Chapter 27. The Rock of Kuthian

"Why are we stopping?" Eragon asked.

"Thorn and Murtagh are in the area… wait here until it is safe…" Jaerden sent Eragon a mental nudge, "Do you feel that?"

"Yes…"

"The next time you feel it go on to the rock… it is safe…"

"Are you going to kill them…"

"Why would I do that? Thorn and Murtagh are the victums in this situation…"

"Where do you want to meet when Saphira and I are done…"

"Here we part ways… You will not see Draco and I again we go to throw ourselves against the mountain…"

("You are going to face Galbatorix…") Saphira said.

"Draco and I chose our fate long ago… we have been planning this for a long time now and if we die we will die doing what we were trained to do…"

"But if you join us the six of us can over power Galbatorix…"

"Killing Galbatorix is your destiny… I go to aggravate him and perhaps soften them up for you…"

Before Eragon could say another word, Draco leapt into the air and as he did Draco touched their minds. ("Saphira, Eragon… One last thing My Eldunari is buried in our alcove along with Gaerravar's when your obligations are done please go there and take our Eldunari and bring them to the vault of souls…")

("We shall…") They said at the same time.

"THORN, MURTAGH…" Jaerden screamed with his voice. "…Come out and face us!"

The clouds parted and the red form of Thorn dove out of the clouds towards them. ("Cowards!") They screamed with their minds. ("You could have protected us, saved us from the twins and helped the Varden and Eragon defeat Galbatorix… Like Oromis and Glaedr the two of you are cowards…")

The dragons slammed into each other and when they did Thorn and Murtagh were gripped in a magical vice that paralyzed their entire bodies. Draco lowered them to the sand and released Thorn. "The spell you are experiencing was invented by your father… Many of the forsworn used it against the riders during the war… Maybe you can free yourself maybe not, but know this… Draco and I go to face Galbatorix… He will kill us or we will kill him, your oath to Galbatorix will tell you to come after us… If you follow Eragon and Saphira to the rock you will die at the hands of the guardian for he will not suffer you to harm Eragon or Saphira… Farewell Murtagh and Thorn…"

Murtagh smiled to himself as Draco and Jaerden flew off; ("They are going to sacrifice themselves…") Thorn said.

("Yes and they have given us away to save ourselves as well… We will follow them….") It took an hour maybe more, but Murtagh was finally able to free himself from the spell.

The Rock of Kuthian:

As soon as Saphira felt the mental nudge she took off and flew towards the mountains. She circled the mountains looking for a place to land but the only place to land was at the base of the mountain near the ground. She landed in front of a narrow path wide enough for a dragon to walk, but not fly.

("That path is too narrow for me to fly… I will have to walk…) she said to Eragon.

("Come let's get this over with…")

With his hand on her side Eragon and Saphira walked up the path that lead into the mountains. The path wasn't natural strong magic resided in the mountains and the path had been made with fire from the mouths of a thousand dragons. They walked for hours and when the sun had reached its zenith they were more than half way up the mountain when a large catlike creature leapt out in front of them. He was large as a wolf of the Beor Mountains. Saphira growled at the cat arching her neck and back as she dug her claws into the dirt.

("Great cat we mean no harm the dragon Draco and his rider Jaerden brought us here… we are friends…") Eragon said with his mind and then he repeated the same thing in the ancient language.

The cat roared a roar that shook the mountains; then his body rippled like water. His front paws became hands and his rear paws became feet. The cat's fur retracted into it's skin and his ears became human like. When the process was complete, a tall old man was standing before them. His hair was white and so was his beard, his eyes were like a cats. He extended his arm and a wooden staff floated into his waiting hand, a white robe glided through the air and wrapped itself around his waist and torso.

"Welcome Spahira Brightscales and Eragon Shadeslayer… Welcome to the Rock of Kuthian…" When the werecat spoke his voice sounded like thunder. Come with me…" He led them up the path to a large rocky opening a third of the way up the mountain.

There were eight stone pillars evenly spaced in front of a bolder in front of a cave. In the center of the pillars there was a campfire where Paneer sat on one side and Eragon and Saphira sat on the other.

"Are the two of you hungry?" Paneer asked.

"No…" They responded.

"Why are the two of you here?"

("Oh great another test…") Eragon said in his mind.

("Be respectful… I am sure he has his reasons…") Saphira said.

Saphira and Eragon combined their knowledge and together they came up with an answer. Eragon answered for the both of them; "We are here because our power is insuffient to fight Galbatorix…"

"So you have come for power… and what do you plan to do with this power after you have killed Galbatorix…"

Eragon looked at Saphira and she answered this time; ("We plan to do what we can to rebuild Alagaesia…")

Paneer closed his eyes and was silent for so long that Eragon was about to speak. "Do you know your true names?" He finally asked.

"We do…" They said at the same time.

Paneer stood up, lead them to the bolder where Saphira and Eragon said their names. The bolder shifted as if someone was molding clay with their hands. The huge rock became a door with two dragons on the front facing each other; it opened to them and in they walked. The cave ceiling was fifty feet tall and with a thousand feet of space. The cave shimmered with the colors of hundreds of thousands of Eldunari on the floor and walls. Each eldunari sat in small rock like nest. Instinctively Saphira lead Eragon to the back of the cave where three large Eldunari sat on a raised stone platform. The eldunari in the center was gold in color, the one on the right was green and the one on the left was red. There was a flash of light from all three eldunari that filled the cave; when it faded there were three ghostlike dragons standing before Eragon and Saphira. They both bowed to the noble creatures and when they spoke it sounded like the tattoo ghost dragon that anointed Eragon at the blood oath celebration.

("Welcome Saphira Brightscales and Eragon Shadeslayer… welcome to the Rock of Kuthian… We know why you have come and many dangers you faced to get here… Many of us will freely bond ourselves to you… So that you may do what you must… We ask only two things… Kill Galbatorix…")

("We will…") They said at the same time.

("The second thing because of their efforts on our behalf we ask that you bring Gaerravar and Draco's Eldunari here to us when you have the opportunity… and since you Saphira will be the future of our race you may leave your eldunari here with us if it pleases you…")

Saphira looked at Eragon and asked him what he thought, he simply said the decision was hers to make, but to remember Angela's prophecy about leaving Alagaesia.

("That is your destiny… Angela made no mention of me…")

("Still I would not be parted from you… I don't care what Angela said…")

("I love you too… But let's not dwell on something that hasn't happened yet…") She returned her attention to the dragons. ("I thank you for your offer, but it is something I must think long and hard on before I make such a decision…")

The ghostly dragons looked at each other and at the same time said; ('It is a gift and yours to do with as you wish… whatever you decide the choice is yours… The dragons who have agreed to bond with you gather them together and you will have the power you seek…")

It took Eragon several hours to gather up the Eldunari and lay them in a circle around him and Saphira. When he was finished Eragon had over three hundred Eldunari.

("How many does Galbatorix have…")

("Two hundred and twenty…") The dragons responded. The spell Jaerden taught Eragon was unnecessary because the dragons simply used their power to become one with him. ("Now go Eragon and destroy our enemy…")

Eragon was about to leave but he stopped and looked back, ("Thank you…")

("You can thank us by killing Galbatorix…")

When they exited, the Vault Paneer was sitting by the fire; "Make haste Galbatorix has healed himself, but there is one last thing you will need before you leave… You have power Eragon that far supersedes Galbatorix's, but he has over one hundred years experience on you… so I will give you something that will tip the scales in your favor… But you must swear to only use it if you find that you cannot overcome Galbatorix…" He swore in the ancient language, both he and Saphira. Then Paneer whispered into his ear and Eragon gasped. "Keep it hidden deep within your mind… There is only one other person who seeks the knowledge I gave you… You met him a while back in the Elven ruins…"

Eragon remembered the old hermit he met on his way back to the varden after he punished Sloan. Then later he learned that the crazy old spellcaster was once Angela's Master. "Is he dangerous?" Eragon finally asked.

"Who isn't these days… Watch him… That is all I can tell you…"

Eragon and Saphira said their goodbyes and left the mountain flying.