Eragon Chapter 41 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Fighting Shadows

  • Eragon wakes up at night, and feels that the magic has come back to him. Reunited and it feels so good. 
  • He uses his power to pop the lock on this cell and checks in with Saphira. She's flying over the city somewhere and she tells him that Murtagh is on his way.
  • Eragon is discovered by some soldiers in the hall. He gets ready to blast them with magic, but all of the sudden some arrows hit them in their backs. Three go down like sacks of potatoes.
  • Eragon zaps one, and the stranger with the bow gets another. One left.
  • Eragon leaves the survivor alive to spread the word about his awesome powers. Then he threatens him until he finds out where his sword is.
  • It turns out that the old stranger with the beard is Murtagh in disguise. Eragon tells him that they have to rescue the elf woman of his dreams.
  • They find her cell and bust her out with the keys from a fallen guard. Upon seeing them, the elf collapses. 
  • Murtagh puts her on his shoulder and they take off, looking for a way out. Eventually they find themselves in a large banquet room.
  • Murtagh runs off to hatch a plan—there's no time to explain. Some soldiers rush by, so Eragon hides under a table… and helps himself to some leftovers from an abandoned plate. Remember that he's been chucking all the food and water out his window, so he's not too fussy about what he eats now.
  • Murtagh comes back. He's got Eragon's sword, as well as another strange bow and sword that must belong to the elf.
  • Now they just have to wait till Saphira shows up and they'll be home free. Let's hope that the Shade doesn't show up…
  • Then the Shade shows up. (Duh.)
  • Slim Shady challenges Eragon to a fight, but before they can, there comes a loud booming from the ceiling.
  • The Shade attacks, and he's super-strong. Eragon gets the sense that the Shade is playing with him. 
  • In the meantime, the ceiling is still falling apart. Finally, a huge chunk is torn away.
  • Distracted, the Shade takes one of Murtagh's arrows in the shoulder. That's nothin', he says, laughing. But his giggle-fest is cut short, as another of Murtagh's arrows hits him dead between the eyes. The Shade vanishes in a gray cloud.
  • Soldiers now rush Eragon and Murtagh, but Saphira pops her head through the hole in the ceiling. She literally tears the roof off the sucker.
  • All three of them pile onto Saphira's back and she takes off, absorbing a few arrow wounds to her wings as she flies them out of the city to safety.