Chapter 1: Tunnel
Ring, ring
Damn the school bell just had to go. Why did it have to be family game night? I put my Eragon book into my pink bag and slung it over my shoulder before slowly making my way through the crowded hallway to the locker me and my friend shared.
I got there and was glad to see that my friend Stephanie wasn't there yet, I opened it and stuffed my school books in there just leaving my gym clothes and Eragon book in my backpack before making my reluctant way home.
I got home a couple of minutes later because I only lived 3 roads from my school, I looked up at the house that I'm forced to live in. A garden beside the front steps that was overrun with weeds, and the cement steps that had giant cracks in them. I walked up them slowly knowing if I go to fast I could slip on one of the loose parts and hurt myself again; I was still nursing a bruise from last time I fell. I looked up from the steps to see the front door covered in peeling green paint open and just barely hanging on to the rusty hinges, and my younger brother standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his purple Barney shirt and a scowl on his face. To be honest he looked funny, his Thomas the train engine pajama's pants on with his Barney shirt that had stains all over it, with a scowl that showed his mouth with missing teeth, and then his brown almost black eyes framed by curly blond hair.
"Hey squirt." I said with a smile because he hates it when I call him that, he huffed and stormed back inside the house. I followed in a slightly better mood then before because I was able to piss him off. As I walked in I heard my Mom and Dad in the kitchen arguing again, probably about me failing my Math test last week. I sneaked past the door to the kitchen and slowly went up the stairs avoiding the 5th and last step because they squeaked, I got up the top and made it to my rooms doorway that had a purple curtain instead of a door, they got mad at me for sneaking off at night so they took the door away so it was easier to check in on me.
I walked in and looked at my room, an old prehistoric computer that looks like it will go up in flames if you turned it on, on top of a wobbly desk with no drawers, my bed if you can call it that sitting in the far corner of my room with a book shelf beside it with 2 of my favorite books on it Eldest and Brisingr, I sighed at all this and set my bag on my bed hearing the springs squeak in protest at the weight before going to the washroom.
When I got back I sat on my bed letting my straight black hair fall in a mess around my shoulders as I dug in my backpack for Eragon and started to read where I left off.
"Come-on Liza, get your head out of that dumb book and enjoy yourself." my Mom said reprovingly. As she glared at me from my curtain/door.
I looked up at her with a stone cold glint in my bright brown almost red eyes, my black hair covering my left one, I looked out the window by my bed and saw that it was almost dark out and realized that once again my family decided to forget to invite me to dinner, "Mother no matter what you think or believe, family game night where we play Charades (pronounced sher-aides) for hours on end is not fun." With that I turned to look back down to Eragon and started to read it again, I was just at my favorite part where Eragon gets captured in Gilead and is brought to prison by the Urgals where he is interrogated by Durza the shade.
"Fine stay up here for all I care!" my Mom yelled as she left she probably would have slammed my door if I had one.
"She makes it so hard to try to feel guilty" I said with a snort. I looked at the book and kept reading but when I got to the part where Eragon is knocked out by the Urgals outside of Gilead, the words on the page started to turn colors and spin around in a circle making a funnel. I stared at it transfixed as the words spun around faster and faster until they were just blurs, suddenly I heard chanting and even though I couldn't understand it, it sounded like what the Ancient Language would sound like. All of a sudden I felt a pull. As the chanting increased in strength I felt a draw coming from the book like you might feel from a suction cup on your skin and was sucked into it.
I found myself traveling through a tunnel at brake neck speed lights, sounds and images flashing past me, I could also fell something happening to me like my body was changing, it was fine at first but then it became painful, I felt my body being shrink down and get crammed into an oval object, with that blackness claimed me…
I woke up to see only blackness and not being able to move what-so-ever, but I also woke up to the knowledge of what I was turned into it was… a-a dragon hatchling still in its egg.
Then I heard something that I knew wasn't good, a squeak as a door with un-oiled hinges was forced open, followed by a cold voice that would make anyone crap their pants in fear ask, "Is the egg ready for the ritual?"
"Y-yes sir, we j-just need y-your h-help and we can commence the r-ritual." Stuttered someone else.
"Good we begin at once, if all works out, we will have a dragon as a shade." The cold voice said.
I heard the chanting start and felt the in the air as the spirits drew near. Then I felt unimaginable pain as the spirits entered her body, I felt the egg give way as the spirits forcibly changed my body back into a humans with their magic. Even though I knew I should be no more I could feel the spirits helping me and telling me that they will only assist and not control me.
I opened my eyes to find myself on a stone floor naked surrounded by 4 guys, 3 humans and the other one as what I guessed to be a shade because the descriptions from the book matched, he had glowing red eyes that just shouted that he wanted blood and red hair with pointy blood stained teeth inside his mouth.
"Well, well it seems I'm not alone after all." The shade said moving to lift me up.
I tried to scream but he just hit me in the chest winding me, so instead all that came out was a wheeze, it was then that I realized just how weak I was, and he bent down to set me on a cot that was behind me and draped a ragged blanket over me.
"I'll come back for you" he purred into my ear. I shivered in fear but he took it for a shiver of want towards him and laughed, he left with the other 3 humans trailing weakly behind him. They shut the door behind them with a bang. I passed out from shock as everything that just happened added up and overwhelmed me.
I woke up to a strange voice in my head.
Liza right, that's your name? Asked a slightly sad voice in my head. I tried to figure out if it was a guy and a girl but it seemed like it switched in mid-sentence like it couldn't make up its mind
Y-yes. Who are you?
"I am one of the spirits forced inside you. Listen we're sorry about this but we were forcibly dragged into your body."
"How come I'm a human I thought I should be a dragon?" I asked.
"Listen it was the only way to keep you safe, but with our abilities which we are about to give you in full on one condition you will have the ability to change into a full dragon or a half dragon half human form, but you must understand that this current human form is held by magic. In it you're not as strong as your half form which was created as a between thing and gives a degree of both dragon and shade strength."
"Wait, slow down what do you mean?" Liza asked confused.
"Listen there's no time you most do all you can to escape with Eragon and Arya, you already know about them, now if you ever have to fight, don't worry you're going to get most of our skills a long with our abilities. Ready here it all comes."
I felt a rush of knowledge, sensations and memories all in a matter of seconds. I also learned how I can change forms and what to do to get some clothes which I quickly put to good use. "We've done all we can, now do what you can and help save Alagaesia." As it was talking it sounded like it was slowly walking down a tunnel as it got quieter and quieter. "Thank you" I said before it disappeared into the back of her mind.
I stood up in my new clothes made of the blanket, a tight pair of pants and shirt along with a soft pair of boots that wouldn't last long, and looked around her. She saw she was in a stone room which she guessed was a cell from the bars on the window at the top of the wall and the door. When I looked outside I was able to see 2 guards on either side of my cell door. I examined the room I was stuck in and as much of the hallway as I could before finally going back to sit of the bed that I saw was chained to the wall. I decided to test my magic and said some words in the Ancient Language that would create a reflective surface in front of me, I stared at myself, I know had red hair that framed a pair of shockingly blood red eyes set in pale skin. I bared my teeth to see that they were pointed like a vampires or in this case a shade, when I was done staring at me face I moved down to my body, it was thin and full of compact muscles like a runners that trains for races, on my hands instead of nails were slight black claws. I got disgusted with my body after examining as much as I could before I flopped down onto my bed and sighed before starting to review the memories I got from the spirits as I waited for something to happen. I passed my time like this for a bit then stopped bored and tried to figure out what I should do for when the shade came back, who now that I thought about it should be Durza, I decided that I would react like he does while in the book even if he makes me torture prisoners.
I fell asleep thinking stuff that I would rather never have to think about again. When I woke up the next morning I was bored so I explored my 'hybrid' form as I was going to call it from then on, I figured that I should take off my clothes first just in case and laid them on the cot for later. I then concentrated on changing forms and red flames engulfed my body before dissipating, so I could see myself, I recreated that magical mirror from last night and gasped in surprise at what I saw, I was a creature around 7 feet tall covered from head to toe in red scales, my stomach was a lighter shade while my back was darker with black spikes traveling down my spine to end on a tail with spikes that sprang off the end of it ready to stab something, my tail I also noticed was long enough to drag across the ground if I walked. I also noticed that I had wings too, which looked big enough to carry my weight, I looked at my hands and feet to see that they were still shaped as a normal persons except they were bigger and broader with wicked claws almost talons on the fingers that were a startling black like the spikes on my back. I then ran out of things to stare at so my gaze traveled to my face, which startled me even more then when I first laid eyes on this form , in place of my mouth and nose I had a snout that had massive fangs in the opening with more black spikes on the lower jaw, above it was set 2 blood red eyes with tear drop shaped pupils like a cats.
I was shocked out of my examination by some noises outside my door when I looked up I saw a guard start to open it so quickly changed back into my human form and watched helplessly as Durza walked in to see me naked, "Ahh I see you were preparing for me." he growled with an evil grim on his face, he chanted a spell that tossed me down onto the cot and held met here with my mouth shut. When I looked at him my eyes widened in horror as I figured out what he was going to do, I watched as he walked closer and started to undo his pants before climbing onto me and raping me.
He was done an hour later and got off me with an evil chuckle before leaving me to take care of the scratches he gave me, when I healed those I realized there's a spell I could use to stop myself from getting pregnant so I cast that, I then got up and got dressed before collapsing on the cot and crying myself to sleep.
The days progressed much like the first few, I'd be left alone for a day or two then Durza would come and rap me, after he was done I'd heal myself and cast the spell to stop pregnancy and then go to sleep. Before I knew it 2 months went by in his fashion. I heard rumors about a new prisoner within the last month and prepared for an escape.
I heard some noises so I walked over to the door and put my ear to it hearing Eragon and Murtagh talking silently as they walked by with Arya and made their way to the room just under the roof to await Saphira for an escape.
I unlocked the door and followed quietly until I found a room with weapons in it, I looked until I found a sword to use; I finally picked a long-sword and the scabbard that belonged to it that most have belonged to a soldier before he was captured. With that securely fastened on my hips I jogged silently upstairs to find Durza already there and trying to convince Eragon to join them.
"Give it up Eragon, you know you can't win against one shade let alone two." He said confidently.
"Ha all I see is one" Eragon laughed at him.
"Look again." Durza said pointing to me.
Eragon looked and his eyes widened in horror when he saw me, I ignored him and walked forward to stand off to the side directly in the line of sight with both of them but not on either ones side.
"Finish him." Durza said getting his sword out that had the long cut down the center of it and stalking forward. "No" I said calmly.
"What?" he yelled. "Fine I will." With that he tried slash Eragon across the chest but his sword never made it, because my sword intercepted his first.
He glared at me as he realized that I was going to fight him. I shoved him away and said over my shoulder to Eragon and Murtagh, "When you have the chance run!" Then I concentrated on Durza as he charged at me and tried to catch me off guard with an under hand cut, I blocked it just in time me being a bit slower than him. We continued like this for a couple minutes before he chanted a spell that made me smash through one of the many pillars lining the wall and crash into the wall itself, where I created a giant crater and slid to the ground with a groan.
"Well now that she's out of the way, we can finally finish what was so rudely interrupted." He said walking towards Eragon. I willed myself to change into my hybrid form and dove at Durza with all my strength, I hit him with my red shoulder and continued going until we hit the wall. I then got up and backed away knowing he wasn't down for the count, I was right he got up with a couple snaps as his broken bones were fixed and stared at me.
"Well, well isn't this interesting." He then charged at me with no warning and collided with my chest throwing me down onto the floor and crushing my wings, with him on top of me, he then started to punch my face and snout, I caught his fist in my mouth as he went to punch me and bit down on it biting it clean off, he howled in pain clutching his bleeding stump of a wrist, but before he had a chance to heal himself I slashed open his throat making him disappear for the time being with a howl of agony ripping throughout the hall.
"That's it he failed!" they heard get yelled as a giant platoon of soldiers charged in.
They circled Eragon, Murtagh and a still unconscious Arya, not noticing me on the ground cut up and panting in pain as I forced my now battered and pain ridden body up off of the floor. They all looked up at the ceiling in shock as a loud crash and roar could be heard on the roof as pieces started to fall down onto the occupants of the room, crushing multiple soldiers with a crunch and still more as they tried to run. Eragon and Murtagh were smiling up at the roof when Saphira stuck her head into it and roared in anger.
She jumped down into the hole knocking me and the remaining soldiers into the walls and killing them but just injuring me further, before jumping out of the room again with Eragon, Murtagh and Arya now on her back. I got up as fast as I could and willed myself to change the rest of the way into a dragon before finally jumping out of the room and attempting to follow Saphira. Even though it was my first flight it was like I've done this a million times before the only problem was, was the arrows that pierced my red hide which was now dripping with my blood.
I finally couldn't take anymore and crashed into the forest only a couple of kilometers from Eragon and them. With many arrows both in my underbelly and piercing my wings I fell unconscious.