"Spoken common tongue"

'thought common tongue'

"Spoken ancient language"

'Thought ancient language'

Chapter 2: Dragon Secrets

The Dragon Rider Islands were a sight to behold. Savannah knew this beforehand so she made sure to hold onto Morgan as they came into view. The audible gasp confirmed her suspicions that the Manakete wouldn't have been able to fly had she been airborne at that moment.

The islands consisted of five in total. Each shared the tropical trees that reached above the few normal sized huts, and the singular mountain at their central points. The mountains appeared to glow with windows at certain angles, revealing doors and openings large and often enough to house anything Morgan could guess at. At least until she saw a giant of a sapphire scaled dragon curled around the base of the tallest mountain on the nearest island. The dragon was roughly six hundred feet without including her tail, and she seemed to wrap around a sixth of the entire mountain.

The ancient beast reared her head when they approached, and Morgan felt a tsunami of a consciousness descend upon her. 'Savannah, welcome back. We thought it'd be years before you returned, not weeks. Nor did we expect you to bring a guest. Hello child, welcome to our islands. Know that one false move and you shall die. Eragon and I worked incredibly hard to bring my race back from extinction, and we will do anything to help keep the young ones safe.' The dragon's massive head craned to eye the girls closer before she blinked and went back to her relaxed state at the base of the mountain. 'Eragon is waiting for you all inside. He'd like to meet this new race in person.'

'Thank you Saphira. Morgan and I will make haste then.' Savannah nodded her head in an attempt at a bow before Set guided them below the trees, and came upon a gaping cavern that Morgan swore wasn't there originally. "The benefits of a century of peace in a land, while also hunting down and imprisoning anybody housing a drop of magical potential in their veins out of paranoia. We learn how to hide well." Savannah chuckled now being the one giving information to her inquisitive companion. The fact Morgan looked her dead on told her multiple questions had already arisen. "Alright, spit it out. What do you want to ask?"

"Well, since you offered… Why are mages persecuted?"

Savannah racked her brain for the history lesson she had ignored so long ago. "Well, a century ago, the Mad King Galbatorix started it in his paranoia, and when Eragon helped a group known as the Varden overthrow him, their leader continued it because she couldn't find a better solution."

Morgan seemed to pause and think over that simple bit of history before her brain caught something. "If the Eragon we are meeting is the same one as then, how exactly should I approach this Kingkiller? Is he like Chrom, preferring to blend in with the common folk, or would he rather be raised on a throne?"

Savannah shrugged and stopped their current walk through the caverns before a regular sized wooden door with no true indications of anything important behind it, "Treat him like the commoner he was before finding Saphira. While he has in the years shown his aptitude for diplomacy, he hates hollow words and public speaking." A calmness washed over the girls then as Savannah pushed aside the door and revealed a simple office room. Holes were carved into the walls to hold all the books and scrolls gathered in multiple languages. A simple stone desk sat in the middle of the room, drawing the eye to it and the tall man behind it. His ears were pointed like arrowheads, and his brown eyes and face angled much like a felines were easily visible under his short and messy brown hair. "May good fortune rule over you Eragon-elda."

Savannah raised two fingers to her lips as she spoke the last words in that lyrical language as the man did the same. "May peace live in your heart Savannah."

Morgan noted the greeting ritual happening before her with her thoughts barely contained when Savannah finished. "And the stars watch over you." Savannah then lowered her hand and whispered to Morgan to lower her mental shields. "You have questions Eragon-elda, and in all honesty, it'd be easier if we simply showed you. Especially considering the anomalies and feats of the dragons of Morgan's world."

The man, who Morgan just realized was the same Eragon she had just been talking about, nodded in relief. "Thank you Savannah, it gets tiring having matters be talked around from the riders who come and go as they please instead of directly addressing things. If it weren't for the competitions between races every two years, I'd be concerned a rebel faction was growing." Eragon then reached out with his mind which drowned Morgan's own much as Saphira had done. Morgan's entire brief life flashed before her eyes much faster than it had with Savannah, lasting only minutes instead of hours. This left her shocked as Eragon left her mind and returned fully to his own. "Interesting, may I see your dragonstone? I shall return it immediately, I just wish to compare it to something."

Morgan nodded and pulled the necklace off before her brain caught up with her body and caused her to jerk back briefly. "I'll let you do this, only if you tell me what you are comparing it to. You saw I seek knowledge and can even swear me to passivity and secrecy if you must, but I'd love to know. I may even be able to help you understand the stone."

Savannah watched as her teacher and commander paused to think over the matter at hand before he continued. "Very well, I shall have you swear an oath in the ancient language, which I note Savannah didn't explain the magnitude of such things, and tomorrow I shall show you what I speak of and you shall allow me to inspect your stone afterwards. Do we have an accord?"

Eragon reached a hand out, much like a merchant discussing wares, which Morgan quickly grasped and shook. "We do Kingkiller. Tomorrow both sides shall get what they seek. Until then, I am sworn to remain at Savannah's side."

The man simply smiled as he shook Morgan's hand before he released it. "Be careful Morgan, while Savannah is trustworthy, not all are. Also, anything said in the ancient language is both the truth as the speaker believes it, and an unbreakable oath. You don't strike me as foolish, but I'd rather warn you before you lose something else. And Savannah, take care of your guest and make sure to keep her away from where our youngest trainees are. We don't want any accidental injuries again." Morgan and Savannah both saw the teasing grin twitch for a second onto Eragon's face before disappearing back into his calm neutral look.

With those parting words, Eragon ushered the laughing Morgan and irritated Savannah out of his office and closed the door. Savannah was left frustrated and in her temper dragged Morgan off with her towards the comfort of her private spot without thinking. She doubted anyone used it these days as it was an uncomfortable march away and buried in woods too thick for adult dragons. It was her hideaway back during training, and now she needed it to regain control of her scattered brain. She wasn't even sure why Eragon's remark set her off, it wasn't her fault five years ago when a miscast spell broke several lanterns and caused a cave in because of their faulty, non-dwarven design… maybe it was just the reminder of having dug her way free in her need to see the sky again and in the process had accomplished a feat of endurance her body seemed incapable of since. Her incompetency stung at times, and was certain Morgan heard it in her loud steps through the overgrowth.

"Whoa there, you ok Savannah? And where are you taking me?" Morgan tried to skip while being dragged by Savannah, but with her plowing through weeds and roots, it was very difficult.

"Nothing, just remembering I'm probably the weakest rider here, and am currently going to a quiet place to forget how pathetic I actually am." Savannah kept her gaze forward as she spoke. A quiet hollowness hung in her voice. "Seeing the sky reflected in the waters helps me find peace." She then pulled harder and urged Morgan to pick up the pace as they weaved through the massive vegetation around them. Savannah tried repeatedly to steady her breathing to relax before giving up entirely on the failed actions. "Morgan, I'm sorry I'm losing my temper. It's just-"

Morgan attempted to put a hand onto one of Savannah's shoulders and spin her around to stare up at the girl and got a questioning, if somewhat defeated, look for her success in doing so.. "It's just you never had a reason to push yourself by the sounds of it. You told me you were the village tanner's daughter before Set, whom you got at age twelve. You had no direction so you just floated in the wind. It seemed on our flight here Set was determined we be a couple. Not sure why, but I could assume it's so you had somebody that gave you a reason to try harder instead of just trying." Morgan gave a cheeky grin at the girl who she was beginning to realize was easily stunned into silence. "Oh yeah, grand tactician's daughter, it makes one very observant. And by the way, I'm making this a date. You do need someone to kick your ass into gear."

Savannah grumbled as Morgan spun her around and gestured for her to lead on now that that scene was over with. The rider's mind still coming to terms with what was said. Did she truly lack any motivation up until now? Considering all she did was daydream and work at map making, maybe. A journey such as the one she planned would've let her run until she found something or something found her, yes. But was that why she planned it? Maybe. The Elder Riders and Elves didn't believe any religions, merely believing in a void at the end of one's life that they go to. Savannah doubted that and had faith that the spirits of the land helped guide everything. Her beliefs were frowned on, but at the same time, the oddity of finding Morgan when and where she did definitely was too random to justify as coincidence in her mind. Especially when they both retraced their routes and noticed neither was going exactly east or west, but also north, which made the odds of an encounter even more rare.

The rider shook her head and pulled her thoughts out of their tirade before she began to process the current situation. Her earlier incident had led to Morgan taking her on a date to her private escape from everything, even Set. All things considered, she wasn't upset with the fact it was happening, just how it was happening but at the same time, the distraction would be nice. "Ok, this time I'll humor you, but care to explain why your presence in my life would motivate me?"

The Manakete was grinning even wider as the trap fell around her prey. "Because I'm not going to let you lay around and mope."

Savannah shook her head, not bothering to argue the flawed logic that she could always leave. The promise of competition did sound nice to her though, or at least when it was Morgan it did. She blamed the fact it felt like competing with a dragon and any chance of success is worthy of some praise. "We shall see about that Morgan. For now, let's just enjoy the day off of training."

"I'll only enjoy it because you accepted we are on a date. Lead the way milady." The Manakete's words and gestures caused a slight chuckle to escape Savannah, washing away the remnants of her foul mood, even if that stupid grin never left her face. The look of accomplishment shining from Morgan's face didn't help either. That girl is definitely shameless in everything.

The route Savannah took lacked any indication of an actual path, and Morgan assumed it was the occasional oak mixed in with all the different types of palm trees. They were spread enough not to be noticed, but they almost looked to be trail markers with how Savannah treated them. Morgan counted a total of twelve by the time they reached a small pond mostly hidden from above by the overhanging trees, but its very center was exposed to the sky above, and in its clarity Morgan could see the clouds and an occasional young dragon fly about.

Savannah then guided Morgan to a clump of roots the Manakete swore were shaped too perfectly to have been normal into a reclining chair that hung just above the pond so they could dip their feet in once their boots were off.

Savannah was shocked that she could count to ten and then some before Morgan spoke next. She would've sworn the girl wasn't capable of keeping still or quiet like she was currently doing. She had to admit she was grateful for the silence and it allowed both of them to take in everything about the secluded area that clearly was still her private spot. That fact also helped her to smile even more. "So Morgan, seeing as you clearly understand what a date entails, why don't you enlighten me."

"Well, I would… but the only dates I went on either were to torment a friend, which somehow had a very comical outcome actually. Then repaying that friend for making him go broke." Savannah had to laugh at what all popped in her mind at that messy explanation.

"So we both are hopeless huh? Well, at least we can enjoy this place a bit… Which would actually help me teach you about opening your mind like I promised." Savannah had to laugh at her friend's immediate reaction of jumping forward in joy only to splash into the shallow waters face first. "... after you calm down apparently."

Morgan was also laughing as she dragged herself out of the water and hid how grateful she was that her outfit doubled as a bathing suit. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just teach me already."

"It isn't that easy Morgan. There's even a chance you can't do it. Even if I'm willing to bet you will be fine in this regard unlike trying to maintain focus long enough to create a barrier." Savannah sighed as she pushed out with her mind to brush Morgans before she retreated back to her own. "The trick here is that you need to know where the barriers in your mind form as they act as the edge of your own consciousness. From there, you just envision you keep walking out into the darkness. I'm currently brushing my mind against yours so you can recognize it and have a point to search for."

Morgan nodded as she got comfortable on the roots again and did as told. At first she felt nothing, then all of a sudden it felt as if her feet had slipped off a cliff and she was falling through the sky into blackness. The girl opened her eyes to navigate her stumbling consciousness and stared into the green eyes of Savannah and focused on them. Within the blink of an eye after that, she felt a wall before her, a wall made of maps of Alagaesia and what little had been found outside of it. The maps then began burning away before her, and she saw herself standing in a village with cobblestone roads and multiple wooden buildings of various sizes. The roads were being traveled by various creatures. Morgan could spot the elves since their features were as angular as Eragon's own. Humans were everywhere and greeted every race openly, even the large creatures that stood at shortest six feet and tallest eight feet high, with thick muscular bodies covered in a yellowed leathery skin. Horns protruded from behind their ears giving them an appearance much like rams. Morgan was fascinated by these creatures until the scene changed and she was standing before Savannah again. 'Careful Morgan, I may barely be your senior, but through my bond with Set, my mind can be a bottomless pit for your first time. Now then, Seeing as you can manage the connection with a point of focus, let's exit this mindscape and enjoy the pond.'

Morgan felt her mind get pushed back gently, but not fully out of Savannah's own, it formed a tentative link that allowed both to share their emotions without words or actions. The sensation allowed both to fall into a sense of contentedness that remained for awhile longer as they just sat there and relaxed.

The next day came slowly for the two girls. The night was awkward as there was only one room and one bed, and since the two did agree that their earlier activity was a date, the thought of sharing a bed just made them uncomfortable. Morgan ended up taking the floor with a bedsheet so that she stayed within her friend's sight, she wasn't overstepping herself.

This led to a very poor sleep on the Manakete's part that she did her best to not complain about. Her ever happy attitude demanding a smile as she strode through the caverns towards the exit and where Eragon had contacted them to meet up.

After morning formalities at the cave's entrance, Eragon had both girls hop on Saphira's back with him before they flew off to one of the smaller islands to the west. "Now, before we land I want you both to swear in the ancient language that what you learn here will never be mentioned to anyone outside this group or Arya Drottning, the elven queen."

The leader of the Dragon Riders held a stern face and Morgan could tell they wouldn't land until the oaths were made. Savannah went first, reciting the words carefully and slowly so Morgan could repeat them afterwards without incident, satisfying Eragon's serious attitude the rider was thought to have disposed of a decade after the war.

"Good, with that, I will guide you to the most closely guarded secret since the defeat of Galbatorix a century ago." Saphira landed off the shore of the second to last island, the most overgrown of them since Savannah was here. Eragon guided the group into the thick of the growth and towards an unassuming rock. The ancient rider spoke a chant under his breath so none could hear it as the stone opened up like a set of double doors leading into the earth beneath them.

Savannah and Morgan were gestured to go before him so he could close the door as the three descended into the cavern that heated up with each step. "This is the nursery for the dragon eggs. Even the wild dragons respect this cave and keep their young safe within until they are ready and willing to hatch."

Eragon looked at the pair and gestured towards Morgan's dragonstone as he continued speaking. "However, that isn't the greatest secret these stone walls hide, nor why I had to bring you here. Dragons have an organ of sorts that is more stone than anything. This is called their Eldunari, their heart of hearts. After seeing how your own stone worked yesterday, I wanted to see how similar they were. The reason these stones are kept secret is the powers they hold and the cost of them being used. A dragon can store their consciousness within the stone and separate it from themselves. While alive, it allows them to mentally be in two places at once. They can be separated from their rider by an entire country and still maintain contact mentally, or transfer their magical stores without an out of the ordinary drain on themselves. The cost however is too high in most cases. Savannah, you know the bond between rider and dragon and its intensity? You know it isn't able to be overlooked? It binds all we are to each other, nothing is truly hidden between the two. Even in death they die together. At least they will unless the dragon disgorges its Eldunari. Their body will die alongside their rider yes, but their mind will live within the stone, trapping them in it until it is broken."

Eragon spoke of the Eldunari as the trio descended into a dimly lit cavern. The light source appeared to stem from below, but Morgan couldn't discern much about it other than it was also where the heat came from. Her attention was also distracted by the various shimmering stones of every color. It was a rainbow of gems and eggs if the larger and perfectly smooth rock like objects were to be looked at closer. Morgan felt the consciousness of the stones press upon her with the weight of the world as they tore through her very being, holding her down for several minutes under their barrage. In her pain, she barely noticed Savannah also plummet to her knees in a similar pain. Both were too stunned to scream, and as the presence left their minds, they could only sigh in relief that it was over. Both rose up at the same time with Savannah glaring and Morgan thinking things over outloud. "So the Eldunari are dragons trapped within stones who have lost their bodies?"

Eragon nodded before he lifted an eyebrow in silent discussion with something, most likely the many dragons trapped within this room. "Yes, and Umaroth and the others who just assaulted you apologize, but caution is necessary when it comes to hiding this information. They seem wary of remaining in your mind Morgan, any ideas why?"

"Grima. It's complicated but I think he is still alive even with what my father did to him. I'm assuming they feel my fear and having seen his evil, would rather not draw out the potential risk." Morgan looked around the room for confirmation and the nod from Eragon let her sigh in minor relief that she was right. "As for my dragonstone, it might be similar, but I'm not sure how much so. You may check though. I am aware though that all the power of our dragon halves is stored within the stone and prolonged use can cause one to descend into madness. I probably shouldn't use the stone again for a week at minimum if I wish to remain sane." The girl pulled out her necklace to hand off to Eragon as she spoke, not sure what he could find with a closer inspection.

After a few minutes of his staring, the man returned the stone to its owner and nodded to himself. "It feels more like a gemstone than an Eldunari. The energy stored within seems to regenerate itself though and maintain a certain point. I added my own energy and after a while, it began trickling out as if overflowing water in a cup. Thank you Morgan for humoring me. Now, let's get out of here."

The walk up took just as long and Morgan felt the chill of a breeze at the last few steps. The air rushing in as Eragon opened the door in front of her. While the group drew near Saphira, a presence grazed Morgan's mind. It's thoughts a mottled mess, images flashed before her of a field burning beneath the footfalls of countless dragons as they landed in an attempt to evade an onrushing death. An arrow pierced scales and hide and kept going. A claw tearing through a younger dragon, barely injuring the red nameless traitor as its teeth sank deep into the outstretched talon. Then fire came and drowned out everything. Nothing remained but the burning crimson flames of the traitor and his comrades. Morgan crashed to her knees screaming in pain as the images played over and over in her head, tearing away at her fraying psyche. The girl was slowly falling in on herself in pain, reliving everything she saw.

Savannah rushed to catch her but only got there within a second of the Manakete's face hitting the ground. She pushed with all the might her mind could produce to aid in saving her friend, quickly followed by Set. Eragon and Saphira tried to help but something dark was forming and they were trying to restrain the vaporous presence.

Savannah was no mage, and her mental combat was always subpar at best. So when she began focusing her strikes and trying to pry the malignant mind from Morgan's, it was the equivalent of trying to lift up Set without magic. She couldn't budge the presence an inch and it seemed to keep digging into the girl deeper. Set's aid wasn't much help due to his distance two islands over and Saphira demanding he maintain that physical distance, but the brown dragon did what he could to empower his rider.

The presence forming before Eragon reminded him of the Shade Durza. It was a culmination of malignant spirits seeking out a body. However, these spirits seemed different than normal as they were all tied together, almost forming a single being in their power, and they refused to approach the weaker minds of Savannah or Morgan. Eragon and Saphira only took note of the thing to begin with because it had made itself known by attacking Saphira in hopes of possessing her. A century of practice helped the great sapphire dragon fend off the mental onslaught, but she sought to trap it before any of the young ones approached. Set was only safe because he was keeping his distance as she instructed him upon the attack, but her mind was too occupied to warn off all the dragons. It was only a matter of time before disaster struck.

The various battles raged on for what felt like hours, but only ten minutes had passed before the first signs of doom struck. Savannah let out a yelp of surprise as her body flashed white alongside Morgan's while the Manakete took to her dragon form like she said she shouldn't. The white and green dragon then unleashed a blinding torrent of light down upon the mass of spirits as Savannah tried guiding the unleashed dragon and fell into it's mind.

Morgan's madness was a black cloud in her thoughts that Savannah had no clue how to approach, but she had no choice if she wished to save her friend and contain this destruction. The rider sprinted into the maelstrom in search of hope. 'You said you'd push me Morgan. You weren't supposed to do it like this!' The mental scream was drowned in a gale of pained emotion. Whispers of lives lost and blood spilt hung in the mindscape afterwards like an echo while the looming cloud of madness remained unmoved. 'If we live through this, I'll admit to enjoying your company. I'll admit to wanting to give you a chance. Will that bring you back to me?'

Savannah felt the pressure change and an outside voice approach her while Morgan's body seemed to fall from the storm. This new entity felt like pure evil and beyond salvation. Without knowing anything, she could only assume this thing that looked like six red eyes glaring down at her from within the clouds was Grima. Savannah rushed over to Morgan and began shielding the body from the malignant gaze above them. 'This vessel is no longer needed. I would've liked to keep her though as a trophy of my victory. Oh well, it can die with the rest of you!' The presence then pressed down as hard as it could upon both of them, seeking to overwhelm both girls in its sheer power.

Back outside the mindscape, Eragon and Saphira had lost sight of the spirits in the blinding light and were now trying to pin the shockingly agile Manakete rampaging on the shores. Saphira was able to keep it grounded by buffeting it with her wings, but due to her height, it danced between her limbs. Eragon fared somewhat better but was constantly trying to preserve his supply of energy for later. Defensive wards only lasted so long before they became a burden, and Morgan's breath wasn't exactly something the ancient language had words for. Savannah's body had been ignored as the girl lay limp behind Morgan. 'Saphira, do you think she has gone mad? Or does it look more like territorial instinct is kicking in?'

'I'd say she did go mad, but I think Savannah is somehow lost in Morgan's mind. Both girls are drowning in a storm.' Saphira thought as she launched assault after assault on the enclosed mind before her, trying not to be completely useless in her old age.

'Let's try and get them out then. Also let's thank Set for getting every dragon away from this island.' Eragon leapt back from a tail being swung at him and progressed to using his mind as well as his movements to save the young ones.

His mind quickly found the black mass that was whatever was shielding Morgan's mind from assault and immediately began picking at it for weak points. His search wasn't long when he found entry through Savannah's connection. Whatever was happening clearly wasn't stable enough for holding a perfect mental barrier.

Inside the mindscape, he could see the raging storm and Savannah cradling Morgan's human body within a protective embrace as she stared defiantly into the clouds. Whatever was said was drowned out as winds roared with the emotions of the maddened Manakete. There was also a fourth presence in there that he could sense. One he recognized from the Eldunari freed from Galbatorix. The mad king had enslaved many fallen dragons into serving him, and with them his power had amplified to beyond anything imaginable. Some of the dragons simply couldn't recover what had been lost and Eragon couldn't bring himself to kill them in mercy. They were the last of their kind, and they held knowledge to save others. Surely he could save them with enough time. Time he didn't think they'd have anymore as the Dragon connected with the storming presence to destroy the girls' minds.

'It's now or never I fear…' The elderly rider reached out to Saphira and further, connecting with the Eldunari held within the dragon's nest. Together they pushed with their combined might, manifesting much like a storming wind all their own and forced out the minds. Morgan and Savannah fell into blackness, disconnecting their minds from the spiderweb of connections used to save them.

Eragon then withdrew into his own mind and thanked the dragons for their assistance before gently easing the now both human girls onto Saphira's back. 'This is bad.'

Notes: Chapter 2 here we are a week early. I intend to upload every other week but don't hold your breath. As of right now, I'm just showing what the story looks like so that I can hopefully persuade somebody into beta reading it for me as I'm not the best at editing.

So yeah, if you wish to beta my story, please PM me and let me know. Other than that, favorite, follow, and/or review, do as you like to motivate me to keep going. Until next time, have a great life folks.