Chapter 19. Galmore
They all watched the little green dragon in awe and wonder; ("Eragon… look at his eyes…") Eragon got a little closer and gasped at the dragons pink eyes. The hatchling let out a little squeak at Saphira who replied with a gentle roar. The green dragon jumped up and down then he ran in a circle and squeaked at her again. Saphira roared at him and he jumped in excitement again. (He's so cute…") Saphira said.
The dragon turned its pink eyes on Eragon. His pink-eyed stare had the same effect on him as Elva's did. The dragon sniffed the air and cautiously crept towards Eragon. Eragon reached his hand out and stroked the little dragon's neck; as he did a tingle shot up his arm and his dragon mark glowed. Solembum returned to preparing a meal of stew for all of them and a noise made the dragon turn his head towards Solembum. The little dragon approached Solembum and sniffed the air; as he did this Solembum continued working, but his eyes shifted up without his head moving. The dragon snorted at Solembum who responded by hissing at the dragon. The dragon turned away from him and raised its tail as if dismissing Solembum. Elva took a deep breath as the little dragon locked eyes with her; she didn't move as the dragon approached her. She instinctively reached her hand out and when she touched the dragon the mark on her head glowed bright like the moon and her eyes lit up like candles. She fainted, but before she could hit the ground, Eragon caught her. Eragon made a bed then he set her on it and turned her right hand up just in time to see a green tinted mark appear in her hand.
Visions near and far danced in Elva's head and the voices of a thousand dragons called out to her from their eldunari. They cried for revenge against the man who decimated their race.
Elva awoke; "How long was out…" She asked sitting up.
"An hour maybe less…" Eragon said.
Solembum handed her a bowl of stew and set next to her watching in concern. Her clothes had ripped, her hair was longer and Elva's ears had small points, not as pronounced as Eragon's but they were unmistakable. She looked at the green dragon who had doubled in size and was eating on a small rabbit.
"Is it me or has that dragon gotten bigger…" Elva asked.
("No your eyes aren't deceiving you… he has doubled in size…") Saphira said. ("…And he isn't the only one …stand up.")
Elva sat her bowl on the side and stood up; when she did her clothes were torn and hanging off her body, she was now a girl of eleven years of age. "What is happening to me?"
"I don't know…" Eragon said.
The green dragon had devoured the entire rabbit and stared at Elva's bowl he leapt from where he was and slammed his face into the bowl devouring the stew. "Hey you little pig… that is mine…"
Eragon and Saphira laughed as Solembum handed her a new bowl. Then the dragon surprised them all by speaking; ("Thank you for freeing me from that mad man… I had no wish to serve him…")
The look on everyone's face was astonishment. The little dragon had been speaking so that everyone could here his thoughts.
("You know about Galbatorix?") Saphira asked.
("Of course I do…")
("How…") Elva asked.
("My ancestors reached out to me and said that a girl of great power and mind would rescue me and when she did I was to hatch for her…")
("What ancestors… of whom do you speak?") Eragon asked.
("I don't know they spoke from a far away place…") He then turned his head to Elva and asked; ("What is my name?")
Elva blinked and raised her eyebrows; "He is right you should be the one to name him…" Eragon said speaking up.
"I have never named anyone before…" She smiled remembering a story Angela told her; "I shall name you Galmore… after the hero of my favorite story…"
("Galmore…. Galmore… Galmore") He jumped up and down repeating his name then he took his claw and scratched it in the ground. ("Galmore! I like it…")
Saphira snorted; ("Well this has been interesting… I am off to hunt…")
("May I come…")
Saphira was crouched to take off still wearing her armor, but she stopped to look down at Galmore; ("No little hatchling… you need to stay here…") And without waiting for a reply Saphira took off.
("I want to fly too…") He pouted and stomped over to Elva and curled up next to her. She felt his anger and began stroking his spiked neck. He looked up at Elva; ("Who is Greta?")
Elva smiled; "The…" She was about to speak aloud, but she changed her mind and spoke to him with her mind. ("Greta is the woman who took care of me for my entire life… How do you know about her?")
Smoke came from his nostrils causing her to cough; ("We are linked silly and the magic Eragon put on you is apart of me… Anyway I asked because I feel a great regret in you. You should apologize to her… and Eragon and this time mean it…")
Elva closed her mind off she needed to think to herself. She regretted her actions with Greta and Eragon. Then there was Galmore he shared in Eragon's magic on her and he would shield her from misfortune as well.
Eragon looked at the two of them and mentally called to Solembum; ("What do you think of all this?")
("I think a lot of people are going to be excited and afraid at the same time… Many people feared Elva and now she is a dragon rider… She will need your protection and guidance…")
("I shudder to think what Galbatorix will do when he finds out…")
("I believe his days are numbered and you will be his end…")
("He is too powerful… and…") Eragon said getting scared.
("And a werecat and a seven year old girl stole his dragon egg and freed an imprisoned rider…")
Eragon smiled then Saphira reminded him of something; ("Since you brought it up can you tell me what and where is the rock of kuthian… Spahira and I have a few theories as too what it is, but…")
Solembum cut him off; ("Like with your sword you will have to wait until the moment arrives… all shall be revealed in time…")
That is when Saphira returned licking her jaws and then going to the pond to drink some water. "We shall rest tonight and continue on without stopping until we reach the varden…" Solembum said; "Sleep I shall keep watch tonight…"
Galmore had already fallen to sleep next to Elva, Saphira yawned and wished everyone a goodnight and she closed her eyes. Eragon lay under her wing and fell asleep, but his mind was tormented by visions of Galbatorix. Saphira comforted him with her mind and he was finally able to rest comfortably.
Solembum was up by himself keeping watch over them all; he screed the varden and sighed in relief because they were still in Feinster and none of the leaders had sent out any forces to try and rescue Eragon. Then he snuck a peek at Angela, who was asleep. Her spell allowed him to look at her only. He stood up and sniffed the air and discovered several smells coming from the east. His head snapped when Elva started thrashing in her sleep; Galmore was doing the same. He woke Eragon and Saphira with his mind and they watched dragon and rider suffer some sort of pain and then it ended.
Elva sat up and everyone gasped at the two of them; Galmore was bigger as big as a donkey. Elva now had the body of a fifteen-year old girl. Her hair went down to her waist; her face had a slight angle to it, and Elva's ears were pointier, but not as pointy as Eragon's.
"What is this…" When Elva spoke it had an exotic tone to it like part human and part elf. Eragon turned his back to her out of respect, he took some blankets and made her a skirt and shirt.
"I believe I know what is happening with the two of you…" Solembum said speaking up, "Eragon your blessing on Elva is interacting with the magic that binds them… They are accelerating each other… Dragons grow quickly in their first few months of life… Elva was already aging quickly the spells are complementing one another…"
("It makes since…") Saphira said.
("That was an interesting theory… but I am hungry…") Galmore said.
"So am I…" Elva said rubbing her rumbling stomach.
"Well we can't stay here anymore…" Eragon said.
("When I was flying I spotted a village near here…")
"I can go into town and pick up some clothes for Elva…"
("And I can go hunting for the hatchling…")
"I guess the three of us can start walking south and you two can catch up with us…" Eragon said.
"One problem Saphira's armor… When the sun comes up…" Solembum said.
Eragon showed Saphira a mental image of what he was planning to do. She reluctantly agreed. Eragon made his spell and used magic to cover her armor in dust and mud. She immediately took off and solembum headed towards the village. Eragon, Elva, and Galmore walked along the ground ducking around hills and trees so that Galmore wouldn't be spotted.
("I am a dragon and I belong in the air…") He jumped up spreading his wings but Eragon held him on the ground through his power.
Elva smiled; "What if you made him invisible… then he can fly without drawing attention to himself…"
Eragon recited the long incantation changing a few words so that the spell fed off Galmore. When he imbued the words with his power Galmore's body began to fade.
He let out a roar and leapt into the air; he glided in circles, then he swooped down on Eragon and Elva and chased a bird in the air, but soon he became tired because of the spell and he had yet to build up his endurance. Then there was the fact that he was hungry; when he landed Eragon ended the spell and he followed on the ground asking Elva the bulk of his questions in private.
("Considering you are a rider now… Are you still angry with Eragon for the spell he placed on you?")
Before she could answer, Saphira returned with a deer in her mouth. They stopped so that Galmore could eat and as he did Elva answered his question. They were getting ready to leave when Solembun came running up to them with clothes for Elva and two rolls of leather.
"So that you can make Galmore a saddle when he is big enough for Elva to ride…"
"Good thinking…"
When Galmore was done they continued on; Eragon, Elva, and Solembum walked at a brisk pace while Saphira and Galmore flew in the air low enough for Galmore to keep up and high enough to be mistaken for two large birds. It was noonday when Elva and Galmore had another burst of growth only this time it wasn't painful. When it was over Galmore was now three times the size of a horse. He was the same size as Thorn when Eragon and Saphira saw them on the burning planes. Elva was now a young woman of nineteen years of age. Her hair was long as an elf's but curly with brown splotches here and there. Her ears were as pointed as any elfs, she was like Eragon, only from a womans side of things. She was more beautiful than any woman and curvier than any female elf.
Galmore and Elva looked at each other in acceptance. Eragon sighed and then he went about the business of making a saddle for Galmore. With Saphira's help he was able to replicate what Brom had done for him, with a few modifications. Eragon put spells on the Saddle so that it would grow with Galmore.
"Alright guide with your mind and thoughts… link your identies until there is only one being and you shall accomplish many things…" Eragon said sitting on Saphira.
Solembum rode with Elva in his human form; ("Yes let us be off…") Galmore said impatiently.
("Wait… there are things about the wind and sky you should know…") Saphira said. She mentally gave him some images and pointers on what to look for and how to fly.
Saphira crouched low and took off with Galmore right behind her. As they rose into the air Elva let out a scream of excitement and joy. Eragon smiled at her enthusiasm as it reminded him of the first time he flew on Saphira and enjoyed it.
("Where are they taking us anyway?") Galmore asked.
("To the varden… They fight against Galbatorix and his empire…")
They flew for several hours and Elva and Solembum practiced a few maneuvers in the air as they did. By sunset they reached the Beor mountains and the boarders of Surda. They stopped to eat, refresh and relieve themselves, but before they took off Elva and Galmore had one last growth burst. Elva was now a woman in her early twenties and Galmore was almost as big as Saphira. They took off and didn't stop until they reached the Jiet river.
"Galbatorix… must be heading back to Urubaen by now…" Solembum said.
"Yeah I sure would have liked to see the look on his face when he got back…" Elva said.
"I wouldn't…" Eragon said.
They took off and turned North towards Feinstar and when they were over the city they were greeted by Glaedr's mind and then Solembum called out to Angela.