Chapter 2

Eragon strained against the bonds holding him. He'd just woken up and needed to get out of these bonds. If what he suspected was true, than he needed to talk to his father and find Saphira's egg.

It was night and he could see the outlines of several dragons and a similar number of people sleeping. The blue dragon he suspected to be the first Saphira had woke up and growled, not threatningly but warily, he'd heard it from Saphira several times. Saphira. The lack of her existence persisted to overwhelm him but he knew that he could find her.

Saphira nudged Brom and he sat up and groaned. He approached Eragon slowly, studying him. The man didn't seem to be surprised to see his mixed human and elven features but he it still made him wary, like his dragon. "What is your name boy? You are a rider and yet I've never seen you before. And where is your dragon?" He growled.

Eragon never thought he'd hear that voice again, let alone see him in the flesh, alive. Eragon stared at Brom. He was obviously younger, he seemed to be about twenty in age. "My dragon is dead" Eragon whispered softly.

Brom's face softened, and he understood Eragon's pain. He didn't know the pain, but he could very well imagine it. Eragon would use that to his advantage. "please let me go, I need to find her. I need to find her body". Eragon said it in the Ancient language so Brom knew he was telling the truth, just not the whole truth. Brom's Saphira whined, she now knew why the boy was insane.

"You still haven't answered my first question rider" Brom said in a more softer tone, almost apologetic.

"Eragon, I am Eragon Shadeslayer", Eragon stated.

The name shocked Brom. He didn't know what to do.

"Slytha" Brom said. Eragon's body slumped and he was asleep.

Brom's POV

"We don't know what he can do" Morzan said with exasperation.

"He bears the riders mark, he's one of us and his dragon just died." Brom retorted.

"That's exactly what I'm saying he's dangerous and probably not right in the head anymore, imagine if Saphira died, I know I'd go insane if the same happened to me." Morzan explained.

"We should try, and if we can't help him we deliver the egg and take him to Vrael, he'll recognise him."

Morzan sighed, "Ok" and in a threatning tone he added "but if he shows any sign of endangering anyone in our group then I'll lop his head off without a second thought."

Brom nodded in agreement and he felt Saphira's acknowledgement that she also agreed. Everyone else in their group was beginning to rise and Brom decided that this "shadeslayer" should wake aswell.

After rousing the boy and getting him breakfast Morzan and Brom decided to question him some more. "What is your dragon's name" Brom asked.

"The same as yours" he replied in a bland tone, devoid of any sort of happiness. This perplexed Brom, rarely is it that dragons have the same name. Over the years names have been re-used but usually when that dragon is dead and they wish to honour them.

"Saphira is her name?" Brom inquired.

"Aye, nearly the same colour as well. She is nothing compared to my Saphira" he jerked his head towards Saphira while speaking with loss tainting his voice. A warning growl escape Saphira's maw telling Eragon to tread carefully. "Just as vain I see aswell" he said with a faint smiling touching his lips.

Brom didn't get angry from that as he usually would, he understood how hard it must be for him. But he wouldn't allow this elfling, if he could be called that, insult his dragon. Grabbing him by the shirt Brom pulled him in close and growled "alright elf, I understand you lost your dragon, but dont insult mine. Else I'll beat you black and blue and make sure it's a week before you can see again". Gratidude leeched through his connection with Saphira for defending her, and he returned that with his love for her, she was the only one who could truly understand him.

Returning his gaze back to Eragon he found the elf cackling. The elf responded by saying "I hope you realise that I can kill you with a word, actually I don't think I'd have to waste the energy of speaking. Everyone in this glade could be dead if I wanted it."

The statement shocked him but he wasn't worried. He had his wards and Brom, although he may be a bit rash was confident in his chances against the elf. He was just confused about Eragon not needing to 'waste the energy of speaking'.

Eragon's POV

Eragon could see the confusion mounting on Brom's face.

"Well why haven't you?" replied a voice that was deep, a voice you could get lost in, and the voice of the monster that killed Saphira.

Pure rage seethed through Eragon's body. He clenched his fists, his veins pulling away, trying to pop out of his arm. Neither Brom nor Galbatorix notcied however for they were greeting each other.

"I think it's time you should leave Brom, you and Morzan need to deliver that egg. The rest of us are going to camp here another night and celebrate on becoming riders." Galbatorix said.

Brom nodded his agreement asked "Is it ok if I leave him here?" jerking his head towards Eragon. "I'd take him but I think it's safer if he stays with you simply because there's more of you and then there's no chance he can harm the egg" Brom continued.

"Yes that's fine, we recovered his sword by the way. It was found near where Saphira said she saw him, he wasn't lying about his dragon, exact same colour as her".

Eragon bided his time. He watched the events of the day go by, Brom and Morzan leaving on their red and blue dragons. Everyone in the camp just so happy to be there. Getting to just be in the prescense of their dragons; they knew not how to appreciate their bond. They knew not that the one they all seemed to listen to would kill off their entire order. Eragon guessed it was during their stay here that the urgals would attack and kill them. They would feel pain like he had, but they wouldn't understand. They wouldn't understand the hate of living, every second a pain, every moment wishing to just be enveloped by the mind of his love Saphira, the one true constant over the past two years. Now, she's gone and the only way he'll get her back is by finding her egg and how would he do it, there would be hundreds of eggs to search.

Eragon spent the day in self pity, wallowing. But when night had fallen he'd finally pour his rage into the one that killed his partner of mind and heart.

Everyone was asleep bar Galbatorix who was on guard, at least they weren't stupid being in Urgal territory. Eragon decided to just think they Ancient language rather than saying it. Silently Eragon broke his bonds and made a barrier where no sound could escape it, but could still come in. He walked up to Galbatorix and grabbed his shoulder. The man turned around and Eragon broke his nose with his fist. He sensed the mad kings dragon rising preparing to roar and he said one of the twelve death words, pinching a major arterie in the dragons brain. Causing it to have a seizure and die. Eragon then expanded his barrier to encompass Galbatorix aswell as the man screamed in agony at the loss of his dragon. Half his soul just died and Eragon may have been empathetic had the man not murdered his dragon.

Tears streamed down the mans face and mixed with his blood. "why!?" the man moaned. "I've never done anything to you, I'll fucking kill you. My brain feels like it's about to explode. I swea-"

Eragon cut him off by saying "because you killed my Saphira. You haven't done it yet, now you never will. I'm from a time where dragons no longer fly the earth, elves are hidden and Alagaësia is run by a tyrant king. That king is you, you fucking monster. You killed all the dragons, leaving only your twisted bond with a dragon that isn't yours and three eggs. You deserve this, so save your bullshit."

Eragon then grabbed the man by the throat and started to choke him. He enjoyed this, he truly enjoyed this. Every now and then he'd allow Galbatorix a few breaths and then continue. Making it so much more painful for him. Finally Galbatorix no longer breathed and Eragon walked into the wilderness not caring what happened to him. He left and he heard the battle between the dragon riders and the urgals. The urgals caught them off guard since their guard was dead and Eragon heard the urgals triumph from a distance, cheering at the glory they won by killing dragons and their riders.

It was with this that Eragon traversed the Spine. Killing everything that attacked him. Many urgals roared their challenge, many wolves mistaked him for prey, many deer tried to flee the new predator. None suceeded in their plight. As time passed Eragon saw less and less of other living things. He'd walked through an urgal village and saw none of the Urgralgra, he felt their prescence but felt no need to kill them. Eragon thought of little but Saphira. It was like he was stuck in a loop, reminiscing his time with his partner of heart and mind and hoping to find her egg in Illirea.

He slept little, every night his mind cast back to the siege of Urabaen, to the Dauthedart spinning over and over towards Shurikan, to be saved by the man he strangled to death. Seeing Saphira's limp body was the worst thing to happen to him. He hated it. He hated it so much not having her. Everthing about himself got worse without her. His magical ability got worse, like a small hole was in the barrier between himself and his magic and it was seeping out, ever so slowly emptying.

Eventually he left the Spine and reached Woadark lake where he chanced upon a group of riders. He changed his appearance to be that of Galbatorix's and begged them to take him to the council. They brought him to the capital of Alagaësia, where he might stand trial before the council of elders, the most skilled and oldest of the riders.