Chapter 11. Duel of Cats
"The time has come…" Brenan said to Ticala, "You have served me well… go to the scattered Isles and await me…" She bowed, then Brenan turned into Dragon and flew high up into the sky then he became a cloud and floated towards the rock of Kuthian. As he approached the mountain the cloud he was descended towards the mesa at the top of the mountain. The cloud began to take shape and it became a cat and landed on all fours.
The werecat queen was a beautiful woman with brown hair and eyes that changed colors, she was very shapely and wore a white robe that was wrapped around her body. Queen Feah carried the same staff her predecessor used to fight with.
"So the Halfling comes to pay me tribute…"
Brenan became his normal form, "I came to take your place she cat…" He replied transforming himself to look like her.
She tapped her staff on the ground producing thunderous echo, "Enough! You have much to answer for and it seems that I must destroy you…"
"No you and all werecats who hunted my father and mother like… Like animals you all will pay…"
They charged one another swinging their weapons, Feah gasped as the shard sword cut through her enchanted staff. The weapon had been passed down to every monarch who was made King or Queen of the werecats. Feah hissed as she ducked and dodged his attacks. She backed flipped and as she did Feah became the great cat and unleashed a roar that shook the mountain. Brenan who was still in the form of Feah began to shapeshift again. His body contorted and stretched until he was a great cat as well. His roar shook the mountain and they charged one another thrashing and clawing each other. Brenan was just a little faster than Feah as he pinned her down and tried to bit her neck.
Feah's eyes glowed and Brenan was struck by an invisible force that threw him into one of the pillars. She became human and spoke the word of power, she spoke the name of names. She roared again and threw out her hands. From each hand a beam of light erupted but Brenan vanished in puff of smoke and reappeared in his true form.
"Antielth Langammar Runsala…" She gasped when he spoke the true name, "Yes that's right I know it… Now…" He started transforming into her. "Can you defeat me as an equal…" Both of them started attacking each other with bolts of magic and they attacked each others' minds. The mountain and the surrounding air glowed with each release of the bolts from their hands. "Steirn Risa!" Brenan barked ripping a pillar up and throwing it at Feah, she swiped the air with her claws and ripped the pillar in three chunks. She tackled him, but he rose he feet at the last minute and Feah hit her back. Brenan straddled her and started punching her in the face until she bled, he busted her eye, her mouth, and her nose.
The shadow of a dragon engulfed them both and Brenan was snatched off of Feah by a violet dragon. As Brenan howled in pain he transformed into a long metal double inside the dragon's mouth. When the transformation was complete a blade protruded out of the top of the dragon's head and the bottom of his mouth. Blood spurted and the dragon fell dead. The blade liquefied and spewed from the dragon's mouth and the liquid stood up and formed Brenan. He was fatigued because transforming into inanimate objects was more taxing than turning into living ones. He crawled on his knees weakened as he tried to stand. He was engulfed in the flames of another dragon, but Brenan became the fire wiped around and shot up the other dragon's nose, the dragon's head exploded and it feel dead as well. There was one more dragon on the mesa and it watched its fallen comrades hoping the Halfling was still alive. The body of the dead Dragon shook as if something was inside, a claw ripped open the carcass and from it arose a huge green dragon. The body was ripped apart as the shapeshifter arose and stood tall over the smaller blue dragon. With one swipe of his paw he cut the dragon and slammed it into the side of the mountain, it slid down to its side and died.
Brenan roared in victory spewing fire from his mouth, then he turned his bloody eyes on Feah, who was crawling towards the entrance of the vault. He stomped his foot on her and ground his foot then he returned to his normal form. He grabbed Feah by the hair and looked into her bloody face.
"Antielth Langammar Runsala… I am King of the werecats now and the gift… The power of all werecats is mine…" He said a few words in the ancient language and stripped Feah of the power gifted to her by the last werecat king. "From this day forth all werecats shall remain in whatever form they are presently in… I strip them of their power… Mortal they shall be this I do as the werecat king!" Brenan's spell went across the world resting on every werecat save one stripping them of their power. Whoever was in human form would die in human form mortal and whoever was in cat form would die as a normal everyday cat.
("Your victory is empty Shapeshifter…") The voice speaking to Brenan was coming from the vault of souls, the dragons were angry. ("Like all before you… You will fail… A hero will arise and fight you…")
He threw Feah to the side, "Now I m more powerful than the first Eragon, more powerful than Vrael, Galbatorix, The foresworn children… I am more powerful than Shau Ming… Not even Eragon Shadeslayer can compare with me… And what can you bodiless dragons do to me… Nothing!"
("Whether by us or another you shall fail…")
"Perhaps… in the another, meanwhile I have a true prison for you… Antielth Langammar Runsala…" He walked up to the bolder and placed his hands on the rock. The entire mountain began to shift and change, when the process was done the entire mountain had been changed to crystal. The dragons couldn't communicate with anyone outside the vault nor could they intervene in the world with their magic the way they did during Galbatorix's time. Brenan transformed into a Dragon and left the rock of kuthian flying north towards the forest of Duwaledenvarden.
When Solombum told Angela what was going on she created a spell and placed it on the amulet and gave it to Solombum. The enchanted amulet protected him from the curse Brenan placed on all werecats. Then she sent Solombum and her daughter into hiding.