Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Seven: Luminescent

"Wake!" I immediately shot up from my sleeping position at Alethea's word. "Brom!"

I looked over to Brom and saw him convulsing, I shot to my feet and ran over to Brom and tried to hold him down. I tried to push his shoulder's down, but the old man was struggling too much.

"Eragon! Get up." I yelled back at the drowsy boy. "Eragon! Its Brom, I can't hold him down all by myself."

Eragon quickly got up and ran over to me with Murtagh at his heel's. Eragon and Murtagh held Brom down as I put the back of my hand on his forehead.

"He's too hot, Eragon water." Eragon let Brom go and came back with a soaking rag. I grabbed the cloth and wiped Brom's sweaty face until he stopped thrashing around. Eragon sat back on his haunches and stretched his torso with a wince. "We should check your ribs."

Before Eragon could respond, Brom's eyes shot open and latched onto Eragon.

"Bring me the wineskin!" Brom rasped out.

"Brom, that will make you worse."

"Bring it, boy." Brom snapped at Eragon, Eragon looked at me with uncertainty, I nodded my head and Eragon started to rummage through our saddlebags.

"I can't find it!"

"Here, take mine," Murtagh said, handing his wineskin over, Eragon grabbed it and ran back over to Brom and me.

"I have it."

"Good, wash my right hand with it."

"What?" Eragon asked in confusion, I grabbed the wineskin from Eragon and started to clean Brom's right hand. Brown dye began to wash off of him palm until a gedway ignasia shone on his palm.

"Dragon Rider," I whispered looking back at Brom.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Eragon said softly.

"Because there was no need to. Don't let Galbatorix do what he did to me; life without your dragon is hardly worth living and Eragon."

"Yes?"

"Promise me that you won't let Galbatorix lay a single finger on Mal, she is of too much importance to fall into the hands of the empire."

"I promise," Brom smiled weakly and looked at the cave ceiling.

"And now for the greatest adventure." Eragon stayed by Brom's side long after he took his last breath.

"We need to get moving Eragon," I said gently as I possibly could, but he refused to move. "Eragon, we can bury him, but we need to leave as soon as possible."

"We might be seen," Murtagh said to me with a frown.

"I don't think Eragon will care at this point," I said before starting to pull Brom's body out of the cave, Murtagh let out a sigh and helped me pull Brom out onto the sandstone.

"We can't dig a grave out of stone," Murtagh stated plainly.

"I can, moi stenr," Eragon commanding the stone to make a vault for Brom. Eragon refused to leave the vault for the rest of the day, so Murtagh and I gave up trying to get him back to the cave. We both sat down in front of the small fire and stared at the flickering flames.

"Come here," Murtagh said as he started to dig around in his pack. I stared at him, reservation in my eyes. He sighed. "Your neck, it was never cleaned."