Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Eight: Luminescent

"You went too far! He wasn't strong enough for this." A dwarf barked at Baldy.

"He'll live, that's all I needed.

"What did you find?" Baldy hesitated. "Well is he to be trusted?"

"He is not your enemy." Eragon let out a deep breath before the bald man turned to me.

"Now it's your turn." I stiffened at the glee in his voice.

"Alethea! Hide everything important. You, Murtagh, my heritage. He can't know."

"Do not fear my Rider. I will protect those memories." I let out a sigh at Alethea's response, mine and Murtagh's secrets were safe. Saphira let out a growl when the bald man approached me. He gave her a side glance before returning his attention to me.

I let out a small gasp as the bald man dived harshly into my mind and started to rifle through my memories; he wasn't gentle about it at all. He poked hard at the memories of my childhood. I grew irritated by his harshness. I pushed him back out of my memories and my head.

"You will let me complete the testing." He hissed at me. I returned a glare.

"Then be gentle!"

His eyes darkened, and he forced his way into my mind again, but this time, he prodded with so much force I started to see stars. My legs shook as I struggled to stand but grew weaker every time he dove into a new memory until they collapsed altogether. I faintly heard Eragon and Murtagh yelling, but I couldn't decipher what they were saying.

"The bald man went past too far." Alethea screeched in my head. "Rest now, my rider, it is over."

"Thank you, Alethea," I whispered back before drowsiness took over and everything faded to black.

Eragon and Murtagh looked at Mal feeling helpless as she started to sway on her feet before she pitched to the side, surprising the guard holding her who let her drop to the ground, blood began to trickle out of her nose. Saphira let out a deafening roar and bared her razor-sharp teeth at the bald man.

"You're supposed to look at the memories, not destroy them." Orik snarled at the bald man who glared back. "Is she our enemy, or have you torn into her mind for nothing."

".......She is not our enemy." Orik swore again while Eragon and Murtagh blew steam and turned red with fury. Saphira let out another angry roar at the bald man before turning to Mal and nudging with her nose with a small whine. "Now it's your turn."

Murtagh's eyes left Mal's prone body and glared at the bald man as he started to try and break his mental wall. The two glared at each other while they battled in their minds, Orik scowled at the two before he tore the bald man away from Murtagh.

"How dare you." The bald man screeched. "You question my leadership, opened the gates without permission, and now this! You've shown nothing but insolence and treachery. Do you think your king will protect you now?"

"You would have left them to die. We don't have any right to torture them for information. Adjihad won't sanction it. Not after you examined the Rider and found no faults and they've brought us, Arya." Orik growled back.

"Would you allow him to enter unchallenged? Are you so great a fool as to put us all at risk?"

"Can he use magic?"

"That is..." The bald man started.

"Can he used magic?"

".....no."

"Then what do you fear? He can't escape, and he can't work any devilry with all of us here, especially if your powers are as great as you say. But don't listen to me, ask Adjihad what he wants to be done."

"Leave now!" The bald man snapped at the warriors in the room. "Because I was unable to complete the testing you and your friends will remain here for the night. He will be killed if he attempts to leave."

Eragon and Murtagh immediately went to Mal's still prone body as soon as the mage and the guards left the room.

"Saphira what did he do to her mind?" Eragon asked as Murtagh wiped the blood away from Mal's face.

"He was too harsh and has damaged many memories, Alethea hid the memories Mal wished to be not seen."

"What did he do?" Murtagh growled after Eragon and Saphira finished conversing.

"Saphira says that he was too harsh and damaged a lot of her memories, Mal didn't let him see anything important, and she paid for it."

"She will awaken when she is ready, little one," Saphira said gently to Eragon. Eragon sighed before turning to Murtagh.

"Saphira says she will wake up when she's ready, and I don't think she would appreciate being left on the floor." Eragon and Murtagh set up a makeshift bed near Saphira before sitting down next to her.

"Thank you for not betraying me Eragon."