Chapter Twelve

A/N: So sorry for the delay my dears but I've been super busy with film projects and various other college related hell. However, I am attempting to finish what I've started, I hope you enjoy it!


Saphira had barely landed when Brom leapt off her back, feet hardly touching the ground as he ran towards the now familiar house. Sareh had flung open the door just as Saphira landed. Now as Brom ran towards her Sareh went out to meet him. He caught her up in his arms, swinging her around in a complete circle. He held her close taking her in. Months apart, depending on Saphira to communicate had left him longing to touch her again.

"Brom!" she said happily as he tightened his grip on her. After a moment of holding her he tilted her face up, kissing her softly.

"I honestly couldn't have asked Saphira to fly any faster. We both wanted to get here as soon as possible." Sareh smiled and kissed again.

"I have much to tell you Brom—" Before she could continue, the door of the house was flung open once more and Sareh's younger sister Amani, shot out into the clearing and straight to Brom. She caught him around the kneecaps, knocking him to the ground.

"BromBromBromBromBrom!" Brom laughed at the little girl's antics,

"AmaniAmaniAmaniAmaniAmani!" she smiled at him.

"You're here!"

"I am." Sareh leaned down and hauled the giggly one up.

"Excuse me miss, I was here before you." Amani got up again and headed for the house where the rest of the family stood waiting. They waved as Brom got to his feet and waved back. He looked at Sareh who gave him a silly grin.

"They missed you." He moved closer and took her in his arms once more.

"Really." Sareh nodded while Brom lessened the distance between them.

"Yes, they really did." Brom's arms tightened.

"And what about you? Miss me?" Sareh gave him a thoughtful look.

"Maybe a little." Brom rolled his eyes and grabbed her to give her a kiss; a collective 'aww' could be heard from the group standing in the doorway. Sareh shot them a look, Caitir caught it and ushered the family inside.

Sareh looked at Brom and gestured for Saphira to join them from the spot she had taken over during the couple's reunion. Sareh's face had slid into a somber one.

"I didn't want to worry them, but I have much to tell you. Could Saphira take us to the cliffs so we can talk?" And with that the group set off


Sareh sat ahead of Brom as Saphira flew. The great dragon sliced through the air with great thrusts of her powerful wings.

"Sareh?" Saphira asked, her voice oddly soft in Sareh's mind.

'Yes Saphira?"

"You are troubled, quite a bit actually. What's wrong?" Sareh grimaced, she had hoped she could fool Saphira, but the dragon was too perceptive.

"I must wait and tell the two of you when we get to the cliffs."

"I worry about you Sareh, you mean so much to Brom and your powers are unfamiliar to us." Sareh's face broke into a sad smile. She leaned forward as far as she could and hugged Saphira's neck. The warm dry skin of the giant reptile twitched and she could hear Saphira's contented sigh.

"What I've seen affects us all Saphira. I promise you I will do all I can to keep it from happening." Saphira gave a toss of her head in agreement.

"If I can, I will too. My first thoughts are of my rider and his joys." Sareh shook her head.

"Brom could recover from me, but you, you are a past of his soul Saphira. If anything was to happen to you, he would be the same man." Saphira swung her head back and gave a look no one could contest with.

"You underestimate yourself little one. Brom and I have a special bond that only we share, but his heart is yours. Brom was a man who enjoyed the life of a lone Rider. The minute he asked to be his is the minute he became new." Sareh looked at the ring on her left hand. Saphira had been right; it wasn't just a token from some woman conqueror. Brom wanted her, to have her as his own and have her feel the same for him.

Finally, Saphira reached the ledge that Brom had managed to turn into a safe haven for them. She landed with a gentle thud. Brom, who had been quiet through the whole trip jumped down and turned to help Sareh. He reached up to grab her around the waist. As he lowered her to the ground their eyes met.

He knew now, through her eyes that she was aware of how much he loved her. That throughout his patrol all he had wanted was to have this very moment and that she reciprocated that feeling. After a moment Sareh touched his face with her small hands. Brom pulled her near, face buried in her sweet smelling hair.

"Oh Sareh—" He was as surprised as she was when tears began falling from his eyes, "Please tell me what you've seen does not show me losing you." Sareh lifted her head to look him in the eye.

"I don't know. What I have seen may have already come into play." Brom shook his head and touched her face with shaking hands.

"No, whatever it is, I will not let it happen." For once Sareh had the calm and collected aura of a Rider.

"Brom, even a dragon cannot always prevent what's meant to be from happening. We may have no choice." Brom shook his head vehemently.

"No." Sareh sighed and pulled Brom to the clearing where he had asked her to wait for him. Saphira followed and lay beside them. Here she and Brom waited and listened to Sareh as she explained what had occurred to her during their absence. Brom grew angry, is frustration washing uncomfortably over woman and dragon.

"Where is he?" Brom exploded, his voice echoing across the once peaceful cliffside. Sareh laid a hand on his.

"He will be found." Brom ran his free hand through his hair, seething.

"It's been months Sareh, he too good at hiding. We've combed through The Spine and any area he would dare conceal himself in."

"He was once a Dragon Rider Brom. Riders are trained to survive in situations such as these, are they not?" Brom gave an unsatisfied snort.

"Riders don't hide as cowards, sniveling behind bushes and hiding in trees. They show themselves, they fight." Sareh sighed and looked to Saphira for support. The dragon nudged her Rider with her nose.

"Galbatorix lost his dragon Brom, he is broken and crazed now." Brom agreed hesitantly.

"A man know when had much to lose—and still remains a man as best he can if what he has is lost." Sareh stood, her feet willing her to the cliff-edge. Her skirts brushed around her legs and her small feet crunched through deal foliage. Brom called to her softly but received no reply. Sareh's head tilted as she saw the sun turn crimson from setting.

Crimson sun.

Crimson eyes.

Sareh felt the tug she recognized it. It was the one called Durza. Sareh fought against him, but the Shade was wiser in his powers and overtook her once more. This time she saw no crimson eyes, just the bloodshot orbs that had once belonged to a young Dragon Rider.

"Hello my dear, how nice of you to join me." Sareh tried to struggle, it wasn't until then that she realized that she was no longer in her own body. Looking down she saw two hands oddly tattooed with long, curving and dirty nails. Durza had somehow switched their bodies. Which meant Durza was in hers. She tried to reach Saphira but somehow the Shade was blocking her attempt to warn Brom.

"You might as well stop struggling my dear. The demons within Durza are holding his body paralyzed. I am afraid you are going to be here for a while."


­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Brom found himself feeling the very same way, as it became apparent Sareh was no longer Sareh. When had called her name her body turned but the eyes that met his were crimson, not the dark pools that were Sareh's. These eyes caused Brom's skin to crawl.

Saphira reared and flung herself onto her haunches, clawed feet and wings outstretched. Her feral growl did not dissuade the bloody eyes staring from Sareh's face. Even this was no longer the kind and soft featured face of Brom's love, but a face contorted into cruel and ugly smile.

"Hello Shur'tugal." The voice was Sareh's, but the evil emanating from it was not.

"It appears, your Sareh was needed elsewhere—I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sareh-Durza said without even a glance in Saphira's direction. The dragon looked ready to breathe fire.

"You see, if you go after me, it will harm only your little woman—I can just switch back and there she'll be, alone and dying. Do you really want that Shur'tugal?" Brom's anger rolled out over the clearing mixing with Saphira's own rage.

"If we find him, I will kill him." She snarled. Brom raised his hand to silence her.

"Who are you and why are you doing this to her?" Sareh-Durza's lips curled into a sneer, a snicker passing through her.

"Quite the simpleton aren't you? Did you honestly think your little Sareh's powers would go by unnoticed? If she were being trained by better teacher's than you and your oversized newt there," Saphira growled,

"If he were in his own body he would not dare say that." Another snicker and Sareh-Durza continued.

"If she were trained by more than the likes of you, she could understand the full extent of her abilities and be stronger than any Dragon Rider, stronger than even Elves—what a delicious thought, no?" Brom's fists clenched. Every breath that thing took with Sareh's lungs, every gesture it made in her flesh was a moment too long. It was unfortunate Brom couldn't rip him apart where he stood.

"I take it you're Galbatorix's new play toy, Durza." Sareh-Durza's eyebrows lifted.

"So the little chit got into my mind—how rude of her. Not to worry, Galbatorix will set her straight." Brom could only pray he wasn't hurting her.


­ Sareh stared at Galbatorix silently. The crazed man passed in front of her, waiting for her to burst into tears. She did not

"What, no begging? Not questioning? Nothing as to why you're here?" Sareh shook her head.

"I'm sure you'll tell me whether I want to know or not." Galbatorix stopped pacing for a moment and stared, his face breaking into a malicious grin, a terrible laugh bubbled up from his chest.

"I like you, you understand how things work…" she remained silent. Galbatorix shook his head.

"Fine, I'll tell you—You my lovely gifted one are going to help me bring the fall of the Shur'tugal." Sareh gave as an incredulous look as possible through the Shade's face.

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you have no choice."

"And how is it that you've come to that conclusion."

"You've seen how easily Durza has entered and removed, I might add, your mind. He can just as easily control it and your powers." Sareh shook her head.

"Then how come you haven't done it yet?" Galbatorix was quiet. Sareh made the realization.

"Because you don't understand them anymore than I do!" Galbatorix grew angry.

"It's only a matter of time. Durza and I will find out what you're capable of and how to control it. By then it will be right and the Shur'tugal will fall." Sareh shook her head again.

"I won't help you. The Riders have not done me any ill and I will not be the cause of any to them" Galbatorix grabbed Durza's face with bone crushing force.

"The Rider's have done me ill and I will see them pay."

"Why?" Sareh muttered through his grasp, eyes watering in pain.

"Because they didn't trust you with another egg?" Galbatorix let her go as if she had burned him.

"Didn't trust me," he shouted, "they're afraid of me! I was a better Rider than all the council, they knew that and they rejected my plea for another egg."

"Because you let you first dragon die!" Sareh shouted back, the unfamiliar tones of Durza echoing back. Galbatorix turned, angry bloodshot eyes on her.

"No! We were ambushed, she protected me!" Sareh could hear Saphira's earlier words in her mind.

"My main concern is my Rider's joys." Dragons were willing to die for their riders. And, for a moment, Sareh felt sorry for him, the man who skulked before her, fermenting in his own misery.

"And, look what her sacrifice has brought. A mad man, looking to murder those who had nothing to do with it." Galbatorix looked at her, suddenly lucid again.

"I told you, you see the way of things." Sareh crossed Durza's arms.

"I will not help you Galbatorix, so you and your pet Durza can rot out here—the Shur'tugal will find you and when they do, I will cheer." Galbatorix's minute of lucidity was gone and the madman returned.

"Oh, the Shur'tugal are too busy tripping over their own noses to find where I am. Their arrogance will be their downfall." Sareh shook her head,

"No, your arrogance will be yours. You will be found." She saw his hands clench.

"It's too bad you're so insolent my dear. It would be interesting to explore your powers together." Sareh was disgusted.

"I would rather die than do anything of the sort." Galbatorix picked at his nails, very uncaring of Sareh's protest.

"Well unfortunately, I need you alive—but before you go, I want you to know that if you fail me, someone you've deemed worthy of your love—" he sneered, "will find himself losing much more than you." Sareh's mind instantly flashed to Brom leaning over Saphira's dead form. The horror must have shown because Galbatorix grinned.

"Don't worry my dear, I'll get you long before then." Before Sareh could reply she felt the tug, not familiar to her from Durza's mind. She saw Brom and Saphira a moment after, before she collapsed.


Brom wasn't sure he could be anymore furious at what was going on. Sareh's body was being defiled with presence of this thing. Durza found it amusing.

"Oh, don't worry about the woman, as much as Galbatorix would adore bringing pain to a Shur'tugal like yourself, she's much more valuable alive." Brom, confused and angry demanded an explanation.

"What do you mean? What are you going to do to her?" Durza shook a finger at him.

"Uh-unh, if I told you there would be no plan, would there? You'll just have to wait an see." Durza became silent, his horrid eyes turning to slits as he focused on something.

"My master is calling me back, you'll get your little woman back, for now." Brom couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You do know he's going to use you until he's gotten what he wants. Then you're disposable." Durza laughed, the sound so wrong coming from Sareh.

"Silence fool. Galbatorix has a plan that benefits me. I have skills he needs." Brom moved closer until he was nose to nose with Sareh-Durza.

"You keep telling yourself that Durza, if Galbatorix doesn't kill you, I will." Sareh's lips curled once more, and then he was gone. Sareh's eyes met his, dark eyes clouded in confusion as she fell.