“I … shall … not … give … in,” said Galbatorix. Behind the king, Eragon saw Arya-who was closer to the throne than Eragon-hesitate and look back at them. Then she sprinted past the dais and ran with Saphira toward Shruikan.
Thorn struggled to his feet and followed.
His face contorted like a madman’s, Galbatorix strode toward Eragon and swung Vrangr at him.
Eragon rolled to the side and heard the sword strike the stone by his head. He kept rolling for another few feet, then pushed himself into a standing position. Only the energy from the Eldunari allowed him to remain upright.
Shouting, Galbatorix charged at him, and Eragon deflected the king’s clumsy blow. Their swords rang like bells, sharp and clear amid the roars of dragons and the whispers of the dead.
Saphira leaped high into the air and batted at Shruikan’s enormous snout, bloodying it, then dropped back to the floor. He swung a paw at her, talons extended, and she hopped backward, half spreading her wings.
Eragon ducked a savage crosscut and stabbed at Galbatorix’s left armpit. To his astonishment, he scored a hit, wetting the tip of Brisingr with the king’s blood.
A spasm in Galbatorix’s arm threw off his next strike, and they ended up with their swords locked at the hilt, both striving to push each other off balance. The king’s face was twisted almost beyond recognition, and there were tears on his cheeks.
A sheet of flame erupted over their heads, and the air grew hot around them.
Somewhere the children were screaming.
Eragon’s wounded leg gave way, and he fell back onto his hands and feet, bruising the fingers with which he held Brisingr.
He expected the king to be upon him within a second, but instead Galbatorix remained where he was, swaying from side to side.
“No!” cried the king. “I didn’t.…” He looked at Eragon and shouted, “Make it stop!”
Eragon shook his head even while he scrambled back onto his feet.
Pain shot through his left arm, and he looked over to see Saphira with a bloody gash on her corresponding foreleg. On the other side of the room, Thorn sank his teeth into Shruikan’s tail, causing the black dragon to snarl and turn on him. While Shruikan’s attention was directed elsewhere, Saphira sprang upward and landed atop his neck, close to the base of his bony skull. She hooked her claws under his scales and then bit down on his neck between two of the spikes that ran along his spine.
Shruikan let out a rumbling, savage yowl and began to thrash about even more.
Once again Galbatorix ran at Eragon, slashing at him as he did. Eragon blocked one blow, then another, and then took a hit on his ribs, which nearly caused him to black out.
“Make it stop,” said Galbatorix, his tone more pleading than threatening. “The pain …”
Another yowl, this one more frantic than the last, came from Shruikan. Behind the king, Eragon saw Thorn clinging to Shruikan’s neck, opposite Saphira. The combined weight of the two dragons pulled down Shruikan’s head until it was close to the floor. However, the black dragon was still too large and strong for them to subdue. Moreover, his neck was so thick, Eragon did not think either Saphira or Thorn would be able to hurt him much with their teeth.
Then, like a shadow flitting through a forest, Eragon saw Arya dart out from behind a pillar and run toward the dragons. In her left hand, the green Dauthdaert glowed with its usual starry nimbus.
Shruikan saw her coming and jerked his body, trying to dislodge Saphira and Thorn. When they remained affixed, he snarled and opened his jaws and painted the area in front of him with a torrent of fire.
Arya dove forward, and for a moment, Eragon lost sight of her behind the wall of flames. Then she came into view again, not far from where Shruikan’s head hung above the floor. The ends of her hair were on fire, but she seemed not to notice.
With three bounding steps, she leaped onto Shruikan’s left forefoot, and from there flung herself toward the side of his head, trailing fire like a comet. Uttering a shout that could be heard throughout the throne room, Arya threw the Dauthdaert into the center of Shruikan’s great, gleaming ice-blue eye and buried the full length of the spear within his skull.
Shruikan bellowed and twitched, and then he slowly fell sideways, liquid fire pouring from his mouth.
Saphira and Thorn jumped clear a moment before the gigantic black dragon struck the floor.
Pillars cracked; chunks of stone fell from the ceiling and shattered. A number of lanterns broke, and gouts of some molten substance dribbled out of them.
Eragon nearly fell as the room shuddered. He had not been able to see what had happened to Arya, but he feared that Shruikan’s bulk might have crushed her.
“Eragon!” shouted Elva. “Duck!”
He ducked, and he heard a whistle of wind as Galbatorix’s white blade swung over his lowered back.
Rising, Eragon lunged forward …
… and stabbed Galbatorix in the center of his stomach, even as he had stabbed Murtagh.
The king grunted, and then he stepped back, pulling himself off Eragon’s blade. He touched the wound with his free hand and stared at the blood on the tips of his fingers. Then he looked back at Eragon and said, “The voices … the voices are terrible. I can’t bear it.…” He closed his eyes, and fresh tears streamed down his cheeks. “Pain … so much pain. So much grief.… Make it stop! Make it stop!”
“No,” said Eragon. Elva joined him, as did Saphira and Thorn from the other end of the room. With them, Eragon was relieved to see, was Arya, burned and bloodied, but otherwise unhurt.
Galbatorix’s eyes snapped open-round and rimmed with an unnatural amount of white-and he stared into the distance, as if Eragon and those before him no longer existed. He shook and trembled and his jaw worked, but no sound came from his throat.
Two things happened at once, then. Elva let out a shriek and fainted, and Galbatorix shouted, “Waise neiat!”
Be not.
Eragon had no time for words. Again drawing upon the Eldunari, he cast a spell to drag himself, Saphira, Arya, Elva, Thorn, Murtagh, and the two children on the dais over to the block of stone where Nasuada was chained. And he also cast a spell to stop or deflect whatever might harm them.
They were only halfway to the block when Galbatorix vanished in a flash of light brighter than the sun. Then all went black and silent as Eragon’s protective spell took effect.
DEATH THROES
Roran sat on a litter that the elves had placed upon one of the many blocks of stone just inside the ruined gate of Uru’baen, giving orders to the warriors in front of him.
Four of the elves had carried him out of the city, where they could use magic without fear of Galbatorix’s enchantments distorting their spells. They had healed his dislocated arm and broken ribs, as well as the other wounds Barst had inflicted, although they warned him that it would be weeks before his bones were as strong as before, and they insisted that he remain off his feet for the rest of the day.
Likewise, he had insisted upon rejoining the battle. The elves argued with him, but he told them, “Either you take me back or I’ll walk there myself.” Their displeasure had been obvious, but at last they agreed and carried him to where he now sat looking over the square.
As Roran expected, the soldiers had lost their will to fight with the death of their commander, and the Varden were able to push them back up the narrow streets. By the time Roran returned, the Varden had already cleared a third or more of the city and were fast approaching the citadel.
They had lost many-the dead and dying littered the street, and the gutters ran red with blood-but with their recent advances, a renewed sense of victory gripped the army; Roran could see it in the faces of the men and dwarves and Urgals, though not the elves, who maintained a cold fury at the death of their queen.
The elves worried Roran; he had seen them kill soldiers who were trying to surrender, cutting them down without the slightest compunction. Once loosed, their bloodlust seemed to hav
e few bounds.
Soon after Barst fell, King Orrin had taken a bolt to the chest while storming a guardhouse deeper within the city. It was a serious wound, one that even the elves, apparently, were unsure they could heal. The king’s soldiers had taken Orrin back to the camp, and so far, Roran had heard no word of his fate.
Although he could not fight, Roran could still give orders. Of his own accord, he had started to organize the army from the rear, gathering up stray warriors and sending them on missions throughout Uru’baen-the first being to capture the rest of the catapults along the walls. When he received a piece of information that he thought Jormundur or Orik or Martland Redbeard or any of the other captains within the army ought to know, now he had runners seek them out among the buildings and convey the news.
“-and if you see any soldiers near the big domed building by the market, be sure to tell Jormundur that as well,” he said to the thin, high-shouldered swordsman who stood in front of him.
“Yes, sir,” said the man, and the knob in his neck bobbed as he swallowed.
Roran stared for a moment, fascinated by the movement, then he waved and said, “Go.”
As the man trotted away, Roran frowned and looked over the peaked roofs of the houses toward the citadel at the base of the overhanging shelf.
Where are you? he wondered. Nothing had been seen of Eragon or those with him since they entered the stronghold, and the length of their absence worried Roran. He could think of numerous explanations for the delay, but none boded well. The most benign was that Galbatorix was simply hiding, and that Eragon and his companions were having to search for the king. But after seeing the might of Shruikan during the previous night, Roran could not imagine that Galbatorix would flee from his enemies.
If his worst fears had come to pass, then the Varden’s victories would be short-lived, and Roran knew it was unlikely that he or any of the other warriors within their army would live through the day.
One of the men he had sent off earlier-a bare-headed, sandy-haired archer with a ruddy spot in the center of each cheek-ran out of a street to Roran’s right. The archer stopped in front of the block of stone and ducked his head while he panted for breath.
“You found Martland?” Roran asked.
The archer nodded again, his hair flopping over his glistening forehead.
“And you gave him my message?”
“Sir, yes sir. Martland told me to tell you that”-he paused for breath-“the soldiers have retreated from the baths, but now they’ve barricaded themselves in a hall close to the southern wall.”
Roran shifted on the litter and a pang ran through his newly healed arm. “What of the wall towers between the baths and the granaries? Have they been secured yet?”
“Two of them; we’re still fighting for the rest. Martland convinced a few elves to go and help, though. He also-”
A muffled roar from within the stone hill interrupted the man.
The archer blanched, save for the spots of color on his cheeks, which appeared even brighter and redder than before, like daubs of paint on the skin of a corpse. “Sir, is that-”
“Shh!” Roran cocked his head, listening. Only Shruikan could have roared that loud.
For a few moments, they heard nothing else of note. Then another roar sounded from inside the citadel, and Roran thought he could make out other, fainter noises, although he was not sure what they were.
Throughout the area in front of the ruined gate, men, elves, dwarves, and Urgals paused and looked toward the citadel.
Another roar, even louder than the last, rang forth.
Roran clutched the edge of the litter, his body rigid. “Kill him,” he muttered. “Kill the bastard.”
A vibration, subtle but noticeable, passed through the city, as if a great weight had struck the ground. With it, Roran heard what he thought was something breaking.
Then silence settled over the city, and every second that passed felt longer than the last.
“… Do you think he needs our help?” the archer asked in a soft voice.
“There’s nothing we can do for them,” said Roran, keeping his eyes fixed on the citadel.
“Couldn’t the elves-”
The ground rumbled and shook; then the front of the citadel exploded outward in a wall of white and yellow flame so bright, Roran saw the bones within the archer’s neck and head, his flesh like a red gooseberry held before a candle.
Roran grabbed the archer and rolled off the edge of the stone block, pulling the other man with him.
A blast of sound struck them as they fell. It felt as if spikes were being driven into Roran’s ears. He screamed, but he could not hear himself-nor, after the initial clap of thunder, could he hear anything else. The cobblestones bucked underneath them, a cloud of dust and debris hurtled over them, blotting out the sun, and a massive wind tore at Roran’s clothes.
The dust forced Roran to squeeze his eyes shut. All he could do was cling to the archer and wait for the upheaval to subside. He tried to take a breath, but the heated wind snatched the air from his lips and nose before he could fill his lungs. Something struck his head, and he felt his helmet fly off.
The shaking went on and on, but at last the ground grew still again, and Roran opened his eyes, afraid of what he would see.
The air was gray and dim; objects past a few hundred feet were lost in the haze. Small chunks of wood and stone rained from the sky, along with flakes of ash. A piece of timber that lay across the street from him-part of a flight of stairs the elves had broken when they destroyed the gate-was burning. The heat of the explosion had already charred the beam along its full length. The warriors who had been standing in the open now lay flat on the ground, some still moving, others clearly dead.
Roran glanced at the archer. The man had bitten through his bottom lip; blood coated his chin.
They helped each other off the ground, and Roran looked toward where the citadel had been. He could see nothing but gray darkness. Eragon! Could he and Saphira have survived the explosion? Could anyone who had been close to the heart of such an inferno?
Roran opened his mouth several times, trying to clear his ears-which rang and hurt badly-but to no avail. When he touched his right ear, his fingers came away bloody.
“Can you hear me?” he shouted at the archer, the words nothing but a vibration in his mouth and throat.
The archer frowned and shook his head.
A spate of dizziness caused Roran to lean over and prop himself against the block of stone. As he waited for his balance to return, he thought of the shelf hanging over them, and it suddenly occurred to him that the whole city might be in danger.
We have to leave before it falls, he thought. He spat blood and dirt onto the cobblestones. Then he looked in the direction of the citadel again. The dust still hid it. And grief clutched at his heart.
Eragon!
A SEA OF NETTLES
Darkness, and in that darkness, silence.
Eragon felt himself slide to a stop, then … nothing. He could breathe, but the air was stale and lifeless, and when he tried to move, the strain upon his spell increased.
He touched the minds of everyone around him, checking that he had managed to save them all. Elva was unconscious, and Murtagh nearly so, but they were alive, as were the rest.
It was the first time Eragon had come into contact with Thorn’s mind. As he did, the red dragon seemed to recoil. His thoughts felt darker, more contorted than Saphira’s, but there was a strength and nobility to him that impressed Eragon.
We cannot maintain this spell for much longer, said Umaroth, his voice tense.
You have to, said Eragon. If you don’t, we’ll die.
Seconds more passed.
Without warning, light flooded Eragon’s eyes, and an onslaught of noise assailed his ears.
He winced and blinked while his eyes adjusted.
Through the smoke-filled air, he saw a huge glowing crater where Galbatorix had been standing. The incandescent
stone pulsed like living flesh as breaths of air wafted over its surface. The ceiling glowed as well, and the sight unnerved Eragon; it was as if they were standing inside a giant crucible.
The air smelled like the taste of iron.
The walls of the room were cracked, and the pillars, carvings, and lanterns had been pulverized. At the back of the chamber lay Shruikan’s corpse, much of the flesh stripped from his soot-blackened bones. At the front, the explosion had shattered the stone walls, as well as the walls beyond for hundreds of feet, exposing a veritable warren of tunnels and rooms. The beautiful golden doors that had guarded the entrance to the chamber had been blown off their hinges, and Eragon thought he glimpsed daylight at the far end of the quarter-mile-long hallway that led to the outside.
As he got to his feet, he noticed that his ward was still drawing strength from the dragons, but not so quickly as before.
A piece of stone the size of a house fell from the ceiling and landed next to Shruikan’s skull, where it split into a dozen pieces. Around them, more cracks spread through the walls, ominous shrieks and groans sounding from every side.
Arya went to the two children, grabbed the boy around his waist, and climbed with him up onto Saphira’s back. Once there, she pointed at the girl and said to Eragon, “Throw her to me!”
Eragon lost a second as he struggled to sheathe Brisingr. Then he grabbed the girl and tossed her to Arya, who caught her in outstretched arms.
Eragon turned and sidestepped Elva as he hurried over to Nasuada. “Jierda!” he said, placing a hand on the manacles that held her to the block of gray stone. The spell had no apparent effect, so he ended it quickly before it consumed too much energy.
Nasuada made an urgent sound, and he pulled the knotted cloth out of her mouth. “You have to find the key!” she said. “Galbatorix’s jailer has it on him.”
“We’ll never find him in time!” Eragon drew Brisingr again and swung at the chain connected to the manacle around her left hand. The sword bounced off the links with a harsh reverberation, leaving not so much as a scratch on the dull metal. He swung a second time, but the chain was impervious to his blade.
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