Okay, first off: you'll understand next chapter why I skipped ten years. Second, you'll have to bear with me on the pacing. I know it's fast, but there are some things that need to go down. Next chapter should be out pretty goddamned soon.

Shadeslayer

Quiet. The prey cannot know of the predator's presence. This was something Eragon knee a thing or two about. He was no dragon; he could not swoop down from the sky and claim his supper. No, he had to stalk and hunt as a man.

Elk were in abundance on the plateaus. Below were the rivers, and above were the mountains. So, there was enough food for he and Saphira both.

Loosing an arrow, he grinned as the elk fell. Running to his catch, the rider wasted no time in beginning his meal. Eating the meat raw was something he rarely was able to enjoy, due to the scorn he had received from the elves last time they had witnessed it.

He could not help it. Even the Eldunari had no answers when he asked why he could no longer consume anything but meat. Even bread made him sick, and vegetables were impossible to keep down. They seemed nervous whenever he spoke of it. Their recent behavior made him incredibly suspicious. Some of the elder dragons were incoherent from age, some were recovering from madness, and some were still mad. However, none of them were ever like this before, in the ten years since the end of the war.

Well, it matte

red not. At least one person seemed to be enjoying his new self. Saphira had taken a liking to her rider's new ferocity. When they would go hunting together, he could not deny the closeness. It was a feeling he suspected many riders would go an eternity without, due to their vegetarian ways.

Speaking of riders, Nasuada had sent word several months ago ago of a something great finally happening. Four eggs had hatched. Strangely, they all hatched on the same day to young members of each race. They would be arriving any day now, having completed their basic training with Arya. Like it or not, Eragon was the most experienced rider in the world, and even Arya's training was but a stepping stone to his.

He was also one of the most powerful spellcasters in the world, to a dangerous extent. Only he and Murtagh, knew the Name of Names. Of course, he had a slight edge over his brother, as Galbatorix had taught him very little about magic relative to Oromis. The most he had taught him was the Name of Names, but more was needed to properly utilize such a power.

He had to ensure that neither he nor his brother ever turned the way Galbatorix had. They were too powerful. If one of them wanted to destroy the order, they could do so easily, eliminating the bonds between any rider and dragon they wished. Eragon would die before he allowed such power to be used like that.

But now was no time to think of such things. He needed to return to the Elves. They were much more relaxed now that the Citadel had been completed. It was a massive construction, wove from the towering trees of a great plateau between five towering mountains. Beneath it were rushing rapids that weaved through caves and out into the open at breakneck speeds. This provided some defense, as no creature that traveled by land could cross.

Getting the elves and our ship on that thing was a right pain in my ass, thought the rider.

Eventually, Eragon arrived at the Citadel. He had been gone for a few hours, and the Elves had only just finished their day of work. The grand hall had been completed years ago, with a long carpet of woven vines leading to a great throne of roots with a space for a dragon several times Saphira's size next to it.

Eragon hated the idea of thrones, but he would have to put up with it. He was the Headmaster of the Order of Riders. This position was possibly the grandest in the world. He would have to deal with the elevations that came with it.

Ascending to the throne, he sat. His first thought was that it was a damned uncomfortable chair. His second was that he would have to deal with this for the rest of time. He had never actually sat in it, and now realized that he didn't like it.

Instead, he elected to visit his chambers. He could feel that Saphira was there, waiting. He did not know why she was waiting for him. The hour was late, and she normally would be asleep. He cautiously opened the door, surprised to see Saphira staring intently at him.

"H-Hello, Saphira." She didn't even blink. He was nervous. She would not respond, only stare. He slowly came closer, until he was within reaching distance of her massive nose. He slowly reached out, barely touching her before she reacted with one of the strangest things he had heard from her in weeks.

I am sorry, little one.

Without another word, she grabbed him in her front-right claw, leaping into the air through the hole in the roof. He panicked and screamed and demanded to be released, but she would not listen. He sensed no rage, only fear. This only terrified him more. What was she so afraid of?

They continued their ascent into the sky, until the air was thin and the clouds beneath them. When it was almost too cold to bear, they stopped rising.

Then, Saphira did something he would never have expected, even in his worst nightmares. After a great deal of inner turmoil, she dropped him. He stopped making any sound, too shocked.

His dragon, his best friend and the love of his life. The other half of his heart and soul. The one creature in the world that he believed he could truly trust, had dropped him.

And what was worse, he could not stop the falling. Somehow, he could not reach the magic in his mind. It was not lost, only out of reach.

At that moment, he felt many emotions. Anger, fear, even hate. However, none of them compared to the primal urge to survive. He would not be killed like this. Not without knowing why. He still loved his dragon, deep down in his heart, even if all he could feel for her at the moment was hatred.

It was this hate and fear and survival instinct that unlocked something in him. Something he had felt since they first arrived at this new land ten years ago. Something great and terrible.

And at that moment, he opened his eyes. His once-brown, human eyes, that were now silver and slit like those of a dragon.

Oooooooh, ominous.