Curse of the Phoenix

Ch.53 -Bound

Dru~

As soon as those words came off Iara's tongue, I knew that something had happened during the time she was with him. Eragon seemed..wary. Not of us, just in case something else was going to happen.

Iara walked into the center and knelt down by Marumen, stroking his forehead. After a long silence, someone had to talk. And I chose to be the person.

"Eragon...do you think any different of us?" I asked tenatively.

"No..of course not. You wouldn't think any different of me, even though my father was a dragon rider."

"Well your father was Brom...not Morzan." Murtagh said. Eragon seemed to think of something.

"Murtagh..did you know?" And then all eyes went to Murtagh. What would he say? I knew he would remember that day on the beach, all those years ago.

"Yes. I did."

"Was there any reason you withheld it from me?"

"I asked him to." I said, stepping in

"Why?" Eragon asked.

"Honestly? In case you would try to kill us."

"Why would I do that?"

"You might have had your reasons. People have tried before."

"I wouldn't. About the volcano, just let it die down..I have to go check on something."

"Check on what?" Murtagh asked.

"Something important."

"Guys there's something else.." Luke began.

"Tell us." Iara said a bit coldly..I didn't think she was happy about Marumen's little adventure..

"We found him. He was there and we ran."

"Are you telling the truth?" Iara challenged.

"I heard his scream as we were running down the mountain! I'm surprised he didn't follow."

Dru! Get out of there now run! Lothlorien roared in my head. I heard actual roars coming from the outside of the tower. And shrieking. I ran out the entrance of the tower. And he was there. In the clouds, hovering among the clouds of ash.

The dragons had startled, and were snarling at the bird. He looked right at me, small and standing there alone. He opened his beak, yet no sound came out.

He beat his wings again, sending ash flying, and fire among it. Then something happened. My skin began to tingle and burn. He began to fly straight towards me, and he landed on top of a tower, partially standing. He raised his wings again and screamed at the sky.

What little glass was left in the windows of Doru Areaba shattered at that moment. I took another step towards the tower, then resisted the urge taking root in my mind.

And then he spoke to me. The phoenix.

You are mine now. And then I snapped. My hands flew to my head, digging into my scalp as I screamed in agony. I fell over, barely kicking my shoes off as my bones began to snap in half.

My belt was already off, and I managed to tear my amulet off of my neck before it really started. The full moon was two weeks away exactly. So today was the worst day to turn, it was the hardest.

And I did. Soon I was a grey mound of fur and muscle. And he continued to tear at my mind, until he found the very core of my being. He sequestered that, and then took hold of it.

Something came over me and then everything was aflame. I was nothing but instinct. So I bolted, running off the path, away from everyone, away into isolation. And I could still feel him, a shadow in my mind.

Eragon~

Dru ran outside, and then I heard his shriek rend the air. And then Dru's screams started. I looked over at the other six. Luke fell over and then began to yell, clenching his fists. I looked at Iara. Her eyes widened and dilated. She was the only one capable of speech. She was the only one who spoke.

"No...no..no no no! Stop no!..Get out! Run! Aaaghh!" Then she began to scream, a bloodcurdling sound of pure terror.

"Murtagh we have to go, now!"

"Eragon we can't just leave them!" But we had to. Iara knew what she was saying, she was warning us. Whatever was happening, they were beyond our help.

"We have to..come on!" I ran back outside, and Saphira was ready to go. I saw him. He was perched on a tower, screaming at the sky, a horrible sound made even more sinister by my heightened hearing. It wasn't just a primal shriek...you could almost make out words.

I had time to watch as a giant grey feline fled into the woods before Saphira took off, flying away as fast as she was capable of.

Thorn was behind, going faster. We flew over the castle, over the mountains until we saw the sea. And then we landed upon the rocky cliffs, the seven and the phoenix a hundred miles behind, on the other side of Vroengard.

Iara~

I was running, running, the fire racing through my veins. As soon as the shift was over I bolted into the trees. The scent of the forest was heavy upon my nostrils, as well as the scent of the fire.

The presence of the fire occupied my mind, my internal fear made me run. The fire blocked out every other thought, except for those of my Grimm.

He had taken to the skies as soon as the shift had began, and I hadn't seen him since.

Grimm! Where are you?! I screamed with my thoughts. And I got no response. I was alone.