more or less half a year since my life had changed.
"Perhaps, but most women decades older than you do not have that kind of responsibility, and most likely never will." I nodded and pulled away, the last traces of tears gone.
"Thank you Eragon, now do you know where Rhunön is?" I asked.
He smiled, "She actually sent me to get you, follow me." He turned and strode off between a group of tents and we arrived at a tent slightly on the outskirts of the clusters of others and we entered, the air smelling exactly like the smithy back in Ellesmèra.
"Rhunön? I found her." Eragon called, and the old elf emerged from behind a silk screen, her dark eyes brightening as she saw me with the sword still in my possession, as if she had been afraid I would lose it.
"Ah Kalanie, I was thinking about your dilemma all night and I finally found the solution…"
"Dilemma?" I asked, confused.
"Yes, the fact that you have nothing to protect yourself with if you fight as anything other than a dragon." She replied, the look she gave me obviously meaning the fact that I could turn into a werewolf as well.
I nodded, signaling for her to continue.
"So…I made this." She said, holding out a collection of different shaped pieces of metal. I took them and examined a piece that looked like a leg guard. Eragon whistled from beside me, looking over the armor with a mixture of awe and amazement.
"Well don't just stand there, Eragon help her put it on." Rhunön said briskly, her voice rasping unnaturally for an elf's.
Eragon grabbed a piece from the pile and strapped the polished silver metal to one of my arms, the weight of which weighing the right side of my body down considerably. I looked uncertainly at Rhunön but she gestured for Eragon to continue, as if she was waiting for something. I let the belt and sword drop to the floor as he applied the chest plate and the rest of the set.
When he was finished I looked down at myself in surprise, the metal was reshaping and molding itself perfectly to fit my body, the weight diminishing until it felt as if it was just another layer of skin but strong enough so that no sword could penetrate it.
"This is amazing Rhunön! How on earth did you manage to make this over night?" I asked in amazement as Eragon trailed his finger over the smooth gold-entwined surface.
Rhunön snorted, "With magic of course, but that's not all it does. Morph and see for yourself." I smiled and morphed into my dragon form, watching with joy as the metal melted onto my body until it was a perfect fit once again.
"Thank you Rhunön, I have no idea how I will ever repay you for this." I muttered, morphing into a wolf and watching the armor morph with me once more.
"Just win this war, that's all I ask." She replied, smiling, then handed me the silver and gold helm that resembled the shape of a dragon's head, its two front fangs scraping against the skin on my forehead but not scratching.
I morphed once again and the helm fit my dragon face flawlessly, the metal elongating to run the length of my muzzle.
I looked her in the eyes and nodded, "I will try."
She smiled sadly then reached behind her, producing another set of similar armor, but this one was black and larger.
"Just in case Dorran wants some too." She explained, waiting for me to morph back then piling the gold and black metal into my arms.
I nodded, thanked her once again, then left, leaving Eragon with the excuse that I needed to see to a few more thing concerning the battle, then made my way into the forest away from the camp and out of sight of anyone.
Dorran, where are you? I thought to him, watching images of trees rushing past as I looked through his eyes.
Then suddenly he emerged right in front of me between two trees, appearing out of the darkness.
"Where did you get that armor?" he asked after morphing from a wolf back to human, then walking around me to examine my new outfit, the black leather underneath causing the silver and gold to shine brighter in the streaming sunlight.
"Rhunön made it, and you have some too." I replied, dumping the black metal into his arms.
"But what about if we want to morph?" he asked uncertainly, trailing his finger along the gold woven patterns. I smiled and morphed, grinning as he stared in amazement as the metal rearranged itself.
"Excellent." He whispered, then strapped himself into the black armor, smiling as it melted against his body.
"Now we will be unstoppable." He exclaimed, placing his own dragon helm on to see how it fit.
I grinned and nodded, all the while hoping that he was right.
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-Firesilk:D
