The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

Anger Management

"Why?" he asked, dragging out the word in a sickeningly honeyed tone. "Are you scared, Tabatha?" I could feel my face growing hot with anger, and it was only because Eragon shoved a hand in my chest that I didn't jump across the fire and rip his arrogant little head off.

"I'm not afraid of you," I seethed through a clenched jaw, fighting in vain against Eragon's firm grip on my arm.

"Then fight me," he growled threateningly, egging me on further. My anger only grew, and I thought my head was going to burst. I only grew more incensed when he had the gall to laugh at me, throwing back his head.

"You asked for it," I snapped harshly. Eragon tightened his grip on my arm and pulled me back down to the ground when I went to reach for my sword.

"Not tonight," he said hastily. "Wait until tomorrow. Right now, we need to get some rest." I glared menacingly at Murtagh, but finally consented, albeit begrudgingly.

"Fine," I growled, jerking my arm away from him and stalking over to my bedroll by Saphira. She snorted slightly at me.

'Boys will be boys,' she said calmly, trying to console me.

'Yes, well I'm going to show these boys exactly what I'm made of. They have no idea what they've gotten into,' I replied, rubbing her snout affectionately. I crawled beneath my blankets and turned my back on the two of them. They continued talking for a while, recounting their glorious battle over and over again, but when they finally decided to get some rest themselves, Eragon laid down right next to me.

"This isn't one of your best ideas, Eragon. You know that, right?"

"It'll be good for the both of you," he replied. "But I'll tell you, he is very strong. He may be big, but he's also quick. And watch out for that finishing move of his as well. It caught me off guard and―"

"Eragon!" I snapped, cutting him off. "I know how to fight. I can take care of myself, thanks."

He smirked slightly at me, which only served to irritate me more. "I know that, but I'm just trying to help," he replied. Why did these men underestimate me so?

"I've got this under control." I turned away from him and slowly settled into sleep, and as I drifted off I had to wonder, do I really?

~*~

The traveling for that day was relatively easy, but there was a knot firmly situated in my stomach that wouldn't go away. Although I was loathe to admit it, I was nervous. I'd seen Murtagh fight the night before, and he was skilled, to say the least; I had the utmost confidence in my abilities, but as night drew closer, I was beginning to wonder if I could actually best him. He was half again my size, and was certainly stronger, though I thought that I would probably beat him with my speed.

When we finally stopped for the night, Murtagh started the fire as I prepared myself. Slowly and deliberately, I unsheathed my hand-and-a-half sword that Brom had given me. Our skills would be matched even more tightly since we had the same type of blade. I slipped on my weathered leather gloves, tightening my grip on the hilt. Eragon came over and blocked the edges of my blade with magic. When I looked closely, I could just barely see a shimmering blue light going all the way around the rim of the blade. As long as the weight didn't feel any different, it wouldn't bother me. Eragon did the same for Murtagh; he swung his sword in wide arcs off to his sides, the blade making a loud whoosh as it cut through the air.

"Try not to kill each other," Eragon said pointedly, eyeing us both. I settled into my stance, ignoring his little quip and never taking my eyes off of Murtagh.

"Don't hold back," I growled at him as he settled into his own stance.

"Wasn't planning on it," he replied in an equally as threatening tone. We both went silent, just watching each other and the subtleties of the other's movements. The intensity with which he stared was captivating; he kept a careful watch on the way my body was moving, trying to flesh out exactly what I would do next. I studied him too, remembering all of the things Brom had taught me. His sword arm twitched slightly, the point of the blade angling toward me. I could see the muscles in his arms tense, and I knew that an assault was coming.