Chapter 8. Rising Evil
There was a roaring blaze that stretched across the entire length of DuWeldenvarden. The flames were apart of a spell that was sustained by the black hand, because their dark magic and twisted words of the ancient language the trees of the forest burned. The animals both magical and non-magical ran from the onslaught of flames, while the wild dragons retreated to the desert.
"My lady the Urgals march behind the wall of flames… and the city of Osilon has been destroyed…" The Elf Lord Daethdr said to Arya who was Queen of the Elves.
"Has anyone been hurt or killed?"
"Hurt yes… Killed no… Our healers are tending the wounded, but this magic is beyond any of us… It is dragon fire and the spellcasters in black robes speak the burning curse…"
"Dragon!" Someone yelled.
It was a brown dragon named Kom and he locked eyes with Arya and touched her mind, ("Great Queen… The mother of all wild dragons has been captured… by rogue riders…we fought them, but their magic was too great… Also several of our eggs have been stolen by black robed two-legs…"
Arya relayed everything Kom told her and then she issued orders, "Daethdr prepare our troops we face the Urgals in open battle… Tioar I want you to come with me we will rescue Emora and the eggs from the infidels… Angela…" Angela and Solembum dwelt with the elves because she refused to live by the mark of magic. A law established by Nausada when she was queen of Uru'baen. The law required that all magic users study at the academy and that they receive a magic mark that allowed the riders to keep track of them and no one had more secrets than the witch Angela. "…Will you work with my spellcasters to figure out a way to extinguish these cursed flames…"
She beamed, "Of course…"
"My lady what of me… I wish to fight…" Sloan asked, he had been exiled by Eragon to live in Ellesmera for his betrayal during the siege of Carvahal. His time among the elves affected him in many ways. Age no longer applied to Sloan as it had stopped, his ears were pointier, but not as pointy as an elfs. He had acquired the ability to sense wild magic and reshape it, to his desires. Sloan's senses and reflexes were just as quick as any elf.
"Very well… You may fight beside Lord Daethdr…"
He bowed and ran off with his friend Rhuenon, Daethdr, and the other elves. While Kom allowed Tioar and Arya to ride on his back in the direction the Rogue riders took Emora queen of the Elves. As they flew the air grew cold very cold considering that below a fire was blazing and it was the middle of the summer. ("Look!") Kom said to their minds.
"My word… I have never seen anything like before…" Tioar said. She was a very beautiful elf with star like colored hair. She was an elite warrior among the elves and very skilled in magic. Before them floated a frozen glacier of ice and on it dozens of Urgal archers fired at the brown dragon who was joined by a pink female dragon and on her back were two werecats.
Arya saluted as Kom unleashed a torrent of flames on the Urgals, but his fire evaporated before it even touched the Urgals. ("The ice is too cold for my fire…")
("Then we will have to kill them by hand… remain in the air…") Arya replied jumping off the dragon's back. She and Tioar rolled to the ground in the mist of the Urgals. In the first few seconds five Urgals fell to Tioar's twin swords. Arya killed two and decapitated one, then they were joined by the werecats who added to their kills.
Everything behind the wall of fire was ashen and charred, nothing could survive the onslaught. The Urgals marched in unison behind the spellcasters of the black hand and the shadow lords who kept the fire going. There were one hundred members of the black hand and one hundred members of the shadow lords.
"Get ready to attack…" Daethdr ordered to the others. Sloan drew his curved sword and when the order was given he charged the Urgals with everyone else.
Laughing as did long ago fighting in Carvahal against the empire to protect Katrina. Sloan spun into an Urgal slashing his throat. He rolled towards the next Urgal stabbing him in the leg, when the Urgal fell to one knee, Sloan took his head off with a snarl. Blood spattered across his face and chest armor, but still he fought. Sensing wild magic Sloan threw out his left hand and created a tornado that tore up the ground and killed hundreds of Urgals.
"Show off…" Rhuenon yelled trading blows with a Kull.
He joined her and together they pushed their way across the Urgal front lines. The elves fought bravely, but the Urgals were relentless. Victory seemed at hand but the sky was split by a several roars. When the rogue riders joined the battle momentum shifted in favor of the Urgals. The order to retreat was sounded when Daethdr fell to the blade of one of the Riders. It was Sloan and Rhuenon who pulled his corpse from the battle field. As the elves retreated several dozen dragon gathered ahead of the blazing fire. They hovered in the air pumping their wings and with their combined magical might the flames were extinguished.
The Dragon Queen lay chained to the icy surface of the floating isle. Kom sniffed the air, ("That is not the Dragon Queen… It stinks of magic and the order of a Fanghuer… A wing viper…")
"Its trap we must leave… NOW!" A werecat said.
That is when Ceaser showed up on his Grey dragon Umearth, Geneva was with them as well. The Green dragon that was suppose to be Emora transformed into a windviper. They were trying to capture Arya.
("The Queen is not here… You must leave!") Kom yelled with his mind, but Arya seemed determined to kill Ceaser and his dragon. Kom tackled Umearth as more Urgals surrounded them. ("GO!")
"I will not leave you…"
("Ganga! GO!")
The werecats Barndale and Sheval grabbed Arya and ran to the edge of the iceberg where they jumped off. Ceaser ran after them and stood on the edge watching as they plummeted to ground below. He watched until they vanished in a bright flash.
("Foolish dragon…") Ceaser said to Kom, (" I am going to cut your Eldunari from your chest and enslave you forever…") Umearth was now holding Kom down.
Arya stood in disbelief over Daethdr's body, he had been a second father to her when Evander died. The elf Liothel reported that the fires had been put out by the dragons, but the urgals still marched through the forest. None of the elven cities were in danger of being discovered, but the Urgals or the spellcasters that fought with them could start a new fire. Arya stormed away from the gathered Elf lords through the pinewood city to the Menoa tree, she placed her hands on the tree and called out to it with her mind.
("Great Menoa Tree of DuWeldenvarden, mother of the forest…I Queen Arya of the elves and friend of Eragon Shadeslayer call upon you… The Greatest forest in Alagaesia is under attack by Urgals and dark spellcasters… There are also traitor riders among them… Help us to fight in our greatest hour of need…")
When Arya finished speaking with her mind in the ancient language there was nothing. Then there was a groaning sound and rumbling. The ground shook, the tree started to shake, and the leaves started to glow with an unknown light source. An ancient and powerful mind touched Arya, ("Who dares burn my forest and use dark magic in the ancient forest… Name these enemies oh elf queen")
("They call themselves the Black Hand and then they are allied with the Shadow Lords… The Urgals fight for them but not of their own free will…")
("They shall all die… Let them feel the wrath of tree mother… Head my command my children and awaken from your slumber… Avenge your fallen brothers and our friends the tree singers…")
At the command of the Menoa tree the other trees throughout the wood began to moan and move on their own. The forest from the boarders of Osilon to edge of the forest near Ceuneon was ash, but the roots of the burned trees were still in tact. The ground began to move and slither as the roots sprang up crushing Urgals and spellcasters. One of the Riders had been caught by the roots, but both Rider and dragon were spared. The Urgals were pulled underground, crushed in twisting roots, or impaled by pointed roots. Leaves became sharp as swords as they were flung from trees cutting those in the path into pieces. When it was over the roots whose trees had been burned grew new trees at an accelerated rate. The elves sang in the ancient language lending strength and aid to the phenomenon and in less than a day the forest had been restored. The captured dragon and Rider were interrogated and the elves were able to free them from the oaths that had been forced upon them.
The Sunsavrblaka offered aid to Murtagh in order to remove the magic surrounding the island. He accepted and Thorn flew out with the great owls and together they broke the cursed wall of fire surrounding the island. Murtagh stood thanking the Sunsavrblaka for their help, but he was interrupted by Ceaser's powerful mind.
("Congratulations I didn't think you would overcome my spell… I will have to teach the Sunsavrblaka a lesson about sticking their beaks in my affairs…")
The leader of the Sunsavrblaka was called grey owl, sky lord, and knight hunter, his name was J'Chunpaw. ("Come and face me child of the foresworn… I shall teach you the meaning of manners… When you attacked this island you awoke the wrath of the sunsavrblaka…") When J'Chunpaw spoke he replied in private.
Ceaser spoke for everyone to hear, ("I will deal with you and your abominable kin soon enough… but first I have business with the son of Morzan… Murtagh let us see one another face to face…"
Murtagh grunted, "There is nothing you have to say that I wish to hear unless it is your surrender…"
"Your daughter's life and that of her dragon Sundavara depend on your cooperation… I swear all we shall do is talk… but if you refuse me your daughter and her dragon will die…"
Nausada whispered into his ear and Murtagh shook his head no, ("Where do you wish to meet infidel?")
('Let us meet in Utgard you and I… You and Thorn come alone or Selena and Sundavara will die…")
The sun was setting when Murtagh and Thorn landed in Utgard. The tower had been rebuilt and when Thorn and Murtagh arrived the young man they knew as Makel was waiting with a grey dragon. "Welcome son of Morzan I have been a long time in wanting to meet you…"
"Where is my daughter and her dragon…" They addressed each other in the ancient language.
"She is safe as I swore… And they will be released after we have spoken…"
"What do you want…" Murtagh coldly asked folding his arms.
"Aren't you going to ask how… me a vassal managed to become a dragon rider…"
"I could care less… all I want is my daughter…"
"Come now brother after all our fathers were to each other we can be a little more civil…"
Murtagh narrowed his eyes, just because Makel called him brother in the ancient language didn't mean they were actually related. Growing up Murtagh remembered that beside his mother Morzan had other concubines and he was one hundred percent sure that none of them bore any children. He looked at Thorn who told him to be careful, "Alright I will play along… who was your father…"
"Elwoth the Beheader…"
"Even though we parlay in the ancient language that doesn't mean what you say is entirely true…"
Ceaser hunched his shoulders, "even so you cannot deny the gravity of my words in this language… I am the son of Elwoth…"
That is when Thorn interrupted, ("Fine you are the son of Elwoth… but Elwoth lived until he was assassinated by the Varden… when were you born…")
Ceaser smiled, "I was born twenty five years after the riders fell… while Galbatorix was mastering his Eldunari many of the forsworn had their heirs and entrusted them to Foromir and his Shadow Lords… The Children of the Foresworn have dwelt hidden from the world in a place where time does not exist…"
"So what do you want from me?" Murtagh asked.
"Your help… Morzan was your father… First and last of the foresworn… By right you should lead us… Come Murtagh and join us… Our goals far surpass those of Galbatorix… His dreams of rule never went beyond the boarders of Alagaesia… Foromir's did… Of all the Foresworn he was the most devious and the most ambitious…"
"Your words are meaningless to me… I want nothing of the foresworn or their accursed children… Now release my daughter and her dragon or suffer our wrath…" Thorn roared and blew a jet of fire into the air as Murtagh drew Zarroc.
Ceaser sighed and removed a crystal orb from his belt, he cast it on the ground and when it shattered Selena and Sundavara were standing before them. "I have kept my word… but know this son of Morzan… if you and thy dragon cross us you will die… You and all you love… This is the age of the foresworn children…" Ceaser turned his back on them and ran up Umearth's side.
("Grey one!") Thorn shouted before Umearth took off, ("Why are participating in this madness?")
He snorted, ("The dragons of old were foolish red one… They allowed Galbatorix to overthrow them… and when Foromir's two-legged shadow priests stole my egg my fate was sealed… Ceaser is my Rider and we shall rule the world…")
Murtagh hugged his daughter Selena, "Are you alright?" While both Thorn and Sundavara hummed.
"I am fine father…"
"How were you captured…"
"It was during the Urgal attack on Ceeneon…"
"What of your uncle King Roran?"
"He lives as far as I know…"
"Come we fly to Vroengard…"
An hour later the three kings spoke with Master Riders, Murtagh, Vanir, and Kella; the elf Queen Arya, and the Dwarf King Orick via enchanted mirrors and scrying. They updated each other on the Urgal attacks.
"My Dwarves will fight the Urgal army in the desert and the desert tribes will flank them from the rear…" Orick said.
They all spoke in the common tongue, "My elven spellcasters have a solution that doesn't envolve bloodshed… We can sing in the ancient language and put the Urgals to sleep…"
"What if that doesn't or the Urgals have protection from a spell like that…" King Orrin said. "We will never have a better chance to free ourselves of their unnatural blight…"
"I cannot believe you would speak such words… Nar Gharzvog…"
"Is my friend… and fought beside me against Galbatorix, but he is enslaved and I know for a fact that he would rather die than be a magician's puppet again…"
"Even so lets give the elves a chance… In the meantime the order of Riders will hunt down this Ceaser and his disciples of Galbatorix…" Murtagh said.
"King Roran how are you with food…" King Thilas Hilcrest of Uru'baen asked.
"I am fine we won't starve… but we need to drive the Urgals from our doorstep…"
"I will send aid as soon as possible… I have assembled my entire Calvary they should arrive soon…"
"They will be welcome…"
The magic ended and Murtagh turned to face the other Riders, 'Right then we need to focus on Ceaser and those riders… We will divide into three groups eight… I shall lead one… Vanir the second… and Carhov the third… Our greatest and most prominent goal is to kill Ceaser… He is the key to freeing the Urgals and our captured brethren… Now fly…"
"Father Sundavara and I shall fly with you…"
He placed his hands on her shoulders, "My daughter it will do my heart well if you and Sundavara remained here… Protect your mother… in case the infidels return…"
Nausada slapped him in the back of his head which caused Thorn to growl, "I am very well capable of defending myself…"
I guess you are reading this wondering when will he realize that he has a chapter from star wars darth plagueis in new age of dragon riders for chapter 8… I am surprised no said anything
