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"This had better be important, Brom. I do not take to being woken in the middle of the night."

"I wouldn't have woken you without good reason, Evandar. Oromis has told me that Eragon figured out that the being in the twisted flame's possession is a dragon. Is this true?" Evandar looked at the man through the mirror.

"I can't give you that information. But there is one who can. Do you have time to wait?"

"I have all night." Brom replied. Evandar ended the spell and the mirror showed his grizzly reflection. He wasn't sure who he was going to be meeting this night, but he hoped to have his questions answered. He sat at his desk and thought about what his prisoner had said before Brom had finally killed him. "His master has what he has been looking for. How the hell does he know that? He's been locked in my dungeons for the past thirteen years! I honestly thought he was dead until tonight."

"Majesty?" A female voice called his attention back to the mirror. A young woman, the same in appearance to the Queen Islanzadí, was looking back at him.

"Yes?"

"I am Princess Arya. My father told me that we have information valuable to each other."

"Yes, I believe I may be close to finding your friend. My son recently figured out that the creature taken from Du Weldenvarden is a dragon. Is this true?" He saw Arya hesitate. He was asking a lot of her. But she had been the one to swear her family to secrecy about the creature. Finally:

"Yes, they are a dragon. I believe that they have been bound in a different form that would allow them to blend in with their surroundings better than if they were in their true form."

"Bound in another form? You mean human form?"

"It is possible that that is the form they are bound in."

"Can you tell me more about the dragon? What is their gender? What would they look like as a human? What can you tell me that will help me and my son find your friend, dear Child?"

"Not much more. I will not reveal their gender. And I do not know what they look like in their human form, for that is the form they can take. Though, I can hazard a guess. I am sure you will come to the same conclusion. They may have made up a story to hide the fact, but that would be because of their captor. What more can you tell me?"

"Not much more, Arya. If I could, I would tell you the name of the man who ordered them taken. As of yet, I do not have that information. However, I need your permission to tell the rest of my family about this. The man has been ordering attacks on my family and they need to be warned about what we are up against."

"You have my permission to give them the basic details."

"Such as?"

"They are a dragon bound in a different form. I've linked my mirror to yours. All you have to do is say my name. If I am near enough to hear, your mirror will show this clearing." She moved to show her background. "If I am not, it will be black. It works both ways. If you are in your study, I will see. If not, all I will see is blackness. Remember your promise. Do not tell them that the form they take is human."

"They will need to know that."

"No! And that is final. Do not make me regret letting you even tell them what your son has already discovered." She ended the spell and he was looking at his reflection. He called in his servant. He knew it was late, but this could not wait until morning.

"Yes, Majesty?"

"Wake my family. I want them all in the council room now."

"Yes, Majesty."

She opened her eyes and sat up. It had been weeks since she had arrived in Ilirea, Capitol of the Empire. In that time, she had become quite skilled with her weapons. Though, all the fighting she did while on the way from Gil'ead had helped as well. She sighed and went to sit on the window seat. She looked out and watched the moon. It was the middle of the night. She usually slept through the night. At least she had been since she had woken. But the past few years, there were rare times that she woke. She knew the reason she had woken tonight. It was the anniversary of the attack of her people. It was the attack on this day, when the sun broke, that had separated her from her family. Her father had woken her and her mother and sibling in the middle of the night when the sentries warned of the attack by the humans. It had been around this time. During the years she had lived with Arya, she had slept through the night. But now that she was surrounded by the very people that attacked her, she couldn't sleep.

"How do I get myself out of this mess? I can't tell Brom or Eragon about Galbatorix. They're not going to believe me. Well, Eragon might. And maybe Murtagh. They don't seem to trust their uncle. But Brom and Morzan trust him. There is no way I am going to be able to convince them without proof and Galbatorix doesn't wear anything that ties him to the men he commands under the Twisted Flame." She sighed and rested her chin on her knees and looked out the window. "I do have the proof. There is no way I can fake the memories of my time in the dungeons of Gil'ead's castle. I'll just have to tell them."

She stood and exited her bedroom. She shared the suite with Galbatorix since she was legally his daughter. She hated it. She hated him. She wanted her wings back. She wanted her family back. She stopped at the door and looked around. Her guard was asleep, thinking that she was asleep as well. But there was someone watching. A consciousness. And she knew it. There was no faking the mind and she had felt his mind plenty of times trying to break into hers. It was Galbatorix. He stayed at the fringes of her mind. She looked at his room and heard his soft snoring. She resisted the urge to growl. This was that bond he had created between them. She let her hand drop to her side and she returned to her bedroom. With Galbatorix keeping a careful watch of her movements, she would not be able to tell Brom or Morzan that their brother was plotting their demise. She had one other option. It was risky. But it had to be done. When she had danced with both Brom and Morzan, she had sensed that they had the ability to use magic. She just had to hope that what she was about to do wouldn't get them or her killed.

She sat down and began writing. She would make one letter and then use magic to copy it. While she copied it, she would imbue her memories into the paper, adding enough energy to sustain them until they reached their recipients. She sighed with fatigue when she was done. She had to get a hold of one of the servants before Galbatorix woke up. Using magic to transport them would be risky because of the complexity involved. She would have to use the spell twice.

A knock on the main door stopped her before she could begin the search for a servant. She hadn't called anyone. She sent her consciousness to the door and found a frightened servant. She stepped out of her room at the same moment the Galbatorix stepped out of his. She went to the door to open it. Her guard stopped it. "It is my duty to protect both of you." She stepped back and let the guard open the door. The servant entered and bowed.

"What is the meaning of calling on us in the middle of the night?" Galbatorix demanded.

"His Majesty, King Brom, requests all members of the royal family go immediately to the council room."

"I'll wait here." Saphira said.

"No, you are my daughter by law. By law, that means you are also a member of the royal family even if you do not have the title of princess." Grumbling in her mind, Saphira returned to her room to change her clothes. She looked at the letters she had on her desk as she pulled on the pants. She thought about taking them with her and slipping them to the prince and king. She decided against it. Her guard wasn't going to let her near them. She pulled on her shirt, hid them in her desk and hurried to meet Galbatorix who had also taken the time to change into more suitable attire. She laced the front of her shirt as they walked. She noticed that he had his sword on his belt. If they were attacked, she would use magic.

"Besides, it's not like I am going to be trusted to carry a weapon into this meeting. If something happens, I'll be the first one Eragon and Murtagh blame." She mused as she brushed her hair with her fingers. She had taken the time to stash a dagger in her boot as she had pulled them on. Within minutes, they had made it to the council room and entered. They were the second ones, Brom and Eragon sitting in their respected chairs. Galbatorix led her to his chair and she sat in the one next to it. A few minutes later, Morzan and Murtagh entered the room, also dressed. They sat down at the other end of the table. Galbatorix looked up and down the table. Morzan and Murtagh did the same. This confused Saphira. She wasn't sure what they were looking for.

"Brother," Galbatorix finally ventured, "where is the rest of the council?"

"They are not coming tonight."

"Why not?"

"This is a family affair. I don't trust the council not to blab this about to anyone who has a lick of sense."

"What is going on?" Murtagh asked. Saphira remained quiet. This could prove useful to her.

"I was down with the prisoner we've had in our keeping for several long years. I am not sure how he has stayed alive, but he has." Eragon stiffened. Saphira guessed he knew the man Brom spoke of.

"Has he given new information as to his master?"

"He has, but it's cryptic. He says that his master has found what he is looking for."

"What could he possibly be looking for? Or found?" Morzan demanded. Of all of them, he was the one who was most in the dark. Saphira and Galbatorix knew everything about the twisted flame. She knew who the master was and what he had found. Brom, Murtagh, and Eragon knew what the master had found, but not who he was. Morzan didn't know anything.

"The thing he found was a creature. He found it about five years ago. He sent men into Du Weldenvarden and stole it from the people there. Eragon and I have been actively searching for some signs of it. The princess of Du Weldenvarden swore her family to secrecy and has only given me the barest information to give to you in the hopes that we can rescue this creature." Brom looked at them all. He knew that Murtagh and Eragon already knew some of the information he was about to divulge. "While doing some research while in Carvahall, Eragon stumbled upon the answer. The princess has confirmed his suspicions. The creature that was taken from the forest is a dragon." Morzan was about to argue and Brom held up his hand. "The dragon has been bound in a different form. What form they are in, I cannot tell you as I have been sworn to secrecy. But it is a dragon that this Master of the Twisted Flame has in his keeping. Now, remember that it has been five years since. We don't know if the man has tamed the dragon or not. All we know is that he has one and that he is alive." Brom noticed that Galbatorix and Saphira didn't seem stunned by the news, even though they showed it on their faces. "Is it her? Eragon suspects that she is the dragon. And it makes sense that a dragon in human form would look like the people of Du Weldenvarden. I know she must have pointed ears to match her slanted eyes."

Saphira looked at the table, hope rising within her. "Maybe it won't be so hard to convince Brom that his brother is the man behind the flame. Arya told him that it was a dragon who was taken. I just have to convince him that I am that dragon and that I am being held prisoner by his brother."

"How are we supposed to find this creature if we don't know what form they take?"

"We can only guess and I have one. But I cannot divulge it because of my oath. If you come to the conclusion yourselves, we will be able to talk of it freely."

"Did the princess give you any more information, Uncle?" Murtagh asked. "Did she tell you the gender or any features that would help us find the dragon?"

"No, Murtagh, she did not. She is intent on protecting this creature. That is her number one priority. Nothing will change her mind on the matter. And I will not attempt to. The most important thing for us is the find this man and kill him before he can lose his dragon on us. And we must all be on our guard."

Eragon looked at Saphira. He thought he saw hope shining in her ice blue eyes. It was the first time in weeks that he had seen any emotion in them. "Am I right? Is she the dragon?"

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