Dunei - A Murtagh Love Story - Eragon Fan Fiction

Chapter 25

   "It is time," whispered Murtagh.

He helped her to her feet, and they prepared their weapons. The troops in the encampment stood alertly with their weapons drawn. Orik swung his axe to make sure he had enough room. Arya nocked an arrow and held it ready to shoot.

"A scout ran out of a tunnel a few minutes ago," said Murtagh, "The Urgals are coming."

Together they watched the dark mouth of the tunnel through the ranks of men and sharpened stakes. A minute dragged by, then another... and another. Without taking their eyes off the tunnel they mounted their horses. Then a man cried, "I hear them!"

The warriors stiffened; grips tightened on weapons. No one moved... no one breathed. Somewhere a horse nickered.

Harsh Urgal shouts shattered the air as dark shapes boiled upward in the tunnel's opening. At a command, cauldrons of pitch were tilted on their sides, pouring scalding liquid into the tunnel's hungry throat. The monsters howled in pain, arms flailing. A torch was thrown onto the bubbling pitch, and an orange pillar of greasy flames roared up in the opening, engulfing the Urgals in an inferno.

More Urgals soon tamped the pitch down and clambered out of the tunnels over their burned brethren. They clumped together, presenting a solid wall to the men and dwarves. Behind a palisade the first row or archers pulled on their bows and fired. Eragon and Arya added their arrows to the deadly swarm and watched the shafts eat through the Urgals' ranks.

The Urgal line wavered, threatening to break, but they covered themselves with their shields and weathered the attack. Again the archers fired, but the Urgals continued to stream onto the surface at a ferocious rate.

The opposing army formed a solid mass of bodies that seemed to stretch endlessly. Tattered and sullen standards were raised in the monsters' midst. Baleful notes echoed through Farthen Dûr as war horns sounded. The entire group of Urgals charged with savage war cries.

They dashed against the rows of stakes, covering them with slick blood and limp corpses as the ranks at the vanguard were crushed against the posts. A cloud of black arrows flew over the barrier at the crouched defenders. Lorena covered herself with her shield, looking to Murtagh as he did the same.

Momentarily foiled by the pickets, the Urgals horde milled with confusion. The Varden bunched together, waiting for the next attack. After a pause, the war cries were raised again as the Urgals surged forward. The assault was bitter its momentum carried the Urgals through the stakes, where a line of pikemen jabbed frantically at their ranks, trying to repel them. The pikemen held briefly, but the ominous tide of Urgals could not be halted, and they were overwhelmed.

The first lines of defence breached, the main bodies of the two forces collided for the first time. A deafening roar burst from the men and dwarves as they rushed into the conflict. Saphira bellowed and leapt toward the fight. The others followed, holding their weapons high, they dove into a whirlwind of noise and blurred action.

Lorena swung her new weapon. It was lighter than the sword she'd been using, and she found that she was now faster than she'd ever been. Beside her Murtagh's face disfigured by a vicious snarl as he swung his sword angrily, cutting through every defence. Orik was not far off, swining his mighty axe, hewing through bone.

As they fought Lorena surveyed the land, she saw Eragon on the ground in the midst of Urgals. Stuck between Murtagh and Saphira, Lorena could only shout "Murtagh!" pointing toward Eragon. Murtagh rode to him, pushing the Urgals back before pulling Eragon onto his horse.

Saphira and Lorena were encircled by twelve spear-wielding Urgals. Lorena battered away a spear and made to stab at its holder, when another Urgals' spear scrapped her helm, dangerously close to exposed flesh. Saphira rushed an Urgal, but they bunched together and jabbed at her eyes. She tried to swipe them with her talons but the Urgals managed to jump back and evade her. A large drop of blood splattered over Lorena's arm and she realised that Saphira's wings had been pricked.

Beyond them Eragon swung off Tornac and with a wild cry stabbed an Urgal through the chest. Saphira took the opening, kicking an Urgal away she barrelled toward Eragon who jumped into the saddle. Lorena rode hard behind Saphira, breaking out of the ring and pulling up beside Murtagh. He raised his hand to Eragon before the two charged into another knot of Urgals.

Lorena ducked the swing of a club and repaid the Urgal with a stab through the throat. Next to her Murtagh chopped through the Urgals with a savage hunger. The group of Urgals swelled as more poured from the mouth of the tunnel, and just as Lorena thought about retreat a small group of men joined them, successfully helping them to slaughter the knot of monsters.

The fighting soon became mindless. Lorena tried to think of how many she had killed but the number seemed so impossibly high. She looked around and wondered how many more Urgals there were under the ground ready to jump up and replace their dead companions.

Their group expanded and decreased in size as more humans and dwarves joined them and were cut down. After hours Murtagh and Lorena backed away from the group, and moved closer to Tronjheim where the fighting was less intense. When they felt part of their strength return they drove back into where the fighting was thickest.

As they fought against a horde a particularly large Kull pushed his way toward Lorena. As she looked into his yellow eyes, he snarled and bared crooked fangs. His sword loped down toward her head, he was fasted than she expected, and she only just managed to lift her shield to block the blow. Agony ripped through her arm as the wood splintered, she felt a hot rush of blood flow down her arm. The Kull pulled on his sword but it was stuck in the wood. He yanked again, Lorena gasped as he ripped her from Cadoc's saddle.

"Murtagh!" she cried in desperation. She looked to her side but found that she and Murtagh had been separated. The Kull bellowed, so close that she could smell his foul breath. Again he pulled on the sword and this time it wretched free. Her arm fell limp beside her, uselessly. Surprised that she managed to keep her footing, Lorena tried to stab the hand of the Kull but it pushed her sword aside. Just as she realised death was upon her, shadows flew above their heads. The Kull and all the other Urgals stopped to watch the shadows, or spirits, or whatever they were. Then they disappeared.

The Kull before her turned, and with incredible strength, he cut the Urgal closest to him in half. Taking her chance, she turned and climbed into Cadoc's saddle. Looking around she saw that the same thing was happening all over the battlefield. Urgal and Kull had turned and attacked each other.

The humans and dwarves stood and watched as within a matter of minutes the Urgal army disintegrated. Some Urgals turned toward the opening of the tunnels and fled. Lorena dug her heels into Cadoc's side and found Murtagh. "What's happening?" she asked as she pulled up beside him.

"I have no idea." They watched as the last of the Urgals fled or died.

They had won.