Pugna: An Eragon Fanfic

23

I can barely keep up with the shadowy beast as it savagely attacks me. Pugna joins the fray but the demon manages to keep up with both of us by producing another shadow-sword. I can feel myself and Pugna tiring. I know we can't last much longer.

The beast begins levitating random objects from around the huge office and throwing them at me. One such object, a painting of King Marcus, catches me off guard, and the demon lunges.

The satanic blade scratches my arm. Normally, this wouldn't incapacitate me, but I crash to the ground in agony as a steely spike drills into my mind. I muster enough energy to sever the mental ties between me and my dragon, but this effort has left me greatly weakened. Pugna leaps in front of me to try to protect me, but she's leaving her flank unguarded.

Both I and the monster scream- me angrily and it triumphantly.

"Pugna!" I yell as the shadow sword descends, splitting the very fabric of the universe in one arcing blow.

The sword grazes her flank. She falls to the ground with a muffled thud.

Before I lose consciousness, I catch a glimpse of the demon decomposing back into nondescript shadows. The grey wisps fly back into the unconscious king's mouth, and he rises again, eyes a pure black. These soon fade into their normal ice blue.

|•|•|•|

The compass around my neck burns like a brand. The twin needles, once pointing directly north, spin wildly. Suddenly, the glass covering cracks and the needles fall to the ground. I rip the delicate chain from my neck and run from the room.

|•|•|•|

Glaring at the utterly boring boy lounging across from the blazing campfire, I toss another log into the inferno. Normally I wouldn't make a fire for fear of being captured, but the boy had complained so bitterly about the cold that I consented. Bored out of my mind, I levitate a small pebble by my shoe for no reason. The boy stares at me and demands, "how're you doing that?"

Without looking up I magically fling the rock as hard as I can at him. Which is pretty hard, apparently, judging by the resulting thud as the rock makes contact with the boy's head.

"OWWW!" He screams, clutching at his temple. When finally I look up, I glimpse a trickle of blood tainting his pale skin. With a pang of remorse, I walk over and heal the small wound. He pokes at his mended skin, amazed.

"I guess you are not magical, then," I say cryptically. He obviously isn't, or else he would have deflected the rock somehow.

Another check on the list of things that show how unremarkable this child is, I think to myself.

"What do you mean?" He asks, jolting me out of my thoughts.

"I mean," I say, pausing for dramatic effect. "That you do not have the ability to use magic like I do." I demonstrate my magical skills by turning the fire purple with a snap of my fingers.

"Oh..." He mutters, disappointed.

We sit silently around the unnaturally colored fire for a time, contemplating our respective lives. The boy breaks the silence suddenly.

"Why am I here?" He asks. I almost feel bad for the kid, seeing as he was dragged into some unknown reality without his consent....

"You are here to fulfill a prophecy," I answer.

Since when did I get so mysteriously jaded? I wonder to myself.

The boy lets out a puff of aggravated air and resigns himself to that fact. After a while, the boy drifts off to sleep on the dry, plains grass. I let him, as we will be doing a lot of traveling the next day.

I settle down myself, keeping watch for some of the more dangerous plains animals that lurk in the copse we're occupying.

As I finally begin to relax, I daydream about the time I will be reunited with my sister, Alyson.