AN: I am so sorry! I know it's taken me forever to update! I've been really busy touring Scotland, going on holiday to Rhodes and drowning in coursework, but it's still been too long! SORRY!
Anyway, I'm updating now and I've ordered the third Inheritance book! Yay! All I can say is that it better be good after I've waited years for it!
UPDATE! I now have the new book! It's quite good so far.
UPDATE ON THE UPDATE! I have read Brisingr! I think it was great. Yeah, sorry about the extra delay, my internet's been dodgy… SORRY!
Disclaimer: I don't own inheritance. I know it takes me almost as long to update as it does CP, but I'm not him… Or am I?
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Smoke stung at his eyes, clogging up his lungs as he took each drawn out breath. He could see the door ahead, taunting him behind the flames. Wild eyes searched for an escape. Was there one?
There was! The window! If he could just bear the intense heat radiating from the flames enough to get close, he would be saved – unless the raging fire got there first of course, but he was a hero, he had to try.
He moved towards the window step by agonising step, choking on the fumes all of the way. A million questions were racing through his mind, which was an achievement considering its size.
What happened? Why is there fire? Where is everyone? Why are my hands black?
Finally he was at the window. His last thought as he plunged through the glass and hurtled towards the ground was, 'I hope Arya likes her popcorn well done'.
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"All right!" Morzan yelled, clapping to get the attention of the panicked mob in the middle of the road, namely his family and lodgers. "Who wants to call the Fire Brigade?"
His ears were immediately assaulted by the cries of "ME!" from Arya, Galbatorix and Brom.
Selena, ever calm, took the mobile phone, coated in while paint from when he had dropped it while repairing the hospital. "I will," she announced, ignoring the others' protests. As she dialled the emergency number, which was actually so often used that it was on speed dial along with the ordering numbers of tall of the major supermarkets, Selena ordered Morzan to take a head count.
"Okay!" Morzan called. "Who's missing?"
Angela the herbalist was the only person to take any notice. "Eragon, Murtagh, Durza, Orik and the delivery man," she replied cheerily.
"How can you be so happy?" Morzan demanded, horrified. "Both of my sons are in there! They could be dead! I lectured them about everything but I never thought of fire! I'm such an awful parent."
Thrusting a handkerchief embroidered into Morzan's hand, the witch said, "I can be as cheerful as I am because I happen to know that Durza is just over marvelling about the appearance of the flames, Orik has passed out in the centre of the tarmac and the Delivery man is also a fireman."
"How do you know that?" Brom questioned, trying to be inconspicuously suspicious. He was failing at that.
The witch eyed him warily, then answered truthfully after noticing Morzan and Selena watching her too. She sighed, "Well, if you must know, I may have slightly overdone some mushrooms I was going to consume."
Overdone is an understatement.
Morzan jumped; he was not expecting a voice to come from behind him and he certainly was not expecting a singed werecat to jump between his legs to take a place by Angela.
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From deep within the original blaze, the Morrison's alcohol delivering paramedic guy's mobile phone started to ring, vibrating in his pocket and screaming out the tune to star wars at the top of its virtual lungs.
If he had been able to look at the caller ID or answer it, he would have noticed that it was a call from someone called "Work F". He was being called to one of his many jobs.
The job as a fireman…
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Completely oblivious to the fact that there were missing people and Arya was shrieking Eragon's name almost loud enough to shatter glass, Durza stared at the dancing orange flames. He was enthralled by their colour – orange! So close to his own red!
Durza watched them. Fire was pretty. Durza liked fire. As he watched, he wondered why he hadn't seen it in Ginger Heaven before. He would have to mention it to the Leprechauns when he next saw them.
A particularly interesting thought struck Durza. What if the world where he lived was actually Ginger Heaven and the place he visited in his dreams was just a crude imitation of it or Ginger Hell? Those Leprechauns were always mean to him. It could be…
Sure there were non-ginger people in his new Ginger Heaven but he could live with that. Perhaps that was why the others were so mad; they wanted to be ginger but weren't. That would explain why Brom kept mutilating him with his shoe; he was just jealous of Durza's hair colour.
And so he should be, the Shade thought with satisfaction.
His eyes glazed over with love as he gazed into the depths of the fire once more. Maybe if he could just reach out and touch it, he might become a flame so he could dance with the fire. It looked so fun. So beautiful.
"Flame-y flame," he sighed, contentedly, reaching out.
He was so close he could feel the warmth and warmth was close to love. Durza liked love. Durza like fire,
He could almost touch it…
"Durza!" Selena called sharply. "Come away from there at once or I will assign you to the… Caravan naughty wheel!"
With one last look of longing towards the flames, Durza tore himself away. However beautiful they were, he did not want to risk the naughty wheel by touching them.
He grinned evilly. There would always be another time; Selena had to sleep and when she did…
Selena breathed a long sigh of relief as the annoying shade approached only to have it cut short by the screaming of sirens as a large fire engine pulled up outside their house. A burly fireman with a coat of stubble on his face jumped out, stepping forwards to speak to Selena while his crewmates unravelled the hose.
"Do you know if there is anyone still inside ma'am?" he asked in a tone that almost made Selena melt.
"Erm, yes. My sons, Murtagh and Era-" Selena began.
"ERAGON!" Arya shrieked.
Selena inwardly winced at the volume of the elf's cry. She continued, "Yes Eragon and-"
"No," Arya interrupted again, pointing towards a window in the house. "It's Eragon!"
Even as Selena looked, the figure at the window fell, smashing through the window on the descent to the floor. Arya began to run to him but Selena held her back.
"Not in your condition!" She warned as the burly fireman called to an equally burly colleague who raced to Eragon, helping him walk towards the others.
"Anyone else?" The stubbly burly fireman enquired.
Selena nodded, "Yes. The delivery man. He works for Morrison's but according to Angela, he is a fireman too and we know he was a paramedic once too." I just occurred to her that for all the times they'd seen that man, none of them even knew his name. Leaving her to her thoughts, the fireman bounded off towards the flames.
"Eragon!" Arya cried, pulling his charred body into her arms. "I was so worried!" she told him before something else occurred to her. In a lighter tone, she added, "Did you get the popcorn?"
Eragon managed to hoarsely breathe, "Yes" before he coughed, his entire body convulsing in Arya's arms with the force of it. She let him drop to his knees, not knowing quite what to do.
Planting a quick kiss on his blackened forehead, she rushed to Selena; she'd know what to do. Morzan saw this as his cue to approach.
Slapping his son on the back, he said, "Up you get son! You'll be fine! Shake it off!"
Meanwhile, the fire raged with Murtagh and the Morrison's alcohol delivering paramedic guy fuelling its growth.
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AN: I'm sorry this has taken me so long but the inspiration to write it has now returned! Yes, I have banished Jimothy (my writer's block) to sit on something I don't need right now. Yay!
Poor Murtagh. He's a bit jeopardy friendly, isn't he? Anyway, I will not take so long in updating next time, I swear. Tell me what you think.
Next Chapter: What is Murtagh's fate? (I know. It's a bit evil leaving you in the lurch about it for two chapters running but yeah…) Did Eragon save the waffles? Is the popcorn still edible? What about Thorn and Saphira? Does anyone care about them? Will Morzan get to lecture his sons about fire? Will the house be habitable?
Thanks to all my fantastic reviewers!
Sadie193: Yep, the caravan will be getting a better part soon… It's pretty obvious what I have planned.
SMARTALIENQT: You've got to wait a bit for the baby's name. I'm not quite sure what it's gonna be yet but I have some ideas…
Xlilypadsx: Yep. Sometimes almost fell sorry for Murtagh… Almost being the key word. As for the baby, all will be revealed…
AdriaDara: I hope you liked this chapter – lots of fire! Thorn may well start calling Murtagh that, you never know. Speaking of tangents, my friends are insane too and the scary part is they haven't been diagnosed with anything. Ooky!
Sukie-san: Yay! It's nice to know someone likes Murtagh the way I write him! Yeah, I didn't exactly update soon though… Sorry!
StuffRocksInnit: Yay! Thank you! I'll be sure to check out your stories next time I'm online (I'm running out of internet time typing this).
9ud9ir190ne6ad: Ah, you'll have to read the next chapter to find out… It doesn't look good… we'll see… Thank you! Poor Taggy…
Immortali: Yay! I'm glad you liked the Murtagh angst. I'm not sure about what's happening with the baby yet but I might use your name if it's a girl; it's a legendary name! Arya's father's name was Evandar I think… Something like that anyway. (Gasp!) The horror of the Romeo and Juliet coursework! It was the most boring essay I've ever written. Hopefully I'll get a good grade on it but if not, I'll know why!
deddy2die4: I'll think about your names – thanks for giving them to me! All suggestions are appreciated! If you count Angela then her and Murtagh are drawing for the sanest one in the house, although neither of them is quite sane.
Audrey33: Thank you! Yeah, the Murtagh angst bit wasn't particularly funny, I don't think this one's as funny as the first ones either but it'll start picking up next chapter, I hope.
LLAMAS WILL RULE THE WORLD: Yay! I have updated! Are you proud? I'm proud! (and hyper!) Thank you!
Wwlego: Wow! Thank you! I'm actually speechless (in a good way)!
Okay, thanks again to the reviewers and if you are reading this please review! Reviews inspire me to write more (and update quicker!)!
Click on that little review button in the corner of the screen; you know you want to…