The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

Flight To Safety

Murtagh

My heart beat faster as I folded the letter against my chest. Whatever he wanted to say to me, it must have been very important for him to risk sending me a note like this. I looked about my room for somewhere to hide it until the servants lit the fire tonight, and just settled for folding it up beneath my breeches and tunics in the trunk. I looked outside the window to gauge how much free time I had left before the sun sank below the horizon, and figured that I only had a couple of hours left. Quickly, I stole out of my room and hurried down the tower steps. The dragon hold was in the Northeast Tower, all the way across the castle, but the fastest way was to cut through the gardens and then down through the kitchens. At least that way, only the servants would see me. Hopefully, I could slip past the guards that patrolled the halls, but I knew that Murtagh's tower was left unguarded. After all, who would try to slip into a tower that housed a dragon?

The journey was uneventful, as I caught the hall guards in the middle of a change of watch, and I hurried up the stone steps. It was a long way to the top, and took me at least five minutes before I came into the huge open space of the dragon hold. I'd never seen the inside of a beehive, but I had to imagine that this was what it looked like. There were circular openings dotting the sides of the walls almost up to the very top where it curved over to make the cone. They varied in size, obviously to accommodate the dragons that used to live here, but now they all stood empty, unused for decades. But there was one cave, on the very bottom row, where I could see the soft glow of a dragon's red scales reflecting in the sunlight. I hurried over to the opening and stepped up into the cave.

It was much larger than I'd thought it would be; Thorn had ample amounts of room to move around. In front of the empty hearth there were bearskins thrown down, and a red high-backed chair was angled near it. Shelves full of books lined the wall, and on the opposite side of the room was a huge bed covered in more skins. And directly opposite from me was another huge opening in the wall that led to a spacious landing where Thorn was currently basking in the dying sun. Murtagh stood with his back to me, hands upon his hips, and staring out over the sprawling city. Quietly, I crossed the room to stand by his side, but he didn't seem surprised at my appearance. I supposed he sensed me coming all the way from the base of the tower.

I took a moment to survey the view from the landing, and found my breath catching in my throat. "It's so beautiful up here," I breathed. "You must have the best view in the whole city."

"The one light in this dismal place," he replied quietly, glancing at me swiftly. "Aside from you, of course." I couldn't help but smirk at that.

"What is it you wanted to speak to me about?" I asked. He turned then to look at me.

Tentatively, he reached out a hand to grasp mine where it hung at my side, squeezing it gently. "I just wanted to make sure you're prepared. I know the Count has been corresponding with Master Tobias, and it's a sound plan. There's an alleyway behind the South Tower that is virtually invisible to the guards. It will allow you to scale the wall; on the other side there's a wooded area where you can hide until they stop looking for you. The elves enchanted it with magic long ago, so Galbatorix won't be able to scry you, and the magic will cause the soldiers to become lost and confused. You'll be safe there until it's clear to head back to the Varden."

"How long must I wait?"

"A month or so," he said. "But only travel by night, and steer clear of the towns. You're too easily recognized."

"I will."

He stared at me for a long moment after that, his grey eyes alight with a fire I'd seen only once before. Was this why he'd really brought me here? "Tabatha," he began slowly, "I have to know before you leave... Have you forgiven me? I forgave you a long time ago, but I need to know that you've done the same." I bit my bottom lip out of nervousness. This was it. I was going to have to make my choice. I remembered the kiss I'd just shared with Evander, and how I felt it was lacking in some way. And then I knew what I had to do.