Diamond Cut Diamond
Chapter 7: Names, Again
Arya felt better the further away from Helgrind they got. The very air seemed fresher, until they reached Uru'baen and were greeted by the smells of the city. People still looked up when they saw the dragons, shading their eyes from the glint off of Saphira and Thorn's scales. Some children waved. Arya winced as Eragon waved back.
"He's so…he knew doing that would make them happy so he did it. He's so good-hearted and I'm…not. I wouldn't have bothered."
Arya was exhausted, the sun was setting, and they had the possibility of several hours with Nasuada. Arya had the sudden urge to escape to the library. She had been at a fascinating point in the scroll concerning the fiftieth year of the riders' rule, and she'd had something she wanted to ask Murtagh. But she supposed he would be helping explain their day and besides, she couldn't justify running out like a child.
In Nasuada's command room, (not the throne room, she'd been very adamant about not sending the wrong message) the three adventurers and the resident ruler sat at a table inconveniently placed in a sunbeam, explaining their findings.
Time crawled by. Nasuada listened intently, making few interruptions as they told their tale. Eragon finished explaining about how there had been no living prisoners left and then turned to Arya. Arya swallowed hard. She did not want to talk about this. She did not want to speak of the screams, the twisted voice in the dark, the deception—
"I heard a scream," said Arya. "I thought it was Eragon, but it turned out to be a…chest."
Nasuada frowned. "Containing what?"
"Straight to the point," thought Arya bitterly. "Why would she give a damn about what we went through as long as we got the treasure?" Arya did not even rebuke herself, she was still shaken. Murtagh, thankfully took up the tale.
"I heard screaming, too. I followed it, thinking one of the others was in trouble. I found Arya and the chest but it kept on screaming, and in voices that I—recognized. It said things I don't know how it knew….but we made it out and smashed the crystal the voices came from. There was one the other object in the chest—this."
Murtagh held up the pure white eldunari. Nasuada's eyes widened.
"Is that an eldunari?"
"Yes, we think it belonged to Jarnunvosk," added Eragon.
Nasuada nodded, deep in thought. "Why wouldn't Galbatorix have kept it with him? Wouldn't that have prevented him from going mad?"
"He didn't know about it," said Murtagh. "If he had, he wouldn't have…I've heard him ranting about it before, he wishes he could have saved the eldunari."
"Then how…?"
"I don't know. I would assume the Ra'zac found it and hoped to use it as blackmail should they ever need it…but how did our former monarch not realize its existence?"
"She may have fled into her eldunari as she died, but he would have realized…mused Eragon."
"Not necessarily. He was unbalanced at the time," said Nasuada.
"We'll never know. But what's a more pressing question is why the ra'zac kept it," put in Murtagh. There was an edge to his voice, and Arya assumed her felt the same way she did. Both of them wanted out, to go somewhere and be quiet and think about everything they'd just learned about themselves…and each other.
"And whether or not it actually is Jarnunvosk,"said a voice that appeared to be coming from Arya. Strange. The elf was sure she hadn't willingly said those words.
Eragon looked at her blankly. "You were the one who said—"
"I assumed. Jarnunvosk was white, ironically, and what other dragon would be kept under lock, key, and magical orb?"
"Can any of you contact her mentally?" asked Nasuada.
Arya grimaced inwardly, and Murtagh didn't even bother to hide his distaste.
Nasuada met their gazes. "It does feel rather like grave-robbing," she said. "I know little of draconian traditions—would this be insensitive?"
"I doubt it, and it's also necessary," said Eragon.
"Who'd like to?"
The words hung. Arya closed her eyes.
"I'm curious, oh yes, I'm curious, but no. No, no, no. I can't look into that mind, probably was twisted as our dear late monarch's was by now…next to that thing all this time…"
"I will."
Of course. Eragon.
"Both of you stand by, keep in mental contact with me in case she tries to take over. I don't know how strong she is," said Eragon.
Arya and Murtagh obeyed, staying on the outskirts of Eragon's mind, feeling its half-elven-ness and the tension that clouded it.
They couldn't "hear" the conversation, but it took nearly fifteen minutes. Eragon withdrew from the dragon's mind and gave a shuddering sigh.
Arya pulled her consciousness back to her body and looked expectantly at Eragon.
"It...is Jarnunvosk. She's a bit…unstable right now, but she managed to tell me that she nearly passed into the void…she was dead for a time. But the Ra'zac called her back. They were in the area at the time; it was they who had enchanted the Urgals' arrows. After Galbatorix left her, they somehow, she isn't clear how, called her back."
"Necromancy…" murmured Murtagh.
Nasuada nodded. She had a look of wonder in her eyes at the new development.
Eragon's voice was shaking. "She doesn't have clear memories of how it worked, and she's in quite a bit of pain."
"What would you suggest we do?" asked Nasuada.
"I'd say we stop this from becoming common knowledge," said Murtagh. To Eragon, he added, "Why did the Ra'zac capture her, anyway? More to the point, why did they kill her?"
"I'm not entirely sure. It had to do with blackmail…the Ra'zac were going to use her eventually. It was very garbled."
"I understand," replied Nasuada. "Eragon, would you be willing to keep the Eldunari safe? You've kept Glaedr's all this time."
"Of course, Lady Nasuada," said Eragon.
"And with that matter settled for the time being," said Nasuada, "I think you three would like a good night's sleep?"
"That we would," said Eragon, "but if I might, I would bind us all to secrecy in the matter of Jarnunvosk."
Murtagh tensed, but replied calmly, "I do not swear oaths for nothing, and this falls under that category. You have my word as a rider, but naught else."
"If word gets out—" began Eragon.
"I know how to stay silent," replied Murtagh. "And I stand firm. I no longer swear to anything unless it is of the greatest importance."
Eragon looked to argue, but Nasuada cut in. "Very well, Murtagh. I can understand your position…but if I hear one word from anyone other than those gathered here now, I'll know whose fault it was. You may go."
And that dismissal was hardly arguable.
Arya had one thing she wished to sort out, though, before she slept. She found Eragon in one of the makeshift mess halls and sat down beside him.
"Eragon, didn't I tell you about the library? You saw it!"
Eragon looked up, slightly surprised to see her. "In the tower? Yes, I remember."
"So why did you tell Murtagh you didn't know what it was?"
"He was raving on and on about a tower where there were histories of Alagaesia. I didn't know that...I supposed it was simply another record of accounts. I had no intentions of returning there."
"Tell him he's right. Don't give it up. The histories are yours, yours and Murtagh's. Let him never return there. Let it be yours. Let Murtagh be right. You never told him, he came of his own accord. You guarded it. Keep guarding it. It is yours!"
"No…it's a history. A true history. From the beginning of the riders' times.," said Arya. "The most complete I've ever seen."
Eragon's entire face lit up. "That's…amazing! I thought he had destroyed nearly all unbiased histories, like the Domina al Wyda."
"As did I," replied Arya.
"Why didn't you tell me that the library was when I found you there?"
"I…" Arya couldn't tell the truth, because the truth was idiotic. "I didn't know until I read a good amount of the scrolls."
'Ah," said Eragon. "Shall I tell Nasuada?"
"Yes," said Arya. "Yes, please do.
She could not explain the weight she felt in her chest. She had lost her sanctuary.
Arya, for some mad reason, felt the need to apologize. After all, it wasn't only her place, was it? She hadn't just ruined it for herself. She started climbing the stairs. Murtagh would be there, she was sure. It would be the first time she spoken to him since they got back from Helgrind.
It was darkening, and Arya felt a chill in the air. Autumn was coming on. Ellesmera would be beautiful at this time, Arya reflected.
She missed home. After years of travelling, and getting one small taste of her home, she simply longed even more. She wanted to live in Tialdari hall, speak to her mother without icy distance, and have none of the cares she had now.
And yet, though Arya had originally distained human cities, she was beginning to appreciate the life that flowed through them…elves were so dormant.
"That might have changed since the war," thought Arya. "Who know what home is like now?"
She reached the door.
"I have no right to this place," thought Arya bitterly. "I sold my sanctuary to prove Murtagh wrong."
She knocked on the door, and it seemed an age before Murtagh opened it. She thanked the stars he had actually been there.
He nodded to her, looking puzzled. "Why did you knock?"
"I—" began Arya, feeling like a fool. "I—wanted to tell you that Eragon's been here before, but he thought it was just some old accounts and never would have come back. But I told him what is really stored him and fairly soon Nasuada will know. I…thought you should know."
Murtagh's face darkened. "Why did you tell him?"
"Because I'm an idiot," said Arya softly.
"You wanted to spite me for asking you why you'd kept the secret," said Murtagh bluntly.
"Yes," replied Arya.
Murtagh cursed. "I wish I hadn't said anything."
"I'm sorry," said Arya.
"It doesn't matter, really," said Murtagh. "I'll still probably be allowed to look at the records."
"It won't be the same," said Arya, wondering how on earth she could have said something so stupidly sentimental and human.
"No," replied Murtagh. "No, it won't be, Arya."
Arya liked how her name sounded in his voice, liked how be pronounced it fully, without lingering on the "Ee" sound in the middle, simply letting it hang in the air like a soap bubble, or a butterfly, or anything that is only present of as long as it chooses to give you.
"You said my name."
"You seemed to be preoccupied with the thought that I should."
"I suppose I was. Thank you, Murtagh."
It's late. Life decided to hate me lately. Darwin forbid I have a calm autumn… sent me a very nice PM which made me get my butt in gear about updating...thanks for that, RF.
Oh and INHERITANCE CAME OUT! I READ IT IN THREE DAYS! IT WAS WONDERFUL! AND HORRIBLE! AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS!
Ahem.
Review.
