Eragon looked at his father, panic beginning to grip him. "What do you mean he took Arya?" Brom knelt and examined a foot print. He looked up
and down the track leading north. "Exactly that. He took Arya, and by the look of it he's heading for the edge of the Surda. Maybe he just didn't
recognize me and you, and as a result took Arya back with him." Eragon shook his head. Impossible. "That can't be it. He took Brisingr with him,
and he was talking like he had came for only that." Brom looked down at the trail and his eye brows went up. He looked at Eragon with concern.
"I was just awoken from death so I don't know this. But, how much does Arya mean to you?" A cold filling crawled up Eragon spine, making his
hear stand on end. "Why do you ask?" Brom pointed at a continuous trail of blood that was along side the set of tracks. "She was bleeding, and
from what I can see he made no effort to stop it. At that loss of blood, if this strange elf that took her doesn't stop it, she'll be dead within a day
and a half." Now that panic fully infused Eragon. "We have to go save her!" Eragon went for his bags but Brom stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"Eragon, we need to get back to the Varden. The elf who took Arya is most likely heading for the boarder of Surda, which means that we can
beat him there. We could head towards him and surprise him and take Arya back." Eragon tried to pull away but could not break his grip. "But-"
He looked down-ward and sighed. "Where's Gridor?" Brom jerked his head to the side where the dragon was picking himself off the ground.
Thorn raised his head and shook it. He looked down at Eragon then snorted. Brom took his bags and flung them over Thorn. "We need to get
back to the Varden by tomorrow. Can you get us there?" Eragon thought then groaned as he wished that he had Kecra there. "Kecra could
easily transport us to the Varden's camp. He could send us to Farthen Dur from Carvahall." Brom nodded and said, "How fast can you get us
there?" Eragon thought. He could do it. But Eragon 1's mate's warning rang in his head. "I shouldn't try and go so far." Brom looked slightly
disappointed and then jumped on Thorn. "Let's go as fast as possible then."
*********
Nasuada kneeled by the werecat and grabbed his shoulder. "Please. Explain so that I can understand." The cat looked at her and sighed. "Fine.
There is a foe, a foe that lived inside of the Shade Durza before Eragon killed him and is now out. The foe is going to leave to The Land of
Shadows. Eragon has to find and kill the foe, or it will be at least a decade before he gets another chance." Nasuada shifted through her
thoughts, trying to find a logical solution to what he was saying. "Who is the foe?" The cat shrugged. "Haven't a clue." Nasuada straightened
and looked at the men that had been marching past. The road was clear now so she started to walk forward. She stopped when Olam jumped in
front of her. The cat looked mournful. He lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry." She down at the cat and said, "For what?" The cat looked
up at her and mewed. "For all that has and all that will happen to you. This battle with the Empire is going to be over a lot sooner then you
think." Sudden hope shot through Nasuada. She knelt and said, "You mean we're going to win?" Still mournful the cat said, "Yes. You will win.
But like I said a bad event will take place." He looked up at Nasuada and his legs began to change. They turned a yellowish color and then a foot
or so up the leg grew feathers. He's changing. Nasuada thought. "I'm sorry. The future can not be stopped." The rest of his body grew feathers
and his front paws turned to wings. He was now a full eagle. He turned and jumped into the sky. Nasuada noticed that there was an odd and
too large shadow on his under belly. Nasuada turned and started to walk across the road. Eragon, where are you? Her thoughts were interrupted
when a man ran up to her and she drew a knife, since her guards were else where. "Lady Nasuada. King Orrin has just been assassinated.
*********
With a flap so powerful that Eragon was nearly thrown out of the saddle Thorn launched himself through the air. His mouth was set in a deep
snarl, and his wings flapped harder then Eragon had thought was possible. Gridor was having a hard time matching his pace. Just as they were
about to take off Eragon had told Thorn that unless he hurried the Empire would kill Saphira, and now Thorn was going almost too fast. Gridor
flapped once, and with his Elite abilities he was able to keep pace with Thorn in comfort. With one flap of Thorn's wings took him almost a
hundred yards at a time. Thorn, I understand your enthusiasm but slow down a hair! Eragon could only feel a fire of unimaginable love and
determination coming from the crimson dragon. They will not kill her! I will rip them apart if they even try! Eragon shrunk away from the ferocity of
his anger. Thorn's love for Saphira astonished him. It surpassed even Eragon's, an accomplishment Eragon had not even thought possible.
Unbidden thoughts of what he had done to Arya came to his mind. First Trianna, then Elva, and yet all Arya did was love him. He lowered his
head and thought to himself, Never again. I will never betray her ever again. Thorn's wing caught in the air and produced a nearly defining whistle
in Eragon's ear. From behind him Brom shouted, "Can't you make him go slower?" Eragon tried to turn around so that he was facing his father,
but to do so might throw him off the saddle. "I can't. I tried but his love for Saphira won't be stopped. He's beyond determined!" Thorn went so
fast that when Eragon looked through the eyes of a farmer below, he didn't even see so much as a slight red blur. Eragon mouthed a spell that
cut the air in front of Thorn and the dragon speed to an alarming speed without having to fight the wind. So fast was Thorn that by the end of
the day Uru'bean was five miles behind them. Eragon had to drain the air around Thorn's wings to get him to land. When they did, and Eragon
and Brom had jumped off his back, Thorn looked down at Eragon with one blood shoot eye. Why are we stopping? His voice was like the
grounding of rocks. Gridor flapped into their stopping point and landed beside Thorn's leg. He looked up at the red dragon and said soothingly,
"Calm yourself, my young ling. Saphira can take care of herself is the Empire attackers. Have no fear. We shall soon arrive there, and you will see
her well and save." Thorn's tendons relaxed. A nagging sense of urgency still clawed at his mind, as Eragon found after looking into his mind.
Brom, being the oldest there, went to sleep. Gridor flew to the top of a tree saying, "I'll keep watch." Thorn lay his head down on his paws and
tapped one claw on the ground. Eragon walked across the fire that he had just made and lay against his paw.
You really love her, don't you? Thorn looked at him as if he had just said something blindly obvious. Yes, I do. The Empire will suffer if they lay a
single sword on her neck. His thoughts went from anger, to relaxed memories of Saphira. Most of them Eragon could understand, except for the
one when they had made there first child. At that memory Eragon turned his thoughts away, and let the dragon remember it in peace. Then
Thorn looked down on him and said, You really do have a beautiful Dragon. Count yourself as lucky. Eragon smiled at the red mass behind him. I do.
Thorn snorted and raised his head. He smelled the air and looked up at an eagle flying in the sky. He tightened his eyes and said, I think we
have company. The eagle dove from the sky and landed on the ground beside him. The shadow from under it moved with amazing speed to the
right then it built on it's self until three forms came from it. "Really, after training us you'd think you'd know us better." One of the turned and
said, "You know he has a point." Eragon stood up and dusted his pant legs. "Yeah well, you're blind except for your shadows, Kecra. So don't go
passing judgment." Hyro and Fifrie turned and smiled. Fifrie walked over to Thorn and lay down. "Well now that we're here, what's up? Where'd
Arya go?" Eragon felt a slight tremor of saddens but shook it off. Now was not the time. "Kroger, the teacher of Arya, took her." Kecra yawned
and said, "That so? How unlucky." Hyro helped the eagle, now an old man, walk over and sit against a tree. The man leveled a finger and
Eragon. "You are one hard man to find." Eragon smiled. "If I was an easy man to find then it would be all the easier for Gailbatorix to find and kill
me." Olam nodded and said, "We have come to help. Eragon, I need to talk with you." Eragon stood and walked behind the old man as he
walked into the forest beyond. Olam stopped beside a large tree and sat. "First I want you to know that the people involved in this did not want
to do what they did." Eragon nodded. "Good. For starters in the city of Uru'bean you have a brother, and a sister, and a mother." Eragon
blanched backward. "What?" The old man his him. "Don't interrupt! Now, your mother had to flee to the city for the same reason that Brom
pretended to be dead. To protect you. In time she gave birth to a girl and a boy. The boy is older by three years. He is 23 years old, and named
Kazuci. The other is a daughter and she is 20 years old and is named Nya. She is a stunning girl by your standers I would say." Eragon's head
was swimming. His family was alive? "Does Brom know?" The old man wavered and turned into a cat. "No, he doesn't. You, as his son, should tell
him." Eragon nodded. He'd do that.
"There is more." The cat looked up mournfully at him. "I wish this wasn't so, but fate has set it's coarse for you. Through an awful event that will
leave you in the throne. You are destined to kill Gailbatorix and lead the race of humans and elves in peace and unity." Eragon looked at the cat
with new found horror. He was supposed to usher in this time of great peace? He was to led two races? Olam stood. "Go and tell your father
that his mate lives." Eragon stood and walked, light-headed, to Brom. He knelled beside the old man and whispered, "Selena is still alive." The
old man's head shot up so fast Eragon nearly got hit by it. "What!" Eragon went on. "Yeah, I know, surprising. Also, you have two sons and a
daughter." Brom stood up and said, "Where did you get this information." Eragon gestured at Olam, who was stepping out from the trees, and
said, "Him." A startled hiss came from across the camp from Hyro. A pool of water was in front of him, Nasuada's sad face on it. The werecat
looked at Eragon and said, "Orrin was just assassinated."
End of Seduction