Shadow of a Shade

Chapter Eighteen

"Thank you. Let's get back to Eragon, I've got to tell him about those dreams and what happened."

She took her sword belt and strapped it around her waist, muttering a spell to dry herself off.

Murtagh had his arms crossed when she looked up at him.

"What?"

"Were you even thinking?"

"Excuse me?" Addiane frowned at him.

"Addiane, what if they'd tried to kill you? What if they had magic? There were so many variables that you clearly didn't think about?"

"Will and I figured it out beforehand, it was the best way to do this so that the least amount of people got hurt!"

"-and then there's that incident! You deliberately went behind mine and Eragons' backs in a way that could have been severely dangerous to us!"

"Do you really trust me that little?" Addiane demanded. "I'm trying to help!"

"Help with what? These are the people who have been raiding the village over and over!"

"Exactly!" Addiane threw her hands up. "Murtagh, Srerrafe is here! I saw her in my dream last night. We will have to fight her but she will not be alone and we need their help to keep the villagers safe because when Eragon last killed a Shade it was a fluke and he will admit that!"

"How do you know they aren't working with her?"

"I'm not stupid, Murtagh." Addiane snapped. "I know what I'm doing and I know how to read people. I helped my family sell things in the markets for years and you learn things about subtle tics that people intentionally looking for a liar could miss."

Murtagh opened his mouth to say something, but Addiane shook her head sharply, cutting him off. 

"I know what I'm talking about and you can't tell me otherwise! I don't understand why you're so upset about this whole thing!"

"Because I care about you, Addiane! I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"Be that as it may, I am not a child and I can take care of myself!" She shoved past him. "I'm going to talk to Eragon and I don't care what you say, I know that what I'm doing is right."

-----

She got the same speech from Eragon. How she was reckless, how she didn't know what was happening, how she should have thought more about what she was doing and what she was giving up.

Fuming, Addiane had marched out into the back yard of Roran's house. She didn't bother to put any blocks on the sword, just drew it and began to attack an invisible opponent.

Attack. Attack. Parry. Duck. Attack. She put all of the anger and pain and terror that Srerrafe would come and they would all be slaughtered.

She imagined herself facing the impending threat. The Shade's smile was twisted and evil, and it only spurred her into fighting harder. Attack. Attack. Attack. Dodge. Parry. Counter-attack. If she was going to die fighting a supernatural force she was not going to die quietly.

Addiane broke through the figment's guard and stamped her foot on the ground heavily as she lunged forward with Naegling. She let out a yell of defiance, anger, and frustration.

As the Srerrafe-Image faded, Addiane realized she had used power to actually conjure a likeness of the Shade. Her chest was heaving from the effort, but she could feel that power she had coursing through her veins heavily and she felt as if she'd only walked up a flight of stairs.