Chapter 16

A/N in the last chapter, I used the term use me as he would. A few people gave me private messages asking me what that meant. It was just meant to be a different expression for the word rape. I got the idea from the book Eragon when Arya was explaining to Eragon what Durza and his soldiers did to her during her time in Gil'ead. Anyway, that was just to clear up any confusions to anyone who didn't understand.

Eragon! What are we doing? That way leads to Ellesméra!

Be quiet Saphira! He snapped. I know exactly what I'm doing and exactly where we're going. I don't need any of your dragon wisdom to help me with what I'll do.

Why? What is wrong? She asked. A hint of urgency trailed behind her words.

Don't worry. I'll explain it all to you later, he reassured her.

Little one?

Yes?

Why is Fírnen and Arya following us? And at full pelt?

Eragon looked back. Rya was seated behind him. The last time he had looked at her, she had asked him something which he hadn't heard. The girl had a new sense of fear for him. Eragon felt an excruciating pain at what he had done to the poor child, but he had tried to apologise. She had just looked away and said that she forgave him. If Eragon didn't know better, he would have assumed that she had pardoned him, but he did.

He could see that Arya and Fírnen were closing in on his dragon and he knew why: to stop him from carrying out his intentions.

Faster Saphira! Faster! Don't let them catch us!

Why? What is happening?

Just focus on getting to Ellesméra before they can catch us.

Saphira made a sound which Eragon had come to recognise as a sigh.

Fine, brace yourself. And tell Rya too.

He did so, and after a few moments, Saphira pulled in her wings and flapped backwards as fast as she dared with Eragon on her. Eragon pulled himself closer to her enormous body, so as to reduce the amount of wind on his face. He could feel Rya do the same. Within ten minutes, they were at the edge of the city. Eragon knew, from his short stay, roughly where the elven lords chamber was. The sun was at its peak, so he thought about ignoring his room. If anywhere, he would probably be in the throne room or eating with the few friends he had. The elf had shown him enough kindness during his training with Oromis, for Eragon to call him friend. Now, he found out that he had attempted to rape the queen of the elves, while the leader of the Riders was to become her real mate.

There is Tialdari hall. Now tell me what you want to do, and why you made me go so fast.

Eragon ignored her and undid the straps around his feet on the saddle. Only Rya could see him so Saphira wouldn't be able to stop him until after he jumped off. Eragon waited until they were close to the palace before jumping off. It was approximately a hundred and fifty feet until the ground would meet him, but he was used to these dismounts. He had trained for over a year with Saphira until he could get these dismounts right.

Eragon felt the wind on flap against his face. Once he was twenty feet away from the ground, he used momentum to upright himself from his current, headlong fall.

Landing on his feet, he quickly grabbed his bearings and made towards Tialdari hall. The flame of revenge still burned strong in every far reach of his vast mind. This drove him towards his purpose here even more. Saphira landed not far behind him. Eragon then started thinking. Where could he be? Ellesméra is too large for me to search on my own.

He thanked whatever gods there may be that Dathedr had just walked out of the palace and taken a left. He looked at Saphira who he noted was staring at him intently. He drew his sword. And started walking towards the elf who until then, hadn't noticed him. Saphira saw his sword drawn and roared louder than he had ever heard her do so. She started running towards him. She's going to try and stop me! Eragon ran towards the closest cover he could get. He found a low canopy made from whatever trees were used to make the elven hall and slipped under it, out of the enormous dragon's reach.

Saphira released a bugle of flames before trying to claw him out from his hidey hole.

Eragon! While you are under my watch in this city, I will not let you use that sword on anybody! She screamed into his mind.

Eragon blocked her off and tried to look for a route towards Dathedr. He couldn't see one and he assumed that Saphira had scared every elf in the vicinity to barricade their doors on themselves. He decided that the only way to reach him would be to use magic to tunnel his way to his target. Saphira had already thought of this before him and was digging the dirt to get to him. She didn't know who or why Eragon wanted to kill and he wanted to keep it that way. Saphira had already dug enough to reach in and grab her Rider. Eragon hadn't had the time to think about which words he would use to tunnel and he had to think fast. By the time he thought of the words to dig, Saphira would have him, let alone saying them. He was more agile than her but also slower. It would be risky, but he could try to strafe, duck and dodge her. While Eragon thought, a large claw tore apart his thoughtful trance. Eragon jumped to the left, evading her grasp by only a few inches. He had no choice but to run.

Sprinting out from his cover spot, he saw Rya, sword drawn, standing in front of him. He could outrun her easily. Saphira had probably told her to stop him, but it wouldn't work. He had set a task for himself, and he would see it through.

He sprinted off towards Tialdari hall which was towards his right. An axe flew past him, after being deflected off his wards.

He continued his reckless sprint towards Tialdari when he felt a warm breath on his back and a thudding behind him. He heard the whoosh of Saphira's claws reaching out to grab him and spared a glance behind him. Saphira was hard on his heels and behind her, Fírnen and Arya had landed.

Damn it!

Two dragons, an elf and a human chasing him was a little too much to bear. He needed to get to Dathedr quickly and the place he was most likely to be in was his room.

Eragon ducked a swipe from Saphira and rolled to keep his momentum and continued running. He ran through the open doors of the throne room and looked around. He had been right. Dathedr wasn't there. The elves were looking around in confusion. The two dragons pursuing him must have made a racket enough to make any elf curious as to what may be happening.

He looked up at an elf he recognised. Yaela. One of his guards during the war against Galbatorix.

'Yaela!' he called.

She looked at him before replying. 'Eragon. What is happening?'

'You'll find out later. Where is lord Dathedr? I need to see him.'

She pointed towards a corridor.

'The first door on the left. Why?'

He didn't respond and instead turned towards a voice which rang clear in his mind.

'This has gone on long enough Eragon!' he turned around to see Arya. Her face was grief stricken and by her side was Rya with Moonstone. 'Stop before you get hurt. If you succeed you'll have battalions of elves against you.'

'Yeah? Well the entire elven population should be going against him for what he did!' Eragon yelled. He turned towards the corridor but was stopped by a blade pressed against his skin from his left from behind.

Yaela wielded the blade.

'What are you here to do Eragon?'

Eragon uttered a single word in the ancient language under his breath and the elf fell to the floor, asleep. He turned towards Arya and saw statues on the sides of the entrance.

'Jierda!' he screamed, and the statues fell in broken mounds in front of them.

'Thrysta' he heard Arya shout.

Eragon had already gone to the room and closed the door behind him. Dathedr was standing right in front of him. Eragon drew his sword before saying a word or giving the time to hear one. He charged towards the elf who hadn't drawn his blade, and before he could put his guard up, sliced through his wards and beheaded the rapist. This had all taken place in a matter of seconds. The rage within him cooled and he was finally allowed to think clearly. Arya burst into the room. Her hand flew up to her mouth in horror. Blood oozed out of the hole where his neck had been and the floor coated in marble over the wood, was now dyed red with the blood of his new-found, dead enemy.

Arya walked over to him and landed a full fisted punch on his nose, before tripping him over with one of her legs. Eragon fell hard to the floor, curled up in pain. She kicked him in the stomach before asking, 'Where is your empathy? Do you remember when you told me of what happened during the journey from Gil'ead to Farther Dur? Of how Murtagh mercilessly killed the slaver? This is no different Eragon!' tears were gushing out of her eyes as she spoke to him.

'You didn't even allow me to finish what I was about to say! He didn't get a chance! Fírnen felt the grief that I had in me and made a few quick actions which stopped him. What actually conspired I will not tell you but know this. You killed a man guilty of intention. Not action.'

And with that she stormed off. Eragon was left bleeding on the floor and eventually became unconscious from the pain.

Leave a review on what you thought about the hunt for Dathedr. I know I made this somewhat similar to the hunger games, where the whole thing is called the hunger games, but only the last few minutes of the movie had anything to do with it. Like that, I focused on Dathedr so much, but there was no real fight with him. I am sorry about it, but I promise there will be some action in the next chapter, until then, bye!