Chapter 9

Kale panted, urging himself to keep going, even though every muscle in his body screamed against it. He knew he could hold out a few seconds longer, but then he would have to stop, else he risked passing unconscious and the spell seeping his energy until he passed into the void. Across from him, Aéron muscles were twitching violently as he fought to sustain his own spell. Aràzàdí was a few feet away holding the Eldunarí.

With a last pant, Aéron was forced to end his spell. Kale's strain immediately went down then. The two were practicing, casting numerous spells against each other, while simultaneously casting spells designed to negate what the other was doing. It was one of Thayor's, the Eldunarí, favorite exercises for them to perform.

Since the day they had destroyed the rest of the Eldunarí, Thayor had begun to school them in the things no other could teach them. Secrets of magic the Rider's had learned, and the very nature of their being, the history, and intricacies of their bond, and what they needed to know about their Order.

Unfortunately, Thayor's knowledge of the Ancient Language was only slightly better than their own. Having no need to ever learn the language himself, the only pieces he remembered were those his rider had used so many times it was second nature to both of them.

They had also learned that Thayor's rider, Niran, a human, had died during the Wyrdfell. The two had been bonded for almost a century, and Thayor had disgorged his Eldunarí some thirty years prior when they were forced to separate. They learned that it was actually in part because of Niran that they had come together. He had been one of the riders that had realized that the Foresworn were going after the hatchery and ordered it evacuated. They learned the names of the three riders who had saved the six dragon eggs from destruction, and then gave their lives to protect the three of them. They also learned that it was Erzalîn who killed Niran and a group of others who had stood between him and the hatchery, and then he went on to destroy the hatchery and all the Dragon eggs within. It was then that they decided their next target.

His lessons therefore often consisted of expanding their magical strength rather than the extent of their vocabulary. Though they were slightly disappointed, they took to their task none the less. All of them knew that the secret to defeating Galbatorix and his hundreds of Eldunara wasn't going to be found in the three seconds longer they could sustain a spell, but rather in the words even he did not know.

The other down side of his lessons were that normally, only two of them could go at a time, so that the third could hold his Eldunarí and allow him to see the training through their eyes. It was also necessary to do this when working on exercises in mind shielding, since Thayor had no voice of his own.

When they finished, Kale walked over to Dirash, and clambered aboard his back, into a small hollow where no spikes or diamond armor grew. The first time Thayor had seen him he was greatly impressed, and had expressed the notion that he wished he had thought to be able to do that when he died, for he was inches away from slaying Galbatorix at the time.

Aràzàdí, who had handed Thayor's Eldunarí to Aéron, was also climbing onto Ellsmer. The two didn't bring their swords as this was an exercise purely for the dragons. The two took flight and began circling each other.

iWith Tactic's like that, you're lucky the Foresworn dragons are no more than beasts, for they could have easily thwarted you. Why are you waiting for you enemy to move, are you not dragons, attack! /iThayor spoke, projecting his mind into all of them.

With his urging the two dragons turned and flew at each other, slowly picking up speed. Ellsmer was the fastest of the two of them, but she wasn't as good in the sky as Dirash. As the two closed, Dirash tilted his wings and barrol rolled around to the side of Ellsmer, turning and coming in as her tail flicked past. Dirash reached out with his head to bite it, stopping a fraction of an inch away by the multiple layers of wards Aràzàdí had placed on her dragon. The both slowly turned about, and when they were facing each other again, Dirash opened up his jaw and gargled forth the liquid fire from his body, letting it catch fire and streak forward with fire so hot it was naught but pure white. The flames danced dangerously around Ellsmer as they closed, and she too opened up her jaw projecting a stream of deep, dark blue flames. Once again as the two closed, they veered off from each other. Dirash was much quicker than Ellsmer again, and twisted his way through the air, coming up around on her right side his claws and fangs lashing out for her neck, again stopped by the wards. As Dirash circled around her again, he tilted sideways so that, had Aràzàdí and he been involved, they could exchange a few blows.

As they separated again however Ellsmer used the advantage her speed gave her and charged at Dirash, bowing her neck back to shield her head she rammed full bore into Dirash's side. Had he been in his down swing with his wings, his armor there would have been put to the test, as it was however, his wings were up and Ellsmer just caught him on the side. In retaliation he reached out with the closest claw and swept across, depleting the wards and leaving a long maroon gash of blood along Ellsmer's neck.

Kale felt a surge of power from Aràzàdí as she healed Ellsmer's wound and the two turned back to face them. Kale suspected Aràzàdí must have applied more wards to Ellsmer as well during the brief surge, and did the same with Dirash. As the two drew close this time, Dirash twirled around so that Kale had to grip tightly with his knees and hands to keep from falling upwards, or was it down? They slipped past and Dirash grabbed hold of Ellsmer and the two fought clawing, and kicking, and battering, and biting each other. As they did so the forces of their sudden stops sent them tumbling violently through the air as they fell. With a final kick, Dirash sent the two of them away from each other as they let the air catch their wings and reascend.

iThat's enough. Good session. /iThayor spoke again, calling them back, apparently pleased at the progress they had made.

The two slowly descended back down to the ledge where they landed and took off from. After they had moved back into the cave, they were told to split up once again, the dragon's left for another ledge, lower upon the mountain, to practice their fire breathing. Meanwhile the three riders were instructed to sit and extend their minds and listen to all.

Kale sat and opened up his mind. He had long since mastered the exercise; however, Thayor thought that it was to his benefit to continue to practice the exercise. After a few hours of meditation, the dragon's returned and the riders were released.

There were still a few hours before sunset, but Thayor gave them the rest of the day to themselves, finishing with, iI now believe you are ready. Tomorrow we shall begin discussion of a battle plan against out next target, Erzalîn. His palace lies just northeast of what is now known as Gil'ead. It is there we shall strike./i