Chapter 10

Danny watched with interest as Arya reverently knelt before the green baby dragon. It yawned, displaying a row of tiny white teeth. Saphira snaked her neck so that her head hovered above the baby dragon and hummed excitedly. Then the green dragon turned around and toddled on unsteady legs towards Arya, looking up at her with shining eyes.

"She will bond with the dragon soon," Fadrau whispered reverently to Danny in explanation.

"My daughter," Islanzadí breathed, beyond shocked. The rest of the elves seemed excited by the hatching, muttering amongst themselves with more vigor than Danny had elicited from them.

"Me?" Arya asked, astonished. She delicately held out a hand for the baby dragon to sniff. The green dragon examined her hand closely before pressing its head upward against Arya's palm.

Immediately, Arya's entire body radiated a strong silver light bright enough that Danny had to shield his eyes. When Danny blinked the spots out of his eyes, he saw that Arya had collapsed beside the green dragon, but no one seemed particularly worried, though the dwarf Orik did step forward before Eragon held him back.

Confused, Danny spoke up. "What happened to her? Is she okay? Why was she glowing?"

"She just formally bonded with her dragon. It is a sacred ritual for the Dragon Riders," Fadrau informed him. Well, that explained why no one was concerned, if it was an expected occurrence. "What do you mean, she was glowing?"

"She was glowing silver pretty brightly. You didn't see it?"

"No. You saw something?" Islanzadí asked.

With the intensity of the light he'd seen, Danny was surprised no one else had witnessed it. It was probably another aspect of magic, then. He fidgeted as the elves examined him with great interest.

"You saw the actual bonding take place," one of the elf lords said in awe. Murmurs swept through the hall.

"I… guess?" Danny shifted self-consciously under the scrutiny. Though he supposed it was par for the course, as the elves had never seen a being like him before. He idly wondered if there were any other species in this world that could see magic as he could. "Don't mind me. You should pay attention to the woman of the hour," Danny said, trying to redirect everyone back to Arya, who Eragon had kneeled beside protectively.

"She should, at least, be taken to an actual bed, instead of being left on the ground," the Rider announced.

Islanzadí nodded in agreement. "We have seen bondings before, in ages long past. Our memories are dusty, but we still know what to do with a new Rider." Though she still seemed a bit dazed that her daughter had been chosen by the dragon, she was handling the situation with admirable grace and poise, as expected of a regent.

The queen clapped her hands, and there was a flurry of movement as a stretcher was brought in and Arya was lifted upon it. The green dragon was reverently approached, and the elves attempted to coax it to follow Arya, but that was where the problems started.

Instead of staying with Arya, as the elves implied a bonded dragon ought to do, the dragon waddled straight towards Danny and curled around his leg, purring.

Saphira bared her teeth and let out a low, menacing snarl. Most of the other occupants of the room looked as though they couldn't believe what was happening.

"Uh…" said Danny, glancing between the dragon and Arya in utter confusion. Did the dragon remember something from the time it had been in the egg? It was the only explanation for how the dragon seemed to be gravitating towards Danny.

"You should go with your Rider," Danny said nervously, gently nudging the dragon towards the stretcher-bearers with a foot.

Eragon scowled thunderously. "What have you done to the green dragon? It shouldn't want to leave its Rider's side!" Saphira stared at him unnervingly with one unblinking sapphire eye, making her displeasure known by the gouges she was digging in the wooden floor with ivory claws.

"Nothing!" Danny protested amidst the growing unease in the throne room. He could see the way the elves were eyeing him mistrustfully. Danny decided that mentioning that the dragon had attempted to bond with him first would be a horrible idea. Learning that Arya was a second choice would no doubt do nothing to endear him to the elves, and he needed to stay on their good side in order to find his way home.

"Come on," Danny said, slowly stooping so that the elves (well, more Eragon and Saphira) wouldn't think he was attacking the green dragon. He carefully picked up the green dragon, which squealed in his arms. Its scales were still slightly damp from being inside the egg. Danny shivered as he felt a tingle of energy rush through him from the dragon, an aftereffect of the bonding.

Danny walked over to the stretcher, which had paused on its way to wherever it was going, and deposited the green dragon next to Arya's head. It curled around her head like a cat and blinked up at him with unfathomable emerald eyes. But Danny could admit, it was rather cute, for something that would grow into something as intimidating and majestic as Saphira.

"Stay with her," Danny said clearly. The green dragon stared at him for a moment longer before settling in completely. The elves took that as their cue to smoothly rush off with the stretcher.

Islanzadí frowned, displeased by the turn of events, but she nonetheless said graciously, "Fadrau, you are to be Danny's guide while in Ellesméra. Show him to one of the old guest's houses." Then she and the elf lords and ladies exited the throne room, following the stretcher. Eragon gave Danny a withering look before he, Saphira, and Orik departed, as well, leaving Danny alone with his guide.

Danny rubbed the back of his head awkwardly in the sudden silence and stillness of the throne room and looked over at Fadrau, who seemed as unshakeable as ever. "So," he began, "Mind showing me where I'll be staying?"

Master Oromis? Master Glaedr? What could it mean that the green dragon abandoned Arya willingly, especially for an unnatural creature such as Danny? Saphira asked worriedly as they followed the stretcher bearing Arya. I only did such a thing as a hatchling because Eragon asked me to.

I know not, though it bodes ill. We can only wait and see what becomes of this phenomenon, Oromis replied, troubled. But we cannot blame Danny for it. Islanzadí has informed me that he was as shocked as the rest.

Whatever has happened to the green dragon may have been his fault, but it may have also been Galbatorix's fault, Glaedr pointed out shrewdly. And if the fault does lie with Danny, then it was not intentional. We cannot alienate a being powerful enough to retrieve the dragon egg from Galbatorix. He may prove crucial to the war.

Will he really want to fight in this war? He says his only goal is to return to the dimension from which he came, Eragon said.

Like it or not, he's already involved. Galbatorix will not take the insult of such a theft lightly, Saphira hummed. Maybe Galbatorix and Danny will kill each other. It would solve a lot of problems.

Saphira, Glaedr rumbled disapprovingly. Your hatred of this foreigner is alarming.

You'd understand why if you met him, ebrithil, Saphira defended herself. He doesn't belong here, and it makes my scales itch with the wrongness of it.

All the more reason for him to go home. We are not so ungrateful that we would not help one who has done us a great service, Oromis said. In the meantime, you will treat him with respect and gratitude. One's very existence is not a reason to discriminate. It is disturbing that you would be so quick to judge one who has done us no harm.

Yet, Eragon couldn't help but add.

Eragon could feel Oromis's dissatisfaction. You will be reflecting on why you are so hostile to a creature you are unfamiliar with in your next meditations. A Rider must be tolerant of all and temper their personal feelings of dislike with compassion, even with those they are unaccustomed to.

Yes, ebrithil, Eragon said dutifully, struggling to take the words to heart. Saphira, it seemed, was having more problems than he was. Eragon supposed his initial dislike of Danny was due to Saphira's dislike, but he could work around that.

If Danny proved to be an enemy, however… he would not be so lenient.

Fadrau led Danny from the throne room through the twisting paths of Ellesméra. Word had evidently spread of the delivery of the egg but not of the green dragon's behavior, because the elves that watched Danny from the side of the path now held a curious, admiring edge to their scrutiny. Danny did see a few, however, who eyed him mistrustfully, following Eragon's and Saphira's adversarial example instead of Islanzadí's tempered, gracious one.

As they forged deeper into the city, Danny thought that Ellesméra was just as stunning as it was when he had first laid eyes on it, elegant and beautiful, the manmade structures organically entwined with the forest. Each house was a unique work of art.

"How are the houses made?" Danny asked Fadrau, pointing out a hexagonally shaped one elevated at least three stories off the ground.

"We sing them from the trees," Fadrau unhelpfully answered.

Danny stared. "And that means…?"

Fadrau sighed and explained, "We imbue our voices with magic and sing the forest into the shapes we want."

That made a bit more sense, Danny supposed. He wished his guide was a little more talkative. He wanted to know more about the city he'd likely be spending a significant amount of time in. What was its history? What enchantments protected it? Were there any areas Danny should avoid so he didn't damage the wards? He supposed he wouldn't be wandering too much, but more knowledge would still be nice. He knew from his trip to Ellesméra that getting elves to give a straight answer was almost an exercise in futility.

The duo finally stopped in front of a house that was grown from a gigantic elm tree. The trunk bulged around the squat house, which was cylindrical in shape. Stair steps led up five stories to a curved entryway, and a set of suspended wooden bridges connected the house to three other houses near it.

"This is an ambassador's lodgings, from when the forest was not closed to outsiders," Fadrau said. "It was sung from the elm with other races in mind, so the stairs are shallower, and the amenities a bit different."

"Cool," Danny said.

Fadrau, by now used to Danny's slang after days of travel, merely shrugged. "It is what it is. For now, why don't you get settled? I will be back in the evening to collect you for dinner." And then the elf was gone, melting back into the shadows of the forest with alarming skill. Danny eyed the place where the elf had been a bit longer, resisting the urge to channel energy to his eyes to see where Fadrau had disappeared to – because he'd probably just wind up blinding himself, with all the magic in Ellesméra, instead – and then turned to the stairs, which were sized just right for a human, and began to climb.

There were three rooms in the house Danny had been granted: a bedroom, a bathroom, and a study. The bedroom was open to the sky, as was the study. It took Danny some time to find the gossamer membrane from the crevasses in the wall that would seal the two open rooms from the elements. The bedroom had a soft bed with downy sheets and a dresser that was filled with tunics like the ones the elves wore that, it seemed, were Danny's size. The bathroom was stocked with a razor and soap, and Danny sharply felt the absence of modern toothpaste – a familiar feeling during his travels in this world. The study had a wooden desk, a chair, a quill, ink, some parchment, and a window that faced the city, which was more expansive than Danny had thought.

Danny unpacked the meagre belongings he had in the bedroom. He had his waterskin, which was half-full of water, and the clothes from his modern world. That was it. He had no weapons besides his ghost powers, no tools aside from what he could produce with his ice, no trinkets or baubles he'd picked up along his journey. He'd been living sparsely ever since he'd fallen into this world with nothing more than the clothes on his back. The other belongings he might have had with him – his wallet, keys, phone – had all been left at home. He'd lost or damaged enough important things during ghost fights to know that taking them into the Ghost Zone was a bad idea.

Looking over the modern clothes he'd laid on the bed, Danny felt homesick and adrift. His one reason for fighting in this world – the egg – had hatched, therefore leaving him. He had nothing tying him to this world save for his own misfortune. His normal coping mechanism for depression – flying – wouldn't do anything for him because he couldn't transform in this area laden with magic, and he couldn't fly at any appreciable speed or for any sizable length in his human form. He'd just exhaust himself in the attempt, and he was tired enough, anyway.

Feeling morose, he tucked the modern clothes away in a corner of a drawer, withdrew a forest green tunic and tan breeches, and retreated to the bathroom to take a bath in the substantially sized hollow. Maybe cleaning off several days' worth of grime would make him feel better.

Welcome back to The Thief! Apologies for the six-month hiatus. Hopefully, I'll be able to stick to a semi-regular updating schedule for this and The Phantom, as well as a couple newer stories I have in the works. I'll get back to Shadowfall over the summer, when I have more time.

Enjoy, and see you soon!

-HM