Chapter 12

'How will we be able to go on?' Arya thought in despair. 'How is Eragon going to survive?'

In an attempt to calm him, Arya placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. Eragon didn't react in any way, just kept staring at Saphira.

"Eragon?" she said quietly. When he didn't respond to her at all, Arya knelt next to him and put her arms around his shoulders. Eragon twisted his body so that his face was buried in her shoulder and his arms around her waist.

Drákos landed next to them a few minutes later, a deer in his jaws and another one in his claws. When he saw his Rider holding Eragon he was confused. 'She never does that,' he thought. The young dragon reached his mind out for Saphira to ask what was going on, but felt nothing. Confused, he started to ask what was wrong, but then it struck him. As soon as he realized what was going on, the dragon began to keen mournfully at the sky.

'Drákos,' a low voice rumbled in his mind.

'Who is that?' he asked wearily.

'I am Glaedr,' the voice said. 'I need you to speak to Eragon for me.'

'Why? Can't you do it yourself?'

'He is blocking me with more force than I am able to contend with.'

'Very well,' Drákos mumbled. 'What would you have me say?'

'Tell him that Saphira is not really dead. I knew she was going to die, so I pulled her soul from her body into my heart. I cannot hold her here long though, or I will die.'

'How long will you be able to keep her?'

'Not long.'

'What do I have to do so she can return?'

'Heal her body. That is the only way her soul will be able to find its way back.'

Without another moment of hesitation, Drákos tried to contact Eragon, but was met with a wall harder than dragon scales. Trying to break it was like trying to destroy Urû'baen with a stick.

'How can I speak to him if I can't reach his mind?' Drákos wondered. 'I can tell mom and she can tell him…' without further ado, Drákos contacted Arya. 'Mom?' he asked.

'Yes Drákos?'

'Glaedr spoke to me,' he said. 'He told me that Saphira isn't dead.'

'What do you mean she isn't dead?' Arya demanded. 'How can she be alive?'

'Glaedr knew she wouldn't survive so he pulled her soul into his heart, but it is killing him. Someone needs to heal Saphiras body so she can return to it.'

Slowly, Arya pulled away from Eragon. His eyes had a dull, haunted look in them, as if the will to survive had deserted him.

"Eragon," Arya whispered "Saphira can be saved."

Eragons head snapped up, a small spark of hope written in his eyes.

"Glaedr has her soul in his heart. If we can heal her body, he can set it free and she can return!"

Eragon leapt to his feet without a word and started to heal his beloved dragons' body as fast as he could. Arya stood up a little more slowly and helped him. With the work that she had already done, the task did not take long. Within an hour, the rest of Saphiras wounds were healed.

'Glaedr, it is done,' Drákos said.

'Good,' the ancient dragon murmured. 'I will release her now.'

Several minutes past, with no sign of movement from Saphira. Then suddenly with a sound akin to the screech of a Ra'zac, a blue mass entered Saphiras body through her mouth. With a violent jerk, Saphira lurched to her feet.

Eragon shouted with joy and threw his arms around her neck. Saphira shook her neck roughly, dislodging him. She pressed her paw to his chest and pushed him into the dirt.

'You dare touch me, half-breed?' she snarled, an angry gleam in her eyes.

'Saphira, what are you talking about?' Eragon asked incredulous. 'Why wouldn't I touch you? I'm your Rider!'

Saphira barred her teeth. 'I have no Rider, I am a wild dragon!'

'No you aren't!' Drákos cried. 'You are my mentor and the last female dragon alive!'

Saphira swung her head around to look at Drákos. 'Quiet hatchling,' she snapped.

'No, I will not be quiet! Not until you remember!'

'Remember?' Saphira growled angrily. 'Remember what?'

'Everything!' Drákos cried. 'You have to remember everything! The Varden, the war, your Rider, your life!'

'My life? What do you know of my life?'

'I know that you are the only dragon who is strong enough to defeat Galbatorix, you grew up alone in the Spine, your first word was the name of your Rider…and I know that I love you,' he finished quietly.

'Galbatorix? My Riders name? You…you love me?'

'Yes. Saphira Brightscales, I am in love with you.'

"Saphira," Arya whispered "let Eragon up."

At the sound of his name, Saphira jerked back, rearing up on her hind paws. Eragon scrambled away from her, afraid she was going to try to kill him. When she was on all fours again the gleam in her eyes was gone, replaced by confusion.

'What happened?' she asked.

No one was able to speak, for they were all too shocked to be able to form words.

'Eragon, what happened?' she asked again.

Hearing her say his name erased all of his doubts. Eragon lunged at her neck and wrapped his arms around her in a fierce hug. He could feel confusion emanating from her.

"It doesn't matter now. You're back."

'Back? When did I leave?'

Eragon dropped down to his feet, landing with a dull thump. "Saphira, you didn't just leave, you died."

'Died?' she repeated.

"Yes. Thorn killed you, but Glaedr managed to keep you alive."

'How is that possible? You can't bring someone back from the dead.'

'I didn't,' Glaedr answered. 'I just prevented you from entering the void in the first place.'

'How?'

'I pulled your soul from your body just before you dies and sheltered it in my heart of hearts.'

'I didn't know you could do that.'

'Not many have the ability, and those who do must wait until their body has been killed to be able to do it properly.'

'How can you tell if you can?' Saphira asked.

'You can't. The only way to know is to try it, but if try and don't have the ability, the effort will kill you and you shall die a true death.'

'Good to know,' Saphira said numbly.

'You should wait until tomorrow to resume your journey to Ellesmera,' Glaedr said. 'You all need to recover. You shouldn't do any more flying than it takes to get to camp.'

'We won't,' Saphira promised.

'We should eat first though,' Drákos said.

"I'm not getting on your back until you do," Arya said.

"Nor will I," Eragon agreed.

'Arya, I think you should ride me from now on,' Drákos said. 'I proved I can carry you today.'

Arya nodded. "Eat. Then I will ride you."

Drákos settled near one of the deer he had brought back, Saphira near the other and both began to eat.

While the dragons ate, their Riders talked.

"What's it like to lose your dragon?" Arya asked cautiously. She didn't want to upset him.

"Imagine having your soul ripped from your body, crushed under the weight of the Beor Mountains, and then burned. That is what it felt like," Eragon whispered.

'Right now that sounds pleasurable,' Drákos said 'since I'm still wounded from fighting that oversized ball of red scales.'

"Drákos," Arya cried. "I never healed you! I'm sorry!"

'Relax, I understand. With everything that has happened, I can understand that you forgot.'

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said as she came up to him. "This still needs to be healed." Drákos lowered his wings to the ground and allowed Arya to heal them. When she was done with his wings, she moved on to the other, smaller wounds.

When Arya was done, she took a step back and surveyed her work. "I think you'll live," she said.

'I would've anyway,' Drákos snapped playfully. 'But thanks mom.'

"No problem," Arya chuckled.

After that, silence reigned until Saphira and Drákos had finished eating.

'It is time we were off,' Saphira said standing.

Eragon leapt onto her back and Arya did the same with Drákos and they took off, flying back to their camp.

What they didn't know is that they were being followed, by an enemy unseen unless it wished to be seen.