I slept with the egg beside me, nestling in the blankets of the chest while Luna wrapped around me. I was the first to wake up, the cave was still dark and the sun hadn't risen yet. I could see the egg sitting beside me and I could feel Luna's warm body against my back while the cold floor kept me the perfect temperature.

"You are awake," Luna mumbled.

"Yeah," I blinked and she lowered her head to face me.

"The day has yet to begin and still... it feels long."

"I just... can't believe it still," I looked at the chest.

"We must accept what we cannot change."

"I know... but this? Really? This.. This sucks. This means that... I'm never going to get home."

"It was not a part of our plan, I agree."

"So this is going to be our new life," I sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"We are going to be stuck here, running around finding dragon eggs and... and then what? What happens when we find them all? The Queen isn't going to let us just leave."

Luna let out a low growl," I'm not sure."

"And... And everything that's happening... I don't want to be here," I told her privately.

"You mean the fighting?"

"Yeah... I don't want to fight. I don't even know how. I mean, Jesada taught me some, but not much... just a few lessons. And I also don't want to die!"

"Yes, I feel like my skills would not measure up in a real fight."

"And it feels like we're on our own, I know we have Matt, Serena, and everyone here... but where is Queen Nasuada? Are we really safe? Matt said someone betrayed her, but only a few people knew about the Skulblaka Ebrithil," I checked to make sure everyone was still sleeping.

"Yes, we must keep an eye out. We must only trust one another." I was silent for a minute and Luna asked," What else is troubling you?"

"It's just... it's kind of hard to believe that while we've been here, there have people dying, you know?"

Luna sighed," I cannot believe the Rider Quinten is lost."

"I know... I feel like I just saw him," a tear rolled down my cheek. I closed my eyes," I just hoping it's all fake, you know? That it's some big cosmic joke."

"Perhaps we should focus on what the facts are. We must accept this."

"But I just can't believe that he's really dead."

I heard movement echo through the cave, Matt was awake now which meant everyone would be getting up soon.

"I'm surprised to see Valor and Corin stayed," Luna's eyes wandered to the entrance where the dark dragon slept.

"He'll leave when Matt wakes him up. Maybe it's good, he can get a message to the Queen or something, but I guess she already knows..."

Matthew wasted no time, he started packing and waking up all the Riders. He pulled out a copy of Tarathi's map, there were four X's scattered, one was the one near Ilirea where we had already gone, there was another one on an island up towards the top of the map, a third in the Forrest and the last one was near the mountains at the bottom.

"So this is where all the eggs are?," Serena asked, her eyes scanning the map. "Surda? Seriously?"

"It'll be fine," Matt told her.

"The place is under siege!," Ashley was on the verge of hysteria.

"I originally had wanted to go there first but the Queen put us here," he pointed to Marna", so we're closest to egg on Vronegard."

"I can't believe he was stupid enough to put an egg on Vronegard," Collin muttered.

"Stupid or extremely clever."

"Why? what is that place," I asked.

Serena turned to me," That's where the Vault of Souls is. It's where all Dragon eggs are stored now."

"Of course it is," I groaned.

"So you're off to Vronegard," Corin ventured closer to us.

Matthew quickly rolled the map up," Are you still here?"

"Yes," his eyes moved to me. "Maybe I was too hasty saying I would leave so soon."

"Well, too little too late," Serena sneered.

"One second you want me and the next you don't?," Corin was confused.

"How can we even trust you?," Serena asked.

My eyes feel on Corin, Serena is right. How can we trust him? He could be lying about everything.

"I'm a Dragon Rider," he puffed his chest out.

"So was Gallobrix," Serena countered.

"Let's take this down a notch," Collin settled them both.

"How can we trust him though? He says that he came with Quinten and they were 'attacked'... but he could have been the one to kill Quinten," Serena pointed her finger.

"What!?," Corin's jaw dropped.

"Serena!," Ashley gasped.

"That's a big accusation," Matthew even seemed surprised.

Could he have... I wondered.

"Well tell me I'm wrong, he's always been sketchy," Serena defended. "He acts like his better than us all and now he just shows up alone. What if he's the one who snitched to Conandus."

Corin stepped back," You must be joking."

"That's absurd," Valor snorted.

"Everyone calm down."

I sighed," Guys, can we just go? Corin can go his own way and we can go ours."

"Maybe I should stay, help you all" he offered

"Serena is right, it's weird that you suddenly want to come with when last night you were all 'honor of battle'."

"I thought about what Collin said last night, he's right. This was the Queen's orders and... it was also what Quinten would have wanted."

"Don't," I stopped him. "Don't...," I sucked in a deep breath.

"We're leaving now," Matt packed the map into Beloiuhn's satchel. "Corin, if you come I think it'll just cause more stress among us all. I think you were right, you should go back."

Corin sighed," Fine.. . but I will tell her it was you who sent me away."

"Fine," Serena crossed her arms.

"We should go," Matthew began to corral us out of the cave.

I heard Ashley scoff and whisper to Collin" Who killed Nasuanda and made her queen?"

I pretended not to hear.

Collin gave Corin one last look," Fly safe," was all he said before walking away.

I carefully wrapped the egg back into its blankets and slowly shut the lid.

"Will it even be safe in there?," Luna asked.

"It made it this far, right?"

"Yes... but I should fly carefully just for safety."

I went to lock the chest into Luna's saddle but Collin came over and took over.

"Let me help," he tied the chest into place.

"I... Thanks...," I turned and got onto Luna's back. I was in no mood to fight and it was just easier to let Collin feel like the hero he wanted to be.

Corin looked like he had something more he wanted to but he just got onto Valor and flew away.

Matthew turned to me," We'll fly North first, go around Lake Isenstar."

"I thought we were going west?"

"We will, but Gil'ead will attract too much attention. If Corin was really attacked, we don't know how many spies are in Alagaesia."

I nodded," How do we know he was really attacked?," I asked. "What if he did make it all up."

"Corin is a lot of things... but he's loyal to the crown," Matt told me. "Alright let's go," he andBeloiuhn flew off into the sky Collin and Razor followed then Luna and I followed with Ashley and Serena behind us. I looked behind, Diamond and Verona were right there, then Diamond pushed forward, soaring gently beside Razor. I rolled my eyes.

"Am I flying steadily? Is the chest rocking?," Luna sounded worried.

I looked down," No, it's fine. You're doing great."

There was aloud sheer shrill that pierced the air, it was deafening I had to take my hands off Luna's saddle and cover my ears. I knew she heard it too she went sideways like the sound was causing her to lose control. Then just as soon as it started, it ended, but it was replaced by the sound of screaming. I looked back, it was Serena, she was falling. Verona was tumbling through the sky, plummeting straight towards the ground.

I was frozen, but I saw a flash of pink as Diamond raced to her rescue.

"Go! Go!," Razor commanded as he flew to help Diamond.

Luna took the command and swiveled back and nose dived to where the others were, Beloiuhn sprung up in front of us and got into Luna's way.

"NOOO!," Matthew shouted.

Luna reared back so that she wouldn't collide with Beloiuhn.

"AHHHHHHH" I screamed holding on to Luna for dear life as she was now basically vertical and if I were to let go I would've fallen straight down.

Luna moved back and straightened out and I was able to slip safely back onto the saddle my heart pounding a million miles a minute as I tired to erase the thought of me falling to my death.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!" Luna demanded angrily.

"Go! Go now!" Beloiuhn told her.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Matthew screamed.

I looked past him to Verona she was now on the ground Diamond and Razor were with her. I couldn't see Serena. Where is she?!

"We can't just go!"

"LEAVE! GO!" Matthew and Beloiuhn pushed forward causing Luna to back up.

"She is in danger!" Luna told them.

"We must protect the egg!" Beloiuhn told her.

I immediately looked to the chest it was still strapped into place gently rocking as Luna's wings flapped to keep her suspended in the sky.

"GO NOW!" Matthew bellowed angrily with Beloiuhn pushing us back further.

Luna turned with another word, flying away from where the fallen Rider was on the ground. Luna pushed forward, I could feel her tense muscles.

"Luna we can't just leave them!" I called as she flew.

"We can't stay," I could hear the adrenaline in her voice.

I looked back over my shoulder, Matthew was still suspended in the air and then he flew after us. Beloiuhn made quick work to catch up to us, he flew behind me and slightly to the right.

What is going on?! What happened?!

"It'll be fine. Just keep going," Matthew relayed into my head with urgency.

"We can't just leave them!," I shouted to him and Luna sped up.

"Collin will take care of it," he told me, his voice sounded like he wasn't focused.

"What about Serena!" I yelled in hysteria.

"Alyson, focus. We need to fly," he looked to me and then I looked behind us. There was nothing else in the sky, my head dropped as I tried to control my rapid breathing.

What just happened? What was that? What made that noise?!

"Don't look back!," a new voice told me.

"Look out!," Matt called out loud.

To my left a large maroon dragon came into view. Corin? I screamed again as Luna had to veer away from him.

"It's me!," he yelled. "It's just me!"

"It doesn't matter," Matt told me. "Keep going."

I couldn't catch my breath I felt like my heart was going to eat out of my chest.

"Are you okay?" Corin asked into my head.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I shouted.

"Are you hurt!" he called over the roar of the wind.

I ignored him and looked back there was still nothing. I half expected something to be following us something but I hoped I'd see three dragons following behind catching up... but it was only empty sky.

I tried to reach out to Matt but he ignored me he kept telling me to push on or to keep going. It felt like we had flown for so long and every time I looked back there was nothing, no sign of Collin, Ashley or Serena.

"Luna go down."

"What?"

"We need to land. Now."

Luna didn't argue she dipped down.

"Alyson! What are you doing!?" Matt called out.

"Keep going!," Luna listened to me and then leveled out and landed with a steady thump on the floor.

"Alyson!," Matt went into my head.

Corin landed beside me," Are you hurt?"

"No" I brushed him off until Matt landed. "What the hell was that?!"

"Alyson we need to keep moving we're exposed here" Matt didn't even get of Beloiuhn's back.

"Tell me what's going on!"

"It was the same thing that got Quinten," Corin told us.

"Where did you even come from?" I eyed him up and down. "You left."

"I heard the noise," he ruffled his hair,"... it was the same as before," his eyes were distant like the memory was haunting him.

"Are you saying Serena's dead?!" the horror washed over me.

"I don't know. I tried to help but they told me to go with Matt... protect you." he sighed.

"Matt...," I turned back to the green dragon.

"We need to keep moving."

"What about Collin? Ashley?"

"They'll follow when they can. I promise, I'll explain when we stop for the night but for now, we need to keep moving. Get distance from whatever that was."

"We can't let them die!"

"It's out of our hands," he replied cooly. "Let's move."

Luna looked to me," We should get the egg to safety."

Stupid egg, I thought as I got back on her back. This isn't right.

"You do not mean that," Luna told me as she jumped into the sky following Beloiuhn.

"I know...," I sighed. "I just... I can't believe we're just going to abandon them there."

"It is strange and I wish we could save them, but I have no knowledge of what happened or how it happened. Razor and Diamond would be of more help to Verona than I. And you also no nothing of this world, we would only be in the way."

"But to just leave? Leave them for dead?"

"They are Dragon Riders, they can make it."

"Quinten was a Rider too," I told her.

It was enough to quiet Luna, she followed Beloiuhn at a quick pace, we ran into a lake and rode along the shoreline still heading away from the possible massacre we left behind. I knew Matt would shut me out, he wasn't going to listen or explain anything to me. I turned to Corin, he was distracted, practically turned all the way around in his saddle watching where we had come from. He looked scared, terrified of whatever it was that had struck Serena out of the sky.

He's not lying... that means Quinten really is... he really is dead.

My eyes turned to the chest now, it was the cause of everything that one stupid egg. But not only this egg, the other ones too, they were all to blame for this. Tarathi and his curse were now taking innocent people's lives.

Maybe if the eggs were gone... there would be no Skullblaka Ebrithil... then there would be nothing for Conandus to take from Alagaesia. Maybe he would just leave us alone.

Matt waved me down, signaling we would land, I looked behind me as Luna descended to the ground, but all I saw was the sinking sun on the skyline. I leapt off Luna quickly and ran to Matt.

"Tell me. What happened to them!?"

"We need to be protected first. I'll cast a spell to hide us you go with the dragons to the lake, they need to drink."

"But Matt, you sa-..."

"Alyson, we'll take later," he shut me out again.

"Come, we must drink," Beloiuhn lead me away from where Matt was facing the endless desert and towards the lake.

"He can't just keep blowing me off!," I pouted.

Luna and Beloiuhn drank a lot, I made sure to drink some too but the water tasted different. I didn't drink too much because I didn't know it it was tainted or not and I didn't have purifier on me. I heard raised voices to turn back and see Corin and Matt squabbling.

"You lead them right to us!," Matt shouted.

"No! I was careful," he defended.

"We took extra measures so we could not be followed," Valor explained.

"Not good enough! And now because of you they know where we are and we're down three Riders!"

"They didn't follow me!"

I stepped forward," Why did you come back?"

They both turned to me" Well... I heard it... that noise. I knew what it was."

"What is it?," Matt crossed his arms.

"It was the very same that had stuck Erea down mid-flight," Valor told us.

"So it was what attacked Quinten? So you did lead it right to us!," Matt was furious.

"Don't act so mighty. I just saw you abandon Collin and Ashley leaving them to fend for themselves with Serena. You're a coward!," Corin yelled, jabbing his finger in Matt's face.

"Stop screaming!," I begged them.

"Coward? Coward, really? I'm following Queen's orders. I'm doing my job!"

"Spoken like a true coward hiding behind the 'call of duty'. Admit you ran for your life like a scared child."

Beloiuhn stepped in between Corin and Matt, roaring directly into Corin's face causing him to fall backwards. Valor then pushed forward and got into Beloiuhn 's face, roaring louder. It was like watching the world's largest pissing contest in person.

"GUYS! PLEASE!," I was scared, I could see flashbacks to when Collin had attacked Ariana and I didn't want to have to watch it all over again.

Corin picked himself up and brushed off the dirt and Matt pulled Beloiuhn back, leaving only a silence in the air. Matt stroked Beloiuhn's neck then looked at Corin.

"I have only one mission while I'm here. It's to protect her," Matt looked to me.

Corin then looked back over his shoulder," Why? Because she's who you believe to be the Skulblaka Ebrithil? The fantasy you've come up with in you're head" Corin laughed like he thought Matt was crazy.

"You know the Queen would not have sent us away for nothing" Matt turned back to Corin. "Think about it Corin, she knows that this is the last hope Alagaesia has."

Corin kept his eyes on me, I stayed away on the sideline of their argument.

"Last hope? There hasn't even been an officially deceleration of war," Corin sneered.

The sun was fading fast, the last light of dusk was all that was left as the night was closing in quickly.

"You know we don't stand a chance against the Toorjeegian army," Matt stated bluntly.

Finally Corin looked back to face him," I know that. We're are not built for war... we are truly doomed if Conandus fights."

"We're not doomed if we can get her to those eggs. If we keep her safe, Alagaesia still has a chance. Whatever tried to attack us knows that, that's why they tried to steal the egg from you and Quentin, that's why it's trying to kill her."

My breath caught, it' trying to kill me, because I'm the Skulblaka Ebrithil. God, this just keeps getting worse! Everyone was quiet, Corin was processing everything Matt had told him. It was after me... but Serena was in the back, so it got her by mistake, that means it's my fault that she died. It's my fault Quinten died.

"We need a fire," Corin said and walked off towards the lake.

I let out a slow shaky breath," So it's my fault?" I asked Matt. "I'm the reason she's dead?.. A-And Quinten?"

"No," Matt shook his head. "Conandus did this. Not you."

"But he did it because of me," I was trying to stay calm but the tear were rolling.

"Whatever his reasons are, they're on him. He's vicious, vindictive, and headstrong... he would've have came to Alagaesia eventually. But now," he crouched down so he could look me in the eyes. "Now we have a chance to beat him."

"But I don't fight, Matt. I don't know how to do anything."

"I can teach you. Magic is all about the words" he told me. "And we can learn on the road, you too Luna."

"It reminds me of the book... " she said softly.

She was right, it was like Eragon's journey, learning how to be a Dragon Rider from Brom, trying to defeat Gallobrix.

"What about Eragon?," I asked hopefully. "He can do something right?"

Matt looked down briefly" Eragon brought back the Dragon Riders, he came to Earth and found us and I'm sure right now he's somewhere coming up with a plan to help... but he's only one Rider. He can only do so much."

Corin came back with some wood and set it down to build fire, Matt turned," Birsingr," he spoke and like in a cloud of green spurted flames. "See? It's just learning the right words.

I looked to Luna, I could feel my eyes were puffy and not doubt red from the tears and from me rubbing them.

"We will let the boys discuss fire," Luna's eyes moved from where they were to me. "Let's take this saddle off."

I went around and started to unstrap it from her when I saw the chest, I stopped for a second before approaching the wooden box. I took it off Luna's saddle and held it in my arms.

This is the reason people are dying. This is what's causing everything, I started to tremble with rage and the urge to open the box and shatter the egg hit me like a wave. That's when the hum floated out again and the single melody eased the turmoil infesting my brain, my muscles relaxed and Luna spun around to look at the chest too.

"It is also hope," she whispered, responding to my thoughts. "It can help protect and save lives in the future."

I stayed silent straining to hear the last notes of the tune before it faded away, I set the chest down and opened the lock, looking in on the egg bundled in blankets. We were both quiet until Luna spoke again.

"I had not seen the egg" she confided. "Not until yesterday... You had seen it on your journey and then again with the Queen... but with my first time being such a short while ago I cannot explain my attachment to it...," she sounded like her breath was taken away by the sight of the sleek gray shell. " I have a need to keep it safe, something inside me telling me to watch over this small hatchling and protect it with everything I can. Do you feel that too?"

"No," I admitted to her, eyes locked on the contents of the chest. "Just a minute ago I wanted to smash it."

"But now?"

"No... if it died.. I think it would kill me...," It was hard to say the words."My emotions are kind of giving me whiplash...," I turned to look at Luna and our eyes met. "Why does it feel like this? Why does it have this effect on us?"

"This small dragon, not even yet born into the world has taken from you, from both of us. It has taken the life we had on Earth and in a way if has stoped us from returning as soon as we had wanted. And yet it is giving us so much more than we could have ever wanted or hoped for."

"You kind of did that too," I told her sincerely. I didn't just mean being trapped in Alageasia, I meant she had given me more than I had asked for, but both of them applied in this situation.

"Yes...," she agreed to the good and the bad. "But now the fate we have has been sealed. We are locked on this path before us."

I turned back to the egg, reaching out with my subconscious I could feel the life inside bursting to be free. Just as I was reaching for it, it was reaching for me and we were connected for a brief moment.