When Destiny Burns, Ep. 1: A Halo and Inheritance Cycle Crossover

Chapter 9. 3 Physician, heal thyself

"You realize the extent of your choice now, Spartan?" The woman called Angela asked him. How did she know that name? "A shade cannot easily be convinced to change sides. At the earliest convenient time, she will break out and murder again. And that will be on your head."

"Hundreds of people died because the Varden's leadership lacked the will to attain information," He crudely replied, "that will change today."

He half expected someone to call him out on his words again, but thankfully they kept their mouths shut.

"My deal was with you and you only, rider," Raia calmly told him. "I shall answer your questions, but only when we are without others."

The Shade had told him the words he needed to save Aeraleth. In a way, she was the reason that the dragon was still alive. He hated that. He really should have killed her but...she had proven to be useful and at the very least trustworthy. The sickening pain that had coursed through his body at that moment had proven to him just how feeble and strange the link with Aeraleth was. Had she died, his mind would have collapsed due to the shock.

"Why do you trust a shade?" Eragon asked softly. "Do you not know that she will attempt to stab you in the back at the first moment she can?"

"Humans," Raia replied sharply, her voice assuming a very venomous tone, "consistently betray each other. I keep my word when I give it."

The Spartan remembered a certain memory of hers, where a bunch of town-guards had attacked her for her appearance alone. She was bitter against humans for the way they treated her. Why wasn't she as bitter against him? Because of his own memories?

"That is impossible," Arya softly said. "Shades are vile and cruel creatures, incapable of understanding loyalty. Durza's reason for following Galbatorix had to have been one of dark ones only."

That was as flawed a form of logic as any.

"What exactly did you promise the Shade in return for her...questionable services?" Angela asked him. It looked like she was the only one that was even willing to consider letting the Shade live. "I can barely consider the consequences of an unholy alliance between a rider as yourself and a Shade. It would be most...unpleasant if one were to do such a thing without thinking it through."

This was going in the wrong direction. He needed the Varden as an ally, but he also needed Raia, if only for information. He needed to give them a valid reason to trust him, or this would go south very quick. "She taught me how to heal Aeraleth."

That caught them by surprise. Eragon and Murtagh both exclaimed a cry of disbelief and Arya frowned deeply. Angela smiled. "The Shade, telling you how to heal your dragon? What, did she teach you magic words?"

"Yes," He replied uncomfortably. He still lacked knowledge of the affairs of this world, it appeared. "I let her live, she gives us Intel."

"That leaves us one big problem though," Angela then cheerfully said, as if everything was one big joke to her. "What does she want in return?"

Raia took the sentence as aimed at her and replied to the woman before anyone could speak up first. "I wish to be done with this war, started by humans and elves. I wish to return to the one important to me and wait it out."

The one important to her. Her mistress? The woman powerful enough to work with a Shade? But that one was working with the king too...wasn't she?

"And who would that be, if not Galbatorix himself?" Murtagh asked with suspicion. "Your words hold nothing for us to trust in."

"Shades hold no important ones. She is attempting to trick us," Eragon added.

"There are only three options that lie before us now," Angela then stated and sat down on a chair. "The Shade must be killed...the Shade must be captured using an extremely advanced method of magic...or the Shade must swear loyalty to Spartan, for he should be the one responsible for her."