The Rogue Rider (An Inheritance Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: An Impossible Mission

A light fog blanketed over the long narrow streets of Illirea. The last rays of sunshine were disappearing into what was to become a long and dark night. Cobblestone pathways lined straight streets surrounded in multistorey buildings built from roughly hewn bricks. Dim flaming torches danced in a soft evening breeze, lighting the way. Windows were closed shut to protect from the chilling bight of the cold. Few people walked the streets, and most of them were on their way to a nice warm bed and dinner.

It had been a long day for the people of Illirea. Mostly because, for the first time in five years, the dragon eggs had finally come. It had been a festival all day, with every person between ten and twenty five trying their chance at becoming a rider. Stalls had been set up all through the city, selling food, valuables and other miscellaneous items. Many hearts had been broken, especially for the younger ones that dreamt of joining the magnificent creatures in the sky every day, but alas, only one egg had chosen a rider, leaving the last to travel through to the next and final city in its rotation.

The egg bearers were leaving the city with the dying light. There were six of them, all on horses besides the massive urgal Kull thudding in front of the procession. There was a dwarf riding rather awkwardly on his brown mare. His long brown beard fell into his lap and what most would consider an ugly face grunted uncomfortably with every jolt of the horse. Behind them was an elf, beautiful and elegant, with almost glowing blond hair and sharp features, eyes alert and fierce. There was a human as well, a man with broad shoulders and a proud smile. The most prominent member of the group was a massive wolf, a Shrrg, bigger than any of the horses, dressed in a vicious looking set of chainmail armour.

The last member though, was probably the most important. It was a girl, maybe around eighteen or nineteen, with long red/blond hair and a nervous but slightly excited expression. But cradled in her lap was a large gemlike stone, oval in shape, and bright orange in colour. It was entrancing, with mesmerising swirls and patterns created below the surface. A dragon egg. One of the most precious and sought-after items in the known lands. She held it like it was the most important thing on earth. Which, to her, it soon would be.

They paraded silently down the quiet streets of Illirea. A couple of people watched them go by, waving to them. The girl, the man and the dwarf waved back, while the other three simply ignored them, continuing along their way. They had somewhere they needed to be, and it was going to take a long time to get there. They couldn't allow for any distractions.

There was a small carriage in the middle of the group, with a chest adorned on top of it. It may seem strange to have a carriage for just one chest, but there were spaces that had obviously carried more. To the untrained eye, it would look to be quite ordinary, but there were many enchantments curled and twisted around it. Spells to keep it locked tight unless used with a certain word, or spells to harm anyone that touched it, or to protect from even the most harmful spells. There was no way to open it up without knowing how.

Watching them, unseen by any, was a shadowy figure atop a pitched roof, using the pointed shape as cover from the eyes of the highly alert elf and Urgal. The figure wore a long dark grey, almost black, cloak with a hood that pulled over the eyes. A bow of the same colour was in the right hand with a quiver of arrows on the back. If you looked closely enough, you would see the outline of a roughly shaven beard on the figure's face, and deeply intense eyes that didn't miss a single movement in or around the convoy below.

You would also see the man's eyes widen slightly as he studied the party. He focused on the girl for a couple of moments, seeming surprised, before blinking and returning to his real target. The chest, out in the open for all to see. It confused the man as to why they had it so open, but then again, the number of spells they had woven around the chest and carriage probably had them thinking that it was completely safe. If anything, it was to bait out people who wanted to steal dragon eggs, and capture them. Too bad for them.