Finished this up while listening to Taylor Swift's new album Red. :D
When Veyna awoke, the first thing she noticed were the interiorly spiked manacles binding her wrists to a large steel column. She opened her mouth to utter an incantation when a voice said, "Already tried that. They're impervious."
Staria sat a few feet away to Veyna's left, looking distinctly weary, depressed, and bored. "Took you long enough. Istalri was worried." She tossed her head in the other direction, behind them. At the other end of the hall, loop after loop of iron chains immobilized the two dragons. Her sword, oddly, was still in its scabbard on her hip, but it was just out of reach of her bound hands.
"How long?" Veyna asked.
"Impossible to know in here. I started counting, but lost it after twenty-one."
"Minutes?"
"Seconds. My head was a bit foggy."
"Ah." Veyna looked around the chamber, taking in the flickering torches, stone walls, and royal purple wall hangings. Swords hung on the walls like trophies, but by the dust that had collected on them, the battles were long since over. Blood dripped from her wrists from her earlier tugging.
"Waíse heill," she commanded, the pain replaced by itching as the skin repaired itself.
"Wasting your energy on that?" a new voice asked silkily, "But you'll need all of it to face me."
They both whipped their heads around. The heavy maple doors were being closed silently by the sallow young man they had seen earlier.
"Greetings, Adura, Istalri," the man said, giving them a short bow. "Staria, Veyna," he added with distaste.
"Who are you?" Veyna questioned.
"Who are you, not 'please, please let me go'? Well, Riders have improved a bit since Vrael," he mocked, directing his words at the ceiling, as if there were someone above them listening in.
"Who are you?" Veyna asked again through clenched teeth.
"My name is Rasib," the man answered, "Did that help you overmuch?"
The two were silent, just staring at him furiously.
"But let's see...about me...I was born in Urû'baen—"
"Ilirea," Staria muttered under her breath.
"Yes, yes, you elves and all your fancy names. Urû'baen...fall of the wise, translated...a more apt name would have been fall of the weak. But I'm sure Galbatorix had his reasons. I am Rasib, also known as Shadow Menace and the Dark Rider."
Veyna stifled a gasp. This man was a Rider? Surely not of a dragon...a Lethrblaka, maybe.
"I am also a Shade."
Staria just stared at him. "That's impossible," she said flatly, "There has never been a Shade Rider. Besides, Shades have red hair and eyes."
"Touch my mind; you'll see," he challenged. His mind surged toward the unprepared girls, battering against their defenses with such force that they knew he could not be ordinary. Only Adura and Istalri bolstering their minds kept the two sane as the attack raged on, until at last Rasib withdrew.
"Would you like to meet my dragon?" he asked politely.
There was a crashing sound on the floor above them, and a giant black head snaked its way in, surveying them will pale, almost lifeless, eyes. It snorted, hissing menacingly at them.
"Not yet, Shuke," he said softly, "We have more of your kind to liberate first." He addressed the prisoners before him. "This is Shuke, son of Shruikan and Dramaria."
"Shruikan?" Veyna asked in spite of herself.
"Shruikan's offspring tend to be a bit...mad," Rasib explained. "They are as good as wild. Lash out at anyone, anything. That's why we made the perfect pair. Shade and dragon, a never before seen match. All thanks to Galbatorix imprisoning Shruikan for so many years."
"But we have a dragon who is also Shruikan's kin..." Staria murmured. "He is fine."
"Are you so sure?" Rasib laughed. "Now, I must leave for a while. I have something to attend to. Namely, your friends, being slaughtered by my energy bubble. Oh, do you like it, by the way? Impressive? A few simple words the the ancient language, the right intent, and a number of human sacrifices and you could make your own!" With that, the maple doors slammed shut behind him.
For a moment, the two sat in silence. Staria finally voiced their dreaded suspicion. "The battle didn't weaken that energy bubble. He let us through. It was a trap."
Veyna nodded grimly. She tugged at the handcuff, feeling the spikes dig deep into her wrist as she pulled. It was no use; the pain was virtually unbearable. If she completely numbed her arm, she might have been able to get it out, but she didn't want to risk not being able to repair the damage or not being able to restore feeling to her arm. With a few words she healed her wrist, but she was even more tired than before.
A few feet away from her, Staria lifted her manacled wrist up for inspection. It had no visible seam or locking mechanism, but Rasib must have attached them somehow... How long had they been unconscious? Could he have had time to forge them around their wrists?
Veyna felt like it had only been a few hours, but if she had slipped into an elf comatose state...there was no way to tell how much time had passed.
"We should rest," Staria interrupted her thoughts. Veyna nodded, shifting into a more comfortable sitting position against the pole. She closed her eyes, her mind's eye conjuring up her home in Du Weldenvarden, Taíthos. She hadn't been there in three years. What were her parents doing right now? We're they worrying about her? She imagined Shuke firebombing the buildings and came back to reality with a start.
Staria and Adura were still sound asleep, but her split-second panic had woken Istalri. Though they had shut off their connection when they arrived in the castle, a thread still ran between them. Istalri gazed at Veyna in the chandelier's light, sending hope and reassurance to her through their link, tiny as it was. Comforted, her eyes slipped closed once again.
The doors banged open, startling the elves into alertness. "I never thought it would be so easy," Rasib gloated, "Arya and Murtagh have ordered a full retreat to Urû'baen!"
"Why are you doing this?" Staria asked tiredly.
"Are you really trying to free the dragons?" Veyna added.
"Of course. Beings that majestic and blessed with that much power shouldn't be chained to the likes of you. Just look at Saphira. Eragon wouldn't even risk his own life but sent her by herself? People like him—"
"How do you know?" Staria questioned.
"Shruikan," Rasib answered, a fiery light in his eyes. "Shruikan lived for decades, bound to Galbatorix, unable to disobey him in any way. Galbatorix twisted him, forced him to do the most heinous things to his own kind… I liberate the dragons, one by one, so no more will suffer like Shruikan did."
"Galbatorix was evil!" Veyna protested, "We don't force—"
"No more talking," Rasib snapped. "Istalri and Adura have struggled long enough. Freedom shall be theirs!"
Staria and Veyna's eyes widened. He was going to cut their bonds! Rasib's voice was low and controlled, full of power as he carefully intoned the words of the spell. The two dragon's frantic thrashing lessened as he continued, their eyes glazing over. As soon as he was done, they'd be wild—numb and glassy-eyed no more, quite the opposite.
An explosion rocked the castle. Dust billowed out as the front wall of the room collapsed on itself, chunks of stone breaking off and falling everywhere. The elves coughed, straining to see their dragons through the tainted air.
When they looked back towards Rasib, he was gone. A pile of rubble lay where he had been just a few seconds before. Atop it stood her sister, Kyra.
"Hello, Veyna, Staria," Kyra smiled, "Miss me?"
At first, Veyna just stared at her in shock, only able to take in the little things to keep from being overwhelmed. Kyra's sword, even in its scabbard, was stained a dark crimson, as though this hadn't been her first stop in the castle. She looked good, however, her auburn hair falling in cascades down her shoulders. On her right hand, the nimbus of pink magic was fading, leaving behind only the silvery mark, the gedwëy ignasia. The red light, however, was still in her eyes as she looked at them. Seeming to realize this, she blinked, the unnatural color disappearing. "Sorry," she shrugged, "It made good camouflage in here."
"Where's Rasib?" Staria asked flatly, making it clear from her voice that she did not trust Kyra at all.
"Eragon sent me," Kyra answered, "My proof will be here in a couple of minutes." She stepped forward bringing her sword down with the sound of metallic ringing on the handcuffs binding Veyna, slicing through them easily with her enchanted blade.
Her other manacle was cleaved off just as easily, as were Staria's and their dragons'.
"We need to find our way back to that place where the dragons can fly us out of here," Staria took charge, rubbing her wrists. "Veyna, do you remember seeing this room on our way past?"
"No," Veyna answered, looking around. "Istalri doesn't recall in what direction they were taken. They were hiding on the roof, next to that opening, but all she remembers is a sharp pain."
"Adura too," Staria agreed, "Kyra?"
"Not really," she replied, "I took a lot of turns on my way. Only figured out you were here a strong tug in my gut. Must be a twin thing. I know we're in one of the towers though."
"The top?" Staria asked. Kyra shook her head. "We won't need the opening if we can get to the roof." The group of six picked their way through the rubble. They had ascertained that Rasib—unfortunately—was not buried in it. He must have gotten away somehow.
They climbed a flight of stairs and skirted around a room full of bald men chanting incessantly at the ceiling. Another flight of stairs and the Riders and their dragons reached the roof, where the distinctive pink dragon Nuaen waited patiently. Veyna noted that despite her cheek and overall sunniness, Kyra seemed a little grim at the mouth. Had she escaped from the island instead of being released by Eragon? Veyna would like to think her sister wouldn't do that, but she really didn't know what her twin was capable of anymore. Had Kyra coerced Nuaen into serving her and thus fooled Eragon? She hated to doubt her sister like this, but, given the circumstances, she had more than the right to.
Istalri dove off into the blackness. Again they both felt the intense, sharp tingling sensation as they passed through the bubble of dark magic. It took no time at all to locate Arya's camp and fly down into it. Apparently the energy required to heal injuries had prevented further movement to Ilirea. It was nightfall again, and most of the Riders there were sound asleep. Arya, however, sat by the fire, legs tucked up to her chest. Her eyes widened as they landed in from of her.
"Staria, Veyna...it's good you're back. And... Kyra?" Arya asked, her stately composure slipping a moment. "How...?"
"I believe that is on me," Eragon stepped out of the darkness, patting Saphira's nose as she reached down to nuzzle him. "She was successful in healing her broken bond with Nuaen, showing that this spell can be counteracted."
Arya dipped her head. "I did not expect to see you here, Eragon," she murmured.
"No prophecy is going to keep me from fighting for what I stand for," Eragon promised. "Now, bring me up to date. Staria?"
"We flew from Osilon to Gil'ead and then found our way here," she explained. "As soon as one of the Riders hit the magic shield surrounding Rasib's castle, Soetrí, Tierre, and some others broke loose from our ranks and dove into the castle, going straight through. A moment later they were back, eyes red, and started slaughtering us. Arya sent Veyna and me inside to do some recon. We witnessed a dragon-freedom cult ceremony and were detected by Rasib. Rasib is a Shade Rider; his dragon Shuke is Shruikan's son. He believes that all dragons suffer as Shruikan did, and he and Shuke are dedicating their lives to "freeing" all of the dragons from their Riders. Rasib was about to sever our bonds when the wall crashed on him."
"As Eragon knows, I had been making a little progress re-bonding with Nuaen," Kyra told them all, "While you were gone, we began to trust each other again, enough that Nuaen requested I be released to help in this mission. Eragon granted her request and then decided he himself was needed. We both flew on Nuaen straight here, which is why we have no armor. Nuaen dropped Eragon off at his desired location and landed on the roof of the tower. I entered the castle and was forced to kill a few of the more devout believers. It was then I detected a trace of Veyna's presence. I followed it and knocked down the wall with magic."
Staria picked up the narrative. "We discovered Rasib had disappeared and made our escape," she concluded.
"And you really reforged your bond with Nuaen?" Arya asked, looking at them both with a heightened respect.
"One question," Eragon interrupted. "How did you get in? Shouldn't that field of black magic have prevented your entrance?"
"At first we thought it was being taxed from the battle and couldn't stop two dragons at once," Staria told him.
"Then we began to wonder if it was intentional on their part," Veyna said darkly.
"What about you?" Staria asked, "Can't you just, like, say the Name and delete the spell causing that bubble?"
"I've already tried that," Arya answered, ignoring their questioning glances—Arya knew the name of the Ancient Language along with Eragon? "It worked—for a few seconds. It is only reasonable that this Rasib knows the Name as well."
"Do you think Nasuada would know more about him?" Eragon wondered.
"We can try," Arya offered, "A pool of water is located not far from here."
Nasuada greeted them with a smile, but it was half-hearted and there was deep concern in her eyes. "Have you eliminated the threat?" she asked hopefully.
"Unfortunately not," Eragon answered, "We need some vital information. There is a new dark Rider, a Shade who calls himself Rasib. Is there anything, anything in the archives on such a being? He probably would have had contact with Shruikan at one point." They waited as she consulted a runner.
"The name does not sound familiar to me," she answered, "But Galbatorix's library was huge. Over twenty years, I have managed to read but some of the scrolls in there."
The runner returned, whispering something in her ear. Nasuada frowned but nodded.
Angela popped into the frame. "Eragon!" she exclaimed, "Didn't expect to see you in Alagaësia any longer."
"Extenuating circumstances," Eragon smiled in spite of himself. "Angela, do you know anything about this Rasib character?"
"Ah, that. People are always in such a hurry for information. Tell me this, read me that! Foresee my fortune! Bah! No time for simple pleasantries anymore." Angela huffed again, but relented. "Don't ask me how I know this, it involves quite a few bars, one less than vigilant Urû'baen guard, and more than one set of self-combusting keys." She plowed on. "Rasib's original name was Tam. He should be about thirty years old now. As a boy, he worked in Galbatorix's castle as a page, or message boy, for a number of years. Somehow he was brought to Galbatorix's attention and the king taught him to use magic. One day Tam went too far, however, and he summoned a spirit stronger than him. Unlike most Shades, Rasib and Tam shared bodies and the spirit did not take him over completely. It was later on that Rasib gained his hatred of the Riders and love of dragons."
"Where did Shuke come from?" Veyna queried.
"Shuke is the son of Shruikan and Dramaria, the only dragon egg born after the Fall of the Riders Vrael and Islanzadí had no knowledge of it because Galbatorix kept it well hidden, probably saving it for his son."
"His son?!"
"He was never able to have one, but I guess Tam was close enough. The dragon's memories from inside the egg had twisted it, causing Rasib and Shuke to create the castle that they have now."
"You knew all this, and you didn't tell us?" Nasuada asked incredulously.
"You didn't need to know," Angela tilted her head.
"How, exactly, did we not need to—" Eragon began.
"Are you going to keep yammering on it or do something about it?" Angela interrupted.
"Yes, let's," Arya agreed.
"Do you have an idea?" Eragon asked.
"Of course not, that's your job," Angela answered, "Now, I have to go before you—" She looked pointedly at Nasuada, "—get some of your spellcasters to try and tail me. I warn you, they might not come through unscathed from the experience." She nodded to the group though the scrying water pool, did a half-curtsy to Nasuada, and left.