Sorry for the wait everyone. I've been super busy with school starting up soon and all. But here's the latest chapter. Review it if you want to. I kind of had to rush this a bit only because I have to run a few errands before lunchtime, so be kind to this chapter!
My whole body aches. The bindings around my wrists are chaffing and I can already feel the blood trickling down my fingertips. I can't say how long I've been laying here on this cold floor but I don't have the strength to open my eyes. My other senses, however, are in full alert. I'm aware of a dripping sound coming from behind me, and there's a slight vibration in the floor. From a generator somewhere, perhaps? Am I under the museum? Through my eyelids, there is dim lighting, maybe by candles. But I am the only one I can sense breathing. There's a stench to the room. Like rotting meat. And it's hot. My hair is clinging to my face and the nape of my neck. I can still feel the touch of the red haired man on my face. I shudder, the pain in my ribs is excruciating. I feel it getting harder to breathe.
Then footsteps. Behind me. And a laugh. It's the red haired man. He's not trying to hide himself in the darkness anymore. With a last ditch effort, I open my eyes. My head throbs but I try to keep calm. I've panicked enough already. It's time for me to step up as a Rider. I lay still on the ground as he approaches. The smell of the room is nauseating. I can't keep getting distracted! He's coming. His footsteps growing louder. The echo of his laughing radiates around the room. And then he stops. Right behind me. I can feel the tips of his shoes just barely touching my back. He bends close to me, his hot breath on my skin.
"You're not too bright," he hisses and laughs again, this time very loudly and I jump, "I told you." He grabs my hair and pulls me up. I cry out and he continues to laugh. Not evilly, but like everything is hysterical.
He drags me to a chair and places me in it. The pain in my clavicle and ribs tears at me. He's lifting my whole body of the ground by my hair. With one hand. Who is this guy? What has he done with Liir? And where is Beau? My fear and panic and pain melt away. Leaving anger and alertness in its wake. I'm surrounded by a ring of stones. I know this. To prevent me from using magic. My heart sinks.
He turns away from me and heads to the dark corner of the room. I open my mouth to speak but he silences me with a wave of his long fingernailed hands.
"You're going to ask me questions! How fun!" He turns to me, smiling. His mouth his full of shark-like teeth, "I love question games!"
"Who are you?" I ask, gritting my teeth as the pain from speaking sends pain radiating up my spine.
"Who are you?" He replies with a grin and a quick hoot.
"Answer me!" I snap, my voice echoing back to me.
His smile drops and he's staring at me with his crimson honey eyes. He walks over to me, almost feminine-like. One foot in front of the other. In the dim lighting I can tell he's anything but ordinary. His crimson red hair is long and unruly. He's dressed in black pants and a white button down shirt covered by a brown vest. Over all of that, he wears a long blood-red trench coat. Unbuttoned and billowing behind him as he walks. He's pouting. He comes close and stick his face in front of mine, our noses almost touching.
"It's not fair," he finally says, "Why can't I look like you?"
I'm utterly confused, what is he talking about? He turns and sits down on my lap, hard. The pain in my body from his weight causes me to cry out in agony. But he doesn't move. He turns to me and grabs my face in his hand. He turns it left and right. Up and down. Examining every inch of me. He pulls at my lips and my nose. All the while, pouting.
I manage to shake my head free, but not without a stab of protest from my cracked clavicle. "Who are you?!"
He sighs, "You're no fun." The red haired man climbs off me and my injuries breathe sigh of relief. I'd heal myself if I had use of my hands!
"Where's Liir?"
"Liir? Oh! That pretty, handsome boy you were with? I don't know." He shrugs and slouches into a chair across from me.
"Why am I here?"
He looks bored, examining his nails, "My master had to talk to you."
"Your master?"
"You see, Skye," He draws out my name, "My master has a very keen interest in you and your dragon. Don't act so surprised, though. Of course we knew you'd show up around here eventually. So the moment you appeared out of the sky, we've been drawn to you like a moth to a flame."
"How do you know me?"
"Everybody who's anybody knows who you are," He starts to examine his fingernails again, picking and biting at them.
I stare at him. Spending all my time on Vroengard with Eragon never prepared me for any encounters with beings such as this. He has to be a Shade. But how am I supposed to know what Shades really look like? Or if the flamboyant way this one acts is customary? I could kick myself for being so naïve and stupid. If this guy really is a Shade, in my current condition I don't stand a chance. But what would a Shade be doing here in New York? Or in this world at all.
I feel as if my heart has stopped beating and my mind goes blank. He must be a Shade or else why would I feel so afraid?
"So tell me," I begin, my false courage trying it's best not to break, "What is a Shade doing here?"
He places his hands in his lap and stares at me. His blood red eyes swimming as he looks into my blue ones. And he laughs again, making me jump. He reaches out and tweaks my nose, "You really are stupid!"
I wrench my head away, the heat in my face rising.
"There are Shades everywhere!" He chuckles.
"What?"
"Did you think there were only Shades in Alagaesia?" He babies me, cupping my chin in his hand, which is surprisingly very warm. He tilts my head up so I'm looking directly into his face, "Your teacher needs to do a better job of teaching! Perhaps I'll tell him the next time I see him."
He's talking about Eragon! And he can go see him?
"How? You're here in this world."
He dramatically covers his face in his arm and gasps, "Oh no! You're right!" And then he drops it and is suddenly still, grinning wickedly at me, "Getting to Alagaesia from here is simple. I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. Actually, I take that back. I'm not surprised. People travel to and from all the time!"
I stutter something incoherent, not being able to find proper words. The Shade tisks at me, "I have a secret for you. That night six years ago when you fell into the desert…" he's suddenly behind me, hands on my shoulders. I can feel his hot breath on the nape of my neck, "I dropped you there!"
My jaw drops, but I'm still lost for words.
His laughter intensifies, "Poor Skye. Doesn't know how to get home. Betrayed by the only friend you've got here. And now this!"
My thoughts finally click into place, "Betrayed?"
"Oh you didn't figure that out either. Yeah."
"By Liir?"
The Shade nods.
I pull at my restrains but I can't break them. Even with my added strength.
"Dwarf steel." He explains.
"You're a liar!" I scream at him.
"About the steel? No. Oh! You're so called friend! No. Not a lie. Fact. Think about it, it was his idea to hide away in the museum. He split you up from your dragon. He trusted that security guard. It works perfectly."
I start to shake, "Y-you're a liar. He wouldn't…"
"Would any regular human stick around after being confronted by a dragon such as yours? I'm quite surprised your dragon didn't figure him out sooner!"
Beau! "Where is my dragon?"
The Shade sighed, "I don't know. Got away I presume. He was nowhere in the museum as far as we could tell."
My mind is reeling. I can't tell if he's lying to me about both Liir and Beau or one and not the other.
A muffled cry fills the room. It's not me. It's some man's voice. The sound tears at my soul as the agonizing cries carry on. I feel hot tears roll down my face. Whether it be out of pity for that tortured man or for my own sake, I don't know.
The Shade stares into space and rubs his temples, "How bothersome. You'll have to excuse me; I have to see to this."
I don't look at him. I just hang my head and stare as my tears form droplet patterns on my legs. I can tell he's gone when the temperature in the room starts to drop. His heat gone with him. When I know he's gone, I begin to sob. I don't think I've ever cried more in my whole life. I sob and scream like a banshee. Draining myself of my anguish and frustration. The pain in my body is nothing compared to the pain in my heart.
I try to reach out my mind to Beau, but there's still no answer. I can even tell if he's close.
Esterni. Probably dead still in that museum gallery. Lying on that cold marble floor. I couldn't even protect a dog.
And Liir… what do I do? He couldn't betray me. He wouldn't. I can feel it, we're siblings. Aren't we?