Bright silver light from above beamed down over them, dappling the foliage below and dulling the vibrant colors. The moonlight turned the familiar into the foreign; it shifted the landscape below into something new and strange. Though they must have made the flight a hundred times, nothing seemed as it had before.

Whether that was the effect of the moonlight or the strange, liberated feeling in her chest, Mellary couldn't say. For the first time since entering the city, her heart felt light again. The chains that had wrapped around her soul had vanished. She felt like she could drift right off into the night sky, buoyed by the stars.

Tell me more about this assignment, Embrald said, his voice lassoing her mind and dragging it back down to her body.

Some weeks ago, a party of elves were traveling through the scrublands to the west of here. They were a group sent out by the Queen, after she agreed to assist the Varden in their efforts again. Islanzadí received a report that said the group had felt something they described as a 'strange and unfamiliar magical ripple'. They were ordered to investigate, as it was decided that elves would have a better grasp of any unfamiliar magic than a human. The group traveled north, scaling the great Glacier that marks the beginning of the ice fields.

Ice fields? She could sense his interest.

They are a sight to behold, Mellary said softly, her voice adopting an almost lyrical rhythm. I once scaled the Glacier myself, just to see what was up there. It is a single sheet of ice, stretching as far away as the eye can see. It appears flat, but the ice is rippled and cracked, creating deep chasms of the clearest blue that you can imagine. The cold nips and the wind bites, drawing the air from you, but breath you can grasp is absolutely pure.

You like it there.

It is calm. Peaceful. There's a certain type of silence there that is impossible to find anywhere else.

She fell silent for a moment, then gave herself a small shake.

Where was I?

Elves.

Ah yes, the elves. They vanished. No one had seen or heard from them. Then, according to the missive, a week ago one of the elves was found sneaking into a Varden outpost. He was discovered and the humans gave chase. The elf used magic on them, and would have succeeded in killing them if there hadn't been a particularly talented mage in the group. They almost managed to capture him, but he died in the struggle.

How?

They didn't elaborate. They found several documents about troop movements and communications in his pockets.

A double cross? Embrald sounded disbelieving.

He was right to doubt. Elves have the strongest loyalty of all the races. He should not have turned.

Do they want us to hunt down the others in the group?

No, the Queen has someone else for that. Mellary had a feeling the elven ruler didn't want the unstable half-blood hunting any of her people. She wishes for us to go north and find the cause.

Embrald's steady flight twitched in surprise, his tail lashing at the air. Us? Why?

Because the ice fields are almost impassable on the ground. Even most elves would find the task lethal. As enchanted as I was by the glacier, I didn't dare try to cross on foot. However, we could make the journey of weeks in a few days. We are also skilled in both physical and magical combat.

I as well? Embrald asked with traces of humor.

'We' collectively, Mellary told him with a grin. I understand her reasoning. But… I can't do it without you.

She had no idea how far into the waste land she would have to travel. Without Embrald, the trip would suicide.

Then there was no more time to debate. Embrald tipped his wings and they swooped up on the cottage. A single candle burning in the window, but it wasn't necessary. Glimmering with subdued gold, Glaedr was waiting for them outside. Oromis stood next to him, one hand on the dragon's thick neck.

Embrald must have reached out to them.

The young pair landed and Mellary jumped down. Oromis had trained his inscrutable black eyes on her.

There was no point in prevaricating.

"I'm leaving."

The ancient elf didn't say anything, just watched her with that uneering gaze.

"I can't stay any longer. Being here had worn on me, and I'm tired. I'm so tired." Something in her had given way, and now the words would not stop coming. "I have already had the training that Eragon is receiving, so there's no point in me staying. The only reason I'm here is because Embrald needs training and you seem to think that I'm going to go out and do terrible things with the power I have. Well, I had plenty of power before and I didn't do that then. I'm not going to turn on the Varden and I'm not going to betray the elves, and if you don't believe me by now, then you're just going to have to have faith in me. I may not have given you reason to yet, but if you can't trust me then you can at least trust Embrald's judgment of character."

She stopped and took a breath. Throughout her tirade, the Rider hadn't said a thing. Embrald's tail curled around her ankle, whether to support or restrain her, she couldn't say.

Mellary glanced up at her dragon. He and Glaedr were looking at each other, their heads tipped to the side in a way she had come to associate with them talking. Curious, she reached for him, but his mind was closed off. Despite the shield, she could sense a whirling, raging storm within his mind. She got a brief impression of a deep, ageless gold flame

"What will you do?" Oromis asked. Mellary looked back at him.

"Odd jobs, here and there," she said. "I'll help where I can, but I'm not a leader. For right now, I have been asked to investigate a magical disturbance in the north."

Oromis studied her for a long moment. Mellary held his black gaze, keeping her own even. Something was stirring in the back of her mind, leaking down her bond with Embrald.

"Perhaps it would be best," the elf said. Mellary glanced at her dragon again.

"What about him?" she asked. "Is Embrald ready?"

"We learned long ago that there are many ways to spread knowledge," Oromis told her. "You are not the first Rider who has needed very little formal instruction in the arts of magic, nor are you the first to be gripped by wanderlust." Mellary glanced away.

While it is not the preferable method of teaching, I have shared crucial information with Embrald across a mental link, Glaedr told her, turning burning gold eyes on her.

"That is possible?" Mellary asked in awe.

Yes, though much can be lost.

Are you alright? Mellrary asked Embrald. Her head was beginning to ache in an odd way, like when she had spent too long reading.

Yes. Although, I now have a deeper appreciation for your magic-induced headaches. She winced in sympathy.

Oromis was studying Embrald with a critical eye. "His flying style is still strange and unpredictable, but it will serve."

"Being unpredictable is not always a bad thing," Mellary pointed out.

"This is true. There is nothing I can give you more important than what you have already found." He pointed to her hand. Mellary lifted her hand up, stared the shards of moonlight caught in the intricately carved greenstone ivy wrapped around her finger. "I can only say this: be true to yourself, and you will do well."

Mellary held his gaze. "I will." Just as soon as I figure out what that is.

You will. I'm sure, Embrald told her.

Are you… will you come with me? Mellary asked, her heart suddenly in her throat.

Embrald lowered his head until he could look her directly in the eye.

Did you truly believe that I would let you attempt something like this on your own? Mellary beamed at him.

She turned back to the Rider pair and gave them a deep bow. "I thank you for your teaching," she said formally. "Ebrithil. May the stars watch over you."

"May peace live in your heart, Argetlam."

Embrald said his goodbye's as Mellary climbed back into the saddle, making sure to strap her legs in for a long flight. For the last time, they dropped off the cliff and rose up into the air, ghosting above the ancient forest.

North? Embrald asked.

First, I think we should let Islanzadí know we're taking her generous offer of employment, Mellary said wickedly.

With Embrald's laughter in her mind, she pulled out the slip of parchment that Aerwyn had handed her and spread it out on her lap. Passing her hand over the empty back, she said the same spell that was used to make fairths. The ink on the other side moved, bleeding through the thick material to twist into words.

Following her directions, Embrald took them to the balcony just outside the Queen's rooms. Mellary leaned out and dropped the parchment. Before it even hit the smooth woods floor, Rider and dragon were no more than shadows in the night.

Embrald carried them above the treetops with powerful sweeps of his wings. Mellary tipped her head back, drinking in the clear air.

Together they flew in to the night, leaving the elven city to fade away into the darkness.

The next morning, Islanzadí spotted the small, rolled up scroll lying on the balcony, the parchment white against the dark wood it lay on. Curious and cautious, she approached and picked up the paper, her magic ready to strike the instant there was a threat. The visible part was covered in half-faded words, smeared and almost illegible.

The elven Queen unrolled the scroll, to reveal two thick, dark words.

We accept.