Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Radiant

"What does your father want?" I coughed.

"What do you think he wants, Eragon?" I ground out. "He's got one last egg that hasn't hatched, it won't hatch for me, but it might for someone who has Dragon Rider blood in them."

It seemed the woman of Carvahal understood my words, the men, not so much. Confusion was laced across both Eragon and Roran's faces.

"He wants to turn her into a broodmare!" Katrina exclaimed, no longer able to take the confused looks. Eragon's jaw dropped open while Roran let out a curse.

"It's not that surprising," I commented as Eragon's face started to turn red.

"Not surprising!?!" He finally exploded. "You are a person, not an animal!"

"Women are seen as only good for one thing in the capital, Eragon," I told him before I went to sit down at one of the tables.

"I wish I could have seen you in your dress." Katrina sighed.

"It was blue and sparkled like the night stars." I provided her as she sat down next to me. The package delivered this morning was like a weight in my pack, it probably didn't weight that much, but without knowing what it was, it felt like lead.

Sliding my pack off my shoulders, I set it down in my lap and dug the package out. It was wrapped in plain black silk that gave no notion to what was inside.

"What's that?" Katrina asked.

"No idea," I responded as my fingers found the start of the cloth. "it was delivered to my room this very morning, I've yet to inspect it."

Slowly pulling the silk away from the object, I finished unwrapping it until there was only one-layer left. My eyebrows shot together as I peeled back the final layer. My breath was stolen from my chest as Katrina leaned in close with excitement.

"What is this?" She gasped. "Is that you? You are beautiful!"

I stared down at the fairth, terror flashing through my body. The exquisite detail of the picture told me that Murtagh had spent a great deal of time making it.

"Roran!" Katrina gushed. "Come look!"

Roran lumbered over to the table and bent down. Soon enough, the whole village was crowding around the table.

"Isn't that a-" I quickly started wrapping the fairth back up and tucked it back into my pack, ignoring Eragon's protests.

"I know that this is you, but I still can't believe it," Roran said as he ran a hand over his beard. "Do they really have dresses that grand in Urû'Baen?"

"They do, though that dress was one of a kind," I explained. "Most dresses I saw at the ball were completely different from what I wore. They are more geared towards showing one's money and prowess by jewels."

"That seems like a waste of money," Katrina replied as she frowned.

"It is," I replied with a sigh. "but in the capital, they don't struggle for their meals."

We fell into silence as the men dispersed and went back to work.

"What was that called?" Katrina asked. "I've never seen a sketch with so much clarity."

"It's called a fairth. Through a combination of magic and extreme concentration, one can produce an image to the exact likeness of a memory." I explained, thinking back to what I had read about fairth.

"So, who made it?" Katrina questioned. "This seems like quite an intimate gesture."

"Murtagh," I replied. "it was probably Murtagh that made it."

"Eragon mentioned him, he's the one with the red dragon, right?"

"Yes, before Eragon and I made it to the Beors, Murtagh saved us from a group of Ra'zac. He traveled with us for weeks before he was dragged back to Urû'Baen."

"Mal!" I looked up at Eragon. "We need to talk."

"I'll be there in a moment!" I called before turning back to Katrina. "If you would excuse me."

"Of course," Katrina said with a wave of her hands. Standing up, I walked over to were Eragon stood, presumably conversing with Saphira.

"What is it?"

"How are you, Mal," Eragon asked, peering deeply into my eyes. "really. With the history between you two, it can't have been easy. Did you two even talk to one another?"

There was no getting around this conversation with Eragon. It would have to be dealt with eventually. There was officially one way I could handle this. I dragged my pack from my back, and took out the wrapped fairth, being careful not to disturb Alethea from her nap.

Wordlessly, I handed the fairth over to Eragon, who looked at me with a puzzled expression before pulling the silk back. The image was revealed as the last layer of silk was removed, and Eragon sucked in a breath.

Saphira moved her head and landed one massive blue eye on the stone. A curl of smoke leaked out of her nostrils. Eragon looked up at me.

"It's gotten complicated, Eragon," I told him quietly. "It has gotten so complicated."

"Does your father know about—" I shrugged my shoulders.

"It wouldn't make sense that he wouldn't, he watches Murtagh like a hawk. I've no doubt that Murtagh is forced to open his mind to him."

Eragon pulled me in for another hug. I sighed into his shirt before closing my eyes.

"I'll make things right, Mal," Eragon said. "I promise."