Chapter 97 Chapter 97

Chapter 97 Chapter 97
‘How do we do this?’
‘Lie down,’ Fiona said.
I walked to the bed and lay down, my hands resting on either side of it, my face turned toward the ceiling.
‘Will this be painful?’ I asked.
‘It will feel like a pinch, and you might have a slight headache,’ she said.
I was about to magically store the memories of everyone I had ever loved. Even if some of them were painful, I didn’t want to lose them. They reminded me of how much those people had meant to me.
‘I need you to relax and hold the picture of everyone you know in your mind. It will take a while, but we'll be done before we move out of here.’
I simply nodded.
I felt like the most selfish person in the world. I had the option of keeping my memories, but Drake did not. That made me feel terrible. I had made a decision for both of us, one that could affect the rest of his life. I didn’t know how I would face him after this.
‘Are you ready?’
‘Yes.’
I pictured every single face I had come to love. When I did, Fiona placed her forefinger against my temple and slowly drew out a small white orb of light. She was right—I felt a sharp pinch of pain.
She carefully placed the glowing orb into a glass jar. That single white light held all my memories of Lucien. I didn't want to forget him.
We repeated the process over and over until I had no one else left to think about.
‘We are done,’ Fiona said as she magically sealed the jar. A second later, it disappeared.
I stood up from the bed, but I rose too quickly. I swayed to the left, and Fiona caught me around the waist.
‘Easy.’
Then the headache started.
I pressed both hands against my forehead as though I could force the pain away. After a while, it eased.
‘That was a migraine, Fiona. You said a headache.’
‘Sorry, Princess. It's different for everyone.’
She was still holding me as though I might collapse at any moment, but I felt steady enough to stand on my own.
‘The jar is somewhere safe. You have nothing to worry about.’
‘Thanks.’
We walked out of the room together to get ready to leave the cave. I headed straight for Isolde, hoping she was ready since I had asked Eragon to help her.
When I got to the room, however, she wasn't there.
I picked up my little bag and made my way to where everyone was gathering. My eyes swept through the crowd, searching for her.
Then I saw her.
She was with Regal, and he held her close to his side.
‘Isolde...’
I walked over and gently rubbed her back with my palm, trying to comfort her. Her eyes were swollen, red, and filled with fresh tears.
‘I will be okay... I'm so sorry I haven't been there for you. You lost a sister too,’ she said as she stepped forward and hugged me.
‘It's okay, Mum. We'll get through this.’
I hugged her tightly.
I could feel eyes on me.
I looked up and found Corlin staring at me.
I quickly looked away.
I knew what he was thinking, but it wasn't time to tell Isolde what had happened to Mirelle. If she learned the truth now, I wasn't sure she could bear it. So, for now, I would keep quiet.
Honestly, I didn't even know if I had the courage to tell her.
I pulled away from the hug and looked at Regal.
‘Thank you.’
He simply nodded.
‘Alright, people. It's time to move,’ Eragon said.
Ahead of us, the dryads began doing something I had never seen before. Thick roots burst from the ground and twisted together, creating tunnels large enough for a fae to walk through.
I guessed this was the only way we could leave the caves without being detected.
We followed the dryads into the root-made tunnels. Every inch of the passage was woven with thick roots, reinforcing the walls as though they were making sure the tunnel could never collapse.
We walked for what felt like forever.
At one point, some of the faes protested, asking for a short rest. Corlin agreed, but the break didn't last long.
‘We are almost there, people!’ he shouted.
Finally, we reached an opening, and I watched relief spread across everyone's faces.
‘Taliahtie,’ Corlin called.
I looked up and gently shook my head.
I wasn't going to answer to that name. Not now. Not here. Not in front of Isolde.
He let out a deep breath.
‘Mirelle, please come over here.’
I left Isolde and Regal's side, and I could feel Regal's stare burning into the back of my neck. He knew something was wrong; he just didn't know what.
When I reached Corlin, we walked together to meet the dryads.
‘It's time. We need to go to their lair and strike the bargain before we can move everyone to the new location. Right now, the roots are masking our scent, but they won't be able to for much longer,’ one of the dryads said.
When we stepped out of the tunnel, I didn't know what I expected to see.
My expectations though were shaped by stories of creatures that sucked souls from people. I imagined a place that would be gloomy, dark, terrifying, and lifeless.
Instead, I found something completely different.
The land was breathtaking.
Lush green grass stretched as far as I could see. Vibrant trees swayed gently in the breeze, colorful flowers bloomed everywhere, and birds chirped happily among the branches as though there was no danger in the world.
‘Stop... they've spotted us,’ the dryad who had spoken earlier warned.
We all froze.
One of the Saberti stepped forward.
It had a striking appearance. It was humanoid, standing on two legs with unnaturally long arms that reached its ankles, Its lips and skin were blue but different shades. It's lips, a deep, dark blue and it's skin as blue as an afternoon sky. Its fingers were long and slender. But its eyes were the most captivating part of it—completely white, with no iris in sight.
Then we heard footsteps.
More and more of them.
They came from every direction.
Within minutes, we were completely surrounded.