Hello! I hope everyone has had a good February; mine was busy but enjoyable. I've been plotting out this particular chapter for a little while now, and I think it turned out fairly well. As ever, please feel free to comment, particularly with constructive criticism, and thank you to everyone who has commented so far: it's a huge help. Hope you all enjoy!
Not bad, Saphira called up to Kiera. Try it again, but focus on tighter spirals.
Corrin shifted from one foot to the other as he watched Kiera tilt her parchment-colored wings and perform the maneuver again. It was another one of those corkscrewing actions that always made his stomach protest: he was very glad to be on the ground for this exercise. While Kiera had been demonstrating her skills in the air, Eragon and the silver-haired Yaela had tested Corrin's mental defenses, but they had thankfully finished several minutes ago, leaving him at liberty to watch his dragon. Aside from occasionally demonstrating a technique on Saphira's request, the other dragons had sprawled out across that corner of the Court, cheerily calling advice and opinions up to Kiera.
"She's not bad," Leah commented at his shoulder, startling him. She winked at him and continued in a professional tone. "Certainly not lacking in self-awareness. Very few wasted moves."
"You would know better than I would," Corrin replied, before adding hastily, "but thank you."
Leah nodded. "Saphira'll be done putting her through her paces in another few minutes, I expect," she said. "They've gone through almost every basic skill, and the sun is getting towards the mountaintops."
As if on cue, Kiera began to spiral down towards Court, evidently released from Saphira's tender mercies. Corrin reached out to join their thoughts, and Kiera sent a wash of affection his way.
Saphira uncoiled her long, serpentine body and stretched her wings restlessly. Firnen has done well training you, she complimented. You clearly are not lacking talent in the air; I think you are prepared enough to join us in aerial exercises, or nearly so. You've mastered most of the basic forms.
That's all well and good to say, Thuviel said, a thoughtful slyness tingeing his words, but I am of the opinion that you can't really be said to be master of a skill if you can't do it with your Rider in the saddle.
Oh, Galzra answered blandly, but perhaps the little sister is tired. She is after all, rather smaller than us: barely even large enough to carry her Argetlam. We shouldn't push her.
Kiera's head came up, and Corrin felt an alarming wave of indignation wash over him. I can do anything you two fat-tailed geckos can do, with or without Corrin, she snapped, rising readily to the bait.
Leah leaned over to Corrin. "Fat-tailed geckos?" she whispered, a laugh bubbling somewhere behind her words.
"They're these lizards in the western part of Surda," Corrin whispered back. "Supposedly they store water in their tail, and that's why the tail is fat, and if you grab the tail sometimes it falls off so the lizard can get away."
Perhaps you'd care to prove that claim? Thuviel offered innocently, ignoring Saphira's glare.
Kiera snorted indignantly. I am sure eventually you will make a point.
"The tail falls off?" Leah hissed disbelievingly.
Corrin shrugged. "I said it in the ancient language, didn't I?"
Leah opened her mouth, undoubtedly to interrogate him further, but both of them were interrupted by the dragons. Fine, Kiera sniffed haughtily. First one to make it around the southwest foothill, over the lake, and back to the Court wins. Corrin, get in the saddle.
"A race," Varog complained, even as he hopped gamely to his feet. Corrin scrambled up into the saddle, fumbling for the straps with clumsy fingers.
I don't suppose I can talk you out of this? He asked, without much hope, glancing up to see Leah swarm up Thuviel's side.
No. He could feel iron determination under his dragon's words. If I ever want to earn their respect, I can't back down now. They are always going to be bigger and stronger than I am, so I must be twice as fierce. She unfolded her wings, shaking them out to loosen her joints. You might want to tie your arms on, too. I doubt it will be a cut-and-dry test of speed.
Begin on three, said Thuviel, sitting up on his haunches. One...
Galzra rumbled deep in his throat. Two.
Corrin felt Kiera's sides expand as she inhaled. Three! she roared, and lunged forward with wings spread, startling her two competitors.
Thuviel flinched backwards on reflex, and Kiera swept past him to beat up over the colonnade. In the back of his mind Corrin was aware of a mental voice, nearly as deep as Firnen's, roaring with laughter. The rest of his attention was with Kiera's flight, as the two of them surged forwards.
*dragons*dragons*dragons*
Halfway to the turn around the foothill, Kiera made an alarmed squawking noise and folded her wings. She dropped easily thirty feet before she caught herself, leaving Corrin's stomach somewhere above. Thuviel swooped past them, so close that Kiera had to fight through the turbulence of his wings. Not again! she complained, and then went after him.
Corrin risked a glance back over his shoulder and saw that Galzra was some ways behind but gaining. Quickly now, he urged Kiera, we're losing our lead.
I'm aware, Kiera answered, but her wings beat faster until they were a parchment-colored blur in Corrin's peripheral vision. They swung wide around the tip of the hill and started towards the lake. I don't know how he passed us, she grumbled. Look at him, he's practically-
What? Corrin asked, after a moment. Practically what? He leaned around her neck to see where she was looking, and then glanced down.
Shruikan had evidently decided to join the race.
Seen from above, the older dragon could almost have been Kiera's shadow, save for the glints of sunlight catching on his side. Even as Corrin saw him, he turned his head on one side to glance up at them with an amused, golden eye. Wings, Shruikan rumbled in the ancient language.
Corrin frowned reflexively. "What?" he blurted.
What? Kiera echoed, confused.
Shruikan shifted his wings with the precision of a stooping hawk, but he went up instead of down, until he was flying easily to Kiera's right. Watch, he commanded. Wings.
Having captured their attention, Shruikan abruptly changed the pattern of his flight; his wings beat quickly but shallowly, describing almost little circles in the air. The similarity to Kiera's fluttering flight was not lost on either the dragon or her rider. When he stopped flapping, Shruikan drew a deep breath, lifted his wings, and then drove them down in a single, powerful motion. The movement reminded Corrin powerfully of something: it took a moment before he linked it to the oars on the boats that plied Lake Tudosten, pushing against the water with that same forcefulness.
Kiera glanced back at Corrin a little hesitantly, but at that moment Galzra passed them some ways to the left, and that decided her. She beat her wings twice to get a little height, and then drove her wings down in imitation.
OH, she exclaimed, that is much easier. Thank you.
Shruikan hummed in acknowledgement, and then tilted his wings and dove down and forwards, trading altitude for speed. Though he quickly outpaced Kiera, Kiera in turn was gaining on Thuviel and Galzra again, and flying far easier than before. When Corrin glanced up, he saw that Thuviel had sacrificed his lead for the dubious pleasure of literally flying in a circle around Galzra. The gray dragon's roars were audible even from a distance, but he was still steadily plowing forwards through the air.
What is Shruikan doing? Kiera asked abruptly. Corrin had to lean around her neck again to see.
Just as Thuviel was levelling out to speed ahead again, Shruikan turned practically on his tail below and flew upwards too fast to have been relying only on his wings. He must have caught an updraft, Kiera suggested. Shruikan did not run into Thuviel, but he did pass him close enough for the combination of surprise and turbulence to knock him sideways. Galzra folded his wings and dropped to avoid Thuviel crashing into him.
Kiera roared and threw herself forwards, her wings beating steady, deep blows to drive her forwards. Thuviel was distracted, turning to go after Shruikan, and Galzra had lost so much height that he would have to beat up to land on the Court. The way was clear for Kiera to win, if she was fast enough.
Corrin pressed himself flat against her back, providing as little wind resistance as possible. The speed of the air rushing past made his eyes water, but he found himself grinning all the same. Now this is what it means to be a Rider, he joked, and felt the shadow of a laugh from Kiera.
Galzra was throwing himself forwards and up, but Kiera had the advantages of height and determination, and she pulled steadily ahead, the white marble of the Court growing closer and closer. The gray male made a final desperate lunge up and over the colonnade, but Kiera half-folded her wings and dove, landing on all fours and skidding across the stone.
I landed first, she announced triumphantly.
You had no control of the landing, protested Galzra.
That, Saphira corrected coolly, was not the agreement. By the rules you set, she won. Glad to see you two could join us, she added, as Thuviel and Shruikan landed on either side of Glazra, eyeing each other narrowly.
Shruikan cheated, accused Thuviel, matter-of-factly.
Cheaters win, Shruikan replied succinctly. Thuviel snorted at him, but evidently decided to leave it alone.
As soon as Corrin had climbed down from Kiera's saddle, she flopped down onto the stone. Tired, she thought at him.
Good, Saphira said. It'll make you stronger. However, I think that will be enough for today; we'll work more on the morrow.
Aye, agreed Thorn, heaving his bulk up from the stone.
My biology class was having an off-topic discussion the other week about animals which can regrow body parts, including lizards, and somehow they snuck into this chapter. Also, Thuviel is a little bit of a show-off. Just saying ;).
Anyways, I very much enjoyed putting a little more Shruikan into this chapter, and I hope so far he remains an interesting character; he's certainly one of my favorites. I'm trying to settle into a regular update schedule, so if all goes well, I should be back this time next month with another update. Until then, please feel free to comment, and I hope everyone has a wonderful month!
P.S. 3/16/18: I have fixed several mistakes in the above commentary. Apparently I cannot spell.