IMPORTANT: I know it has been awhile since I updated! There was a storm that knocked out my power from Thursday until Sunday. I was able to finish this chapter before my computer died but I had no way to post it until now. Sorry about the delay! It is a long chapter so hopefully that makes up for it.

Chapter 36 is here!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed!

As always feel free to tell me your thoughts on the story.

Enjoy the chapter everyone!
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Eragon's POV

Eragon was frozen as he stared at the now unconscious form of Folir, hardly believing what he had just revealed.

"How could Dathedr be a shade?" he wondered "Surely the elves would have noticed!"

A pained groan rose from Folir's unconscious body and the noise shook Eragon out of his stupor.

Forcing himself to move forward and place his hand on Folir's chest, Eragon quickly drew upon his reserves of power and cast several spells of healing upon his student. Eragon watched as his cuts and bruises slowly faded and his body relaxed into a more comfortable position upon the bed.

Eragon was breathing heavily and fell to one knee, the injuries had taken much more energy from him than they should have but Eragon didn't have time to rest and ponder this odd phenomenon.

"Arya is in danger" He thought as he forced himself to his feet

It wasn't just a result of what Folir had told him, Eragon could feel it in his very being.

He hurried to the door but paused and looked back at Folir's motionless body. He would wake soon and Eragon didn't want to leave him alone again.

He felt a twinge in the back of his mind and knew Arya had been injured. Thinking quickly, he whispered a few lines in the ancient language that he hoped would stop anyone from entering or exiting the tower.

The second the incantation left his lips Eragon turned and jumped off the side of the tower. He free fell for a moment before landing feet first and rolling directly into a full-on sprint.

Eragon sped through the city at top speed, He dodged several elves as they walked the streets and at one point, he was forced to jump clean over a bewildered looking elf that stood on a narrow bridge overlooking the river.

He could still faintly feel Arya's consciousness as he ran through the streets and grew closer to the gardens. Eragon leapt onto and quickly climbed over the hedge that surrounded the garden and entered the bunker where Arya was staying.

Eragon entered the long stone passage and he slowed as he saw the two guards at the entrance slumped against the wall. Despite his desperation, he reached down and was glad to find both guards had a pulse. Eragon moved quickly but cautiously as he grew closer to the small room at the end of the passage.

Eragon drew his sword quietly and took a deep breath to steady himself, He knew what he might find when he entered the room.

Eragon peeked into the room

Papers were strown everywhere and the desk Arya normally stood at was on its side. The bed was messy, and sheets hung off of the sides randomly.

Eragon scanned the room and caught sight of Arya slumped against the stone wall across from the desk. Eragon rushed over to her.

She was covered in scrapes and bruises but otherwise looked unharmed. Eragon shakily put his fingers against her neck and breathed a sigh of relief.

She was only unconscious

Eragon turned and scanned the room once again, looking for any sign of a threat, but the room was empty apart from the two of them.

A groan from behind him alerted him that Arya had returned to consciousness. She shook her head as she tried to focus and Eragon turned as she reached out her hand and he pulled her to her feet.

She immediately leaned against the wall behind her for support and Eragon finally was able to ask her

"What happened here?"

Arya shook her head in an unsure way

"I am not sure; I heard the guards yelling and I saw movement in the corner of my eye and then…. Nothing after that"

Eragon sent his mind toward hers and she let him in immediately. She shared the memory with him, and he watched the memory play out in her head exactly as she had told it. The only sign of the attacker was a shadow on the wall seconds before Arya lost consciousness.

Eragon returned to his own mind, thinking hard about everything he knew. He quickly explained the conversation he had with Dathedr, the odd face he made, how he had found Folir and what he had revealed to him. Arya's eyes widened in shock at his words and her brow furrowed.

"Dathedr is a shade?" She whispered disbelievingly

"That's not possible! The elves would have found out!" She said desperately

Eragon had thought the same thing but he did not doubt the validity of Folir's claim.

"You said Folir was acting, well, insane-" Arya started as she tried to rationalize what she had been told

Eragon shook his head

"He was most sane when speaking about Dathedr."

Arya gave him a long look before speaking

"We need to get back to him"

Eragon sent her a questioning look

"We?"

She met his eyes with a determined glare

"Dathedr already knows I am here. There is no point in hiding now"

Eragon didn't feel totally comfortable with this but agreed all the same

Arya walked past him and Eragon caught a glimpse of something in her left hand.

"Arya, what is that?" He asked sharply

He gestured to a crumpled piece of paper in her hand

Arya looked at the piece of paper with confusion and Eragon realized she hadn't noticed it in her hand.

She opened the paper so that they could both see it clearly. Written in a neat scrawl was the words

Thanks for the key

It was clearly from Dathedr, but what did it mean?

Eragon spent several moments wondering what it could mean

"A key for what? Why didn't he simply kill Arya? He clearly could have… he must have a reason"

Eragon groaned in frustration. Nothing about this made sense. He began to ask Arya if she had any ideas but froze mid-sentence as he caught sight of her.

Arya was staring at her left hand that had been holding the paper. A drop of blood fell from her finger and onto the ground. Her face was ashen white and Eragon was incredibly concerned to see fear present on her features.

"Arya… what is it?...are you hurt?" Eragon asked slowly and cautiously

Arya's hand tightened to a fist

"I am a fool" She said quietly

"Arya talk to me!" Eragon said desperately

Arya's eyes rose to meet his. Her emerald eyes were watering, and she looked close to tears.

"He is going for the egg" She said miserably

Eragon's brow furrowed in confusion and she elaborated

"He is going to try to either hatch the dragon egg or destroy it. There is a powerful spell placed on the vault where it is kept. The only way to enter is to have the blood of my family spilled on a certain area.'

She held up her hand and Eragon could see drops of blood falling from her finger. It looked as though someone had poked it with a pin

"He took your blood to enter the vault?" He guessed

She nodded

"I have not been able to return to the vault since I was attacked. I hoped the enchantment would hold… clearly it did" She finished bitterly

Eragon mentally cursed himself, he should have brought several Eldunari with him when he returned. He had been foolish to decide against it. The only Eldunari they had were the three he had given to Arya and he was no longer sure they would be enough.

Eragon's eyes wondered to the desk where the last message had been left. He picked up both pieces of paper and compared them to each other. The writing had similarities but were clearly written by different people. He focused on the original message that had been found on Veres body and felt certain he had seen the writing before. With a shock, he recognized the untidy scrawl as Folir's writing. He couldn't believe he had missed that when he first saw the message.

He pointed this out to Arya who frowned and took the papers from him. She looked at each paper and confirmed that they were written by different people. She also confirmed the message she held had been written by Dathedr after looking carefully and comparing it to an old report she had laying around.

That made no sense to either of them. Eragon wasn't sure of much but he was sure that Folir would not side with Dathedr, especially if it resulted in the death of his dragon.

Something still bothered him, and he voiced his question to Arya

"Why didn't Dathedr simply kill you? There is no strategical sense to keeping you alive"

Arya took a moment to ponder and responded

"I am not sure, perhaps it was a show of power, He may be trying to intimidate us. It's possible it's a message to you…. In any case we need to go see Folir immediately"

Eragon followed her out of the room but his thoughts stayed on Dathedr and his many odd tactics. Eragon couldn't help but wonder what he hoped to achieve.

Eragon and Arya stealthily moved around the dark city. There was no moon and the darkness around them was so absolute that even with elven senses they had difficulty seeing more than a few feet ahead. Everything was quiet as they slowly made their way to the tower. Several times Eragon thought he caught sight of shadows on the rooftops or in the trees out of the corner of his vison, but they were gone when he looked back. He wasn't sure if they were real or if the darkness and his paranoia was making him see things that were not there, but he took no chances and they moved quickly.

They made it to the tower without incident although Eragon couldn't help but feel they were being watched as they climbed the stairs. They approached the door and Eragon ended the spell he had placed upon the door.

The door sprung open and Eragon murmured a spell to illuminate the room.

Folir was seated in the center of the room. His head was bowed as he sat staring at the stone floor. He made no movement or sound to acknowledge their arrival. Eragon motioned for Arya to stay back and Eragon slowly approached Folir.

As he grew closer, he noticed Folir's shoulders were shaking softly.

"Folir" Eragon said softly as he tried to get the elf's attention

Eragon crouched down so he was level to his seated student and repeated himself calmly

"Folir, it's Eragon"

There was no response from the golden eyed elf. Eragon reached forward and gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

The effect was immediate. The moment Eragon's hand touched Folir's shoulder the elf's head snapped up and his eyes met Eragon's. For just a fraction of a second Eragon thought he caught a flash of maroon in his golden eyes but didn't have a chance to look further as Folir lunged at him.

Eragon was taken aback by this and Folir tackled him to the hard floor. Eragon felt his head hit the ground with a sickening crunch and his vison swam. He blinked rapidly and his vison sharpened as a fist flew toward his face.

Eragon got his hand up just in time and was able to deflect the blow so that Folir's fist hit the ground next to him. Folir raised his hand to strike again and as he did Eragon saw Arya begin to draw her sword from behind him.

"NO, ARYA!" Eragon roared as Folir's fist connected painfully with his face.

Arya hesitated but stood back. Folir tried to swing again but this time Eragon was ready. Eragon caught his hand and rolled so that Folir was forced to his back to avoid breaking his elbow.

Now it was Eragon on top of Folir. Eragon used his knees and arms to pin Folir's shoulders down and rendered him unable to move.

Eragon could feel blood dripping from his surely broken nose onto Folir's tattered tunic. Eragon stared intently into Folir's eyes, Folir's dull eyes stared back at him. They were filled with anguish and grief but also intense fear and guilt. His eyes flashed with manic energy and it was clear he wasn't completely sane. Eragon focused on his golden eyes and looked closely. There was no sign of maroon in the gold of his iris.

Eragon lessened the pressure on Folir's shoulders and spoke calmly in the ancient language

"I will not harm you Folir, you are safe now"

Folir didn't answer but his body relaxed some and he struggled against Eragon less powerfully. He still looked scared and confused and it was clear he didn't fully trust his reality.

Eragon had experience with distorted reality and gently brushed his mind against Folir's in an attempt to verify his identity to the elf. Folir's breath hitched and Eragon heard him faintly whisper

"Master"

Folir's golden eyes grew more lucid and his eyes locked with Eragon's. His eyes still looked broken and subdued but there was a measure of reality that hadn't been there a moment ago.

Something seemed to break within Folir. His eyes filled with tears and Eragon heard him whisper something that he didn't catch. He said it again and this time Eragon caught what he said

"Kill me"

Eragon was taken aback as Folir began to raise his voice.

"Kill me!" "Kill me please!" He begged

He looked in so much pain and anguish as he desperately screamed that a part of Eragon wanted to grant his wish. What scared Eragon the most was that Folir's eyes were wide and lucid. He knew exactly who and where he was and still was begging for death, for the constant emptiness in his mind to end.

To Eragon's surprise it was Arya who stepped forward and spoke forcefully.

"We need you Folir! You know more about Dathedr than any of us! We need your help to defeat him and avenge Veres!"

Folir stopped screaming and breathed heavily as he stared at Arya. His face was contorted in depression and guilt

"You don't know what you ask of me, what I have done…." He trailed off as his voice broke

Arya moved closer and spoke softer than before

"You are right, we don't know what it is like, but we will if you don't help us. Thouands of innocents can be saved. Veres would have wanted you to save as many people as possible."

Eragon thought it was a risky move to mention Veres by name, but it seemed to have an influence on him. He sat up straighter, shut his eyes and took a deep breath. When his eyes opened, he still looked broken and defeated but there was a glimmer of purpose as well.

Folir spoke in a dark voice

"I will remain on this earth until the shade is destroyed, once he is dead, you will not stop me from entering the void"

He looked at both of them in turn. Arya nodded and after a moment of hesitation Eragon did as well

Folir stood and walked to the window overlooking the city. He was quiet for a moment and his shoulder slumped

"This shade is unlike anything I read about during training." He said softly

"He is not just incredibly powerful or fast or strong. He has abilities I did not know a shade could have."

He took a deep breath and spoke again in a controlled tone

"He can switch host bodies"

Eragon was confused at this but Arya seemed to understand. She gasped and looked at Folir with a look of horror etched on her face.

Folir turned toward them and noticed Eragon's confusion

"Master, a normal shade is when a group of spirits takes over the body. They and the body they inhabit become one being that forms a shade. This shade is only one spirit, but it is incredibly powerful. It can leave the body it inhabits and possess others, utterly and completely, turning them into a temporary shade."

Eragon remembered the flash of maroon he had seen in Folir's eyes and took a small step back.

"Don't tell me you…." Eragon couldn't even finish the thought

Folir cringed and lowered his head in an ashamed way

"I am part elf, part rider…..and now I am part shade" He said quietly

Eragon wasn't quite sure what to say to that but Arya saved him by asking what Eragon had avoided

"How can you be part shade? No spirit is controlling you."

Folir nodded

"It seems that the shade can only control one person at a time. I have control of myself right now, but I can feel a small part of the shade within my mind. At any moment he could leave Dathedr's body and retake control of my body and I would be a full shade once again, forced to do whatever the spirit wishes"

His eyes leveled at Eragon's and Eragon understood why he had begged for them to kill him. He hadn't just been crushed by the loss of Veres, he also was terrified of the destruction he could cause.

Eragon wondered again if killing him was the best option. It would ensure the safety of many lives, but he didn't think he could bring himself to do it.

"Can the piece be destroyed?" Eragon asked but he was fairly sure he already knew the answer

Folir shook his head

"The only way to destroy it is if I die or the shade does."

Eragon thought of something else but it was Arya who asked the question

"If he is only a spirit, how can we kill him?"

Folir shifted his gaze to her

"A spirit is useless without its host. You kill him the same way you would kill a normal shade, a blade through the heart"

"How do you know all this" Eragon asked somewhat suspiciously

Folir gave him a grim smile

"When I was controlled, the connection between myself and the spirit was deep. He could read my every thought and I could read his."

Arya looked excited at this

"Do you know what his plan is"

Folir shook his head

"Only bits and pieces that make no sense to me. He was careful not to reveal anything important to me."

Ayra's brow furrowed in frustration

"How were you captured?" She asked curiously

Folir looked away with a hard look

"I don't really know the process. I remember me and Ver-" He broke off for a moment as his voice broke

"Me and my dragon had been arguing most of the day, it was one of our worst fights we ever had."

Folir's voice filled with regret

"He had sealed himself off completely from me and we slept apart from each other. I remember I had very odd dreams that night and when I woke, I had no control of my body."

His eyes darkened even more, and tears sprinkled into his eyes

"I tried to fight, to break free but I couldn't. I was forced to walk to where he lay. He realized something was wrong the second he woke and saw me."

Folir spoke in a monotone voice now, as though he wasn't paying attention to hat he was saying

Eragon tried to imagine waking up to find a shade where your rider had been the day before and he shuddered in horror.

"He never stood a chance" Folir whispered

Eragon didn't need for him to elaborate. It was clear what happened next.

"I don't remember much after this but he forced me into a hidden room in the palace. He left my body then and returned to Dathedr's where I was tortured most severely"

"That explains why no sign of any attacker was found. Folir was the attacker"

"How did you escape" Arya asked

"I didn't" He responded simply "I passed out in the palace and woke up here"

Arya and Eragon shared a look at this. It made no tactical sense to release a prisoner unless releasing him would do more harm than good.

Eragon studied Folir. His arms were beginning to shake and Eragon could see, even through Folir's tears, that his eyes were beginning to regain the crazed look from before and Eragon knew they had asked enough questions for the night.

"That's enough" He said forcefully "we all need rest"

Even as he said it, Eragon doubted that any of them would sleep that night. At Folir's request, Eragon chained him to the upstairs bed while Eragon and Arya would sleep in the downstairs room. Eragon doubted it would do much if Folir was controlled again but he hoped it would give them a warning at the very least.

Eragon rolled out two blankets on the floor and they laid down. Even with everything going on, Eragon felt himself relax some at the familiar warmth next to him.

They spoke for several minutes as they planned what to do with Folir and ways to attack Dathedr. They settled on a base plan that Eragon already hated and decided the details could wait until morning.

Arya offered to take first watch for which Eragon was grateful. He was exhausted and the events of the day had taken a large toll on him.

Despite what he said before, Eragon fell asleep quickly. His dreams were full of half seen figures and shades with maroon eyes.

Eragon shot awake suddenly. Something had woken him suddenly and completely as though cold water had been doused on him. It was still dark as he sat up and Arya eyed him curiously as she sat staring at the stairs that led to where Folir slept.

Eragon wasn't quite sure what had woke him but he was sure something was happening. He stood and Arya stood with him. The both walked up the stairs and slowly opened the door.

Folir was awake but very much himself as he gave them a look of annoyance. There was no maroon in his eyes. They walked down and Eragon was about to shake it off and go back to bed when he caught the sound of wings in the distance. Eragon cautiously approached the balcony door and slowly stepped out into the dark night.

The sound was louder here and growing louder by the second. Eragon drew his sword as Arya joined him on the balcony. The sound was nearly on top of them now as they stared into the darkness around them.

Suddenly a huge outline of a dragon descended from the clouds above and hovered only feet from them. A voice that made Eragon's entire being burst with joy spoke in their minds

"You know, for a dragon rider you are sorely missing…. a dragon"

Eragon laughed for the first time in days and responded

"It has been far too long, my partner of the heart"

Eragon felt their minds merge and for the first time in months the emptiness inside his mind was filled completely.

Hey guys!

Hopefully you all enjoyed the chapter.

It is currently Friday night at the time of writing this. I have been without power for the majority of the day due to high winds and I will not be able to post this until my power is restored. Hopefully you get this on Saturday, but I honestly have no idea.

Only a few more chapters left so stay tuned. The next few chapter's will be intense!

Thanks for everything

Stay Safe

Lawld01