AN: JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG CHAPTER! ENJOY :)

Night fell quickly, and after many more laid-back spars, most of which I lost, except for a cheap shot I took when he wasn't looking, we concluded our practicing and returned our swords to the building from which they came from.

Just as we were preparing to climb up the backs of our dragons in the last glimpses of sunlight, a voice shouted across the nearly empty training fields.

"Wait! Talia!"

I turn to see Oromis hurrying towards me, something wrapped in his arms. I hop off Vascar's leg and walk towards him. As soon as he reaches me, he shoves the wrapped up, hard object into my arms.

"Here", he says, "for tonight. "

Not knowing what he means, I slowly unwrap the bundle and what he has said now makes sense. In it sits the sword I use to practice every day in training.

"Just in case", he says with a smirk.

I dip my head in a short bow, "thank you Oromis-elda, I am deeply honored."

He reaches forward and pats my shoulder, then says "keep safe", be fore turning away and striding back to his private quarters. His comment causes my nervous feelings to creep once more into my mind. What did he mean by that comment? Was it just a normal warning with nothing more than his concern for my safety, or did he think that something could happen to night. The touch of someone's hand on my shoulder just causes me to jump out of my skin.

"Woah, easy", Galbatorix says smiling down at me, "a little jumpy?"

I sigh, not waiting to admit it, but not wanting to lie. "Just nervous for tonight."

He chuckles, but not rudely, "Do not worry Talia. Nothing will happen tonight. I have complete faith in you, and Vascar."

'Yes, what do you expect? For me to do absolutely nothing if something were to happen?', Vascar says teasingly.

That seems to do the trick. Smiling I laugh along, say my goodbyes to Galbatorix and Jarnunvösk, then climb onto Vascar and head towards the large nesting building in the center of the city.

~*~

When we arrived, the sun had sunk below the horizon but it was not completely dark yet. Standing in front of the entrance was a strict looking woman and a black dragon. The woman had dark red hair and chiseled features, her eyes staring straight ahead waiting for the rest of the guard to arrive. Her dragon stood next to her, towering over both Vascar and Jarnunvösk, with the same expression as it's rider.

As soon as we touch down, both their heads snap to us at the same time. The sight is unnerving. And her "smile of welcome" does nothing to get rid of my worries.

"Hello, I am rider Latonia, and this is my partner Tarana", she says when we walk up to them. I notice as she smiles that each and every one of her teeth are sharp and filed to a point.

"I am Talia, and this is Vascar", I say shortly, slightly uncomfortable being around this woman. I am saved the trouble of continuing the conversation of another rider showing up for guard duty. This one was male riding a maroon red dragon, smaller even than Vascar. Latonia immediately starts a conversation with him, and Vascar starts talking to the dark red dragon, and from listening to little parts of their conversation, I can tell that it is also male and that his name is Paríndor. I also notice that his rider's name is Vocko. Glancing around awkwardly, I see Tarana looking at me intently, and moments later feel another mind pressing against mine.

'You are different young rider', a female voice with much authority that I can only assume is Tarana says to me, 'something burns in your spirit that I can see in your eyes, but I cannot place what exactly.'

I am at a complete loss for words as I stare blankly at the black dragon, noticing her eyes are a rich red, but not very bright or blood-like. Before I can think of what to answer back to her statement, she chuckles.

'I see you have not yet realized this. But do not worry. Big things lie in your future. And know this, many futures will rely on your choices.'

'How do you know?', I blurt out lamely. Again she chuckles.

'I do not know exactly, but I get the feeling that you are meant to do great things.'

Shaking my head to clear it, I mumble an unintelligible response and turn to head back to Vascar's side, only to find myself face to face with the rider called Vocko.

"Hello, I am Vocko", he says unnecessarily. I was about to tell him so when I realized he didn't know that I ease-dropped and that's how I knew his name. Smiling politely, I introduce myself as I take in his features.

Blue eyes, shaggy dark blonde hair, shorter than me by a few inches, and a boyish grin that makes me want to laugh. He also looks slightly younger than I am, maybe a year or two.

"So you excited for tonight?", he says indicating the Nesting Building behind him. I could see from the way his eyes lit up, he was truly looking forward to tonight.

"Sure", I reply half-heartedly. I didn't want to ruin his mood by telling him I was forced to come here.

"So", he says bouncing a little on his heels, "what are you here for? It was Paríndor and I's first time flying and we didn't follow directions, so this is our punishment. As if this is a punishment!" And then he laughed a light airy laugh as if he was having the time of my life. This causes me to smile despite the situation I was in.

"I'm here for the same reason, we didn't follow directions either", I say when he stops laughing.

"Huh, what a coincidence!", he says with another boyish grin. He looks like he is going to say something more, but is cut off when Latonia clears her throat. We turn to look at her as she stares at us expectantly.

"It looks like this is all we are getting for guard duty tonight. I was hoping for one or two more riders, but I've worked with shorter amounts before", she says looking at us. I notice Vocko to my right, start to straighten up and puff out his chest. He wanted to prove himself.

"So, here is the plan", Latonia begins striding forward. Unconsciously, all of us start to gravitate forward, until we are all, dragons included, in a circle around Latonia as she continues explaining the plan.

"I do not want to separate dragon and riders, but we need to cover every side of the building. So, we will have one pair stationed on the East side, one on the North, and one on the West. The South side is protected by another building so I'm not to worried about that. I and Tarana will take the West, since that is the least protected and it is hidden in an alleyway where one may try to slip in unnoticed, and I will also take glimpses at the South side when patrolling. Talia, you and Vascar will take the East side, it is the next least protected. Also, I would like you to take a glance or two at the South side when you are near. And finally, I'd like Vocko and Paríndor to take the North side. It is facing the street so it is least likely to be attacked. Are we clear on locations?"

We all nod our heads, too stunned and in the moment to speak. The whole situation was finally seeming real to me. But there was no time to consider this as Latonia continues talking.

"Now, since we are so short handed, you will need to pace your locations back and forth. Luckily, the building is square and it should be a fairly straight march. When you make it to your side, rider and dragon will need to be separated sadly. one will walk one way, and the other the opposite direction. you should meet in the middle. It is about nine o'clock now, and we are relived by the next wave at midnight, so lets get started."

All eyes get a set determined look in them as she finishes. It was almost time. This was really happening. All of my previous fear is replaced by pure excitement.

"Alright", she says looking at all of us, "lets get into position."

And with that, we all climb onto our dragons and head for the North side to put Vocko into his place. Once he was all set, and Latonia explained once more how she wanted the two to patrol in different directions, we took off once more and headed for the West side.

As the two dragons land in the West side, their claws can be heard landing against the stone as it echoes up and down the dark alley way. And though the side of the Nesting Building was straight, the line of buildings next to it was not, leaving many nooks and crannies where someone could hide. Looking up, I feel trapped as I notice how tall the buildings are around me. I shake the thought away as Latonia quickly explains once more what to do, but then she is gone and it is Vascar and I all alone.

'Shall we begin?', Vascar asks, nudging my arm with his snout.

'Yes', I say pushing back on his nose lightly, then I add, 'if I don't meet you in the middle, I'm coming to find you.'

'And I you.'

With one last shove of his nose, we head off in our respective directions. As soon as I can't hear the clicks of his claws, the reality of the situation starts to press down on me and I grab the hilt of my sword to calm my nerves. It helps a bit, but I am relieved when I reach the corner of the building and get to start back the way I came. I start moving faster and faster as the sound of clicking on stone gets louder. Finally we meet in the middle and I quickly wrap my arms around Vascar's neck and scratch a spot under his chin. He starts to him before realizing that we had to be quiet. This causes me to giggle a bit before releasing him and continuing on with my patrol.

After that we started a pattern. Every time we made it to the middle, we would embrace for a second to comfort each other then continue on our way. It helped calm me and make the guard duty more bearable. Slowly, my nerves started to fade away, and I start to realize what Galbatorix was talking about, this was starting to become really boring. The only part that kept me sane was Vascar, because now we had our minds linked and were talking about nothing in particular. I felt dumb not thinking of having mind conversations with him sooner, but at least I had something to do now.

Hours passed, my feet began to burn, and my conversations with Vascar ran out of meaning as we had ran out of anything to talk about. Turning and heading back towards the middle of the West side, I notice something different from all of the other times I had done this. The clicking of Vascar's claws on his way back towards me had stopped.

'Vascar?', I question him, unconsciously speeding up my pace to reach him.

'Talia, come quickly, but quietly', he says in a flat voice, obviously putting all of his concentration on something. I break into a run, attempting to mask my footsteps, but I was more focused on making it to Vascar quickly.

My legs, already exhausted, burn as I push them to move faster. Through our mental link, I can feel myself getting closer to him, but I still almost run into Vascar due to how dark it had gotten.

'What is it?', I ask, placing my hand against his side as I try to catch my breath.

Using his nose to gesture towards the buildings and shadows clinging to their sides, he says, 'There is someone there. I can smell them and I heard them as I walked by.'

Nodding, I slip my sword out of its sheath and move forward slowly, as I say in the most commanding voice I can muster, "come out. You cannot escape. If you show yourself now, I promise not to hurt you", while silently hoping the intruder bought that I could take on anyone.

They do. A small voice cries out, "no!", as the body of a young boy steps out of the shadows into the scant light shed by the moon. He looks at least nine, eleven at the oldest.

"What are you doing here?", I question, "and do not lie."

His small eyes dart around, barely visible in the little light, but still noticible. Finally he sighs and hangs his head, then says in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry, my brother and I just wanted to touch the eggs. All we want is to be riders."

Nodding my head, I reach forward to take his arm and lead him back to the street when something he said makes me stop short.

"You and your brother?"

Vascar tenses beside me, also realizing the same thing.

"Yes", he sniffles, "wait, you-you didn't see him?"

I don't wait for Vascar to catch up. Grabbing the boys arm, I take off in a sprint back the way I came. My legs scream for me to stop, but my mind knows I mustn't. Turning my head towards the young boy, I say in a strangled voice, "get back to the street, and if I see you back here again, you will not get off with no punishment again."

The boy nods quickly and starts to slow down as I pick up my pace. The clicking noise behind me, gives away the presence of Vascar catching up with my crazy sprint. Skidding around to the West entrance, I burst through the door and find myself inside the Nesting Building.

The elf-made lamps produce shimmering reflections off of the multitude of different colored eggs all around me. Each row is lifted slightly above the other and standing in the middle of the building by the lowest row is another boy. This one looked older than the other, about thirteen. He had his hand placed on a bright yellow egg, his expression a look of shock.

As I move towards him, the boy grabs the egg and holds it tight in his arms. "Don't come any closer or I'll- or I'll"

"You'll what?", I says threateningly. I knew he couldn't break the egg from Oromis's teachings, but he still could be a threat.

"I'll-", he starts but is cut off by a very familiar tapping sound that resonates around the large building.

Both the boy and myself stare at the small yellow egg in shock. How could this be possible? What was I supposed to do now? Turning to Vascar, I send him a questioning thought, but he is just as confused as I am.

The boy walks up to me with the egg and attempts to place it in my hands, saying, "here t-take it! Nothing was su-supposed to happen! I mean, I've always wanted to be a-a rider, but this was just a diversion and-"

"What!?", I say, staring at the boy who has just clamped his hands over his mouth, obviously saying something he shouldn't have. Grabbing his arm, I run out the door and extend my mind to Latonia.

'What is it Talia?', she says.

'We have a problem, a boy got into the building but it was all a diversion, something is going to happen. And also this boy has been chosen by one of the eggs.'

'I'll be right over', she says before pulling away and leaving me back in this situation, not knowing what to do.

'Vascar', I say turning to him, 'could you go and pick up Latonia from wherever she is and fly her here? That way we can figure out what to do quicker?'

Growling, he says, 'I will, but I do not like leaving you in this dangerous situation.'

'Go, I'll be fine', I say hugging his snout and sending a reassuring thought. He takes off moments later towards the south side and I'm left alone with the still shocked boy, holding the yellow egg as if it was the only thing keeping him sane.

I turn towards him, and prepare to question him more on this diversion when a noise rips the night apart. A scream, a bloodcurdling scream that causes every hair on my neck to raise up.

"Stay here!", I scream at the boy before sprinting once more towards the north side. For how bewildered he looked, I had no doubt that he would stay. In my panicked state, I did not feel the way my legs burned and how the breath came in short jabs in my chest. All I cared about was getting to the North side.

My worst fears were realized as I skid around the corner and can barely take in the scene around me. A lone figure with a black blade, wearing a cloak the same color as the blade. The stones beneath my feet had blood stained in its cracks, fresh blood. And crouched low over a limp figure is Paríndor, his teeth bared in a deadly snarl.

"No!", I shout out, forgetting all about being stealthy. The figure in black turns and looks at me now, or at least I think he was looking at me since his face was shrouded by his hood. I could only see his mouth, which was now upturned in a cruel, sinister smile.

Sliding my sword out of its sheath, I hold it defensively in front of me as I slowly move forward. I did not know how experienced with a sword this person was, but he had wounded Vocko, so he was better than him. At least I hoped he only wounded Vocko......

Flicking his black sword, I noticed drops of red fly off and land on the stones with a sickening sound, no matter how quiet. That was from Vocko. That was his blood all over the stones.

The man, noticing my distraction, darts forward. I have to jump backwards to make up for time to block him. It was nothing like my fights with Oromis. Here my life was on the line, not just a few bruises, or even broken bones. He is quick too, much quicker than Oromis and Galbatorix. Either way, it takes all of my concentration to hold him off. A jab towards the hip, that quickly switcher to my shoulder. Our swords lock and his face is right next to mine, and he smells awfully like blood. This causes me to panic. I slash out blindly, with a natural instinct to protect myself. I had no clue where this was coming from as my sword soared in precise arches around me. Next thing I know, the man is back-pedaling as fast as he can and I'm with him step for step, not allowing him out of my reach.

And with one final jab, my sword goes farther forward than I thought it would. I had slipped past his guard and the metal was lodged right in his abdomen. With a sickening sound I pull it out and watch his hands grope the wound. As his head tilts up and stares straight at me, realization of what I had just done hits me hard. I have just given some a fatal wound. This man, no matter how despicable, was going to die. I had killed him. And sure enough, moments later, his body goes limp and his head hits the stone with a shuddering crack, making another pool of blood to go with the one coming from his stomach.

"Dead", I murmur watching the red liquid slowly coming out of the now motionless figure on the ground.

Dropping my sword I back away as quick as I can. My mind was spinning, like the blood spilling onto the stones, coming straight towards me. It was trying to kill me like I had killed its body. Stopping, I put my hands up to my face, and unable to stand the horror, let out a strangled scream as I fall back into the blood surrounding me. Then nothing but red. Or should I say black.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: WOW, THAT WAS A LONG ONE, I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED IT!!!!!!!!! I REALLY LIKED WRITING IT, EVEN THOUGH I SPENT ALL DAY DOING IT :) SERIOUSLY, I DITCHED ALL MY CHORES AND OTHER PLANS JUST TO WRITE THIS :D SOOOOOOOO IF YOU LIKE WHERE THIS STORY IS HEADING AND THINK I SHOULD REALLY UPDATE SOON PLEASE.......

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~Bert