Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Thirteen: Luminescent

"Mal?" I heard someone call out my name, I tried to yell back, but my exhaustion kept me from getting the words out all I could do was cough and gag on blood. I heard and felt the sound of feet running towards me. It was hard to distinguish exactly who was calling my name. "MAL!!!"

The feet quickened, and a blurry Murtagh entered my vision, hands quickly slid underneath my body, and I was raised in the air. A high pitched keening sound escaped my lips as my shoulder was jostled. Everything started to sound like I had cotton in my ears, muffled, and hard to understand. The walls of the cave passed quickly, and every so often Murtagh would glance down at me, the only response I could give him was a slow blink of my dazed eyes. Eventually, my eye's became too heavy to keep open, and I let the nagging darkness consume my consciousness.

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Murtagh watched the Urgals run back for the tunnels in confusion before looking for the wayward Mal, she had disappeared in the middle of the battle, and he hadn't seen her since.

"Orik! Have you seen Mal?" Orik turned to Murtagh and frowned.

"Last I saw her she was running towards Eragon and the Shade." Both Orik and Murtagh's faces went white before they raced towards the area where the shade had been last. They climbed over the dead bodies of Urgals, humans, and dwarves.

"Mal?" Murtagh called out before both he and Orik heard a throaty cough, they increased their pace and saw Mal lying on the ground with blood pouring out of her right shoulder. "MAL!"

The two raced over to Mal's body and looked at her. Her eyes were glossy as a trail of blood seeped from the edge of her mouth. Murtagh immediately began to pick her up, trying to be gentle with Mal's injured shoulder. Murtagh suppressed a wince when Mal let out a piercing scream, the two picked up their pace. Murtagh glanced down on Mal since she got reticent and started to panic when she didn't blink back at him.

As they entered the medical area, shouts died down before several people ran over to Murtagh and Orik.

"Put her here." One of the healers said while several others crowded around the table. Murtagh set Mal on the table and was immediately shooed out along with Orik. The two wandered around the devastation until they came across Ajihad.

"How is she?" Orik frowned before replying.

"She's with the healers, sir." Ajihad sighed at Orik's response. "I am concerned as to why the Shade didn't kill her."

"The shade most likely planned to bring her back to the Empire." Murtagh frowned, confused as to why the Empire would want Mal.

"What would the Empire want with Mal?" Ajihad looked at Murtagh sternly.

"She has more power at her fingertips than you think Murtagh, her getting into Galbatorix's hands would mean the end of the Varden," Orik swore, while Murtagh looked at Ajihad with a confused look. "I cannot disclose any more information without her consent."

"When can I see her again?" Ajihad looked at Murtagh with a twinkle in his eye.

"When the healers are done with their work."

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I let out a small groan as my consciousness swam back from the dark hole it had gone into. That was a harrowing experience. I hope Eragon is doing okay, the last memory I have of him is him lying on his back while he bled copious amounts of blood from the wound on his back.