Age of the Dragon 1: Return of the Riders

Chapter 20 Bonus

"In war; VICTORY!"

Those words rang through Murtagh's being - he was right. She had seen and battled through more conflicts than the years he had lived. The flashes he saw of her during the battle confirmed her prowess - she and Arya hewing through dozens for every two he or another man or dwarf were able to fell.

He returned his attention to the Urgal before him, the creature trying to demount him violently. He noticed Eragon surrounded and separated from Saphira, and he urged Tornac through the throng of bodies, hacking limbs from Urgals and Kull alike.

A crack of lightning lit up the cavern, and his attention was momentarily drawn back to Fallyn. He caught sight of the barest hint of her tattoos glowing while a smoking corpse fell beside her. Her face contorted into a feral snarl, pushing the idea from his mind that she was cat-like and replacing it with the thought that she seemed like an elf-shaped dragon.

He almost expected her to start breathing fire.

He reached Eragon as a Kull's neck snapped, causing the creature to collapse lifelessly. Eragon looked exhausted, covered in blood and gore.

"Come on!" he called out, reaching down to Eragon.

The young man grasped Murtagh's hand, and he pulled Eragon up onto Tornac's back.

"This is a disaster..." he thought, noting how heavily Eragon was breathing, how terrified the people were...

Eragon threw himself off the back of Tornac and attacked the Urgals with a frenzied rage as he fought to get to Saphira, who was struggling.

Only slightly surprised to see her there, Murtagh reached out to Fallyn, who swung up behind him fluidly. He could hear the twang of her bow as she fired arrows into the hordes - the stunned or pained cries of enemies echoing out over the thunderous battle cries.

"This goes poorly," he said as Saphira took off.

"Aye, but we don't let them take us quietly," she replied, another arrow striking true.

"I seem to keep forgetting this is not your first battle," he retorted, swinging his blade to block an attacking Urgal.

"Nor my first hopeless one," she quipped, kicking that same Urgal in the head, giving him an opening while she protected his other side.

"Any words of advice to survive this one?" he quipped back.

"Don't die," her voice held a grim amusement. "Failing that, die gloriously."

He grimaced as he cut the arm off a Kull.

"What you yelled earlier, a war cry from your homeland?" he asked.

"Is this really the best time or place for a history lesson?" she cried as she used a dagger to stab out the eye of another Kull.

"If I'm going to die, I might as well learn something interesting while I'm at it," he retorted.

"It's an oath," she said. "Grey Wardens would say it at every Joining and before every battle. In War, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Sacrifice. They enter every battle knowing they will die."

"Will?"
"They carry death in their blood," she replied. "They will either die in the battle or shortly after. On your left."

He blocked the surprise attack, and Tornac reared up with a whinney as a blade cut his flank. Murtagh felt Fallyn's arm wrap around his waist as she raised her hand, and fire burst from her hands - the silver tattoos on her skin flaring as a fifteen-foot cone of death appeared beside them.

He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard her mutter brisingr before casting the spell.

"Stay alive," she said, sliding off the back of Tornac and spinning off into the throng of enemies, a blur of silver hair and black blade.

"You as well," he murmured, focusing on the battle at hand.