Chapter Twelve
Gift of a Dragon
Disclaimer: See Chapter Two.
Hawk was feeling better than he had in a long time.
He was feeling warm, which was a rare thing for him, considering that all he'd ever been dressed in at the lab was a light hospital gown.
He was comfortable for the first time in his life, as he'd always had to curl up in his crate to sleep.
And, most extraordinary of all, he felt safe, a completely foreign experience to him, what with living in a lab where no one except the other mutants around you gave a stuff about you, for fifteen-odd years, then the asinine adventures he'd had over the past three days.
A curious whispering disturbed Hawk from his rest.
Hawk ignored it, and turned over in his sleep.
The whispering intensified, and someone shook his shoulder.
Then Hawk remembered the fight, and instantly, he was awake, and swung a wild blow about him.
'Hawk!' Hissed Telia, grabbing Hawk's flailing arm.
Hawk froze when he saw Telia, looking at him in mild annoyance, and took a quick, cursory look around.
No lab, no dark, damp, dungeon.
Instead, he was in a high ceilinged room, with large windows, with sunlight pouring in.
'Telia? What happened? I saw you die.' Said Hawk with no small sense of relief at seeing his friend alive and well.
Telia smacked him across the back of the head, and gave Hawk a sad smile. 'Not dead, just unconscious.' She clarified, before giving him a tight hug.
Hawk winced as a bright point of pain flared, and he hissed.
Telia released him and blushed. 'Oh sorry, I forgot, you've got a couple of cracked ribs from your little brawl with that Murtagh guy.' Said Telia embarrassed.
Someone on the other side of the bed harrumphed.
'Well those would be healed by now, if you'd just let me put a dressing on them.' Said an irate woman, who was sitting on the opposite side of Hawk's bed to Telia, knitting something.
Hawk noted with some confusion that she was using five needles at the same time, and he assumed that even in this world, that this was unusual.
At her feet, curled up asleep in the sun, was a large, black cat.
'I told you, just leave well enough alone, and that'd sort itself out in a couple of days.' Said Telia exasperatedly.
Hawk eyed the strange woman warily. 'Who're you?' He asked suspiciously.
'My name is Angela, I'm a herbalist and a healer, and Nasuada asked me to tend to your wounds, after your little adventure three days ago.
'I was out for three days! The other guy barely touched me.' Said Hawk in shock, then he felt incredibly weak as he realised he hadn't eaten for nearly four days.
'Murtagh might have barely touched you, but he did manage to break your jaw, as well as crack three of your ribs, and I don't know what happened to your hands, it looks like you stuck them in a forge.' Said Angela shaking her head.
Hawk looked at his hands for the fist time, they were bandaged so heavily, they were immobile.
'What…?' Asked Hawk, at a loss.
Telia took Hawk's shoulder and pulled him round to face her.
'I came around yesterday when this witch doctor,' Telia cast a glance at Angela, who returned the look offended, 'was changing the dressings on your hands, and Hawk, they looked like they were almost completely melted.' Said Telia concernedly.
Hawk slumped against the bed head and stared at the opposite wall.
'How…?' Asked Hawk, again at a loss.
'I don't know, Eragon doesn't know, and none of the elves could think of anything either.' Said Angela shaking her head.
Hawk shook his head worriedly, then remembered something.
'Telia, what about…?' Asked Hawk worriedly, looking around.
Angela smiled kindly as Telia too, began looking around the room worriedly.
'If you're looking for those two dragon hatchlings, that Eragon found nosing the two of you, they're safe, but don't ask me where they've got too this time.' Said Angela shaking her head in amusement.
'Where are Torque and Lizzy?' Asked Hawk as he remembered.
'Your two friends woke up the day before yesterday.' Said a voice from behind Telia and Hawk.
The two turned around, and beheld a young man, with brown hair, brown eyes, and angled features.
'Twenty five words or less, who are you?' Asked Hawk wearily, going to rub his brow, then remembering his hands and letting them flop to the sheets in annoyance.
The newcomer blinked.
'My name is Eragon Bromson, I'm a dragon rider.
If he's expecting us to fall to our knees in awe, he's going to be waiting a long time. Said Telia telepathically to Hawk, who hid a smile.
Eragon and Angela overheard the exchange and hid grins.
'Well, why come and see us then, the other guys given up and gone home or something?' Asked Telia, noting the sword on Eragon's hip.
Eragon smiled. 'If only it were that simple, Galbatorix has made every one of his soldiers swear an unbreakable oath to fight for him, no matter what.' Said Eragon, sitting at the foot of Hawk's bed.
'So why are you here?' Asked Telia again.
'To see you two, I'm assuming due to the dragon hatchlings I found guarding you two, that you're their riders.' Said Eragon with a question in his voice.
'Yeah, we're the riders of those two dragons, why?' Said Hawk suspiciously.
Telia raised her hands too shoulder height, revealing the Gedwëy Ignasia on her palms. 'Proof enough for you?' Asked Telia.
Eragon looked at Telia in shock. 'You're bonded to both dragons?' Asked Eragon in shock.
Hawk shook his head. 'No, just the green and gold one, I've got two of those marks as well, but…' Hawk raised his hands. 'They're kind of tied up right now.' He said.
'Hawk, you're not funny.' Said Telia, dropping her face into her hands in mock despair.
Eragon looked at the pair of them for a moment. 'If you're quite finished, I was going to say that Angela believes that you two should stay in bed for at least the next two days, so I thought I might see what you know in the way of your powers, and what being a rider entails.
Hawk and Telia looked at each other simultaneously, then turned to Eragon. 'The long answer is: nothing.' Said Hawk seriously.
'As for our powers, aside from flying, increased strength and senses, and a faster rate of regeneration, not much.' Said Telia casually.
'And as for what being a rider means, I'm guessing that we're glorified peacekeepers.' Finished Hawk with a shrug.
Eragon looked at the two of them in bemusement. 'Do you two ever take anything seriously?' Asked Eragon.
'Our little family, band, group, call-it-what-you-will-of-four, loyalty, oh yeah, and keeping up with meals, which we haven't had one of since about four days ago.' Said Telia as she checked each item off with her fingers, hoping that the rider would take the rather broad hint.
Sadly , he didn't. 'I've never seen anyone fight like you two do, where did you learn?' Asked Eragon calmly.
In his mind though, Eragon was getting more and more confused.
Are they toying with me, or is this what they're like all the time? Asked Eragon silently.
Hawk shrugged. 'A friend back in our world, she was a little rebellious, kept unlocking her crate, reading the minds of visitors, one particular bloke who was a martial arts instructor, eventually, she became as good as he was, which was pretty damn good, through practice when no one was looking, then she taught us everything she knew.' Hawk looked off into the distance. 'Damn, but I wish she was here now…' He said, more too himself than anyone else.
'That's pretty good for third hand knowledge.' Observed Eragon. 'As for what being a rider means, you're right, we are keepers of the peace, we're also scholars, explorers, teachers,' Eragon raised a hand and let it drop. 'We're jacks-of-all-trades, and masters of all.'
Hawk nodded. 'Right, well, where are Torque and Elizabeth, I'm sure they'll want to see us pretty badly, plus they might bring us some food.' Said Hawk, and his stomach growled longingly.
Eragon began too reply, but a banging on the window interrupted him.
Hawk twisted in his bed, and Telia turned around, to see Torque, perched precariously on the window sill.
Telia stood up and undid the latch, and Torque jumped lightly inside, followed by Elizabeth.
The pair were holding two bags each.
Telia went to close the window, but was stopped as two iridescent shapes darted inside.
Torque stepped back and slammed the window shut.
'No need for people to know we're here.' Said Torque with a mischievous grin.
Telia smiled and hugged Torque tightly. 'Glad to see you too Torque.' Said Telia.
Torque blushed and turned around as Telia sat down again.
Torque stopped as he saw Eragon and Angela looking at him in confused shock.
'I thought I told you two that Nasuada said nobody could see these two until they were out of here.' Said Angela irritably.
'Didn't Blödhgarm tell you to stop bothering whoever was guarding the door?' Asked Eragon.
Elizabeth shrugged. 'Yeah, the wolf boy did tell us too stop bugging whoever was looking after the door.' Said Elizabeth unconcerned, folding her wings.
'But old Fang-face never thought about putting guards on the windows, now did he?' Asked Torque, as he followed Elizabeth's lead, with a sly smirk.
Eragon shook his head. 'You two are incorrigible.' He said with a grin.
Angela gave Torque a withering look.
Torque ignored her. 'We come bearing gifts Telia.' Said Torque, assuming that Hawk was still asleep.
Torque placed his bags on the floor and drew out a long, red-scabbard, complete with matching sword.
Eragon's jaw dropped. 'How did you get that?' He asked in surprise.
Telia gave Eragon an innocent look. 'I took it off that guy we were fighting a couple of days ago, before he hit us with that weird spell thingy.' Said Telia as she accepted the weapon from Torque. 'It just looked so damn gorgeous, I just had to have it.' She said as she drew the sword, and admired the sword.
Hawk sat up and whispered into Torques ear. 'Next thing you know, Telia's going to be starting her own clothes label.' Torque jumped about a foot in the air, and Hawk cracked a grin at the look on Torque's face.
'Hawk you bloody joker, make some noise why don't you!' Yelled Torque in irritation.
Hawk went to reply, but stopped as his dragon landed on his lap, and began poking at his injured hands.
You mind stopping that? Those bandages are there for a reason. Said Hawk, wincing as the little silver-and-blue mottled dragon poked a particularly sensitive part of his hand.
Hawk made to pull his hand away, but stopped when Eragon motioned for him to remain still.
The little dragon finally bit into one of the bandages, and unravelled them.
Hawk stared at his badly burned hand with a mixture of horror and disgust.
Telia was right, his hand did look like it had been melted, but it was also badly blistered, as well as pearly white, and clammy looking.
The little dragon nosed Hawk's hand again.
Turn it over. The thought drifted through Hawk's mind as he winced.
Turn it over. The thought insisted, and Hawk unconsciously obeyed.
The little dragon looked at Hawk's ruined hand, with a look of near sadness.
A tear formed in the corner of it's eye, and slid down it's cheek, before falling right into the heart of one of Hawk's Gedwëy Ignasia, and instantly, a blossom of warmth spread throughout Hawk.
My gift to you, my young rider:
I gift you the power to command our breath, and have no fear of it.
When you meet my other four uncorrupted brethren, you will receive other gifts, to help you fulfil your destiny. Said an unmistakably female voice, but it was more resonant, a voice of fire.
Okay, say that again but slower, and can you dumb it down a bit? That was a bit hard to follow. Said Hawk in confusion.
No reply. A sudden sound of rushing air, then a bottomless, timeless void.
I know it was a bit long winded, and I know it was a bit over-the-top dramatics wise, but it was great fun to write.
Anyway, Chapter Thirteen is in the works.
Read and, please review, thank you.
