Wind howled, and thunder crackled, and the heavy, dark grey clouds disgorged snow down on the dark depths of the Spine. In the midst of the storm, two bright glows trudged along. Two dragons flew, a white, and an orange. Their Riders kept their warm winter coats wrapped tightly around them, their teeth chattering, fists clenched to the point of cramping. Both Riders chanted under their breath, weaving spells to maintain some heat.
"Leruos is nearly exhausted. We should camp for the night", one of the Riders said. Indeed, the white dragon was noticeably falling behind the orange, his tail drooping. "I agree", her comrade replied. Leruos, to your right! Yara, the orange dragon said through her mind suddenly. Leruos swerved to the left, and not a second too soon, as a blade passed through the air where his neck was a second ago. The white dragon whipped his tail, and something shrieked, as one of the spikes hit its side. Yara arrived to his side, and release a torrent of bright orange fire, lighting the creature.
The creature was similar to a dragon, but smaller, more serpentine, and instead of scales, it had feathers. The creature's rider wielded a long, curved sword. The rider's eyes flashed red, and thin beams of light launched at them. "Skolir abr garjzla", Kraal said, and a pale golden shield materialized, blocking the beams. Don't spend too much energy, Yara said, as she batted the creature with her tail. Leruos clamped his jaws on the creature's tail, and Reyna attacked the Rider with her sword.
Suddenly, another creature slammed into Leruos's side, forcing Reyna to break away. Two more creatures appeared.
Kraal met his foe's swords with his own, and said "Brisingr", lightning his blade in iridescent orange flame. Yara pushed one of the creatures away with her wing, and breathed fire on the other. Kraal took advantage of the distraction, unleashing a flurry of slashes and stabs on its rider. His foe met every strike, and the creature retaliated with its claws, which bounced off harmlessly against his shield. Yara bit the creature's neck, and dove, just as the other creature came back. She accelerated and pulled back up, gaining altitude on their foes. Kraal blocked their eye beams with his sword and retaliated with lightning. They evaded his attack and launched up to his level.
Yara breathed fire, which they evaded. The creatures attacked with full force, and this time, already exhausted from the long flight, Yara was unable to keep them separate. Their coordinated attacks pushed the dragon and Rider fully on the defensive. Then, their foes attacked with their minds, unleashing waves of energy against their mental defenses.
"Vindr vaetna!" Kraal said in desperation, scattering them with a gust of wind. Yara released fire once again, and Kraal sent out a torrent of lightning towards one of the riders. Preoccupied with the fire, the rider was left vulnerable, and the iridescent orange bolts struck her full on. The pain overwhelmed her, and her sword tumbled out of her hand. Yara flew toward her, and put her out of her misery with a claw swipe to the neck. Kraal decapitated the creature under the corpse, sending the remains down to the ground.
The other rider unleashed waves of red light, which Yara evaded. The orange dragon then regained altitude, and she and Kraal attacked their foes' minds. Now that there were only two of them, the full might of the older dragon and Rider dominated, and their foes' defenses began to crumble.
Leruos roared, the sound stunning the creatures briefly, and Reyna took the moment to heal some of their wounds. The white dragon flew forward, his long tail hitting one of the creatures in the side. "Vindr thrautha!" she said, pushing the disoriented creature away, leaving the other alone against Leruos's fury. The white dragon bore down on the monster, and caught its sinewy neck between his powerful jaws, while restraining it in an embrace of death, his wings wrapped tightly around them, leaving Reyna to deal with the rider. As they fell, the enemy rider, clearly inexperienced, was quickly put on his back foot, and Reyna disarmed him, before ending him with a thrust to the heart. By then, the monster's feeble attempts to escape had ceased, and it hung limp. Leruos opened his wings back up, stopping their descent abruptly. Four down, four to go, he said, and flew back up.
The other creature and its rider had turned their attention on Kraal and Yara, and even from a distance, it was clear that the two would not hold for much longer. Leruos accelerated, and Reyna assisted with her magic, but, as they neared their comrades, they knew it was too late. One of the enemy riders cut a deep gash in Kraal's side, and Yara's right foreleg was now just a stump, her wings torn in multiple places. Still, they kept up the fight, and with Leruos and Reyna by their side, they were able to put the pressure back on their foes.
Leruos and Yara attacked one of the creatures from both sides, while Reyna and Kraal kept its allies occupied. The two dragons quickly overpowered their enemy, and Leruos blasted the rider with white fire, scorching him. The last creature tried to retreat, but Reyna killed the rider with a cut to the stomach, and Yara snapped the creature's neck.
Suddenly, they felt enormous pressure around their minds. Dark power emanated from something, and low, barely audible growl sounded. Yara and Leruos moved back, but very sluggishly, their bodies trembling, shaking, as if something was pulling them in. The growl became louder, and the mental pressure intensified. Kraal and Reyna exchanged glances of pure horror. Yara and Leruos shared their sentiments, but neither could do anything against the approaching menace.
The attack came quickly, before either could react. The two dragons fell, their riders still in their saddles, their swords still in their hands. The presence withdrew, and the only sound that could be heard was the chirping of the early morning birds and insects.
Dictionary
Skolir abr garjzla: Shield of light
Brisingr: Fire
Vindr vaetna: Wind scatter
Vindr thrautha: Wind throw
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Eragon:Rising Darkness
Fanfiction20 years after the Varden victory over the Empire, Eragon Shadeslayer left Alagaesia, to train the next generation of Dragon Riders. It is a time of peace and prosperity. However, a dark force is rising, and is a threat to the entire world. Once mo...
