Luminescent (Inheritance Cycle and Beyond)

Chapter Twenty: Iridescent

Alethea and I quickly made our way back to our room were Nearí, and Karí had our bathes ready. Alethea dove straight for her water basin and went completely under before sticking her head out and paddling around. While Karí was attending to my dragon who was currently acting like a hatchling, Nearí helped me out of my sweaty clothes and into the hot water.

"How was your training?" I smiled at the information Alethea, and I had learned.

"Difficult, but very satisfying. There is so much to learn. I can't wait until tomorrow, Arya and I will be heading out into the city. I wouldn't expect us back until dusk."

"Of course, my lady." The two elves murmured as they finished helping me get dressed. Alethea hopped onto my shoulder right before I started to descend the staircase. Arya was waiting for me at the base of the tree, and we set out for Eragon and Saphira's room.

Arya went up the stairs to get Eragon while I stayed at the bottom of the tree. It wasn't long before the three of us were walking under the trees. We passed several elves that were working on various projects.

"What do most elves do for a living or profession?"

"Our strength with magic grants us as much leisure as we desire. We neither hunt nor farm, and, as a result, we spend our days working on mastering our interests, whatever they might be. Very little exists that we must strive for." Arya responded quietly as we entered an enclosed area with a blazing forge.

"Atra esterní ono thelduin." Arya murmured to the elf. "Rhunön-elda, I have brought you the two newest Riders, Eragon Shadeslayer and Khensamel Dröttningu."

"I heard you were dead," Rhunön responded in a raspy voice.

"When did you last leave your house, Rhunön?"

"You should know. It was that Midsummer's Feast you forced me to attend."

"That was three years ago."

"Was it?" Rhunön frowned as she banked the coals and covered them with a grated lid. "Well, what of it? I find company trying. A gaggle of meaningless chatter that...Why are we speaking this foul language? I suppose you want me to forge a sword for them? You know I swore to never create instruments of death again, not after that traitor of a Rider and the destruction he wreaked with my blade."

"Eragon already has a sword," said Arya. She raised her arm and presented Zar' roc to the smith.

Rhunön took Zar' roc with a look of wonder. She caressed the wine-red sheath, lingered on the black symbol etched into it, rubbed a bit of dirt from the hilt, then wrapped her fingers around the handle and drew the sword with all the authority of a warrior. She sighted down each of Zar'roc's edges and flexed the blade between her hands until Eragon feared it might break.

"Zar'roc," Rhunön said. "I remember thee. As perfect as the day you were finished. My entire life I spent hammering these swords out of ore. Then he came and destroyed them — centuries of effort obliterated in an instant. So far as I knew, only four examples of my art still existed. His sword, Oromis's, and two others guarded by families who managed to rescue them from the Wyrdfell. Now Zar' roc has returned to me. Of all my creations, this I least expected to hold again, save for his. How came you to possess Morzan's sword?"

"It was given to me by Brom."

"Brom?" She hefted Zar'roc. "Brom... I remember Brom. He begged me to replace the sword he had lost. Truly, I wished to help him, but I had already taken my oath. My refusal angered him beyond reason. Oromis had to knock him unconscious before he would leave."