The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

Aftermath

That silence didn't last, nor could it. The sound of stone crashing against stone caused my eyes to fly open, though the cacophony was muffled. After the screeching noise of the spell my father had cast, it would take some time for my hearing to recover. I looked up and saw Eragon still holding onto me tightly. Murtagh stood behind him, crafting a spell to release Nasuada from her chains. They fell away from her wrists and clattered to the stone.

Tabby,  Amera's voice came through, clear as day inside my mind, we must keep moving. Can you stand? The wound Léod had inflicted in my side was incredibly painful, but with Eragon's help I was able to stand up. I looked around at all of my companions.

Whatever spell Eragon had managed to cast had protected all of us from the blast. Other than the wounds we'd sustained beforehand, everyone seemed unharmed. Amera and the other dragons broke apart to reveal what was left of the receiving room. A giant crater, still glowing white hot, had taken the place of where my father was standing. Pieces of the ceiling were falling to the floor, smashing apart upon impact and causing the air to fill with dust. I looked at the lifeless form of the giant black dragon, but saw that most of his skin and flesh had been stripped away from the force of the blast, and his bones had been charred black as his hide. As for my brother... there was nothing left of him but a pile of dark grey ash. I had to look away when I felt my heart lurch in my chest.

"Let's get moving, Tabby," Eragon said from behind me after he'd made sure Elva and Nasuada were strong enough to move on their own. I nodded quickly and replaced Manin in the sheath upon my hip.

Are you hurt? I asked Amera, giving her a quick once-over to check for any injuries she may have sustained.

Just a few cuts, she replied, rolling her shoulders slightly. Nothing that cannot wait. Your injuries are far worse than mine. I assured her I would live long enough for us to get out of here and then stole a quick glance at Murtagh. He returned my gaze with a look that promised we would speak later, and that satisfied me for now. Without further ado, we all began to make our way out of the receiving room.

The wound in my side pained me greatly, and I was relying on Amera to keep me standing. She was moving quickly, but I could tell she was favoring her left leg, and that she hadn't been completely truthful with me about her wounds. A giant piece of the ceiling came hurtling down towards us, and I had to jump out of the way before it hit me. Dust flew into the air, clouding my vision, but I found my way back to Amera and she helped to lead me out of the room by following Saphira and Thorn's scents.

When we finally exited through the now-ruined doors, the dust cleared the air and I was able to see again. I found that my hearing was returning as well. Arya suddenly stopped right in front of me, drawing Eragon's attention.

"The egg! And the other Eldunarí!" she cried. "We cannot leave them here!" Eragon looked hesitant, but he quickly nodded after a moment's thought. Arya turned to Murtagh and he gave her the information required for her to locate them, and then she ran, disappearing through a doorway on the right.

The ground beneath us was rumbling slightly, and more dust was shaking down from the ceiling. It seemed that the blast had disrupted some of the structural supports of the castle, and it was like to come down on us at any moment.

"We must keep moving," Eragon said darkly, though I knew he did not wish to leave Arya alone in this place. I nodded quickly and clambered up into Amera's saddle, feeling hot blood trickle down my side. Eragon mounted Saphira with Elva in front of him, and Murtagh was helping Nasuada up onto Thorn's back. Eragon hesitated only a moment longer before Saphira began to move towards one of the tunnels that was now exposed by the blast. I could see daylight shining dimly through the haze at the end. "What of the traps?" Eragon asked Murtagh, but he shook his head and indicated that it was safe to continue on down the hallway.