Chapter 1: Prologue
Audrey was lying on her bed reading one of her favorite books called Eragon. It was light outside and the sun shone through her window, the rays of light highlighting the red in her dark auburn hair that barely reached past her shoulders. She was a beautiful young women for the age of seventeen with a curvy yet slender body that hinted at her journey into becoming a woman. She was dressed in a gray long sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans that hugged her body, her outfit finished off with her favorite black boots that she wore for comfort more than anything.
Audrey continued reading her book flipping page after page, her eyes scanning across the words with rapt attention. It wasn't the first time she had read this book but rather more along the lines of her fifteenth. She couldn't say for sure though for she had lost count around the sixth or seventh time. She was quite fond of the Eragon series having read all four of the books countless times, so many times in fact that she knew the books inside out like the back of her hand.
Audrey enjoyed reading and she considered it her favorite pastime. All of her life she had spent her time among books not people. Instead of spending time with her few friends, she would find herself in the library reading book after book. She would rather be among books and novels than family and friends. After all books can't abandon you or walk out of your life. No, books were the one constant thing that she had left in her life. They were her only way to escape. And escape she did.
As the young woman continued reading, outside the sky was rapidly growing dark and the wind was picking up, hurling objects up and down the street. The young woman was so consumed in her reading that she didn't even notice any of these happenings until the lights suddenly flickered out. The darkness lulled her out of her reading.
"What the hell?!" the young woman exclaimed as she slowly took in her surroundings. Her room was shrouded in darkness, the only light coming from the moon that she could see from her window. It was chaos outside. The wind was whipping past her window hurling tree branches, random objects, and trash up against her house. It was like her house was the center of a tornado, everything was whirling around it, her house being the center or eye of the tornado.
The door of her bedroom began to slowly creaked open, the sound causing Audrey to scramble across her bed pushing herself up against the headboard, her body shivering in fear. Normally she wouldn't be afraid but with the lights out and a raging storm outside it effectively trapped her in place, her only other exit being her door. It certainly didn't help that the only person she lived with was her grandfather who is practically a cripple and wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs in the first place.
"Who's there?" she called out into the darkness as the figure glided through the door."Show yourself, I've got a weapon and I'm not afraid to use it." she announced with more confidence than she was feeling. On the inside her heart was pounding with fear. She didn't have a weapon either but hoped that the darkness was covering her as well as it did the figure that was standing near her door.
"It is me." the figure whispered as it glided forward into the moonlight.
Audrey gasped as she saw who was standing there. "No, no it can't be. You can't be there. It's... your not real." she said her voice shaking in disbelief.
"It is real. Listen to me Audrey, for I do not have much time." the old woman whispered in a rushed voice.
"Grandma... it's really you. How are you here? You died, I was the one who found your body." Audrey exclaimed. Tears were streaming down her face, she could barely swallow through the lump of pain in her throat. Looking up she stared into the eyes of the woman who was a mother to her, drinking in her features to etch her deep into her mind. Floating in front of her was her grandmother dressed in the very clothes that she had died in. Her gray hair was cut short and she still wore her gold-rimmed glasses which sat on the ridge of her nose. Her entire body was surrounded in a bluish glow.
"Yes child it is me. I wish I could explain but I do not have the time. It is hard enough staying here as it is and I do not have enough strength to keep myself in this realm much longer. Audrey we need your help. Do you remember that book that I bought you that you read so much?"
"What book? Do you mean Eragon?"asked Audrey wondering why in the world she was asking about a book during a time like this.
"Yes, but it's not a book child. It's real. Those people who you read about: Eragon, Saphira, Brom, Arya, Murtagh, and King Galbatorix - they are all real. They live in a universe that runs parallel to this one and now we are in danger. King Galbatorix has found out about this universe and is at this very moment searching for a way to create a path between the two so that he may expand his rule and take over this world."
"Wait what? What do you mean take over the world? Even if what you're saying is true, which I'm not saying it is - what exactly do you expect me to do about it? I'm just a girl who reads to much."
"No you are not my child, you are so much more than that. You are the only one who can do this. You must go to Alagaesia and make sure that Galbatorix is defeated. You must do everything in you power to see to his downfall, for if you do not we will all suffer fates far worse than death."
Dawning comprehension could be seen on Audrey's face as she slowly realized that her grandmother was not kidding. This was real. Her very world was in jeopardy if she did not see to the King's downfall. She would have to leave everything she has known for the last seventeen years and venture off into an unknown world to meet and help people she has read about in books to bring about the downfall of the most cruel and powerful rider in existence King Galbatorix. All for the safety of her people. For her there wasn't even a choice.
"Okay, I'll do it. I will go to Alagaesia and see that he is defeated." Audrey said her voice sounding like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"My child, before you agree to this you must know that if you do this you cannot come back."
"What do you mean?" asked Audrey hesitantly.
"I mean my child, that should you do this you will not be able to come back to your universe, you will have to stay in Alagaesia for the rest of your life should you succeed. While I can send you there, I will not be able to bring you back because I have no connection to that world. I could only come here because I spent my life here as a human, and even now the connection is hard to maintain."
Audrey sucked in her breath as and closed her eyes as she realized what this meant. As she thought about it, she became aware that it might not be such an awful idea if she never came back here. She had nothing left here anyways. All of her family in one way or another had abandoned her, she had next to no friends and there was nothing here really tying her to this world. There was no one left who cared about her, not even her grandfather, and the last person who had was floating right here next to her as a ghost. She really had nothing left to lose and so much more to gain. If she succeeded that is, otherwise she would probably end up dead.
With all of this in mind she replied, "I understand, what do I have to do?"
"Child I am so proud of you, you are truly a good person. I have one more thing to tell you for I am running out of time. Listen closely. When I send you there I have no idea where you will end up or even when but I will try to get you as close to the beginning as possible. I will make sure you mind is protected completely so that no one will be able to get into it without you permission. Guard your secrets of what will happen for if anyone found out and tried to change the future there too much, your foreknowledge would be absolutely useless. Do you understand?" her grandmother said beckoning for Audrey to come in front of her.
Audrey crossed the distance between them and stood directly in front of her grandmother replying, "Yes, I understand."
"Then prepare yourself, do not worry this will not hurt. Goodbye Audrey, I love you." and with that her grandmother placed her palms on Audrey's shoulder focused her energy and with a flash of light Audrey disappeared.
Outside the wind slowed down to a stop, the sky lightened as the sun rose and with her last words Audrey's grandmother whispered, "Good luck, my child." and faded out of existence.