Embrald clawed his way up the side of the cliff, sinking his long talons into the lush carpet of vines. Mellary could feel the vibrations running up his body when his claws scraped against the vertical rock wall.
She was pressed against his back, the spines along his neck digging into her stomach. Her feet were planted on his wing joints; from the side she appeared to be standing rather than sitting. All the better to fight the downward pull.
They had flown out over the forest down below, until the cliff was nothing but a bright line on the horizon. Embrald had spiraled down, sinking through a gap in the green canopy and into the emerald-soaked world below. The lattice of branches hadn't offered up any gaps wide enough for the slim dragon to wiggle through, so they had perched on a sun-lit limb wider than Embrald was.
Mellary had hopped off, her nerves still buzzing, and dropped next to the trunk. She leaned her back against the wood, feeling the life-energy thrumming behind her. Embrald wound his tail around a neighboring branch and lounged, watching her with an acute gaze.
How are you? Embrald asked. Although his mental voice had been soft, the sudden rupturing of the silence made Mellary jump.
She was shaken, more shaken than she cared to admit, even to herself. Especially to herself. Mellary didn't care what they thought. She didn't. If she kept telling herself that, it might even be true.
He didn't kick you out. He didn't make a fuss about your lineage. Oromis accepted you. He is correct when he says that they don't have a choice.
I know.
You and I are exactly half of the Riders remaining alive in Alaglaesia. They can't cast us aside; they need us too badly.
One fourth.
Excuse me?
We are exactly one fourth of the remaining Riders. You forgot Oromis and Glaedr, and Galbatorix and his dragon.
You must be feeling fine to be this contrary. His eyes were laughing at her. Then they darkened. And I do not count that murderer and his steed among the Riders.
Mellary smiled back and kneaded her shoulders, trying to work out some of the tension there. When did I become so insecure? She asked, disgusted with herself. This is ridiculous.
I have been saying that for a while now.
Oh be quiet. She quirked an eyebrow at him. How do you feel about the existence of another dragon?
It was more than I had hoped for. One so old, so knowledgeable…. Saphira and I have each other, but without Glaedr we would have had to rediscover everything. Mellary could feel the excitement and relief rolling off of his scales like water, though his words were cool and collected.
How much time before noon? She asked.
Perhaps an hour.
An hour? It was still decently early in the morning when we left.
There was the time it took to fly out here, and then you… you were lost for a little bit.
Mellary frowned. She didn't lose time. Letting the mind wander away from the world was a good way to get killed. She knew that from experience.
We should probably begin to fly back, She said, standing and brushing lose pieces of bark from her clothes.
They had flown back easily, aided by a tailwind, and arrived early. Embrald dove down to gain speed and arced up, wings pressed along his back and talons inches from the curtain of vines over the cliff. Without wing beats to lift them up they slowed, coming to a complete stop for one precious second. Embrald reached out and snared the vines. His weight came to rest on them and Mellary held her breath, waiting for the inevitable snaps. She could hear thick roots groaning, but the vines held.
The dragon worked one foot free and reached up to snare a new handful. He pulled himself up, claw over claw.
Why, exactly, are we doing this?
I wanted to know if I could.
Mellary rolled her eyes, but didn't protest.
Embrald hauled his body onto the flat cliff side just as Eragon and Oromis vanished into the hut. Mellary climbed down and, out of sheer force of habit, checked to make sure that her ears were covered. She caught herself, clenching her hand into a fist and slowly lowering it down to her side. Mellary started walking as Embrald bound past her to join the other two dragons.
She walked through the door of the hut. Eragon was neck deep in a history lesson she had heard many times before. Oromis glanced up as she walked in, but didn't break his easy cadence.
Mellary looked around. The hut was a single room, the walls aerated liberally by wide windows. It contained the barest amount of furniture possible, all tucked into nooks and crevasses. The middle of the room had been left open, allowing the breeze to wander through unhampered as it chose. The only think in the middle of the room was a table and three chairs.
Two entire walls had been honeycombed, the hollows filled with rows of scrolls. Mellary didn't even try to fight the pull; she wandered over and gently tipped down one of the rolls of paper, tilting her head to read the flowing elven script on the side.
Advanced Healing Techniques. Informative and helpful, but she had read it already. Strategies of the Skulblaka. Hmm, dragon warfare. That might come in handy in the future. She made a mental note of where it was, then moved on.
For a moment she paused, casting her attention behind her to listen.
"I want to know so much," Eragon was saying. "How, what, when, why?" Silence reigned. Mellary peeked over her shoulder, noting the thoughtful look on the elven Rider's face. The lack of response seemed to be making Eragon nervous.
"There's no shame in wanting to know." Mellary said in the silence. "Knowledge is power." She read the title of the next scroll and raised an eyebrow. "I thought all of these were burned a century ago," She said, her voice filled with appreciation. She pulled the scroll, an unusual blue color, from the shelf and turned to show it to Oromis.
His brows snapped together. "The works of Nathaleon were considered subversive and unnatural, and subsequently destroyed."
"Why?" Eragon asked.
Mellary hefted the scroll, unrolling it slightly so she could glance over the first lines of text. She whistled between her teeth. "I understand why." She rolled the paper back, the looked at Oromis.
"Would I be able to borrow this?" She asked, tapping the blue scroll with a finger.
"Perhaps when I have judged the extent of your magical capabilities." He replied, turning back to his food and gesturing for her to do the same.
Mellary sighed with regret as she slid the scroll back into its place. She trailed her fingers along the wall as she ambled towards the table.
"The complete works of Elyse the Wanderer," She said softly as she passed by.
Eragon heard her. "That was the elf whose spell you performed, right? What was it? The Wandering Soul?"
Mellary winced as Oromis whipped around to stare at her. She met his gaze defiantly.
"The Wandering Soul is a dangerous spell," He finally said levelly. "You should not be risking yourself in that manner."
"And you should be?" Mellary asked angrily. "Eragon spoke of how you contacted him. The only way that anyone, even a centuries old Rider, would be able to reach from Ellesméra to the heart of Farthen Dur is by using the Wandering Soul," She snapped.
"You know much about the spell," Oromis didn't bother to deny it; they both knew that she spoke the truth.
"I'm well read." Mellary crossed her arms defensively. Oromis continued to regard her for a minute longer the turned back to his lunch, indicating the vacant chair with a wave of his hand.
Mellary walked over and sank down, helping herself to a piece of bread.
Everything fine? Embrald asked.
Perfect.
Mellary glanced out the window. Saphira was nose-over-tail excited, dancing around the larger gold dragon. Embrald was crouched off to the side, barely visible from Mellary's view. His belly was pressed to the ground, his muscles bunched like he was preparing to spring. The only movement was the tip of his tail as it twitched across the bare cliff; he might as well have been carved from a single slab of gemstone.
He looked like a cat that had been backed into a corner by a hound.
She frowned, sending out a mental probe. His shields were up. Strange. Embrald rarely bothered with mental shields, preferring to leave his mind open to her. Mellary withdrew.
She ate slowly and sparsely, listening to Oromis talk about the past; he went on a length about Brom. Mellary had known about him, but they hadn't lived in Ellesméra at the same time. Oromis and Eragon held him in extremely high regard, as did most of the elves who had mentioned him.
Her attention went back to the dragons. Embrald hadn't moved at all, still crouched by a boulder that partially shielded him from the view of others. Saphira was still like a newborn puppy, at awe with the world.
There was a little more conversation, which Mellary listened to quietly. She helped with the dishes, then sat as still as Embrald as Oromis gave instructions to Eragon.
Finally the blue dragon and Rider left, dropping off the edge of the cliff and then rising up into the sky.
Oromis turned, noticing her leaning against the side of his hut. He sat down on one of the scattered boulders, inviting her to take a seat on an adjacent one. They sat in absolute silence for a while.
"I followed Eragon's progress through the land," Oromis said finally. "But I did not see yours."
It was a statement, not a question. Mellary gave no response.
"How is that? I would like to believe that I still have sufficient talent to find another Rider."
"As I said, I did not cause the ripples among people that Eragon had," Mellary said. "Embrald and I spent most of our time in the wilderness, away from people. I do not believe that he saw another person from the time of our escape from Dras Leona to when we joined the battle at Farthen Dur."
That is correct.
"Even after the battle, I had no hint of your presence, not until you stepped through the wards surrounding the city."
Mellary ran her fingers through her curls. "I have… a shield. A block over my mind that prevents anyone from finding me magically. I suspect that it extended to cover Embrald as well after his mind joined with mine."
"I would like to see this shield."
"I would have to remove a few layers before…"
"If you would." It wasn't a request.
Mellary ground her teeth, but closed her eyes. One by one, she tore down the layers she had built up around her mind. Pressed between two layers was a lattice of magic, intricate swirls glowing around her mind. It stretched across her barriers, appearing like an intricately wrought metal gate, though infinitely more fragile.
She felt Oromis at the edge of her mind. She could sense the ghost of what had been, a roaring inferno of magic reduced to a few meager flames. It made her inexplicably sad. He reached out and touched the shield, sampling the working.
The elf's presence withdrew, and Mellary raised her shields back into place.
"That is an intricate spell. Where did you learn of it?"
"Here, in the library," Mellary supplied. "I had a lot of time when I lived here before."
"I underestimated your abilities. And, I believe, your knowledge of history exceeds Eragon's." Mellary dipped her head. "Necessarily, your education will need to be different. You already know how to read and write, and your magical talent far exceeds what I am capable of in my state. Why are you here?" The sudden change of topic caught her off guard.
"I said before: to learn."
"You already know more that most humans could hope to learn in a lifetime." Oromis brushed aside the excuse.
"I couldn't avoid coming without raising questions as to why I was not. If I demonstrated my talent or knowledge, people would want to know where it came from. My origins would have come to light. I did not want that."
"Why not?"
She shrugged one shoulder. "I had been used to ignoring it for so long. It was habit."
"Do not lie to me."
"I did not want them to know," Mellary said bitterly.
Oromis regarded her. "We will return to this issue, once you have found an answer. For now, I would like to see what Embrald is capable of."
At his words the green dragon exploded into motion, diving off the edge of the cliff and rising back into view in a tight corkscrew. Oromis and Glaedr put him through his paces, asking him to do all types of aerobatic maneuvers.
When Embrald landed, the edge of his exhaustion creeping through their bond to Mellary, Oromis frowned. However, it was Glaedr that spoke first.
Your motions are strange, He said, addressing Embrald. It is as if you are swimming through the air, rather than flying.
"We spent many hours in the air together, over the past few months." Mellary said. "I was forced to abandon my horse as soon as he was strong enough to carry me."
Your wings are too large.
They are not, Embrald grumbled privately to Mellary. She chuckled.
Embrald?
Yes?
Your wings are too big.
"We shall see if this different method of flying is effective." Oromis said. "Now it is your turn, Rider."
Mellary worked through the stretches, after removing the soft tunic and setting it aside. The loose undershirt allowed for ample movement.
"You are ambidextrous."
"I fight with two swords."
"You prefer this?"
"I believe it gives me an edge. The art has been lost long enough that most do not know how to counter two blades."
Oromis nodded and she shrugged back into her tunic, resettling the sash around her waist.
"You said that you had sworn no oaths. Why?"
"I didn't feel the need to bind myself to anyone. Oaths come with ties and expectations. Obligations. They upset people. They make me noticeable, a target, something that I feel it is best to avoid."
"The Varden need your help."
"They need me to fight, not to get tangled up in politics. I think I would be a better fighter if I don't have to worry about stepping on anyone's toes."
You mean, when you don't have to care whose toes you step on.
From the slight quirk of Oromis's lips, Mellary knew that he had heard the comment.
"If you are so interested in fighting, why did you not chose to remain with the Varden? A demonstration of your capabilities and I believe they would not have minded. You must have known you were coming to see me, and why."
"If you think I have nothing to learn, send me away," Mellary challenged, meeting Oromis's dark eyes.
"I am here to do more than teach you. I must make sure that you make the right decisions for the right reasons."
He thinks I don't have morals.
I'm sure he thinks you have morals. He just wants to…. double check.
Oromis was looking at Glaedr, the two having a silent conversation just as she and Embrald were.
"Return tomorrow morning, an hour after sunrise. We will begin training then." Oromis said, standing. "And while you are training, you will release your shields."
Mellary gaped at him. "Go without shields? But people will….they'll know…"
"You have nothing to hide from while you are here, and I believe that it will help with your training," The elf swept away before she could argue further.
Mellary walked over to Embrald. He shifted his wings to let he climb up, rising from his crouched position as he did.
Where are we going? He asked, shaking like a dog. Mellary levered herself into her spot, both Rider and dragon ignoring the golden gaze trying to pin them to the ground.
We need to find Eragon. I need his oath. Mellary said as Embrald lunged, shoving air beneath them with his powerful wings.
Not Saphira's? He wheeled back towards the city and dug his wings into the air, reveling in the rush of speed.
I trust her to be smart enough not to let anything slip. She hasn't so far.
They went back to their rooms. Are we going to be polite or rude?
He's going to have questions. I need to get him to swear before we get into the details, or lack thereof, of my life.
Rude it is.
Embrald swooped down, not bothering to slow, and landed with a solid thunk on the balcony outside the main chamber of Eragon's suite. Mellary leapt down and strode into the room.
"Eragon!" She cried, injecting anger into her voice. Saphira, who had started when they landed, settled back down. She had laid her head on her paws, but her eyes were bright and attentive. Mellary walked past her, calling out again.
Eragon stepped into view from around the corner, confusion in his eyes. Mellary stopped in front of him, arms crossed in front of her, confrontation in every line of her body.
"Swear to me that you will not tell anyone what you learned today," She demanded.
Eragon was a good politician, she would give him that. But he took a minute to gather his thoughts, find the best and safest way to proceed. If she caught him by surprise….
"I won't, but…"
"Do you take me for an idiot? In the ancient language! Swear in the ancient language that you will not reveal who I am to anyone."
Without expressed permission, hers or mine, Embrald added from his place on the balcony. He hadn't followed her in; that would have been too much of a physical attack to risk.
"What are you? How can I swear if I don't know anything about you?" Eragon asked, sounding reasonable.
"I am someone who would prefer that her lineage remain a secret. More than that you don't need to know." This needed to end before he came to the realization that there was nothing to back up her implied threat. "Now, please, give me your oath."
Something in her eyes must have convinced him, because after a brief hesitation Eragon complied. Mellary could have sighed with relief as the wave of magic rolled through her.
Why can no one know? Saphira asked. Mellary looked at the dragon, taking a few steps back from Eragon.
"I….am in hiding." In a manner of speaking. "It would be best for the sake of our training that the truth be left alone."
"You are lying to the elves?"
"I'm not lying. I am merely not correcting their assumptions," Mellary said. She turned to leave, walking past Saphira.
"Wait!" Mellary hesitated. "Who are you?" She turned to face Eragon, considering her answer.
"I am a fellow Rider. That is all you need to know." She turned away and swung onto Embrald's back.
"Did you live here?" He threw the question after her. Mellary sighed, suddenly tired, and rubbed her eyes.
"The less you know about my past, the better," She said. "But there is a reason that I don't tell people who I am. And, frankly, it's a good one."
Embrald spread his wings and took off, rising into the sky.
Would you like to go flying? He asked, pulling on his wings to soar higher into the blue expanse.
Mellary leaned back, letting the wind roar by her. She closed her eyes against the bright sun.
After a while, Embrald spoke.
Eventually Eragon is going to ask questions.
Eventually I'll find a way to avoid them.
Technically, as the first Rider to emerge, he is our superior, Embrald pointed out.Mellary snorted. He will realize that he can demand answers, and that won't be as easy to dodge as you think.
You seem to be full of opinions. What do you recommend?
Tell him. However much or little as you want to, but tell him. Tell someone. Simply knowing that you are not alone in the knowledge will help you.
You know. And that's enough for me.
Mellary….
Let it go. Please.
Very well. I'll let it go, but they might not.
Mellary was silent. He was absolutely right.