And a short chapter today. Sorry if it's boring. Read and Review! I own NOTHING!!! Not a damn thing!

The Winds of Change Chapter Nine

"To the left, Saphira!" Eragon yelled. "It's turning north!" Saphira swirled and glided with all the grace of a small bird, yet with the power and force of a mighty huntress. A fierce battle was beginning, a confrontation, a pursuit.

They had been following the winged creature for roughly two hours. In that time, they had crossed over portions of the Spine and patches of Du Weldenvarden. It had been a difficult chase, but, even when it seemed as though they had lost the trail, the winged creature would reappear again, beckoning them onward.

The storm had moved on to the west, making clear vision possible. Suddenly, the creature began to descend. Eragon looked down at the surrounding countryside. What he saw sickened him. It was Carvahall, or what remained of it. A stench of blood rose to the sky. But where did it come from? No one had inhabited the region since it had been destroyed all those years ago.

Eragon pondered this and exchanged a confused look with Arya. She was just as baffled as he. Saphira flew closer to the ground. Brush grew thickly, covering the small clearing that had, at one time, been Carvahall. They followed the creature as it flew past the town and up into the Spine, towards Igualda Falls.

And suddenly, it disappeared. Vanished into thin air. The trio had no choice but to land above the falls and scout the area.

Eragon slowly dismounted Saphira, looking warily around him. He drew his sword. Arya followed suit. Together, they walked slowly around the area's perimeter. "Little has changed," Eragon remarked.

He walked over to the edge of the falls and looked down, briefly thinking of Sloan's wife who had killed herself at that same spot twenty-three years ago. The water rushed onward on its course to the Anora River. He shivered slightly as he thought of the stench of blood that had come from the area of Carvahall. What could it mean?

"Eragon!" Arya said in a clipped tone. He turned to her, startled. "Eragon, look." She pointed to the water flowing down the falls.

Eragon's gaze followed her finger to the water. He gasped. It was turning red.

Suddenly a low chuckle resounded throughout the mountains. It seemed infinite in its projection. Eragon looked wildly around him, searching for the source of the sound. He did not have to search for long. Saphira snorted threateningly. A long shadow fell across the ledge on which the trio stood. And a tall, lanky man stepped out from the side of the cliff.

"Ah, well met, Eragon Shadeslayer. I have been waiting."

"Who are you?" Eragon said commandingly.

"Who am I?" the man said. "I often ask myself that question. But even if I told you who I remember being, you would not know me. Perhaps our elven royalty would remember me better."

All eyes fell on Arya. The man stepped closer. "Remember me, Princess?" His voice was mocking.

Arya let out an uncharacteristic gasp, "Istial!"

The man laughed, "Yes, good. You are still the clever wit that you were before your father's death. But, I feel I must inform you, I am not Istial anymore. Istial is such a common, good name. It means 'of the skies' for goodness sake. No. I have shed the old self and brought on the new. Now, I am called Alamgier. It means 'Call of destiny'. It fits me rather well, don't you think?"

"What have you done to yourself, Istial? I thought you had died in Ilirea," Arya spoke quietly.

"Yes," he admitted with a small smile, "that was the general impression I wished to leave you all."

"You joined him, didn't you?" Arya queried.

"Clever, princess. Yes, I found it convenient. Galbatorix was the most powerful man in Alagaesia at the time. He was useful to me, the poor apostate, driven mad by grief at the death of his dragon and frustrated at his inability to bond completely with his new one. He was easily manipulated, the fool."

"Galbatorix wasn't the real evil in Alagaesia, was he?" Eragon asked. "It was you."

"And the farm boy's head is not completely filled with sawdust!" Istial derided.

Eragon stood his ground and remained silent.

Yes," Istial continued, "it was I. I drove your weak king to his ruin. You have aided my cause tremendously by getting rid of him. I commend you both."

Eragon joined his thoughts with Arya's. "Who is he?" he asked mentally.

"He was once my father's right hand man. However, his mate died in Luthivira because Father didn't send soldiers to the city in time to save it from the Empire. Istial was presumed to be dead after we lost the battle in Ilirea."

"So he definitely has the motive to kill us?"

"Oh yes," Arya replied.

"How comforting," Eragon shot back.

Arya shrugged lightly. Eragon looked Istial in the eye, and such black eyes they were! "What do you want from us, and where is my charge?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. One question at a time, boy. What do I want? That shall be revealed in time. And as for our little Resa, she is stowed safely away until she is needed. But, come. I have more important things to discuss with you."

Eragon looked as if he would fight then and there. But Istial chided, "Now, Rider. It would behoove you to listen to me. Else little Resa would suffer. I hold her life in my hands. Don't forget that. Now, let us adjourn to someplace where we can……discuss things more freely." He motioned for them to follow.

Eragon could not resist asking one more question. "What about the blood in the water? And the smell of it in the air?"

Istial looked at Eragon bemusedly, "Well what do you think it is, boy? Sacrifices, of course. Now come. I have been waiting long for this. You are the final addition to my vision."

Eragon resisted the urge to vomit as he, Arya, and Saphira followed Istial into the face of the mountain and into the mouth of a cave.

I am so sorry for the length of this chapter! It was a filler for things to come. Last night, I decided the ending for the story. It's very……………dramatic. Keep reading to find out. Review!