Merry Christmas! Here's a good present. As promised, the updates are rolling out guys. I really love this chapter and there are a few scenes that are just…uhh… you'll see. I don't want to do spoilers when you are so damn close to reading it. That would be pointless…
Now we definitely have a song for this. It would be the masterpiece, Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell. It is such an amazing song and I really think it fits this fairly well, though this is one of those chapters it is hard to find a song for because it is such a different kind than I am used to writing.
Enjoy!
That day was shrouded in a curtain of rain. The wind was howling, churning at violent speeds and reducing visibility to near zero. The once lush countryside around the capital had turned into a torrent of mud and debris. The capital itself almost seemed to quiver on its hillside front. The great Cliffside of Zade's Rock had been transformed into a perpetual waterfall.
It was to this violent setting that Hayden woke. He lay in bed for a moment, listening to the heavy pounding of the rains above. Thunder shook the sky and the sound of lightning cracking could be heard for miles. He could hear Pace snoring on the other bed. Nothing could ever wake that boy, not even with dragons fighting overhead, while Hayden sometimes was kept awake for hours by the activities of insects mere feet away.
He heaved a loud, frustrated sigh and without another thought left the room, knowing he would not be getting much more sleep tonight. The halls were bleak, empty in the shivering light of the torches fixed across the wall. He meandered around at a slow pace, not really intending on going anywhere. He paid little mind to what was going on around him, nor did he really think. He just walked, not really expecting much of anything.
Perhaps that is why when a shadow crossed his vision, he nearly jumped five feet back with surprise. He blinked a couple times, allowing his exhausted mind to focus. It was lucky the rain outside beat so, for if not for the cover it provided, whoever—whatever—it was would have surely heard him. But instead, he remained undetected…for the moment.
Hayden froze; since he hadn't been spotted, he didn't want to start now. Something about the way the figure moved, the way it acted…sent a shiver rattling down his spine. He clung against the wall peering around the corner, peering over his shoulder as the figure shifted slowly around the next bend. After it had disappeared, he waited a moment before running over to where it had gone.
Once more, he peered over his shoulder. The shadow paused for a moment, as though feeling that he was no longer alone and looked around. Hayden slung back, a little too fast, however, and wound up on the floor before he even knew it. He instantaneously swung up, his legs barely finding purchase underneath him as he did. He was more on his knees than on his leg as he looked around the corner.
There was no one. Not even a trance or a sound. Just the savage growl of the wind as it raked the roof overhead. He just sat there, his mind questioning if the figure had even been real to begin with or if it was just his imagination.
"What are you doing?" Hayden fell forward on his face, his nose smashing into the ground though he knew instantaneously who it was.
"Pace!" He yelled out, giving him a swift punch as regained his composure. He could feel a heavy throbbing coming from his recently patched-up rib and every other injury he had acquired during the fight little under three days ago flare up to be joined by a throbbing pain breaking across his face. He tenderly rubbed his nose, wincing as his hand touched his newest reason to be in pain. "Are you trying to kill me?"
"No way. What would I do without you? But that don't me I can pass up scaring the crap out of you every once in a while…" Pace had on his most annoying smirk, the smug one that he was just lucky Hayden had enough control not to kill him for it.
"I thought you were asleep." Hayden muttered.
"Was. Was asleep. Woke up a few minutes ago…I don't know man, I just have this really weird feeling…"
"Ya me too…" Hayden said, his thoughts straying. He couldn't help but think about the figure he had seen. Could it actually be something or was he insane?
"Haaay-deee? You still with me?" Pace waved his hand in front of Hayden's face. When he still got no answer, Pace tried a new tactic. "Hayden wets the bed…"
"Ya, I'm still listening…" Hayden said detachedly before adding. "And you're still immature."
"And you, my boy, are an old prude." There was that smirk again. "What were you doing any ways?"
"I thought I saw—" He paused a moment, unsure of what to say or even that it was real.
"Ya?" Pace said, rolling his hand to indicate his little brother to go on.
"Never mind…" Hayden murmured. He looked up at Pace, a devilish look appearing on his face. "Where's your night gown?"
"Will you ever let that go?"
"Nope." He answered, biting his lip to keep from laughing out loud.
"I told you! It was a dare. Talbi made me…it was that or kiss Felicia." Both brothers shivered at the thought.
"Guess I can't really blame you…that it the lesser of the two evils…"
"Ya it is. You see her teeth?" Hayden suddenly froze as a distant sound found his ears through the rain. "Hayden?" Pace looked at him. "What's going—" Then he heard it as well. It was one continuous sound, starting out soft then getting louder and louder till it cut off. He blinked in surprise. "Was that—"
Hayden cut him off. "Shhh..." then at a whisper, he added. "Ya, I think so…"
A battle horn…
Both boys could feel their stomachs churn as another note rang out, louder than before and joined with the distant sound of footfalls as an army unlike that of which had been seen in over a century marched across the lands. No one said it, but both boys thought it. It was time.
The horn sounded once more as men started to poor in the halls and the chaos of three days before was both relived and redoubled. Hayden sprung forward, racing to the direction the sound was coming from. Pace tore after him, all the while shouting his name from behind.
Soon Hayden stood outside in the courtyard facing the place of his birth. The wind howled and the rain felt more solid than liquid and colder than ice. Lightning cracked in front of him, hitting somewhere in the distance and illuminating the flying forms of two dragons, one who's blood-red hide was obvious even in this storm and the other, a massive beast, just an ominous silhouette in the momentarily white skies. Bellow their distant forms, a black mass moved, like a plague, engulfing everything before it and leaving not but more of it in its wake. Even in the poorly lit night, the great bulk of the army was obvious.
Pace walked slowly to his brother's side, looking down on what very well could be their demise. He put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as they watched the crowd grow and grow. Both shook with every second and Hayden wondered if that was because of the rain or out of fear.
"This is really happening, isn't it." Hayden spoke softly with his eyes shut, his voice barely audible above the torrent of chilling rain continuously beating away at their battered flesh.
Pace said nothing, but squeezed Hayden's shoulder lightly. This really was it. The moment of reckoning, when all of their effort would be put in a battle everyone knew they would not—could not—win.
"Are you ready?" Hayden asked Pace.
"Definitely." Pace replied, the slightest quiver in his voice betraying his unwavering face.
As the horn sounded again the two brothers watched on, the feeling of their world crashing down like the rain around them, only hitting their hearts rather than their bodies…
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Eragon stared out the window, his armor tight on his body though not so much so to be uncomfortable. The Empire sat at their doorstep, men scurrying around as they too prepared to take the castle. The two opposing sides sat in a stale mate, each awaiting to see who would break and start the battle.
He could feel Murtagh and Thorn as they pined for him. He had hoped they wouldn't even think he was here, but he had come up with a back up. It was complicated, but he was confident he could do it. If he shielded his mind, he knew he would stand out like a sore thumb. None of his men knew how to shield their minds, nor could he entrust that if he taught them they would have as powerful of a barrier. He would still be obvious to them.
So instead, he was trying something different. Instead of thinking of a barrier to hide himself, he had collect a few mix memories from random, spread-out soldiers of varying ages, a few of his own from his youth, and fabricated a few more. He then stowed away the rest in the deepest corners of his mind. He prayed it would be enough to hide from their searching eyes.
But then, with a chill, Eragon felt something else as well. The presence of an alien mind so ancient, so powerful. He knew that this was not the time to confront him, but even still, being so close, yet not doing a thing about it, it was tantalizing. If he could separate him from Shruikan and Murtagh, this could all be over today. The battle, the war. And he would not have to leave his dragon.
But if he got himself caught, this would be it. Aiedail would only have Oramis, and who knew how long he would last. Chances were, with three riders on one side and only two, one weak and one young on the other, the Varden would surely loose. That and if they had Saphira, they would have the ability to create even more dragons…
Then it really hit home what this was all about, the problem Saphira had, just as the Empire was attacking. This wasn't about taking Surda or crushing the Varden. This was about capturing her…about having more dragon riders than the opposing side. The thought made him want to vomit, but it really made sense now. Everything did. This was no coincidence…
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, glaring hard out through the rain. He knew he could not perform the way he usually did with out garnering attention, but that did not mean he would not be taking as many of those bustards as he could.
He ran his hands through his hair once before placing a helmet over his face. He wore the anti-scrying charms and half a dozen other things to ensure that he could keep his charade up as long as possible.
He rose and went out of his cousin's room. Actually walking down to the front courtyard was a blur, he'd done it so many times it was now purely normal.
But as he stood out in the rain, letting the power of the storm take him in, he suddenly felt ready for this. Ready for the last stand. Turned behind him, not surprised to see the twelve he had chosen to be with him just behind him, their swords unsheathed. He saw Hayden and Pace midst them. He heard Pace murmur something to Hayden and Hayden said something back.
Struck him that while these two would be fighting side by side in today's battle his own brother would be one of the main ones they would be fighting. A slight tinge of jealousy hit him for a moment.
But now was not the time for that. He drew his new sword—he'd left Adurna midst his pack, for the blue blade once more would be obvious to anyone with eyes—and motioned Hayden and Pace to take their places at his side and the rest all lined up in groups of three. Behind the group appeared all of the rest of the warriors.
The goal was to take out as many men as possible and loose as few of theirs as possible. Each man was worth his weight in gold. Eragon drew in front once more and turned to face his men.
"You all know your jobs. And remember, don't be stupid. Don't think of me. Don't think of any locations of anything they could use against us. Not only are your minds open books to the riders but also anyone who can use magic and some who can't."
He gestured to the fifteen. Each gave him a sharp nod and started down to the gate, where all the archers were already poised and ready for the fight. Each group broke off into their instructed jobs till Eragon and his twelve were the only ones left on the stairs of the palace.
As he fell back into line with them, he prepared himself for what was to come.
"You ready for this?" He asked the brothers to either side of him.
"As we'll ever be." Hayden answered.
"It feels like a dream. I knew it was coming, but I didn't, you know?" Pace stuttered out.
Eragon nodded, suddenly glad he had insisted on healing the boys wounds the rest of the way an hour ago. If he couldn't have Saphira to fight with him, he was glad he at the very least had them.
With in seconds, a sound suddenly filled the air. The sound of arrows firing. The Battle Of Zade's Rock had just began…
I couldn't have two super action-y chapters in a row, sorry to disappoint you. But as far as next chapter goes, oh wow. And I'd like to clarify something real quick here. The courtyard they were fighting in before is a completely different courtyard from the one facing the rest of the country. That one faces the cliffside instead. Also note that there is no such place in the book as Zade's Rock, it is a name I came up with purely for the purpose of my own story. And get ready you guys! The Battle of Zade's Rock is on its way as you receive your christmas presents from me, in a three-part update!
