Aderes flew closer to the flames, his ruby eyes glittering in the reflected light. Don't hover over the damn forest, Morzan said irritably, shaking his head. I'll choke to death on smoke if you do.
How close do you need to be? Aderes asked, apparently ignoring his Rider. But the dragon pulled away, landing about half a mile away from the edge of the burning woods. Is this close enough?
Morzan closed his eyes, pushing aside the pounding headache he had. No one said quitting the habit would be easy, so he'd just have to deal with it. He inhaled slowly, tasting the faint tang of smoke and burning grass and fire, letting the crisis take first priority instead of the rangy bitterness of mead, the lazy inebriation that followed—
Morzan!
Morzan shook himself as Aderes swiveled around to glare at him, feeling abashed. Okay. Focus. He could do this—put out the fire and maybe even pull off a few heroic rescues. Not that he really felt like rescuing anyone, but after all, he was a Rider of the Empire. That meant he had a Responsibility. Capital letter and all.
Carefully, he cast out a mental net, searching for anyone who was trapped in the heart of the fire. There were plenty of civilians trying to put the fire out on the far side of the forest, but no one seemed to be in imminent danger. Unless—wait.
He touched on atypical mental signatures the same second that the minds felt him—alarm seeped through for a fraction of a second before shuttering off simultaneously, locking away behind mental barriers. Morzan leaned forward in shock, and Aderes swiveled to look at him with a similar expression—Did I just feel what I thought I did? the dragon said slowly.
…Elves? Morzan said incredulously. It wasn't any human mind, that's for certain. But how is that possible? Out of Du Weldenvarden—
Evidently they're braver than we thought. Aderes unfurled his great wings, rising steadily over the blazing forest. But now that they've left their woods, they're fair game, I'd say. Are you up to it?
Selena. How long would he have to put off his search for her? He wanted her back, needed her back—he was going to start over; she was his priority—
Elves, Morzan! Aderes snapped.
Morzan clenched his teeth. Elves. Elves outside of Du Weldenvarden. What they'd be worth as hostages, as sources of information for Galbatorix to question. Slowly, unwillingly, he nodded. Selena. Selena would have to wait…
He swallowed hard, then sighed. All right. All right, then. The elves.
He'd felt two minds, maybe three at the very most—the contact had been so fleeting and quick; it was hard to tell. Morzan glanced down at the flickering woods beneath them, running through some rapid calculations as the firefighters continued to battle the flames. But I'm still going to put out the fire on the edges first, he said stubbornly to Aderes.
The dragon was silent for a moment. If you're going to capture elves, you should save your strength, he said finally, his voice carrying a rare amount of tact.The other humans will eventually put out the flames by themselves.
Morzan hesitated, and might have come up with another delaying argument when he saw the flames flicker, then abruptly collapse, vanishing into billows of steam. A great mushroom cloud rose up towards them; Aderes flapped frantically, fighting to stay above the scalding thermals.
A rush of hot, wet air exploded around them—Morzan flung up his hands, automatically shielding them, but it was unnecessary. The worst of the heat was gone—the steam was hot, but bearable. Aderes? he asked, patting the damp scales beneath him. How are you?
I'll live, the dragon said, sounding disgruntled. I'm going to try to get out of this fog. But we've lost the elves, Morzan.
Just wait, Morzan said tersely. At least the fire's out. But they can't hide forever—we'll find them.
XXXXX
Smoke. Flame...
Selena swayed on her feet, disoriented and held up by sheer willpower. She sagged, clutching at the rough bark of what seemed to be the only tree that wasn't burning, feeling the hot stickiness of blood down her side. Unbidden, Angela's prophecy came to mind—mistletoe, mistletoe, the sign of a short life.
She closed her eyes for just a second and opened them to find herself sprawled on the ground. Murtagh was nowhere to be seen, and she was going to die in these godsforsaken woods, because that's what the bones said and the stupid bones always came true, didn't they? "Murtagh," Selena said weakly, a last token call for her son. "Murtagh!"
Selena!
Selena's eyes closed with relief as she heard the answering call. It took her a moment to realize that her son had no magic and wouldn't call her Selena at any rate—the instant this realization sank in, she shot to her feet, given strength by a sudden burst of adrenaline. Wildly, she looked around her, coughing hard through the smoke—who was that? Who had called her?
A hand grabbed her hard by the waist, picking her up in one fluid moment and depositing her on some kind of moving bulk—Selena screamed, fear and rage exploding out of her at she clawed viciously at whoever was holding her. Any thought of magic fled her mind—only animal panic remained as she fought to break free.
"Malthinae!" her captor cried.
Selena went limp as invisible bands locked themselves around her, confining her into silent horror. Heart pounding frantically, she felt herself being shifted, and her eyes looked up into slanted eyes that spoke of exotic beauty even at a time like this.
An elf—no, elves.
Three of them, to be exact. Selena thrashed ineffectually against her bonds, probing at them with a failing strength and a growing hysteria. Elves, elves, elves—what had Morzan said about them? She'd never liked Galbatorix or the Empire, but the elves were the worst, he'd said—proud beings who saw humans as little more than cattle; to kill one was not a crime, as humans were lesser creatures—
Above her, her captor cried out sharply in a fluid rush of the ancient language that was beyond Selena's limited vocabulary. There was a soft hiss, and then billows of steam rose up around them, the reek of wet peat filling the air. Muzzily, Selena realized what was going on: the elf had called on the groundwater to the surface, putting out the flames. But that didn't answer the more important question—what were they doing here? And what did they plan to do with her? And where—gods, where—was her son?
Rising over the hiss of steam and the slap of the horses' hooves was a sound that was horribly familiar: the screech of a dragon. Aderes, Shruikan, it didn't matter—the Empire was here. She'd be back in Morzan's hands again, and these elves wouldn't help her—or maybe they were mercenaries, paid to bring her to him in the first place. Selena whimpered faintly, the strength going out of her at that thought. She'd failed. Having staked it all on a madcap escape, she'd tossed the dice and lost. Stabbed, bleeding, and no Murtagh…
XXXX
Arya stared down at the human woman in her lap as her eyes fluttered shut, succumbing to darkness. She's unconscious, Glenwing-elda, she said.
We have more to worry than that, Arya Svit-Kona, the older elf said darkly. The sapphire egg cannot fall back into the Forsworn's hands. Faolin!
Behind her, the taller elf pulled his gaze down from the sky, his eyebrows slanted with concentration. Morzan's wife is our second priority, he agreed somberly.The steam is hiding us for now, but it won't last very long. Glenwing and I will handle Morzan. Run, Arya. Run for the Varden, he said, the words belying the power behind them.
No! Arya said, her eyes flashing with surprise and anger. Run while you two take on the most powerful of the Forsworn? I am no coward—
You have the egg, Glenwing said sharply. Take the woman, he added, shoving Selena's unconscious form into Arya's lap. Bring them to the Varden, princess, out of Morzan's reach.
You cannot hope to handle a Forsworn and his dragon all by yourself, Arya began, shaking her head. Faolin—
You said so yourself—the egg is the first priority, Glenwing said impatiently. He glanced at Faolin, who had eyes only for Arya, and sighed inwardly. Princess—you have a duty—
He's right, Arya, Faolin said quietly. Go.
Arya looked at Faolin for a long moment, her face filled with turmoil. Be careful, she said, glancing away from her lover to Glenwing. I will meet you at the Varden. Both of you.
Faolin nodded simply, and Arya pulled her horse around sharply, riding into the darkness. Glenwing swallowed as another screech sounded, this time much closer. The steam still hid them, but it was fading as the fire waned. Glenwing took a deep breath, checking his magical reserves. He wasn't up to strength after putting the fire out, which was not the optimal condition in which to battle a dragon and his Rider. But what choice did he have…?
He glanced at Faolin and heaved another soft, inward sigh. Faolin and Arya. Glenwing was older than either of them, and had watched the relatively young Arya grow up and fall in love. But it could be debilitating, at times, like now—when she had almost forsaken her duty in favor of love.
Duty. Glenwing inhaled deeply, letting the hot steam fill his nose. He reached out, brushing Faolin's mind with his, noting with approval how the young elf put aside his longing and regret. Red scales flashed above them—the steam was thinning out, and a dragon's night vision would be able to find them without much difficulty. Wait for it, Glenwing said tensely. When I give the signal, Faolin—
XXX
I see them, Aderes said sharply. He inhaled deeply and was about to let loose with a resounding spurt of flame when Morzan jerked hard on his reins, pulling the dragon up short.
They just put the fire out, the Rider said. Don't set it into flames again!
Aderes growled under his breath and might have said more if Morzan hadn't let loose a jet of red magic—wyrdfire of some sort, flashing from his gedwey ignasia to arc down toward the two figures, seated on pale white horses, below. White light flew up to meet it, resulting in a brilliant burst of sparks. Aderes reeled back, his vision dancing with bright flashing points even after the initial explosion faded.
Morzan cursed in his mind, and Aderes followed suit when he saw what his Rider was cursing at. Instead of just two shadowy pale figures, there now ten, running amok in the woods, fleeing in every direction in pairs. Morzan reached out, and Aderes felt with him the same solid barrier blocking every mind of every shadow—no way to find out which pair was real, who were the real elves and not just shadows—
No, Morzan said, sounding frustrated. No, damn it! Dive, Aderes!
Aderes angled his wings and dived, drawing closer to the canopy. Morzan closed his eyes, rapping out a rapid flow of magic out loud in the ancient language. Keep them alive! Aderes thought frantically as listened, hearing the dark magic embedded in the works. We need them alive—
They will be alive, Morzan growled. Just the way I want them to be—
He spoke the last command, releasing the spell. Centering from where Aderes hovered and spreading out in a neat circle, the magic paralyzed every living animal and being within a short radius, encompassing all the shadows. Aderes watched the shadows carefully, noting as two of them froze and collapsed, while the other eight continued to flee, running to nowhere. Morzan hissed softly, and Aderes could taste the satisfaction in his mind that finally something had gone right.
We'll bring them back to the emperor, the Rider said, sounding lighter than he had in months. And once back in royal favor, Aderes, I'll find Selena and Murtagh. And I'll keep my promises. We'll be back to a family, and it'll work out this time—
Well, don't gloat just yet, Aderes said gruffly, trying hard to mask his own satisfaction. Let's wrap these up and bring them back first, shall we? Picking his way through the burned woodland, he settled down carefully on ashy, wet ground.
A few yards away, the frozen figures of two horses and two elves lay on the ground—the only motion was the faint rise and fall of their chests, indicating that they were still alive in their paralyzed forms. Morzan dismounted slowly, turning to grin infectiously at Aderes. We did it, he said, sounding relieved. It all worked out.
Finally, Aderes agreed affectionately. Well, it certainly took long enough, didn't it?
XXXX
Morzan was still smiling when the magic broke loose. Glenwing was paralyzed, to be sure, but that didn't stop his mind from voicing the commands that he wanted. The Forsworn appeared in Glenwing's peripheral vision, and the elf took his chance—frozen, unable to move, he poured all his remaining strength into the words of the ancient language, screaming them out with his mind as loud as he could.
The terrible screeching of Aderes filled the air as Morzan wavered, and then collapsed, sprawling across the wet mud. Glenwing felt Faolin's mind acknowledge his deed, savoring his pyrrhic victory. Morzan—a threat no longer. Glenwing took a second to let the relief flood him, buoyed on a sea of pride.
But only a second, as Aderes sought revenge.
XXXX
…I –still- have no plot. So um yeah.
Also, this will probably be the last update for maybe two weeks at the very least, because I want to read Brisingr before continuing with any story, even the AU ones (CfE & IP) and especially VF. Hey, Amazon shipping takes a looong time when you live overseas! –mutters under breath-
I hope this chap was okay, anyway. It's a bit short, but I think the events kind of make up for that, doesn't it? –ish hopeful- If not, well, I'll try to get out a longer one next time. Also, I can't remember details about the whole Arya/Faolin/Glenwing trio. Faolin and Arya were in love, right?
Mistress-of-Misery: Er…oops. XD I just read the last part of your review. Well, maybe there'll be a miracle. Or something. You never know. I dunno, I wrote this chapter with the vague idea of killing Arya, but the story just kinda went its own way. -.-; Again, no plot! I'm writing this completely spontaneously. XD
Flyingxdragonx123: Give a child to Brom to be raised...you mean, like, instead of Garrow, Eragon was given to Brom? That –would- be an interesting idea. Would Brom raise Eragon in the traditions of the ancient Riders, or keep him in ignorance of his heritage? Hrrrrm. Have you started on a story along those lines yet?
Canadian-Girl14: Brom and Roran get pushed back to next chapter because I like this one ending where it is, lol. XD But Roran's pretty much guaranteed a miracle recovery because Brom's like, the 133337 former Rider and all. You know you can't fail when you've got all that. XD
Eryl: I haven't decided what happens to Murtagh. I don't –think- he's dead, but at the very least he would be paralysed too since Morzan's spell would've hit everybody in the nearby vicinity. But as to his actual fate? That has yet to be decided/written/made up on the spot. X.x
Mrs.Morzansson: Do you prefer Mrs.Morzansson or BlueXOrangutang? XD I noticed the name change, and then how you changed it back later. We all know Murtagh's awesome, why change? Yeah, the alert was a little iffy, wasn't it? Glad you liked the chap!
Review! –poofs in a puff of smoke-