Dragon Riders (An Eragon Storybook) - Paused and Accepting

Aryn and Brare-

We were almost to Dras Leona when a mental scream came at us asking for help.
"Let's go." I tell Brare.

We soared over Dras Leona. I couldn't tell what Rider was down there and didn't want to open my mind, because of the Shade. I couldn't open my mind to Brare either.

I twisted my hand to make the signal that meant dive. Brare dove and shot a jet of flames at the Shade, who used magic to block, but released his hold on, who I now released was Atanir and Elyania.

"We have to fight together! That's the only way to defeat him!" I yelled,"Do you want to attack his mind or fight him with your sword?"

(Ok, soon everyone needs to meet up at Carvahall and that is when the Vortex opens.)

Soon a crash echoed through the valley and a dragon soared down just as the sun reached over the horizon, causing the light to bounce of every polished, turquoise scale. A rider I recognized as Aryn jumped down and freed me then yelled, “We have to fight together! That's the only way to defeat him! Do you want to attack his mind or fight him with your sword?"
“Both! Attack his mind but don’t let him in! We have to peirce his heart! Be careful! The only reason he got us was because of a white, swirling light!” I yelled.

Grey

"Lord Grey" said Eragon, staring at the cloaked figure in the imposing mirror before him. He fell to one knee "Your teachings have been much missed
"Eragon Bromsson" said Grey, voice flat and toneless. "Shadeslayer. It should be I that bows to you. Rise, friend"
Eragon did, smiling. "What news do you bring me?"
"Eragon, I bring good and dire news. The good is that Arya and her dragon have received your letter, and offer their warmest sentiments. I spoke to her soon after the new riders, Vrael amongst them, departed for Dras Leona"
Eragon's smile widened.
"And that brings us to the bad news" stated Grey. "A shade, a powerful one by the name of Haedr, is attacking the city, and the Riders are losing"
Eragon's grin dropped. "Should I-" he began, hesitantly.
"No, Eragon" cut in Grey. "Your place is here. I shall go deal with Haedr"
"You, Lord Grey?" asked Eragon, frowning. "I have never seen you fight"
Grey spat- or at least, his image did. "You think I cannot fight?! I would have thought, after all I showed you, you would know of my abilities"
"Forgive me, Lord Grey" apologized Eragon. "How is Lady Nasuada? Ruling Algaesia must me hard, and now with this shade abroad..."
"I spoke to her as well" assured Grey. "She wholeheartedly believes in your abilites, and those of your riders. The Shade shall be a problem for you no longer"
Grey waved a hand, and the image in the mirror clouded, then vanished altogether

Zilla waited until Dorrin was out of sight before following him down the gorge. Next to her, the waterfall thundered down the cliff, muffling the howls of the wolf pup on the top ledge. She neared the village and noticed the smoke creeping through the forest. Soon she was surrounded by a suffocating mist of grey. Zilla pulled a dagger with a curved blade from her belt. Dropping into a crouch, she navigated the treacherous rocks, heart pounding. A twig snapped. She whipped round and backed away, dagger held high. A bush rustled. The smoke stirred. In a flash, a hand grabbed her wrist. Zilla screamed and brought her dagger down on the bodiless arm. The fingers fell away and she bolted. Through trees. Over ground. Grass slashed at her legs, then she was in the village. She galloped past blackened remains of buildings and leaped over dark shapes soaked in blood, choking back tears.

“There she is!”
Booted feet tramped behind her. Zilla hurtled down a side alley, not recognizing anything in the hazy rubble.
“Get her on the other end!”
She sprinted with her last energy. An open square with many escape routes rushed towards her. Shadows jumped around her—a figure rammed into her side, pinning her against the wall. His clammy breath touched her face before she slashed with her dagger and pushed. His limp arms pulled her to the ground as he fell and she was struggling in blood and flaccid limbs. The tramping feet surrounded her and she lashed out at the sound. More hands grabbed her arms and legs and pressed her against the wall again.
“She’s a wild one,” one of the men grinned. She lunged and bit at him, but her face was pushed back against the wall. The charred wood partition beside her was still glowing red with heat. Her fingers were prised open and her knife dropped into the smoke. With a last desperate scream, she assailed her attackers.
“Thrysta!”
The air exploded into flame.
The world turned white.

Aryn and Brare-

"I know! Which one do you want to do though?"I called across.

Brare soared over my head and I gracefully leaped onto his back."Brare, fight with whoever is attacking the Shade, but if the one trying to get to his mind is weakening help them." I said just loud enough for Brare to hear. He nodded as we still couldn't contact mentally.

Grey

From his house -if it could be called so- deep under the Spine, Grey sighed. How thoughtless were these children, scurrying about without considering. He'd have to deal with them, and so he planned.
"Spirito arcana exorcio" he murmured.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dras-Leona

Haedr raised a hand to strike, but stopped suddenly. An eye twitched, and he staggered, the defenses of his mind crumbling like sand under a gale.
Then he howled and burst into greenish flame.
In a few seconds, all that was left were ashes.

Atanir and Eylania

I turned my attention to attacking Haredr. I rushed towards him sword drawn. I reached him and began exchanging blows. Thrust, parry, strike! I raised my sword to slash at his face when he lowered his sword, gave me a confused look, and then crumbled away into green ashes. I jumped back to avoid being sprayed with his crumbling remains,

“What happened?” I asked in a daze. “I mean, he just turned into green ashes!” I adjusted my gaze to gape at Eylania and we began to talk mentally.

“Whatever we do, we should not touch his remains.”

“I agree.” I commented. “We should stay far away from them.”

Turning to Aryn and Brare, I began exchanging pleasantries. Suddenly an idea came to my head. “How about we go to Carvahall? You know, meet all those people we’ve heard stories about, Horst and his wife, Elain, Their sons, Albreich and Baldor, Roran, and that other lady, Birgit?”

Aryn and Brare-

"I suppose we could. Let me remove his remains." I muttered a couple words from the ancient language and the green ashes disappereared.

"Shall we fly?" I asked.

"Yes."Atanir responded.

As we flew I pondered the death of the Shade. "This had to be some sort of ancient magic. More ancient that a dragon's." I pondered. "I, agree. The Shade's death is a strange occurence. perhaps we should visit Eragon." Brare said. "Yes. I think we should." I answered.

Atanir and Eylania

"I suppose we could. Let me remove his remains." he agreed. I leaped up onto my dragon as he took care of “The Remains”. Eylania curled up and then sprang up into the sky in a single bound, up into the clouds with the sun peaking over the horizon. Brare then leaped into the clouds behind us, roaring with authority. The sun bathed the clouds in a vibrant orange sheet. The land swept by us as we flew north, north to Carvahall! The land slowly changed from vast, endless seas of grass into sharp, tree and snow covered mountains as we began to skirt the Spine. I glanced at Aryn and allowed myself to sigh.
It had been so long since I had ever opened myself up to anyone, why should I now?
“Because you know in your heart that it’s the right thing.” answered Eylania. “If you think that you should open yourself up, then do it!”
“Thanks Eylania.”I responded. “Maybe I will...”
“Maybe I will too...” she whispered as she nervously looked over at Brare. I could feel the excitement whirling around inside her.
I allowed myself to glance again at Ayrn seated leisurely on Brare. I didn’t dare interrupt right now because it appeared that they were in the midst of a heated mental conversation. I sighed again then resumed watching the landscape as we passed over Teirm.

(I may not be online for a while so can someone take over my character until I come back?)

“She’s awake.”
“Call the mages! She’ll blow us to pieces!”
Zilla’s vision flickered. She felt the movement of a horse beneath her. There was blood on her face and a rough gag in her mouth. She felt rope against her wrists. Her muscles were screaming for rest. The movement stopped. Footsteps approached.

“Stand back!” said a voice. “This is a very powerful mage we are dealing with!”
Icy tendrils seeped into her mind.
Do not fight me. It can only cause you pain.
The tendrils shot through her consciousness, seizing memories and experiences. Madoc, her first eaglet. Becuma, the lost Beor. Birds, rodents, deer, hares flashed past her eyesight. Then came Dorrin and the sparks. Anger welled up inside her.
Why could I make fire at the click of a finger? Why?
The presence seemed annoyed.
Who are you? What have you done?
Zilla bombarded the presence with fierce questions.
Stop this!
She redoubled her efforts. This was obviously distracting it. She flung demands and inquiries at the interrogator, drowning the unwanted presence in her anger. A screeching pain rent her head and the presence vanished.

“She resists. But she does not know what she is doing. With a bit of help she may turn into our finest battle-mage. She holds many creatures of the forest at her command and knows how to control them. She must be a highly powerful mage to create such destruction in her first attempt at magic. Thrysta, you say? And a massive tongue of flame? Moving fire takes an enormous amount of energy.”
Zilla worked furiously at the knots around her wrists.
“How can we hope to control her?”
“There is a boy we took prisoner. Dark hair, blue eyes and with a bruised cut over his face. Find him. He is the key to her cooperation.”
The footsteps receded. “Her name is Zilla. Make her drink something. We don’t want her to die. Oh, and keep an eye on that binding on her wrists—it seems to have loosened slightly.”