Inheritance Cycle 1. a whole new world

It was 1653, dragons were now considered fairy tales as piracy began to rise in the new world. Inside the hold of a pirate ship was dark emerald egg. The pirates on board stole it from a merchant ship thinking it was a valuable stone. It started to crack and shake, in seconds there was a young male hatchling rummaging through a barrel of salted pork. The barrel he was in began to be rolled, his squeaks of protest going unheard. He got out of the barrel and skittered under a nearby table in the kitchen, and soon caught the smell of bloody meat "hurry up ye sod, the captain wants his dinner now" was heard as the dragon slipped into a pre arranged meal on a silver platter, his scaly tail slipping unnoticed under the cover as he began to devour the raw sheep leg. Soon light returned to the dragon as someone opened the cover and he saw a richly dressed old man with light gray hair as well as a young man looking at him in horror. The captain drew a pistol and shot the man, almost instantly someone banged on the door, "captain, are you alright?" someone yelled. "I'm fine, get back to work" he yelled back before saying "well, look at you, and here I thought I was the only one this ship" as he reached forward to scratch the hatchling. The young dragon nipped at the strange appendage, its fangs slicing open a finger in the process. "Feisty one aren't you? But soon you will learn to respect your elders, until then we can't let the crew see you as you are" as he said this as he stopped the bleeding with a napkin and reached into an old chest, pulling out a glass vial and forced its contents down the dragons throat. "There, in a few weeks you will be old enough to change, until then I'll have to keep you secret."

Several months went by and the hatchling was now an adolescent, he was in the guise of a six foot tall teenage boy about eighteen with shoulder length black hair and a well muscled body. "'ello there Alan, practic'n with yer pistol I see. The captain would like ta see yer in his quarters" said a sailor and Alan jogged to the door an knocked. "Enter" was heard and he opened the door. "Well, I think it's about time you get your own ship, and as my only heir, I leave you this chest before you depart" said captain blood, gesturing to the old strongbox as he tossed over a key. "What's in it" "the reason dragons didn't get wiped out five hundred years ago, the potion that allows you to look like a human when ya want to. Now, I need you to map out an area to the west, there is a part of the sea that ships disappear into and I think it's the gateway to the old world. Now son, remember not to trust a human, they can be treacherous fear-killers. They don't understand what we are and if the found out most wouldn't hesitate to kill us. Make me proud and I'll get you a better ship."

Weeks passed and I was sailing on my fairly large battle sloop , The Dragon's Freedom, when a crewman came up, "captain, a messenger gull just came in, those damn Brits finally caught your father. They executed him three days ago." He said as he handed me an envelope. I went into my quarters and sat down on the chest to read it, sadness engulfing me. I lost those close to me before, pirates often died and it was common, but this was different. The letter read, 'Alan, if your reading this then I've passed on and you are the last dragon alive. Do not mourn me, I lived a good thousand years. My last wish is that you go to the home world and live with others of your kind. Be strong, live life to its fullest, and remain loyal to your crew. I picked them out myself, and each one of the three hundred men on your ship would gladly die for you. P.S. the humans onboard know what you are and still wished to follow you' I took some time to gather my thoughts before leaving my room. I stood at the helm and said "men, soon we sail for the Bermuda triangle! To a place the British can't get us and we will be truly free! To the land of my ancestor's, to a land of strange creatures, to a new future! I know I am no jack blood, hell, I'm just his adopted son, but I will strive to be as good a leader as he was, Giles, break out the rum" I said and a thunderous roar followed as several kegs were brought up and I waited for everyone to fill a mug before raising min and saying "to The demon of the sea! May he forever plunder in the afterlife!" and downing my drink as they roared in approval.

Several months passed and we were soon heading toward the triangle. We lost only twelve men while plundering and got fifteen ships because of my new tactic, where I would fly above the ship and strike fear into our victim's hearts before the ship attacked. I went for my usual 'swim' later that night, leaving my clothes on the deck as the ship waited outside the Bermuda triangle. I swam about a mile before starting the change, my skin tightening and forming scales. I groaned in slight pain as the scars on either side of my spine opened to release my wings and my bones shifted, breaking and reforming as they grew stronger. I remembered a talk I had with my father as the transformation finished. _'but how does it work?" I said, my young voice begging for answers and he laughed lightly "it manipulates our genes, gives our cells two sets of DNA. It gives us the choice of what set is to be dominant."_' I dove under the surface before rocketing up into the air and spreading my wings. I roared a challenge into the night before looking for the telltale shadow of prey beneath the water as my stomach rumbled, emptied of food to power the change. I finally found what I was looking for and dived into the water, jaws snapping onto a medium sized great white. I immediately took off again before the blood attracted more sharks, my victim's thrashing stopping as blood loss and suffocation finished it off. I dug in to my meal, relishing the taste of fresh meat after the salted pork and biscuits I had to stomach over the last few days. I flew back to the sip and landed in the water next to it _toss me a rope_ I said in their heads as I finished changing and in no time my naked form was standing on deck putting on clothes. I headed back toward my quarters as someone said "night cap'n".

I woke early the next day and told the gun master I wanted to inspect the cannons this morning before going below deck and making sure the cannons were tied down before checking the powder stores and making sure the barrels of what farther called 'hell powder' which was the same as gunpowder but far more powerful as well as water proof due to salt-peter made from dragon urine were securely chained down. As I moved to the armory and prepared rifles for battle Giles came in and said "there your are, what, you think were goin' into a fight?" as he watched me work. "I don't know, but its been ten thousand years since the last dragon arrived from the homeland, and they were fleeing from a war. I'm just preparing for the worst." I said as I loaded and primed the last rifle before closing the water tight cabinet. "Anyways, cap'n the compass is acting weird and couple of the men was wondering, can you use magic?" I laughed before saying "I can only breathe fire, which is the only way a dragon can willingly use magic. We were at war with creatures that could looked sort of human when we left, and they could control theirs." Suddenly the wind picked up and the seas became rough as I stumbled onto deck. "What's happening?" I yelled over the wind. "Maelstrom!!" someone yelled back in fear and I looked to see a giant whirlpool stretching from horizon to horizon. I watched in terror as we began to sail downward at a hundred and twenty degree angle toward the jagged rocks of the seabed. Seconds before we crashed, a white light flashed and I was momentarily blinded. Next thing I knew we were going up the sides of a smaller whirlpool. "Are we dead?" asked someone in a stunned voice "I don't think so" another replied as I felt something click inside my head. I said "this place, it feels so… so right" as the crew began to sing and dance with joy at still being alive. I looked around and spotted an island and pointed saying "make way for land, tonight we rest and re supply. And break out a few kegs of rum when we get there, I feel like celebrating" with a grin at the thought of red meat.

We landed ashore and camp was almost set up as search parties went looking for food and water. I got off the ship and found a place out of the way where I could change and take off for a hunt without disturbing the crew as they prepared for the celebration. I stripped and changed, welcoming the feeling of my scales replacing pitiful human flesh. I roared my freedom to the heavens and took off. the jungle was thick on the island and I growled in frustration as I tried to find a suitable meal. I flew for over an hour before finding something, a pack of wild boars. I calculated on the best route through the trees before diving down and grabbing one fore each paw as I bit down on a fifth. When I got back I gave two to the crew and feasted on my meal before telling Giles to bring out my father's plans for the turret. It was fairly simple, just a twenty foot wooden tower that had four long nines built into it. the main purpose of the turret was to increase the ships attack range, but it would prove an invaluable asset if we met hostile dragons.

It had been seven months and we had a hidden fort on the island where we made gunpowder, hell powder, and anything else we needed. The empire's presence near the mainland had tripled and we were among the most wanted, next to a human who rode a blued dragon. Surprisingly after I slaughtered whole fleets I was still wanted alive. "Captain, we have three imperial ships to the east, should we engage?" said my third officer. "Yes, we need more information so get some prisoners" I said as I dove into the water and changed. I hovered next to the side of the ship and said _get me a nine pounder and load it with a hell ball_ I said and soon I was flying toward the enemy, my ship not far behind. As I drew near I announced my presence and in no time the usual arrows were flying at me and I burned them in mid-air. I aimed the cannon at the largest ship and blew a jet of flame into the primer, causing an earsplitting roar as the cannonball shot at its target. About ten seconds later the hell balls fuse ran out and an explosion tore the ship in half while I returned the cannon to the shop and grabbed a grape shot cannon. I was about to pepper the second ship with lead when I noticed a red dragon withy a human on its back in the distance and saved my shot in case they were hostile. "Surrender and you will be slaves, fight and death is assured" boomed a voice from the human and I replied _a life of servitude is no life for a pirate. By the way, you have disgraced your ancestors by letting a human ride on your back_ I finished, directing the last bit to the dragon. Suddenly they flew straight at me and I was frozen in mid air as the other dragon made to pin my wings to my back _coward, using magic in an even fight_ as I pointed the cannon at my opponent and fired. The lead balls tore through his side and turned his right wing into a blood covered mockery of Swiss cheese and I was set free as they fled, my opponents wing slowly healing. I turned to see we captured an enemy ship twice the size of our sloop and I returned to the deck after changing and inspected our catch. It was big enough to be a galleon! "Giles, have this ship fitted with the spare fifty pound cannons when we get back." "How many do you want?" he asked and I told him "it looks like it could handle eighty." I told him.

The next night I was relaxing in the courtyard in dragon form with a barrel of the mead we started making next to me. "Captain, about our plan's for recruitment…" I cut Giles off _don't talk about plan's, were being watched_ I said and Giles looked at me with worry. "How long? By what?" I looked at him and said _I caught their scents about an hour ago; it's a human and a dragon._ "The one from the other day?" _no, the other one was male. She isn't the same one._ "What if she's hostile? You should have warned us!" _Don't forget your place Giles. I didn't warn you because she's watching __me__. Any strange behavior would have alerted them. Take ten men and prepare some cannons on the south wall, and be discreet. I don't want the crew running around like headless chickens._ "Yes captain." I waited another fifteen minutes before the signal was ready and I told them only to fire if the attacked first. _So, you going to watch us all night or introduce yourselves?_ I said, making sure everyone on the island could hear me._ And don't try attacking or you will be killed by my cannons_.


	2. Alan Blood, meet Saphira Brightscales

After several moments a blue dragon came out of the forest followed by a strange looking human. They approached the gates without showing any hostilities and came towards me. I noticed several of my men pointing muskets at them and said _put your weapons down!_ And they lowered the barrels. I looked back at her and studied what she looked like. _What are you staring at?_ Said a defiant female voice and I immediately looked away, _the only other dragon I've seen was my Adopted father_ I replied as I studied the human and I mentally gasped and had the men point the rifles at the non- human before me. _An elf!_ I said angrily as they both tensed after me. She growled and stood over him protectively saying _touch him and you're dead!!_ My mind was spinning with images of elves slaughtering dragons a millennia ago that my father showed me, several leaking to others in the courtyard and one of my men yelled "touch the captain and we will fill you with lead" as several cannons were pointed at the pair. I finally calmed down enough to think clearly 'wait, if the elves were still killing dragons they wouldn't team up, and one or the other would most likely have gone extinct' I thought and said _hold your fire_. "But captain, those memories…" someone started to say but I cut him off _…were a million years old. The war couldn't have lasted that long. Get them some mead._ At this I turned back to them and said _the name's Alan Blood, last dragon of earth. _"My name's Eragon Shadeslayer and this is Saphira Brightscales" said the elf as a barrel of mead was put before Saphira and a cup was handed to Eragon. I finished my barrel and said to Saphira _well; your scales are bright_ without thinking it through, getting me an odd look. Trying to change the subject I said _anyone hungry?_ Saphira replied _no_ and Eragon said "yes, but I don't eat meat" and I laughed. _You wouldn't last two weeks at sea_ I said to him as I sent a few men to get him some fruit. Giles came up in a hurry and said "captain, there's a fleet of ships heading straight for us. What're your orders?" _put the cannons on the ships, as well as any supplies that will fit. Then set fire to the rest and retreat to the island north of here_ I said and in minutes the ships were setting sail as the enemy began to barricade the harbor entrance. From the air I could see the red one going after Saphira and I got a strangely protective feeling. Without hesitating I grabbed a harpoon out of the burning fort, told my men to leave him to me and shot at him, keeping my secret weapon hidden against my underside as he turned to face me. Again I was stopped in mid air and I roared angrily and said _cowards! You have no honor! Using magic in a fair fight is a tactic of the damned!!_ As I thrashed in their grip while keeping the harpoon out of sight. As he was dealing with me, Saphira rammed his side and I was released from their magic as they fell toward the sea, clawing and biting. I watched as they broke apart and I shot toward my opponent, readying the harpoon. The human looked up in shock just before I thrust the weapon through his torso and pinned him to his dragons back before using the red one's bulk to reverse by momentum, leaving large gashes on his lower back and pushing him closer to the sea as he roared in pain. _Hah! You fight like a hatchling!!_ I said as he shot off to recover from my attack. Something on a nearby ship caught my attention and I looked to see three pale humans with blood red hair chanting and everything went dark.

I woke in a dark cell and tried to get up only to find I was chained to the floor. I tried to vocalize my outrage but my mouth was chained shut. I heard breathing nearby and I said _show yourself_ and someone laughed. "You're in no position to issue demands" said one of the strange humans from earlier as he stepped out of the shadows. "My name's Drone, and I have been instructed to learn what I can from you. By force if necessary." He said in his snake like voice. _You'll get nothing from me. The Blood family train themselves to deal with large amounts of pain._ "Ah, so there are more of you, the king will be glad to know this." 'Let him think that' I thought to myself before saying_ our nation is larger and more powerful than you could imagine. When they learn of my capture they will respond violently. This land will make a small but welcome addition to our empire._ I said and I smiled inwardly as he drank up my lies like my men and their drink. "Our reports say you haven't used magical attacks when plundering, why is that?" _hah, you have no idea who your messing with_ and he got out a knife and approached. He went out of my sight and soon I felt a sharp pain in my left foreleg. "Where is your empire?" he said as I felt him begin sawing at my sensitive wing membranes. I groaned lightly, resisting the urge to try and roar in pain. It seemed my lack of obvious suffering was getting to him as he began to cut with more savage motions. A woman with red hair walked in and yelled "Drone! Galbatorix wanted him in fighting condition, why are you cutting off his wings!" "He won't tell me anything Raja, and we can always heal him before it becomes permanent" he replied as I felt my wings heal. Another man walked in and said "Galbatorix has summoned us. Most likely about our failure to capture the female and her rider" after he said this they turned into black mist and dissipated. I strained my senses for several minutes before deciding no one was nearby and changing into human form, the chains falling off me as I shrunk. I opened the door and walked down the hallway. Soon I ran into a guard and silently cursed the weak senses of humans s he looked at my naked form. "Soldier, where is your uniform" he asked and I played along saying "sir, my squad hid it on me sir!" in my best soldier impersonation voice. He laughed before saying "follow me boy, I'll lend you one of my old ones until you find it" and he led me to a room before handing me a stained shirt with pants and leather boots. "Now, this isn't free. I'm supposed to check on an elf, but I can't stand the creatures so you are to do it for me. Go down the stairs and it's the third cell on the right" he said handing me a key. 'An elf huh? Maybe I should help him out' I thought as I went down the stairs and found myself in front of an iron door. I opened it and found a malnourished and beaten elf hanging by chains on the far wall. I tried the key and found it did not fit the shackles as he looked up at me weakly and fainted. I stripped and changed before prying the metal bands off of his hands with surgical precision and laying him on the ground. I changed back and carried him through the halls, marveling at how light he was. Several guards came up and noticed me. "Stop! Where are you taking that prisoner?!" "I have order's to take him to the king" I said and they let me pass with the unconscious elf over my shoulders. I got out to the main gate, repeating my false orders to anyone who questioned me. The gate troops barred the exit and said in bored voices "password" and I hesitated before taking on e of their swords, killing them, and fleeing into the woods. I'm minutes I heard the sound of dogs in the distance. I changed, picked up my prize and took off toward the coast, leaving the uniform in tatters on the ground.

It had been three days since my escape; the elf had stirred several times. Sometimes I could swear he was looking at me, but I never caught him. I was laying on the ground, a stolen barrel of ale in front of me and the remains of a deer to my left. 'Where am I?' I thought to myself, 'I need to find my men but I have no idea where the rally point is from here' I continued, not noticing that the elf was sitting up and looking at me as I sipped my drink. "Greetings skulblaka" he said and I looked at him, trying to decide if it was an insult. "May I ask where your rider is?" he finished and I bared my teeth, _if you think I would carry someone anywhere but in my claws you are gravely mistaken! _I said. "Forgive me, mighty dragon. I thought the man who rescued me was a rider, after all, the chances of a normal person sneaking into Galbatorix's secret prison is incomprehensible." _There was no man. I rescued you during my escape. Tell me elf, which direction is the giant whirlpool?_ I said and he looked confused before saying "the boar's eye is to the south west of Narda in the north. In other words, west of here." I hesitated before saying_ I can take you to a place you will be safe. But I swear by my ancestors, if you endanger my crew I won't hesitate to kill you_ as I picked him up in me claws and took off, ignoring his struggles of surprise.

Finally I made it to the rally point and set the elf, who I found out was Faelin, Galbatorix's son, down in the camp as Giles came forward. "Captain, you're free! I told those two landlubbers you would return!!" _like the English underestimated my father, so did this empire misjudge me _I said, _now, prepare the ships, we move out in an hour. _"So Doru Areabea is you rally point?" asked Eragon as he walked up, followed by Saphira. I looked at him and replied _only one of many safe havens from the empire. It pays to be prepared for anything. Now, I have decided to assist you in your war, but know this, I will not take orders. If you want help in a fight, it must be in the form of a request. And the price for my assistance is to allow me to recruit men for my fleet._ I said and Saphira looked at me _fleet? Two ships in not much of a fleet._ And I replied _I only kept ships I had enough men for. Even now I don't have the optimum amount for proper combat efficiency. _As I said this someone brought me some clothes and said "The ships are ready to leave." I changed into my naked human form and noticed the two elves and Saphira staring at me with wide eyes. "How is that possible? No spell can do that!" said Faelin in a shocked voice. I grinned as I put on my clothes and said "not a spell, a potion" _how does it work?_ Said Saphira, obviously intrigued. "I can't tell you that. How it works, and how it's made have been family secrets for thousands of years, along with the creation of hell powder. But I'll give you some if you want it" I said with a grin as I put my six pistols on my belt and went into my sloop. I got to the chest and took the key from its hiding place. I opened the chest, expecting to fid it filled with it, but what I found was two bottles of potion, an old sheepskin scroll and two books, one looked normal and read 'the behavior, types, and life cycle of demons', the other was made of what appeared to be volcanic glass. Interested I looked at the title it read 'The Demonocraphy'. I took out one potion and closed the chest, making a note to read the books on the voyage. "is that it?" asked Eragon when I got back. "Yes it is" I said as I handed it to him. he muttered some words and immediately flinched. "Its poison!" he said accusingly as him and Saphira tensed up. "To humans, yes. But the worst thing it will do to a dragon is make them hyper" I said. _Then why don't you drink it? _Saphira said, not convinced. "fine." I answered and took off my clothes before changing, ignoring their uncomfortable expressions. _You pour that in my mouth_ I said to one of my men and he took I from Eragon. I shuddered at the awful taste as it slid down my throat. In seconds I could barely keep still as energy rushed through me. I accidentally knocked over a pile of barrels with an involuntary twitch of my tail as I said _there-see? If-it-was-poisonus-to-dragons-it-would-have-already-made-my-stomach-digest-itself,-giving-me-a-painful-death _so fast I was barely understandable. _Now-excuse-me,-I-can't-hold-still-any-longer_ I said as I jumped into the air and stated doing aerial maneuvers at high speeds.

It had been three hours, Saphira took the potion and we had an air race to determine the better flyer. Saphira won and now we were seeing who the faster swimmer was. The potion wore off an hour ago so I wasn't so hyper. I looked back and saw she was over a mile behind me. The ships were ahead of her and she said _fine, you're a better swimmer_ and I laughed before returning to the ship and changing. Saphira caught up and I put a rope out my cabin window and left so she could change and get dressed without the crew watching her. After several thumps and a few yelps of pain she said _Alan, how do you control this body?_ in a frustrated voice. _It'll be fine._ I said going in. she was almost five feet tall with shoulder length black hair and from what I could see was in good shape, as usual with changing forms, her eyes did not change color. She had managed to dress herself and was leaning on the wall and I laughed "that's your problem, you don't have a tail anymore" I said with a grin "and we are at sea, the rocking is hard to compensate for with only two legs, but you'll get used to it". Eragon came in and helped her to their quarters and I sat down to study the books in my chest.

The weeks had gone by quickly and I learned there are nine levels of the demon realm. Most demons were fire or earth based but others existed. Level one was the largest plain where the weakest lived and they got stronger the farther in you went. They had a system of almost constant combat or trickery, the weak would use guile to survive and any who were defeated would be eaten or enslaved by the victor, the former increasing the winner's strength and the latter enlarging their personal army. They started out as malicious or angry thoughts of the creatures in Alagaesia or Earth and would enter the first level when they formed their own personality. Their origins mean they thrived on the negative emotions of this world and if the summoner died while they were here, they would embark on a rampage of mayhem, death and destruction until someone else defeated them. Summoning them required a pentagram filled with specific rune and a blood sacrifice. They only would listen to you if you beat them at combat. After you beat them, if they survived, they would be bound to you and not listen to anyone else until you released them, you could set a word or sound as a summoning trigger and they would do what you ordered.

We arrived in Reavstone in late spring and I told Giles not to plunder any Surdan ships while I was gone. We spent the night in a local inn and I woke up around midnight, having rested enough on the ship. I decided to practice the movement skills my father taught me from his days as an assassin and spent the last hours until dawn leaping from roof to roof, stealing random objects when people were near and climbing up the sides of buildings. Soon I got back and we set off toward the Varden, me and Saphira gladly changing as soon as we left the city.

I fell asleep on the grass a little ways from my companions. Soon I found myself in a forest clearing and Saphira was nearby thinking deeply. I approached and said _what's wrong?_ with concern in my voice. She looked at me with hope and said _are you attracted by me? _I stepped back before replying _I think you're hotter than any fire I've breathed_ I said in an embarrassed tone. _Good _she said and I found myself on my back with her on top, kissing me deeply. The rest was a blur, kissing, licking, grunts of pleasure. I felt something was about to happen, I inhale, thrust and… I woke up breathing heavily, my dragon hood exposed to the stars and glanced fearfully at the others. Relief washed over me at the sight of them sleeping and I got up and walked away. I found a hidden spot and looked down at myself. It had never come all the way out before; usually it remained hidden under its armored scale. I sat there thinking as it slowly went back inside me, the scale covering the area it disappeared into before it hit me. 'It's so obvious!! I have never seen a female dragon before; Saphira's presence is making my hormones start to go crazy. I better keep myself under control; it would be embarrassing if my 'friend' came out when they were awake.' I thought as I returned to my previous sleeping spot.


	3. new allies

The next morning I got up early and decided to experiment with the Demonocraphy's weaker summoning rituals. Saphira was on her side with Eragon clutched to her chest, as if he was a hatchling she thought someone would steal. I changed and crept towards my companions thinking 'silver weakens demons and I bet he has a few coins I could use'. I got within feet of Saphira's muzzle and she snorted, causing me to stumble with surprise. I landed hard and looked up, fearful of discovery. She had her lips raised slightly and was growling quietly, for a second I thought I was found out. But her eyes were still closed and I looked at Eragon and realized he was in the exact same position as when I saw him last night. Upon closer inspection I realized his eyes were open and I held my breath for several seconds before relaxing. 'okay, sleeping with your eyes open is definitely creepy, but not unheard of' I thought as I slowly reached into his coin purse and pulled out several before replacing all but the three silvers I found. As I turned around I could have sworn I was being watched. I quickly put the coins in my mouth and changed, scales covering my previously naked form, before grabbing the large book from my pack and taking off toward a nearby group of trees.

I finished the pentagram and put the coins around the summoning circle. Next I used a single claw to make a small incision on my foreleg and let the blood drip in the center before backing up and reading from the ancient tome. _Lifeblood from my veins, and determination in my heart, I call upon the forces outside of time to summon the demon Orrun as mine!_ As soon as I finished the rite red smoke filled the ring before clearing. Inside was a red skinned imp the size of a small human baby flapping its bat like wings as it glared at me. I entered the makeshift arena and it flew at me, swinging clawed hands and snarling as it shot toward my face. Not expecting it to be so aggressive, I didn't move in time and got a painful slash on the end of my nose that was intended to put out my eye. _Enough!_ I said as I batted it to the ground and pinned it with one claw. I held down the squirming thing, ignoring its terrified squeals and said the rite of binding, _from the thoughts of the living, on misery you feed, I bind you to my will, my orders you will heed!_ It stopped struggling and said "what does master wish of Orrun?" _fetch me a snack, I want twelve rabbits_ I said and he disappeared with a small burst of flame as I grinned with satisfaction and prepared for another summoning. I went through the book and found a demon, feeling overconfident I neglected to read the details. This time the smoke was royal purple and a naked humanoid female with horns and lavender skin appeared. I entered the ring and was about to pin her down for the rite of bonding when she turned into a dragon. My mind became fuzzy as she approached and nuzzled me. Somewhere there was a voice telling me to fight but the lust was building despite my mental struggles. _Stop, I don't want this_ I said weakly trying to remember the other female from before but her image slipped past my grasp as my heart rate increased significantly, the sound pulling me further into the demon's control. I lay down tiredly, everything had a dream like quality as I felt myself get rolled onto my back and something start stroking me, slowly coaxing out my tool. _Just relax. Give in and rest, there is no need to fight it_ said a voice in my head. _It will be over soon and you won't remember a thing_ it continued as she got on top. Then I blacked out.

I woke in the same spot, and noticed a distant laughter. Something felt wrong, as if an ancient evil had arrived to plague the world and I was somehow responsible, but I couldn't figure out why. Soon Orrun returned with the rabbits. I dismissed him and ate the small morsels. I got back to the camp to see Eragon eating breakfast. When I landed he said "where were you?" _"I went for a morning flight"_ I said, deciding I would replace the coins tomorrow. "You need silver to fly?" he asked before continuing his meal. I was already caught so I spit them out on the ground and said _"no, but summoning without its dangerous."_ He looked at me funny and I said "_where's Saphira?" _"She went hunting. What do you mean by summoning?" _"Family secret"_ I lied as Saphira arrived. The trip was uneventful at best and soon the Varden were on the horizon. When we landed we were surrounded by spectators. Remembering my father's advice, I kept my wings unfurled, ready for a quick takeoff at the first sign of treachery. Soon the crowd parted to allow a woman surrounded by guards through. She looked at me before saying to my companions "this is the one you spoke of? It is good to have a second dragon on our side." "My lady, this is Captain Alan Blood. Captain, this is lady Nasuada, leader of the Varden." She inclined her head and said "it is a pleasure to meet you. Please, follow me to my tent." Soon we arrived and Eragon entered as Saphira stuck her head into a hole in the wall. I hesitated before slashing a hole in the thick fabric and sticking my head through. After all, the less people who new about the potion, the better. There was a large table in the center of the room with several people sitting at it. There was Nasuada, an elf and Eragon. Then there was some kind of yellow-skinned-pig-man with rams horns and a funny smelling midget with a big beard. The pig saw me staring and stared me down, despite the fact I could easily bite it in half. _"You have guts that rival that of my men. Count yourself lucky, few have looked at me like that and lived."_ I said and it grunted. Several guards glanced at me nervously and Nasuada cleared her throat. "This is Captain Alan Blood. Those you do not know are Arya of the elves, King Orrin of Surda, King Orik of the Dwarves, and Nar Garzvog of the Urgals. Tell me again the conditions of your aid." _"I need sailors as well as sulfur iron and lead. I also need land for my pirates to live off after Galbatorix is dead. The land I want is a group of islands near Surda, the dense jungles and sandy beaches are just what they are used to." _she sat there for several seconds before saying "and what do you offer us in return?" _"My aid, and that of seasoned sailors wielding weapons you never thought possible as well as over twenty battle ready ships."_ "will you let our soldiers use these weapons?" _"No."_ "You ask a pretty hefty price, if we are allies then why won't you let us use your weapons? Are you afraid of betrayal?" _"you must understand, I am protecting the interests of my men and their descendents. In two thousand years the king of the mainland won't care about anything we say now. Those weapons could mean their survival and I will not allow sensitive information about them to fall in the hands of possible future enemies."_ I turned to Saphira and asked _"is there a way to keep them from telling how the weapons work even if faced with death?" "We could have them swear in the ancient language, then they physically couldn't give away any information on them."_ She said and I looked back at Nasuada before saying _"then that is the condition. Anyone who will learn these secrets must swear not to say anything about the training they receive or the weapons themselves. I will have ships waiting at the docks to transport anyone who whishes to use guns. My first mate, Giles, will issue all weapons upon their arrival at my main camp."_ At this I dismissed myself to explore the camp and meet more of these Urgals. Perhaps they would make suitable boarding parties. Almost instantly I was approached by Nar Garzvog. "Blood" he said lifting his chin and I stopped to look at him "if you go into the urgal part of camp, do not expect respect immediately. Among us, respect is earned solely through combat." _"I have no problem killing to earn it if your people are as brave as you. Where I come from, a human with as much spine as yours is almost impossible to come by. Well, unless you count the British marines, but they are about as smart as the average rock."_ I continued into the camp and after several minutes of watching them fight in a pit several young rams looked at me, as if sizing me up. I watched them out of the corner of my eye as they approached and lowered their heads. From what I saw this was a challenge and I lowered my head and bared my teeth saying _"no need to form a line, I will give you death at the same time."_ all twelve drew their weapons, obviously thinking of all the respect they would get for slaying a dragon and charged. I lifted off, grabbing the first one in reach and lifted him into the air. One of the others threw their battle axe and it got lodged in my shoulder as the one I grabbed prepared to slice the leg that held him. I grabbed the sword with my teeth and bit down, reducing it to twisted scrap as I looked him in the eyes. He showed no fear as I opened my mouth, not even flinching as fire welled in the back of my throat. White hot fire engulfed him and I dropped his charred bones before picking my next target. Seven had grouped together, forming a barrier with their shields as if to block the flame I sent towards them. The shields melted and soon they too were reduced to smoldering bones and ash._ "Well, I see your kind isn't fire proof. Tell you what, I'm not unsporting. I'll refrain from incinerating the rest of you, hell, ill even land and stay on the ground."_ I plummeted at this and the survivors dove out of the way before encircling me. They charged, two from behind and two from the front. I swept my tail and slashed with my forepaws. The result was two disemboweled, one with its face splattered against a rock and the forth unconscious. My fight didn't go unnoticed by the humans though. A small crowd had gathered on the edge of the urgal camp and Eragon and Saphira were rushing towards me. "_What are you doing!"_ Eragon yelled at me and I laughed before saying _"looking for possible recruits. Before you get mad, they challenged me._" I looked at the unconscious one to see his chest was crushed and he was barely breathing. _"You should heal that one. He's alive, barely. Besides, he fought with skill; he's the only one that hit me."_ As I said this I pulled the axe out of my shoulder and looked at the wound as Eragon hurried to help the wounded Urgal. After several minutes Eragon was done and he opened his eyes. At first confusion showed in his eyes, then bewilderment as he felt his body over. He was obviously amazed he was still alive as he looked at me. _"Congratulations are in order; you are the first non human to be offered a place in my fleet. If you accept, you will be given a ship and a crew to command. But you will have to swear an oath of loyalty to me first."_ He sat there for several second before saying "I accept." _"Eragon, please tell him the words."_ I said and soon the urgal was bound to me and sworn to keep my secrets. _"What is your name?"_ I said and soon he said "Grummock." _"Captain Grummock, please follow me to discuss your new duties. And your axe is right there."_ He grabbed his one handed axe and placed it in a leather loop at his waist before following. _"The crimson blades have few laws. A captain is subject to these laws just like the crew. In your culture you are allowed to challenge anyone in a fight. This is true for us as well, but killing your opponent is forbidden. All challenges must be fought in front of the whole crew. If one of the fighters dies, the crew will decide their fate. The punishments for the convicted can be whippings, or even death. But the dishonor of life in exile is often the most feared. Exiles will have a large X branded across their face. Chum will be thrown into the water and when the sharks are swimming around the ship he will be thrown overboard. If he escapes his bonds as well as the sharks, any crimson blade to see him again will attempt to kill him. The captain gets a quarter of the spoils, the rest is divided equally. You may attack any ship that flies the imperial flag or attacks you first. As captain, anyone on your ship other than me and my guests are subject to your orders, but the crew will ultimately decide your fate at sea. If you are killed by a mutiny and anyone survives they will not be charged so be fair to your men but maintain order."_ I gave him several minutes to digest what I said before saying _"on a lighter note, anyone flying our flag will aid you against empire ships. Most of the blades are lovers of an alcoholic beverage called rum and tend to be good to members of the fleet, if no one else. And as a member of our crew, you may request a melee weapon made with dragon scales forged into the steel. It may not be magic proof, but they make the hardest alloy we've ever encountered. As for ranged weapons, the first mate of my flagship, Giles, will be the one to talk to. Other than that rely on your crew. Now, you may leave immediately for Reavstone and start plundering and preparing yourself. Look for a flag bearing crossed blood covered cutlasses behind a dragon skull. That is our mark."_ He bared his throat and left. I took flight after retrieving my pack and found a secluded spot. I removed my pack and changed before getting dressed. As I was buckling my cutlass I heard a sound and looked up. Seeing nothing I started putting the pistols in their holsters. Again I heard a sound, but this time was able to pinpoint its location. I drew a custom mad six shot flintlock and shot into a nearby bush. I heard a grunt of pain and said "the next shot goes for your head." The female elf, Arya stepped out of the bushes, a blood stain on the shoulder of her shirt. "What are you?" she said suspiciously and I frowned. "You already know, why were you spying on me?" she hesitated before saying "the last egg is in the kings castle. I wanted to know where you and your 'crew' came from." I scrutinized her face and said we are not from this world. If what Eragon told me is true, I came from the original land of the humans." "How did a dragon get there?" "I'll be frank, I still don't trust you elves. A month ago I would have killed you on the spot. Your kind forced drastic measures to be taken and a few dragons fled through an ancient link between worlds." I watched her face, it remained expression less and I finished "you should use magic to clean you blood. Lead poisoning kills humans and I doubt it will be any different for you." I holstered my pistol and lifted my pack, tightening the shoulder straps to fit my human form.

Soon I arrived at the camp; Arya had left, disappearing in an unnerving way. Before entering the perimeter I thought of a name to go by. 'I guess Jake will work' I thought and entered. My odd attire turned heads and soon I was confronted by several soldiers. "And just who are you?" asked one and I put my hand on my cutlass. "The names Jake, Captain Alan's representative." One looked at me funny and said "no Captain Alan in the Varden. A name like that stands out." "He's the dragon that arrived with Eragon and Saphira." I said and another said "Dragons can't be captains; you need a mind to have a rank." "Well, you obviously don't have a rank. Just point me in the direction of Eragon's tent." I snapped, keeping m myself from shooting this insolent fool. "You know what I think; I think he's an empire spy." Said another and I looked at the burly human. "out of my way, I'll find someone with a brain" I snarled as I fingered my revolver. Someone else overheard the conversation and the stepped up saying "your not going anywhere pal. I'm placing you under arrest until we can have your mind searched" with an air of command. I looked at the man and said "go ahead and try, it'll be the last thing you do" as I ignored the crowd forming around us. They drew their swords and began approaching m e, watching my saber. Instead of going for my blade I grabbed a pistol and shot the officers hand. A loud crack echoed through the area and he yelled in pain as he dropped his weapon. Everyone was quite as they stared at his almost missing appendage. The other soldiers charged as several people ran away. I drew my cutlass with my free hand as I shot another man in the chest before parrying a swing to my legs. I followed through with a slash to someone's neck as I leapt onto some crates and vaulted onto a nearby tent. I summoned my imp and yelled "defend your master" as I narrowly avoided an arrow. It chirped in glee that I ordered it to cause pain before shooting at the largest oncoming soldier and began mauling his face. I shot another man as he tried to get on the tent and slashed an oncoming arrow. A voice echoed over the chaos "ENOUGH!" everyone looked up as a roar followed. "Imp, to me!" I said and the demon gave his most recent victim one last vicious slash before obeying and flying around me excitedly as it chirped in its own language. They landed and the officer I shot approached saying "Shadeslayer, that man destroyed my hand!" holding up the bloody stump as I quickly showed Saphira my memories of what happened. Eragon looked at me and I said "no one will search my mind and live" in a cold voice "if he arrested me I would have killed him. The way I see it, the use of ones hand is a small price to pay for their life." He glared at me, squeezing his wrist to slow the bleeding. You are a suspected imperial spy; I was only ensuring the safety of the Varden!" I pointed my pistol at his head and fear showed on his face. "Don't ever imply I would even consider helping that egg breaker!" I yelled, hurting my throat. I punctuated my statement by shooting the ground inches from his left foot casing dirt to spray onto his blood stained uniform as he fell back in fear. Saphira jumped on me and pinned me to the ground with one paw. I dropped the pistol at this unexpected move and it went off, blowing a clean hole in a nearby tent. Let me go Saphira!" I yelled, struggling to get her off me. _"no"_ she said simply and I glared at her. _"Don't make me hurt you!"_ I bluffed and she laughed before saying _"your trapped under my paw, if you change you'll blow your cover. Your at my mercy now."_ I hated being helpless, but she was right. If I turned back into a dragon my secret would be out and I would have one less surprise for the king. The imp was cackling madly chanting "master helpless, master miserable" over and over again as it fed of my mental suffering. "Fine, what are your terms?" I said out loud and I felt amusement from her. _"Ask Eragon."_ I growled before saying in a mocking tone "oh mighty rider, what will it take to have you call off your beast?" she growled at the last part and I hid my satisfaction at my small victory despite the increased pressure from her paw. Nasuada approached, what is the meaning of this A…" Saphira growled and told her privately _"refer to him as 'Jake' or 'ambassador'"_ "ambassador?" she corrected herself and the soldiers that started this looked at each other with worry. "lady Nasuada, if this is how your men treat a show of good faith, maybe my lord should reconsider aiding you in your war." In a smooth voice as I privately told her _"just play along, I have no intention of backing down on our agreement."_ By this time the soldiers expressions had changed from worry to fear as they looked for an exit and s Saphira let me up. "Who, may I ask started this" she said and I said to Orrun, "imp, mark the guilty." He complied and small clouds formed over for men pushing their way from us, as well as two dead men and the one handed officer, who was sweating but stood his ground. The fleeing soldiers were shoved before her and said "what do you have to say in your defense" as they kneeled in front of their leader, visibly shaking. "We, we thought he was a spy, he was dressed weird" one said and the others nodded fearfully. The officer swallowed nervously before saying "I overheard their conversation and hoped to gain a bonus if he was a spy" she looked around the audience and said "are there any witnesses to this?" several people confirmed their stories, adding that I killed several during the incident." She looked at me and said "and why did you attack my men?" "They were going to have my mind searched. I hold information very dear to my lord. If anyone but me learned what I know it would mean strained relations, if not a declaration of war." "that would not be good, your peoples weapons would turn the tide of our conflict in the kings favor" she hesitate, as if thinking deeply before saying you soldiers are free to go, as you were attempting to protect the Varden." The grunts quickly left as the crimson clouds over their heads vanished. Nasuada looked at the lieutenant and he had dread on his face. "You to will not be punished as for the ambassador. You must pay for the three dead as well as the wounded. What do you offer in compensation?" I reached into my pack and took out a large bag of crowns plundered from an imperial tax ship. "Twenty thousand crowns from an imperial tax ship to be dispersed among the injured parties in accordance to the damage inflicted. As for the lieutenant" I said ignoring the gasps from the crowds. 'Apparently I offered a lot of money' I thought as I pulled out a small pistol from my boot "my low profile pistol, if he accepts the offer to be a captain in my lord's fleet. Of course, this particular ship will be yours at the end of the war and will be manned entirely by volunteers from your forces." The officer's eyes lit up at the thought of becoming a captain and he said "I accept" in a low voice. "Then it is settled those wounded in the fight, follow me." Dismissed" I said looking at the imp and he vanished in a puff of smoke. _"You shouldn't have attacked to begin with. There is no one in the Varden who can force their way into the mind of a dragon"_ said Saphira. _"I wasn't going to take that chance" _I replied as I looked at her and she gave a draconic sigh. "I must leave, I need to change… into something more comfortable." I said before leaving the camp.


	4. foreplay of the dragons

When I returned the crowd was completely dispersed and I wove my way through the tents. I looked up to see Saphira flying high in the sky. I watched for several seconds before I realized I was staring between her legs and hurriedly tore my gaze away. 'Keep it under control, you can't stay in human form to avoid your hormones forever' I told myself as I made my way to Eragon's tent. If I watched a moment longer I might have noticed her do a twirl before checking to see if I was watching. I lay down next to the tent and soon Saphira joined me. We lay there for several seconds before I said _"Saphira?"_ she looked at me. "_Do you ever think about...?"_ I hesitated and she said _"about what?"_ choosing my words carefully I finished _"after the war is over."_ she looked at me and said _"yes, quite often."_ I looked at her from the corner of my eye and said _"what do you think will happen?"_ _"Well, the king will be dead so much suffering will end. I guess thorn would have to become my mate"_ she answered, watching closely for my reaction. I didn't notice her staring at me and let out an involuntary growl of jealousy. _"But then there's you, what do you want?"_ I inhaled sharply giving myself the hiccups. It took several minutes for them to stop and Saphira laughed the whole time. _"I didn't know we could get the hiccups" _she said, obviously highly amused. _"Neither did I" _I said, upset at being laughed at, but wanting to hear it again. _"You haven't answered my question yet."_ Without thinking I whispered _"you."_ her eyes lit up as I realized what I said. _"I, um what I meant was..."_ before I could finish her barbed tongue licked my cheek and a warm sensation in the pit of my stomach temporarily removed all thought from my mind. I lay my head down and closed my eyes to bask in this new sensation. Her scent became stronger, as well as mine and I opened my eyes as I grew erect. 'Shit, even on my stomach she'll smell my arousal' I thought, fearing her reaction. What happened next was something I definitely did not expect. She glanced at the surrounding area before slamming into my side pushing me onto my back. _"Hey!" _I yelled at her as she pinned me down and looked at my length. _"What are you doing, someone might see me!" _I said in a deeply embarrassed voice as I tried to roll back onto my stomach. A slightly painful tugging sensation was the result and I realized she had one foot on my wing. _"Relax, everyone in this part of camp is asleep and the patrol won't return for another two hours" _she said as I tried to get her off my wing. She sniffed my tool and her scent increased dramatically. She growled lowly before pressing her snout against the exposed pink flesh. My mind emptied once again and I lay still as she said absentmindedly _"it looks weird."_ She nudged me harder and I groaned in pleasure, followed by a deep purring I had never made before. By its own accord my head moved toward her sacred area and I inhaled deeply before giving it a nudge of my own. The protective scale quivered before sliding back as she began purring as well. By now I had completely forgotten about the possibility of discovery as I looked closely. It was dark, dripping and smelled wonderful. I shuddered in anticipation and tried to get up to engulf myself in her warmth and she stopped before saying _"not tonight"_ as she looked at my face. I snapped out of my trance and nodded, still slightly dazed from the experience as she got off my wing. Remembering where we were I quickly rolled back onto my stomach and looked around before sighing in relief. 'No one saw us' I thought to myself. I began to doze, Saphira nearby before I got up and lay next to her. I draped my wing over her and she hummed happily as we fell asleep.

When I opened my eyes Arya was standing in front of me, arms crossed and a light smile on her face. After several seconds I realized my wing was still over Saphira and I quickly drew it back against me. "I haven't seen her sleep this peacefully in a while" Arya said giving me a strange look and I looked at Saphira. She seemed more relaxed then the other nights I watched her sleep and Arya asked "did you two begin re starting the dragon race?" I hesitated before shaking my head, uncomfortable with the topic. And she said "well, it will happen soon, she's in heat you know." I looked back at Saphira and noticed for the first time she felt warmer than normal, primal excitement welled within me but I quelled it. When I looked back up Arya had disappeared and I shuddered at how she could leave without making a sound. For the first time I wondered how I noticed her hiding in the bush. Saphira groaned in her sleep and I heard a noise in the tent. I considered moving away but decided against it thinking 'the patrols probably saw us. Either way he will find out today.' I draped my wing back over her as Eragon exited the tent. He noticed us as she started rubbing her side against mine in her sleep. He looked at me with suspicion in his eyes but they softened as he saw how relaxed she was. _"we need to talk"_ he said to me and began walking away. I took one look at my newfound love before getting up and following him. we walked for about an hour before we stopped in the wilderness and he looked at me. "you didn't take advantage of her did you?" he asked and I narrowed my eyes before saying _"hell no, if anything she took advantage of me!"_ I said, not bothering to hide my anger at is, as I saw it, accusation. He searched my face as I continued _"how dare you imply I would do something like that to her! If I didn't know you had her best interests in mind I would hit you so hard your mother would feel it!"_ he nodded and said "I believe you would." He sat down on a stump and said "please forgive my rudeness but she's everything to me. She's the only family I have left. The king made sure of that." He said and I saw a single tear fall from his face onto the ground. I suddenly felt sorry for snapping at him and said _"you're not the only one. After my father, hell, he wasn't even my real father, was hanged, the crimson blades were the closest thing I had left to family. But real family doesn't follow your orders, or expect you to pay them. Don't tell them this, but if I could save all of their lives, or just hers I'd choose hers without a second thought."_ He smiled at this and said "would you choose her as a mate?" _"I already have. The question is, has she really chosen me or is it just because she's in heat?"_ he looked at me and said "she hates Thorn and despises Shruikan. But even before her season began she couldn't stop thinking about you. She has liked you more the longer she's known you. She doesn't know this but I caught her thinking you would make a protective father, if a little strict." I was giddy with the hope she would officially choose me as I walked back to camp. I saw a heard of deer in the distance, watching me suspiciously and I took flight. I rocketed towards them and they fled but were no match for a flying dragon and soon I had two in my grasp. I thought about eating mine mid flight but decided to eat with my love and raced back to camp.


End file.
