Please note that the 1st chapter has been edited and replaced since you last read it. I caught a major flaw in it and corrected it. Feel free to re-read, but you don't really have to in order to continue one with this Chapter.
Thank you all again for Reviewing. I have but one full response and one short note for them, so year goes:
To the Reviewer by the name of Clairseach- First objection, I would remind you that it is my opinion, and not yours, that matters in whether or not I write a fic and how or on what I write it. And secondly, I would implore you to please GIVE AN EXAMPLE when you say I've made an editing or punctuation goof. Just telling me I made one with no proof is no help at all. As far as I know, the punctuation is perfectly fine the way it is. When you tell me I've made a mistake, TELL ME WHERE THE BLOODY MISTAKE IS!!!!!
And a short note for Maethron- I am proud to say that as far as I know, this IS the FIRST EVER ERAGON OR PART-ERAGON FIC EVER WRITTEN FOR FF.net OR Portkey.org.
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The Draconis Saga
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Chapter 2
The Vanished
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Harry tentatively put out his hand and touched the metal, intent on picking it out of Tristan's hand for a closer inspection, but as he did, five things happened in quick succession that would change Harry Potter's life for ever, leading him to a path in life that would one day become legend…
--
As his hand came into contact with the strange medallion, the symbols carved on its surface suddenly glowed a deep, fluorescent blue. As they did, it let out an extremely large pulse of light. It flooded out of the metal, enveloping them both in a web of intertwined bands of energy. It seemed to slow as it reached out from its originator before coming to a stop about two feet around them. As it did, a young boy who Harry recognized as Mark Evans came running out from behind a bush.
Tristan reached out for his brother but stopped and stared in surprise as another figure ran towards them. Mad-Eye Moody came running towards them up the slope, magical eye spinning around as he did.
"Potter! What have you done now!?"
Just as he neared them and Mark was a mere foot from the ball of energy, it snapped back suddenly, and with a tremendous BANG, they had vanished.
The last thing Harry saw was Mad-Eye making a desperate swipe at them, but just as he reached for them, they disappeared, and his vision blacked out.
~*~
When the darkness finally crept back out of his mind and his eyes cracked slowly open, he found himself lying on a small oaken bed in an unfamiliar room. It was small, with limestone walls decorated with torches and various homely items adorning the walls and the lone table standing against the far wall under a grand window looking down on a long, green valley. He contemplated getting up and walking to the window, interested as to where he had ended up when that strange medallion had…taken…them somewhere.
As he pulled himself from beneath the covers of the bed, he noticed that someone had changed his clothes, as he was now adorned in a pair of what looked like deer hide pants and his boxers. His scruffy Muggle jeans and shirt were lying on a chair by the door, and his wand could be clearly seen resting on the table below the window.
He got gingerly to his feet and moved over towards the window before looking out of the window, wincing when his stiff joints were forced to move.
When he looked out of the window, he was greeted by a spectacular view of the rest of the valley he had not been able to see when lying on the bed.
Below the window, the rest of what was obviously some sort of castle stretched out for four stories below him and another three stories above him. Various towers and turrets jutted out over the roof, cutting the horizon into many jagged pieces. Below him was a cliff that dropped off under a long outside walkway, which stretched the length of the castle's inner side. The castle, like the cliff, was stretched in a long crescent. On one side of the castle were more cliffs, dropping off into some unknown abyss, which he could not see. To the other side, mountains stretched above them, forest covering the slopes. Underneath it, a wide river flowed out from some sort of tunnel or cave. As it neared the edge, it fell away over the cliffs into a large lake below. The cliffs, which were shaped in a sort of jagged half-circle, held more buildings on the other side. Below them, on the side of the lake, he could see many other small buildings or houses, some built into the cliff sides, all of which, like the castle, were built of white limestone, giving the water below them and the valley itself a sort of ethereal white glow. The lake was long, covering a good bit of the valley floor, though on its banks and in all of the other space left in the valley, houses, dirt tracks and parks littered the area.
What really drew his eye was an immense tower that dwarfed all others stretching out above the buildings on the other side of the cliffs. It was windowless, except at the top, where four large windows, devoid of glass, faced the four winds. Above them, a long wooden flag pole held a huge flag, which waved lazily above the city. It depicted a weeping willow tree on a dark green background, with two crossed red roses were superimposed onto the willow.
As he was staring out onto the valley, he heard a faint click behind him, and he whirled around, snatching up his wand as he did so and pointing it at the door, which opened. A figure was just about to enter the room when he saw Harry. He drooped the fresh cloths he had been carrying - another pair of trousers (deer hide) and a shirt (wool) - onto the floor and stared at the wand pointing directly at his face.
What really confused Harry is that the figure did not seem to be human. It was Human-like, as it had a similar bone structure, to say the least, but there was something different about the young…male creature in front of him. He was sure it had to be male because of the thin beard that surrounded its lips, though he did still have longer hair than he had seen on anyone except maybe Bill or Dumbledore. Like Bill he wore his hair in a ponytail. Yet what really confused him was that it was different, yes, but for some reason, it seemed terribly familiar.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when it spoke, confirming his gender suspicions when he heard a bass. Yes, definitely male.
"We did not expect you to recover this quickly, but Osthato will be pleased-"
Harry cut him off.
"Who are you?"
"I am the elf known as Nitora, I am the healer who was assigned to watch over you after you had arrived through the portal-"
"What portal? Where am I!?"
"That will all be explained by Osthato. He'll be anxious to speak with you. I suggest you put on this shirt-" he picked it up off the floor and handed it to Harry while putting the pants on the chair near the door "-and come with me. I'll take you to him along with your friend. He has been awake for a few hours, but was told that he would have to wait until you were awake to visit the Sage."
Harry slowly lowered his wand before pocketing it and doing as he was bidden, putting on the woollen shirt before following Nitora out of his room. He was led down a magnificent hallway with limestone walls, scarlet rugs, oaken hardwood panelling and furniture, and cedar flooring, just as his room had been. When they turned a corner, they were faced with a pair of large, wooden double doors, which reminded him strongly of the doors leading into the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Each had a huge brass knocker set into the centre of each door which doubled as handles, not to mention that each conveyed an image of strength and power which he had only seen twice in the wizarding world, once at Hogwarts, and the other at Gringotts Wizarding Bank, with its famous warning etched into the wood.
~ Flashback ~
…Now they were facing another pair of doors, silver this time with words engraved upon them:
`Enter, stranger, but take heed,
Of what awaits the sin of greed,
For those who take but do not earn,
Will pay most dearly in their turn.
So if you seek beneath our floors,
A treasure that was never yours,
Thief, you have been warned, beware,
Of finding more than treasure there…'
`Like I said, you'd be mad ter try and rob it!' said Hagrid.
~ End Flashback ~
He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a slight rustling noise behind him. He whirled around for a second time and came face to face with Tristan (led by another elf), who had a questioning look on his face, and seemed to be searching desperately for some answers. Harry shrugged, as he too was just as confused, and they turned with their guides back the door. The elf who had brought Tristan threw open the doors before leaping aside and bowing to Nitaro, who walked through them, leading Harry and Tristan into the most magnificent room Harry had ever laid eyes on, and a person who would change his life, for better or for worse, forever.
---~*~---
It had taken him just over two weeks to recover from his injuries, and Angela had finally deemed him ready to leave her care, making it time for him to tell Saphira, Murtagh, and Arya about what the Sage had said in his dream, and maybe Ajihad, eventually, but he needed to get their council before hand. He trusted Ajihad - everyone here did - but he did not wish to give away his conversation with the Sage to anyone but those he trusted most.
But first, he had to find them.
He walked down the long spiralling stairs of Vol Turin slowly, thinking deeply as he went, question after question on all possible subjects buzzing through his mind. As he neared the bottom, he came face to face with some of the repair teams, still cleaning up from the damage caused to the castle and grounds after the Battle. As of now, they had re-opened many of the passages and tunnels throughout the Boer Range, and communications had been sent through to the other cities, who, thankfully, seemed to be faring well after what had happened the previous month.
He watched as the team of dwarves - the dwarves would not let anyone but themselves repair the inside of Trojenheim - raise a new crystal rose into the repaired crevice Saphira had blown open during Eragon's last fight with Durza.
They were just finishing up their work as he passed, and they raised their leather hats in salute as he went by, receiving a smile and a nod in return. He was just passing into the streaming sunlight outside the castles main entrance when he heard a disapproving voice speak to him from the deep recesses of his mind.
Where are you of to, little one?
He grinned in spite of himself. He had grown fond of her term of endearment to him.
Saphira! I've been looking for you and Arya and Murtagh. I need to talk to you all. I have something to tell you. Could you get hold of them and tell them to meet me in that clearing just behind the archery range?
Of course, little one. See you soon.
He walked slowly up the hill, looking at each of the arrangements laid out in the flower beds next to the path. He soon came out into the field set aside for the Bowmen to practice their aim and speed. The large targets were set up on the others side of the field, and they moved slowly form side to side, in an effort to make the shooting more of a challenge for the more experienced archers, while still targets littered the other end of the field for the beginners. He walked down the stone path down the centre of the range, careful to stay away from the Bowmen who were currently shooting, for fear of a stray arrow coming his way.
He made it to the others side of the field without incident and from their went up the rocky dirt path through the woods to the clearing beyond it. As he went, the trees and plants thickened, and rocky outcrops became more and more frequent. Suddenly, the trees came to and end, breaking into a large glade. The grass was thin, and wild flowers grew in small, colourful clumps every few feet, as well as a few small fruit trees that grew in a few places near the edge of the tree line.
He settled himself on one of the rocky outcroppings and looked down onto the city that was splayed out below him.
The battle that had taken place the previous week had, surprisingly, been confined mainly to the lower fields and the entrance to the city, and had not spread, for the most part, to the upper areas of the landscape, apart from where Durza had brought a group of Kull into the Hall.
Repair efforts were already under way at full steam, and landscaping, masonry, and mining crews were roaming across the grounds and city halls, repairing what had been damaged in the battle, and anything they came across that was in any way broken or in need of a sprucing up. The tunnels were already being cleaned of bodies (which were later burned) and weapons (which were either melted down for re-casting or issued to the remaining soldiers residing in the city), and the tunnels refurbished and, in some cases, destroyed and re-routed.
As he watched the activity below, he noticed a shadow moving across the landscape towards him, and looked up to see Saphira swoop down at him to land a few yards to his left.
Arya and Murtagh leapt off of her back and came to sit next to him, and, not until after Saphira had come to settle herself down on a patch of grass, did anyone speak.
"So…" Murtagh asked slowly, "What's bothering you?"
"I had a strange dream when I was recovering, and I wanted to talk with you before I did anything, if I did at all."
Arya nodded. "What was it?"
"There was a voice… He told me that he had pushed something out of me so that I could rest, and that that was all he could do to help me as he was so far away. He said his name was Osthato Chetöwa or something. The Morning -"
Arya interrupted him hastily "The Morning Sage?"
He looked at her, bewildered. "Yes."
"What did he say?"
"He told me to go with you to Ellesméra, and that when I arrived, he would have the answers to many of my questions. I promised I would come."
Murtagh frowned. "Ellesméra?"
Arya hesitated slightly before answering the question. "It is the Elven capital city. It lies deep within the Du Weldenvarden Forests, near the Stelarian River and on the cliffs of Aridad."
Eragon looked past them down onto the fields and city below him for a few seconds before speaking in a slow, measured tone. "How do we get there?"
Arya opened her mouth to reply before Murtagh cut her off.
"We can't. Not yet, anyway. All of the tunnels out of the city were blocked off or booby-trapped in order to block Galbatorix's attack, and until they're cleaned out, we can't go anywhere. That should take a week or two, and by then, winter will be setting in. Even then, Saphira can't fly over the rim of the volcano. It's too high even for her. I'm afraid we won't be able to go anywhere for at least four months."
Eragon's heart sank. He hadn't thought of that. He looked to Arya for some kind of confirmation of what Murtagh had said and she nodded silently.
He sighed. "Well, we'll just have to wait then, and go at the soonest possible time."
Saphira, who had, so far, just been listening, spoke for the first time. How will we travel there? I can carry one person, but I'll need a guide, and then there's Murtagh…
He thought for a moment before replying. I think we should travel by horse, so that Arya can direct us. You should probably fly above us to scout and watch out for danger. I might also fly with you for a bit to practice my riding.
She nodded her agreement and he relayed the suggestion to the others. The, too, voiced a positive word for the proposal before continuing.
"What shall we do before the winter's over?" asked Murtagh.
"We'll get to that later." He replied. "For now, I think it would do well if we went to Ajihad and ask about when we should journey for Ellesméra. He knows this area better than any other, after all. After that, we'll get to how we'll be working for the rest of the winter."
They stood, and, with the exception of Saphira, began to walk back down the hill to the city.
---~*~---
Lord Voldemort woke from his sleep abruptly. Something had disturbed his rest. He cast his mind around, looking for something out of the ordinary. After a few minutes of thought, he found it.
Ever since he had returned to power, he had been getting strange feelings inside the far reaches of his mind…a sort of presence. He had had no idea what it had been until last year, when he had discovered that it had been Potter in his mind when the feeling had flared suddenly when he had attacked the Weasley man in his snake, Nagini.
Ever since then, he had been getting twinges of it, but he had ignored it. What had really startled him was that when he had taken his trip to the Ministry of Magic in June, he had felt a burning in his head when he was around Potter.
He had put this down to a common headache until he had returned to his hideout, when the pain instantly vanished.
He had deduced, and rightly so, that he was beginning to feel the same things that potter felt when they were near each other.
What had woken him up was that the feeling, which he had grown accustomed to, had suddenly vanished. No…that's not it, he thought, its just so dull a feeling that I don't notice it as much… It's as though he's been hidden, or masked from me somehow.
He turned over. He would have to remind himself to send some spies to the Muggle village the boy lived in, and patrol around the wards he knew existed there, to see what had happened…
---~*~---
"Welcome, friends. I have called this emergency meeting over a matter of grave importance. It concerns young Harry. It seems that he has disappeared without the slightest trace under the witness of Alastor and a young muggleborn, Mark Evans, who is due to attend Hogwarts this September as a first-"
Molly Weasley, who had been spluttering silently for the past few seconds, exploded. "WHAT!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HARRY'S DISSAPPEARED!?!? HOW COULD HE HAVE-"
Dumbledore cut her off. "My dear Molly, I can assure you that it was in no way intentional. Please calm down. If we are to get to the bottom of this quickly, we may have a chance at getting Harry back sooner than if we do not. If we are to do that, we must have quiet."
Mrs. Weasley, mollified, sat and glared at the drink she had in front of her.
"Thank you," Dumbledore continued, "Now, since Alastor was present at the time, I will let him explain exactly what happened. After that, the floor will be open for debate."
He sat down and turned expectantly to Mad-Eye Moody, who nodded, stood, and began to talk in his slow, gruff bass.
"'Right. Well, I was on duty this evening to watch over Potter. He went for a walk, which is normal, to an extent. The only thing that was different was that he walked out of the wards. He knows where they are, I've told him when to stop so as to keep inside them. He was walking towards the Evans' farm. He made friends with the family after his cousin kept beating up the younger child, Mark. `Don't know how… Anyway, he walked out of the wards, so I pulled my wand out, just in case, you know.
"I don't know how he did it, but he knew someone was there, and I think I may have poked my wand out of the cloak for a moment-accidentally, like-and he spots it, so he tells me to `come on out'. So I do.
"And while he knows I'm there, I thought I might give him a piece o' my mind about goin' outside the wards. So I do (and I mention that letter of yours from last week), and afterward he really surprises me by what he says. `Told me he doesn't give a shit about what you told him and that I can go tell you for all he cares and that whatever I do about it, he's still going for his walk, so he spins on his heel and off he goes."
Dumbledore looked at Moody with vague surprise in his eyes. "It is to be expected that he would be feeling at least some animosity toward me, but I would not have expected him to say that."
He sighed, and waved his hand wearily. "Go on."
Moody nodded. "'K. Well, after that, I followed him of course. He met the farmer bloke…what's `is name…Andrew…Andrew Evans. Anyway, they went in for a drink, so I staked out the place under the invisibility cloak, looked for anyone out o' the ordinary. Found nothin'. Then Potter comes out an' sits on one o' the deck chairs.
"A few minutes later, the older Evans boy, …Tristan, came out, and I don't know what he said, but it must have been important, because they started to walk into the woods, and up the towpath. So I start followin' `em, right? Well, I don't know if they knew it, but the boy's younger brother, Mark, came out and started followin' `em, too. He wasn't very stealthy `bout it, but at least I could make a little noise and they'd ignore it.
"Anyway they stopped on this ridge that overlooks the village and they started talkin'. I couldn't get close enough to hear it, but who knows what it was about… Anyway, they stop talking for a bit and they watch the village for a minute, and then the really strange bits start happening…"
He paused for a moment and seemed to be mulling over what he would say next. He looked around at the room at large before peaking slowly, clearly choosing his words carefully before uttering them.
"Just after the sun is goin' down, round about, oh… twenty past nine, say, the Evans kid picks up this thing off some rock or other and shows it to Potter, right? Well, Potter reaches out his hand to take it to give it a look, I expect, and as soon as he touches the thing, everything goes to hell…"
"What on earth do you mean Alastor?"
"I mean that as soon as he touched that thing, it did something even I would never expect. When he touched that piece of metal, some runes glowed on it in bright orange and then some sort of energy field came out of it and began to expend around it, and then them. As soon as I saw it happening, I got out my wand and started to go forward, right? Well, right when I'm getting close to it, the energy field gave out this sort of pulse and enveloped the Evans boy and Potter inside it. And just as I reached out to grab them, it snapped back and gave a sound like a thunder clap, and they…well…they…vanished…"
Dumbledore, who had been listening while deep in thought, lifted his head slightly. "Alastor, what time did this happen?"
Moody gave him an incredulous look before replying, "Round about… half past nine, say… Why?"
Dumbledore looked him straight in the eye before saying, slowly, "Because something happened at twenty to nine last night which I have reason to believe has relevance to this matter, which, I fear, is of grave importance."
---~*~---
A/N: Questions, Comments, Ideas, Problems, Reviews? Review Me!! I value all things that come my way. Don't think you won't be taken to mind if you review! Who knows, what you say might just appear in the next Chapter! Review!
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::::NOTE TO ALL READERS::::
I will not be updating on the week of August 29th- September 5th.
Therefore, I will be working extra hard for you to get one extra chapter out to cover the one I'll miss on the week before.
Also, the next chapter should be up (hopefully) by Monday, August 23 (Wed. the 25th at the latest).
Just a small note to all readers reading this at WWW.PORTKEY.ORG:
Please, people, when you review the fic, RATE IT. I prefer 8-10s if you don't mind…
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Cheers!
The one,
The only,
SilverDagger
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