Chapter Eight

Hope in the Midst of War

After Taranis cut off Ravana's spines, all trust between the man and the dragon disappeared. If Taranis had hoped to intimidate Ravana or break his spirit, he was sadly mistaken. Now, whenever he came into the dragons' roost, it was with extreme caution. Ravana would start growling at the mere sight of him, and even Taranis was made wary by the sound. However, Ravana made no further attempts to attack him. That pleased Taranis, but only a little, because the black dragon's golden eyes were anything but defeated. Taranis knew that Ravana was not beaten. He was biding his time, waiting for the time to come when he could attack once again.

Paelis was not happy.

'Taranis, you'd better have another brilliant solution for this situation,' he threatened when he found out about it. 'I think I've been extremely tolerant of your little schemes so far-,' he put a distasteful, sarcastic spin on the word 'little' – 'And I can't help but wonder if you haven't been bending the truth a little by saying you had it under control.'

'But I do,' said Taranis.

'Indeed?' said the king. 'My impression was that you not only have a wild dragon living in the city, but that it now wants to attack you. Which is hardly surprising. Why did you have to cut its spines off? You know perfectly well that dragons are proud.'

'I… lost my temper, Sire,' said Taranis, a little embarrassed for once. 'I did it to make a point,' he added hastily. 'To demonstrate to him that I am master of him while he stays here. But do not worry, Sire. I have good news as well as bad.'

'It had better be very good news,' Paelis growled.

'It would seem that he and Silarae have become very close since they met,' Taranis replied. 'And that lately they've become yet closer. He cares for her very much, and she is still definitely under my command. He will not leave her, and he cannot dare to provoke me lest I punish her in his stead. She and I will still lead our troops into battle, and he will follow.'

'And what if she turns against you?' said Paelis.

'A dragon will never turn against its rider,' said Taranis with absolute certainty. 'The bond is too strong. She and I are of one mind… and one cannot betray one's own spirit. Am I correct?'

Paelis reddened a little at being questioned like this, but he nodded anyway. 'Very well then,' he said, 'I will allow you to take the male with you. But be warned, Taranis… if he does anything – anything which I don't like, you will kill him immediately. Is that understood?'

'Yes, Sire,' said Taranis, bowing.

'Then go,' said Paelis, and Taranis left. The king watched him go, and though he had definitely spelled out his wishes he couldn't help but feel that somehow, in some subtle way, he had just been defeated.

Two days later the army was ready to depart, and Taranis saddled up Silarae. She barely allowed him to do so, cringing away from his touch, her head turned away so that she didn't have to look him in the eye. But he brought her to heel with a few sharp commands, and attached the saddle and neck-rope with quick, efficient motions. Ravana observed this from his corner, making no move to interfere. His manner toward Silarae was angry and cold, and Taranis sensed that they had argued. The rider turned to the male dragon and said; 'We're going to leave right now, Ravana. Silarae will be carrying me, of course, and you will follow our lead. Is that understood?' He strove to keep his voice level and his gaze stern and steady, determined not to show any sign of weakness.

Ravana stared back sullenly. His head-spikes were already beginning to grow back, but it would be months before they were anything close to their old length. Eventually he spoke, aloud as Taranis had done, and in the human language. 'I hear you, Taranis,' he growled. His voice was harsh and guttural, and lacked the musical sound which Silarae's had. 'And I obey,' he added.

Taranis reacted with magnificent self-control to this. In fact, he barely even blinked. 'Good,' he said. 'Silarae…'

He nodded to her, and she obediently held out a foreleg so that he could use it as a step onto her back. Once he was seated comfortably in the saddle, he signalled to a servant by the gate, who opened it. Silarae lumbered out into the morning air, with Ravana following at a distance. In the wide space in front of the roost (several buildings had been knocked down specifically to create it not long after the roost had been built), the female dragon took to the air with a few quick wingbeats. Ravana did likewise, and the two of them soared upward. Once they were well off the ground they stopped rising, and flew in slow, wide circles around the city while Taranis issued his orders.

'We are going to fly low over the city gates,' he said, not deigning to use mind-speak today. 'That will be the signal. When the army sees us, they'll follow. And fly slowly, Silarae. Ravana, you'll stay beside us where I can see you. But I'll send you ahead now and then to scout out the land. Is that understood?'

'Yes, master,' Ravana rumbled.

'Good,' said Taranis, still hiding his astonishment.

The two black dragons swooped, side-by-side, rushing over the gates with a loud clap of wing on air. The assembled troops, seeing this, marched out of the city. Led by lesser generals mounted on horses, they set forth. There were thousands of armed men in the army – women, too. They carried banners emblazoned with King Paelis' symbol – two horses, one black and one white, facing each other with their fore-hooves raised. Ravana, watching them from the sky, was reminded of the elvish army. This army, though, wasn't trying to kill him, at least for the moment. It was sheer joy to be in the open air again, and the black dragon soared easily beside Silarae, enjoying the feel of the wind on his wings. He more or less ignored Taranis, who was annoyed by the dragon's disrespect but didn't dare complain, and arrogantly flew on ahead in spite of the instructions he'd been given. Taranis considered calling him back, but decided not to. Best not to push it. Instead, he urged Silarae forward and the journey began. During the long, tedious hours of flying, he had time to let his mind relax. Then, if only for a brief time, he could allow his daydreams to take over. Taranis dreamt of a glorious future, a future where men like him ruled over their lesser counterparts, a future where dragon served man and aided their race toward glory and overlordship of all others. In time, they could even conquer death itself. Taranis breathed deeply, relishing the cold, clean air in his lungs. It was a great time to be alive, he thought. And it would be greater still one day. Yes…

The army travelled for a long time, following the coast for nearly a week. They visited many other cities along the way, nearly all of which enthusiastically welcomed Taranis and his minions. These cities provided supplies and extra troops, and treated Taranis in particular with special honour.

But there were a few cities that didn't welcome the dragon-rider with open arms. In fact, some of these were outright hostile. That was when Ravana saw his first action of that war. They arrived at the city – whose name Ravana never found out, partly because he didn't care to know – only to be greeted by hails of arrows from the tops of its protecting walls. Taranis, as usual, didn't panic. He ordered the army to set up camp at a spot well out of range, and began taking stock of what was going on. Some hurried messages were sent back and forth over the next hour, and what eventually came to light was:

'They've signed a treaty with the enemy, sir.'

Taranis stared calmly at the man who'd brought him this information.

'So… shall I order an attack?' the man added once the silence got too uncomfortable.

'No, because I have a better idea,' said Taranis. He turned to Silarae, who was sitting hunched behind him, and began to communicate silently with her, paying no further attention to his second-in-command.

Less than half an hour later, Silarae and Ravana launched a devastating duel attack on the rebel town. Silarae, with Taranis seated on her back, dropped heavy boulders from her claws and used them to crush buildings and people alike, while Ravana, whose unique black fire was hotter than hers, indiscriminately blasted everything in sight with it. Soon most of the city was ablaze, people were screaming, and within less than two hours the city was in ruins. Many people, panic-stricken, opened the gates and ran out through them to escape the destruction, only to be met by Taranis' soldiers. No prisoners were taken. Taranis did not want the burden.

Afterwards, while the victorious soldiers were picking through the city's remains for booty and survivors, Ravana and Silarae were allowed to rest together in a little copse outside the city. Taranis was off supervising the execution of a few people who'd surrendered, and the dragons were alone together. Not wanting to be overheard, they conversed silently.

'That was terrible,' said Silarae, shuddering. 'Those poor men…'

'I thought they were our enemies,' said Ravana, a little surprised.

'I don't like killing,' said Silarae. 'There must be another way…'

'Kill or be killed, Silarae,' said Ravana, rising and shaking himself vigorously. He had enjoyed the attack very much; enjoyed the way the action and the danger – slight though it was – had set his blood ablaze and his heart pounding.

Silarae sighed and said nothing; she didn't agree with him, but she couldn't articulate the reasons why. Instead she rose also, and tentatively touched Ravana's flank with her wing. He looked around at her, surprised, but made no attempt to pull away. She draped the wing over him and gave him a gentle hug, and he moved closer, enjoying her touch. The two of them embraced once again, nuzzling each other's shoulders affectionately and cooing deep in their throats. 'Silarae, you are beautiful,' Ravana said, unembarrassed.

'And you are brave and wonderful,' Silarae replied. 'There is no other dragon like you.'

'And there is no dragon like you,' said Ravana.

'I felt so alone before,' said Silarae, 'But now you are here…'

'…We will never be alone again,' Ravana finished. 'No matter what happens, I will not abandon you. I am dark, but you are my light, Silarae.'

'And you are mine. Always.'

In the undergrowth nearby, a pair of deep green eyes blinked and saw. They narrowed contemptuously and finally looked away. Later, when Silarae and Ravana had lain down to rest, a huge maned cat turned and padded away on silent paws.

A few hours later, Ravana was woken up by an unfamiliar smell. As a wild dragon he was much more alert to such things, and he opened his eyes without raising his head in order to see what was going on.

There was a human being there, standing right in front of him and looking him up and down. Ravana made no move. He examined the stranger with his own golden eyes, idly wondering whether he should get up and make a snack of the stupid creature. This human being was a little different than the ones he had seen up close before; it was female, or so he gathered. It had long curly hair and wore a robe with stars and symbols on it, and standing at its side was some sort of furry animal he didn't recognise.

'Hello,' said the human, using its own spoken language.

Ravana raised his head, and looked contemptuously at her down the length of his snout. 'I was trying to sleep,' he rumbled.

'Yes, I know,' said the human. 'What is your name?'

'Ravana,' said Ravana, already bored. 'And if you don't go away very soon, I shall eat you.'

'Snacking at midnight is bad for you,' said the human.

'It will be a lot worse for you if you stay here,' said Ravana, picking meaningfully at his teeth.

'You just destroyed my home,' the human told him calmly.

'I had a lot of fun doing it,' said Ravana.

'Well, I'm terribly sorry, but I think I have to make you sorry about that,' said the human, touching her furry companion on the head. 'I liked that home.'

Ravana sighed. A little gout of fire came out on his breath and set fire to the leaf litter just in front of his unwelcome visitor. She jumped back a little in fright, and the dragon laughed a short, growly laugh.

'I'm going to get revenge on you,' the human swore.

Ravana really did laugh this time. 'You?' he said. 'You're just as pathetic as that elf. Tiny, weak creatures like you should know better than to swear revenge on me.'

'I've got magic,' said the human.

'And I have this,' said Ravana. He breathed in, and blasted the pair of them with a wall of black fire. When that cleared away, it revealed the human and her companion still standing, unscathed, in a circle of smouldering earth. Ravana snarled at them.

'I told you I had magic,' said the human.

By now Silarae was waking up, yawning and looking in puzzlement at the visitors. 'Who are you?' she asked them.

'We used to live in the city you destroyed,' the curly-haired human told her bitterly, while the furred creature only growled. 'You and your mate. Anyway…' she turned to Ravana. 'I'm leaving now,' she told him, 'But you haven't seen the last of me. You'll be sorry for what you did, dragon.'

'Perhaps you should look for an elf called Eragon,' said Ravana. 'He can tell you what happens when you try and get revenge on me. Now go away, human. I am not afraid of your threats.'

'You will be,' the human swore, and stalked off.

Ravana sneezed. 'Humans, they're all the same,' he said, shaking his head.

'I think that was a magic-user,' said Silarae. 'They can be dangerous.'

'I know,' said Ravana. 'But we can use magic too.'

Off in the trees, the human turned to her companion. 'We can't let them get away with this, Solembum,' she said. 'How shall we punish them?'

The giant cat rubbed his ears with his paws. 'I have an idea,' he said.

Next morning it was time to set forth again, and Taranis had organised everything with remarkable efficiency. He wasn't interested in claiming the city's remains as a new base, saying the dragons had done their work so well that there wasn't enough left to even qualify as a 'city' any more.

'We shall let the ruins stay there as reminder of what happens to traitors,' he proclaimed, before ordering the march to continue.

So the army carried on down the coast, burning and slaughtering their way through other cities that had switched sides. It was a long campaign, and a highly successful one, partly because of Taranis' efficient leadership but also because of the huge power granted by the presence of Ravana and Silarae. Even Silarae eventually lost her reluctance to fight, seeing both the futility of protesting and Ravana's own enthusiasm, which encouraged her to shed the last of her timidity. Ravana's influence brought forth some of the natural ferocity of her dragonish nature. That pleased Taranis no end, but not as much as the renewed signs of affection between her and Ravana did. Together with him and his army, the dragons laid waste to many more cities, and their reputation spread far and wide. Soon the names of Ravana and Silarae, as well as that of Taranis, were spoken of with fear and awe among enemies and friends alike. Taranis was especially admired – a man who could command not one dragon but two was a man to respect.

As for Ravana and Silarae, they began a habit of flying together at night while Taranis was asleep. It gave them time to talk and to spend that special time together that all pairs need. They had formed an effective fighting team, and there was now a certain grace and harmony between them which everyone could see. Taranis was watching them closely, too, but he couldn't watch them all the time.

And then, at last, the true enemy came in sight. It was a large army of assorted humans, camped openly in a valley which was right in their path. Taranis was very pleased by this.

'The idiots!' he crowed when he was given the news. 'Are they so confident they think they don't need to keep hidden? This is almost disappointing – I thought they could give us more of a challenge.'

'It could be a trap, sir,' his second-in-command offered.

'Yes, I suppose that's possible,' said Taranis. 'I shall investigate tonight.'

Once the sun had properly vanished, Taranis saddled up Silarae and set out to investigate. Ravana was left behind, since a scouting mission only needed one dragon. Silarae was camouflaged in the dark, and soon returned. She and Taranis brought back the information that the enemy army was exactly what it appeared to be; it was camped in the open, and there were no others hidden in the forest on the mountain-sides around the valley. Besides which, the place was too precarious for any significant numbers to hide there.

'Very well, then,' was Taranis' assessment. 'We'll attack tonight.'

'Not a good idea, sir, if you don't mind my saying so,' his second-in-command ventured.

'Why not?' Taranis demanded, fingering the hilt of his sword.

'Well, the men have been marching all day,' said the second-in-command. 'They're exhausted, sir.'

Taranis sighed. 'All right, then,' he said. He was tempted to suggest that Silarae and Ravana attack immediately, but thought better of it. His men might be annoyed if they didn't get a chance to see some proper action, and besides, if he had a simultaneous air and ground attack there would be a smaller chance of any of the enemy escaping. Taranis had no intention of letting any of them get away and sow the seeds of a new rebellion. So he resignedly ordered for his troops to settle down for the night, which they did, prudently concealing themselves in a forest. Taranis forbade Silarae and Ravana from going on their usual nighttime flight, but allowed them to go off to a secluded part of the forest to rest. The pair of dragons lumbered off into the trees, talking in low voices. Taranis watched them go, frowning. There was something odd going on, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Silarae seemed tired and irritable at the moment, and not herself at all. And Ravana had become quiet and protective of her. Perhaps she was ill, though she still fought with her former strength.

Off in the forest, in a secluded place by a pool, Silarae sighed and lay down heavily. Ravana crouched beside her, his foreclaws resting on her neck. 'Is it time?' he asked her.

'Yes,' she replied, using the silent speech. 'It is time. Ravana, what shall we do?'

'We shall leave together,' said Ravana. 'We shall take it with us.'

'But Taranis–,'

Ravana snorted. 'Taranis can chase us if he wants, but he cannot fly,' he said. 'Be strong, Silarae. This isn't just about him any more. Remember that.'

'I shall,' said Silarae, gasping a little.

The moon rose slowly overhead like a staring silver eye, halfway through its cycle. Soldiers slept fitfully beneath the stars, dreaming of fights to come, and Taranis paced restlessly back and forth, stalking like a panther in his black boots, his sword in his hand. And while the man paced and the world moved, somewhere hidden in the forest Silarae strained and groaned, watched over by her mate. And, at the stroke of midnight, her efforts paid off.

There was not one egg, nor two, but four, which dropped quietly onto the leaf-litter, their shells shining and slimy. Silarae wanted to hold them, but flopped exhausted onto her belly. Ravana picked them up tenderly, and placed them in front of her. The female dragon wrapped her forelegs around her brood, and clutched them to herself passionately.

'My children…' she whispered.

'Ours,' said Ravana. He lay by his mate, gazing at the eggs, and terrible though he was, and fierce too, his eyes held care and compassion and, yes, love. The love of a father.

They slept for a while, but fitfully, both all too aware of the dangers around them. Silarae, looking proudly at her eggs, said; 'We should give them names now, as your mother did for you and mine for me. They will be able to hear us.'

'Yes, we should name them,' Ravana agreed. He looked at the eggs in turn. One of them was bright blue. He scented it curiously.

'That one is female,' said Silarae. 'I shall name her… Saphira.'

'A good name,' said Ravana.

The next egg was bright orange, and male. 'I name this one Kullervo,' said Ravana.

The third was soft silver, and female. 'Her name will be Skade,' said Silarae.

Ravana turned to the fourth and last egg. It was jet black. 'Another black dragon,' he said.

'And male, like yourself,' said Silarae. 'You can teach him to fly at night, like we do. The others will choose to fly in daylight, I think.'

'I am glad that we have produced another black dragon,' said Ravana. 'I do not want us to be the only ones. We could spawn many black dragons, in time.'

Silarae nodded. 'To be black is not bad,' she said. 'We are special, and so is our son. Shall we call him Ravana?'

'No,' said Ravana. 'There can be only one Ravana, and only one Silarae as well. I would call him Shruikan.'

'A strong name,' said Silarae. 'Yes, let us call him that. Shruikan.' She caressed the egg's black shell with her claws, cooing the name of the hatchling within. 'Shruikan, my love, Shruikan my sweet son.'

Ravana sighed contentedly. 'We should go now, Silarae,' he said. 'We cannot let Taranis take our children.'

'Yes, you are right,' said Silarae. 'I am tired and would like to sleep, but it cannot be helped. You take two eggs, and I shall take the other two.'

Ravana nodded and scooped up the black egg before reaching for another. And then weakness, terrible weakness, closed over him. He roared aloud and collapsed, vaguely aware of Silarae landing beside him. For the third time in his life, he found himself paralysed. His horrified eyes sought out the one who had done it, expecting to see Taranis' lithe form approaching.

But it was not Taranis who approached, but someone else. No, there were two. Two figures coming, two… one very tall and thin, and the other short and ragged. They appeared coming toward himself and his mate, and Ravana felt a fiery sheet of helpless rage rush through him like a storm, and then they came close enough and he saw who they were. He recognised both of them. One was a tall young elf. He bore a sword whose blade swam with bright, buttery yellow swirls. The other was a human, and female, with curly hair and a robe. Beside her was a small boy, black haired and ferocious.

'You!' Ravana snarled.

'Yes, us,' said the elf calmly.

'Let us go!' said Ravana, every syllable shaking with anger.

'We won't kill you,' the curly-haired woman said.

'Says who?' her companion retorted. The two of them walked straight up to Ravana and Silarae, and their confidence only added to Ravana's fury. Never had he been so angry in his life; the rage burnt in him like another heart, making him feel as if he could destroy the whole world and be willing to do it too. Even though he was paralysed, he began to shake ever so slightly.

The curly-haired woman examined the two dragons and the eggs. 'We were right, Eragon,' she said.

'You mean you were right,' said Eragon, gracious for once. 'You might be human, but you're brilliant, Angela.'

'Thankyou,' the woman said, smiling a little. 'Now then, you two, I hate to do this, but it's necessary.'

'Kill us if you must,' said Ravana, 'But you will have no glory for doing it, you cowards.'

'I said we're not going to kill you,' Angela told him. 'In spite of what Eragon says, I've been scrying your future and saw you're not due to die tonight. Anyway, you're right – it would be dishonourable to kill someone helpless.'

'I don't care,' said Eragon. 'It wasn't honourable of him to kill my-,'

'Yes, yes, I've heard it,' said Angela. 'But two wrongs don't make a right, you know. Now, Ravana and Silarae, you two… my name's Angela and this is Solembum, my friend. And this is Eragon.'

'We've met,' Ravana hissed.

'What do you want with us?' Silarae wailed. 'What can't you leave us alone?'

'Because we want revenge,' said Eragon. 'Revenge for what you did to us. Now I'd give anything to kill the pair of you, but Angela won't let me. I'd ignore her, but her idea seems a lot better to me. If I killed you then you wouldn't suffer.' If he had said this with anger or passion, it might have been a little better. But it was said with a cold matter-of-fact tone that was, somehow, much worse.

'Now, Eragon, don't gloat,' said Angela, but she didn't look very sympathetic. She strode up to stand right in front of Silarae, and picked up the orange egg.

'No!' Silarae screamed silently. 'Leave my children!'

Angela ignored her. She passed the egg to Solembum, who packed it away in a bag slung over his shoulder. Then she picked up the silver one, which she handed to Eragon, and finally she took the blue one for herself.

'Stop!' Ravana bellowed. 'Stop, you can't do this!'

'Yes we can,' said Angela calmly. 'We have.'

'No! I'll do anything! Don't take my eggs!'

'We won't hurt them,' said Angela. 'We'll look after them. I promise.'

'Nooooo!' Ravana howled, and Silarae's silent voice joined with his. But it was hopeless. Angela stepped away from them, a glint of triumph in her eye, and Eragon said; 'We can't leave these to be raised by you. What sort of evil would you teach them? No, these dragons will be raised to be good and kind, by riders who care for them.'

'No human or elf will ever use my children as their slaves!' Ravana vowed. 'This I promise, elf. And you will regret leaving me alive. No matter what happens, no matter how far I have to go, I will have my revenge on you.'

'He's raving,' said Angela, shaking her head. 'Let's go, Eragon.'

They departed in a quiet procession, deaf to the pleading and cries of the two black dragons left behind, carrying the three eggs away.

Once they had gone and it was all over, Silarae began to sob, the sound hissing between her locked teeth.

'It's not over yet,' Ravana told her. 'Silarae, it's not over. They haven't escaped yet. Once this spell wears off, we shall go after them.'

'It won't wear off for hours!' Silarae wailed. 'They'll be long gone by then!'

'No,' said Ravana. 'No, they won't escape for long. I am a hunter, Silarae, and I will hunt them down. I will take our eggs back, and I will make those thieves suffer. I swear it.'

Night marched on, and Ravana and Silarae lay as they had fallen. The only hope that sustained them now was Ravana's promise, and he himself was comforted a little by the feel of the fourth egg, the black one, still clutched in his foreclaws. Just like his own egg had been, it was protected by its colour. Even if he never found the rest of his brood, he still had this one.

This was it. This was the last thing, the last deciding factor. As of this night, he had been betrayed by every human and elf he had ever met, and all of them had hurt him in some way. Lying there, aching to hold his eggs and keep them safe, Ravana vowed that he would never again trust a member of the two-legged races. Not an elf, not a human. In fact, he swore that from now on he would attack any more of such creatures on sight. No human or elf would ever take advantage of Ravana, the Night Dragon, or his mate. If it came to pass that he retrieved his eggs, he would take them and Silarae away with him to some distant place, and between them they would raise their offspring and teach them to hate humans and elves for what they had done, and to seek revenge on them at every opportunity. He thought of telling Silarae about this, but he could feel her grief and knew that she did not need to hear his talk of hatred and vengeance. He wanted to say something that could comfort her, but couldn't find the words and lay in sullen silence over the course of one long hour.

And then, once again, he saw someone coming. It was Taranis, wrapped in a black cloak, his face concerned. 'I heard you in distress,' he said. 'What happened?'

'We are paralysed by a spell,' said Silarae.

'Who did that to you?' said Taranis.

'An elf and a woman,' said Silarae. 'I did not know them.'

'The elf is called Eragon, and he is a rider like you,' Ravana spat. 'The woman is a sorcerer of some kind.'

'They have taken our-,' Silarae began, but Ravana interrupted her.

'The woman comes from the first city we destroyed,' he said. 'I saw her that night, and she vowed revenge. She and Eragon came after us. They paralysed us and taunted us, but they did not have the courage to kill us and so they left.'

'I see,' said Taranis. 'When did this happen?'

'We have been lying here a long time,' Ravana told him unhelpfully. 'Will you release us, please?'

Taranis didn't. He came closer to look at them, running his hands over Silarae's face. He spoke to her exclusively, shutting Ravana out so that he could not pick up the words. Ravana watched them 'speaking' to each other for a minute or so, and then Taranis turned to him and said; 'Those two took something from you, I can sense it in Silarae's thoughts. What was it?'

Ravana hesitated. 'Nothing,' he said at length. 'It was nothing.'

'Do not lie,' Taranis thought to him. 'I know your thoughts. You want to hunt them down and take back what they took. What was it?'

'They took our eggs,' said Ravana at last, defeated. What was the use in hiding it? His man had a power over him that he could not explain or escape, and for now there was nothing to do but obey him.

'How many?' said Taranis. 'Why?'

'They want to make more riders,' said Ravana. 'It was their revenge to take them away.'

Taranis cursed. 'Have no fear, Ravana,' he said. 'I will help you to get them back. I do not want to lose my dragon's children, and I do not want riders who are not on our side.'

'You would give our eggs to other humans?' said Ravana.

'Yes,' said Taranis. 'That is what dragons are for. You are born to be bonded to human beings and to be their companions.'

'No,' said Ravana. 'We are our own people. We do not serve anyone.'

'You don't,' Taranis agreed. 'But your kind is dying. Wild dragons are doomed. One day the only dragons in Alagaësia will belong to riders. It is fate, a prophecy I was born to fulfil. And you will help me to do this.'

'I will do what I choose, nothing else,' said Ravana in his coldest voice. 'I have helped you by choice for a time, but that time is over. Silarae and I want our freedom, and there is nothing you can do to take it from us.'

'Oh, but there is,' said Taranis. He walked around to a spot just behind Ravana's shoulder, and there located the dragon's huge, clenched foreclaws. Ravana felt him pry them apart, and could only close his eyes as his last egg was taken from him. Taranis came back to stand where the two dragons could see him, and examined the egg. 'So beautiful,' he said. 'You must be very proud.'

'Give it back!' said Silarae.

'I will, in time,' said Taranis. 'But for now I will look after it. If you fight for me tomorrow, your egg will be given back to you. If you try to rebel, it will be taken away from you forever. And that is my promise.'

Ravana stared at him, and his former angry determination cracked apart like ice in the sun. He knew now that he had underestimated Silarae's master, perhaps fatally. This man, this… Taranis, had a will at least as strong as his own. Maybe stronger. And though he was no match for a dragon in size, he had his magic and his cunning, and they had defeated Ravana yet again, for all his strength and fighting spirit. Ravana sighed, and realised that his armour, once impenetrable, had cracked. Before he had been unstoppable because he had nothing but his own life to care for. But now he had Silarae, and his eggs, his precious eggs. And he would die to save them. Now that Taranis held Shruikan, it would be impossible to disobey him, lest the egg be taken away from him for good. Ravana did not know that only dragons could destroy dragon eggs, and he assumed that if he displeased Taranis he would see his unhatched son crushed and killed while still within the shell, and that was something he could not risk.

'I will fight for you, master,' the black dragon sighed. 'I promise.'

'Good,' said Taranis, patting him in a patronising way. 'It isn't so hard, you know, Ravana, not so hard.'

'No,' said Ravana. 'Perhaps not.'

Taranis tucked the egg into his clothes and walked off, saying; 'Have a nice night.'