The Games – Part 2

A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews people, keep them coming! Although now it's even harder to decide where exactly the story might go. I will try to increase the pace and include more training, action and romance.

To answer your questions: Yes! Glieonard is a mixture of Gil'ead, Leona and Narda. When trying to name the capital of the island I was playing around with various name combinations.

Also for the last part of this chapter I was listening to the: The Do- Dust it Of. Does anyone have any good suggestions for soundtracks etc. to listen to? Pm if you want!

The fifth day of the Games had already arrived but Kayla did not feel the need to watch them. Instead she followed the path which led to Maud's hut and knocked on her door loudly.

The werecat opened the door and squinted her eyes.

"You are early" she commented and had her do the second set of the Rimgar.

By midday her muscles felt tired but her mind was more alert than ever. As she had done in the previous sessions with Maud, she extended her consciousness to the beings around her. She tried to do as the werecat had instructed and not concentrate on just one being but on all of them together. Her surroundings felt like a big market in the middle of a city, storming with activity and movement. Nothing was silent, everything was moving, fast, slow. Beings appeared in and out of her mental periphery. Some were bright spots in her mind and others were dimming lights. Once, she concentrated on the consciousness of a small bird. It was against what she was trying to achieve in her training, but she was so transfixed with its ability to fly that she couldn't help herself.

She entered its mind as gently as she could, but the creature sensed her almost immediately and froze into place for a few seconds. She allowed herself to get lost in its mechanical movements and simple thoughts. Kayla watched as the bird extended its wings and jumped from the tree. For a moment she was very concerned about the bird's well being and safety. So concerned that she feared it might die when it jumped from the tree. Instead, it flapped its wings quickly and rose into the air, the wind blowing gently against its feathers.

Kayla was surprised by her sudden attachment to the bird. She hadn't known it for more than a few minutes and yet if it died it would pain her greatly because she had shared a lot of its troubles.

She had almost finished her training when Aiedail gently probed the edges of her consciousness.

Flying is great, you know. There is no word in the world that could best describe it, she said.

Kayla opened her eyes slowly and bit her lower lip. It would be hard not to miss the irony of course. She had known a bird - with a simple mind - no more than it took her to finish a meal, and she would be sadder if it died than if Aiedail had injured herself. Despite the fact that Aiedail was a magnificent creature with a mind much more intricate than the bird's, able to experience emotions the bird could not even fathom.

"So?" Maud asked her, bringing her back from her trail of thoughts.

"I managed to approach the consciousness of more than one being" Kayla whispered and the werecat smiled.

"Splendid. Now fight me" Maud said and smiled widely, showing her canines.

Kayla's eyebrows pulled together.

"What do you mean?"

Do I need to switch to the Ancient Language to be better understood?, the werecat said, speaking to the girl's mind. You may use both magic and a knife, she added and threw a small dagger at Kayla's direction.

"I am not very good at swordfights" Kayla admitted and Maud started laughing and played with another dagger she had in her hands.

Who said anything about swordfights?, she asked and attacked the girl.

Maud was quick and swift, there was no denying that. Kayla only had a few seconds to move away from her reach, uttering a quick spell.

"Sidja Maud. Stay Maud" she shouted and the werecat paused for a few seconds just before she was able to move again. Kayla immediately felt the loss of energy and her knees trembled.

How were you able to move?, she wondered and the werecat laughed.

Maud is not my true name and your spell worked only temporarily. Also who do you think you are to command me to stay? I am not a scolded puppy.

"Letta. Stop!" Kayla shouted again and Maud stopped but then quickly turned into her feline form and attacked her from behind.

But I stopped you!

No. In your mind you stopped me from running or walking. In my human form that is. Your thoughts did not include my feline form. That's why you should put more thought when casting spells and state your intentions, Maud said and as soon as she did Kayla felt the drain of energy.

Her knees crumbled to the ground.

The cat purred.

And we haven't even started sword-fighting!

Maud returned into her human form and thrust the dagger into Kayla's side. She had seconds before the weapon connected with her skin and she feigned to the side but still it caused a cut to appear on both her shirt and skin.

"Outs!" Kayla said and took her dagger out of its sheath even though she knew it would be pointless.

Indeed very soon, Maud had disarmed her and was holding the dagger against her throat. If Kayla wanted to win the fight her last resort would be to enter the older woman's thoughts.

I know what you are thinking. The question is though… Will you be fast enough to stop my hand from moving and slicing your throat?

You would not harm a student.

Disappointing. You should be thinking of me as the enemy.

Kayla swallowed and attacked the older woman's mind. It was a matter of speed and soon it was evident that she had lost. Blood gushed from her throat and she crumbled to the ground, her limbs shaking. She heard Aiedail approaching and growling loudly, her thoughts full of murderous intent and a protective instinct.

Before she fainted Kayla felt something pressing against the cut of her throat and she felt her senses returning. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Dilia Velosa" Maud whispered, pointing at a plant she was holding. Kayla flattered her eyelids and tried to inspect it more closely.

"If you swallow it, it is poisonous as it clots the blood more quickly than a clotting spell. It stops the bleeding however" she added and looked around her smiling. "Its amazing how many new plants and trees we have found on this island! And we haven't even had the chance to properly explore it yet!"

"Why did you attack me?" Kayla whispered and her throat croaked.

She noticed Aiedail at her side, swinging her tail quickly and gazing at the old woman with a predator's glance. Maud closed her eyes and curled into a ball.

I had to teach you that you are not invincible. Even when using magic or mind duels. Sometimes mind duels and magic are not enough to win a fight. You also failed to use the skills I taught you only a few hours ago. Very disappointing indeed. You would have won if you had.

How would entering the consciousness of beings around me aid me in this situation?, Kayla asked angrily and then paused when she looked at the smile on the old woman's face and realised her mistake.

Oh, she thought and annoyed she had not thought of this earlier, she tried to get up. Her legs wobbled but she grabbed tightly on one of Aiedail's thorns to stay upright. She touched her throat and felt the rough edges of the sliced skin. It hurt a lot.

"Weise he-" she started but Maud covered her mouth before she uttered the spell.

Angrily she looked at the older woman.

"What?"

"You have lost a considerable amount of energy during our fight, energy you could have very easily spared. You do not know how much more energy this healing spell requires. Deal with the pain. It will teach you much"

Kayla sighed and nodded. As their lesson was done for the day they walked back to Glieonard with Maud in her feline form and Aiedail stealing murderous glances at her.

Do you have any other students?, Kayla asked out of curiosity and to break the monotonous pace of walking.

Just one more.

Adrian?

Correct.

How did you choose him?

In the same way I chose you.

Meaning?

I like a challenge. Much more interesting.

Do you intend on picking more students?

I have my eye on one more.

Who?

That I cannot share with you, Maud said and rubbed her body against Kayla's legs, something the girl found infuriating.

From afar Kayla could hear the voices and shouts from the spectators watching the Games in Glieonard.

"And so the Games continue" she said as she entered the Grand Hall.

…..

Tristan felt his heart beating inside his chest loudly and he tightened his grip on the wooden bow he had strapped across his back, his father's bow. It was a recent habit of his to carry it around and practise with it as often as he could.

Now, he could not help but compare it to the rest of the weapons the athletes carried in the Games. It was the fifth day of the Games and at the moment the Archery Matches were taking place. Each athlete had a unique way of holding the bow, a unique way of placing the arrow between the fingers, a unique way of either gently or roughly letting it fly loose…

Crunch.

The arrow the dwarven athlete fired did not meet its target and fell on the ground. A trainer on the side raised his hand in the air and the dwarven athlete nodded and walked off the stage.

"What did he do wrong?" Octavian asked and Tristan jumped as his full attention had been on the mirrors and not on his surroundings.

The Master of Strength had managed to silently approach him and the two riders next to him. Laer and Adrian. Tristan crossed his hands over his chest.

"He didn't do anything wrong. All the moves he made were the basic moves that are taught to all archers" Tristan said and his eyebrows pulled together.

"It wasn't what he did, it was what he didn't do. His concentration was not on the target but on his surroundings, the crowd cheering" Laer commented as they looked at other archers firing their arrows.

"Ayeh. There has to be a balance always. In battle that's the gravest mistake one can make. Most of your attention should be on the target but not just on the target. If you miss what's around you, you will die in a heart-beat but if you don't pay the right amount of attention on your target then you will miss and the amount of effort you will have put in that moment will be for naught" Octavian instructed and rubbed his chin.

"Like the start of the Games. Atlas had been winning but not because of his skill in battle or his immense amount of strength. Yes, he was strong and big but some of the human athletes were just as strong and skilled. The reason he was winning was because he made his opponents fear him to the point where they were looking at their target than their surroundings" Grohn said approaching them.

Tristan smirked.

"Come on, he was an Urgal, you must have definitely been satisfied with that outcome" Adrian asked.

Grohn pressed his lips together.

"I don't think anyone was satisfied with that outcome. That's why the Wrestling Games the other night had to be postponed"

"Yes… The Games were a bit more violent than expected…" Laer agreed and Tristan remembered how Atlas had almost snapped the elven athlete's body in half. Elena had been swift, quick, fluid and much more skilled in battle than Atlas. The Kull had an advantage in size but the elf was small and she had been winning the battle. At some point though she had missed a step, looked at one of the other athletes and the Kull had seized the advantage and attacked her, grabbing her head and…

Tristan shook his head quickly trying to clear it. The memory was too violent. It was a miracle the elf had managed to survive although she currently rested in the infirmary. Atlas had been almost removed from the Games but Theon, his tribe leader, had intervened and the Judges had decided to keep him only if he changed his behaviour. Elena had been given the choice of walking away from the revised matches but she had decided to stay.

The Wrestling Games would take place again on the last day of the Games so every person in Alagaesia was waiting in anticipation for the outcome.

Today, the Archery matches ended relatively early in the day, so the riders were sent off for a short training session. Inspired by the Games most likely, Tristan could see an evident change in the way the riders fought. They seemed to be more aggressive but more wary as well. When placed against Grohn, Tristan was surprised to find himself winning. Despite the fact that the other rider was an Urgal, Tristan felt stronger and faster than him, copying some of the moves and strategies he had seen the athletes take.

As soon as the sun had set, the riders gathered in the Grand Hall where food and wine aplenty was presented on the tables, like on the previous day. Everyone seemed to be in a cheery mood and by the end of the night the dwarves who usually resided in the shores of Dis Atilan, had clasped each other together, singing a cheery tune. Their cheery mood was most probably attributed to the fact that the dwarven athletes were winning in a range of different matches.

Some of the wine seemed to have affected Tristan as well because he felt more relaxed than usual and less in control. Without thinking about what he was doing he joined in the singing and dancing and soon realised that most riders had done the same. He found himself squeezed between Rikon and Gwen as they danced to the beat of the music. At some point he turned his head towards the human dorm leader and noticed her smiling widely.

"Enjoying the Games?" he asked but his voice felt slurred.

Gwen nodded and grabbed his shoulder tightly with both her arms.

"Very" she whispered into his ear and then let him lead her to a dance. Her curls bounced as she did a circle and then Tristan caught her in his arms again. She giggled and then joined the group with the rest of the riders. Their arms were still connected and her fingers slid from his as she stumbled and almost fell to the ground. She laughed.

"Gwen, you seem quite drunk" Tristan said, while laughing as well.

"Nonsense. I am just tipsy" she replied and twirled once more, unsteadily.

Tristan was not in the best state of mind either but he could see that the human rider was in a worse situation than him.

"Maybe we should go back to the dorms and have an early night. Apart from the Games, training will also commence as usual tomorrow according to Eragon, and we need to be in the proper state of mind for that" he said to her gently.

"But look at the scrying mirrors! You can see everyone! Even the riders in Alagaesia have joined everyone in Bull Ridge! I want to be there as well…" she whispered. "Murtagh… He is such a great rider! So great and so busy that he has little time for anything else. Bleh!" Gwen added and stumbled.

Tristan paused.

"Do you know him well then? Has he visited Dis Atilan?"

"Everybody knows Murtagh. The black sheep, the traitor, the one everybody hates. But they don't know him, not really. But how can they? When he rarely visits and has never come to Dis Atilan!" she shouted but her words made little sense to Tristan.

Then he remembered the red dragon he had seen in Gwen's memories and he paused.

"Have you spoken to him in person?" he asked her again and she made a dismissive move.

"He visited me sometimes and escorted me to Dis Atilan. But no… He could not stay. Far too busy for that!" Gwen said angrily and tapped her foot on the ground.

Tristan felt his heart clutching as a thought seized his mind.

"Were you… Were you lovers?" he asked, chocking on the last word.

He waited a few moments but he got no reply and then realised that Gwen had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He exited the building and rode on Vertigo's back as he flew back to the human dorm while carrying Gwen.

You don't know for sure that that's the case, Vertigo said in his mind. It could be something else entirely.

Tristan hmphed and mulled over his thoughts, recognising the feeling in his heart. He had felt it before. Jealously.

Gently, he placed Gwen in her bed. Her head lolled to the pillow, she extended her arms and sighed in her sleep. Tristan swallowed and ever so lightly traced his fingers over her brow. Upon hearing Saturn return to the human dorm, he exited her room and entered his.

He unstrapped the bow from his shoulder and caressed the smooth wood, trying to think about something else other than Gwen. Vertigo let out a whiff of smoke.

Beautiful work. Your father made it, no?, the dragon asked, in an attempt to changed his rider's course of thoughts.

It worked and Tristan nodded.

Yes, when I was young. I have been hunting with it ever since I was old enough to wield it, he replied and then closed his eyelids feeling the effects of the wine growing stronger.

…

Almost everyone was dancing, apart from Kayla who was making her way through the crowd. She had seen enough of the Games and the matches for today and the dancing that was taking place was not to her taste. Plus, every single one of the riders seemed to be drunk.

The music was loud against her ears and it was beginning to give her a headache. Kayla opened the two main doors of the building. Cold, fresh air came to greet her alongside her dragon.

Are you not enjoying the celebrations?, Aiedail wondered and Kayla shook her head.

It is a bit intense for me and I am quite tired. Besides there are many more matches to watch.

Kayla touched the purple-grey scales of the dragon and Aiedail made a noise that sounded like a cat purring. She smiled.

They didn't say anything else to each other, feeling content with simply exchanging some of their emotions. On a spur of the moment decision, Kayla decided to walk to the small lake she had seen the other day when walking with Maud to the other side of the island. It wasn't a long way away so she soon reached her destination, although she did on occasion sprint, feeling the cold air slap her face. Aiedail followed her, flying above.

The lake was situated near the elven dorm territory, behind the volcano and surrounded by tall oak and eucalypt trees. An abnormally large weeping willow was growing on one side of the river, which run from the mountains to the lake. Its branches were long and tall enough to rise above the water and create an arch. Rocks were splattered all around her and most of them were covered in thick, green moss. It would have been impossible to notice all these things in the dark of the night, but the light from the moon and the stars was strong enough to make the details visible and give the waters of the river and lake a purple-ish colour.

The beauty of the place took her breath away but she didn't seem to be the only one who was dumbstruck, as Aiedail landed softly on a clear patch of earth near her, with her jaws slightly open. Kayla could smell the sweet aromas of flowers as she walked towards the iridescent lake. On a tree next to the water, a jasmine plant had grown and its flowers had fallen on the forest bed.

Maybe it was her mind playing tricks but she could feel the earth pulsing with her movements as if every part of it was alive. She saw small lights floating all around her and she was momentarily stunned and scared. Aiedail next to her, bared her teeth, but Kayla stayed still, unsure of what was happening until one of the spirits nudged her waist and she turned around. The emotions that emitted from it were ones of happiness and calmness though so she was not afraid.

Spirits, her mind told her and she ran her finger through the jasmine plant, her hair flying all around her as she danced in circles. She did not know if she was using magic then, her lips were moving but she could not hear the exact words and she saw a small spiral of water rising from the lake and dancing all around her. .

Without a second thought she stripped her boots and heavy cloak and wedged them between a tree's branches. She let her toes sink into the thick, emerald grass which continued all the way down the bank to the water's edge and Kayla tentatively took a few steps towards it. The water brushed against her ankles. It was cool, cooler than she would have liked but she allowed herself to gradually sink into it and accumulate to the temperature.

The lake wasn't too deep and she could stand upright with her head outside of the water. With a few quick strokes she was able to swim along the edges of the lake. She lay on the water's surface, feeling the brush of water against the skin of her back and watched the small bulbs of light dancing around her.

At some point she felt something nudging her and she turned around to see Aiedail swimming at the water's edges. The dragon's upper body was visible above the lake and Kayla noticed that Aiedail had been careful not to disturb any of their surroundings when entering.

Her fingers traced the dragon's muzzle and Aiedail's violet eyes blinked at her. Lightly she held on one of the dragon's thorns and let the creature guide her outside of the water. When she looked around her for the spirits, she realised they had disappeared, leaving behind only a deeming glow.

Her wet underclothes clung onto her skin and she suddenly shivered and looked around her, feeling somebody else's presence. A branch snapped nearby and she turned her head quickly. Her eyes met the colour of liquid gold and she froze in place. The other rider pressed his finger against his lips in a silencing motion and she nodded.

Then all too quickly he was gone and she pressed her arms around her shoulders trying to warm her skin while Aiedail walked close to her, shielding her from the cold with her warm breath.

You were right. Will you tell anyone?, the dragon asked.

No. I promised.