Humming filled the air as Maeia walked along a dirt road. It was early in the morning and Brom and Eragon were still asleep. Bored as hell, Maeia tried to find something to do for the past two hours. Stopping at the edge of the road, she sat down on a rock that overlooked a valley. It was a beautiful morning and the landscape was no exception. Sigh. Maeia closed her eyes and listened to the chirps of the morning birds. She reached out with her mind and saw the blurred images of animals on the forest floor, their auras. It was confusing because she knew that with her being a young Rider, she shouldn't be able to use this level of magic. She never told either Brom nor Eragon. They would become suspicious. Bringing her senses back to her body, Maeia opened her eyes and got up. She looked back at the valley before turning back towards the direction of camp.
You are still curious of your powers? Hyorinmaru's voice echoed through Maeia's stilled mind. Maeia nodded and looked up as a shadow hovered above her. Hyorinmaru landed several feet in front of her, her ebony scales glittered with hues of blue and purple in the dim sunlight. Hyorin lowered her head as she walked up to her Rider, ice-blue eyes meeting with dark, hazel eyes. Maeia smiled and rubbed her dragon's snout, Yeah. It's giving me a migraine trying to think about it. Patting Hyorin's head, Maeia continued walking alongside her dragon.
By the time Maeia made it back to camp, Brom and Eragon were already up and having breakfast. They nodded their heads 'good morning' and went on eating. Maeia helped her self to some food and sat down to eat as well.
"Out on your morning walks again," Brom asked.
"Yeah," Maeia nodded. "It feels good to walk around, especially in this weather."
"No argument there."
Finished with breakfast, everyone went to their packs and got ready to head out. With the Urgals surely on their tail, there was no time for a long rest. Maeia and her friends had been on the run for four days straight. They made a few stops for some rest and for refilling their water skins. The only time they actually got some sleep was last night, but they didn't make camp until about midnight. Maeia was still a bit tired, so Eragon said that he'll ride Saphira and had let Maeia ride Cadoc for the day. As much as she wanted to start flying with Hyorin, she knew that they had a few more weeks before Hyorin was big enough to ride.
'Soon, very soon, child. You will find the true meaning of your existence in this world.' Darkness filled Maeia's mind as she searched for the source of the voice. 'What do you want with me?' 'Nothing more than yourself, child,' the deep voice echoed through the darkness. 'Who are you? Tell me.' Suddenly, a bright light flashed before Maeia. She could barely make out the faint outline of an immense, transparent shadow. 'You posses great power, child. With your powers, you can destroy the Empire and avenge the dragons whose lives have been lost to the dark king.' 'I can't help you if I don't even know what to do, let alone how to use this power.' The air pressure seemed to have dropped tremendously. It felt like an unknown presence was trying to pass through Maeia's body. The air in her lungs compressed, making it almost impossible to breathe. 'Avenge my children, child. Your fate is inevitable. Soon, it all shall be revealed, but for now.' The bright light began fading back into the darkness. 'Hey. Wait!' 'There is more to you than even you may know.' Maeia began running towards the direction that the light came from but couldn't move. She started hearing voices and someone calling her name. The darkness began to fade away and Maeia's senses began to awake. 'Who are you?'
"Maeia!"
Maeia snapped back to reality. She looked at Brom in a daze before coming back to herself. She shook her head.
"Huh? Oh...sorry, Brom. I guess I kind of dozed off for a bit."
"Hmph. Well, it's time that you wake up because we're almost there."
"Huh?"
Maeia looked ahead of her and saw a large mountain looming in the distance. What the? Maeia scratched at her head. That is Helgrind, Maeia. Brom said that we'll be making a stop at the base of the mountain. You were sleeping though, Hyorinmaru spoke. Maeia sighed and yawned at the same time, Great. Who knows how this'll turn out to be. Her dragon chuckled and left her mind. Maeia stretched her arms and back. The stiffness of her body told her that she was asleep for quite a while.
Looking up at the dark mountain, Maeia shivered. Its presence alone sent an eerie chill through her body. A dark evil loomed at the mountain's peak, threatening anyone who came close to it. Maeia stared at the mountain, it seemed to be calling for her. She shrugged it off and focused at its base. A large city outlined its base to the west. Maeia could barely make the outlines of the spiked towers that came from a church at the heart of the city. Dras~Leona. She knew the history of Dras~Leona. It was dark and unreal to the human mind. She also knew that the Ra'zac lived inside Helgrind and preyed on human sacrifice. Maeia grimaced at the thought. It was dangerous, that was for certain. She looked over at Brom. She knew that both he and Eragon were hunting the Ra'zac. But do they know what is to come? Maeia knew what is going to happen and felt sick. They were good friends. It broke her heart knowing that she might lose one of them, even if they were pains to deal with.
"So, how long are we going to stay here?" Maeia asked, to erase the thought.
"Perhaps a day or two. We need supplies," Brom replied. "Even though Dras~Leona is one of the king's favored cities, it has the supplies we need. It won't be a long stay."
"I have a feeling that it won't," Maeia whispered under her breath.
"Go tell Hyorinmaru to have Eragon dismount Saphira and get out of sight. We can't any guards see two dragons in the sky."
Maeia nodded in agreement. She reached out to Hyorin and relayed the message. Within a few minutes, Eragon and Saphira flew down into the forest. Eragon got off of Saphira and motioned for her to go ahead. Brom slowed his horse, and Maeia did the same. The young male Rider walked over to Cadoc and got on behind Maeia.
"I told Saphira to go ahead with Hyorinmaru to find a place to hide," Eragon had concern in his voice.
Maeia took note at this and saw Brom nod his head. She watched on as her dragon and Saphira fly off deeper into the forest towards some hills. Skulblaka's Vienn. Her eyesight changed as it moved over to Hyorin's, allowing her to see what her dragon was seeing. Her eyes scanned the ground and spotted a small cave in the side of one of the hills. Maeia disconnected from Hyorin, knowing that she was safe with the older dragon now. She gripped Cadoc's reins, tension building up in her arms. Try and stay calm, Maeia. Stay calm.