Chapter Fifty Four

We fly for a while before Saphira and Crystalina decide that they want to rest their wings. They float upon the water. Everywhere I look I am surrounded by water. Land is not in sight. It is somewhat unsettling.

And then something even more unsettling is happening. Glaedr is telling us to fly fast. 'Take off now!' he warns us.

And there is no time to ask questions. We take off into the air immediately. Saphira and Crystalina both flap their wings as fast as they can but it's almost not enough. A giant snake like beast rises up from the water and snaps at Saphira. It's sharp teeth just barely miss Saphira's tail.

"What was that?" Eragon asks.

My heart is racing but we are leveling out in the sky now where the creature cannot reach us.

'A Nidhwal. They are very rare and live only in the sea. They are cousins to Dragons. They cannot breathe fire and usually stay only where the ocean is at its deepest. It must have been desperate to come this far in,' Glaedr explains.

'Why didn't you tell me of these creatures before?' Eragon questions.

'There was no time. Oromis and I had to teach you to arm yourself against Galbatorix. It was more important. But if we survive this, then I will be sure to tell you of all of the creatures that I know.'

The winds are getting stronger the closer we fly to the storm. The clouds are getting bigger. They are dark and purple. Rain drops are falling. Neither of our dragons seem afraid though, both are determined. And Glaedr stays very calm giving us instruction. He must know that if he seems afraid it will do us no good. It is difficult to see. Eragon and I keep our minds open to sense any other creatures nearby to ensure that we will not fly right into the mountain. Saphira and Crystalina luckily retain their sense of direction. Eragon also casts a spell that Oromis taught him. It will tell him how far close we are to the water or the ground.

The ever present moisture in the clouds accumulates on our skin and our woolen clothes, weighing us down. The wind up here is so cold. Eragon decides that we should cast a spell to filter the air around us, keeping the moisture out. We do this for ourselves and for our dragons so that the moisture does not accumulate so fast in their eyes.

The wind becomes more ferocious still. Suddenly a huge gust slams into our dragons from below, forcing them up thousands of feet higher in the air. The air this high is too thin for Eragon and me to breathe. Our dragons dive down to escape it. Lightening is flashing close by but our wards will protect us. It is still an eerie sight, nonetheless. The thunder is booming so loudly that it hurts my ears. I have to cover my ears with cloth to muffle the noise.

The wind is so strong that it is difficult for our dragons to fight. They drift up and down with the wind. I am glad that I have not eaten much because my stomach is doing flips now. It's getting progressively colder now that the sun has gone down and it is nighttime.

'It is going to grow colder than even the bitterest winter in the spine, and without magic we shall freeze to death,' Glaedr tells us.

'Will you?' Eragon asks him.

'Yes I will crack like a piece of hot glass dropped in the snow. You and Leolynn must cast a spell to gather the air around you and your dragons and hold it there so you may still breathe. But also, allow the stale air to escape or you will suffocate. Use a spell to keep us all warm as well. The wording of this spell will be complicated and you must not make any mistakes.'

Eragon and I both listen to the words carefully before reciting them together. We pool our energy together and for a while everything goes fairly well. That is until even our combined energy begins to wane. The spell is requiring more energy of us than we have to offer. Symptoms include cold hands, uncertain heart beat, and an overwhelming sense of lethargy. We will both die now if we do not change something.

Glaedr gives us his energy then and we are both feeling better after that. We continue on our journey. The storm lessens as we push forward. And then when it seems that our journey will never come to an end, we see it. The sun has come out and peeking out between the clouds are mountains, peaks covered in snow and ice. They are the five mountains that guard the heart of Vroengard. We are so close now to our destination. It seems unreal.

We finally are flying above the valley circled by the mountains. There are trees with moss growing over them. The air is foggy. The buildings are huge and empty.

Glaedr tells us that we must recite a spell together. The language for the spell is very complicated and Eragon asks what it is for. Even I have trouble deciphering the meaning of it. 'It's to protect us from something here…poison?' I guess.

'There is an invisible poison here,' Glaedr confirms. 'It's in the air, the ground, the food and water. The spell will protect us all against it.'

'What poison?' Saphira questions.

'During the battle with the Forsworn, one of our elves named Thuviel killed himself with magic. We do not know if this was his intention or an accident, but the resulting explosion rendered the area unfit to live in. Those who remained here soon developed lesions upon their skin and lost their hair. Many died.'

'How could he cast such a large spell?' Eragon asks. 'Did his dragon help him?'

'No, his dragon was dead. He converted his flesh into energy.'

We fly across the valley. Some of the buildings are big enough for our dragons to fly right through. There are piles of dragon bones. A few are smaller than Saphira and Crystalina. But most of the dragons were much larger. Some of them were wild dragons and some belonged to Riders but all joined in the battle that took place here.

Saphira and Crystalina land together in a grassy field. One of Saphira's legs give way suddenly and she falls forward onto her chest and shoulder. Both dragons are extremely tired from the journey. My heart nearly stops as Eragon falls forward even though I know his wards will protect him. If not for his wards, he would impaled himself on her neck spike. Saphira rights herself and settles down.

Eragon and I both free ourselves from the straps on our saddles and slide to the ground. I stretch my body then pat Crystalina's head. 'You did good Crystalina.'

She hums happily and so does Saphira when Eragon praises her. I go over to Saphira and give her a gentle pat too. 'Thank you Saphira for carrying Eragon safely here.'

'Of course,' she replies.

Then my arms are wrapped tightly around Eragon. He hugs me too. 'I can't believe we're here.'

'I know,' I agree.

I give him a kiss on the lips. I am so glad that we made it here safely. There is so much danger and war ahead of us. There is so much pressure resting on our shoulders. But for now I am relieved that we are here together and we are safe.

We walk together and there is a big building. Part of it is broken down. 'That's the great library,' Glaedr informs us. 'Or what remains of it.'

The paths from the library lead to a grove of apple trees. And behind it a jagged piece of stone over two hundred feet tall rises up. Several juniper trees grow on it.

Eragon sounds excited as he asks 'Is that the Rock of Kuthian?'

'It does seem familiar…' Glaedr says.

Eragon and I wade through the waist high grass together with the dragons close behind. We reach a path where the grass is not so tall. There I can feel cobblestone beneath my feet. We stop at the clearing and stare up at the rock in awe. Saphira and Crystalina drop onto their bellies close by, making the ground shake. Eragon and I have to bend our knees and grab onto each other's shoulders in order to not fall down.

I open my mind but find no enemies hiding in the area, just insects and small rodents. Eragon begins to go over what spell might help us but Glaedr stops him. 'Stop! You are all too tired for this. Rest first. Tomorrow we can return. You are in no condition to defend yourselves if we must fight. Whatever we are supposed to find will be here in the morning.'

'Very well,' Eragon sighs.

Our dragons rise to their feet and their heavy steps shake leaves loose from one of the trees. The leaves are shaped like no other leaves I have ever seen before.

'Ever since the battle, things here have not been the same,' Glaedr comments.

There is the distant sound of squirrels chattering but neither Eragon or I can see them. We can't even feel them with our minds. That is unsettling for the both of us. 'If I had scales, this place would make them itch,' Eragon comments.

Saphira huffs in amusement.

We walk south from the grove and follow a small stream. There is a sheltered meadow at the front of the evergreen forest. 'Here,' Saphira decides then sinks to the ground.

It is as good a place as any to set up camp and our dragons are too tired to go looking for a better place anyway. We remove our saddles and saddlebags from our dragons. They both curl up in the grass, tucking their heads under their wings, and wrapping their tails around themselves.

'Do not wake me unless something is trying to eat us,' Saphira tells us.

Eragon smiles and pats her on the tail. Then he asks Glaedr 'Will you keep watch for us?'

'I shall keep watch,' Glaedr promises. 'Rest and do not worry.'

Eragon and I spread out our bedrolls right next to each other as if it is just one big bed. Blankets are placed down. We lay together and he holds me close to him. I kiss him and he kisses back. We end up kind of rolling around together on the bed. He lies on top of me and he tells me "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I whisper. It is the first time we've had any privacy in a long time. "Eragon…" I move my body against his and he groans.

His self-control snaps. Though we are supposed to be resting that can wait. Clothes slide off quickly and we make love. It is only after that we both fall asleep.