Chapter VII
My Past Memories are Shared

"One night, five years ago, I was walking in Du Weldenvarden and I saw something in the distance. I walked curiously to the creatures, and when I reached close to them I saw the creatures were about ten Urgals. What stood by them was Islanzadí's description of a Shade. 'Who are you?' I asked.
'I am Durza,' he said.
I remember his cold, harsh voice frightening me.
'Have you seen an elf running around here?' he asked me.
'Well no, but my cousin, Arya…' Durza smiled at Arya's name, 'she ran from our house saying something about a stone.'
'Thank you,' said Durza,' you are most helpful.'
I was confused, 'How do you know Arya?'
'We are friends of hers,' he said running off, Urgals following.
"Then I went back to Ellesméra and rested. Then the next day Islanzadí asked me where I had been. I told her the whole thing, about the Urgals and about Arya's 'friend'.
'What was his name again?' she asked after I had finished.
'I think he said it was Durza.'
'Are you sure it was, in fact, Durza?' she asked sounding like she was frightened.
'Yes, I am most positive it was Durza, why, is it a bad thing?'
'I am afraid I must say yes, it is a very bad thing.'
'Why?'
'Durza is not a friend of Arya, but an enemy to all of us, he is Galbatorix's highest praised servant, he is also, as you might have noticed, a Shade.'
'I...I...I can't believe I just helped Galbatorix capture Arya!' I yelled scared out of my mind.
'It's okay, Amber, don't worry about her she'll get out somehow, she always does.'
'NO! I'm going after Durza, and you can't stop me!' I yelled running out of the room.
'Amber, don't it's too dangerous, you could get killed!'
'I don't care, I'm going to save her!' I yelled running faster.
'Amber, don't!' she yelled, but I had already left.
I ran fast trying to get to Gil'ead in time to save Arya. Days passed and I was beginning to think I was too late, but I kept going to avenge her if she were dead ,and by the slightest chance she was still alive I would save her. When I finally got close enough I could see Gil'ead, I was grabbed from behind around my torso, and then what ever had grabbed pulled me up so that my legs were now dangling five feet from the ground. I looked around and saw it was an Urgal who had captured me. Then out of thin air Durza appeared in front of me.
'Ah whom do we have here,' he said in his cold voice, 'the one who helped us locate our enemy and our egg.'
The Urgal grunted at this because to him it was probably funny.
'Don't laugh make sure she won't try and get out of this,' he commanded.
The Urgal put one of his horns to the back of my neck, I stayed very still as Durza continued on, 'That will suffice enough for our cause, but give it more thought.'
The Urgal was now starting to squeeze me harder and harder until I could hardly breathe. After a few seconds my vision flickered and I passed out.
"I woke shortly after to see bright silver orbs floating in the air and dancing around Durza who was saying something in Shade. He held both sides of his cape with outstretched arms that made him appear to have wings. The orbs moved closer and closer toward me after Durza stopped his chanting. The Urgal squeezed me even tighter then dropped me on the ground. The collision with the ground weakened me even more. Then the orbs were floating over me they just stopped floating and hit my body making me fall asleep somehow.
"When I woke, again, I jumped as I saw my reflection in Durza's sword. My eyes widened as I looked from Durza to his sword over and over, but it wasn't my reflection that scared me, it was what was on my face in my reflection that scared me. My face had Shade marks on it and my hair, and eyes were just as maroon as Durza's. I franticly rubbed my face hoping the marks were just dirt, but no they were real. I had become what the elves mostly feared: a traitor and a Shade. Durza grabbed my arm, and, with some force, pulled me to my feet.
'Come,' he said to me.
Somehow ,no matter how much I tried to turn away, I listened and followed him all the way to Gil'ead. He was running ahead of me, then just disappeared into thin air once more. I sill walked into Gil'ead trying to follow him, but to where I was unsure.
"I walked into a wide room with one door on the opposite wall. I ran behind a pushed out wall as I heard someone coming. In two seconds a boy of sixteen or seventeen -Eragon- walked into the room. He walked over to the door and opened it with magic. I saw Arya lying on a stone table. Durza appeared behind Eragon, Durza started to talk but I couldn't hear him. All of a sudden Eragon lunged at Durza with his sword, but Durza disappeared and reappeared in the middle of the room. Once Eragon had walked into the room Durza raised his arms making the weapons on the wall behind him rattle and shake. Moving his arms straight in front of him Durza made the weapons fly off the wall toward Eragon. Eragon dropped to the floor and rolled sideways. When he got up he blocked the last weapon with his sword. Durza then made the wall crumble into boulders and fly at Eragon. Eragon shouted 'brisingr' and the blue fire shielded Eragon making the boulders fall to the ground. Eragon was weakened by using the magic and dropped his sword. Durza then mumbled something I couldn't hear, and dropped his hand down. I realized he was making a spear levitate, and as he turned his hand the spear was turning and pointing at Eragon now. Durza was mumbling something as he did this. It was probably something bad because Eragon was shaking his head and he looked scared. As Durza turned his hand over the spear flew at Eragon. Right as the spear was going to hit Eragon Brom jumped in front of Eragon, and the spear hit Brom in-between the ribs. Eragon seeing this grabbed Zar'roc, which Brom was carrying, and threw it at Durza, who blocked it with Shade magic and again mumbled something I couldn't hear. Eragon quickly took out his bow and an arrow, and as Durza looked back at Eragon, Eragon shot Durza in the head with the arrow. Durza turned transparent and disappeared like dust.
"I ran behind Eragon, Arya, and Brom as they fled Gil'ead. I wasn't close enough that they could see me, so that I wouldn't end up like Durza. All of a sudden they stopped as soldiers were running at them so they couldn't escape. Then, a defining roar followed by the ceiling crumbling occurred as Saphira came to rescue Eragon, Arya, and Brom. When Saphira made the ceiling crumble the debris crushed a few soldiers. Eragon asked Saphira if she could carry all of them. Even though I couldn't hear her answer I knew she couldn't for very long. Arya laid Brom in Saphira's front claws and put herself in the saddle as Eragon fought off the soldiers. Eragon saw Murtagh on the balcony above him and Murtagh shot a solider sneaking up on Eragon with an arrow. Eragon jumped onto Saphira's saddle. Saphira turned on her leg, flared her wings, and flew out of the hole in the ceiling she had made upon her entrance.
"Reacting quickly I ran out of Gil'ead and followed Saphira, who was losing altitude from the weight of three people. I ran to where she had now landed in a near-by forest. As soon as I got there I hid further back in the forest a little ways from their camp. I dropped to my knees feeling sudden pain in between my shoulder blades, which were throbbing because Durza had flung his sword at me earlier. A few minutes later I heard rustling in the bushes, and Saphira appeared out of the darkness toward her camp. As I looked closer at her I realized Brom was on her back, and I knew it wasn't a good sign. Brom said something to her and she let him off her back and walked toward me. I was scared and back away.
'Don't worry, Amber, I'm not going to hurt you,' he said, ' no one should serve Galbatorix under magic when they are your age or any.'
He moved closer and put his hand on my chest. Then he said words in the ancient language, and his palm was glowing. I saw the dancing lights Durza summoned before- spirits. They had appeared in front of me, stayed for a few seconds, then fled. Brom got back on Saphira looking weaker than before.
'This isn't your fault little one,' she told me with her mind and flew off."
"After that I never saw Brom again, and later I knew why," I said finishing my story.

Ellestygia had backed when I told her about being a Shade; it was no less than I expected.
Amber, I'm not afraid of you, just a little stunned at Durza's evil ways. Why would he just turn a random girl into a Shade, for no reason, it's insane!

"Well, being insane was Durza's character trait, along with being crazy."
I have one more question, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what exactly did Brom do to you?
I expected that, "He used the last of his strength to reverse what Durza did, he saved me from being a Shade," I said realizing my eyes were filling with tears.
Amber, that was Durza's fault, not yours.
"Yes it was! If I hadn't told Durza where Arya was none of this would have happened!"
Then Eragon wouldn't have Saphira and you wouldn't be a Rider and I would still be at Urû'baen.
"But…"
Drop it, she growled.

I walked over to her and got on her back.
Amber I have another question, how did Brom know you?
I smiled, "Arya and I used to play with his Saphira, and he was real good friends with the elves," I said still holding back tears, "let's go."
She flared her wings, and jumped into the sky toward Leona Lake. In at least two hours she landed close to the giant, blue lake's shore.

Chapter VIII
The Trouble at Leona Lake, Christal

When we arrived I heard what sounded like a dragon fighting another dragon. I looked at the sky and sure enough there was a dragon fighting a Lethrblaka -the Ra'zac's parents and mounts that were bug-like and their wings were like leather. What was worse than seeing the Lethrblaka was that it was besting the dragon.
"That Lethrblaka is besting that dragon, Ellestygia."
Yes, I can plainly see that and it's dripping in blood!

"And the Lethrblaka hasn't got a scratch."
That's a disgrace.
After a few minutes of watching the dragon and Lethrblaka fight, I saw the Lethrblaka push off the dragon. As the dragon was plummeting I saw what appeared to be it's Rider fall off of it. I started to run toward the lake, but I stopped as I noticed another Lethrblaka on the shore. I saw the Rider hit the lake's water very hard, then, in a minute swim to shore. There the Ra'zac grabbed the Rider, who now I saw was a girl that could have been two years younger than myself. A distraction came to the Ra'zac as the girl's dragon fell into the lake. The Lethrblaka on the shore went after the dragon, "Ellestygia!" I said, but she had already gone after the Lethrblakas.

Now one of the Ra'zacs was running at me, I quickly drew my ice blade and called, "Adurna!"
As I expected the water froze midway down, but this time the ice looked like curved spikes. Every time I hit the Ra'zac it was stunned by the freezing temperature of my blade. After a few minutes I succeeded in killing the Ra'zac. I dropped my sword and quickly drew my bow and an arrow, aiming it at the other Ra'zac that was trying to kill the girl.
"Brisingr!" I yelled and let go of the arrow.
The blue flaming arrow skirted the girl's arm by inches.
"Get down!" I yelled.
The girl dropped to the ground as the arrow hit the Ra'zac making a blue explosion behind the girl. It had killed the Ra'zac who was not anywhere to be seen. A huge scream broke the two-minute silence, as the girl and I stared at each other, as one of the Lethrblakas was killed by Ellestygia. An even louder scream came from Ellestygia as the other Lethrblaka bit her wing.
"Ellestygia!" I yelled.
Before I could do anything the girl responded.
"Jierda!" she commanded.
I heard a loud snap as the Lethrblaka's leg broke, and it fell to the ground. Ellestygia did like wise, her legs giving to he weight. Just as she was getting up the third Lethrblaka rammed her in the side, but she had had it. She turned and rammed the Lethrblaka with her horns, knocking it off of her. I looked back at the girl, but she had fainted from using the magic. After a few minutes Ellestygia and I had killed the remaining two Lethrblakas. I went over to the girl, "Ellestygia, can you try and find her dragon?"
I'll try, but I don't know how much I can stand my wing hurting like it is. "Alright do your best and I'll take care of everything else."
She walked over to the lake, and dove into the middle of it. I grabbed the girl's left hand, "Dragon Rider," I said confirming that I was right about her. I looked over as Ellestygia who had drug the girl's unconscious dragon to where I was sitting.
"Vanka," I commanded.
The girl slowly opened her eyes, and was now staring up at me.
"Who are you?" she asked in a soft voice.
"I am Amber, and this is Ellestygia," I replied," who are you?"
"I am Christal, and that is Fricilly my dragon."
"I owe you, you saved my dragon."
"I did?"
"Yes, if you wouldn't have said that spell that Lethrblaka would have seriously injured her."
I could have taken it, said Ellestygia sounding a little offended.
"Right," I said.
"Lethrblaka, is that what those things were?" asked Christal.
"Yes, they are the Ra'zac's mounts and parents, it's kind of odd."
"You're right that is weird. So, how's your dragon?"
"I don't know yet, but I will soon."
I walked over to Ellestygia and started to examine her for serious injuries.
Ow, stop it, it hurts.
"Sorry, but did you just hatch for me to complain?" I said grinning.
"Well, it doesn't seem to be severely broken, but everything else seems… what in the world! That is a big gash!" I said concerned, "Ellestygia I have to heal that, now."
No I won't let you, you need to save your energy, she said.
"No way, I need to heal that or it might get infected."
I won't let you do that not now, not here.
"Yes, here, yes now." I said getting a little annoyed with her stubbornness, "Waíse heill!"
My palm with my gedwëy ignasia started to glow light blue, and the light connected the space between Ellestygia's gash and my hand.
Amber, she growled at me. I felt dizzy and light-headed as I let the magic go, Ellestygia's gash was now gone completely.
Amber, are you alright? she asked softly.
"Yes, I'm fine," I said heavily.
"Are you alright, Amber?" asked Christal.
"I'm fine, thanks."
For the next few minutes I pondered how we were to get back to Ellesméra.
"Hey, Christal, do you know how to ride?" I asked.
"What a horse or Fricilly?"
"Either one."
"Well a horse, yes I am very good at riding a horse, but a dragon, as you saw, not so much."
Yeah that's obvious, isn't it? said Ellestygia.
"Shut it, Ellestygia."
"Wait how can you hear her, I sure can't," asked Christal.
"Well dragons and their Riders talk using their minds, but if the dragon talks and another Rider is there the Rider has to be expecting it,the dragon or Rider wants them to be a part of the conversation, or they have the training to talk with their minds."
"Oh, well that explains some things."
"Well I can teach you so you don't fall again."
"Really, you would do that!" she said getting excited.
Amber, but what about…
I'll talk to Eragon, don't worry, I said with my mind so Christal couldn't hear.
After a few minutes I figured out how we were to get back.

"I know how we are to get back, Christal, you will fly on Fricilly, and I'll call an old friend."

"But who?" asked Christal. I winked at Ellestygia,

What? she said confused.

I hummed an eerie tune, and then an animal touched my mind.

Amber, is that you?

Yes, Tobascco, it's me.
Yes, I remember you now.
Can you come to Leona Lake?I need a way to get back to Ellesméra.
And I'm the 'way' aren't I?
Uh...yeah.
Well it might take a while, even with me being a Du Weldenvarden horse, probably two days, four days tops.
Thanks a lot.
You're welcome, see you then, she said.
We both withdrew.
Who was that! roared Ellestygia entering my mind in a split second, the sudden touch made me jump. Then I had to tell her about Tobascco.
There was a few minutes silence, then, "Amber, what are we going to do with Ellestygia, I mean she can't fly, can she?" asked Christal.

I knew Ellestygia had touched Christal's mind when Christal gave a sudden jump.

I heard Ellestygia's words though, Excuse me, I'm not that old!
Christal looked like she thought Ellestygia was going to attack her.
"I'm sorry I didn't know!"
Ellestygia withdrew from her.
"Ellestygia, be nice."
I'm sorry I don't know what happened.
"Well it's late, Christal, let's go to bed, you training starts tomorrow." "Alright."

Christal and I laid down, and I fell into my waking dreams.