Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Nineteen: Iridescent

Blinding pain burst from my shoulder. I shot up and gripped my right shoulder, attempting to clear my mind of the nightmare I had just seen. They were returning. I couldn't get the pain that the spear had caused out of my mind. It was making me irritable and tired.

It was still early morning, there was plenty of time to get to Oromis's hut, but I needed to clear my head right now. I struggled to get into my training clothes and was cursing myself when it came to tying the back.

"You should call for help."

"I will dress myself without help." I hissed. "I am not entirely crippled!"

"I never said you were. I said that you need to get help. You're not going get through this immediately. It takes time." I let out a sigh of defeat. "I have called Nearí and Karí."

"My lady, if you wanted to get dressed you could have called for us," Nearí said as she and Karí hurried into the room. They tied the back of the leather corset I was wearing.

"I have to learn how to this on my own," I muttered to myself. "I am not crippled."

"No one thinks your crippled my lady," Karí said as she started braiding my hair out of my face. "We are here to help you until you no longer need it."

"...Thank you, we'll see you tonight. Alethea loved the hot water last night and was wondering if she could have another bath tonight?"

"We will give Alethea a bath whenever she wishes it, my lady."

"Thank you," I murmured before heading down the wooden staircase. When I reached a space wide enough for her to fit, Alethea grew to her proper size and crouched down. I vaulted up her shoulder, and she took off, heading in the direction of Oromis's hut. Alethea dropped me off and then went to practice some moves Glaedr had taught her.

I sat down and crossed my legs, I then took a deep breath and tried to meditate the way Oromis had taught Eragon and I. I heard the birds chattering in the trees and mice that burrowed into the ground.

"Something is bothering you Khensamel, would you like to share with me?" I opened my eyes and looked up at Oromis, who was standing on my right.

"My dreams are troubling, Master. They keep me awake, and when I manage to fall asleep, they wake me back up with almost unbearable pain. I don't know how to keep them at bay. I usually only find peace if I am riding Alethea."

"What is the nature of your dreams."

"It's when Eragon was fighting Durza, he recognized me and had an Urgal pin me down by putting a spear through my shoulder. The memory replays in my mind, over and over. I can still feel it; I still feel how cold the rock floor was on my face, how all of the sounds from the fighting faded out and the only thing I could hear was Eragon's scream of pain when Durza cut his back." My ears rang as I dropped my head into my hands.

"I can still feel how the warm blood pooling onto the stone turned cold so quickly. I can still hear Druza's howl when Eragon stabbed Zar' roc right into his heart. I can still see Eragon, lying on his side in front of me while blood seeped through his wound after he killed Durza. I can't escape it. It's driving me mad."

"The only thing you can do to resolve this problem is to take back the power, find control."

"It is going to take time, isn't it, Master."