Chapter 12

Two weeks go by in a flash as they meander through the snowy forests towards Gilead. During these last few weeks, Saphira has had a growth spurt, her body now being slightly larger than a horse. She regularly flies ahead of them in their travels but is currently curled up at the entrance to the cave. Eragon specifically made the cave larger so that they wouldn't be cramped and she could move around a bit if she wished. 

Brom has continued Eragon's training, imparting sword techniques and finally finishing off teaching him the alphabet of the ancient language. With the full alphabet at his disposal, Eragon now has free rein to make some of the enchanted items he has been thinking up ever since he came to this world. The first was an anti-scrying amulet similar to the one he receives in the novel. Then he enchanted his bow with Finna Fjandi (find enemy) to make sure his arrows always hit their mark. He also begins the process of enchanting a wooden cylinder to expand into a cart that can move on its own like the cars of his previous life but the enchantments will need to be lengthy and precise so it will take him a few days to complete. 

While part of him is excited to continue his experiments with magic, Eragon knows that the butterfly effect may cause Galbatorix to leave Uru'baen and hunt them down personally. If this happens, he may not be able to cast magic in his presence so Eragon decides to make a failsafe weapon to defeat him. 

One night, while Brom is sleeping, Eragon moves to a corner of the cave and uses his gem detection spell to find enough rubies to fill his palm. He then turns the uncut rubies into a single flat ruby with a concave face. Next, he pulls some silver from the ground, heats it up, and shapes it into a medallion and puts the ruby inside it. He then enchants the medallion to cast a complex spell at Galbatorix if he gets within a few feet of him. This spell will force Galbatorix to feel the pain and anguish of all the people who have suffered under his rule. The same spell that defeated Galbatorix in the novel. After completing the enchantment, Eragon places the medallion on a chain and hangs it around his neck next to the anti-scrying amulet and heads off to sleep. 

… 

While traveling to Gilead, Brom finally brings to the forefront his thoughts about Eragon. At first he was just happy to be in his son's life. But after witnessing his prowess in sword and magic, Brom began to have doubts about how Eragon became so strong. Just the other day, Eragon morphed a tree into a large round bathtub and melted snow to fill it with water. He did it as easily as one could breath and with no signs of exhaustion whatsoever. His magic reserves must be many times greater than the elves which just shouldn't be possible because he knows that Eragon is pure human. No human has ever had the level of power that Eragon possesses whilst being so young and while Brom is happy that Galbatorix's defeat lies on the horizon, he continuously has this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something is terribly wrong here. Oh, and let's not forget that Eragon has a body that would make a god jealous. Rippling muscles, smooth skin, brown/blond hair that flows to his shoulders, Everything about him looks too good to be true. With this in mind, Brom plans to confront him once they free Arya and start their journey through the Hadarac Desert.

It takes them another three weeks before they reach the outskirts of the town of Gilead. The winter chill is slowly starting to dissipate, making way for spring. Eragon and Brom are hiding near the town discussing how they will infiltrate the prison and rescue Arya. 

"Alright Eragon, it's time to rescue Arya. We have the element of surprise as our advantage. It is likely that Galbatorix still doesn't know about you existing or that I am still alive. What I need you to do is to take Arya and run. I will deal with the Shade and meet back up with you in the east. Have Saphira fly you two over the river. She still isn't at her optimal size for flying with a rider yet but we don't have any other options." 

Eragon looks at Brom with a look of alarm. "You're going to fight a Shade alone? Are you insane Brom? In all of alagaesia's history, the number of people that have killed a Shade can be counted with one hand. I won't force you to let me fight but at least let me make you some enchanted gear. Can you tell me what exactly a Shade is and if they have any weaknesses."

Brom scoffs loudly. "If you think you can come up with a spell that can defeat a Shade in a few hours where other mages couldn't in lifetimes be my guest. A Shade is created when a mage or group of mages bind multiple souls to a single body. It's a very dangerous magic that always ends with the caster's demise. Shades have the strength and speed of a hundred men with a sick and twisted mind that thrives on chaos and destruction. Their prowess in combat and magic cannot be matched by mere mortals. Their minds are a cacophony of sound and images from multiple souls rendering them immune to mental probes. They're not the biggest fans of sunlight, but it's not an actual weakness that can be exploited. Now, let's see how the great Eragon Bromsson comes up with a never before seen magic that can defeat a Shade." 

Eragon gives Brom the stink eye before pacing around the clearing, his mind racing to find a solution. Surprisingly, Eragon only thinks for a few minutes before turning towards Brom. 

"They have multiple souls in one body, right?" 

Brom nods at him and he continues pacing for a moment. Suddenly, he stops pacing and grabs a twig from the ground and starts writing words in the ancient language in the dirt. 

"What is keeping the souls bound to the body? If there was a way to untether the souls and send them back from whence they came, the Shade would die instantly. Now I just need to formulate the sentence in the ancient language."

As Eragon is mumbling to himself and drawing in the dirt, Brom is keenly listening in and is flabbergasted that he is already formulating a possible way to defeat the Shade. 

"If we take the word Malthinae (bind or confine) then add Losna (release), we get Losna Malthinae or (release from confinement). Then we give the spell direction by adding the word Waise (Be) we get Waise Losna Malthinae or (be released from confinement). What do you think Brom?" 

Brom scratches his chin. "Well… It could work. But without any references to this particular spell being used on a Shade, we can't rule out the possibility of it not working either." 

Eragon nods in conformation before another lightbulb flashes over his head and he bends down and focuses. He uses his mineral finding spell Finna Deloi (find earth) to find the materials he needs from below the ground. He pulls them to the surface and Brom is surprised to see what appears to be raw iron and some rough emeralds. The look on Brom's face as he watches Eragon heat up the iron and manipulate it like clay is priceless. 

Only an hour passes before a solid iron bracer with a flat emerald embedded on the face has been forged and is wrapped around Brom's left arm. Eragon enchanted it with the spell Blothr Sverd which means (Halt Sword). The idea behind this enchantment is to repel an opponent's sword stroke, creating an opening for a counter attack. Eragon also adds the standard damage negation enchantment so that the item drains energy from the gem to protect itself from destruction. 

Brom looks over the bracer with a hint of happiness in his voice. "Thank you Eragon, this is a wonderful gift you have given me. I promise to not die this day as I have so much more to teach you and you have so much to give to the world. Now come on, we have wasted enough daylight. I don't fancy flying over a river in the dark." 

Eragon looks at Saphira next to him. "Can you wait for us to the east of the city?"

Saphira paws at the ground with anxiety. "I don't like this. You are going into a hunter's den with nothing but a stone sword and an old man." Saphira makes a cute story sound. "I will trust you Eragon, but if you get hurt I would never be able to forgive myself." 

Eragon reassures her by patting her side. "Don't worry, we will be fine. We will be in and out before you know it."