The mountains of the spine were as beautiful as ever under the clear sky, the stars shone bright with the moon as its ruler. It was a magical time, the moon was only half full, but the light that evaded from it was never brighter. There was no wind, and nothing could be heard but the occasional sound when a bird flew up, or when a deer moved.
And there, several miles south-east from Kuasta was a spot where the southern spine split up, one chain of mountains going to the west while the other continuing north. To reach that spot you had to travel through an area full of dangers. There were no Urgals or the Empire's soldiers anywhere to be found, but many dangerous wild animals walked the thick forest that grew in the valleys between the mountains.
And if the animals weren't enough, the heavy rivers, or the dangerous cliffs usually scared people off.
It was the perfect hiding place for the one who could fly. He or she could easily fly over all the barriers that would be on his way. And almost exactly at the spot where the spine divided, was a hut.
Well, maybe it shouldn't be called a hut; it wasn't big enough for that. It was more like a shelter that stood about twenty five feet's above the ground, sticking out of the cliff like a tree house.
If somebody would have seen it, he would easily come to the conclusion that someone had built a small hut somewhere in the valley, but the hut had been blown away in some strong wind and crushed into the cliff wall. Nobody could enter it unless he was flying or magically enchanted. Another thing that was strange was that a whole side of the "hut" seemed to be a lot bigger than the other sides, and the whole side was just one door, and though the "hut" didn't seem big, the doors certainly did, they were large enough to fit an elephant, which was strange, since there was no way an elephant could fit in there.
But when Jen and Eldur arrived to the valley, Jen just spoke a word and the doors threw wide open, revealing a cafe hidden behind. When the seven months old dragon entered, the doors shut close and all went dark for a moment, before the enchanted torches Jen had made lit and a medium sized cafe could be seen. It was pretty large for a human, but it was a little tight for Eldur! The dragon actually had to crawl to his resting place, since the cafe got smaller when you went further inside.
Do you want something to eat? Jen asked Eldur I think we still have some reserves of food left!
Please, having to fly all the way from Feinster to here made me hungry, not to mention having to carry you around! Eldur answered mockingly, and Jen was quite sure he heard his dragon chuckle!
"Always the funny one" Jen said to Eldur out loud, as remarkable as it was, he missed having a real conversation with someone he looked to as a friend actually using his mouth instead of his mind.
He walked into a little room he had curved out of the wall to store some food. He knew they were lucky to have found this cafe, not to many, if any, would know about it, and if they did it wasn't likely that they would come there again.
When they had first come there in search of a shelter for the night, there hadn't been anything there but a small hole in the cliff and a rope ladder leading to it. They had stayed there for the night and then left in search for another shelter. But the times passed and about a month ago they had re-entered the place and decided to make it theirs.
Jen had started on the hole, using magic to make the hole bigger, and slowly building a cafe. He had been adding rooms and making older ones bigger since, only using small amount of energy at a time, always afraid of ambush. He had then built the small hut/open in front of the cafe for two reasons; to shelter it from the weather and to hide the actual size of the cafe from the eyes of anyone who could be watching.
He grabbed two large deer's, cutting a bite off for himself, and then dragging it out of the room and to Eldur, who grabbed the food and swallowed it in two bites.
Enough, or do you have to bother your self on a hunt Jen said to Eldur as he cooked his meat over a magical fire that made no smoke, an invention of Jen.
It's enough for tonight, we'll catch more tomorrow Eldur answered.
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Saphira was getting exhausted. First she had to fly all the way from Ellesméra to the capital city of Surda, and then straight to the burning plains, and carrying a rider and a dwarf.
We're almost there Saphira, only about twelve miles left! Her rider said to her.
"Whoa, you're making me dizzy here, you know" the dwarf spoke as Saphira dove suddenly and then went back up with a back flip. This would be a long fight!!
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Jen woke up under a sky made of fire and gold. He took a moment to find out where he was before he realised that it was just Eldur's wing, the combination of red and gold made it look almost like fire to him. And maybe it was, dragons were beasts of magic and fire, one of the first lessons at the monastery.
Erm…is it possible to let me out of here Jen said as he tried to wake the dragon.
The dragon just acted as he was asleep, and therefore Jen couldn't get out from under his wing.
Eldur, I'm serious, let me out or else…! Jen said in an annoyed tone
Or what? The dragon answered tiredly, are you going to tickle me until I am so tickled that I have to let you go?
Oh, starting to attack my size are we Jen answered with a grin, Well, if you don't let me out I'll make the cafe smaller so you'll have to sleep out side.
Hah, I'd like to see that happen Eldur said as he raised his wing to let an annoyed Jen out. So, what about that hunt of ours, still up for it?
Sure, just let me get my weapons and then we're out of here Jen answered.
He went to another room he had made and took the weapons he needed for the hunt. Usually he would only have to take something like a spear or a bow, or nothing at all if he just used his magic, but there were dangers everywhere those times, so he went into his whole armour and weapon set, all of his former weapons he had owned in the monastery, except for his sword, but he had gotten a knew one from a village in Surda, it wasn't the sword he had lost, but it was a good sword that one of the village women had said once belonged to an elf, which could be, the blade was magnificent enough to have been made of an elf.
When he got out of the armour room with his armour on Eldur had already fetched his saddle, which Jen had learned to make from old books about dragon riders. Jen fastened the saddle on Eldur and together they flew out of the cafe.
Ah, the beauty of flying, is there anything more magnificent than that? Eldur asked as they flew over the forest, or maybe I should say, isn't it great to fly on the back of something as fabulous as a dragon?
Hah, the humble soul of the dragon! Jen answered mockingly, what an ego!
Hey, dragons can be hurt too, Eldur answered insulted
Sorry big one, couldn't help my self, you know I didn't mean it, Jen told Eldur, besides, what's a dragon without it!
They flew past the forest and up into the mountains, knowing that there would be hard to get any prey in the narrow valleys because of all the dangerous animals that hunted the prey them selves.
Instead they flew over the mountains to the lake Leona to hunt. Not far from the lake between the spine and the city Belatona were grassy planes where the wildlife was magnificent, the birds flew between the occasional large trees that grew on the planes, and there were many hordes of deer and other preys. There were only three villages in the area, and only occasional farm, none of which very big, and all were too far away from each other to see between.
It was the perfect spot for the two to hunt, although Eldur did most of the hunting, Jen got himself enough for a couple of weeks or so for himself, and then he went off to the nearest village to get some news while waiting for Eldur to finish his hunt!
We should split up now, that way we get more time to hunt! Jen said, and then jumped off Eldur's back when Eldur had dived down to 10 feet's.
Okay, see you later! The dragon answered and turned around, flying back to the sky.
He watched Eldur fly away to the north and when he couldn't see him anymore he sat down and looked for a prey exceeding his mind. He didn't like this very much, when he had lived in the monastery there weren't so many animals around, but after he got free he had become more and more aware of the life all around him, and hunting it like this wasn't something he was proud of.
He had read about the eating habits of the former dragon riders. Most had been vegetarians, and now he had come to understanding why. But there weren't much of eatable vegetables around the spine, so he had to kill and eat meat so he wouldn't just starve do death.
He located some rabbits nearby and killed them instantly with his mind. After several rabbits had fallen for his mind, he went to pick them up and put them all in one place.
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The village of Magnavík stood on the shores of Lake Leona, a fishing village mostly, but there was a blacksmith and a butcher there, along with some other jobs. Well, it was roughly almost like any other fishing village in southern Alageasia and Surda!
When Jen got to the village it was about noon and people were too busy eating lunch to notice a far too young boy wander the streets, wearing heavy armour and with wide selection of weapons hanging on various places.
Jen walked pass all the fine restaurants and straight into the filthiest pub he could find. He knew that if he wanted real news or gossip he would have to go to the places where the poor travellers would go.
When he was outside he took a bag he had been carrying around and withdrew a cloak and put it on, nobody would even think about talking to some kid in armour, so he hid his armour and drew his hood over his face so no one could see.
When he entered the pub he thought he was going to throw up. The smell reminded him somehow of a dead cat, and the place was so filthy that you almost had to dive into the dirt to move.
He sat down by the bar and ordered a glass of water; he didn't trust anything that wasn't see-through in this place.
There weren't many people there, mostly just some drunken men boosting of the time when they got the "big one" in one of their fishing trip.
When his glass of water finally arrived a group of travellers walked into the pub, talking among them selves about something obviously of great importance. Jen didn't get his hopes up to high though, if he knew the travellers well enough they could be gossiping about the kings wedding with a fairy princess far from Alageasia. Bullshit, everyone knew no woman would ever take the king willingly!
But as he got closer he heard they weren't gossiping about any marriage.
"…could start any time soon, I've heard rumours about that the Varden has already gathered almost all of its army somewhere in Surda!" one of the travellers stated
"Yes, I've heard that too, and they say Surda is supporting them, giving them troops!!" another added.
"It was time somebody stood up and challenged that filthy rat that calls him self king those days, everybody knows he's just a traitor" a third said.
"A bloody shame they won't stand a chance for long. Even if they win the battle, they will never win the war. Who could stand up to the mighty Galbatorix, he who defeated the whole Alageasia? I'm afraid the Varden will be crushed under his hand!!" Jen added in a pretended accent of southern Alageasia and walked over to the travellers table.
"Well, that was what I thought first" the traveller that spoke first said, "that the Varden stood no chance. But you are forgetting something of great importance. Not all of Alageasia has been conquered, there is still Surda, and if that isn't enough, then people are talking of the dwarfs in the mountains and the elves in the forests"
" You know just as well as I do who is to blame that the dwarves dwell in the mountains and the elves in the forests instead of wandering freely on the planes of Alageasia like they should be" Jen said, he wanted to lead this conversation a little longer.
"Yes we do, everybody with some wits in his head does" the third answered," but there are other stories going around, spreading from the Varden them selves that there is still a chance, there might be someone left to challenge Galbatorix and actually stand a chance. "
"And who might that be, if I may ask?" Jen asked, trying to make a tone of disbelieve, but in reality his heart was pounding like a rabbit's. He wasn't sure of who this hero was that was going to safe Alageasia, but he knew that there were few that could even defy the kings authority, and he, as a dragon rider, would have to meet the man that was powerful enough to face the king and help him defeat evil.
"A dragon rider", the second said, he obviously had been waiting a long time to get into the conversation and had grabbed the opportunity when it came, "Shadeslayer they call him. I once traded with a man loyal to the Varden, can't tell you his name, only business, and he told me he'd seen him personally. He had been in the Varden's head quarters and seen him flying on his dragon, a magnificent beast I can tell you, although a little stupid I think, actually letting people ride them like they were horses; stories tell they have six feet's and four wings, just fabulous. Some ought to have two heads too!!"
Jen saw on the look of the travellers that they obviously believed the man, what a pack of jerks. But he had to know one thing before he went out of this dreadful place. He was starting to get headache from the smell and those damned idiots annoyed him by telling stories of dragon's stupidity.
"Sorry about me not sharing your interest in two headed dragons, though everybody who has anything between his ears knows they have only one, but I need to know where this army you were talking of has gathered, and what he is doing there" He said in an offensive tone, maybe a sign of his young age that he couldn't keep his frustration away for too long.
"Hey, you calling me an idiot", the second one asked, his tone too getting aggressive.
"Yes I was, you half wit, dragons are no beasts, and they certainly are wiser than you ever will be, now, are you going to answer me or do I have to make you?" Jen said, his accent gone away a while ago.
All three travellers rose and drew short blades. Jen could see they were total amateurs just by the way they stood.
"Nobody speaks to me like that", the second said, "especially not some filthy beggar"
That was more than Jen could take, usually he wouldn't have taking threats like that seriously, but the surroundings had gotten him into a bad mood, and he wasn't going to take insults like that easily.
He rose up from his seat, and now that all four were standing, Jen actually realised how tall he was, he was more than a head higher than the travellers. His hood fell off and his young face was revealed. It had been so long since anybody had taken a good look at his face that Jen hadn't realised it had gotten different. He saw his reflection on one of the pubs metal dishes and got a little shocked.
He hadn't changed much, but some features were slightly different. His face was softer, his eyes sharper, and what shocked him the most was that his ears were not just slightly pointy, but as sharp as a spear.
"What, an elf!" the first one yelled, "you idiot, we have been insulting an elf! I think he must be right about you, you are a half wit" he shouted at the second.
Jen was still in shock, he didn't know he had changed, and he had always had his hood or something to cover his face, so no one else had noticed.
Why didn't Eldur tell me!!?
But the shock didn't last much longer. He heard the first one shout something about an elf, and he looked around himself for just a moment before realising. He's talking about me.
"Doesn't matter, he insulted us, take him down" the second said as he raised his blade.
Jen blocked the attack almost without thinking. An elf. Must have something to do with Eldur.
But he didn't get much more time to think about it. The other two travellers raised their blade almost in unison and attacked Jen. Jen easily blocked both attacks and swung his sword to block the third attack.
"An elf, well, that's a new thing. I thought I was just some filthy beggar." Jen said, "Well let me show you what filthy beggars do for fun"
And just when the three were raising their swords to strike at Jen, he muttered a few words and all three were blown across the room. Jen walked right to the first one, raised his sword and swung it like he was going to kill him, but stopped right at the throat.
"Where and why." Jen asked in a very offensive tone.
"The burning planes" the man answered frightened, "There is going to be a large battle between the Empire and the Varden. I'm surprised you didn't know it, Galbatorix has sent more than half of his army, maybe almost the whole. I thought elves knew everything."
"We don't know everything; we just like you dogs to think that. Just remember; never try to defeat an elf in a duel!!" Jen said, liking the idea of being able to let people think he was an elf.
Eldur, I need you. But be prepared, I think there are several guards out there that won't like you.
I'm on my way
Jen looked at the mess he had made. The small and filthy pub was a mess, and the drunken fishermen looked at Jen like he was the "big one" and he had just escaped their net.
But what worried Jen was that the bartender was nowhere to be seen, and just outside the door there could be heard several foots running to the pub. First inside was the bartender, followed by at least fifteen soldiers, all wearing heavy armour and weapons at their sides.
When they had all gotten into the room they formed up, five and five in a rove, the first five carrying a heavy shield with the mark of two dragons and a man in the middle engraved upon it.
One man got in front of the row, probably the captain, and started speaking.
"In the name of our great king, Galbatorix the first, ruler of Alageasia, rider of Shruikan the magnificent, I hereby arrest you for assault and an attempt of murder and robbery. You are also under the suspicion of being, well, not human, and as the result of laws number three hundred sixty four that is illegal and you will be escorted to the king. Now if you have any problem with this you should say that to the king" he stated, "But I wouldn't do that if I were you, the results can be pretty bad" he added.
Eldur, I kind of need you NOW!!!
I'm almost there, I can see the village!
"And what if I refuse to come with you?" Jen asked, trying to stall the time.
"Well now, don't be absurd. Of course you'll come with us. We don't want any trouble now do we.", The captain said like he was talking to a child who refused to let go of its mother
"Besides, what do you think a boy like you could do to a whole squad of soldiers? Now come here, or I'll have to make you" The captain added, his tone getting more serious with every word he said.
Jen looked away from the captain for just a second and noticed the travellers sneaking away like rats.
Eldur!!
I'm coming, I'm coming, just had to stop to fight off some of those nasty guards, two minutes, maybe less.
Two minutes!! Well, Jen guessed he could stall for that long.
"Hah, you make me. I'd like to see you try that. The last three who tried the same ended up loosing ten feet's away from the spot they thought they'd be triumphing." Jen said easily.
"Well those were only some untrained travellers, beggars maybe. Anyone with the slightest training with a sword could have defeated them. My squad is far more trained and experienced than some farmer boy in his fathers armour. Now will you come along or do I have to tell you again that you have no business trying to defeat my soldiers!!" the captain said, his tone getting far to aggressive.
THUD.THUD.THUD.
The soldiers began to look around to see what this was, but didn't see anything and didn't dare going out to check. A loud noise could be heard and the whole building trembled, but then all went quiet.
"Well dear captain, your last chance" Jen said, but when the captain didn't move he just said, "Well, maybe I can't do anything against you, but I'm sure my friend can"
And just as he said that a large red head of a dragon went right through the roof, its jaws closing around two of the soldiers and then spitting them out dead.
Told you I'd be here!!
The soldiers were too shocked to do anything, and Jen took advantage. He grabbed one of Eldur's neck spikes and swung into the saddle. Then they flew high into the sky.
Should we get back to our nest? Eldur asked.
No, there is something we have to do Jen answered.
Where to then? Eldur asked again.
We're heading south to Surda Jen answered the second question.
But, aren't you afraid that someone will spot us and alert the king? Eldur asked once again.
After our little "scene" at the pub I don't think it will do us much help to keep secret, the king will know within a week about us!! Jen said, Besides, I don't think it will make much of a difference after what I am planning on doing.
Well then, what are you going to do!!?? Eldur asked for the last time that night.
Ever heard of a place called "The burning planes"???? Jen asked with a grin!
Well my longest chapter yet. I don't think they'll be that long always, just when I'm having fun and have loads of time!!! Dare say it's my favourite yet, how about you guys, how did you like it!! How do you like my characters and do you like what I'm doing with my plot, I was getting tired of my story, so I decided to spice it up a bit and make it happen a little faster than I originally thought, as you can see I started at the beginning of Eldest, and now I'm at the end. Won't be going so fast in later chapters though, just something to get me going.
Last chapter before New Year. A late Merry Christmas to all and a happy new year.
