Prologue: The Shade's Prey

Wisps of cold air rushed by through the woods, a chill of north wind that was too eerie to be natural, and unnatural it was. For the icy breath found its way to the one who was emanating such an evil presence, whispering to its master that it was nearly time. The master was a tall, thin, and so pale a man, his appearance could have been vampiric to the superstitious. Regardless of what he truly was, there was no denying that he was completely malevolent.

He smirked in satisfaction at the news the wind brought to him. His now deceased spy had been right. Despite dying in the end to retrieve such important information, the master's servant had done his job well. Not that the master especially cared, but maybe he'd leave the spy's family alone since he'd achieved his goal.

Maybe.

The master motioned to his men, hulking humanoid beings that were beast-like in appearance. They were Urgals, and each one was easily controlled by the overwhelming might of his mind. Their sole purpose was to use their weapons- swords, axes, maces, bows, whatever to slay the ones whom the master ordered dead. And blood would run through this forest tonight.

He sent a mental command to set the trap, knowing that they were mere moments from an important battle. The Urgals shuffled into position, surprisingly silent for such brutish creatures. Their people were skilled hunters. The master knew this, which was why they were chosen for this mission rather than normal men. They were also monstrously strong, and their strength was needed to overpower their equally strong enemy.

Hoofbeats suddenly echoed through the air, quiet, but present regardless. The master hid behind a tree and grinned with fiendish delight as his prey came into vision. It was them. Without a doubt, it was them.

Three figures rode upon snowy white horses, creatures of elegance and grace just as their riders were. Two males, armed with a sword and a bow respectively, flanked a female in the center. She carried two objects in her lap and seemed to be murmuring a gentle, beautiful song to them.

Elves. And not just any elves. He was surprised that she of all people was carrying these valuable treasures. His King had been nearly certain that she was still in the elfish city of Ellesmera. Apparently, she was bolder than they had assumed.

Or just more foolish. The master cared not why the elf princess was here, but she was an incredible catch along with the items she bore. That was assuming they could capture her. But he would not fail.

The master mentally commanded his soldiers to attack.

An instant later, the twang of a bow was followed by a cry of agony, as the archer elf ironically fell to his death with an arrow piercing his throat. The remaining two elves instantly bolted, knowing full well that they simply could not place their comrade's life above their mission.

Once their horses started to run, the Urgals unleashed the rest of their trap by pulling a rope from between two trees. They hardly flinched as the beasts hit the rope and toppled over, then made for their weapons and rushed the remaining two elves.

The riders had recovered gracefully and instantly prepared for battle. With haste, the female put the two objects she so preciously guarded in her pack and pulled out a sword to fight with. The Urgals rushed in, but the two elves managed to slay the first few with such ease that the others backed off a moment to assess their prey more carefully.

The master cared not for their lives and ordered a suicide rush, hoping that one of the Urgals might land a fatal blow.

Unfortunately, the two elves were so incredibly skilled that they slew Urgal after Urgal, cutting limbs and taking heads. The master got tired of their incompetence and so moved silently through the brush as the assault continued. The moment the remaining male elf left himself open following the death of yet another Urgal, he rushed forward with inhuman speed and grabbed the male by the throat. A fierce grip began to strangle his prey, who scrabbled to escape and tried to slash at his assailant, but to no avail. The master simply grabbed the elf's sword and held it in his free hand.

The female spun around as the master ordered his Urgals to back off. Her eyes widened, surprise as well as a slight flicker of fear when she caught sight of the master with her comrade in his death grip.

"Durza…" She gasped.

"Give them to me." Durza ordered, still strangling her comrade in his hand. His monstrous strength was evident, for not even the elf warrior was able to escape his grip.

The princess shook her head, pointing her blade at him, but still wary of the Urgals that surrounded her. "Not even with my dying breath."

"Oh, that can be quickly arranged." He snarled, further crushing the male in his grasp. Durza saw her eyes flicker to the elfish male and grinned viciously. "Ah…you don't want this one to die, do you? You don't want to watch me crush the life out of him…you don't want to hear his heart stop…and feel his body go cold!"

"Ary..a..ru-run…" Gasped the male elf, trying to escape with no avail. His face was blue from the lack of oxygen.

Durza squeezed again to cut off his voice and hissed. "You will give me the dragon eggs now, or both of you will die. I will make you watch him suffer and perish if you hesitate but a moment longer. Hand. Over. The eggs!"

Arya gripped her sword and cried out. "I will not give them back to you and your master, Shade!"

"So unwise."

With a flick of his wrist, Durza snapped the neck of the elfin male and stabbed him through the heart with his own sword for good measure.

The princess wailed at the sight of her dead comrade and fled, rushing away from the Shade and his Urgals before they could react. Durza let out a hiss. "Get her!"

The Urgals scrambled to do his bidding and ran after Arya, catching up to her quickly despite their great bulk. Meanwhile, Durza bolted ahead to intercept their quarry at another ambush point. While the elf princess slew a good many more of his warriors, the Shade cared not.

He attacked with a shout, disarming the elf with his sword. The strike sent her flying back into a tree where she crumpled to the ground, clutching her arm. It was almost certainly broken and he relished in the pained expression on her face.

Up until she took the eggs out of her pack, colored ruby red and sapphire blue, then began to chant. Durza couldn't tell what kind of spell it was, but he lunged to stop her just as two rapid explosions of light blinded him.

The Shade's vision cleared a moment later and he howled in rage. The eggs were gone. He slew the remnants of his Urgal soldiers in his fury and then turned to the injured elf still leaning against the tree.

Durza stalked over to her and lifted the princess by the throat to eye level. He let out a furious snarl. "Where did you send them?! Where!?"

Arya sneered at him despite her pain. "You'll never know."

More furious than ever, Durza punched her with all his might, breaking ribs to the point that she choked up blood.

He intended to kill her until the sound of massive wings beating gave him pause. The Shade looked up in disdain at the great red dragon that landed several meters away, crushing trees carelessly. Its rider was a tall man with black hair and bicolored eyes of blue and black. The man leapt off his dragon and confronted Durza.

"You failed."

"Obviously." Durza sneered.

"Don't kill that one. We bring her back to Gil'ead for interrogation. The King has been seeking a prisoner like her for quite some time. Make sure she doesn't die."

The Shade hissed in displeasure, his thirst for blood not satiated by the murder of the male elf and his Urgal men. The Dragon Rider was unfazed though, and simply turned away to get back to his beast. A moment later, they flew off, probably to report what had transpired to the King.

"Arrogant human." Durza spat, then glared back to the elf. She was unconscious now, and he intended to keep her that way until they made it back to his personal torture chamber. He would break her in every way possible to get the information he wanted.

The King would not like his failure.

Brothers by Dragons

Chapter One: Lightning Strikes Twice

Eragon glanced about the pine trees, searching for more signs of his quarry. He'd been tracking an injured buck for a while now, but it was still moving along. It was surprising, he thought, that the animal had made it so far without a large predator noticing. The buck was so easy to track, he could have done it blindfolded.

But he had to take this hunt seriously. His family needed the meat.

He followed the tracks to a dried-up riverbed and paused behind a bush. The buck was standing clear as day in the sandy ground, eating a few berries that had dropped from a nearby shrub. Eragon quietly took his bow from his shoulder and notched an arrow.

Suddenly, he caught sight of slight movement on the other side of the riverbed behind a tree. Eragon paused and watched as a bow was drawn by whoever it was near him. He took aim at the buck and let the arrow fly at the same time as the other hunter.

Both arrows connected with their target's heart and the buck dropped dead instantly.

Eragon walked out from behind his hiding spot and smirked at the surprised look of the other, taller hunter. "Bet you didn't see that coming."

"Well, you're so small and scrawny, it's no wonder I couldn't notice!" Grinned the older boy.

"Small and scrawny? I'm amazed you managed to sneak up on even an injured deer, what with you stomping about like a grumpy old bear."

The older of the two rushed him then and the two boys engaged in a playful wrestling match. Eragon managed to keep his opponent at bay for a bit until the older boy got him in a headlock and pinned him down.

"Say uncle." Snickered the elder.

Eragon tried to wriggle free and elbowed him in the gut. "Never!"

The older boy wheezed at the blow. "Oof!"

He loosened his grip on Eragon, who scrambled away and sat down hard. The boys started laughing at their antics and stood up together.

"I didn't even notice you were nearby."

"Well I have always been the more perceptive of us, haven't I, Murtagh?" Eragon grinned.

Murtagh grinned back and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You really are a little sneak when you want to be. I about had a heart attack when I saw that second arrow come out of nowhere."

"Yeah, but now we can clean this up twice as fast." Eragon remarked as he glanced at the buck. It was a surprisingly fat animal. They had gotten very lucky. Its wound must have been fresh, otherwise it could be starved by now.

Murtagh pulled out his hunting knife and twirled it around with ease. "Well don't just sit there, little brother; get some rope and help me string him up. There's just a few more hours before dark. Better get to work before the wolves come around."

"Aye."

They strung the animal up and got to harvesting its meat. Eragon and Murtagh had been hunting since morning, as requested by their uncle in an effort to get some extra food on the table. It wasn't always easy, feeding four men. Though Eragon was still a teenager at a mere fifteen years old, Murtagh and their cousin Roran were on the brink of manhood at seventeen. Their uncle Garrow had raised all three boys with his now-deceased wife, Marian.

The four of them lived together on a farm, working hard days to put food on the table and help their uncle out. Garrow had taken in Eragon and Murtagh at a very young age, when their mother Selena came to Carvahall after seven years of absence. She brought with her the two year old Murtagh and was heavily pregnant at the time. Selena had been Garrow's younger sister, and after giving birth to her youngest son and naming him Eragon, she had begged her brother to raise the two boys before disappearing once more- this time, forever.

Eragon had no idea what she even looked like and Murtagh could barely put a face to her name when he really tried to recall her. Roran had also been extremely young when Selena had come to their home, so he didn't remember her face either. Only Garrow remembered, and he often said it had been so long he was beginning to forget his little sister's face himself. No one had any idea who the boys' father was.

It troubled the brothers when they were younger, but not so much anymore. Marian had been a great mother to them up until her death a few years back, so Eragon and Murtagh were content. Roran was as much a brother to them as they were to each other and Garrow was plenty a father for them.

After a short while, Eragon and Murtagh had taken what they needed from the deer and left the rest for the wolves. Both were happy with the catch, even though they would have to go hunting again soon.

Garrow was beyond pleased with the buck.

"Well done, you two." He set aside the hoe he'd been using on the fields with Roran, who came up to admire the meat the two boys carried.

"The legendary hunters have returned." Murtagh grinned.

Roran smirked and nodded towards the house. "Well don't just stand there "legendary hunters," get it inside before the flies have their way with it."

Eragon punched his shoulder teasingly. "Isn't there a girl you need to be flirting with?"

The youngest boy danced away from his cousin's humorous right hook, laughing until Garrow broke them up with a chuckle. "Alright boys, enough. Eragon, Murtagh, get the meat inside and start making something for us to eat. Roran and I are just about done for the day."

"Yes, uncle." Eragon nodded and followed his older brother inside to start getting dinner ready.

When night rolled around, Garrow began discussing his plans for the upcoming winter with the boys while they ate. "The traders are rather late this year. I hope they make it around, but you can never be too careful. I'm going to buy another goat tomorrow in town. You three are coming with me. Roran is supposed to meet with a miller from Therinsford called Dempton, so he'll be working there for most of Winter. Eragon, Murtagh, you two are going to stay and help with the farm."

"By the way, uncle." Murtagh briefly interrupted. "I might've gotten a job working at Horst's."

Garrow nodded. "Let me know how your talk with him goes. If you end up working for Horst, then I'll divide your duties here with his. Eragon and I can manage most of the farm on our own. It'll be a bit easier with only three mouths to feed."

"Glad you're happy to see me go." Roran said jokingly.

Garrow chuckled at his son and ruffled his hair. "For once, someone else will have to put up with your snoring."

"I don't snore!"

"You do too!" Eragon grinned at him widely. "It's like an angry elephant at night!"

"And you would know what an elephant sounds like, would you?" Roran shot back.

Murtagh snickered and joined in. "Well, since you're a shining example of one, I suppose we do."

The four men continued their playful banter until dinner was finished and the table was cleaned up. Not long after, they went to bed, exhausted after the day's events.

Sometime in the night, Eragon was woken to a loud cracking sound that made him jump. His gaze darted around until Murtagh walked in with an equally surprised look.

"What was that?"

"No idea. Let's go find out."

Eragon nodded and grabbed his bow and quiver, just in case. Murtagh brought his own bow as well, but neither of them opted to wake their still-sleeping cousin and uncle. No point worrying them in case it was nothing.

As they got outside, Murtagh noted a bit of smoke in the trees. He scanned the sky and frowned. "It's not stormy tonight, but was that a lightning strike?"

Eragon started towards the smoke and muttered. "One way to find out."

They had reached the trees when a second loud cracking sound echoed through the woods. The brothers instantly had arrows nocked on their bows and waited for something to happen. When nothing did, they cautiously walked around the trees they hid behind and saw that a second trail of smoke was starting to rise.

Murtagh silently motioned for Eragon to flank right and he left, which his younger brother did without hesitation. The two worked their way around the two smoke wisps, then carefully started moving towards them. Eragon craned his neck over a large shrub to get a better look.

What he saw surprised him. Two round, ovular objects, colored red and blue respectively were lying side by side, surrounded by burn marks. The red one was smoking more, revealing it to be the most recent cause of the cracking sound. Eragon carefully prodded one with an arrow and then quickly stepped back, but nothing happened even after several moments.

He made a quiet whistle to alert Murtagh that there was no danger and put his bow and arrow up. Murtagh did the same and both boys knelt to inspect their find.

Murtagh arched an eyebrow. "What in the blazes are these?"

"No idea." Eragon replied, studying the objects. He carefully laid his hand on the blue one and was surprised by how smooth it was. Each stone (he assumed they were stones) was roughly the size of a human head. Neither boy had ever seen anything like them.

"This is weird." Murtagh muttered as he picked up the red stone, gently turning it in his hands. "Are they…magic?"

Eragon paused at the idea. "Well…I'm no magician, but they could be. Do you think they were meant for us?"

"That's rather far-fetched." His older brother scoffed. "Still…I'd say let's keep this to ourselves for now. Garrow and Roran don't need to know about them if it doesn't hurt anyone. The traders are expected to get into town tomorrow, so we can get them appraised and see if they're worth anything. It's not as though we have any use for them."

"I guess so." Eragon agreed. "And we could use the extra money."

"Then that's settled." Murtagh got up and carried the red stone with him, glancing at Eragon. "You keep the blue. Red is my favorite color. Finder's keepers."

Eragon snorted. "I found them first, but no argument here. Mine is better."

"Yeah, right."

So they took their odd discoveries back to their rooms, where they were carefully hidden and the brothers didn't give a second thought to the two stones for the remainder of the night.