The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

One Last Time

"Murtagh..." I breathed, not knowing what else to say. He silenced me with his lips, pressing them gently against my own. I closed my eyes and let myself get lost in this one moment, savoring every touch I could get of him. When I cracked my eyes open, I could once again see the auras around me, his and Thorn's red ones shining brightly in the dark night. But then I saw my own aura, a deep royal purple, floating out in front of me. Its tendrils stroked at the air, little glimmers of white light fading into the darkness off of the bands of energy. And finally, it latched onto Murtagh's, entwining itself with the red, and seeping down into the black. His eyes flew open, and I knew that he could feel it too. We looked at one another for a moment, our breathing heavy. And then our lips met again, harder this time and with a greater sense of urgency, my aura pushing deeper into the blackness that surrounded his heart. At that moment, I felt like we were one soul, split between two bodies. My energy was permeating into his, but his was also joining with mine. We were together, truly and deeply, and it was the most surreal and incredible experience of my life. But as with all good things that happened in my life, it had to come to an end.

Slowly, we pulled away from each other. His hand left my cheek and I immediately missed its warmth. The sadness in his eyes deepened as he took a step back. "I love you, Tabatha," he breathed quietly. "I have never loved anyone as I have loved you. I am sorry for everything."

I didn't know what else to say. There was so much that I wanted to let out, but I couldn't formulate the words. "I love you too," was all I could think to say, and it seemed to be enough. He gave a small smile, stroked my cheek one last time, and then stepped away.

"You should go." I gave him one final nod, and then walked back towards the edge of the wall. I peered over the side, paling slightly at the steep drop before me. Swinging one leg after the other onto the top of the wall, I gave him one final glance.

"We'll be together when this is done, Murtagh. I swear it." And with that, I edged my way down, finding the sporadic footholds and handholds, until my feet finally touched solid ground again. When they did, I felt the buzzing and spinning in my head stop. I had done it; I had seen him one last time. That was what I had needed, and though I mourned for the loss, I knew that I would be able to make it now. I could clear my head and focus on the task that lay before me. I would defeat my father, and my brother, and I would free Murtagh and Thorn, no matter the cost.

I had pulled my hood back up over my face to reenter the encampment, making sure to dodge any passersby that unwittingly almost ran straight into me. There was a flash of violet and blue scales as Amera and Saphira landed on the other side of the camp, their enormous bodies causing the ground to shudder. When I got back to my tent, Eragon was still fast asleep, and I didn't have the heart to wake him to reclaim my cot, so I decided to let him be. He probably needed the sleep desperately. I continued walking through the deserted camp, inspecting the auras of the living beings around me. I found it interesting that the auras of the sleeping people were all white, but I supposed it made sense. Sleep was the time that we were at our most peaceful, and white was the only color I could attribute to that feeling. As I went from tent to tent, I saw a soft yellow glow coming from the end of the camp, and I immediately knew who that was.

I went up to Nasuada's pavilion and pushed the fabric of her tent back, simultaneously taking off my hood to reveal myself. She jumped at the sight of me, placing a palm on her chest. There were still lingerings of her aura visible, and I could see it pulsating rapidly with her heartbeat. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Tabatha! You nearly scared me half to death!"

"Sorry," I shrugged sheepishly. Her guards outside the tent seemed equally as surprised to see me, as they all rushed in, their weapons drawn.

"No," she barked, holding up a hand, "put down your weapons. This woman is no threat to me. Besides, if she was, Elva would have sensed it long before any of you." I cocked my head at her in wonderment, before a tiny shadow shifted by her side. I looked down to see a child hiding behind her skirts, as it would with its mother, though it was clear to me that this was certainly not the case. The child's skin was pale and sickly looking, her hair dark and falling in waves over her shoulders, but what struck me most were her eyes: they were a piercing violet, just like mine.

"And who's this?" I asked, tilting my head to try and see her better. She stuck her head out and eyed me cautiously.

"This is Elva," Nasuada replied, gazing down at her tiny form. "She is my bodyguard."

"Bodyguard?" I asked incredulously. "But how can that be? She's just a child!"

"I am no child." The voice that pierced the room belonged to an older woman, its tone dark and full of the pain of life experience, but I was almost sure it had come out of the child's mouth. I gazed at her quizzically, and she just stared back blankly with those unsettling eyes. I wondered if that was how I looked to other people, though no one had ever said as much to me.

"You are a strange little creature, aren't you?" I said, peering down at her still, though I wanted very much to look away. But I found myself transfixed by her violet stare.

"Eragon unwittingly laid a curse upon her when she was just a baby, back in Farthen Dûr," Nasuada explained, turning her gaze back to me. "She is endowed with certain... strange abilities." I could tell she was treading lightly with her words, though I wasn't sure why. And why had Eragon never mentioned this to me before!

"And what abilities would those be?" I asked, the question directed at Elva herself.

"You are an odd one too," she responded, completely ignoring my question. I flinched back a bit in surprise at her voice, its edge as sharp as a knife. "I have very mixed feelings about you. I do not perceive you as a threat right now, but I feel that you will bring great sorrow to those that you love, and soon." I paled at her words, not really knowing how to respond. What could I say to that?

"Come now, Elva, let her be," Nasuada chided this woman within a child's body. "You obviously came here for a reason, Tabatha. What is it I can help you with?" I took my time answering her, still trying to shake the unsettling feeling the witch-child was giving me.

"I, uh... I just wanted to talk to you a little more about our plan to enter the city," I finally stammered out. "But it can wait until the morning. I've suddenly realized I'm very tired. Good evening to you." I bowed abruptly and left the tent as quickly as I could, just trying to escape the foreboding feeling that hung over the pavilion.

As I rushed back to my tent, not really caring where I was going to sleep tonight, I felt Amera's consciousness pressing gently at the back of my mind. Tabby, she said, her voice like a whisper, you'd better come here quickly.

Is everything alright? I asked, dread suddenly filling my heart.

I don't know, she replied quickly. I found her at the edge of the camp, staring out over the flattened land, her large head poised erect and her body perfectly still. If I hadn't known any better, I would have thought she was a statue.

What is it? I said, coming to a stop at her side.

Look. I followed her gaze over the grasslands, but it was difficult to see in the darkness of this moonless night. I reached into the back of my mind to siphon a little of my power. Suddenly, a form started to take shape, the aura surrounding it a pale green, like that of the soft grass in the meadow outside of Carvahall where Eragon and I had once met every day. The man—for I could tell now that it was—came closer, striding towards the camp purposefully. As he drew closer, Amera let out a threatening growl. The way he walked, there was something somewhat familiar about him...

With a gasp, I suddenly realized who it was. My suspicions were only confirmed when he entered the light from the torches encircling the camp. The breath caught in my throat, and I could think of nothing to say, I was so in shock. Nothing except for his name.

"Evander..."