The city lay in a large open valley with the river flowing right through the middle. Lush green forests sprouted from either side, with plains of grass spread in between where herds of livestock grazed. Fields of crops lay on either side of the valley with small figures toiling alongside wheat, barley and fruit trees. Small fishing boats were anchored along the banks of the river with yet more figures casting lines over the side.

Stone buildings made from magickly smoothed granite made up the centre of the valley. They were large structures, with massive openings for doors that a dragon could quite easily fly through. There were four such buildings, all facing each other with a square in the centre made from the same smoothed stone. It looked like a landing pad of sorts, and was big enough to fit a number of dragons comfortably.

A path wound from the buildings and up the side of the mountain, right to where the true sight lay. The city, if you could call it that, was built into stony side of the mountain. The entrance was a gaping opening that arced hundreds of metres upwards. The outside courtyard was made from grey cobblestone bricks and stuck in a semicircular shape, with the path entering from the very top. More, smaller openings, dotted the mountain side, hundreds of them, varying in size. Each of these holes had a balcony on the outside with stone fencing along the edge. Some had the entrance covered up with a white canvas like sheet.

And there were dragons everywhere, of all differing sizes and colours. But these were different than the more wild creatures they had seen thus far. Many had saddles on their backs, and adorned on those saddles were the dragon riders. Riders from the four different species that could form the bond. When they spotted the approaching party the dragons turned toward them, falling in behind Arya and Firnen.

Many cast curious glances toward the new member of their order. Ragin studiously ignored them, and instead focusing on the entrance of New Doru Araeba growing steadily closer. Akaysha glanced around her a little nervously as she took in these other riders and their dragons. The more younger faces watched the two of them curiously, but made no effort to approach. The others simply flew beside them without even so much as a glance. Ragin gritted his teeth, gripping Akaysha's saddle with a little more force, the dread he had been feeling for the past week increased tenfold. It was like they were trapping him, making sure he would not be able to escape, even if he found a way to try.

Firnen flapped his wings a couple of times before beginning his descent to the ground below. They landed solidly on the stone, the ground shaking at the force of the dragons doing so. Akaysha closed her wings closely to her side, and followed Firnen's tail as they began to walk into the mountain. Most of the dragons stay outside with their riders, but a few of the more curious ones followed them in. It was an unusual phenomenon for a rider and dragon to arrive that they had never seen before.

The inside of the mountain was no less spectacular. It looked as though it were made by the dwarves. Stone arches stretched far above their heads, holding up the semicircular roof, which was only visible dew to the enormous crystalline sphere hanging down. A red/orange light burned from within and heat cascaded from it like a fire. It illuminated the many doorways lined on either side of the main hall, leading down mazes of corridors the wound deep into the mountain.

More riders could be seen walking along the edges of the hall, chatting together and watching the proceedings with interest. That being said, there weren't as many as Ragin had first thought. So far he had counted maybe fifty or so riders, all of different ages and species. The rest must have been out or hidden away among the long corridors of New Doru Araeba.

As they reached the end of the hall Firnen came to a stop and Arya dismounted the dragon and slid down his foreleg to the ground. Ragin followed her example, as did the other five riders who had travelled with them. A dark haired, pale looking man greeted the elf with a slight bow.

"Atra esterni ono thelduin, Arya Drottningu," the man said, twisting his hand in an odd way, the Gedwey Ignasia shimmering on his hand.

"Mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr, Eric," the elven queen replied, her lips twisting into a smile, before switching to English, "How is Protar doing these days?"

"The old lizard is up sleeping in my cave," grunted Eric rather dismissively, "He seems content to grow fat and lazy while I'm out constantly searching for imperative ingredients for my research."

Arya laughed, "Oh, don't be too hard on your dragon. I'm sure he does more than you realise."

"No, no he doesn't," Eric insisted, before sighing and turning to look toward Ragin, "I take it this is your charge?"

"Yes, Eric, meet Ragin. Ragin, Eric," she introduced.

The rogue rider nodded his head toward the man, studying him critically. Eric had a lanky build, with pale skin and rich black hair. His eyes were a little bloodshot, suggesting he hadn't had much sleep recently, and the deep red scabbard attached to his belt was a little loose. He wore simple brown clothing with a long jacket that nearly reached his feet.

"Word has it that you are one of the last remaining members of the Black Hand," Eric began, his jolly tone from before changing to completely serious.

"The Black Hand doesn't exist anymore," Ragin replied, "I can't be a member of something that doesn't exist."

"Be that as it may, I urge you to be careful once you enter this room. While I have no personal vendetta against you, others don't feel quite the same."

Ragin blinked in the surprise. Was this man offering him advice? The thief nodded his head slightly in response.

"Alright! Let us get this over and done with shall we!" Eric walked to the wall and gently pushed.

A large grating sound pieced the quiet of the surrounding area. Arya visibly winced at the sound and Ragin felt a sense of discomfort emanate from his dragon. It wasn't exactly joyous to his own ears either, but what really unnerved him was what lay behind the door. As Arya took a step forward Ragin had no choice but to follow, and he entered into the room beyond.

The room was another gigantically enormous place, though not quite as big as the main hall. Sunlight was filtered in from the roof, reflecting off mirrors that helped brighten everything within rather considerably. Large fires lying to the left and right hand side helped warm the room. The sunlight immediately brought attention to the dragons within. There were five of them: gold, red, black, purple and the largest being the deepest sapphire blue. Each dragon was massive, the smallest being twice the size of Akaysha. The blue one was even bigger than Firnen, and there was only one dragon Ragin knew that was that big.

'That's Saphira,' Akaysha murmured in awe to her rider.

Ragin only nodded, his heart thumping as his eyes lingered on the black dragon, before turning to the people sitting in front of them. The dragons surrounded a 'U' shaped stone table with five figures sitting around them. The was a handsome looking human in front of the gold dragon, with brown hair and a regal build with the hint of a slight beard on his features. In front of the purple dragon sat a dwarf, short and stocky. It took a moment for Ragin to realise the dwarf was a female. The red dragon belonged to an Urgal that had really nothing special looking about him. He was of an average build and size, but instead of the usual wild look there was a deep intelligence in his mind's eye.

It was the other two that really caught his eye however. Sitting at the head of the back of the 'U' and in front of Saphira was her rider, Eragon. He was different than Ragin had pictured him. He seemed nearly old, with a tired but firm expression. His once brown hair had begun to fade to a soft grey, but his brown eyes were strong and intimidating. Yet there was a certain curiousness to his gaze, accompanied by something that resembled a softer nature, like looking into the eyes of a horse. He was a man that was capable of both severe punishment, and unnatural kindness. It reminded Ragin of his old master.

The last person at the table, sitting in front of the black dragon, was an elf. He was the most elegant of the group, with night black hair, a catlike jawline and his pointed ears looking almost delicate. He wore a simple grey tunic and the hilt of his midnight sword was visible over the table. But, much like Eragon, it was his eyes that gave the most information. They were hard and hateful, like the gaze of a man that had known little happiness in his life. There was little room for remorse or mercy. As Ragin made eye contact with the elf an involuntary shiver went down his spine. Theaden. The rider that had been the end of the Black Hand.

Arya exchanged the formal elven greeting with Eragon, before a smile flashed across her features, "It is good to see you again."

"Likewise," Eragon smiled in return and Ragin caught the hint of something far more between those simple words, "It relieves me that you arrived safely. Now, introduce to us our newest rider."

There was a slight scoff from Theaden but Arya ignored him, "This is Ragin, and his dragon Akaysha."

Eragon turned his critical gaze onto Ragin, who matched it with his own, "So you are the egg thief."

The statement left no room for opinion, "So?"

It wasn't an extremely diplomatic answer, but Ragin wasn't going to try and be friendly. He was going to let them know that he didn't want to be here. Maybe if he tried hard enough, they would let both him and Akaysha go. He knew that was wishful thinking however.

"So?" Eragon grunted annoyed, "That is quite the crime young man. If Akaysha hadn't have hatched for you it would have been a death sentence."

"If you managed to find me," Ragin replied, "Besides, the real person you should be worried about is the person that hired me to do so."

"You mean this 'Foeswarn' character? Yes. We will have to deal with him. But in the mean time I am focusing on you," Eragon lent forward on his elbows and seemed to stare right into Ragin's soul with a single gaze.

The thief shifted uncomfortably, making sure his mental barriers were in check, despite the fact that he would know if Eragon attempted to breach them.

"I hope you know that you will still be seeing out a punishment for your crime," the leader of the riders eventually said, sitting back in his chair, "Even if the egg did hatch for you, we can't ignore the fact that you attacked and nearly killed an escort to steal it."

"Then I will gladly accept your punishment and be on my way," Ragin bowed his head slightly, "Unless you are going to kill me."

There was a grunt of laughter from Eragon, "No, we are not going to kill you, more for Akaysha's sake then your own, but we are not letting you go either. No, your punishment, as you seem so against the idea, is to be conscripted into the ranks of the dragon riders."

Ragin blinked in surprise. That was his punishment? He thought that was a given anyway.

"Ebrithil," Theaden's voice suddenly boomed across the room, both sinister and angered at his masters conclusion, "Are you sure that is wise? You seem to have forgotten not only that the boy stole a dragon egg, but he also was a member of the Black Hand."

"I am well aware of Ragin's past Theaden," Eragon replied briskly, "But the fact that he was once a member of the Black Hand is of little consequence. It wouldn't be the first time one of them has joined our ranks."

Ragin frowned. That was a new piece of information.

"Yes, but Glendoy joined willingly, and in the end was killed by the order he once worked for," the elf gritted his teeth.

"The Black Hand is dead, Theaden," Ragin spoke with his own angered edge, "You made sure of that. Even if I did once work for them, I do not anymore."

Theaden seemed surprised when Ragin recognised his name. He narrowed his eyes, studying the thief for a moment, before a sly smile flashed across his face. Slowly he got up from his seat, everyone on the room watching him as he slowly stalked toward the rider. Akaysha let out a small rumbling growl, which was instantly drowned out by Theaden's own dragon.

"I thought I recognised you," the elf began, his voice causing tingles to run down the back of Ragin's spine, "But I must say I am surprised to have found you after all this time. Ebrithil, may I suggest one more time to reconsider your offer, for this boy is incredibly dangerous. To everyone."

"I've already sworn an oath not to harm anyone. The only one in any danger is me," Ragin replied with forced resolve, not liking where the conversation was heading.

"This is true," Eragon said, as if restraining himself, "I fail to see what you have recognised that we haven't."

"Oh, it is not something you would be able to see unless made obvious. It's just... Ragin was it? You look awfully similar to Vanir's apprentice."

There was a stir from behind him and Akaysha went strangely still. A worried crease even formed on Eragon's face. Ragin narrowed his eyes, trying to calm his racing heart. He was sure he had never met Theaden face to face, at least not in a way that they would recognise each other. Unless of course... he had stolen the information from Vanir's mind when he had killed him.

"Who's Vanir... master Theaden?" Freya asked suddenly, breaking the tension.

"Vanir, my dear girl, was the infamous and misguided leader of the Black Hand," Theaden replied, "Once a wide eyed elven ambassador, he came to a 'realisation' that groups out in the open, like the riders and magicians, were unable to take necessary steps toward keeping the kingdom safe, so he began his own group, which became known as the Black Hand. They dealt in the shadows and did whatever they thought necessary to keep 'dangerous' people away from power, their main tools being murder and blackmail. When they started going after riders was when we knew it had gotten out of hand and we decided to act."

"Vanir never wanted that to happen," Ragin gritted his teeth angrily, "It was a select few that decided on that course of action."

"So you were Vanir's apprentice," Theaden said, ignoring Ragin's second statement.

"What's it to you?" the thief narrowed his eyes, hating the fact that he had to look slightly upwards to meet the elf's gaze.

"There it is. Right from the demon's mouth!" the black rider turned back to look at Eragon as he spoke, before, in graceful movement that seemed almost acrobatic, drawing his ebony black sword and placing the tip directly against Ragin's throat, "We cannot afford to allow such an abomination to exist!"

A blistering snarl exploded from the night blue dragoness, who had been sitting quietly the whole time. She launched into an aggressive stance, her magic thundering through her body in a tidal wave so strong that anyone near her was forced to take a step back. Only her oath to produce no harm stopped her from unleashing it on the elf. It didn't stop her words however.

'You scratch him and I will rip you apart!' she roared in the ancient language, her anger quivering in everyone's minds'.

"Theaden put down the sword," Eragon demanded with a surprising amount of restraint.

But the elf didn't listen to his master, nor did he seem at all fazed by Akaysha's threat, instead he gestured to her with his free arm, staring directly down the black blade at Ragin, "And this is yet another reason why we cannot allow him into our ranks. A person like him, with access to possibly the most powerful being to exist since the time of Galbatorix, maybe even ever, would be far too dangerous! He could destroy everything we have worked to create."

"Theaden put... down... the sword," Eragon spoke again, his own rage bubbling to the surface.

"We don't even need to kill the dragon with him!" Theaden released the pressure of the blade and turned back toward Eragon, "You know the spell. We can severe the bond beforehand!"

"Theaden!" the leader of the dragon riders rose to his feet, "You are excused from this meeting. Leave now and get your head cleared of this anger."

"You seriously can't agree with this," the elf looked around at the others, "You knew who Vanir was. You knew what he was capable of. This is the last remaining piece of him in this world. We can't allow it to grow!"

"LEAVE!" Eragon roared, pointing at the door, his anger barely contained.

Theaden cast one more look around the room, before glaring at Ragin. He slammed his blade into its sheath and stalked out of the room, his footsteps leaving loud echoes as he did. The black dragon snorted in disapproval, before hauling itself to its feet and walking out of the room with its rider. Ragin didn't miss the rather unnerving yellow eye that watched him as the dragon left. Once the two were gone Eragon sank back into his chair with a sigh of relief, placing a hand on his head as if he had a headache.

"I apologise Ragin. Theaden was out of hand."

Ragin touched his neck and was surprised to find a trickle of blood make its way over his fingers. He would have replied, but his voice didn't seem to be working as well as it had a couple of minutes ago. A nudge at his side caused him to turn to see Akaysha, looking worriedly at him. She could feel how shook he was. Despite all the mental preparation he had done for this encounter, he had not expected the pure hate Theaden radiated. He lately placed a hand on her muzzle and tried to give a grateful smile, which turned into more of a grimace.

Once everyone seemed to have mostly settled down, one of the dwarf rider from the table spoke, "Shall we continue?"

Eragon nodded his head, "What do you have to say Beyal?"

"While I agree Theaden was out of hand, we can't ignore the fact that Ragin is the late apprentice of Vanir. This does make him very dangerous, and I cannot help but question the wisdom of having him join our order."

Eragon nodded his head, sitting back in his chair thoughtfully, "Freya, what is your opinion on this matter?"

All eyes turned to the red headed girl as she took a startled step back, "M...me?"

"Yes. From what Arya has told me you two have developed a little more of a personal relationship over the past couple of weeks. You know him better than the rest of us. What do you say?"

"I... aah... I have yet to become a fully fledged rider myself. I have less experience then the rest of you... I do not know that I would be able to give a proper response," she said a little shakily.

"That is irrelevant. All I want to know is what you think," Eragon waved his hand dismissively.

Ragin was slightly surprised at the turn of events, and he watched Freya carefully. He still hadn't gathered his thoughts together yet, but it seemed as though Eragon still was going to intergrade him into the order despite the recent revelation. In his mind he agreed with the dwarf. Was it really worth risking everything to allow him to join? Then again, he would rather join the riders then end up dead.

"I... I think Ragin is dangerous," she began slowly, "And unpredictable... and manipulative... b... but he also cares far more then he wants us to believe. He has a heart, despite his cold demeanour... and I feel as though if we give him a chance... and maybe if he is willing to try... he could be as good a dragon rider as anyone."

Once again, Eragon went into a thoughtful silence at those words, "Very well. Ragin, you will join the trainee riders and for a period of two years you will train and learn alongside them, and after those two years are up will come to a decision on whether or not you are worthy to hold the title as Dragon Rider. However, if you give us anymore of a reason to distrust you, or you fall back into your old ways, I will be forced to take more extreme measures. Is this fair?"

Ragin reluctantly nodded his head. That decision was fair, if not merciful. But that didn't stop the distaste from welling up inside his stomach. To train along riders... all his life the thought had repulsed him in ways he would never be able to explain, and after Theaden's reaction to his presence he wasn't looking forward to living anywhere near the elf and his black dragon. But Eragon's words were clear. He would accept this punishment, or face the alternatives. If those alternatives were anything close to what Theaden had suggested, he feared that his bond with Akaysha would be in jeopardy. The dragoness had the same fear.

Once everyone else had agreed with him Eragon turned his attention back to Ragin, "Now, before you leave I want you to swear an oath. You still have yet to earn our trust young rider, and until such time as I say otherwise you will follow this oath. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, now repeat after me but speak in the ancient language. This is for you to Akaysha," Eragon began reciting a phrase in the ancient language that was extremely specific and left very little room for error. Ragin repeated it back slowly.

"I will not harm or kill anyone unless given permission by you, unless my life, or Akaysha's, is in danger and I am forced to defend her or myself. I report to my appropriate lessons each day for the period where I am training at New Doru Araeba. I will not conspire to leave, nor plot against the dragon riders. Any forbidden magics I know will be kept to myself and I will not reveal it to those around me. This oath will last for as long as you wish it to."

As the last word slipped past his tongue he waited until Eragon seemed satisfied with the response. Akaysha repeated a slightly different version of the same oath and then they were finally sent out from the room, being lead by Eric to a small room somewhere in the mountain. Ragin didn't pay much attention to his surroundings as they walked, only playing back what had happened within the meeting room. Everything from what Theaden had said, then Freya, and how his 'punishment' turned out. There was one thing that he kept coming back to however. Despite everything that had happened, he had found a loophole in the oath. He knew how he was going to escape the dragon riders. The thought made him smile. 

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Hey guys! New chapter! I hope you enjoyed. Vote and comment if you did. I'm sorry to say that chapters might be coming out a little slower for a while. I have just started my first year of uni and that is going to take up most of my time. That being said, I will still be writing on Wattpad and will still be going with this book! Hopefully this longer chapter will be able to hold you until then XD. The next chapter will be out as soon as I can find the time. See Ya!

Pennator^^