An Invisible Thread (An Eragon Fanfic)

Chapter 1

When she came to, she was groggy and her body hurt all over. She had to blink several times for her eyes to focus correctly, and once she did she saw she was in a bare room. The walls were stone, save for a single window where she could see that the sun was just rising. Beside the bed she was lying in, only a dresser and a mirror adorned the room.

Groaning due to her sore body, she stood from her bed and found a boy sleeping in a chair in the corner of her room. A hat was on his head, obscuring his face. Instantly, Amara was on high alert. A quick glance around the room showed that she had no weapons so she sharpened her nails into claws.

Blue eyes were narrowed as she advanced towards the male. He snored softly, unaware of the clawed girl advancing towards him. She had her fingers at his throat in an instant and he woke, brown eyes shooting open and shouting.

His hat fell off and Amara saw that it was Briam. She let her nails go back to normal and she removed her hand from his neck. "What the hell, Briam? I could've killed you!"

Briam coughed and rubbed his eyes. "Well then I'm sorry for saving your life, Amara. If I'd have left you at Edoc'sil, Galbatorix would've taken you." He stood, stretching his body. "I'm sure he knows what you are. He could've turned you into one of his mindless soldiers."

"Right. Sorry that I shouted at you," she replied. "Where are we anyway?" She looked towards the window but saw very little; only grasslands as far as the eye could see.

"Iliera. I didn't know where else to go. Everyone else has gone to Vroenguard. Only one other Rider is here." Briam took her hand. "Amara... Vrael was killed in the fight at Edoc'sil. Galbatorix slaughtered him."

Amara didn't know what to say. "...No. No, Vrael can't die. He's the Head Dragon Rider. The strongest. He can't die." She knew it was true though. She had seen his sword in Galbatorix's hands. "If Galbatorix can kill Vrael and Umaroth, he'll kill us all."

Now it was Briam's turn to be silent. He stood, his hand still holding onto Amara's and lead her out of the room. "I need some air," was his excuse as they both walked outside. They were soon joined by Briam's light green dragon, Tulvir.

"Let's not talk about Vrael and Galbatorix," He said as they walked through the gardens. "Are you alright, Amara? Shruikan and Galbatorix did a number on you. I found you half-dead."

Amara looked over her body for the first time and found only bruises that were quickly healing. "I'll be alright. When I go against them again I'll beat them, Briam. I'll kill Galbatorix and help the Riders rise once again."

"Why do you help us, Amara?" The Rider asked after a moment. "I mean, you're not even one of us."

Amara picked a flower as Briam talked. A white lily. "The Riders bring peace to the world. There was war before Eragon and Bid'Daum brought their two races together. The Dwarves and dragons had several skirmishes as well. Before them, hundreds of Grey Folk were killed because of how they used magic," She paused for a moment, memories forcing their way to the forefront of her mind. She shook her head and continued, "The Dragon Riders regulate everything. They keep the peace. Most anyway..."

Briam only nodded. "You're not of any race though. You're -"

"Stop. I don't want to talk about this," Amara interrupted. There was very few people she told of her past, of what she was. She had been friends with Briam for over ten years before he had seen her change form. He was persistent and didn't accept any answer put the truth. She had to tell him.

The morning passed slowly. After a walk through the gardens with Briam and Tulvir, they were called into the castle to discuss what they were to do. Only one other Dragon Rider was present in the city. An elf named Arva and his green dragon, Gal'zra. His sister, Naudra, was also present along with the elf, human, and dwarf commanders.

They were all crowded around a long table, their voiced echoing off of the stone walls as they argued about what to do. The humans suggested that they leave the city. An elf said that they had to hide all of the Eldunarí in the city before Galbatorix came after them. A dwarf lieutenant said that they needed to sharpen their weapons and defend the city.

It was Arva who got them to all calm down. Using magic, he was able to make his voice louder and told everyone to quiet down. His words echoed off of the walls for a few moments as everyone settled down.

"We must defend Ilirea. If we are to abandon the capital then we abandon all hope of winning against Galbatorix and his Forsworn. Kieran is correct. We must take the Eldunarí from this city. If Galbatorix gets his hands on them, he will be unstoppable. Now," said Arva, his green eyes scanning the crowd. "How do you suggest we get the hundreds of Eldunarí out of the city as soon as possible?"

"They need to go to Vroenguard," Briam spoke up. "But how we will get them all there, I do not know."

The room was silent.

"Magic?" Amara suggested. The dwarves and humans frowned. The elves kept their indifferent faces, though. "Transporting them there via magic will cost a lot of energy, but it will get them there quickly. Carrying them by dragon or horse will take days. And they can only carry so many."

Again, the room was silent as they considered what she had said.

"We could take the energy from the grasslands surrounding Ilirea. There are several plants and animals there..." Briam spoke quietly.

Arva put his fists on the table and leaned on them. He was obviously worried and stressed; the same as everyone in the room. "If no one can think of a better way, I believe that this is the best option. The Heart-of-Hearts could help as well. They could lend some of their energy..." He looked towards Naudra who nodded her head curtly.

"We will perform the spell this evening. Get ready," He said. Everyone stood and filed out of the room silently.

The sun was just beginning to set when they all convened several miles out side of Ilirea. Dozens of colors of Eldunarí were laid out among the grass, the Elves, two Dragon Riders, and Amara were in a circle around them.

Arva looked around the circle. "Ready?" A chorus of yeses and nod replied.

"Flutúing orya Eldunarí eom Doru Araeba," Arva spoke once. As he repeated the phrase, more elves and Eldunarí joined in.

"Flutúing orya Eldunarí eom Doru Araeba," Amara eventually chimed in. Her eyes closed and she focused pulling the magic from within her and bending it to her will. She could soon feel the toll it was taking on her. It was pulling all of her energy. She reached out to any plants or small life forms. She took the energy from them and poured it into the spell. The elves and dragon riders did the same. They all could feel the extra energy that was being poured into the spell by the Eldunarí as well.

Usually, she would take the extra energy from her own reserves, but in the big picture, a squirrel was not as important as the vast amounts of extra energy she placed in her cobalt gem ring. The energy in that ring had saved her life hundreds of times. She didn't want it to be lacking when she needed it most. There were sure to be more battles against the Forsworn.

One by one, the Eldunarí started to disappear. It took until the sun had set for the last of the Heart-of-Hearts to be transported from Ilirea. The surrounding land was dead from their spell as well. Grass brown and crumbling with each footstep. Several small animals could also be seen lying lifeless on the ground. After a small prayer for the lives they had taken, the group disbanded and went to their rooms to rest.

Amara could barely walk. As soon as she got to her room, she fell on the bed and allowed herself to fall asleep.

*************

The photo above is how I imagine Amara.

Thank you for reading, guys! Comment and vote!

-Rhea (aka. shurtugxl)