After Ryan told Bell the story of the Elves, he realised something.
This girl pulled words out of him with seemingly no effort.
It made him smile.
"Isabelle. I am glad I met you, and I am glad you saved me."
When she stuttered on the other side of the line, his smile grew wider.
He patiently waited for her to find her words.
"I didn't do that much."
He burst out laughing.
"You did way more than you can ever know. And that is why I fell for you."
Her stuttering continued, and it turned into giggles.
"You fell for me? When did this happen?"
He pondered for a moment.
"It wasn't one specific time; you kept being yourself around me. I then realised that I wanted you close."
After a moment of silence, she replied.
"I want you close too."
While he was basking in her words, a big yawn reminded him that he needed sleep.
"Thank you, Isabelle. I am going to get some sleep. I will call you again tomorrow."
"Good night. Call me just before you land, so I can pick you up at the dock."
As soon as Ryan put down the phone and his head touched the pillow, he fell asleep.
He didn't have any dreams and woke up refreshed.
After he got ready, he made his way above deck.
Femur was already waiting for him.
A table filled with breakfast food and a large pot of coffee waited for him.
Femur was quietly sipping on coffee as he gazed toward the sunrise.
Ryan poured himself a cup and sat down.
"Good morning, Ryan. How did you sleep?"
After a sip, Ryan spoke.
"It was good. I called Isabelle last night, and that helped."
Femur nodded.
"Ryan, look at that sunrise. In my time, today would be its last. I am glad I can appreciate it and the fact that it will be here tomorrow."
Ryan almost spit out his coffee, and he tried to keep the fear out of his voice.
"Today is the day. How are you going to close the portal?"
Femur chuckled and took another sip.
"Before that. I told you a lot yesterday, and after you slept on it. Do you have any questions?"
Ryan turned to Femur.
"I have a few. First, how did you go back in time?"
Femur smiled.
"That journey took me a thousand years. The short version is that I had to find artefacts of the Dragon God Vegaroth and absorb its power. That way I could go back in time to the great battle."
Ryan's jaw almost fell to the floor.
"How old are you?"
Femur pulled out his pocket watch.
"I am too old."
Ryan rolled his eyes as Femur chuckled.
"Fair enough. I then assume you are the actual Necromancer that summoned the Skeletons?"
Femur nodded.
"Guilty as charged. I did, however, build a simple power generator that will keep the current employees active for many years to come."
Ryan smiled as he thought back to their first meeting.
"You orchestrated everything? Me joining and all this."
Femur laughed.
"You have no idea how wrong you are. When I met you, I was so nervous I could barely say that you were early."
Both men laughed at Femur's confession.
"In Goldhaven, the Dwarves had so many wards that I couldn't sneak in. When Isabelle came out alive, I realised fate could be beaten."
Ryan clenched his jaw hard.
Femur did all of this and didn't know if it would have worked.
While he was quiet, Femur pulled something out of his jacket pocket.
It was a golden necklace with a deep blue gem.
"I have something for Eragon."
He handed the necklace to Ryan.
"What is this?"
Femur took a deep breath.
"Draconians live for thousands of years. When he feels he is tired of this world, he can go back to his people."
Ryan smiled as he looked at the gem.
"I don't know what to say. You helped me, Isabelle, Angelica and Eragon. What can I do for you?"
"There are two things I would like. The first is to read my journals."
He gave Ryan a big brass key.
"The second is for us to enjoy the rest of the sunrise."
Ryan took a deep breath and decided to trust the Skeleton.
They kept looking over the horizon until the airship started shaking.
Femur stood up and took his place at the helm.
"Hold on to something. The flight will get bumpy."
Bumpy was an understatement.
Femur took them a few hundred feet above the portal.
Even at that distance, it was massive.
Femur snapped his fingers, and a Skeleton phased through the floor.
On its skull, there were no features.
It was a Changeling Skeleton.
"This is Pinky, and she will be your pilot home after I close the portal."
Ryan frowned.
"I thought you said an entire Wizard order didn't have enough magic? How will you close it?"
Femur took off his jacket and shirt underneath.
Inside his chest, where a heart should have been, was a green glowing orb.
Femur removed it and crushed it between his hands.
The amount of magic made it hard for Ryan to breathe.
Femur bowed one last time.
"Do not forget me."
He jumped off, and as he fell, a massive glowing skeleton took his place.
The phantasmic Femur grabbed both sides of the portal.
To Ryan's surprise, it started shrinking.
As the portal shrank, so did Femur
Just as Femur closed the portal, Ryan was certain he heard a victory yell.
Ryan turned to the new pilot.
"Take me down there!"
The Skeleton obeyed without a word.
When they landed, Ryan jumped overboard.
He searched in the crater the portal had made.
After hours of searching, all he found was Femur's dead skull.
He sat down and cradled his friend's head.
All he could do in that moment was yell and cry to the heavens.
Why did Femur have to die?
Why did he have to do it so willingly?