Prologue
A huge map of Alagaesia covered the whole dark stone wall, its cream parchment and black ink stood out in the scarcely furnished room. A huge oak desk had been set up in the middle of the room so that the occupant of the desk could gaze out upon the map.
Or glower at the map, depending on the mercurial mood of Alagaesia's king. Dark eyes flickered over the map, the practiced glare picking out points of interest easily.
The green forest of Du Weldenvarden spread over the corner of the map, hidden in the thick trees there laid the elven nation. The Spine swept like a backbone throughout Alagaesia dividing the empire from the Dwarves. A thin knife stuck stabbed in the map marked Tronjheim deep in the bowels of Farthen Dur where he suspected the Varden were hiding. Uru 'Baen glimmered like the jewel of the empire from the center of the map. Helgrind lurked outside of Dras-Leona like a dark specter. But what currently held Galbatorix's attention was the free nation of Surda. His advisors had informed him that the Surdan King Larkin had been successfully eliminated leaving the monarchy to his son, Orrin.
It irritated Galbatorix that there was still a Langfeld left to claim the throne. In fact, Surda irritated him. On the map, the little free nation was like a plague spot that refused to disappear. Since, it had broken away from the empire it had been nothing but a nuisance. A nuisance of a nation whose people had always remembered the freedom they had held before the empire came into being. He had failed to eliminate all of the Langfelds when he first came to power and he had been paying for it ever since. King Larkin had a fondness for the Varden, and Galbatorix held no illusions about the son. He knew that Surda was supporting the hidden Varden even if he did not have the evidence yet. The final stroke had been when Surda had again broken with the empire. Until he managed to eliminate all of the Langfelds it was not worth it to try and reclaim Surda, he had declared his intentions to his advisors and immediately begun plans to kill the remaining off.
Everything was coming to fruition. Only two Langfelds stood between him and the failure of Surda.
The time would never come soon enough, Galbatorix thought, with a growl. He hefted the dagger in his hand, and sent it flying into the map, striking Surda. There was the sound of fabric rustling and Galbatorix heaved an aggravated sigh as he turned to look at his company.
The two men facing him looked similar enough with empty maroon eyes and long jagged maroon hair. One smirked, revealing sharp white fangs, which would have been unnerving to anyone but Galbatorix. Frequent contact with the Shades had worn that effect away. The pair standing before him was some of the most powerful Shades that he had been able to locate. Both had been willing to work for him in exchange for something that he had not even realized that they craved, eldunarí. He wished he knew how the Shades knew of the existence of eldunarí. They had been one of the well kept secrets of the elves but the Shades had known. Now that, Galbatroix thought irritably, was unnerving.
One of the Shades shifted again, flicking a glare at the other. Between the two was ill concealed disgust. Galbatorix was not sure why but neither Shade got along with the other. It was strange, especially when you looked upon them for they were so similar that they appeared to be twins. Galbatorix could tell the difference through skin tone, and sometimes personality. Durza's skin was almost translucent, overly pale, while Dolv's skin was cream-ish though still not a tone that would be considered human. Dolv spoke first, his voice achingly empty as though the speaker was speaking from far away, a voice designed to unnerve.
"You summoned, milord." Dolv said. Durza nodded stiffly in agreement. Galbatorix almost laughed knowing as he did how much it angered the Shade to have to support Dolv.
"I have a mission for you." Galbatorix folded his arms, and leaned forward onto the desk, fixing the pair with a sharp gaze. "Durza, I have information that the Dragon egg is being moved. Find it and bring it to me."
"Yes sir." Durza said with a bow, his maroon gaze fixed upon the dagger stuck in the map.
"Durza… I suggest you start around Farthen Dur." Galbatorix suggested, before dismissing the Shade with a sharp gesture. Durza seemed stung by the curt dismissal but left without a word. Dolv, meanwhile, watched the whole exchange with a pleased smirk.
"His loyalty wavers." Dolv said shortly, turning the empty gaze on Galbatorix. Galbatorix laced his fingers together, and leaned back looking more at ease.
"I have never trusted him. He has not proven to be as useful as I thought." Galbatorix said, noting the straightening in the Shade's demeanor. He had his suspicions regarding Dolv too, but the Shade had been useful enough so far and Galbatorix had no doubt that Dolv would be pleased to see Durza fall from favor. "You said you had made progress with the eldunarí."
"Yes." Dolv removed the eldunarí from within his dark cloak and placed it gently upon Galbatorix's desk. Galbatorix jerked back in surprise and horror when he saw the extent of the damage to the eldunarí. The marble surface was laced with pock marks, and cracks which marred the beauty of the blue stone.
"You've damaged it." Galbatorix spoke with cold rage. Of the two Shades, Galbatorix had trusted only Dolv with an eldunarí, a particularly strong and reticent old dragon that would have been of little use to him but it still rankled him to see it reduced to this.
"Nay, it's perfectly functional. The dragon is in no shape to resist." Dolv corrected him sullenly. Galbatorix turned his attention back to the eldunarí, and shook his head.
"I have no use for such a pathetic creature." Galbatorix gestured at the broken eldunarí again. "You may keep it if you wish; else I will have it disposed of." The Shade grinned widely, revealing the pointed fangs that had so marred the eldunarí. Dolv stepped forward, lightly scooping up the stone and hiding it in his dark cloak again. In his own bizarre way, Galbatorix was rewarding the Shade for information that he had relayed previously. The smirk on Dolv's face was undeniably the happiest he had ever seen the creature, and the happiest that he would see until news of Durza's death reached Uru 'Baen in the future.
Thunk. The dagger flew forward and landed in Surdan territory on the map much like it had years earlier, except that this time the recently conquered Feinster was naught but a charred circle, and only one Shade stood just to his left in the room, watching silently.
"Damn Surda, and damn the Varden." Galbatorix growled angrily. Dolv predictably said nothing, his maroon eyes locked on the map. "We need to deal with their rider. They would be nothing without him." Dolv again said nothing, though he did turn to look back at Galbatorix. "Have you nothing to say, Shade? Even Durza had advice, unwelcome as it was." This time, the gaze hardened.
"You need to deal with the egg. Another rider would be a hindrance, regardless of their loyalty." Dolv said coldly. Galbatorix spread his hands, staring at the gedwey ignasias there, one pale and shimmering, the other dark purple like a bruise. "I could help you with that but I doubt you would approve of my methods."
"Indeed." Galbatorix agreed thinking of the battered eldunarí that he knew Dolv still possessed. "I will deal with it myself."
"As for the Varden, and the Surdans, the mages have been instructed to target the leaders. That should sow chaos in the ranks of command." Dolv said.
"If we could break their leaders, or the rider we would seal the fate of the war." Galbatorix mused thoughtfully. "But they have been made it this far alive for nothing, it will be difficult to reach them. I will summon you later." He told Dolv, the Shade bowed before leaving the room on silent feet.
Galbatorix resumed his examination of his palms. On one hand was a shining silvery gedwey ignasia, and on the other was another gedwey ignasia that had a color comparable to a bruise, purple and dark. Her and him. Galbatorix brushed a finger over the silvery circle. She would not approve of his plans to deal with the green egg. She would not approve of much that he did anymore. But she was gone, and he was waging a war. Not to mention that anything that he did would be preferable to Dolv's malicious offer.
Galbatorix climbed to his feet, and left the map room behind, pausing only to remove the dagger that he had thrown into Surda, stowing it away in his tunic. He stopped outside a mural of a purple dragon, created on the wall of the castle. The dragoness had a sharp beauty modeled after his memories of his own dragon, Jarnunvόsk. Galbatorix lifted his hand with the silver mark and muttered a swift spell. A light burst from his palm, and the protective barriers that surrounded the mural were undone. He stepped forward and placed his palm on one of the violet scales of the dragoness, pushing down lightly. His gedwey ignasia glowed again, and the mural shifted backward opening up a passage.
Galbatorix stepped forward and entered the hidden chamber behind the mural. He could hear the rock shift into place behind him with a scrape. In front of him was the green egg laying on a velvet cushion, encased in bright white magic. He smiled; the sight would have confused the Varden. He stepped closer to the magic and lifted the silver mark again. Another spell and bright magic lifted the protective spells that he had set there earlier. He brushed the silver mark against the egg lightly. She would have loved the egg, Galbatorix was certain; she had been so excited about the idea of eggs and dragonlings. Obsessive about offspring almost, he though ruefully, it was a pity that she had not had the chance to have her own. Not that any of the rider's dragons were worthy of her, they had all been ruined by the riders corruption.
He sighed, and pulled his hand away from the egg. The dragonling had not shown any sign of hatching, and it was becoming more of a risk than an asset. If the Varden got their hands on it they would gain another chance to defeat him. That must not be allowed to happen. She would not approve of his plan at all, Galbatorix thought with another sigh. He pulled a single leather glove from his tunic pocket and slipped it over his hand, covering the silver mark. And since she would not approve, she must not be allowed to see.
Galbatorix lifted his other hand, the bruise like mark glimmering faintly. He breathed another spell, this one more complicated and tainted with the so called 'dark arts' than the spells he had used previously. The egg's shape shimmered, and the vivid green color drained away, leaving it with a dark color similar to the purple of his gedwey ignasia. Galbatorix brushed his hand over the egg, satisfied that he could no longer feel the dragonling's consciousness. Perfect, he thought gleefully, if the dragon could not feel human presences there would be no way for it to identify its rider. It would never hatch.
Galbatorix lifted the egg, and moved to the boxes that were scattered about the room. One was a treasure chest that held jewels and other bright trinkets that she would have loved. He tucked the egg into the chest, buried under the jewels where it could not be seen. Then he closed the chest, and turned to the other boxes. These were filled with eldunari, one to each box, tucked away and covered in velvet to keep them comfortable. He reached out and found the dragon that he was searching for immediately.
Zoltan had been a young dragon when he had forced the heart from the dragon's chest. Young enough that what little consciousness was encased in the eldunari could be confused for a dragonling. He lifted the green eldunari from the box, and settled it on the velvet cushion that had previously held the dragon egg. He was lucky that Zoltan had also been a green color. It would not be necessary for him to change the eldunari's color in order to set up the ruse.
Galbatorix lifted his hand, and dark magic rushed from his gedwey ignasia as he set up new protective spells, these laced with darker magic than the ones he had set up. When the spells were finished he turned to survey the room. There were only five or six other eldunari in the room. All of the others were stored elsewhere or in use, he would need to remove the ones remaining later, Galbatorix decided. And be sure that the Shade, Dolv did not see him moving them. The creature would undoubtedly offer to help 'dispose' of them.
Not to mention, the brat, Murtagh would take an interest in the location of the eldunarí too. He had been unusually firm at their last meeting; his brother must have sown a seed of hope in his heart again. Galbatorix smiled gleefully; there would be plenty of time to break him now that the egg was dealt with. But just in case… Galbatorix cast about with his mind, reassuring himself that neither of his allies was near before exiting the egg chamber.
He gazed on the mural of Jarnunvόsk, and smiled. Once he dealt with the Varden, and Surda he could move forward with his plans that would please her. The creation of a new age of Dragon Riders.
Hazelcloud: I hope you enjoyed the prologue!