DISCLAIMER: The Inheritance Cycle is not owned by me. Christopher Paolini owns that universe which he created.

Edge of Oblivion

Chapter X - Power

Galbatorix watched with a passive glance as the Shade raged before him, yelling and showing his displeasure. His red eyes glowed with a fire within and his red hair tossed this way and that as his body shook with his anger.

Having had enough, Galbatorix slammed his fist into the table before him, silencing the Shade immediately. "Enough," he growled, "I did what had to be done."

Though the Shade's eyes still raged with anger, he did not utter another word.

Galbatorix stared straight back into his eyes with his own eyes blank and emotionless. "Is it not true," he paused as he thought of what to say, "That a Shade gets stronger every time it is disembodied?"

Durza bared his sharp teeth, his features twisted into a glare, but he responded rather coolly, "That is true... but the pain is... the pain is great... and it takes considerable time and effort to reform again."

"And is it not true that, before I intervened, you would have been vanquished?" continued the dark rider.

The Shade visibly stiffened, and his reply was spoken through gritted teeth, "Yes."

Galbatorix clasped his hands together in front of him, elbows propped on the table and his fingers intertwining. "I did what I had to do, given the circumstances, Durza. You would have died had I not intervened then, thanks to your foolishness. I also wounded you and forced you to be disembodied for two reasons: one, so I could better convince Morzan to join us, for should he have asked me to speak in the ancient language I would not have been able to lie, and two, it has made you stronger, has it not?"

Durza bristled, but the fire in his eyes died down somewhat.

"Now, be a good Shade and loose your anger elsewhere," said the dark rider nonchalantly, "Oh, and next time you decide to show such insolence I would remind you that you serve me now, and that I can end you if I so choose." Galbatorix' armor-encased finger pointed at him as he finished speaking.

The Shade's eyes cooled their fury, and he inclined his head. "My apologies," he forced himself to say before he turned and left.

Galbatorix thought then that he would have to find a way to better deal with the Shade. He was a powerful tool, that much was true, but he had yet to find a good use for him. It was clear, however, that he needed to be reined in more and that he must continue to be a hidden weapon for if his new followers were to find out about his use of the Shade they may find a way to defy him. Though he knew it was near impossible, given the oaths they had sworn that bound them in the ancient language and thus with ancient power, it was not completely impossible. And he could not afford to make any mistakes until the riders were defeated and the next stages of his plan were to unfold.

Leaning back in his chair, Galbatorix examined his right hand and then balled it up into a fist.

-xxx-

The cold air was still for once as Morzan and Paine waited patiently in the southeastern most tip of Vroengard. They sat atop a large boulder, waves crashing about them. The smell of the sea wafted through their nostrils as the roiling sea occasionally showered them with small droplets of salty water. He shifted in his saddle to a more comfortable position, and a small doubt gnawed its way into his mind that perhaps they would not come. Worse still, his mind imaging that one of them or perhaps all of them had told the others. He refused to believe that, though the doubt lingered in his mind.

With relief, Morzan eyed the three human riders. He felt suspicious as each approached, flying low to the ground with their dragons, but he saw that no others were with them. They were weaker riders, younger than he, and that was part of the reason why they so eagerly decided to join in the cause. For one, they wished as much as Morzan to bring about a new Age of Man. Another reason was that they hungered for power, and they did not want to wait for years to attain it. As always, there were those who desired power now. They were easy enough to convince after he promised them that, once the riders of old fell of course.

Several hours of hard travel later and they emerged over the area of the Spine where Galbatorix currently hid. It was close to the coast and relatively close to Vroengard, but still within the embrace of the mountains. But just barely, for even Galbatorix dared not go too deep into the Spine as he once did so long ago. Not yet at least.

Morzan watched as the three riders swore their oaths to Galbatorix, who remained quite emotionless throughout the whole ordeal. They joined their cause officially today. In the few months since Morzan had bound himself to Galbatorix, he had managed to convince one other to join as well as these three. He had tested their thoughts and opinions on the Riders and the elves, and when he found it possible to sway them to join with Galbatorix he persuaded them to do so. And they had followed. His heart fluttered slightly in excitement as he thought of how he had succeeded. Now there were five who supported Galbatorix. Their numbers were growing, and with that came greater power and success ahead.

Whispering in each of their ears whatever it was that he told them, Galbatorix dismissed them in turn. When they were alone, he turned to Morzan and broke out into a smile.

"I am impressed," he said, "You have done well, Morzan. Much better than I anticipated, bringing three to our cause." He raised a hand to chest level and balled it up into a fist, his armored gauntlets shining in the torchlight. "We are one step closer to beginning our overthrow of the elves. Now, you must continue to search for any more who could be brought to our cause."

Morzan bowed his head, "I continue to serve."

"Good, good." Galbatorix dropped his hand, his eyes piercing into Morzan's. "Now, I have a special task for you."

Morzan listened intently and betrayed no emotion as shock filled him, and then awe as he was told what to do.

-xxx-

Ileria was quiet, and for such a large city it was quite the sight to behold. Then again it was very late in the evening, and most of the inhabitants of the city were asleep save for the few night owls, Knights, and the occasional criminal. Paine flew over the city, and he could sense the alarm and suspicion of the Knights as they descended upon the city. Landing at the designated plaza for the riders, he waited for the guards to approach him. Soon enough he was confronted by the captain of the night watch. Several Knights were with him as he approached.

"Greetings, rider. What brings you so late to the city?"

"I must relay a message to elder Roppen," he replied calmly, though with an edge of authority in his voice, "It is an urgent matter."

The captain nodded, "Very well, rider. But I must ask, what is your name?"

"There is no time," Morzan growled.

The captain would not give, though he was fearful, "I must have it, rider. It is protocol. Everyone who enters the city must be identified and none are exempted," he hesitated and then finished his statement, "not even the riders."

Morzan scowled in irritation, "My name is Demholdst," he lied. Demholdst was a younger rider than he, though also one of the senior riders. And he had a red dragon as well. It would do.

The Knight captain thanked him, "Elder Roppen is currently in Castle Ileria. If you wish, I can have him contacted at once, or you may go to him yourself."

"No I have no time to look for him myself. Inform elder Roppen that I need his assistance at once on an urgent matter and to meet me northwest of here by mount Andeali with all haste."

The captain nodded and motioned to one of the Knights, who was no doubt a spellcaster and would relay the message through a chain of other spellcasters that would eventually reach Roppen. The Knight lowered his head, and then raised it again as he nodded towards the captain. The captain turned to Morzan, "If I may ask, rider Demholdst, what is it that is so urgent?"

Morzan stared at him for a moment, making the man uncomfortable, before he said, "It is best that you do not know."

Let's go, he said to Paine who obliged him by leaping into the air, startling the Knights who had been close by and making the captain stumble to the ground from the sudden move. He could sense at first their embarrassment then their anger and resentment, but he cared not for them. Their were bigger things to worry about than the respect of a few Knights.

Several hours later, as the fingertips of dawn grabbed the edge of the world so as to pull herself up, Morzan saw the enormous brown dragon hurtling through the sky with such speed that one would not have guessed the giant dragon possessed. This was the third-largest dragon bound to a rider currently living, as Roppen was the third oldest of the elders. If Morzan could remember correctly, his dragon's name was Tensul. Tense with anticipation of what was to come, he put his plated-helmet on, which covered his entire head and for his face there was a mask.

Tensul soared low and, spotting them, angled his large body towards the red rider and dragon. With a magnificent rumble from his landing, he brought in his wings and Roppen looked at him with the same emotionless expression most elves held.

"Demholdst, why have you called me here at such an hour and made me come hither with such haste?" his tone betrayed the irritation that he no doubt felt. "This had better be as urgent as your message revealed."

"But it is," said Morzan, his voice somewhat muffled by the mask. "There was a Shade here just recently, and I thought that perhaps we could hunt it and finally end its life."

Roppen stiffened ever so slightly in his saddle, "The Shade is here?" he said as he looked around, eyes squinting as he tried to discern any signs of a Shade.

"Aye, I managed to kill the Urgals who traveled with him. He hides in a cave, beyond this ridge. You were the first elder I could think of to ask for help. I believe that together," he continued, "We can end the Shade and his reign of terror."

Roppen gave him a firm nod, "Seeing as how I am already here, and with the Shade trapped in a cave... let us go and finish this nasty business."

They flew the short distance over the ridge and happened upon the destroyed Urgal camp. The rotting bodies of the slain Urgals left a foul stench in the air that mixed with the smell of ash and burnt wood.

"Are you certain he is still there?" asked Roppen as he dismounted Tensul.

"Aye, elder. I chased him into the cave myself," explained Morzan.

"And you were alone?"

"No, elder. I was with rider Pentas and together we were able to force him to flee into this cave. Pentas has stood guard while I fetched you, and I sent him to Doru Araeba upon my return to inform everyone of what happened here."

Roppen, satisfied with that answer, drew his sword then and beckoned for Morzan to follow. "Very well, let us get this over with Demholdst." And as they entered, he added, "It would be a good test to battle and eventually kill a Shade."

A few feet into the dark passageway, Roppen summoned a bright light that hung over them. And as they turned a corner, Galbatorix stood before them in his dark armor. He smiled as he registered the shock on the elf's face.

"What..." he managed to say, before Galbatorix cut him off.

"Ah, elder Roppen. So good of you to come on such short notice. I was not quite sure if you would be summoned so easily, but nevertheless we had to try." Then Galbatorix gave the slightest of nods to Morzan.

Roppen felt the tip of Morzan's sword rip into his back as the blade punctured through his abdomen, the wards he had cast to protect him from blades negated by the magic infused in the rider's sword. He howled in agony as pain erupted through him. Pain he had never felt before. Unbearable pain. He could feel the blood rushing forth, and his breath was ragged. He tried to lash out with magic but Galbatorix had already placed a spell on him that stilled his body and thus his mouth. It was a powerful spell, for the elder fought against it and yet could not break it and Galbatorix did not seem to be bothered by the strain on his magic.

Stepping over the fallen elf, Galbatorix raised an armored fist and slammed it heavily into the elf's head, knocking him unconscious. Picking up the elf's blade in his left hand, he instructed Morzan to drag the elf with him as he strode towards the cave's entrance.

"Now, let's go see Tensul," he said smugly.

They dragged him outside, where Tensul quivered in obvious pain. Upon seeing them and his wounded rider, he roared mightily and advanced forward. Galbatorix shook his head and quickly moved his own blade to Roppen's neck. "Tut tut, let's not do anything rash now Tensul."

The dragon growled, but stopped advancing. His muscles were tense, however, ready to pounce.

"Now, if you want your rider to live, you will do exactly as I say," Galbatorix said. "You must let me into your mind, Tensul. If you do so, I promise you that I will not harm your rider." He proceeded to repeat that in the ancient language, showing that he was not lying. Tensul snarled, his large jaw snapping as his gaze drifted over to where his injured rider lay. His breathing was shallow and blood trickled from his wound. The dragon then looked the black-clad rider in the eyes.

"Morzan. You know what to do," said Galbatorix before he called upon his magic and then assaulted the dragon's mind. He knew that Tensul would resist, but because a part of the dragon wished for his rider to survive and thus comply with Galbatorix the resistance was not that strong and Galbatorix was powerful enough to overcome him. He had trouble controlling such a vast consciousness, but he dug into his power and was able to hold the dragon's will. Then, with a mighty effort that made him fall to one knee, he forced the dragon into his heart of hearts.

Realizing what he was doing, Tensul tried to fight, but it was too late. Having gained control and thus dominion over Tensul's mind, he was able to force him into his eldunari. A secret that Galbatorix knew most riders did not know about, and one that the elven elders thought he did not know about either. But they were sorely mistaken.

Once that he was satisfied that the eldunari was filled with the consciousness of Tensul, he forced the dragon to release his eldunari. That alone took a lot of energy as the dragon fought with all its might to regain control of itself. Again, however, Galbatorix' hold was too complete already and it could not stop as it watched in horror as a large brown jewel filled with bright light emerged from his mouth and was placed onto the ground. Taking his cue, Morzan walked over to the elder brown dragon, blade in hand.

Galbatorix' hold slowly began to weaken, having used an enormous store of energy already, but he managed to force Tensul to lean back and expose his unarmored brown chest. His muscles shook from the strain as the dragon slowly began to regain control of itself.

Morzan readied Zar'roc, tip pointing at the dragon's heart, but hesitated at killing the great creature.

"DO IT YOU FOOL!" yelled Galbatorix, visibly straining from the massive effort to control the raging dragon.

And just as Tensul finally threw Galbatorix out of his mind, Morzan plunged Zar'roc deep into the brown dragon's chest. He twisted his sword while it was buried deep into the dragon for good measure and then ran away as Tensul reared, roaring in agony. He swiped his claws towards them, but they were too far and with his strength fading quickly he could not move any closer to them. He opened his maw and did the only thing left that he could think of. A jet of searing flames erupted from his mouth, but Morzan had already picked up the weakened Galbatorix and moved him out of the way before he had even opened his jaw. The elder dragon began to spasm, tearing up the ground around it, before finally it stilled.

Tensul was no more. Or at least his body was dead. A few muscles twitched here and there, but the giant body of the dragon lay lifeless on the ground. It's blood flowing into an ever-growing pool of red beneath it. Galbatorix sighed heavily, exhausted from his efforts, but he clutched the brown jewel to him and smiled triumphantly. He looked at Morzan, who was impressed by the display of Galbatorix' power. For a moment neither of them spoke. Galbatorix was catching his breath while Morzan was fully comprehending what had occurred.

They had taken another step towards their goal, as far as he was concerned. But he could not help but feel somewhat saddened by the loss of such a great and powerful dragon. The elf he could care less about, but it was the dragon that had left him somewhat uneasy from killing it. Brushing those thoughts aside, he took comfort in knowing that he had helped again to advance their cause.

"What is with that jewel that came out of him?" asked Morzan out of curiosity.

Galbatorix looked up at him from where he sat leaning against a rock, "Power, Morzan. It is power..." he trailed off and then said, "Now, kill the elf."

He felt the energy of Tensul emanating from the jewel, and he smiled. All this was about power - for he needed it if he were to shape Alagaësia to his will and vision.

Not understanding what he meant, and not needing to, Morzan nodded his head and gave him a wicked grin, "With pleasure." The task was simple enough, sinking his blade into the elf's chest as he did to his dragon, and the elf ceased to breathe. Wiping the blood off Zar'roc with the elf's garments, he walked back to Galbatorix.

"Good work, Morzan," he said tiredly, "but next time you have a killing blow you must not hesitate. We cannot afford to make mistakes. Is that understood?"

Morzan bowed his head, "I am sorry, sire. And yes, I understand perfectly. I shall not hesitate again."

Galbatorix looked at the glowing jewel in his hands. Long had he dreamt of this day. To see it finally come to fruition and to see his plans succeeding thus far delighted him to no end. Soon, very soon, he would be strong enough to take on Vrael and the blasted elven riders.

He began to laugh, and the sound of it made even Morzan feel a shiver of fear crawl down his spine.

-xxx-

Vrael woke up with a start. His heart beating furiously within his chest and his lungs gasping for air. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness around him as he looked around, a hand on the handle of his blade that rested within arm's length from where he lay. He cautiously extended out his consciousness and found only his bonded dragon in the cave. His ears strained to catch any strange noises, and his eyes searched in vain for something, anything. After a while, he let go of the hilt of his sword and sat upright, eyes still warily searching the cave. For what, he was not sure, but something felt amiss. He felt as if something terrible had happened, or was about to happen, and his heart filled with dread.

What ails you, Vrael? the low rumbling voice of Umaroth asked out of concern, noticing the distress that echoed within his rider. His massive white head rose up from the ground where it had been lying through the night, and enormous white eyes looked out at him.

Vrael did not answer, his mind still trying to understand what had caused him to wake up in such a state. For the first time in a long time he acknowledged that he felt fear. He looked to his bond-mate with confusion.

I do not know.

A/N: This is a short chapter, but a necessary one so that you are made aware of what else is occurring and what moves Galbatorix is making. Slowly but surely, we move towards the Edge of Oblivion. :)