Sorry for the long wait on a already typed chapter right now im not much into FF but i am working on writing from time to time and when i do visit to post the update for this its after ive taken time set aside to do so. That and i havent been feeling the greatest as of late so bear with me this will not cease just takes time

CHAPTER TWELVE: ESCAPE

Essora was aware that she was on some kind of seat, she guessed a settee, she was also conscious of the place were Vrael should have been was being occupied by a faint connection. She could hear flapping of wings and steady breathing but she was unable to communicate because he was too far away or he closed it to protect her.

She sat up rubbing her temples only to stop once she sat up. Sitting at the foot away from where she sat was Durza shooting daggers at her with his glare.

"Great," she said to herself at making him beyond mad.

They sat there in silence for sometime, giving her a chance to clear her head incase she needed it. From what she gathered it had just gotten dark outside. She slowly stood up and regarded him silently. He watched her all the while glaring at her as he stood himself.

She didn't remember much of what happened next because he lunged at her and she took off. She ran as fast as she could, tipping things over to hinder his progress. He caught her arm once but she broke free then she said a word in the ancient language and he froze until he overpowered the spell and continued to chase.

But it had given her enough time. She turned sharply into the Great Hall and shut the door, baring it. She stood there panicking and trying to catch her breath when Eragon appeared. Someone underneath a table told him to get down but he ignored it.

"Essora come here quick," he said motioning to her.

She rushed over to him and followed him under the table.

"Here's your sword we found it in the armory...Oh this is Murtagh," he said pointing to a man somewhere close to his twenties with a bow in his hand and arrows on his back.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Saphira is on her way with Vrael...we're escaping thanks to Murtagh here," Eragon continued.

"Let's just hope the Shade doesn't find us," Murtagh said standing next to Eragon as Essora strapped her sword on.

A cold chuckle filled the hall sending Essora into panic mode again.

"I'm afraid it's far too late for that."

All three of them spun around. Durza stood alone at the end of the room. In his hand was a pale sword with a thin scratch running the length of the blade. He locked eyes with Essora. She gulped; she knew even if she managed to get away she would pay dearly.

He unclasped the brooch that held his cape in place to reveal his compact body. Essora knew well enough he was beyond the strength he appeared to be.

"So my young Riders, do you wish to test yourselves against me?' he sneered for more than one reason as he touched her consciousness with icy fingers. She instinctively put barriers up to fend him off. "I shouldn't have trusted the captain when he said you ate all your food. I will not be making that mistake again."

"I'll take care of him," said Murtagh quietly, putting down his bow and drawing his sword.

"No," said Eragon under his breath. Essora looked at him shocked.

"Eragon you're nuts...whatever you've been doing is effecting your thinking. Because he will harm you. You aren't a strong enough match. Even with my help there's no chance of it," she said.

"I have my reasons, so are you going to help me stall him or are you not?"

"Very well," she said reviling in the fact she had a chance to kill her captor. They stood side by side awaiting the Shades next move.

His maroon eyes burned like coals. He laughed softly. "Do you really think to defeat me? You should have listened to the girl, Du Sundavar Freohr. What a pitiful name. I would have expected something more subtle from you, but I suppose that's all you're capable of."

"Eragon don't listen to him, he's trying to make you rush into it." As Essora said this, the ceiling boomed and shook, and in the distance there was a roar and the sound of thundering feet. Eragon looked up afraid of the falling debris and Essora looked in the direction of the hall. Durza of course took advantage of this and attacked.

They both nearly managed to block his slash at them. The swords met with the sound of grinding metal. Crum he's stronger than I thought. She grasped her sword and swung with all her might matching Eragon in speed. But Durza was faster and he blocked their slow swings with ease.

Screams resounded from the hall and above as the dragons made there ways into the hall. Essora caught that Durza was hardly trying; he was playing with them, wearing them down so he could capture them with a spell and they would be too weak to break free.

Also at this time he decided to send Essora to the wall. He shoved her into the wall from the side and she banged her head on the wall hard causing her to go unconscious to the danger Eragon was in and the falling stone and wood.

Essora wake up! A gentile male voice resounded in her head jolting her back to consciousness. "What?" she paused when she saw Eragon on his knees in front of Durza.

"A powerful piece you may be in the game that is being played, but I am disappointed that this was your best. If the other Riders were this weak, they must have controlled the Empire by sheer numbers," said Durza sneering evilly.

The cries from above and the hallway grew louder as whatever the dragons were doing drew nearer.

"No, you forget something," Eragon said shaking his head.

"And what might that be?" Durza asked mockingly.

There was a thunderous reverberation as a chunk of ceiling fell to the ground revealing the night sky.

"THE DRAGONS!" Eragon roared over the noise, and threw himself toward Essora.

Durza snarled in rage swinging his sword dangerously. He missed and lunged. Surprise spread across his face as one of Murtaghs arrows pierced his shoulder. He laughed and snapped the arrow in two with his fingers.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to stop me," he said taking a step to Essora reaching his mental probe out to her and taking control of her.

She tried to free herself, but as always she was at his mercy again. Searing pain echoed through her head as an arrow pierced Durza between the eyes. He howled with agony and writhed, sending Essora to the floor writhing and crying in her own pain.

Essora hang on I'm hear!

At that moment a black dragon smashed through the door. And the rest was a haze. She remembered soldiers coming in with spears and nets forming a semi-circle around them. She remembered Saphira making a bigger hole in the roof, and being lifted and held on to by strong arms. Other than a hazy gray filling her vision she was filled with great pain as Durza shifted back into multiple spirits. They agonized her, punished her for her disobedience, and eventually causing her to lose complete conscience.

Yes im sure there were errors but was the wait worth it for this? i had to edit it and what not so i know tell me if it still needs more editing