"Throughout history, never has there been a Shade who was also a Rider, and of all the horrors that have stalked this fair land, such a foul abomination could easily be the worst, worse even than Galbatorix." But it didn't matter, it was all for Her. His partner-of-heart-and-mind.

Takes place at the end of Book Three of the Inheritance Cycle, Brisingr. In an Alternate Ending, after witnessing Oromis and Glaedr slain by Murtagh, Galbatorix himself joins the battle for Feinster, forcing the Varden Forces into a full scale retreat. Saphira and Eragon become trapped in the city fighting against the Imperial Army, Saphira dying in the process. Torn by grief, Eragon swears vengeance the Empire which killed Saphira; as well as on the Varden who abandoned them. In his rage Eragon summons spirits into himself, becoming the first of his kind...a Shade who was also a Dragon Rider.

Warning: Character Death

Image is from ElizaLento from DeviantArt.

Chapter One: Shadow of Doom - Part One

"You should have accepted my offer; you would have been first and foremost among my slaves. I will make you regret your mindless devotion to your so-called justice. And you are wrong. I can keep you thus as long as I want, for I have become as powerful as a god, and there are none who can stop me!"

"You shall not prevail," said Oromis. "Even gods do not endure forever."

At that Galbatorix uttered a foul oath. "Your philosophy does not constrain me, elf! I am the greatest of magicians, and soon I will be even greater still. Death will not take me. You, however, shall die. But first you will suffer. You will both suffer beyond imagining, and then I will kill you, Oromis, and I shall take your heart of hearts, Glaedr, and you will serve me until the end of time."

"Never!" exclaimed Oromis.

And Glaedr again heard the clash of swords on armor.

Glaedr had excluded Oromis from his mind for the duration of the fight, but their bond ran deeper than conscious thought, so he felt it when Oromis stiffened, incapacitated by the searing pain of his bone-blight-nerve-rot. Alarmed, Glaedr released Thorn's leg and tried to kick the red dragon away. Thorn howled at the impact but remained where he was. Galbatorix's spell held the two of them in place-neither able move more than a few feet in either direction.

There was another metallic clang from above, and then Glaedr saw Naegling fall past him. The golden sword flashed and gleamed as it tumbled toward the ground. For the first time, the cold claw of fear gripped Glaedr. Most of Oromis's word-will-energy was stored within the sword, and his wards were bound to the blade. Without it, he would be defenseless.

Glaedr threw himself against the limits of Galbatorix's spell, struggling with all his might to break free. In spite of his efforts, however,

he could not escape. And just as Oromis began to recover, Glaedr felt Zar'roc slash Oromis from shoulder to hip. Glaedr howled.

He howled as Oromis had howled when Glaedr lost his leg.

An inexorable force gathered inside of Glaedr's belly. Without pausing to consider whether it was possible, he pushed Thorn and Murtagh away with a blast of magic, sending them flying like windblown leaves, and then tucked his wings against his sides and dove towards Gil'ead. If he could get there fast enough, then Islanzadi and her spellcasters would be able to save Oromis.

The city was too far away, though. Oromis's consciousness was faltering...fading...slipping away...

Glaedr poured his own strength into Oromis's ruined frame, trying to sustain him until they reached the ground. But for all the energy he gave to Oromis, he could not stop the bleeding, the terrible bleeding.

Glaedr...release me, Oromis murmered with his mind.

A moment later, in an even fainter voice, he whispered, do not mourn me.

And then the partner of Glaedr's life passed into the void.

Gone.

Gone!

GONE!

Blackness. Emptiness.

He was alone.

I blinked and was back in my own body, curled in a ball against the cold stone walls of the Keep.

With tears flowing down my cheeks I gasped as I pushed myself off the floor and looked for Saphira and Arya.

I saw the female spellcaster dead before me, slain by a single deadly sword thrust. The spirits she and the other two spellcasters had tried to summon were nowhere to be seen. Lady Lorana was still ensconced in her chair. Saphira was in the process of struggling to her feet on the opposite end of the room. And the man who had been sitting on the floor amid the three spellcasters was standing next to me, holding Arya in the air by her throat.

The color had left the man's skin, leaving him bone white. His hair which was brown had turned bright crimson. And when he turned to smile at me, I saw that his eyes were maroon. Everything about him reminded me of Durza, the Shade who had nearly slain me, leaving a two foot long scar across my back until it was healed during the Blood Oath Ceremony.

"Our name is Varaug," hissed the Shade. "Fear us." Arya tried to kick at him, but her blows seemed to have no effect.

The burning pressure from the Shade's consciousness pressed against my mind, attempting to break down my defenses. The force of the blow immobilized me; I could barely fend off the stabbing tendrils, let alone walk or swing a sword. For whatever reason, Varaug was much stronger than Durza ever was and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold him off. I carefully glanced over at Saphira, and saw that she was under a similar attack; stiff and motionless by the balcony, a snarl carved on her face.

The veins on Arya's forehead bulged, her face turning red and purple. Her mouth was open, but she wasn't breathing. With the palm of her right hand, she struck the Shade's locked elbow and broke the joint with a loud crack. Varaug's arm sagged, and for a moment, Arya's toes brushed the floor, but then the bones in the Shade's arm popped back into place, and he lifted her even higher.

"You shall die," growled Varaug. "You shall all die for imprisoning us in this cold, hard clay."

I have to protect Saphira and Arya, I screamed at myself. My intent as sharp and clear as glass, I struck out at the Shade's seething consciousness. I knew the Shade was far too powerful for me to control, so I did something much easier; I isolated him, forming a wall around his mind. Every time the Shade tried to send a tendril of thought towards either Saphira or Arya, I blocked the ray; and every time he tried to move, I counteracted his attempt with a command to move of my own.

We fought at the speed of thought, back and forth across the edges of the Shade's mind. which had a landscape so jumbled and incoherent I feared to look at it for too long. I pushed myself to my limits fighting against the Shade, knowing it could only end in defeat. As fast as I was, I couldn't hope to outmatch or overpower the multiple intelligences trapped within the Shade's body.

My attention wavered for just a moment as the roof of the already shaky Keep rumbled. But that moment was all the time Varaug needed to overwhelm me, trapping me in the darkness of his mind.

A flash of red and I was trapped inside the Shade's darkest memories.

I watched as a contingent of cavalry charged from a hill, straight into a defenseless village. Laughing with glee as they cut down anything that moved.

Another flash and the image changed again. A crazed crimson-eyed Shade took out a bloody carving knife. No..please...

A white-haired woman in a white dress shrank away, but it was too late, she was trapped. Don't, I silently pleaded.

The Shade slit the woman's throat, letting out a gush of blood across the wall. The woman slowly slid, eyes lifeless. But still the Shade wasn't satisfied, he licked the blood-covered blade and continued slashing her with powerful slashes, staining the entire room with red.

I was forced to watch as horror after horror flashed before my eyes.

I could feel myself slowly sinking in an ocean of black. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion...and yet, I felt powerless to move a single finger. I just watched helplessly as I sank further into despair. Save me, Saphira. I begged. I hate this place.

In my head, I saw a great blue dragon fly towards me. Little one.

I blinked my eyes, and retreated into my memories of Saphira in order to maintain my sanity.