Shadow
Eragon flipped the bottom on his pack which held Brisingr. After his night with Megan and Arya in the same room he had barely gotten on ounce
of sleep. Now Megan insisted that she see his weapon. He pulled it out slowly. Megan watched in awe. "How is the metal blue?" Eragon waved
it around. "It's elvish. An elven smith, older then the Riders themselves, made it for me. Watch." He raised the sword upward and barked,
"Brisingr!" The sword erupted into blue flames. Megan squeaked in alarm and scrambled back. "How did it do that?" Eragon shrugged. He was
not sure himself. "I don't know really." He looked to his left and saw Arya walking to him, with Kroger trying to keep pace with her and talk to her
at the same time. She stopped in front of the two and Arya said, "Eragon we need to talk." Kroger looked frightened as Eragon's eyes turned to
him. "I-I-I didn't do anything!" Eragon nodded and muttered, "Thought this might come up sooner or later." He waved a hand at Kroger. "Shut."
Kroger's mouth snapped closed. He walked with Arya to a low hill with a small tree at the top. There Eragon said, "Grow." The tree grew rapidly
until it provided a good amount of shade. Eragon sat and held out a hand to Arya. She took it and sat. "So what happened?" Arya snorted as if
she knew Eragon could guess well enough. "I'm sure you are already aware of what happened. He put a trance on me and touched me in," she
waved a hand to the sky, "in a rather bad place." Eragon looked back at Kroger, who was talking with Megan. "If he does it again then I'll send
him some two or three hundred miles away and let him find his own way to the Varden." Arya gulped. Was it not sufficient to do that now?
"Alright." They fell into a quiet silence, simply enjoying being alone with each other. Then Eragon said, "So who do you think will be the one that
will join us?" Arya looked over at him and then pulled her arms over her legs. "I thought that was obvious. I figured that it would be Megan."
Eragon looked back at her and then laid a hand on hers. "Does she worry you?" Arya's eyes glittered. "No she doesn't." Eragon withdrew his
hand. "Good." His eyes tightened. "I fell like there's something pulling me towards the main part of the city." Arya stood up. "That's a Riders
instinct." When he stayed sat she said, "Well don't just ignore it! Get up and follow it!" Eragon jumped up with a sigh and walked off in the
direction his feeling told him to go. He wondered the roads for hours, crossing building to building, side street to side street, saw countless
hungry and begging people, and once and only once passed by the prison that had kept him in Gilead. By noon he had not found what he was
supposed to be looking for. Then his feeling changed. It went from looking for something, to feeling like he was right beside on object of great
impotence. He looked around but saw nothing but the walls of an ally that he had entered. There was something sitting on a trash can on the
far side of it. Eragon tried to make it out but it was to dark, even for him to see. How that thing managed to live in it was a mystery to Eragon.
The thing uncurled and sat up, laying a hand on the ground.
As it did it looked up at Eragon with blue slighted eyes. It walked to him and a small boy walked out of the light. He had black hair, and as
previously stated, blue slighted eyes. In a husky accent he said, "Are you the one that I am to go with? He said it was a man of great power, of
flames. Yet all I see is a boy of no more then twenty." Eragon drew Brisingr out a half inch. There was something off about this kid. "What is your
name?" The boy shrugged. "Haven't a clue. My friends, what few I have, call me Shadow. Wither or not that is my name I don't know." Eragon
kept his hand on his sword and looked for a path to walk away. "How can you see in there?" The boy laughed. "Do you think anyone could see
in there? No I can't see at all." He raised his blue slitted eyes directly into Eragon's. "I'm blind." Eragon took several steps backward. If he was
blind how did he know where to direct his gaze at him? The boy lazily walked to him and sidestepped a piece of wood that even Eragon could
not see. "How did you do that?" The boy stopped and smiled, almost to himself, as if he was wondering if Eragon would ever ask something
interesting. "I do not see like you do, but I can see. The shadows are my friends. They see for me. If I am touching a shadow then I can see as
clearly as you do, if not more clearly. That's why they call me Shadow." Eragon sheathed Brisingr. Obviously this boy was no threat to him. In fact
he could be of great use. The boy's eyes popped suddenly. "Oh yes, there's something I'm to give you. It's at the back of the ally." Eragon
expected him to turn around, but he didn't. Instead he held out a hand and his shadow, which had been lying on the ground, slithered up his
arm and into the air over his hand. Eragon watched in amazement as the boy reached into the shadow. He looked past him and saw another
shadow some twenty feet away, projecting his hand. Shadow moved his arm and the hand on the other side of the ally followed his movement.
The hand grabbed some long package and pulled out of the shadow and Shadow suddenly held the item. "What was that?" Shadow looked up
at him. "I am of a rare and powerful bloodline. Each of us born with it had a power, unique among the others. My power was the manipulation of
shadows. For example," He raised a hand at Eragon's shadow and it moved. The part of the shadow that was his arm lifted and as Eragon
watched it, he was completely unaware that his arm was moving with the shadow. Shadow tightened his eyes and moved his hand slightly to
the left. Eragon's shadow arm moved towards his shadow head and he jumped back as he hit himself. "What in the-" Shadow overrode him.
"Next time pay attention and I won't have to do that." Eragon stared at him. "Are you the one that is to go with us?" Shadow reached out with
an arm, the package on it, and said, "Obviously." Eragon took it and unwrapped it. A box came after the wrapping and he opened. Eragon
reached inside it and grabbed something that was cold and hard.
He pulled and slowly a Riders sword was reviled. "It's Arvindr. Oromis sent it to me, for you." Eragon looked at the sword, then at the boy, then
back at the sword. He wanted to ask how the boy knew Oromis, but held his tongue. "Come on. Let's go back to the house." He led the boy to
Megan's house. Now I hold the sword of flames and the sword of ice. When they got back to the house he opened the door and pushed Shadow
through into the room. "I can see, you know." Eragon grunted and kept moving. Arya was sitting in a chair, opposite to Kroger, who was talking
quietly, but quickly. They both looked at him when he came into view. "Eragon who is that dirt little bug?" Eragon walked in and lifted the young
boy into a chair. "His name is Shadow. He's the one that will be joining us." They both reacted with surprise. Shadow looked at Arya and said,
"Hello, elf. I am Shadow. You must be Arya. I wish I could see you but I can't really. I'm blind." Arya looked up at Eragon. She mouthed, "Him?
Really?" Eragon nodded. "Shadow, show them your abilities." Shadow looked at Arya and said, "Tell me something in this room that you want."
Arya looked doubtful then told him that she would like mirror on the other side of the room. Shadow held out a hand and his shadow again
slithered up his arm and stayed in the air. Kroger and Arya watched with the same amount of amazement and awe as Eragon had. A second
shadow lifted itself in front of the mirror and Shadow pushed his hand through the shadow in front of him and grabbed the mirror. He pulled it
back at the second shadow fell to the ground. He handed Arya the mirror and grinned. "That's only one of my powers." Arya watched with intent
interest. "Let us see more of your abilities." Shadow took a deep inhale and concentrated. He suddenly darkened until none of them could see
him then he fell onto the ground and became virtually a shadow. The shadow moved to a door and Shadow reappeared. Then he closed his eyes
and his shadow separated from him and went several feet away. It started to pull up from the ground until it stood as tall as Kroger. Then it
started to move and take on color. Before Eragon could think he was facing a perfect imitation of Kroger. "I can control it at will. I can mold it like
clay into any person I want." He flicked one of his fingers and the figure walked around in a perfect show of real life. "In addition, and I have
found this very helpful, as long as it is in the form of that person, I can read that persons thoughts and see his memories. The best part about
that is even if he is a magician he can not fell it. The only problem is that is so tiring that I would have to spend a week in bed to recover."
Eragon stood and walked over to the fake Kroger. "Turn him into me." The thing bubbled for a moment then morphed into Eragon's exact image.
"Can you make more then one of these?" Shadow sighed. "What am I, a convenience store! I've tried making multiple shadow fakes and my limit
is two." Eragon smiled. This kid was going to be very useful. He sat down and said, "So you will come with us?" Shadow sat against a wall and
covered his face. In a soft tone he whispered, "I have to. I have to find the two people that left me here. They are my brothers. I've been left to
fend for myself." Eragon crossed one leg of the other. "So there are others that have this unique power?"
Shadow sniffed and said, "Not my power, but different ones. Hyro could manipulate light and Fifrie could manipulate metal. I don't know my
special name, people just call me Shadow. Hyro was the oldest of the three of us. He was always acting like our father, and Fifrie was the most
like a big brother to me. He would carry me for miles if my feet began to hurt. We were travelers for as far back as I can remember. We went
from town to town, amazing people with our incredible abilities." He snarled. "Then Gailbatorix heard of us and sent someone to capture us, but
we easily beat him off. We thought ourselves save and then someone with black hair and a red sword jumped us and took us to Gailbatorix.
Once there he bargained for our service. Hyro spat at his feet and said he would sooner die. Fifrie did the same and I did after him. Then I
opened a shadow portal to another place, but Gailbatorix through me off balance and I sent them both to different places. Now you're here to
help me find them. Without them, I'm hopeless. If our bloodline dies, then you will find it hard to beat that muddle headed Gailbatorix." Eragon
thought for a moment then said, "How many of you are there left?" Shadow raised his head and said, "Not many. The ones left probably
converted their appearances into something to blend in."
"Is there anyway to find them," Eragon could not help asking. Shadow tossed his heir. "No. Each of us look like what we want. It's impossible to
tell where they are." Eragon sighed, disappointed. That group of people could be useful. He stood up and walked over to Shadow. "We'll help
you if you help us. Will you fight for the Varden?" Shadow looked up at him, a tear in his eye. "Yes. If it will find my brothers." Eragon put a hand
on his shoulder. "I can't promise that it will find them, but it will be a start. Meanwhile, how about I train you to understand and harness your
power, as well as sharpen it?" Shadow looked down blindly at his hands. "You can do that?" Eragon nodded. "I have all magic in my hand, and I
think I could help you." Shadow looked back at him, a faint gleam of hope in his eyes. "Could you give me back my eyes?" Eragon looked at him
and smiled. He sat down beside him. "I could. But if I did you would lose your abilities to manipulate shadows. I think part of the reason you are
so good at it is because you need shadows to even see. You need them as much as they need you, so I don't want to ruin that." Shadow
nodded, looking disappointed. "Well then you can train me to help that change. I want to be in charge of my shadow, not it is in charge of me."
Eragon nodded. "I can do that."
That night, the night before the left, Eragon awoke, his palm itching. He sat up and gasped to see that he was no longer in his room, but in a
star lit clearing. Ten dragons and ten figures stood in front of him. The Rizdar. Eragon stood up and looked for Eragon 1. He stood beside a
massive silver mound, which was his dragon. A female elf with a giant purple dragon walked forward. Eragon 1 walked up to her and hugged
her. The two walked together to Eragon, holding hands. "Greetings. My name is Fayla. I am Eragon's mate. I am here to give you a piece of
wisdom. I remember when Eragon first whispered that powerful word in my ear. The power that flew through my veins. I used that power so
much that it went dead. What I mean by that is I used the word so much that even it could not continue to power itself. So the word inside me
fell asleep and it took five centuries for it to awaken. The word inside of you has a limit Eragon. Lift or move or reshape something to big and
even it will fail. Don't use it unless the occasion demands it." Eragon 1 smiled as the elf walked back to the others. The turned to Eragon.
"Gorgeous isn't she? No female compares to her." Eragon smiled at the helpless in love elf in front of him. "Is there something you want
to tell me?" Eragon 1 still looked at Fayla. "Yeah, yeah, that-that's why I brought you here. I want you to met the members of the Rizdar."
He looked at Eragon. "I assume you want to know them?" Eragon nodded. "Alright." He led him to where a young elf stood, tickling the lower
jaw of his emerald dragon. "This is my younger brother, Gigna. His dragon is Fy'nari." Eragon bowed to them both. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
Eragon 1 went to the next ones, a over large yellow dragon and a stern looking elf. "This stiff old dog is named Sala. His dragon is Ulay." Eragon
bowed but said nothing. The next human was a female and very, very beautiful. Her dragon was the same color as Saphira. "This is Neanu, my
sister. Her dragon," he smiled, "is named Saphira." Eragon bowed again and said, "It is an honor to meet you." They
continued to the next one, a human. His dragon was pitch black. "This is Galenam. His dragon is named Silver, as ironic and idiotic as that
sounds." The moved on to the next, a female human "This is Granger, Guardian of the Sea. Her dragon is named Unbitir." Eragon again bowed.
The moved on to a human. "This is Ky'la. His dragon is named Brinr." The dragon was brown and looked old. They moved to the next a pink
dragon and a woman. "This is Kella, and by far the most enthusiastic among us. Her dragon is Pinkie. She really didn't have much time to think of
a name." There was only two left, a human and an elf. They moved to the human, an old man.
His dragon was a light green. "This is Jura. His dragon is Omin." Eragon 1 moved to the last elf with caution. When he got in front of him he
bowed to them. "This is the oldest of the Rizdar, and the Finder and Guardian of the Power Word. As such I had to have his permission to give it
to you. He sees you in high regard. His name is Rigrad. His dragon is unnamed in his power. We just call him Master." The old elf stirred and said,
"Eragon. Who is this?" Eragon bowed to him and said, "He is Eragon. The Chosen? You do remember him right?" Rigrad snorted and hit Eragon 1
softly on the head. "Of course I remember, I'm not an old man! I'm an old elf, and there is a big difference between the two!" Eragon1 bowed
even lower. "I'm sorry for making implications on you're memory, my Master." The old elf waved his staff. "Go on then." Eragon 1 stood and
walked away with Eragon trailing behind. "Bid'Daum feels sort of guilty for causing you so much trouble. He wants me to apologize for him, the
little chicken." Eragon was confused. "How was Bid'Daum caused me trouble?" Eragon 1 turned his head up and laughed. "In all seriousness it's
Arya he caused the most trouble." Eragon shock his head. Would he ever understand what Eragon 1 was saying? "That doesn't answer my
question. How has he caused either of us trouble?" Eragon 1 was distracted for a moment by Fayla bending over. "Well I have to go. Soon, very
soon, I shall return in flesh to turn back the sands of time and to return that which was broken into it's wonderful nature." Eragon jolted upright
and found himself sweating in his bed. Arya sat up from the other side of the room. "What's wrong?" Eragon shock his head, panting. "Nothing.
Bad dream." Eragon lay back down and tried to close his eyes and sleep but Fayla's voice still rang in his mind. Don't use it to much. It will die.
Then Eragon 1 spoke in his mind. A deep comforting voice. Sleep Eragon. Many hardships yet await you, along with great lose in many numbers.
Sleep, so that soon you may cast down the Evil One. Lastly he said, "Ganga eom fyrn, eom taka freohr eom Du Fjand."
I changed this chapter, becuase I didn't like it. The last line, execpt for one word that I was forced to look up in a norse dicinatory, means, "Go to war, to give death to The Foe."