Disclaimer: Anything you may recognize as the works of Ms. J. K. Rowling or Mr. Christopher Paolini do not belong to me in any way possible. Other things may be recognized as well, so take care to note that these, too, are not of my possession, but just of my use in this story. Finally, any character that is not recognized, and the plot-line, belongs to yours truly.

The OpalEye Chronicles

The Dragon Hide Scroll

Prologue

Dark grey clouds blanketed the sky. A sharp jagged bolt of white lightening briefly illuminated the land before fading. In this second of illumination, the land beneath the storm appeared as a grassy hillock with a small grove of trees at its base that grew steadily into a forest the reached into the distance. A low rumble of thunder followed some five seconds later, reverberating through the earth. The rain drove down at a sharp slant. Trees bent forward, straining against the wind's power.

Another flash of lightening revealed a large dark shape silhouetted against the clouds. Slowly, beating its giant wings in order to stay level, this creature descended to the earth.

With another flash of lightening, the great being was revealed to be a large dragon. Its slit-like eyes were narrowed against the rain, and regardless of the strong wind, it remained upright as it folded its wings and crouched down low so that another, smaller figure who was covered in a hooded cloak, could slide off of the great creature's back.

The rider landed with a splash in a deep puddle. Ignoring the mud and water seeping into his boots, the rider strode confidently forward to a sharp jagged rock that appeared to be out of place on the grassy hill. The rock stood about four feet high; all around it was rough, except on the side facing north, which was smooth and slanted.

The rider bent over to read the inscription that had been chiseled there, many centuries ago. The dark ski and rain, however, obscured his vision. He held up a gloved hand, pulled the glove off with his other hand, and with a whispered word, pure white light shone on the rock, clearly illuminating the strange characters that had been chiseled there.

Eyes scanned the words, easily reading a language that had been dead for nearly eight centuries. Twice the rider read it, memorizing the inscription. Standing up, he pulled down his hood, revealing a halo of grey hair, a wrinkled, weathered face, with a sloping nose sitting over a grey mustache, and sharp green eyes. His eyes were looking towards the horizon, but they were not really looking at anything in particular, for he was looking inside himself. His lips moved, reforming the words he had just memorized as he searched for an answer.

Suddenly he snapped back to reality. He found that he had been looking at a dark shape on the horizon that had been gradually growing larger. Realizing quickly what it was, the rider held out his hand and muttered a word. A sharp jagged bolt of lightening jumped from his hand and struck the rock, scorching it until there was no trace of the inscription left.

Pulling his hood back over his face, the rider strode over to the dragon and climbed onto its back. With another word, both the rider and the dragon disappeared, effectively blending in with the scenery. The dragon rose into the air and hovered about twenty feet above the ground. The rider watched as the dark shape grew larger and larger until it finally took the form of another dragon.

This dragon landed near the rock and another rider, also clothed in a hooded cloak, slid off. This second rider strode confidently over to the rock and held out a hand, allowing white light to reveal the scorched inscription.

"NO!"

Reaching upwards, the second rider roughly pulled down the hood, revealing long blonde hair and cold grey eyes. She whirled around, looking in every direction. She looked up, but did not see the other dragon. She let out a frustrated howl, realizing that her enemy had disappeared with the information she greatly desired.

The first rider watched as Persephone Williams stormed back over to her dragon and took off to relate the unfortunate news to her master. Then, with a silent command, the first rider and his dragon left as well.

Two minutes later, a large bolt of lightening, accompanied by a loud clap of thunder, fell from the sky and struck the rock that had once born an ancient inscription. It exploded into small pieces, scattering them across the hill and the forest nearby, leaving nothing in its original place to even hint that there was once something there.

Okay, so I never actually thought I would be writing and posting this. Not that I didn't want to, trust me I have so many ideas for this story...I just didn't think I would ever find the time again, what with starting college and everything. But I feel bad for my fans (the few that I have) and want to give them something. I cannot promise that this will continue until the end, or that this will be the only chapter you will ever see from me. But it's something that I hope you will enjoy. Thank you for reading my story. It means so much to me.

-Pineappletop92