Niciasofahnmik: :) Thank you. I really don't hear that enough. :) There will be two more to come.

Antclift: :) I know, right? I would never break them up, regardless of what the following chapter says about that.

Prince of Madness 54: In this story or CP's?

FlexManSteel: I know, the same thing happened to me. It's pronounced with a t but it doesn't have one.

Oblit1519: :) Then this chapter should answer both your questions.

Eragon led the two of them past rows and aisles of books and shelves to the back where the Elves had found the book of Futurestar. The book was suspended in the air, floating by means of magic that was being cast by an elven man who stood leaning against a wall.

"Leave," Eragon said curtly. "Set a spell of binding on the door so that only the three of us can open it." The elf dipped his head and exited, closing the stone door behind him. With a sharp word the room was eliminated by a flame in the air.

"And what devilry has the King invented?"

"To put it bluntly," Eragon said, waving for the book to come closer. "Futurestar is as simple as the telepathic ability of magic users to read minds and decipher emotions, but with two distinct advantages."

"And those would be…" asked Aesire, noting Eragon's pale complexion.

Eragon swallowed. "If you are inside the range of Galbatorix's mind, and who knows how far that is, he can read your mind without your knowledge. However this is possible, I do not know. What I do know is he can touch your mind so softly that you wouldn't even notice and yet still be able to read it as deeply as if you were allowing it."

Aesire exchanged a glance with Hola. "That...doesn't sound all that damaging. Perhaps it is because I can read your thoughts by the way you move a finger or shift your eyes; but that does not sound inherently dangerous. Why do you look so afraid?"

Eragon tapped the side of his empty sheath, having left Brisingr in Aesire's house. "If I interpret this book correctly, Futurestar grants Galbatorix the power to see into every facet of your mind. Your memories, your current thoughts, and even your future ones."

"Does that mean..."

"Aye. Galbatorix can read your thoughts before you think them." A deadly silence enveloped the room. "There is no mention of way to block this spell in the book. He can probably read our thoughts as we speak."

A long moment passed. "How is this possible?" asked Aesire.

Eragon placed his head in his hands. "How should I know?"

"You're the Rider who knows all the secrets that they kept from the rest of the world. How can there be no mention of these spells in all the elvish writings?"

"You're the best strategist in the world; what's your idea?"

"Eragon," Aesire said sharply. "We are allies. We are friends. To fight amongst ourselves would do naught more than serve Galbatorix's purpose. We can over come the other three; we can overcome the fourth. Let us not focus our time on arguing. Let us instead focus our time on deciphering a way around this new spell of Galbatorix."

Eragon narrowed his eyes. "It's late," he said. "We should get some rest."

"No," Hola said. "Humans need slumber to perform at their best, but I do not. I will stay here and find what I may."

"I'll stay too," Aesire said.

"No, you will not. As I just finished saying, you will not perform at your best, and so you will not perform at all. Go back to the house and sleep. I shall come to you later."

"Very well," Aesire said, after a moment. "Don't stay up too long yourself."

Aesire and Eragon stepped out into the cool night air. "It's later than I thought," Aesire said.

"Think long on this, Aesire," Eragon said, "because if the King knows our thoughts at all times, then..." he trailed off, and then wondered off into the night.

Aesire entered his own house and went to his room, nodding to Alcore as he went. He went up to his room and crashed into his bed, the lights already off. If Galbatorix can read my thoughts, I'll be helpless. So long have I planned for this; I will not allow him to destroy it just by a single spell. There must be limitations to it; there must! Even the most powerful of spells have weak points. His brain fired as he closed his eyes, shifting through a thousand thoughts every other second. The inner machinations of his mind would not be comprehensible to those with lesser minds. He valued his mind above almost everything the world. The only thing Aesire cared for more than it was Hola. She was not surpassed by anything.

A spell to read minds, he thought. Then it must be limited by the range of his own thoughts. Does that do me much good, however? The plan I made will only work if I can stand before him in his throne room. My powers have limits as well, and it cannot work over such a vast distance. We must move forward even if Galbatorix can read our every thought. But wait! Would the minds of the many cover our minds from him? No, that wouldn't work either. I can't have five hundred people around me at all times. He raised an arm and placed it on his head. I'm racking my brain. Why isn't a solution coming to me?

The door to his room creaked open and he looked up just in time to see two pointed ears before the light faded as the doors was closed. He smiled. "I thought you were going to stay down in the library, Hola." His wolf companion did not reply. Instead she slinked over to his bed and pushed herself under the sheets. "What are you...?" He stopped as one of her silk hands ran up his leg to his manhood. "Ah," he said, comprehending. "Is that such a good idea with the baby?" She answered his question by running the tip of a finger along his shaft. "Very well," he said and pulled himself under the sheets with her. She met him halfway and their lips locked in a passionate kiss with tongue contact. With fingers that set his skin to blazing, she pulled his woolen shirt off. He reached to do the same with hers, but found that she had already token it off. As his hands explored her luscious form she ripped off the tie that kept his leggings fixed in place. As they slid off, she wasted no time in pulling down his underpants. As her warm hand came into full contact with him he leaned back and ran his hand down her hair. She stopped for a moment, enticing him to look down at her.

By what he could barely see, he saw her shifting around in the darkness and a moment later he felt her smooth thighs rub up against his. She crawled her way up and sat down on his manhood. Then she lay down on top of him as he began pumping in and out of her. For nearly a full minute, he went in and out of her until she let out a deep throated moan that was far deeper than it should have been for Hola. You aren't...he thought, then shoved whoever was on him off of his bed with a forceful push that sent the unknown person falling to other side of the room.

He stood and felt such a rush of disgusted shame and anger that he almost lost himself to rage. All this pent up anger merged together and he said, "Light." With a blinding flash the lights in the room came on and went over to whoever it was laying against the wall. It was Nasuada. (AN: Quite honestly I hate to use this predictable cliché, but it's needed for the storyline. Keep reading, all you die hard HolaXAesire people. Have no fear; I am one of you.) He reached down and took Nasuada by the throat, pulling her up to his height. She had tied together pieces of grass and mold to create false wolf ears in order to trick him, he imagined. With a flick of his hand he pushed them off her head.

"You had better have an extremely good reason for your actions tonight. You've got sixty seconds before I choke the life out of you. Talk; and if you value your life, be persuasive."

Nasuada coughed once. It was clear to him that though she may have been winded by colliding with the wall she had been dealt no serious or permanent damage. "Why can't you see, Aesire? I love you. I love you. You swore you would obey me. Consider this my first order." She reached out and for a split second locked her lips with his, before he slammed her against the wall once more, this time holding her with such a grip that his fingers were white.

"Words cannot describe the wrath that is flowing within me," he said in an angry voice. "You have endangered the very reason for my existence."

"How?" asked Nasuada, a look of almost faked confusion in her eyes. The power residing in Aesire's grip tightened; although it did nothing to stop her ability to breath or talk. Someone's guarding her, he realized.

"By threatening my love for Hola, you have threatened the very reason for my life," he growled.

"I can be your reason for existing," she said, faint tears in her eyes. "We could live together; alone and far away from war or conflict. We could..."

"Silence," said Aesire, in such a commanding voice she fell silent. "Is it your contention that you could be more important to me than Hola?"

"Yes," she said, joyfully.

"Then answer this one question."

"Anything for you."

"If you could be more important to me then Hola, why disguise yourself as her?"

Nasuada opened her mouth to answer, but then stopped, her face suddenly confused. "I...I..."

Aesire sighed. "You, you, you. That's all you were thinking about, wasn't it?"

"I don't..."

"You weren't thinking at all, were you? Someone's been thinking for you," he said, nodding. "And I would bet money that it was that man that confronted me in my thoughts earlier." Nasuada opened her mouth but he snapped his fingers, activating his Lunarmist. "Be silent," he said. Dark terror grew in Nasuada's eyes. At the same moment a deep set throbbing began to pulse in his forehead. Ignoring it he placed a hand over her head. "Someone has entered your mind and corrupted your thoughts."

"What are you going...?"

"To do? I'm going to do what I did with them when they were in my mind." With a push of his thoughts he entered Nasuada's mind and beheld the same black clad figure leaning against the darkness of her mind.

"Well," the man said, "in one way or another, this can be turned into a success for me."

"Before I cast you out; who are you?"

"Oh, don't worry, Aesire. We will be meeting again very, very soon. I may not have shattered your relationship with Hola, but I came close enough. My over all goals will remain the same from here on in. I have more things to tend to now, Aesire. Namely Roran and Katrina's child."

"What do you have against Katelyn?"

The black clad man uttered a bark of laughter. "Oh, you fool! Cannot you see? I hold nothing against Katelyn. She will become the essence of perfection. Quite to the contrary of hurting her, I mean to protect her from an event soon to come."

Aesire scoffed. "I've had enough of your nonsense. Aesire of House Nandiall commands you: leave now and never return!" With a sound of the rushing wind the black clad man was swept out of Nasuada's mind.

He opened his eyes to see Nasuada opening hers. "Aesire," she said, sounding dazed and confused. "Where...where am I?"

"My room in the house a friend. Do you remember anything?"

"We...we were...under the sheets and...you were making love to me. Then you...threw me against the wall...and nothing else."

He nodded. "You remember too much." He kneeled down beside her and said, "Listen very carefully. Nothing would satisfy me more to have vengeance on you for what you did tonight. However, these acts were not yours. So, I am going to forgive them this one time. Take to heart my meaning. If you ever endanger the love that exists between Hola and I, I will kill you," pronouncing each word carefully, not meaning them as a threat, but a statement of fact. "Do you understand?"

She bobbed her head and as she did his eye caught on a string rapped around her neck. A necklace that contained a small container of blue water was at the bottom. And on its face of the botgle was a twisting sigil. Aesire's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the sigil. He gripped it and said, "Who gave this to you?" Nasuada's eyes grew hazy as she thought. "Speak," he said harshly.

"A man...came to my house...and he gave it to me."

"What was his name? Did he tell you his name?"

She shook her head. "Um...what's wrong with your eyes?"

"What," he said, pushing himself up. With a yank he pulled the necklace free and went to a mirror to see what she was talking about. His left eye twitched as he saw his reflection. His Lunarmist had yet to be deactivated, but that was not what drew his attention. The shape that formed his Lunarmist had changed into a pattern beyond his ability to decipher. Looking at it was as mesmerizing as Lunarmist itself. And instead of only residing in his right eye, the Lunarmist took up his left eye as well. Is this why she looked so terrified? He shook his head, deactivating his Lunarmist. No, I can't think about that now. Eragon could be in danger; he could be here. I must warn him. With a swipe of his arms to done his cloths he headed out into the deep night.

Eragon sat down at the bar and closed his eyes, saying, "Alcohol," to the serving woman. After a moment she set a large mug in front of him and accepted the three coins he handed her.

For a half an hour, he sat nursing his drink. Then the door to the tavern opened loud footsteps approached, then a tall man with very defined muscles sat down beside him. A great broadsword was slung over his back. His long brown hair obscured most of his face, except for strong stubble. As he reached for the drink the woman handed him, Eragon saw three knives slung on the inside of his jacket, each of different length and shape.

"You're armed heavily," he commented. The man looked over at him and Eragon saw his powerful jaw line twist in a smile.

"And I'll note you're not," he said, gesturing to Eragon's empty sheath. Something about the man's face seemed familiar, as if he had seen him before. Eragon ignored it.

"I left my sword at a house I stay at."

"Ah, you're a warrior?"

"Of sorts."

"Of sorts," the man said, nodding almost mockingly. "So what are you doing in Dras'Leona during the occupation of the Varden?"

"I am among the Varden's ranks."

"Ah, and I just now notice you have pointed ears and slanting eyes. How very unobservant of me. You're not an elf, are you? You move to stiffly to be one of that mighty race."

"No, I am human."

"And yet your appearance says otherwise."

"Do I know you?" asked Eragon, setting his mug down. The nagging feeling that he had met this man before continued to claw at him.

"Oh, no. You know me not, but I know you much."

Eragon scoffed. "Really?"

"Aye."

"Very well. Tell me who I am."

A long pause followed. Eragon scoffed once more, raising his mug to his lips.

"You are Eragon, The Slayer of Shades. Wielder of the Blue Fire of Brisingr, Rider of the last female dragon in all of existence, and son of Brom who forged the Varden." Eragon slammed his mug down and stood, ready for an attack. The man also stood.

"I may not be armed," Eragon said. "But I am far stronger than I appear."

"Yes," the man said with a chuckle. "Due to the transformation in Ellesmera. I wouldn't be surprised if you could snap my sword in two."

"Who are you?" asked Eragon. "How do you know these things? How did you find me?"

"Who I am is of very little importance. As for how I found you." The man raised his hand and a small bug flew to him from Eragon, landing on his outstretched finger. "The Red Blaze. A rare beetle that lives on the island that seithr oil is harvested on. The female of this species gives off an odor that can not be detected by humans. But the male can smell it from a thousand miles away. The female that just flew off you was set on you as you were leaving the Varden for Ellesmera for the first time to be instructed. It has always been within flying distance of you. All I had to do was follow the rather primitive thoughts of the male's mind." The man reached for his sword and gripped the handle. "This can go one of two ways, Shadeslayer. A, you can come peacefully with me. Or B, you and I can fight and you shall still come with me."

That sword will cause problems, Eragon thought. An instant before Eragon spoke a word of separating to destroy the sword the man raised his hand. On it was a red crystal, tied down with black strings that looped around his thumb and ring finger. Eragon's spell did nothing.

"Sorry," the man said. "Shard of the floating crystal of Eoam; it can absorb any form of offensive magic and convert it to energy. Any spell you might cast would be bothersome indeed."

How did he anticipate my attack? thought Eragon, baffled. At that moment, the door to the tavern burst open and Aesire and Hola ran in. The man's eyes flicked to them, then back to Eragon for a split second, and then back to Aesire and Hola in surprise. Then a malicious smile grew on his face. "Well, well, well. If this is not the definition of a convenient surprise, I don't know what is."

Aesire face grew dark. "You know this man," Eragon said.

The man before him sneered. "Oh yes, he knows me very well."

"Aesire," Hola said, softly.

"Yes, Eragon, I know him. His name is Zodion. He's a mercenary and a cold blooded bounty hunter. He'd kill his wife and children for the highest bidder."

"Now, now, Aesire," the man said. "Play fair. No reason for insults. I do under the radar work that tends to be bloody and I collect on that debt; nothing more."

"Aesire," Eragon said. "How do you know him?"

"Zodion," Aesire said. "Is the third of us. The third best strategist in the world. And," Aesire said, with a deep sigh. "He is my younger brother."

Reader: Does this mean Hola and Aesire are split up? Is that the sad end you were talking about back in chapter whatever? God help you if it is!

Me: No, no it is not. The end I have planned for Aesire and Hola does not involve, even remotely, adultery in any form of the imagination. And that end is nowhere in the foreseeable future.

And that is relatively the last piece that will make up the rest of the story. Zodion. Love that name. Even though it's an obscure species of fly.

If 666 could be put on a digital clock it would be 7:06; wounds to the tongue and throat kill twice as fast as any wound to the rest of the body; the human body lights on fire at 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, and melts at 3000 degrees; why do I know this; I watch a show called Bones; that is all for the random section of this chapter. Thank you, and good night.