okey dokey, next chapter. sorry it took so long, I'm thinking about starting a story for maximum ride, I'm gonna start writing it when i think up the plot and everything, so that should be interesting...anyway...

disclaimer:i own everything that isn't in Eragon or Eldest :D

25.-Enemies of the heir

Dorran…is this what I think it is? I whispered softy into his mind, my gaze never swaying from the gleaming green stone now clasped securely in my front talons. His dark reptilian face suddenly appeared beside mine, his onyx eyes amazed and bulging.

He said nothing and instead brushed his snout gently over the golden flecked surface, inhaling its scent. His eyes closed and his nostrils widened, trying to identify the strange aroma that I had noticed lingering over the dust ridden egg. Then his head shot back in a burst of flames as he shorted, trying to rid his snout of the putrid smell he had breathed in.

"Magic…" he hissed, his voice barely audible but seeming to echo around the confined space as if he had yelled the word at the tops of his lungs.

Confusion washed over me, you can smell magic? I asked him, interested by this new information and his strange behavior. He inclined his head slightly, his gaze still glued to the shimmering emerald stone, his expression wary and afraid, but why I could not tell.

Then suddenly his serpentine neck twisted and his piercing gaze rested on a form at the mouth of the cave that I had not noticed approaching. Dorran reacted faster that I ever thought possible and practically flew through the air, landing with a bone-shattering thump as the two bodies collided. I watched in silent disgust as the monstrous onyx dragon pinned the dark silhouette to the crumbling cave floor, the creature making strange grunting sounds as he did so.

Then suddenly there was an eye-blinding blast of emerald light and the gigantic black dragon was thrown almost twenty feet off of the ground, landing on his belly with the sound of two boulders scraping together. A plume of soot-black smoke shot out of his nostrils as the air was forced out of his lungs from impact.

Dorran, are you alright? I said into his mind, but his thoughts were fuzzy and incomprehensible.

I growled in anger and turned to the mysterious and obviously dangerous stranger, my fangs bared and my talons scraping at the solid earth, eager for the blood of the intruder. The figure raised a glowing palm, pointing directly at me.

"What is your business here dragon, if you do not say I will kill you." The person said in a soft, menacing tone that I identified as female.

I snorted in annoyance, and replied as a real dragon would, in my mind.

You cannot kill me; dragons are an endangered species are they not? I voiced into her head, my tone humorous. The woman regarded me in the dim light, my keen eyes picking up the slight hint of a smile playing about her lips.

"Aye, that is true, but I would not regret ridding the land of one less dragon if it should be in favor of the king." Her voice was like wind chimes, the tone light and more at ease now. It was normal for me to hear dislike to the king, my grandmother had voiced her hate for the dark rider on a daily basis, so it did not surprise me that other people felt the same.

Do not worry; I cannot wait for the day that that…man is killed. I replied, a tone that longed for bloodlust creeping into my voice. The woman obviously noticed and nodded her head in agreement, her dark hair falling over her face as she did so.

If I may ask, what is your name? I thought into her mind, curious as to know more about her.

She seemed to consider the dangers of telling me her name, but then she responded in her whispering voice, "I am Arya, and who might you be Daughter of the Moon?" I stiffened at that name, it had been what the wolves had called me, did she know about them?

I am…Kalanie, and the unconscious dragon over there is Dolan. I referred to myself as my actual name incase she told Eragon about her encounter with a dragon that had just so happened to have the same name as the rider he had traveled with for a few days.

Then, remembering Dorran knocked out on the ground, I turned around and gently brushed my muzzle against his in an attempt to arouse him. The dark form stirred slightly, then his onyx head lifted from the dusty ground and his night eyes bore into mine.

Dolan, this is Arya, the one who caused you to black out just then. I grinned at him as embarrassed emotions washed over me, seeming to radiate from his giant form.

He regarded the human as she stepped into the light that lined the cave walls. I saw that she wore a black leather suit that matched the color of Dorrans scales perfectly, the dark fabric hugging her slim figure. Her forest green eyes scrutinized the pair of us up and down, her gaze coming to a halt at the glimmering stone clutched in my front claws.

Her mouth seemed to drop open as she saw it and I unconsciously swept it under me out of her line of sight, but I could tell she had recognized it immediately even after those few seconds.

"How did you come across that?" Her voice lashed out, suddenly bitter and venomous.

Dorran, what do I say? I whispered hurriedly into his mind, different responses coursing through my head as I tried to come up with a suitable answer.

Tell her that it is yours; he replied and then his face darkened even more if that were possible in embarrassment from the expression that crossed my face.

BUT IT IS NOT! I screeched into his head, causing him to flinch slightly from the force.

Well would you prefer her taking it away from you and doing who knows what with it?! He shouted back, his tone annoyed and dripping logic.

I growled and glanced fleetingly at the face of Arya as this silent exchange took place. But she seemed not to notice that neither of us had not spoken, for she seemed to be talking to herself in her mind.

My tail lashed in confusion, if I told her I had found the egg she would take it for sure, possibly killing us so that we did not speak of it to anyone. But on the other hand if I told her it was mine she would not be able to take it away for the well known fact that mother dragons were more dangerous than normal. But then if it were mine, that would mean that Dorran would be the father.

But then would that be so bad?

No, of course it would be, I did not like him like that.

Did I?

I blocked the whole inner conversation from the onyx dragon that was trying to break into my thoughts to see what was taking up all of my attention. I could not understand my feelings; thoughts were cascading through my mind, just making the situation more confusing and unbearable.

"Well dragon, how did you come about finding this egg?" Arya had obviously concluded her argument with her own mind for her voice suddenly broke through my chaotic thoughts.

But before I could respond Dorran beat me to it, his deep voice echoing inside each of our minds.

It is ours. A strange feeling went through my body at those three words, but I ignored it and nodded in agreement, sending emotions of annoyance through our connection to him.

He ignored them though and reached a clawed hand under my belly and extracted the egg that I had forgotten had been hidden there.

"I see, well, would you mind if you came with me, there are some people that I am sure would very much like to meet you." Her tone was suggesting, but I knew we had no choice in the matter, I had seen only a few minutes ago what she could do to a monster that was about fifty times larger than herself.

We will come, but if I may ask, who are we meeting? Dorran replied once more before I could say anything. Arya glanced at the entrance to the cave and I noticed over twenty misshapen forms standing in the night, their faces unrecognizable in the dark.

"The Varden"

If the title confuses you, think about it...

feeling mysterious today, so I'm not going to say anymore about that, sorry :D

PLEASE REVEIW!!!!!!!

-Firesilk:D