Iormungr felt Mandrake tense up, and guessed the elf must've been stunned by his story. After all, it was one of an unforgivable betrayal where one's former friend killed all you ever loved.
"I would be glad to help with what magic I can provide." Mandrake said.
"When I think of how dangerous it must have been to fight without wards..." His thoughts trailed off.
"No matter. It will not happen again. Although I may have to fashion talismans to ward you rather than cast the wards myself. Pulling the energy directly from myself would probably kill me, protecting one so much larger than myself. Perhaps some jewelry could be found that would be fit for dragons that I could enchant for you, such as a pendant or necklace, or something more to fit your taste. And then of course, I could weave my magic from your back, confronting those magicians who could prove a threat to you."
Heh, jewelry on a dragon said an amused Iormungr, flying closer to the red speck in the distance in order to see if it's what he thought it was.
I think an amulet or a couple bracers would work. Either way, we'll work something out. And speaking of magic users, I think that may be a dragon and rider up ahead. They are flying away from us, and haven't noticed our presence. Think we should chase after them for the chance to eliminate a powerful foe?
Iormungr sent Mandrake a mental picture of the enemy rider, though it was a tad blurry because of the distance between them. The elf muttered a few choice curses under his breath, though his selection was ruefully small.
"If you wish to fight, I will prepare as best I can, but I fear they may be too much for us until we prepare: That is Thorn and his rider Murtagh, who defeated Shadeslayer and Saphira in combat several days ago."
So they managed to defeat Saphira, eh? Let's see how well they do against us. And should this fight prove to be too much, I've a few self-taught tricks up my sleeve that will disable that dragon long enough for us to make our escape...
Iormungr flew, on intending to catch up with Murtagh and Thorn. The clouds cleared away, leaving a perfect arena in the sky, though the red dragon didn't yet notice his upcoming adversary. Iormungr let of a challenging roar, and watched as Thorn turned around to finally notice him. They circled around each other, waiting for the other to attack.
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"It's good that the king lets us have some time to ourselves every so often" said Murtagh, enjoying this afternoon ride upon his dragons back.
Aye, it's good to get a break from his rather harsh lessons added Thorn, bitterly remembering the pain the king caused between him and his rider when they did something wrong. Then his thoughts drifted to his recent battle with Saphira. Thorn smiled, thinking about how marvelous the sapphire dragon was, and how much better things would be between them if they had met under different circumstances.
"Still thinking about Saphira, dear?" Murtagh knew his dragon thought about her often. It was hard not to, considering they were of the last members of their race.
"If only we could break Galbatorix's reins on us...Oh blast!" Both dragon and rider turned in the direction of the roar that cut through the sky, and laid their gazes upon the massive black dragon coming toward them.
That must be Iormungr. But why is their a rider on his back? I thought Galbatorix killed him. No matter, we've sworn to kill him if we ever met.
Murtagh nodded grimly as Thorn circled around the black dragon, while Mandrake hurriedly cast a few wards in Iormungr, blocking him from direct magic attacks. He didn't have the time or energy to block anything else, and he was already wondering if his gems would contain enough power for the coming battle. Nevertheless, he cast a little spell he had invented, hoping it would work as well in the air as on the ground. With luck, they would appear the same as the air around them, and be totally invisible to the naked eye.
"Iormungr, be aware that I have camouflaged us as best I can. It is possible they may not see us, depending on how much Murtagh has seen illusion magic."
Stealth, eh? I honestly prefer up-front grappling. Besides, they most likely know some way around such illusions. Like that.
Thorn and Murtagh looked around, wondering where their opponents went. The red dragon sniffed the air, then pointed his head right toward where Iormungr hovered.
Sucks to be downwind he said to his rider as Murtagh shot a bolt of magic toward the black dragon. Iormungr saw this coming and flew upwards, as the bolt nearly hit his massive form. Sailing on the increasingly strong winds, he flew above the ruby dragon, grinning as he executed his next move. Gravity took over as Iormungr slammed into the smaller dragon, his claws tearing through the red scales beneath him. Kicking off Thorn, who was roaring in pain, Iormungr turned and faced his adversary.
Mandrake grinned broadly as Iormungr dodged the magic. The invisibility probably made them hard to hit, so he kept it up. Besides, it was highly disconcerting to be attacked by an enemy you couldn't see. It would drain his energy a bit, but he could afford it. As Iormungr nearly inverted before diving, Mandrake shouted as he just about slipped from his back. With a quick spell, he bound himself to Iormungr's scales so he would not fall.
"Banish the illusion surrounding my opponent" screamed Murtagh, letting loose his magic. The spell took a good portion of his energy, but he didn't care for he was getting quite irritated.
"And now the playing field is equal. Thorn, lets kill them and get back to Uru'baen"
The red dragon grimly agreed, then slammed into Iormungr, intending to incinerate the rider on his back. The black dragon saw what Thorn was intending to do, and quickly gained some altitude so his fiery breath blazed across his thick scales.
You know it really isn't wise to tickle a dragon so much larger than yourself .said an amused Iormungr, before launching a raging inferno at Thorn and his rider.
Now that was fire. He watched as Murtagh hastily erected a ward, but that was not enough to stop the inferno from scorching Thorns scales and frying his wings. The red dragon roared in pain, then growled at Iormungr as Murtagh healed his dragon's wounds.
He is powerful, maybe even powerful enough to kill the king commented Thorn, circling around the black dragon.
"That's a possibility, but I doubt it since Galbatorix already easily slew his first rider, and nearly Iormungr himself."
Murtagh and Thorn circled around their opponents, looking for a break in their defenses. Meanwhile, Iormungr cringed as he felt a foreign probe enter his mind. He launched a fireball toward Murtagh in hopes of breaking his concentration, but Thorn dodged it. Closing his mental barriers to all but Mandrake, Iormungr spoke to his friend.
Protect thy thoughts Mandrake, lest our friend over there invades them.
The siege on their minds continued, though Iormungr struggled to keep his wards up, as he was not schooled well in that area.
Sometimes a strong offense is the best defense. he thought, reversing the mental flow and sending his will crashing into Thorns mind. The black dragon's attack overwhelmed his adversary's defenses, though they were quickly brought up again by Murtagh. Iormungr struggled to gain control, but was soon forced out of Thorn's mind. The last thing he saw were quite a few images of the red dragon's fairly recent battle with his daughter. What he gleaned from those amused him greatly.
You love her, don't you? Iormungr stared at Thorn, bravely sending him this message. He could tell that the ruby dragon greatly admired Saphira's stunning looks and battle prowess.
Aye, and I suppose you have your eye on her, seeing as how she's the last female of our race? growled Thorn, hovering far before the black dragon. Murtagh readied himself for another onslaught, in case the battle resumed.
Iormungr threw back his head and laughed.
Good heavens, no. She's... not my style. he replied, looking over the red dragon, thinking that it may not be a good idea to reveal his connection to Saphira.
Obviously I have met Saphira before, and from what I can tell, she would like you too, had you met under different circumstances.
That most like would be tru... Thorn got cut off as Galbatorix took control of his and Murtagh's actions. He roared and charged toward Iormungr, who flipped backwards and kicked the red dragon in the belly, leaving large wounds on his underside.
You may not be able to hear me Thorn, but I will say this anyway. I've sworn to kill only Galbatorix, and preferably not those allied or bound to him. He is the cause of all my grief and despair, and for that he will suffer. However, he is too much of a coward to come and fight me alone, but I have plans to rectify that.
I do not wish to kill another dragon, especially since there are so few of us left. If worse come to worse, then such things are unavoidable. I promise I will do everything in my power to see that Galbatorix is killed, and to see that the race of dragons is set free. As for now, forgive me for what I am about to do.
Iormungr dove down on Thorn and sunk his fangs into the red dragon's right wing socket. Thorn roared with pain and struggled to get away, but couldn't dislodge himself from the black dragon's grip. A sickening crunch was heard, then Iormungr let go and flew away from his victim. Thorn's wing fell limply to his side as he plummeted to the ground, fighting to stay in the air.
Until we meet again, Thorn. said Iormungr, flying with Mandrake back toward the Varden's encampment.
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After using nearly all of his energy to slow Thorns descent, Murtagh struggled to heal his dragon's shattered wing. Thorn winced as his riders magic spread throughout him, then carefully unfolded his wing once the spell was complete.
A bit sore, but much better than it was before. Thank you Murtagh. said Thorn, sheathing his wing and laying his head on his riders shoulder. Murtagh leaned against his dragon for comfort, struggling to regenerate his lost energy.
"He is a fool to have let us live" muttered Murtagh, staring into the setting sun. "Though maybe there is hope for us..."
That is something we must never lose, even through Galbatorix's torture... Silence enveloped them as they laid against each other, absorbing the last few moments of peace they would have before the king summoned them back to Uru'baen.