The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

Reflection

You did not say 'friend', you said 'ally'. Sometimes there is a difference, the young dragon said matter-of-factly. I kept quiet, letting her revel in her wisdom for a moment. She could be quite cheeky sometimes, but right now I didn't mind. It was nice to feel some semblance of normalcy, even though everything around us was changing drastically.

It had been decided before Eragon and Saphira left that we would start moving the Varden towards Urû'baen. When they were done with their mission, Eragon and Saphira would rejoin us wherever we happened to be. I only hoped he wouldn't take too long; there was a horrible nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad was going to happen soon.

***

The sunlight was nearly blinding high up in the sky, affecting my view of the shifting landscape below. Amera's wings beat steadily around me, carrying us at a leisurely pace through the cool air.

They look so small down there, she commented lightly. I peeked over her scaly shoulder to gaze down at the mass of people that was the Varden below us. Amera was right; they looked like tiny ants trekking across the ground, a slowly shifting black mass. We'd discussed it with Arya and Roran, and all of us had come to the conclusion that my newfound leadership would best be administered out of sight. Amera and I, along with the other council members, would make decisions in private, and then the others would enact them while I remained behind the scenes. It was the best possible solution I could think of, given the circumstances.

They'll be stopping in a few hours for the night, I replied. We should go ahead and scout out a good stopping point. There's no use in us hanging back here. Amera snorted her agreement and thrust her wings downward, propelling us forward at a faster pace. It didn't take long for us to get ahead of the Varden, and soon there was nothing but open country below us. The wavering of the grass in the wind made the earth look like it was an ever-moving sea, shifting this way and that.

Amera must have felt my thoughts, for she said, What does the sea look like, Tabby? Is it like that large lake?

I mentally giggled at her question when I remembered she had never actually seen the sea before. How to describe something so wondrous and beautiful? So, instead of using words, I sent her a picture of the last time I'd seen it, sitting high up on a cliff overlooking the city of Teirm. I watched the memory as we shared it, remembering Saphira sitting by my side as we talked. That had been so long ago; it almost felt like a lifetime. Before I knew who my father was; before Brom was taken from us; before I'd even met Murtagh and realized what it was I'd been missing in my life.

I'd been so naïve back then. It seemed silly now, all the things I'd done and thought. But hindsight always was clearer, wasn't it?

Tabby? Amera said softly, gently. Are you alright? It wasn't until then that I realized I was crying. Quickly, I wiped the tears from my face.

Yes, I'm fine Amera, thank you. It's just painful to remember sometimes. The great purple dragon beneath me hummed softly. We continued on in silence then, each of us content in our own thoughts.

The sun sank lower in the sky, casting an orange glow over the whole earth. I picked out a small river twisting through the grass and decided that would be a good place for us to rest for the evening. It would take another day or two to reach Urû'baen, and then the real trial would begin. We needed as much rest as we could get. Amera turned back to the west and we quickly came upon the Varden.

I reached out tentatively with my mind until I found the one I was searching for. Arya. We've found a good place to stop for the night, about five miles ahead. There's a small river to water the horses.

I'll alert the others, the terse reply came, and then all contact was dropped. Fine; I preferred it that way anyways. Amera had been right when she said Arya was our ally, but that was not the same thing as being a friend. I wondered if there would ever be warmth between me and the elf... Probably not.

Night fell upon the camp quickly, but darkness did not follow. The whole camp was alight with the glow of many fires, and the buzzing of hushed voices lent a hum to the air. There was a feeling of tightness that hung over everything, as though we were hanging on the edge of a precipice about to plummet over. In a way, I guess we were. I continued on through the tents until I came to the common area. When I reached out to Amera, I saw she was out hunting down a herd of antelope, and decided not to bother her.

The common area was filled with people, either seated at wooden tables or standing talking to one another. A rough-looking woman with short, coarse hair stood over a huge cauldron, spooning out some sort of soup to a line of people. A bonfire was going, but the scene was not as merry as it had been only a few days ago, after the fall of Dras-Leona. A few eyes shifted to watch me as I joined them, but no one paid me much attention. It was probably better that way anyways. I doubted many people knew I'd been left in charge of the Varden, but that was for the best. I didn't want to think about what might happen if it was common knowledge.

I spotted my uncle and cousins seated at a table and quickly joined them, sneaking up on Baldor and giving him quite the fright. He jumped as I put my hands on his shoulder and made an incoherent sound in his ear.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, cousin," he said, his voice full of agitation. My face fell a bit at his tone; I'd never seen him act like this before. Usually, he and Albriech were joking around with everyone they came in contact with. Now... they seemed so somber. It was odd to see people I'd known all my life so changed after a long time away from them.

"I apologize," I said quietly, going around the table to sit next to Uncle Horst. "I didn't mean any harm." He grumbled a response but then turned away from the table to people watch. Albriech gave me an apologetic look, but said nothing. It seemed his mind was occupied with something else.

"Hello, Tabatha," my uncle said, giving me as warm a smile as he could muster. I knew he was tired—we all were—but it was nice to see a little bit of his old self.

"How is Aunt Elain?" I asked.

"She's doing well. She and the baby are sleeping now. I'm afraid it may be the last good night of rest we all will get for some time." I could tell my uncle was trying his best to remain positive, but there was an unmistakable weariness to his voice and a tiredness in his eyes.

"We should reach the capital in a few days. After that, it's just a matter of time until Eragon rejoins us." I was trying to sound optimistic, but even I could tell it wasn't very convincing. Uncle Horst smiled again, but it didn't reach his eyes. We fell into an uncomfortable silence then, and it wasn't long until I excused myself. How had I become so distant from my own blood? It was like... I didn't belong with them anymore. And maybe I didn't. Maybe... maybe I'm just supposed to live a life apart from now on.

Urû'baen came into our sights two days later. Amera and I had seen it from far off the day before, but now I could see everything in detail again. It was exactly as it had been the last time I was here. The giant shelf hanging over the city to protect it from air attacks, the black walls and spiraling towers... and there, high up above everything else was the enormous dragon hold. I remembered the last time I'd gone there, and the blood rushed to my cheeks. Quickly, I dispelled those thoughts and told Amera to join the others on the ground. Things were about to get very interesting. I just hoped Eragon would get here in time.