Chapter Seven

Through a Dragon's Eyes

It took three more days of rest and several more doses of Carina's potion before Galbatorix was able to get out of his hammock and return to life as normal. Or as close to normal as it ever would be, anyway. The first thing he did was have a bath. Then, using the mirror, he made an attempt to trim the beard which Carina so thoroughly disapproved of. He'd never done it before, of course, but he'd been used to cutting his own hair back home, and had done that without a mirror into the bargain. He spent about an hour trying to make it look good, then gave up and shaved it off. His hair, however, he left as it was, merely washing and combing it so that it regained some of its shine. He'd always been very particular about his hair.

Afterwards, wearing a clean set of clothes and feeling much more human, he emerged into the fresh air and picked up where he had left off.

Carina provided him with a number of exercises designed to start rebuilding his muscles, and he began doing these every day. At first he had very little endurance and could only keep it up for half an hour at a time, but as the days passed he slowly improved. His wasted muscles started to rebuild themselves, and he ate well and put on weight. He didn't much enjoy those first few weeks of his recovery, since his weakness made him impatient. He felt like he was being treated like a feeble child, and what made it worse was that he was about as strong as one.

But there were good things about that time, too, and one was Flell. She stayed by him just as Laela did, and so did Thrain. All three of them helped him whenever he needed it, and when he didn't need help they simply provided friendly company. Once he was able to resume his swordplay, Flell became his sparring partner and helped Carina teach him the techniques he'd missed learning with the others. He also began learning how to use other weapons, including a bow.

After three months of this, when he was almost fully restored to his previous strength, Laela too had changed. She had continued to grow steadily – alarmingly so, in fact – and by the end of those three months she was larger than a horse. That was when Carina announced that both Flell and Galbatorix could now begin trying to ride their dragons.

Thrain and Laela were both fitted with simple leather saddles that strapped onto their shoulders. Laela didn't much like hers. 'It chafes,' the white dragon complained, shifting around while Carina tied the straps in place.

'Not as much as your scales would do to me,' said Galbatorix

'You humans and your measly hides,' Laela jeered. 'Is the blasted thing on yet?'

'If I say yes, will you stop moaning?'

Laela brought her head around in order to glare at him. 'Shut up and climb on,' she said.

Galbatorix obeyed. It was harder than he'd thought. Her shoulders were above his head by now, and he couldn't find anything to hold onto. Laela stood still for several minutes while he struggled to get into the saddle, and then started to make a strange, hacking sound in the back of her throat. Galbatorix realised that she was laughing at him. 'It's not funny!'

'Yes it is,' said Laela. 'The mighty rider can't get onto his dragon's back! I'll have to carry you in my claws.'

'Laela, stop it!'

The white dragon finally relented and crouched, holding out her foreleg so he could use it as a step. Galbatorix clambered into the saddle. It was surprisingly comfortable. He settled into place, then used the straps provided to anchor his legs to the saddle.

'How is it?' Laela asked.

'Feels secure enough,' said Galbatorix. 'Are you all right?'

'You're heavier than I thought, but I'm fine,' said Laela.

Meanwhile Flell had seated herself on Thrain's back, and while she fumbled with her own leg-straps Carina said; 'Right. You're ready to go. Try not to fly too far, and don't try any fancy acrobatics until you're a little more confident in the air. Leaf and I will be keeping an eye on you, and we'll come if you need help, but I don't think you'll need it. Now, off you go.'

Galbatorix held on to Laela's neck. He felt the white dragon tense, and then she leapt into the air. The motion was more violent than he'd thought, and he was thrown forward, nearly injuring himself on her neck-spines. There was a rush of wind and thrashing wings, and then they were flying. When that happened, Laela's wings ceased their rough flurry of motion and she straightened them out and began to glide. Galbatorix, clinging on awkwardly with his arms around her neck, didn't dare sit up. The wind tugged at his hair, and his stomach lurched. 'Slow down!' he yelled mentally.

'What's the matter?' said Laela. 'We're only gliding.'

Galbatorix tried to make himself calm down, but he couldn't. He felt sick and dizzy, and a horrible sense of vertigo came over him, as if he were about to fall. At the same time, fear swept through him – horrible, cold, overwhelming fear. Laela, sensing it, made a wide circle and came back down to land where she'd started from. The thump when her talons hit the ground made Galbatorix's stomach heave again. He leaned over Laela's side and was violently ill.

'Galbatorix! Are you all right?'

Galbatorix retched again, but managed to contain himself. He wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his tunic, and slumped back in the saddle, his breathing ragged. 'I'm sorry, Laela,' he said. 'I don't know what happened.'

Thrain and Leaf landed nearby, and Carina climbed out of the saddle and ran over to him. 'What happened?'

'Galbatorix got sick,' said Laela. 'I don't think flying agreed with him.'

Flell had managed to untie her leg-straps, and hurried to see what was going on, Thrain following her. 'Wasn't that amazing?' said Flell. 'Why're we stopping – oh my goodness, are you all right?'

'It's flying sickness,' said Carina. 'This happens sometimes when it's your first flight…'

'Will I be all right?' Galbatorix asked anxiously. 'What's flying sickness?'

'The motion can make people throw up sometimes,' said Carina. 'Don't worry; you'll be fine. But I think we should probably leave it for a while before-,'

Galbatorix was mortified. Riding Laela was going to make him throw up? He felt hot with embarrassment, but then he scowled. 'I'm going to try again,' he said. Without waiting for an answer, he settled himself in the saddle and spoke to Laela. 'Let's try again.'

'Are you sure?' said Laela, all traces of mockery gone. 'You scared me. I felt all dizzy and frightened when you did. It was confusing.'

'I'll be fine,' Galbatorix said fiercely. 'What sort of rider can't fly without getting sick? We'll try again.'

'All right,' said Laela. 'I'll try and take off more gently this time.'

The white dragon took off. This time the motion was a little smoother, and she caught the first updraught she could find, letting it carry her upward before she settled into a glide, drifting in a wide circle over the treetops.

Galbatorix hung on with his arms around her neck, and fought the queasiness in his stomach, but it did no good. The dizziness returned and he started to panic again, forcing Laela to land.

Carina was waiting for them, and she helped Galbatorix out of the saddle. He clung to her pathetically, feeling like the ground was rushing up to meet him. Carina made him sit down and at her prompting Laela reached into his mind and did her best to soothe him.

He calmed down eventually.

'It's all right,' said Carina. 'Keep your breathing steady. Here, have some water.'

Galbatorix drank from the flask she offered him. To his shame, he found there was a lump in his throat. All his dreams were crashing down around his ears. He couldn't fly!

He slammed his fist into the ground and swore, trying to use anger to mask the fact that his eyes were stinging.

'Don't worry, it's not the end of the world,' said Carina. 'It'll pass, I swear. Lots of riders have this trouble. You'll overcome it.'

Galbatorix wasn't really listening. He thought he could already hear people mocking him. Galbatorix, the rider who was scared of flying. The one who threw up all over his dragon's flank and then cried like a little baby. He thought he could see the sneering face of Lanethial the elf. Weak, pathetic little human.

He stood up abruptly and strode away, staggering slightly when the ground moved under his feet. Carina made no effort to stop him, and he left the field as fast as he could, heading into the surrounding forest. Once he thought he was out of sight, he slumped down at the base of a tree and sat there, hugging his knees. There were tears on his face, and he angrily wiped them away.

When he looked up at the sky through the trees, he could catch a glimpse of Thrain flying overhead, a mere purple dot among the clouds. No doubt Flell was with her. She'd laugh at him as soon as she came down again, he was sure of it. But now she was enjoying her first flight with her partner, looking down on him as if he were an ant.

The mere thought of being up that high made his nausea return, and he retched and shuddered. He felt like a failure.

There was a thump from behind him, and pain shot through his leg. 'Damn!'

Galbatorix looked around, and suddenly Laela was there, her warm presence surrounding him. The white dragon lay down beside him, coiling her tail around the tree, her head resting on the ground by his feet. Galbatorix put his hand on her snout, and the feel of her smooth scales under his fingers made him feel better. 'I'm sorry, Laela,' he said.

Laela looked at him, her silver eyes a little sad. 'No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have done that to you.'

'It's my fault!' Galbatorix insisted. 'I'm pathetic! How can I be a rider if I panic as soon as I get off the ground?' He slammed his palms into his forehead and twined his fingers in his hair, pulling ferociously at it.

Laela flinched. 'That hurts,' she told him.

Galbatorix stopped. 'Sorry,' he said. 'I forgot you could feel it too… I'm so weak! I didn't deserve to have you hatch for me, Laela. You deserved someone better.'

Laela started upright at that, so fast it took him by surprise. She pulled herself around and slammed her snout into his chest, pinning him to the tree. Glaring at him, eye to eye, she let out a low growl and bared her teeth. They were white and sharp, glistening in the muted sunlight. 'Never say that,' her voice said in his head, suddenly loud and thunderous. 'Don't you dare say that, Galbatorix.'

Galbatorix tried to pull free, but she pushed even harder, holding him in place so firmly that he felt as if his ribs were breaking. He put his hands on her snout, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to actually try and push it away. But he wasn't cowed. 'Why not?' he demanded.

Laela roared. The sound, escaping from between her teeth, echoed among the trees. 'If you think you can insult me, think again. I chose you. And if you tell me I'm stupid enough to make the wrong choice again, I'll bite your head off.'

She withdrew her snout at last, and Galbatorix managed to stand up. 'You wouldn't dare!' he said out loud.

Laela swung her head down toward him with a blur of motion, and her jaws snapped shut inches from his face. He yelped and fell down, hitting his head on the tree and landing in an undignified heap on its roots. When he looked up, Laela was looking down at him, with amusement in her eyes. 'Wouldn't I?'

For a moment dragon and human stared at each other, a powerful and tense uncertainty hanging in the air between them. Finally Galbatorix reached up toward Laela. He took hold of her snout, and she lifted her head, pulling him upward until he was hanging in the air. She lowered him gently onto his feet, and he dusted the leaves off his tunic.

'All right,' he said. 'I shouldn't have said that.'

There was a moment's painful silence, and then Galbatorix laughed, feeling all his fear and anger melt away. 'You,' he said. 'You're awful, Laela.'

'And you are too hard on yourself,' said Laela. 'Way too hard. I thought you were the toughest human I ever met, but after one thing goes wrong you act as if the world's coming to an end. That's the only thing you did today that was pathetic.'

'But I threw up,' said Galbatorix. He glanced at the revolting gunk still clinging to Laela's scales. 'And everyone saw me. What will they think?'

'Who cares?' said Laela. 'The mighty Galbatorix shouldn't. I don't.'

Galbatorix relaxed and grinned. 'How am I going to put up with you for the next five hundred years, Laela?'

'With difficulty, I think,' said Laela. 'Now, will you promise to stop being stupid or do I have to shout at you again?'

Galbatorix threw up his hands in mock defeat. 'Do I have any choice?'

'No. Now clean this muck off me.'

Over the next few days, Galbatorix had to work at finding a solution to his problem. Obviously he couldn't go to Ilirea and begin his proper training until he was able to fly, and that meant having to overcome the flying sickness in some way or another.

Carina was prepared to be easy on him and kept telling him to take things slowly and worry about it later, but he didn't pay much attention to this. As far as he was concerned, this was a problem that had to be dealt with now, and putting it off would only make it harder.

The elves had various potions that could dull fear and suppress nausea and dizziness, and at first he was content to try these. It meant that his first true flight on Laela passed in a kind of daze. He spent most of it half-asleep and only vaguely aware of what was going on, and afterwards he could hardly remember it. When the potion wore off and he realised that he had as good as missed his first flight, he furiously vowed that he wouldn't touch another one. Those only treated the symptoms, not the disease, and he saw clearly enough that the only way to cure it was to find some way of dealing with his fear of flying.

To his surprise, Flell didn't make fun of him over it. In fact she was startlingly sympathetic. She would talk to him to try and encourage him, and at first she attempted to, more or less, talk him out of his phobia. It didn't work, of course, but he appreciated her concern. Once she realised that she wouldn't be able to cure him, she simply let him know that she was around and would help him if she could, and just let her presence lend him some comfort and support. Galbatorix was glad to have her there.

As for Carina, she seemed almost completely useless. She took no part in Galbatorix's struggles and in fact appeared to be almost wholly disinterested. She watched over him as he tried and failed to master his fear, occasionally making vague suggestions but otherwise doing nothing but watch. But she had a good reason for doing so. The truth was that she knew what he should do to solve his problem, but she knew that if she simply told him she would rob him of this chance to solve a problem by working with his dragon. He and Laela were already linked in the mind, but no rider could understand this link straight away. That was something that had to be learned. Even now Carina was still discovering more about Leaf and her relationship with him, and she knew that if Galbatorix and Laela did this on their own it would be an important step toward their maturing as a pair.

In the end, it was Laela who found the answer. One afternoon, when Galbatorix rejoined her after a day of sword-practise, she fell into step beside him and said; 'So, how did it go?'

'Good,' said Galbatorix. 'We practised blocking today. Flell's terrible at it. What did you do?'

'Went flying over the Stone of Broken Eggs,' said Laela. 'It gave me time to think. And I think I've come up with a solution to our problem.'

She should have said 'your' problem, Galbatorix thought, but it was one of her most endearing habits to accept his problem as hers as well. 'What is it, Laela?'

'I don't have any problems when I fly alone,' said Laela. 'And today I was wishing I could bring you with me and show you the world from above. It's beautiful. And then I realised I could. Our minds are one, aren't they? And I thought, if I can't bring you with me in body, maybe I can bring you in spirit. If we deepen the connection, if I let you see through my eyes, you can feel what it's like to fly without doing it outside of your head. And then maybe you can stop being afraid of it. If you feel how I feel when I'm in the air…'

Galbatorix's heart leapt. 'Laela, you're a genius! Why didn't we think of that before? It's so simple!'

Laela flicked her wings smugly. 'It takes a genius to think of something simple. When shall we try it?'

Galbatorix felt himself nearly quivering with excitement. 'Now.'

'Fine,' said Laela. 'Where shall we go? I thought somewhere high up, maybe over that way.' She indicated the mountains behind Einás' home.

'Are you joking? It'd take hours to walk that far!'

'Oh,' said Laela. 'I forgot… it takes hardly any time to fly there, but… what about a tree, then? You know how to climb those.'

Galbatorix grinned. 'You remember that?'

'Of course.'

They walked together into the forest, away from the elvish dwellings and into a grove of tall pines. Galbatorix found one that looked suitable, and pulled himself up into its branches without much trouble. While Laela waited below, he climbed as high as he could and finally sat down in a comfortable fork, wedging himself between it and the trunk.

'Are you settled yet?' Laela asked.

'Yes.' As he spoke, Galbatorix made the mistake of looking down at her. He gasped – he hadn't realised how high up he was.

'Calm down!' said Laela. 'Don't look!'

Galbatorix sat back against the tree-trunk, gripping its rough bark. His heart was pounding, and he breathed slowly and deeply, forcing himself to calm down.

'That's it,' said Laela. 'Be calm. If you fall, I'll catch you.'

'Are you sure?'

'Always, Galbatorix, always. I promise.'

Galbatorix sighed and relaxed, feeling Laela's strength inside him. She was sharing it, giving him the confidence he didn't have.

'Thankyou,' he said.

He felt Laela's satisfaction. 'I'll find a clear spot and take off.'

Galbatorix waited in the tree, and a few minutes later Laela said; 'All right. I'm ready to take off. Open your mind.'

Galbatorix didn't hesitate for long. He sat back and opened the mental channel between them as he had done before when sharing memories with Laela. She let him into her mind, and he delved into it, immersing himself in her consciousness. But this time there was more than just contact. Laela drew him into herself, pulling his mind into hers. He began to see a flickering vision of what she was seeing over the top of his own view, and to hear her breathing in his ears. He could smell the trees all around, much more keenly than before. Simultaneously, his arms and legs started to go numb. He tried to move his fingers, but they were clumsy and unresponsive. 'This is strange-,' he started to say.

And then, all of a sudden, he was inside Laela.

He lost all sense of his own body. He could no longer feel the tree bark under him, or the broken twig that was digging into his leg. What he saw in front of him flowed smoothly into something else. Now, instead of the bark and pine-needles that were in front of him, he was seeing green grass dotted with flowers. And it looked strange. Sharper, clearer, more defined. He could see further than he ever had before. And he could smell, too. The breeze brought him a hundred different scents – pine sap, rich soil and pollen, the soft smell of a bird perched somewhere close, a remnant of deer-scent from one that had passed this way hours before, and the sweet scent of elves.

And he could feel what it was like to be in Laela's body. Suddenly, his shoulders were heavy and powerful and his back arched. He had wings; he could feel them there on his back. There was a tail, too, swishing restlessly behind him. And he had claws.

'Are you all right?' said Laela's voice. Or was it his voice? He wasn't quite sure.

'Fine,' he said. 'This is amazing! Is this really what it's like to be you?'

'It certainly is,' said Laela. After a short silence she added; 'What do you think?' She sounded almost anxious.

'You're so strong,' said Galbatorix. 'I feel like I could fight an army!'

'Oh, we could,' said Laela. 'We can do anything. Now… shall we fly?'

Galbatorix only hesitated a moment. 'Yes!'

'All right,' said Laela, and he felt a thrill of excitement. Was it his or hers? He didn't know. They had always shared feelings, but this was something else altogether.

He felt his wings open. No, no, Laela's wings, he reminded himself. But there didn't seem to be much difference right now. His legs – her legs – bunched themselves under him – her – and he – they – leapt into the air. Laela's wings beat powerfully, lifting her off the ground, up and up until she… until they were over the treetops. Galbatorix felt an automatic twinge of fear, but it was overwhelmed by Laela's own certainty. This stomach didn't lurch, and this body didn't get dizzy.

And then he was flying. He looked out through Laela's eyes and saw the trees below him, dark green and spiked upward toward the sky. It was so beautiful!

'How are you doing?' Laela's voice asked.

'Do you need to ask? Can't you already tell?'

'Yes,' said Laela. 'Yes, I can feel it. You're fine.' She grinned mentally. 'Let me show you the world from above.'

The white dragon ascended, circling ever higher over the forest until the air grew cold and the trees were tiny, an entire forest reduced to a patch of moss on the ground. At long last Galbatorix saw the world from above, just as she did. And he wasn't afraid.

He felt a fierce joy rushing through them both like hot blood, and as Laela began to swoop and soar, diving and rising once more in a fantastic midair dance, Galbatorix let out a wild, ecstatic laugh.

But the sound didn't come from his own throat, but from Laela's. He felt her body, their body, tense, and he was afraid. Or was Laela afraid? No, both of them were afraid.

'Galbatorix, do you know the way back?' said Laela's voice. She sounded panic-stricken.

Galbatorix tried to answer, but he couldn't remember how. All he could feel was what Laela felt, which was terror.

'Galbatorix! Answer me! Can you reach your own body? Speak, dammit, speak!'

Galbatorix reached out, looking for his body, but he couldn't find it. Utterly confused, he tried to grab for it with his hands. Instead, he saw and felt Laela's front claws start to snatch at the air. He yelled, and Laela's harsh bellowing roar split the air. A mental voice said; 'No, can't, wait, where am I? What's going on?' it wasn't his, or hers. It was theirs.

Galbatorix, flailing wildly with his mind and trying to make his body move again, found himself suddenly controlling one that was completely unfamiliar to him. Laela's wings crumpled as he realised he didn't know how to make them work, and the next moment they were both plummeting from the sky, sharing a psychic scream.

Galbatorix blinked with a pair of eyes that weren't his, and saw the ground rushing toward him. He screamed, but not a sound escaped from his jaws.

Mere seconds before they were dashed against the ground, Laela's wings opened again. They caught the air, and they shot upward and then descended, half-flying and half-falling. And then, pain rifled through him in a horrible, jarring shock.

Moments later they hit the trees, crashing downward in a mass of painful thumps and breaking branches before they slammed onto the ground.

Thump.

The shock made everything go red and black for a second, and then they were lying on the ground with their legs crumpled beneath them.

For a time they lay still, listening to their ragged, shocked breathing. Then Galbatorix felt himself stand up and shake his wings experimentally. They were painful and there was a tear in the left membrane, but they were otherwise intact. He made a shuddering sigh and rubbed his face with his claws. His head ached, and…

'Are you still in here?' it was Laela's voice, thin and nervous.

Galbatorix tried to remember what words meant. It was hard. He couldn't remember how he had got here. Was he a dragon? He tried to move his tail, and felt it flick once, smacking onto the leaf-litter.

'Stop it!' Laela said sharply. 'You've got to go back to your own body. Galbatorix? Can you talk?'

Galbatorix! That was who he was! 'Laela? Where am I?'

'Galbatorix,' said Laela, and he felt immensely relieved when she said it. Or… no. No, that wasn't him. Laela was feeling relieved, not him. 'Thank the sea and sky. I thought I'd lost you.'

'What happened?' said Galbatorix. 'Where am I? What's going on? I think I'm lost…'

'You are lost,' said Laela. 'You're in my body.'

'Well then, where's mine? Was I flying?'

'No. I was flying.' Their flanks were quivering with fright. 'I didn't know something like this could happen. I got confused all of a sudden… couldn't remember what was going on, and then I couldn't control my body any more. If I hadn't managed to get it back before we hit the ground, we'd be dead.'

'I was trying to fly,' said Galbatorix. 'But I didn't know how, and then I fell…'

'No!' said Laela. 'I was flying! You don't know how because you're not me! You're Galbatorix, you're a human, don't you remember? This isn't your body, it's mine.'

'Then where's mine?' Galbatorix asked piteously.

'It's here somewhere,' said Laela. 'I think it might be hurt. Just relax, and don't try to move.'

They walked off through the trees, scenting the air. And though Galbatorix did his best to stay passive as Laela had told him to, his presence still hindered the white dragon. She walked unsteadily, bumping into the trees, stumbling as if she were drunk. But all the while she talked to Galbatorix.

'Don't forget,' she kept saying. 'Remember, Galbatorix. Remember when I hatched for you? It was on the Day of the First Hatching, in Ellesméra. You were nervous, you thought you might not be chosen. You felt sorry for Brom because none of the eggs chose him. There was a storm that night, remember? And you laughed at Flell because she was scared of the thunder. Remember when we sat in the willow tree together and you found out my name? Remember that, Galbatorix? You showed me your memories and I showed you mine. Do you remember?'

'I… think I do.'

'Just say your name,' said Laela. 'Don't let go of it, Galbatorix. Say it.'

'Why?'

'Because it's who you are.'

'No,' said Galbatorix. 'No, it's not. It's not my name. I have a true name. It's… I am… I am Fárbjóđr. That's my name. Yes… Fárbjóđr. And you… you're Freslae. Those are our names.'

For a moment they were confused, but then certainty replaced it and Laela said. 'Yes. Yes, Galbatorix, you're right. Those are our names. Our true names. You found them.'

'I found them,' said Galbatorix. He repeated the names to himself, and for some reason the thought of them helped him hold onto himself and remember that he was not Laela.

At long last, he scented through Laela's nostrils and found an odour that was familiar.

They hurried on through the forest to the base of a tall tree, and there they found…

Galbatorix looked through Laela's eyes and saw a human teenager, clad in black, spreadeagled on the rough ground. In the instant, everything came rushing back.

'That's me!' he exclaimed.

Laela touched her nose to the boy's chest. No, to his chest. It was cold and still, but he could feel a faint, slow heartbeat. He was still alive.

'Yes,' said Laela. 'We've found you. Galbatorix, you have to go back into your body. If you don't, it'll die and we'll be stuck like this for good.'

Galbatorix tried. He concentrated on his body, looking at it with Laela's silver eyes, willing himself to go into it. But he didn't know how. There was no way back. He was trapped inside Laela's head. 'I can't,' he said, his mental voice breaking. 'I can't do it. I can't. I don't know what to do.'

Despair overwhelmed him, deep and cold, and as Laela's body shuddered with his sobs he thought he saw a brief snatch of some vision, shimmering in their entwined minds. He saw Laela, lying alone in the snow, her head slumped low and her wings useless as snowflakes melted on her scales. She looked at him, and he realised she was dying.

'NO!'

He never knew which one of them said it. But then Laela was raging, snarling, her teeth bared. 'This can't happen! You have to go back, Galbatorix, you have to! Don't do this to me!' She wrapped her foreclaws around his body, clutching it tightly to her chest, and the instant she did, he felt pain.

'That hurts!' he said. 'Stop it, Laela, you're crushing me!'

Laela froze. 'That's it…' she whispered. 'Yes! That's it!' She gripped him still more tightly, and he felt her claws sticking into him, bruising him.

'Laela, stop!'

But she wouldn't. She set him down again and began prodding him with the tips of her claws, saying; 'Feel it! Let yourself feel it! Use the pain, Galbatorix!'

'I don't understand!' Galbatorix almost wailed. 'Stop hurting me!'

'The pain is a channel!' said Laela. 'You can still feel your body! Use it!'

Galbatorix tried, but his mind wouldn't focus. 'I can't!'

'You can!' said Laela. 'I know you can. Open your eyes.'

'They're already open!'

'OPEN YOUR EYES!' Laela commanded.

Galbatorix struggled inside her head. He could feel pain stabbing into his chest. His chest, not Laela's. Open your eyes, he thought desperately. Make them open!

The pain was a channel. It was a path. He had to ride it. Open your eyes, Galbatorix, open your eyes…

And then there was a way through. He saw the black-haired boy on the ground open his eyes, and then…

A scream shattered the silence. For a fraction of a second there was a mass of confused sensations, and then he sat upright with a violent, convulsive jerk. He could hear quick, gasping breathing. His breathing. And there was Laela, looking down at him.

'Are you all right?' her voice asked urgently.

Galbatorix blinked, then began frantically patting himself down. He was all there. Arms, legs, face, chest… he winced when he touched his ribcage. It was aching madly. So was his back, and his head. But he was alive, and in his body again, and once the initial confusion cleared he had never been so relieved in his life.

He focused on Laela. 'Freslae… Laela. Oh, gods, I thought I'd never get back.'

Laela peered at him uncertainly, and he could feel her prodding his mind, apparently checking that it was really him in there. Then she laughed wildly and scooped him up in her claws, rolling over onto her back and hugging him to her. 'You're all right! Thank the sky and the stars you're all right!'

Galbatorix, crushed against her chest, could feel her heart pounding like a great drum. He did his best to hug her back, though she was much too large for his arms to wrap around her, and although this was probably the most uncomfortable embrace he'd ever been subjected to in his life he didn't care a bit. He could feel Laela's joy… no, their joy, filling him, and it was wonderful. He was alive.

Laela put him down at last. 'Can you walk?' she asked eagerly.

Galbatorix struggled upright. His back was extremely painful, but he could stand. 'I think I can walk,' he said. 'What about you? Are you all right, Laela?'

'Fine,' said Laela. 'Better than fine. I've got you out of my head and back where you belong, and… oh, that was terrible. I thought I was going mad! I couldn't control my own body properly with you in it! You kept trying to use it yourself!'

'Sorry.'

'Sorry?' said Laela. 'You almost got us killed, you dope!'

But she didn't sound even slightly angry.

'You didn't get hurt, did you?' Galbatorix persisted. 'Can you walk?'

Laela rolled onto her stomach and stood up. 'I'm a little bruised, but I can walk.'

Galbatorix grinned. 'Ah, but can you run?' Without waiting for an answer, he dashed off through the forest as fast as he could go. He ached all over; he was bruised and cut and his back twinged from his fall out of the tree, but he had never welcomed pain so much in his life.

'Oh no you don't!' Laela shouted, and he heard a great rush of air and crushing leaves as she started to run after him.

Laughing, he dodged nimbly around the trees, teasing her, and she chased him, roaring in mock-rage. They ran together, human and dragon both, sharing both pain and pleasure, fear and joy, calling back and forth. 'Can you run, Laela, can you run?'

'I can run, Galbatorix.'

'And can you catch me?'

'Can you get away from me? No! Because wherever you go… I'll be waiting.'

'Do you promise you'll be there, Laela?'

'Always, Galbatorix. Always. Always and always. You can't ever shake me off, never!'

They ran on, teasing each other, and finally Galbatorix emerged into an open field. He ran on, glorying in the light of the setting sun. Laela came out from among the trees, and without stopping she opened her wings and launched herself into the air. Skimming just above the ground, she caught up with him. She wrapped her claws around him, lifting him off his feet, and flew straight up like an arrow.

Galbatorix hung from Laela's grasp, the wind tugging at his clothes and hair. He could feel the wind rushing past him, and see the ground falling away below his dangling feet. He was flying! And he felt no fear at all, only exhilaration.

He whooped aloud, holding onto Laela's claws and watching the world beneath him get smaller and smaller. He saw something that had once terrified him, and laughed. This time Laela didn't ask him if he was all right. She didn't need to. She knew.

Together, bathed in the light of a glorious red sunset, Galbatorix and Laela flew.

13