Creatures of Despondency

Days passed fleetingly until nigh on three years had passed, as the boys followed their daily schedules. Wake up, breakfast, chores, lunch, more chores, dinner, and then finally lessons with Tornac. Despite how taxing these lessons could be, they had become Eragon's favorite part of everyday life.

He was fifteen now, and approaching the cusp of manhood. His birthday was in early winter, which if he did the calculations Tornac had taught him correctly, was about a month away. The date, although significant to most, had become just a landmark in the passage of time for him, as it had been since he'd found out it was the date his mother had abandoned him. Still, Garrow insisted that they celebrate every birthday as it was their last, as it very much could be.

Ever since Tornac had arrived with the warning of imminent danger, Garrow had become more overprotective with the trio of boys. If one went out the other two had to accompany them, which was now more annoying than ever, since Roran had become infatuated with a girl in town.

Despite this small annoyance, the boys understood that Garrow was just worried, which was the reason why Eragon buried himself in Tornac's lessons. Whatever danger that awaited him and his family, he wanted to be strong enough to destroy it. It'd taken his mother away from him, and he wouldn't lose anyone else.

This dedication had changed him from being a small naive boy to more of a man, both mentally and physically. The mixture of the grueling work of farming and Tornac's lessons had made him unrecognizable, even to himself. He'd had a growth spurt and was now taller than Garrow and Roran, which annoyed his cousin to no end. His face had lost all trace of baby fat, with his cheekbones and jawline being more prominent, and he'd gained quite a bit more muscle. This pubescent transformation had made him look more like Murtagh, which had made him into the talk of the town for the girls.

Unlike his brother who would give in to such fancies, Eragon would ignore any attraction from the opposite sex, as he was determined.

Which was why he had turned down Murtagh and Roran's offer to go into town tonight. Despite the rule of traveling in a trio, Garrow had decided he wanted to go see Horst, and filled Eragon's spot. This left the farm empty, with Tornac being the only other company which was perfect for Eragon.

Approaching the barn he shouted for his mentor.

"I'm here boy, what you want? Thought you were going into town with the others?"

"You know me, not into that stuff. Plus Garrow is going with them."

Tornac nodded, smiling, "You know most lads, like your brother and cousin, would take the night off and try and meet a girl? You choosing not to on your own free will is a bit worrying."

"Well I guess I'm not like most my age. Besides that danger you and Garrow always talk about could show up any moment. I just want to be prepared." Eragon responded.

"Which just makes my point even more so, the next day our lives could end. Don't you want the chance to meet one of the best things in life, love?"

Eragon just stared at his old friend oddly, "I have met love. I have love for you, Murtagh, Uncle Garrow, Roran,... Aunt Marian, this farm, hunting, and training."

Tornac let out an amused Grunt to his disciple's response. "God you might be mature for your age, but you're still so young. Trust me, when you meet the right one, you'll realize what I'm talking about."

Eragon just shrugged, as he moved to get one of Tornac's swords.

"I wonder if you realize that this night off I'm giving everyone, might also include myself?"

Watching Eragon's sheepish look, Tornac hid a smile.

The dedication he saw in his student was admirable but he worried that Eragon was a bit too dedicated. When he'd first arrived, he hadn't known that Aunt Marian had passed away a couple of months ago. Nor had he known that with her death, Garrow had revealed that Marian hadn't been Eragon nor Murtagh's mum.

Now that he did though, he wondered if the revelation was the reason Eragon had thrown himself into the lessons.

"No, I'm sorry I didn't think of that."

Tornac's eyes twinkled a bit as he responded, "I'm messing with you boy, you know an extra lesson is always fine by me."

Eragon perked up upon hearing Tornac's response with a smile, before throwing one of the scabbards in his mentor's direction. He then took the other, withdrawing the blade, and running a finger tip down the cool metal.

"You can only use your left hand today." Tornac said, which elicited a groan from Eragon.

"Why?"

"Because you need to work on it, and I didn't make you ambidextrous for nothing." Tornac retorted.

Eragon groaned again, before shifting the pommel from his right to his left.

"You never told me how you got these swords again? I've never heard of magic being used to block a blade. I never understood why you made us start with sticks if you had these anyways."

"It's a long story and don't question my teaching methods. Sticks are safer than swords, even ones that have been dulled by magic."

Eragon frowned at Tornac's response before he felt a crushing force try to penetrate his mind. Clenching his teeth together, he quickly did as Tornac had taught him, raising barriers of defense inspired by happy memories. Wall after wall rose until the crushing force felt like nothing but a soft pin prick.

He was given no time to respite though, as Tornac lunged at him with his blade. Quickly Eragon moved to the side in time, before raising his own blade to block another swing.

A dance began, as Eragon and Tornac moved around the barnyard floor each trying to out maneuver the other. Eragon was quicker, but Tornac had the patience and experience.

Whenever he'd try a quick jab or cut, Tornac would parry or block it away before quickly retaliating with his own strikes.

Eragon soon found himself puffed with small, soon to be bruises all over his body. He and Tornac circled one another silently, before he saw a small smirk come over his mentor's face.

Giving nothing away, Eragon stared right back trying to show no weakness, despite his lungs dying.

Tornac then dived forwards, slicing his blade at Eragon, and the dance resumed again. This time though, with Tornac dominating so much that Eragon was primarily only on defense.

Parry, parry, block, dodge, parry, block, swing.

As the same heavy strikes rained down, and with every minute that passed, Eragon knew his strength was waning. Knowing he wouldn't last much longer, he tried to find a pattern in Tornac's attack.

Studying with trained eyes, he watched as his mentor continued to batter him.

The blows abruptly stopped though, as Tornac took a step back, as if somehow sensing what Eragon was trying to do. The two resumed circling one another, as both sweat profusely with the light of lanterns showing the gloss.

"Why'd you stop?" Eragon demanded.

Tornac smirked again, "Because I'm no fool."

His mentor then made a feint towards Eragon's neck before changing in mid stroke to go for his ribs.

Sensing the deceitfulness early, Eragon was able to block the strike in the nick of time, causing a loud metallic clang to reverberate through the barn.

Both combatants still kept their swords interlocked though, each trying to push their blade towards the other.

Using his strength, Eragon tried to move the interlocked swords towards Tornac's chest. Despite this, his mentor didn't budge. Tornac, while having a thin frame, had quite a bit of hidden strength in him which trapped both in a standoff. The two were now a foot apart, and Eragon could see Tornac was gritting his teeth.

The immense pressure of another mind returned to attack Eragon's defenses as Tornac tried to distract him.

Being caught by surprise the first time, Eragon was having none of it though, as his defenses stayed steady. This did strike a predicament for both combatants though as now both were stuck in a duel of blades and minds. Searching for a way out of this stalemate Eragon finally found an opening.

Seeing as how close the two now were, Eragon swiftly broke off his attack, stepping back, watching a surprised Tornac lose his balance. Seizing on the chance, Eragon started to hound blow after blow on a recovering Tornac until the man was on his knees in front of him.

Using the last of his strength, Eragon Slammed his blade into Tornac's, making the man lose his grip on the weapon. The blade fell to the ground, as Eragon held his own blade to his mentor's neck declaring, "Dead."

Panting, Tornac smiled as Eragon hauled him back to his feet.
"I'm impressed Eragon. You held your nerve, even when the battle looked as if you'd lost. Even while I was battling you mentally. I'm astounded to say, but I don't think there's much more I can teach you."

Eragon smiled back at his friend, "You'll always have something to teach me… Do you think I could finally beat Murtagh?"

Tornac's smile widened at the question. Out of the three boys, Murtagh had been the most skilled at swordplay. While Eragon had had to work hard, his older brother was just naturally gifted. Together the pair of brothers would be a force to be reckoned with unlike their cousin and uncle.

Garrow had made it clear very early on in the lessons, that he was not to be trained in the art of the blade. The only lessons he'd be joining would be the mental lessons which Tornac happily agreed with. Especially after watching the man struggle for the first month.

Apparently the trait followed from father to son, as Roran had also seemed to not be gifted with the sword. The difference though, was that unlike his father, Roran hadn't given up and was now an average swordsman at best.

Despite this, Roran had found his true weapon in a sparring match with Murtagh. As the battle had commenced, Tornac and Eragon had watched as Murtagh wiped the floor with Roran. The boy had disarmed his cousin, and made him fall to the ground.

Out of anger or frustration, Roran had grabbed a nearby hammer and fought back in rage. That day was one of the only times Murtagh had been beaten in a sparring match in a longtime, and ever since then Roran preferred a hammer as his weapon of choice.

"Honestly, it'd be a tough fight… I don't think I'd know."

Eragon nodded back in understanding. "I bet I could take him down."

"Well we'll find out at the end of the month won't we." Tornac responded wryly.

It had been established, after basic training had been completed that a sparring tournament would occur at the end of every month. Winner would get three days off lessons for motivation.

Tornac had thought of the idea after witnessing the brotherly competition between the trio, and was very pleased when the level of improvement skyrocketed every month because of it.

Each boy had a different reason for winning, with Eragon trying to prove himself, Murtagh for pride and banter, and Roran being the only one with a solid reason for winning. Love.

"Yep. I'll finally take down that cocky bastard."

"And what would you do with your three free nights? Roran has that lass in town to go to, and even Murtagh would go have some fun, but you?" Tornac asked, raising an eyebrow.

Eragon paused frowning. Thinking for a minute, he opened his mouth to respond, with it dying in his throat as heavy hoofbeats could be heard approaching the farm.

Tornac seemed to notice the noise too as he quickly extinguished the lanterns in the barn, before moving to retrieve his personal blade. One that wasn't dulled by magic.

Once it was retrieved, he handed Eragon a dagger, before beckoning for them to hide and wait.

Minutes passed as the hoofbeats got louder and louder, until two horses burst into the barn. The rider's lanterns illuminated the whole area with blinding light, as Eragon and Tornac stayed hidden behind some hay barrels.

"Eragon, Tornac, this is no time for games! Where are you?"

Frowning, Eragon popped his head up to see his older brother dismounting one of the horses.

"What are you all doing back so early? We didn't expect your return till way later into the night." Eragon asked, confused.

"Well your expectations would be met, but something has occurred back in town." Murtagh responded.

"Explain then." Tornac demanded moving to stand beside Eragon.

"Me and Roran," Murtagh said referring to Roran, who nodded, "were at Morn's doing… well you know what, but that's not the point. We were at Morn's when these two strangers came in."

"So?" Eragon asked impatiently.

"So, it's unusual to get travelers in Carvahall at this time of the year, but also something was off with them. For example the entire atmosphere changed, as fear just seemed to fill the tavern as soon as they entered."

Eragon's eyes widened at the descriptions, while Tornac motioned for Murtagh to carry on.

"Well after they entered, they immediately started questioning Morn and a few others, asking about you, Tornac. Upon hearing that, we immediately knew this could be dangerous, and snuck out the back door of Morn's with help from Tara. We then went straight to Horst's found Garrow and rode back as fast as possible."

"Describe these newcomers to me." Tornac demanded.

Roran and Murtagh looked between each other, before Garrow nudged Murtagh. "Describe 'em, one of you, cause I wasn't there."

"I didn't get a good angle on them but they both wore black cloaks, which covered their faces. One was taller than the other, and they both appeared to be hunchbacked. Both appeared to be armed as well, as I could make out the end of some scabbards from under their cloaks." Murtagh reccounted shivering.

Tornac seemed to pale upon hearing the descriptions, as he then backed away starting to head towards his gear.

"We must leave at once."

Four heads turned to Tornac, in confusion. "Why?" Roran asked, "You know who they are?"

"Not who but what. They are not human, if your descriptions are accurate. We must leave immediately." Tornac repeated.

"Wait, why? You've been training us for years now, for this exact moment. We can take 'em." Eragon stated determinedly.

Tornac turned towards Eragon with a serious glint in his eyes. "Eragon, trust me, we are outmatched. I never expected him to send them but it appears he has."

"Who's he, and them?" Murtagh asking, frowning.

"Stories for another time… if we survive this. Now quickly gather your most important possessions. We head for the Spine as quickly as possible, and hopefully we can shake them."

All three boys stared at each other in befuddlement mixed with shock, until Garrow butted in. "You heard him, move it!"

He then turned to Tornac, as the boys all scurried off towards the house. "Is this what you feared to come?"

Tornac clenched his jaw, "Worst."

"May the Gods show us mercy then." Garrow murmured in fear, as he then followed the boys to the house.

It took about fifteen minutes until everyone was back in the barn with their packs filled, when a high pitched shriek reverberated through the darkness. The sound was ear shattering, striking a fear Eragon had never felt in his entire life. One that turned his legs to stone as he suddenly felt like he couldn't move or breath.

"What the fuck was that?" Murtagh asked, his voice wavering.

"That is why we are leaving." Tornac responded, unsheathing his sword.

"How will we outrun them, we only have two horses." Roran asked fearfully.

"We won't take the horses. We'll make a run for the trees. Once there, we head deeper into the Spine and hopefully we'll lose them."

Eragon saw that his cousin was gonna question leaving the horses, but before he could, Tornac bolted out the barn,

Eragon stared at Roran in fright before quickly taking off after his mentor, with his brother, cousin, and uncle hot on his heels.

The group quickly cut across one of the many crop fields, and were midway through another when Tornac abruptly made them stop.

Another terrifying screech then came from the night, with it being just as frightening as the last, yet Tornac still made the group wait.

"What are we waiting for?" Eragon demanded in a hushed tone.

He was shivering, but not from the cold. He'd never heard any sound so haunting in his life and it felt like it was piercing his very soul.

"Shush." Tornac replied, putting his finger over his lips. He then motioned for the group to sink into the field until they were level with the crops.

The group did as they were told, as Tornac took off his pack, rummaging through it.

"What are you doing?" Eragon asked alarmed.

"If my calculations are correct, the edge of the forest from this field is about twenty feet away. Normally it'd be a short distance, but judging from the sound of the shriek, our pursuers will easily spot us before we are safe. I'm going to try and lead them away from you." Tornac responded in a hushed tone.

"What, no! If what you said about those things is true, then you alone can't do this. Let us all fight, it'll give us a better chance." Eragon persisted.

"What's going on?" Murtagh asked, suddenly butting in, as him, Roran, and Garrow moved closer to listen to the conversation.

"Tornac is going to use himself as bait." Eragon accused.

Seeing that Murtagh and Roran were going to argue, Garrow cut in.

"Silence. If Tornac thinks this is the best course of action, then we follow it."

Listening to him, the three boys held their tongues, as Tornac gave an appreciative nod towards Garrow.
The ground around them then suddenly shook, as if some enormous force had landed. A horrid stench of rotting flesh followed, as the sounds of clicks and clacks filled the air.

Tornac, looked around uneasily, before quickly turning back to the group, handing Murtagh his pack.

"If I don't make it back for whatever reason, head to Teirm from the Spine. Look for a man by the name of Jeod. He is someone you can trust. Do not wait for me. They and their master do not know you exist and we must keep it that way." Tornac said, as he took out a few matches from his cloak. "Do you understand?"

All the boys nodded, as Tornac gave them one last smile. He then gave a meaningful look at Garrow, nodding, before dashing out of the field.

Watching as his mentor disappeared from view, Eragon peaked above the crops to try and see what was to occur.

He watched as Tornac reappeared running towards the barn, lighting matches as he went. He could also just make out three black silhouettes starting to follow him, as chirps and shrieks bounded into the night.

He was then unceremoniously yanked back down by Murtagh, to which Eragon gave an annoyed look.

"You said that you saw two. I just saw three figures chasing Tornac. Can you not count?" Eragon hissed.

"Yeah I saw two in the tavern, but there could have easily been more outside? You think of that genius?" Murtagh hissed back.

"Both of you shut up, we need to leave now. Tornac is making his distraction" Roran said, as he pointed out towards a faint light that was starting to grow brighter and brighter.

Peering towards it, Eragon and Murtagh watched as a fire was slowly eating up two of the crop fields near them.

"There goes hours of labor." Murtagh mumbled, as the brothers ducked back down into the crops.

"Well we don't know how many of those things are out there, but Roran is right. We must go now." Garrow stated, as he got up motioning for the boys to follow suit. He then took off at a sprint heading towards the treeline.

The boys waste no time following, as the group burst out from the field.

When they were halfway across the gap though, that same loud, horrifying screech echoed through the night making them all stop.

"Where the fuck is that coming from?" Murtagh asked.

"Doesn't matter, look!" Roran said, pointing, as two black figures could be seen heading in their direction at an inhuman speed.

Unsheathing the dagger Tornac had given him, Eragon shouted. "Run!"

With a rejuvenated pace, the group bounded into the Spine, as trees and foliage became just a blur around them.

Adrenaline was pumping through Eragon's entire body, with every noise he heard behind him giving him more motivation to press on.

As he was about to pass another tree though, someone grabbed his arm pulling him to the side. Fearing the worst, Eragon blindly swung his dagger meeting thin air, before his wrist was caught strongly.

Desperation started to crawl inside of him, until he realized the person restraining him was Garrow… with Roran and Murtagh beside him. All being out of breath, panting.

"Why are we stopping. They could be right behind us!" Eragon said, in between heavy breaths.

Murtagh just shrugged, while Roran was still bent over. Eragon then turned to his uncle with a questioning look.

"You must carry on without me."

"Out of the question." Roran said immediately, as he looked up at his father.

"Roran listen to me. I'm too old for this, and am only slowing us down. We'll never escape these things with me here, but I can still be of help. Like Tornac I can try and lead them away. Buy you all more time."

Roran was already shaking his head, as Eragon watched his cousin try and come up with a solution. Despite this, Eragon knew, and looking at Murtagh, his brother knew as well, that Garrow was right.

"No. We're not leaving you. Now come on, we don't have time for this." Roran said firmly, as he straightened up completely, looking around.

Eragon shared a look with his brother before nodding to Roran. He then glanced at Garrow, who was clenching his jaw.

"Lead on then son," Garrow stated.

Roran stared at his father suspiciously, before nodding confidently. He then looked at Eragon and Murtagh before heading back out. Murtagh followed, and Eragon started to as well, when Garrow pulled him back.

"We don't have time, but here." His uncle said quickly, as he pressed a luxurious pouch into his hands. "Take this, and give this to Roran," Garrow said, as he also placed a piece of parchment on top of the pouch. "Tell him I'm sorry... I love you all."

"Wait what is this, what do you mean tell them? What are you doing?" Eragon protested wide eyed.

Garrow just smiled sadly at his nephew, saying three words. "It's your inheritance."

Then, before Eragon could even register the words that had been spoken, Garrow dashed back the way they'd come,

"Wait! Stop! Uncle, come back!" Eragon cried out desperately, but it was too late.

Garrow was out of sight, leaving Eragon alone in the dark. A forlorn look passed over his face as he stared at the spot where his uncle had been mere seconds ago.

A mixture of sadness, shame, and anger started to fill him, as he clenched his fists. He had failed. All the training and determination had been for naught, as in the span of a few moments he'd lost two close loved ones. Even after he'd promised he wouldn't lose another… What had been the point of it all?

Looking down at the items in his clenched hands, Eragon knew he had no time to grieve in self pity.

Quickly, he gathered the items into his pack, before sprinting after his brother and cousin.

Despite the tears threatening to spill from his eyes, Eragon knew his uncle had made the correct, yet sacrificial choice. He knew Roran and Murtagh might kill him for letting Garrow go so easily as well, but he couldn't dwell on it.

Even if his uncle had baited their pursuers, Eragon didn't think it would stop them for long. Especially since he had seen two of those figures following them back at the barn, meaning they could split up.

With that thought in mind, Eragon picked up his pace even more, as he crashed through the dark forest. He let his grief and anger out by increasing his speed until the dimly lit forest became but a blur around him.

He only stopped when he eventually found Roran and Murtagh, who were resting at the base of a mountain.

"Eragon, where were you? We thought you were right behind us- Wher-where's Garrow?" Murtagh asked.

Eragon didn't respond as he tried to fill his aching lungs with oxygen, but he watched as realization slowly dawned on his brother's face. It was then replaced by a mask of sadness, as the realization fully hit home on his brother, like it had for him.

When silence continued though, Roran repeated the question, standing up.

"Eragon, where's father."

"Roran, I'm sorry, he left before I even registered what was happening. I tried to stop him, I swe-" He wasn't able to finish his speech as Roran socked him in the jaw.

"You just let him go!" Roran roared, as tears slowly started to slide down his angry face.

"I'm sorry." Eragon muttered again, as he clutched his cheek.

Roran just looked at his cousin in disgust, before turning away.

"I'm going after him."

"Don't be foolish Roran." Murtagh said suddenly.

"Why not? You expect me to leave him to those… those things? The man that raised us, gave us everything… How can either of you just abandon him like that? You never had parents so maybe you wouldn't understand, but-"

"Enough!" Murtagh exploded.

"Or what? We're already lost, what else do we have to live for. Our farm is gone, Tornac is gone, Garrow is gone… our entire lives have fallen apart."

"You think you're the only one feeling this pain? Garrow was like a father to us all. Even if not by traditional standards he was blood. So was Tornac. You don't think I want to go after them as well!"

"Then why don't we." Roran challenged.

"Because… if we go back and lose our lives, then the sacrifices that Garrow and Tornac just made would mean nothing. And if they are still alive, what good would it do to get ourselves captured or killed as well?… We can still save or avenge them if we escape." Murtagh replied softly.

Roran's continued to glare, but his cousin's reasoning seemed to get through, as silence filled the area. A stack of smoke could be seen rising into the heavens from where their home had been, as the trio mourned.

They were all abruptly interrupted though, when the sound of the rustling of leaves alerted them.

"You think that's Garrow?" Roran asked, tentatively as he unclipped his hammer from his belt.

"I highly doubt it." Eragon responded, as he picked himself up off the ground while unsheathing his dagger. "Do you think we should run?"

"Like Roran said before, we're lost." Murtagh said, as he too unsheathed a dagger. "If we continue, we risk being lost forever in these parts and we should remember the Spine has a reputation."

"How could we be lost? We've been exploring and hunting through these parts for years." Eragon asked, wincing. His cheek would definitely be bruising, as the cool night air stung to the touch.

"I don't know, but I've never seen this mountain before, meaning we ran a lot farther than I thought, or we're in an area we've never explored before."

Eragon glanced around quickly, seeing that his brother was right. In all his years, he'd never seen this mountain before. It was weird though, as the clearing they were in actually looked semi familiar.

"What do we do then? Climb the mountain." Eragon asked.

"I'm tired of running. If those bastards are here, I say we fight. Avenge Garrow and Tornac." Roran responded, brandishing his hammer.

Eragon looked at Murtagh, who nodded in agreement. "I don't think we can avoid confrontation here, so I'm with Roran."

"Okay, form up." Eragon said, as the boys formed a circle.

A few minutes passed, as the trio continued to warily scan their surroundings, until a voice hissed out "The prey make it too eassssy."

An arrow then shot out from a nearby bush, forcing the three boys to duck.

Moving with blinding speed, one of their pursuers burst out, running towards Eragon with a naked leaf shaped blade. Eragon, who was recovering, looked up with wide eyes as the creature swung the blade towards his head.

Before it could make contact though, his cousin stuck out his hammer to block the blade, before engaging it.

The creature hissed in annoyance at being denied the kill, as Eragon scrambled to his feet.

Behind him, Murtagh let out a shout, as he sprinted past Eragon to join the duel.

Shaken, Eragon watched as his cousin and brother fought, suddenly realizing why Tornac had made them flee.

The way the creature fought, showed that it was by far superior to any human warrior. It had the strength of ten men, and the speed of lightning. It batted away Roran's heavy strokes as if they were nothing, and dodged every blow Murtagh tried to land.

It was just better evolved for fighting, one that was more dangerous and deadly than any human could handle. Something that Tornac must've knew… which explained the reason why he had persisted in their only option being escape.

A shiver ran down Eragon's spine at the revelation as dread slipped into his very core paralyzing him. Stuck, he watched as his remaining family continued to fight the beast.

He watched as Roran started to tire, leaving himself more open to attacks, and watched as the monster seized the opportunity. In a quick slash, the creature sliced open Roran's right arm, making his cousin scream in anguish.

That sound was one Eragon had never heard come from his kin, and it started something within him. A fire… One that was filled with anger and desperation. One that could burn whole armies to the ground, and melt castles to liquid. With this new feeling, Eragon broke free of his fear, charging into the battle with a newfound vigor.

Together, him and his brother worked in perfect unison battling the foul being. When one attacked, the other covered the other's blindside. When the creature attacked, one would block while the other would retaliate by stabbing.

Despite this new ferocity, the monster was still able to keep the pair at bay, even if it got an odd cut or slash.

As Eragon had noticed before, the creature was superior to them in every way but another problem had emerged. The daggers they were using were limiting their reach, while the monster had a sword. It kept the brother's from being able to press their attack, and allowed the thing to recover.

With the pace of the battle too, Eragon knew that he and Murtagh would eventually tire before the creature, as the thing seemed to have limitless energy.

"Murtagh stop. We're wasting our energy. Can't you see we're getting nowhere?" Eragon shouted.

His brother merely grunted in annoyance, never taking his eyes off the creature.

"What do you suppose we do? These damned daggers are limiting us."

"I know. We will inevitably die if we keep this up. Maybe we can outsmart it."

Murtagh nodded in response, as the brothers started to circle the lone beast.

Out of the corner of his eye, Eragon spotted Roran, slowly rising to his feet, hammer in one hand, with the other clutching his right arm fiercely. Murtagh seemed to see their cousin as well, and silently the brothers formed a plan.

Nodding at one another, they charged in slashing at the beaked killer. With quick ferocious slashes and stabs, the pair forced the thing to retreat until it was only a few feet from Roran.

Continuing their energetic pace, Eragon and Murtagh continued to distract the killer, as their cousin slowly approached from behind.

Then with one arm, Roran swung at the creature with all his leftover strength.

The swing missed the original target, due to the beast's inhuman reflexes, but made contact with its collarbone with a loud crack.

A loud pierced shriek erupted from the killer's beak, echoing through the forest. It then retreated away from the boys edging closer to the mountain.

Together, Roran, Murtagh, and Eragon followed, slowly surrounding the thing preventing any route of escape.

Seeing what they intended to do, the creature let loose a louder shriek then the first. It repeated it a couple more times as it clutched it's wound.

Eragon winced each time.

"Kill it." Roran stated glaring at the beaked figure. "It's responsible for this."

Another shriek pierced the night.

"Do it before all our ears are destroyed." Murtagh said, agreeing with Roran.

"We must be wary still, this thing is stronger and quicker than us. I assume that it is still, even if we have injured it." Eragon added.

Roran and Murtagh nodded, as they continued to slowly edge closer to the trapped creature.

Two more shrieks pierced the air, when suddenly the entire ground rumbled.

Watching with unbelieving eyes, Eragon watched as the entire mountain started to move, slowly transforming into a ginormous figure that blacked out the moon.

A ferocious mighty roar then rippled through the night, which was quickly followed by a huge torrent of flames that incinerated the wounded shrieker immediately.

Fear completely encompassed Eragon. More so then the shrieking beaked killers had instilled, as he and his brothers were staring at a beast that they'd been taught to fear since birth.

Towering over them was a dragon, tall enough to reach the heavens. Big enough to be mistaken for a mountain, and so dangerous it could kill them at any moment.

"We got him masssterrrr."

"Good. Any interruptions with the retrieval?"

"We lost two of our own, but captured two as well."

"Understood. Bring them to me."

A cloaked figure bowed before retreating out of sight, returning moments later with another cloaked figure, dragging two beaten men.

"Ah, Tornac my friend. We meet again... at last."

"Morzan..." Tornac responded, glaring at the man before him, spitting off to the side.

"Good to see your attitude hasn't changed from the last time I saw you." Morzan responded dryly. "Now I am only gonna ask this once... where is she?"

"Who's she?"

"Don't act foolish. It doesn't suit you."

"I don't know."

Morzan glared at Tornac before his eyes traveled to the man next to him.

"Who are you?"

"He's no one. Just the man I was working under."

"I wasn't talking to you, was I? Now don't be rude."

Morzan smirked at Tornac's irritation, before staring at the man. He looked familiar, but he couldn't place where he could've seen him before. It was clear that the man wasn't going to talk though. Smirk widening, Morzan reached out his mind to the stranger, only to be shocked to be met with a tight barricade.

Frowning, he turned back to Tornac.

"No one you say? Yet he can hide his thoughts from even me? Only members of the order you abandoned were taught methods strong enough to do that... You taught him... Why?"

Tornac just glared back, pursing his lips.

Smirking, Morzan backed off. "Have it your way then."

Addressing the cloaked figures, he commanded, "Take them to our friend. Don't mention a word to anyone else about this. Have him break them both. Then they're all yours."

Turning back to the stranger and Tornac, he smiled cruely. "I'll be seeing you both very soon. Every man has their limit. I can't wait to see yours."

He then walked off smirk immediately dropping. He'd spent considerable resources finding Tornac, and if he didn't even know where she was... well someone was going to die.

Climbing onto his magnificent red partner of heart and mind, they took off into the heavens. Staring across the vast lands, he felt as if he was missing something.

Cleansing his thoughts, he shook it off. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. Fate was finally on his side, and soon he would find her. Then everything would be as it were.

Off in the far distance, he could make out the black speck of Vroengard, and he smiled. All would soon be right.

Hey, Sorry for such the long gap. College applications are coming up, school has started, and I'm legit cramming an art portfolio in 5 months. I apologize if there's more long gaps and for any punctual errors. I'm doing this all myself so every mistake is my doing. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thanks for reading! Again please review! It's a huge motivation to keep going and brightens up my day. Thanks again!

-AIS