Sorry it's been over a week, i've been busy, so try not to be too angry :D

claimer: i own everything that isnt familiar to you..:D

yey chapter 30!

30.-Witches cavern

Eragon was in the center of the cave, conversing with a young woman I had never seen before. The glimmering sapphire dragoness was curled on a padded cushion in the corner, her loud snores rumbling around the small cavern.

The rider looked up as we entered, the face of the girl he was talking to supporting a look of shock and fear, her deep brown eyes flitting nervously over our forms, obviously deciding whether we were going to consume her in any way, shape or form.

"Well hello Kalanie and Dorran, finally returned have we?" he asked, his tone humorous and light. The visit from the girl had obviously improved his mood somewhat.

I nodded, "We have, and I'm afraid the news we bring is far less than pleasant…" I stepped out of the way to reveal Dorran behind me, and watched as he stepped forwards into the soft glow of the red lanterns, his scaly hide glimmering in the dim light. He turned to the side to reveal the deceased woman strapped to his back, her dark hair falling over her face, hiding her lifeless green eyes.

I heard the riders breathing falter as he took at the sight before him. He staggered forward, all pride and regal manner forgotten. Tears fell from his eyes as he stared at her limp form, her skin now cold and dry blood matting her dark hair, staining the black leather that encased her body.

"H-how?" he muttered, partly to himself, but also directing the question around the cave, the absurd simplicity of the word leaving the entire room at a loss of what to say. Either that or they did not want to be the one to tell him.

I sucked in a sharp breath, the two of you are cowards, I thought into both Dorran's and Faolan's minds. They snorted in annoyance but said nothing, just concluding my accusation.

"Eragon, we do not know who killed her, only that she was stabbed in the heart with the sword that is now in her sheath. We found her in a cave carved into the side of a mountain this morning, and she had set out to go to inform Queen Islanzadi of our presence the morning before. So the murder would probably have been committed within the last twenty four hours." I whispered, the sorrow in the mans eyes shadowing his now torn heart.

He nodded and took her unresponsive hand in his, not letting go as he undid Faolan's belt from around her waist which held her to the onyx dragons back. Saphira slid up behind him, her head drooping and her brilliant sapphire eyes not glimmering as brightly as before, the shine that normally accompanied her gaze now missing in grief.

"We will take her to Nasuada; she will want to be the first to know. Thank you for bringing her; she will be sorely missed throughout many races." He draped her body over the back of the sapphire dragoness and leapt on after, holding the limp form so that she did not fall as they made their way to the entrance of the cave and stepped out, spiraling downwards, through the gaping hole in the floor of the dragon hold, into the tunnels below. I turned to the woman who was standing near the back of the cave, tears streaming down her face and fear written plainly on her features.

"Do you wish to accompany us, we are going to follow them, but we do not know where Nasuada lives, will you show us the way?" I said to her, wincing as she flinched at the sound of my voice.

"You are not normal dragons are you?" she whispered, her red eyes scrutinizing us as if seeing through the thick cover of our scales and into the multiple souls in our bodies.

"That is very observant of you; I suppose the fact that we are not limited to talking in our minds gives it away a bit?" I smiled; I was already starting to like this girl.

She grinned to, and then turned to look out of the cave entrance. "We should get going, I know a short cut, but I'm afraid the tunnels are too small for dragons to go through, so I suppose we will have to go the long way." She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then smacked her forehead in annoyance. "Oh, I almost forgot, how rude of me, I am Cadara, and forgive me, but I do not know your names." She said, beaming at us, all fear forgotten.

I smiled, "I am Kalanie, and this is Dorran and Faolan, well met Cadara." I indicated to each of the others in turn with my tail who nodded as their name was voiced. She nodded to each of us, and then turned to climb down the side of the marble rock with great agility and strength that I was surprised someone as skinny as her could possess.

I leapt out of the cave, Faolan still clutching tightly to my back, and soared down to land on the dirt floor below. Dorran followed and a few seconds later Cadara reached us, her breathing normal, not like the hard thudding it should be after descending a mountain or anything.

There was defiantly something different about her, I couldn't place my finger on it, but I would find out sooner or later.

"Well, as I mentioned, we will have to take the long route, so we should get started." She said, and then started walking down a side tunnel, her form slightly hunched as she began to think to herself about the death that had occurred.

"Erm, actually, we can take the short cut, you see, as you have probably guessed we are not 'normal' dragons." I called after her, at the same time shaking my back so that Faolan fell off. He glowered at me and straightened up, brushing the dirt off his pants and stood there waiting for me to change.

My body vibrated and my form shrunk, human features appearing. I stretched my cramped muscles and smiled when I saw Cadara's expression. Her mouth formed a wide 'O' as she stared at my human form. "H-how did you do that?" she stuttered, mystified.

"It is a long and complicated story that we would prefer not to tell now, so if you could please show us the way…" it was Dorran who spoke, his now human eyes tired and annoyed, emotions of discomfort and claustrophobia seeping through our mental connection.

"Oh, of course, forgive me for staring, it's just that you don't see a dragon transform into a human every day, so naturally I'm still pretty surprised." The fact that she spoke what she felt just made her more likable and easier to get along with.

I smiled warmly and walked beside both Dorran and Faolan as we made our way down the tunnel following Cadara. It felt good to be human once again, even though I had stayed like that all night, I guess it just felt more natural.

I breathed in deeply, the earthy smells and fait aroma of mushrooms lifting my spirits somewhat, reminding me of my life before I became a magical being. When I had still been completely human, a healer's assistant.

Grandmother, I thought, despair washing through me. With all the commotion and excitement that had occupied the last few days I had almost forgotten that she was dead. A lone tear slipped down my cheek, invisible in the dim crimson light. Dorrans dark eyes flashed to my face, his onyx orbs curious. His tanned finger brushed my cheek, wiping away the drop that had slid down my face.

What is it, what is wrong? He whispered into my head, his voice caring and…pained?

I shook my head, not replying. He seemed to understand that I didn't want to talk about it, so he turned back to look ahead at the form of Cadara half submerged in the shadows that lined the tunnels in the brief intervals where the soft light could not reach.

Then I felt his hand brush mine, an electric shock seeming to jar my bones, but still managing to remain pleasant, running the length of my arm, tingling. I think he felt it too because his head whipped down, his dark hair flying around his face, and stared at his hand, confused and mystified. I flashed him a look that said 'we'll talk about this later' and continued on as if nothing had happened.

Cadara led us through a labyrinth, her stride confident, so hopefully she knew where she was going. There were doors on both sides of us now, varying in shapes, sizes, and colors. As I passed one a brief flash of light caught my eye. I stopped and turned my head, walking to the door that the gleam had come from.

As if in a trance I reached for the door handle, and froze as I saw the shape that coiled around it. It was a snake, the same kind that was on the dagger, and again on the sword, the same cold, gleaming sapphire eyes stared at me, loathing me.

"That is Angela's room," said a voice behind me, "She is a witch."

I turned to the speaker, Cadara. I looked at her, and turned back as if something was pulling me towards the solid wood. I reached for the snake, the icy silver seeming to bite at my skin , and turned the head, staring into the darkness that engulfed me as the portal to another world opened.

oooo mysterious, lol. you'll find out what happens next chapter :D

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!-seriously people, the button doesnt bite...much :D jk

-Firesilk:D