Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Fifty-Three: Brilliant

The footsteps in Urû'baen ceased. The dragon's shadowy bulk blotted out most of the lanterns and watch lights in the city. The dragon leaped up and out from the city, and he unfurled his massive wings, and their opening was like a hundred black sails filling with the wind. When he flapped, the air shook as if from a clap of thunder, and throughout the countryside, dogs bayed, and roosters crowed.

"We should go," Elva insisted, tugging on the hem of my tunic.

"Wait," Eragon whispered. "Not yet."

"Eragon's right, Elva" I added quietly. "Shruikan is only out to scare us."

"Eldunarí," Elva gasped. "That's what you're hiding!" Behind her, Greta frowned with puzzlement and started to ask a question.

"Quiet!" Eragon growled. Elva opened her mouth, and he clamped his hand over it, silencing her. I sent her a look and understanding crossed her face. She nodded, and Eragon removed his hand.

Shruikan whipped his head back and forth, spraying the torrent of blinding flames above the camp and the surrounding fields, and the night filled with a sound like a crashing waterfall. I could feel the heat from his fire on my face, and my eyes stung from the smoke.

Shruikan turned and flapped once more—shaking the air—before his formless black shape glided back down toward the city and settled among the buildings. Footsteps followed, then the clanking of the chains, and finally, the echoing crack of a gate slamming shut.

"Why didn't he attack?" asked Elva in a small, fearful voice.

"As Mal said, he only wanted to scare us." Eragon frowned. "Or distract us. Were you able to feel anything from Shruikan?" Elva shuddered.

"Pain. Great pain. And anger too. If he could, he would kill every creature he met and burn every plant, until there were none left. He's utterly mad."

"Is there no way to reach him?" I asked.

"None. The kindest thing to do would be to release him from his misery." I closed my eyes for a second and tilted my head to the sky. We had to kill a dragon. Eragon glanced at me, and I shook off his concern.

"We had best be off. Are you ready?" Elva explained to Greta that she was leaving, which displeased the old woman, but Elva soothed her worries with a few quick words. Once Greta had granted her consent, Eragon hid both Elva and himself with magic as I did the same for myself. We then set off together toward the hill where Saphira was waiting.

"Can you wait here for us?" I asked quietly as Saphira and Eragon crawled up a hill to see what was happening in Urû-Baen

"Yes," Elva said, tugging her shield onto her lap. She made a shooing motion with one hand. "Go, go."

I crawled my way up to Eragon and Saphira and examined what lay before us. A thick column of humans, dwarves, elves, Urgals, and werecats streamed out of the Varden's camp. In the flat gray light of early dawn, the figures were difficult to make out, mainly because they carried no lights. The column marched across the sloping fields toward Urû'baen, and when the warriors were about half a mile from the city, they divided into three lines.

One positioned itself before the front gate, one turned toward the southeastern part of the curtain wall, and one went toward the northwestern region. It was the last group that I had hinted we were going to accompany.

The warriors had wrapped rags around their feet and weapons, and they kept their voices to a whisper. Still, I could hear the occasional bray of a donkey or the whinny of a horse, and a number of dogs were barking at the procession. No human could be completely quiet.