Prologue: Chasing Shadows

Eragon woke with a start in the middle of the night. Sweat clung to his body and was dripping onto his bed. He woke panting and with his mind alert. Dreams about Oromis' death had been plaguing him since he was killed by Galbatorix through Murtagh. But that was not what worried him most, what troubled him was that when his tutor was falling dead to the ground he had appeared to be muttering a phrase under his breath. Now he was worrying if he had missed his dying words and if they might have been a key to overthrowing him. Possibly how to find the dark king's true name without his spells killing him when he tried to use it.
He had been trying to read his lips to figure out what he was trying to say but to no avail. Surely Glaedr would know but he was hiding deep within his eldunarí. Worrying had become a bad habit of Eragon's since he had been given the task to kill Galbatorix had been passed to him. He didn't dislike having this responsibility and he knew others would love to be in his position, but it was just overwhelming at times. If he had missed something as important as a secret to kill the king he knew he wouldn't be able to just forget about it; let alone all the people who were depending on him to save them from Galbatorix.
It was three days since his master had been killed and he was still in mourning for them. Nasuada had decided to let him gain control over his emotions instead of putting him to work stopping riots within the city. His help would have been appreciated but she knew he needed rest before going to Drás Leona. She had accomplished much since she had taken control of the Varden and Eragon knew it had not been easy for her. Thankfully Nasuada decided to give him a break from the crowds and his rider duties so he could regain his composure from his masters' deaths.
Deciding to go back to sleep, he said, "Vakna", and placed himself in an enchanted sleep. Tomorrow Eragon was going to be busy again, as well as Arya and the other elves. They were going to help clean up the city and comfort the people there. The Varden had already started rebuilding the city and clearing out the number of dead within the city.
The governor of Feinster Lady Lorana was being treated with respect as Nasuada had ordered the Varden to. She was having a hard time coping with the fact of the empire's ignorance of the Varden's attempts to help them. But then again, warriors on her orders had attacked and slaughtered masses of their friends and families. It was not their fault but the king's? Yet what could people within the empire's borders do? If they revolted the king could just slaughter them all with magic and there were those that were loyal or subservient to him.

Fear was proving to become one of the Varden's biggest enemies. Lack of courage is what was causing people to help the empire and give their lives to the king. Fear of death, or a difficult life was driving people to murder other humans when they normally would not have. Also fear of the supernatural, of magic and elves that lived forever if not killed and were so much more powerful than humans. An invader of their homeland is what the people of the empire saw the Varden, dwarves Urgals, and elves as. It was the elves were feared the most because of their immortality and unique gifts.
Fear was also undermining the courage of her soldiers, especially those who had just started fighting for them because of a new Dragon Rider. King Orrin's soldiers were even more afraid than her men because they had not yet become used to the constant war. The brutality of seeing men being ripped apart by Urgals, magic, dwarves, elves, and other men scared them. Saphira was also a terror to behold, clawing men in two or attacking them with her claws or tail was simply nauseating. Not to mention when she burned an entire column of soldiers within seconds.
What can man do against such reckless evil? There were men who would kill you in a moment without a second though and then turn to the man next to them and smile. Some reveled in war and the prospect of cutting through a sea of enemies. They wanted either the glory or fame of old songs. Then there were also the men who simply loved violence and enjoyed seeing blood spout from a person's body. What are their options except to kill or be killed? War is not for the faint of hear; when blood flows through the streets like rivers flow over a bed or rocks can be a sickening sight.
But that was not what the Varden were fighting for and they had to make sacrifices if they were ever going to overthrow Galbatorix. What you need to understand is that the king is taking away your freedoms and he has caused more pain in death than a five or ten year war could ever cause. Your freedom, money, lives, and food are in his hands and he can and does destroy your life without a second thought.
Eragon realized this and was preparing to take up his sword and fight through a sea of raging enemies for the dream of freedom. The shadows in his mind and the fears of possibly not hearing Oromis' last words were temporarily held at bay in his enchanted sleep. Yet the fears and the worries return upon waking along with his responsibilities. He was ready to sacrifice himself at a moment's notice for what is right as well as to avenge his family. That was the cost of freedom, death, and Eragon was willing to pay that price.

He was in a dreamless sleep, but the dreams were on the edge of his conscious. They were just waiting for him to wake up so they could take hold of him once more. Eragon was gifted and showed promise, but he loved too easily as Galbatorix would say. That was what he would consider Eragon's weakness. One of the reasons he was also fighting was so laws restricting magic could be put into place so another Galbatorix would not happen again. What scared him most was the fact that if he failed, all was lost. Yes, there was the chance of rescuing the other egg, but who except him could accomplish that task.
These were the dreams and fears of the Shadeslayer. They were the worries that kept him awake and night and made fear and nerves writhe in his belly. Given just one more spark and he knew he would lose his temper. The stress was slowly wearing him down and the fuse was gradually growing shorter. If he lost his temper he would be killed and Saphira would be killed trying to avenge his death. One spark and his fuse would catch fire and slowly lead to the stick of dynamite that was his temper.
If he lost his temper just once thousands could be killed, not to mention the king and Murtagh. He would use the anger, but the problem was if he did instead of Galbatorix or Murtagh on the throne it would be him and he would be no better. The havoc and chaos he could cause astounding. Not to mention if Saphira lost her temper as well and gained the ability to use magic.
Those were the shadows of Eragon's mind that night, and so they were almost every other night since Oromis' and Glaedr's deaths. It had dramatically chanced his character and he knew after a thousand years or however long he lived he would never be the same. Within a year and a half his uncle, father, two tutors and mentors, as well as the whole of Carvahall had been either murdered or attacked because of Saphira. Yet he wouldn't have traded what he had with Saphira for all of that back. His life had been destroyed but he had also been given the gift and power to shape the future of Alagäesia.