Disclaimer: I do not own Eragon. Anything familiar belongs to Christopher Paolini, but everything else belongs to me.


Chapter Five

"Urgals!"

The fair voice rang throughout the still camp, cutting easily through the air like a knife. Despite the darkness, the camp sprang to life in an instant. People could be seen running from one small tent to another. No, not people. Elves! The elegant elves raced to grab their weapons to fight. Not far away the vicious sounds of Urgals could be heard drawing nearer.

Suddenly a boy flew out of a white tent, his light hair messy from sleeping. A wrinkled white shirt was on him, hinting that he had thrown on the first shirt in reach. At his side he held tightly to a blood-red sword.

He looked around for a moment, watching the elves dart by him. Suddenly another boy, a few years older than himself, nearly collided with him.

"Eragon!" the older boy gasped, drawing a sword as he spoke. "Arya has sounded the alarm. Come with me; we need everybody to fight."

Eragon nodded quickly and they started running in same direction as the few others. "How many are there?" Eragon asked briskly.

"I am not sure," the boy admitted. "Kaiya and Rubaes went to try and determine the number."

Eragon frowned slightly at the boy's words, "You let her go alone, Murtagh?"

"No, I tried to tell her to wait and she refused. She is certainly stubborn."

The two boys rounded the last tent to fight a group of elves with their weapons out and ready. One of the elves turned to them immediately, a worried expression showing plainly across his face. "We cannot tell for certain until Lady Kaiya lands with word, but it seems there are many. They are still a little ways off, but Arya managed to detect them and sound the alarm."

"Where is Arya, Haldin?" Eragon asked nervously, glancing over Haldin's shoulder as if to find her behind him. The elf shook his head, "When I last saw her she was trying to catch Lady Kaiya before she departed. I do not know where she is now, but I would not worry—"

Haldin was interrupted suddenly as a fierce roar pierced the night. A large crimson object glided towards the ground at a fast pace. As soon as the menacing-looking dragon touched the ground, a girl hopped off it's back gracefully. She brushed her ebony hair away from her eyes and quickly raced to check the giant beast's wings. A few arrow punctures were in each monstrous wing, blood dripping steadily onto the dewy grass.

She finally turned her attention to the elf and two boys, a grim look across her face. "I couldn't get close enough without them shooting at Rubaes, but I do know that there are many." Her voice lowered and she said darkly, "Too many to fight."

"What happened to you?" Murtagh asked sharply, eying her left arm. There was blood dripping down it slowly. Kaiya quickly covered it with her other hand, putting pressure on the wound. "It is nothing, Murtagh," she replied hastily. "One of the arrows grazed me, but it is not bad."

"They are coming!" a loud voice bellowed over the crowd, silencing it. Haldin started to the front of the group while the others prepared for the fight. The snarls of Urgals overtook every other noise as they steadily came into view. There were so many… too many…

"Wake up Kaiya!" The voice was hushed, yet urgent. The groggy girl slowly opened her eyes to find Tesu towering over her. Every inch of her body ached from her poor sleeping position, and already she could feel a large headache stirring in her head. The sky was a soft lavender color, and the crescent moon could still be seen up in the sky.

"Whassa matter?" she mumbled, shoving away a blanket that had been draped over her during her uneasy sleep. At her side she could feel the dragon hatchling stirring.

"Er… nothing," Tesu replied hurriedly, taking care in avoiding her eyes.

"Liar," Kaiya hissed playfully.

He gave a sigh and pushed part of a loaf of bread at her. "Just get ready to depart. It would be unwise to stay in one place for too long, just in case we are being hunted by the Urgals."

Kaiya stood up at once, causing an irritated growl from the crimson dragon. "We have to go back," she growled threateningly to him.

"I told you that we couldn't," Tesu replied in guilty tone.

Kaiya tried to look up at him and still remain intimidating. "I am not going any farther until we go back for Jev. I shall go by myself if I must! What if there is a chance if he is still alive, waiting for us to come back for him? E-Even if he is dead, he deserves a decent burial. Would you let the man I considered a second father, the man that took us in, to be left to rot, to die in shame?"

Tesu was quiet, though he continued to saddle his and Kaiya's horse. Another sigh escaped from his lips and he turned back towards her, his azure eyes softening for a moment. "Then let us get started, though expect the worst. The chances of him being alive are slim, and even if he is alive he is almost certainly captured."

Kaiya smiled softly at her brother, "Thank you."

Soon both could feel the scorching sun on their backs as they rode at a gallop towards their destination. The little dragon sat in her bag on her lap, his head poking out and staring at the surroundings. Biting her bottom lip absentmindedly, she let her thoughts wander to her dream last night. Before then she didn't have time to think much of it, but now it bothered her greatly.

Why did I dream of myself, and who were those boys and elves? Eragon, Murtagh, Haldin, Arya… I have never heard of such names in my life, save Eragon. Was that the name of the first Rider, who father told me stories about?

"Eragon," Kaiya muttered to herself. She glanced across to Tesu, who was also deep in thought.

"I had a strange dream last night," she declared boldly to him. Frowning slightly, he said, "Yes?"

Trying to speak over the sound of the horses' thunderous hooves, she started telling him of the strange dream involving herself and the other people she had never seen before. Tesu listened carefully to each word she said, a peculiar look across his face at some moments.

"And you say it had your dragon in it?" Tesu finally asked after she had finished talking.

Kaiya nodded briskly, "Yes, except he large enough to ride." Her brow furrowed as she recalled the ferocious roar of the dragon and how menacing he looked. "I called him Rubaes," she mused. "It was the strangest dream though; it felt different than a normal dream, though I can't explain how." A smile tugged at her lips, "So do you think I am completely insane now?"

Tesu held no hint of amusement across his hard face. "Do you remember when you were seven and told me and father of a dream you had experienced? How you woke up sobbing because you had dreamt of father coming home covered in blood?" Tesu questioned thoughtfully.

"No," she replied slowly. Why was Tesu bringing up a dream she had eight years before?

"You were scared to death and wouldn't let go of father for an hour. You told us how two men brought him back nearly unconscious, blood drenching his entire shirt. His face was a waxy pale white color and he had a deep sword wound in his chest."

Tesu's words were chillingly familiar. "Why are you bringing this back up?" she demanded furiously.

"Because you dreamt of it. Somehow you knew of something six years before the event came to pass." He gazed at her with his cold eyes, "You can foretell the future, just like mother."

Kaiya would have laughed out loud if not for the deadly serious look across Tesu's face. Instead she said with as straight a face as she could manage, "What do you mean?"

"Mother had the power of the prophecy that came to her in her dreams. Meaning that your dream will most likely come to pass, eventually."

Kaiya peered down at the dragon in her bag, letting Tesu's words absorb. Rubaes. It sounded more like a male name, but it seemed to fit the little dragon perfectly. She tried the name and was surprised when a faint feeling of satisfaction that was not her own crept into her mind.

They continued nonstop for several more hours, mostly in silence. Kaiya replayed her dream over in her head and pondered what had happened. Who were these people, and why was she traveling with elves? Then the sickening thought crossed her mind: where was Tesu? Kaiya refused to even think of that question. Despite his new personality, he was still her flesh and blood.

Ahead of them Kaiya saw a small cluster of trees and a shimmering lake. She let out a sigh of relief; riding wasn't very pleasant when you rode nonstop. She grinned and dug her heels into Raiden, one hand tightening her grip on the pack that held Rubaes in it.

"Kaiya move!"

She heard Tesu's frantic voice and immediately veered off to the right just in time to see an arrow streak past her. A cry clung in her parched throat, but she swung into action instantly. Pulling back on the reins brutally, she let Raiden slow down just enough to jump off of him. Sitting atop of a horse was an easy target.

Her hand went to her side, where she had strung the sword Tesu had given her. Kaiya pulled it out instantly and searched for her unseen enemy.

Nothing. She searched frantically, using Raiden to shield her from any more arrows. Tesu had gone in a circle and was galloping furiously to meet her. Then she saw a bulky object hurtling towards her.

"Urgals," she hissed under her breath. Hatred took hold of her body as she recalled her last encounter with them. She looked at the white strip of cloth that was wrapped around her arm, then back up at the beast. A faint feeling of fury filled her mind, one that was not her own.

An angry yell escaped her and she flung herself at the enemy. The surprised Urgal blocked a bone-rattling attack from the furious girl. Hatred, rage, and her new Rider strength gave her the power to easily match her opponent.

The Urgal parried one of Kaiya's attacks… then found her sword pulled to his throat in an instant.

"It's your fault," she whispered angrily, the sword barely touching the Urgal's foul gray skin. Then, with the strange white oval glimmering dimly on her palm, she slit the beast's throat.

Hideous grayish blood stained the once untainted grass. The massive body fell to the ground with a hard thud. Although the sight was sickening, Kaiya took in a deep breath and nodded in satisfaction.

It was a few minutes later that Tesu walked up to her, the same gray blood covering his shirt. He took a quick look at the lifeless Urgal with a grim smile.

"There were only two, right?" Kaiya asked, wiping her blade clean with the Urgal's filthy shirt.

"As far as I know of. I assume they were from the same group as the Urgals that attacked us yesterday. They must have broken off from the rest to hunt us down and kill us." He smiled suddenly as his gaze turned to Kaiya, "You killed an Urgal and managed to survive with no more that a few scratches. Not just anyone could have managed that, especially at your age."

Kaiya took his words as a compliment. They walked over to their straying horses and started their ride once more with the promise of reaching their destination in an hour.

Time passed slowly. Her stomach gnawed with the hunger for dinner, but the girl dismissed it as she saw what lay ahead. As soon as they drew closer, she jumped off of Raiden and bolted anxiously towards the dead.

A stench of rotting flesh filled her nostrils, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. A grim look crossed her face as she saw the expressions on the people she had seen bustling with life the previous day. Sorrow overcame her, and she whispered each name as she passed by at a slow walk.

"Tom… Desalen… Lihon…" She continued down the list of men until she had to choke out the words. When she had finished, she ended with saying, "May you rest in peace, my friends."

Tesu had wandered away from her to a lone body. Crouching over it, he pushed it over softly with his hands. A weak moan escaped from him.

"Jev?" he whispered hopefully. The man's eyes fluttered open and he gave a faint laugh. "I told you… to leave this damned place…Tesu…"

"My sister is too stubborn for her own good, Jev. Now we got to get you up and dress your wounds." He reached to touch Jevden's shoulder, but Jev pushed it away. "Don't bother, Tesu. It's… already infected. It is deep, boy, and awfully painful." His chest shook violently as a cough erupted from him.

"You must listen to what I say. My time here is long overdue. I only regret having to endure such pain instead of passing on quickly. What of the dragon eggs, Tesu?"

Tesu swallowed hard and said, "Luck was on our side, Jev. A new Dragon Rider has come into play."

The light in Jevden's eyes was slowly beginning to dim. "Then you must make your way to the Varden. Do you remember the directions I gave you? Take it slowly… let her strength increase… and help her to become more powerful."

"Jev?"

Both men turned to find Kaiya flying towards the dying man. "Jev!" she cried in disbelief. Tesu stood up abruptly and walked away slowly. From behind him he could hear Kaiya's voice grow frantic until she was finally crying freely. Tesu didn't dare turn back.

Don't turn back.

He paused, silently vowing to do just that. There was no time to dwell in the past and it's events; he was needed. Death had shown him the path.

And he would follow.


And there you have it. For your information, Rubaes is pronounced roob-ay-iss. Yes, not very original, but I think it suits the dragon well.

Just as a little sidenote, this was one of my favorite chapters to write so far. I enjoyed writing the dream, although the whole 'power of prophecy' isn't all that original.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!