Chapter 5

Keres winced as she lifted her goblet, toasting the four new riders who would leave Vrenbana in the morning. Eragon did not allow her to heal bruises or small scrapes until a day after she had received them. He claimed that if she could simply heal her injuries right after they happened, she would never appreciate how she had received them. This lack of appreciation, he had told her, made it more likely that she would injure herself unnecessarily or allow others to injure her needlessly. Bringing the goblet to her lips, she let out a low groan, feeling the numerous bruises on her arms and back throb. He makes it sound like I injure myself intentionally, or allow myself to be injured. I don't like getting hurt.

A fresh round of cheers drew her attention and she glanced up at the head table, where the newest group of riders sat. The head table was usually reserved only for the elders, however, for this one night, the newest riders were allowed to sit at the head table. It was considered a taste of what was to come, for it was expected that every rider would return to Vrenbana after serving in Alagaësia. The urgal, the elf, and the two humans who made up the most recent cohort exchanged friendly banter with those sitting closest to them. Every rider and bonded dragon that lived in Vrenbana were now gathered together in the outside meal hall to celebrate the graduation of the newest group of riders. Unlike the main hall, this meal hall had open sides to allow the dragons to join in the festivities taking place within. It was set up against the side of Cieráed and boasted access both to the open elements, through three sides, and to the main fortress itself though the left hand side.

She recognized them all of course. She had trained with each of them at some point during her apprenticeship. The urgal, whose name was Ethrunor, was on the smallish side for his breed. Koaloth, despite being several years younger, already towered over his elder kin. His size, however, did not take away from his ferocity and the overwhelming vigor with which he attacked all aspects of life. Ralihirn, the elf, was less agreeable. His superior attitude had done nothing to endear him to Keres during their few joint training exercises. Still, he was a skilled swordsman whose speed had tested even her reflexes. Bodrin, one of the two human riders, was likeable enough. On the whole, Keres thought he was a rather simple soul, but that wasn't necessarily a criticism. Then there was Thane. Keres had been skeptical when she had heard that one of the human princes had been chosen as a rider, but she had come to admire the confident young man. On the few occasions they had trained together she had found him polite, if dry-witted. She had always assumed that she would graduate with this cohort. She had been wrong.

As another gale of laughter emanated from the main table, Keres' frown deepened. Though her rank would have accorded her a position amidst the assembled riders, she had, instead, elected to sit off to one side where her black mood wouldn't disturb the festivities. What bothered her went deeper than the throbbing of her injured limbs. Setting the goblet back down on the table, she glared into the depths of her wine.

I should be going with them. I've been here longer than any other apprentice has ever remained.

From her place amongst the dragons, who ringed the festivities, Vikonyx shifted and turned in the direction of her rider. "You were also younger than any apprentice who has ever come to Vrenbana."

I was here three years before any of them and I am, at the very least, their equal. I surpassed all but Ralihirn in magic and all but Ethrunor in strength, and all but Thane in mental combat.

"Perhaps," the dragon mused, "Eragon is waiting until you are unsurpassed in all three."

Keres hand tightened on her fork as she jabbed moodily at her plate of food. Perhaps he is waiting because he is a fool.

"Careful." The warning growl that issued from her dragon was a rumble that vibrated within Keres' chest cavity. "Do not let your anger goad you into rash statements. You know that is not the case."

Can you see any other reason for him to wait? I'm nearly as strong as he was when he faced Galbatorix, and he was a full rider for years before that happened.

"His case was . . . special."

Frustration surged through her and Keres ground her teeth, growling back at her dragon. Why are you protecting him? You're supposed to be on my side.

"I am not protecting him." A flicker of annoyance resounded from the dragon's mind. "I'm protecting you from your own foolishness. Eragon and Saphira must have a good reason for holding us here. Do not be so eager to leave this place. Remember, we are the only apprentices of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales, Leaders of the Dragon Riders. Even Tarehlak and Gintare were trained jointly by Eragon and Arya. We are the first apprentices who have been trained exclusively by the leaders of the Dragon Riders. If they wish to teach us more than the others, we should be eager to learn." She punctuated the remark by cracking the thigh bone of a Hethor, one of the large, deer-like animals native to Vrenbana and the surrounding area.

The truth of the dragon's words made them even more difficult to hear and Keres hissed beneath her breath. To her surprise, something beneath the table hissed back and then a furry creature brushed against her shins. Starting in surprise, Keres lowered her eyes to find a small, grey tortoiseshell cat looking up at her. His blue eyes glistened with curiosity as he hopped up to sit beside her. His ears twitched, causing the faint, white tassels to bob and sway as he took in the scene before him. His tail swished as he studied the feast.

Reaching toward a platter that sat on the table, Keres tugged a chicken leg free from roast and set it in a small butter dish before laying it on the bench in front of the creature. "Good evening Arlentor. Tired of hanging out with the ladies?"

"Apparently not. I came here to talk to you didn't I?" The voice that spoke within her mind was silky smooth and rippled with the faintest hint of a purr.

"I don't know. Did you?"

His tail twitched and he bared his teeth in a grin. "You are learning." The werecat dipped his head and tore a mouthful of meat off the bone. "On the whole I think I did. You are amusing."

Keres chuckled, "I'll take that as a compliment, coming from you. I haven't seen your mother or your sisters around here. Did they not come?"

"Caline has found that she prefers the company of the elves. Keldenkógr has proven to be right up her alley. Fringala has elected to stay at Crossergate. Mother," his lip curled slightly at the word, "decided that it was a good night for moon-fishing. MOON-FISHING! Can you imagine? With all this excitement and food she wants to go fishing?" The disbelief was evident in his voice.

"Well," Keres said struggling to keep the corners of her mouth from twitching, "at least you graced us with your presence. For that, we will be forever grateful."

"Sarcasm does not become you Keres-ungr." He swallowed and consumed a few more mouthfuls before he spoke again. "I was also sent here by your master to tell you that your training tomorrow will take place on the southern shore of Lake Miraloft." He ran a pink tongue over his whiskers, "So it would seem that my visit was both business and pleasure." Setting down the now clean bone on the plate, he twitched his tail at her and leapt neatly off the bench, disappearing beneath the tables.

Keres stared after him, not quite drained of her anger, but too amused to let it overtake her again. I don't think I will ever understand that cat.

"Werecat" Vikonyx corrected. "He likes you. So far as I know, you are the only apprentice that he has ever bothered to speak with regularly."

I'm also not sure how I feel about being termed amusing.

"You are amusing." Wolfing down the last few bites of her meal, Vikonyx looked over at her rider. "Do not be angry tonight. This is a night for merriment and delight. If you don't want to be here, there are various diversions at our disposal. Come, let us go for a swim. Go and get your things and I will join you on the shore."

Setting down her goblet, Keres slipped silently out a side door to the main hallway. The corridors were empty, making it exceptionally easy to make her way back to her room. Within twenty minutes, she had changed into the tight, half-shirt and trousers that she used as her swimming attire. Wrapping a thick, heavy cloak around herself, she quickly made her way back down the stairs, taking care to avoid the hallway that would lead her past the festivities. She stepped back out into the night air. Now the only thing that lay between her and the lake was the large cluster of lights and houses that was the city of Thralmurdras.

The inhabitants were winding down their activities for the night. The few who had elected not to enjoy the festivities at the main fortress were quickly making their way along the well-paved streets. Though the city could not equal the splendor of the Riders' first city, Doru Areba, Keres privately thought that she preferred the smaller scale of Thralmurdras. The streets were wide enough for dragons to traverse and each house boasted at least one window large enough to accommodate a dragon's head. Beyond that, the scale was relatively normal. This was more practical, she had decided early in her youth. Dragons were not meant to be in houses or regular buildings. Also, the city boasted more urgal and dwarf buildings than its predecessor. The eclectic mix of buildings, made similar by the materials which made up each, presenting a rather pleasing mix of color and shape. More importantly, each building was painted a different color, a trait which had, before it had been intentional, given the Rainbow City its name.

Quickly traversing the backroads of the city, if any were small enough to be called such, Keres reached the lake within minutes. Stripping off her heavy cloak and boots, she wedged them both between the branches of a nearby tree. The thick, emerald grass was soft and springy beneath her feet. It continued all the way down the bank to the water's edge, where she tentatively took a few steps toward the center of the lake. Water lapped at her ankles as her toes sunk into soft, squishy mud. Muttering a quick spell to keep the water out of her nose, she pulled the tie out of her hair, letting the white locks cascade over her shoulders and down her back. The water was cool, cooler than she would have liked. But Keres stayed were she was, gradually letting her body acclimate to the temperature. About every minute of so, she took a step deeper into the water.

Then, a heavy, buffeting wind struck her back and she stumbled as the air around her shattered from a furious concussion. She shrieked as a claw closed around her body and lifted her high into the air. The ascent was dizzying, and was only matched when the claw released her about twenty feet above the gentle waves. Her arms flailed as she twisted, glimpsing a dark, winged figure high above her before she struck the water. Bubbles obscured her vision as she plunged into the cool depths of the lake. As she broke the surface, she shook the water from her eyes, laughing uproariously as, far to her left, Vikonyx dove. A few moments later, a wave of water crashed over Keres' head. She allowed the wave to tumble her heels over head, and then came up for air.

The black dragon's serpentine head emerged from the water a few feet away. Swimming toward it, Keres draped herself over the muzzle. "You're right. I do feel better."

The dragon hummed, blowing out a long breath of air. Arching her back, Vikonyx lifted her shoulders out of the water, twisting her head around to allowing Keres to scramble into her usual place between the gap in the dragon's spines. The slick scales dug lightly into the insides of her legs, but not enough to hurt. The dragon reared, sending a tower of spray into the air, and her huge wings unfolded as she leapt free of the lake's surface. The pair rose into the sky, trailing water behind them like a comet's tail. Then, at the height of her climb, Vikonyx folded her wings and plummeted into the water. The cool surface erupted as the dragon arrowed into it, forming a wall that nearly ripped Keres out of her seat when she submerged.

The white-haired girl closed her eyes, pressing herself as close to her dragon's neck as she could. She was dancing in the darkness. Her hair swirled around her as Vikonyx turned fantastic shapes beneath the surface, twisting and twirling in the blackness. Opening her mouth, the girl uttered a quick spell and, as it took effect, drew in a gushing breath of air. Relaxing into her seat, Keres allowed herself to be swept up in the beauty of the motion. Her dragon's long, sinuous frame made her perfectly suited for air and water. She swam like a snake, her tail directing the motions of her body.

Then she broke the surface, leaping back into the air. As she rose, Keres loosened her grip, curled her knees up to her chest, and vaulted backward off the dragon's back. She backflipped, avoiding the sharp spines that ridged Vikonyx's back, then splashed back into the water. Again and again her dragon dipped to retrieve her and over and over Keres took flight, arcing through the air to land in the cool, dark water. Her shrieks of mirth echoed over the valley, wild and exhilarated with the strength of her freedom. Final, exhausted and bedraggled, Keres pulled herself onto her dragon's back and lay, panting against the black scales. Between her legs, she felt Vikonyx begin to hum.

"Our lives are not so bad heart-sister." She murmured softly, "Do not rush into our responsibilities. We have years, decades, centuries to take up whatever task is appointed to us. For now, let us be young, let us be wild, and let us be free."

Keres sighed, leaning her head against the snake-like neck in front of her. I suppose that does sound nice. Still, I wish I could at least have my sword.

Vikonyx' hum grew louder as amusement colored her mood. As the dragon made her way back toward the Fire Mountain, which loomed like a beacon in the distance, Keres watched the moonlight reveal shards of color within the dragon's black scales. The sparkles winked in and out of existence in a never ending cycle. Red and blue and white and gold and green they danced across her mind until sleep overtook her and her eyes finally closed.