Hi everyone. I apologise once again for the extremely long update, but I have just moved house and had no internet for the first few months. But hopefully I will be able to update a little faster now it is up and running and hope you all still enjoy this story as much as I do writing it. Now, without further ado, enjoy chapter 22!
Zyana woke the next morning by a loud knocking at the door. She groaned and rolled over, tucking herself into Ohrana's wing tighter, not opening her eyes. The knocking came again, slightly louder and more urgent this time, earning a small growl from Ohrana. Realising there was no use in knocking again, the door swung open with a bang and agitated footsteps made their way over to Zyana's bed side.
"It is time for you two to rise. We have should have already been ready to begin training hours ago." Arya's aggravated voice rang. Zyana groaned and reluctantly pushed Ohrana's wing aside and sat up. She opened her eyes and was met by two emerald ones boring into her furiously. "It is almost noon, we already should have had at least several hours of training."
Zyana, who was suddenly fully awake, stood up quickly, her sapphire eyes wide. "Noon already? But how can that be? Someone should have woken us sooner."
"Someone did try. Actually several people had, but none were brave enough to get close to Ohrana who had so charmingly growled and nipped at anyone who so much as knocked on the door."
Zyana turned to her dragon and gave her a long hard look. Ohrana gave the equivalent of a shrug and curled herself into a ball, ignoring the enraged elf before her.
"I expect to see you both down in the court yard in fifteen minutes. If you aren't there on time I am sure Elkir will not be pleased." With that, she spun on her heel and left the room, slamming the door behind her.
Zyana flinched at the sound and turned to Ohrana. Why did you turn them all away? You know how important our training is and what it means for not only ourselves, but the whole future of Alagaesia.
Ohrana puffed a cloud out of her nostrils. I was tired, and so were you. We would be of little use if we were to train that way.
Well we're going to have to be. Zyana pointed out. There will be very few nights spent with the amount of sleep we need, so we will just have to get used to the idea. Come on now, we do not want to keep this Elkir waiting any longer.
Moaning quietly in displeasure, Ohrana got off the bed and made her way to the window yawning. She sat by it patiently, basking in the midday sun, waiting for her rider to finish getting dressed and ready. When Zyana reappeared in a pair of trousers and a tunic she had found in the wardrobe, she nodded to Ohrana in indication that she was ready.
Alright, Ohrana smiled. Shall we fly again as we did last night?
Zyana smiled widely at the thought. You shouldn't even have to ask.
Feeling the enthusiasm of the previous night, Ohrana slowly pushed her way through the window again, barely missing the frame. She hovered just outside while Zyana climbed onto the sill and then awkwardly onto her back. As she found her seat in between Ohrana's shoulders, she frowned at a sharp pain running up and down her legs.
She adjusted herself slightly so she was sitting comfortably enough for the short flight and motioned to her dragon that she was ready. Not needing any encouragement, Ohrana soared through the air at an unbelievable speed, almost losing her rider in the process.
Ohrana, please. Zyana moaned in displeasure. This is only our second flight, and as much as I love this you have to remember I am not yet used to the air as you are and need time to get used to the way you glide. Not to mention the fact that I could fall with even the smallest of bumps because you haven't been fitted with a saddle yet.
Ohrana sighed and reluctantly slowed to a soft glide. I would never let you fall Zyana. And even if you did manage to lose grip from my back, I would find a way to catch you before you hit the ground. I just can't wait until we can fly properly.
Zyana nodded. I will speak to mother about having a saddle made for you, although at the rate you are growing it would probably only last a week or two. The dragon huffed and said nothing, slowly gliding in silence.
Within a few short minutes the training grounds came into complete view. The first thing she noticed were the three dragons sitting beside the entrance and four smaller figures making their way to the middle.
Figures we'd be the last ones here. Ohrana moaned.
Well if you hadn't scared everyone who had tried to wake us half to death then we would have been here so much earlier. Zyana pointed out.
Ohrana puffed a cloud of smoke out of her nose but remained silent as she slowly began her descent. She landed awkwardly near the edge of the ring and Zyana dismounted immediately, rubbing out the growing pain in her legs.
"So nice of you both to finally join us."Came a hard male voice. Zyana turned around and was met by a pair of bright yellow eyes boring into her. She shifted uncomfortably feeling as if her entire being was being penetrated by his fearful gaze. "Your training was supposed to commence at sun rise; it is now several hours passed and you are only just arriving. If this were a battle against the empire, you would not only have already lost an entire army, our enemies would have taken siege over the city thanks to your tardiness. Not only is this setting a bad example for the hundreds of hard working elves who have been training for months and months, it shows that you not yet understand the need for us to be ready for anything that is to come. I am sure the queen will be less than pleased to hear of this."
"I..." Zyana began but the elf before her raised his hand silencing her immediately. "There is no time for apologies now your highness; you can show me your remorse by performing greatly in my lessons. We shall begin immediately."
He turned quickly on his heel and began walking towards the centre of the ring. Ohrana growled quietly so only Zyana could hear. Who does he think he is? If he thinks he can silence you, the queen's daughter, like a mere peasant he is so gravely mistaken. I should teach him some manners and detach one of his arms, I'm sure he wouldn't need both.
That would only make the situation all the worse. This is what we have to deal with for the coming months so I guess we will have to get used to it whether we like it or not. We just have to work hard to please him to get him off our backs.
Ohrana huffed again. Not after that first impression I don't think. He will torture us for everything we have.
"You!" the elf shouted over his shoulder. "Why are you all not following me? I need you all in the centre of the ring to begin. Do not keep me waiting any longer."
All four dragons and their riders reluctantly followed him to the centre and stopped when they caught up to him. He was very tall, even by elf standards Zyana noticed, with large muscles bulging through the tight sleeved tunic he wore. His dark brown hair fell down to his shoulders in perfect silk like waves which blew gracefully in the small breeze. Apart from his cat like eyes, he was quite attractive, despite his temperamental personality.
He looked at the dragons and riders before him and studied each of them closely, obviously taking mental note of their flaws. "My name is Elkir, and I am going to be your trainer for the next few weeks, or until I am completely satisfied that you are not going to kill yourself in the next stage of your training. Probably the latter." He added quietly to himself. "Now, we will begin by performing some exercises to increase our flexibility. Litheness is just as important as speed or agility in combat and will aid your performance in battle greatly."
Zyana heard Eragon groan quietly beside her and drew an involuntary quick breath when Elkir's enraged gaze turned upon him. "Is there a problem oh mighty dragon rider?" Elkir asked sarcastically. "Is the Shadeslayer unhappy about his new training regime?"
Eragon's jaw clenched at his insulting tone and looked as if her were about to retaliate when a small warning growl from Saphira stopped him. Instead he just sighed and shook his head grudgingly as he balled his hands into tight fists. Elkir who seemed more than pleased with the power he possessed over the riders, haughtily continued.
"Line up in a straight line now," He said. "And follow what I do exactly. We will begin with something easy." The riders quickly obeyed, forming a perfect line within seconds. Without saying another word, Elkir lifted one leg and grabbed his ankle before pulling it up behind him so his toes touched the back of his head. He extended his other arm to help keep his balance and nodded to the riders who were all staring at him open mouthed.
"This is called the King of the skies. Make a habit of remembering the names of all the poses I will teach you because I will not repeat myself. Now, do the King of the Skies."
All four exchanged reluctant glances before following his example slowly and slightly unbalanced. After finally getting into the correct position, Elkir shifted his gaze between them and frowned. "Your flexibility is acceptable, for now, and your balance is somewhat satisfactory. However, if we want to defeat the king you will all need to become more so. Now, hold your positions until I tell you otherwise."
He began to pace back and forth between them all, his narrow eyes looking them up and down critically. He did not say anything, but was obviously continuing to take mental notes on their competency. "Good," he said after a few minutes. "You may release your position."
The riders all breathed a sigh of relief as they returned to their original standing pose. This sequence went on for quite a few more hours in the same fashion, with Elkir showing them many more positions designed to increase their flexibility in between studying the dragons fighting skills. The sun was slowly beginning to dip behind the horizon when Elkir finally dismissed them. "You will all need to work hard if you want to be dragon riders. It is not just a decision to make on a whim. Get some rest and think about what we have learned today, we will begin early tomorrow and I expect you all to be punctual if you do not wish to suffer at my hands."
With that he turned quickly on his heel and walked out of the training ring without a second glance backward. All four riders and dragons exchanged pained looks before slowly creeping out of the ring themselves.
"Well wasn't that just a complete bundle of fun?" Murtagh said sarcastically. "I thought in coming here I would finally be rid of the conceited, obnoxious trolls of Alagaesia, but apparently I was wrong. 'Being a dragon rider is not a decision to make on a whim.' BAH! I can see why no dragon would want him as a rider. No creature in their right mind would want to be bound to that their entire lifespan."
"I agree. Why couldn't Islanzadi organise a less arrogant trainer like Oromis?" Eragon said regretfully. "At least he understood what it is a dragon rider needs and would train us accordingly. I would be surprised if Elkir knew the first thing about dragons."
"Enough both of you." Arya said, her voice rising in irritation. "Elkir is one of Ellesmera's finest warriors and you should feel privileged to be under his guidance. He has saved my mother's life in battle on many occasions and has proven himself worthy many times more." She stopped and turned to glare at the pair, her emerald eyes boring into them. "The sooner you all realise how fortunate you are to have him as a trainer the better."
Eragon and Murtagh exchanged glances; mouths open at Arya's outburst and watched after her as she disappeared around a corner.
"What was that about?" Murtagh asked confusedly.
He is a good friend to her. Came Ilian's voice from behind them. If you do not wish to offend her further, I suggest you minimise the amount you insult this elf. He is just trying to help after all. Murtagh opened his mouth to say something, then changed his mind when the emerald dragon glared at him. They exchanged a long, hard glance before Ilian took to the skies and disappeared after his rider.
"Does anyone else wish to defend this Elkir?" Murtagh said grumpily.
Murtagh, please. Thorn chided. You are not helping our situation at all by insulting someone every five minutes. Remember many of these elves still see us as their enemies, we need to make them feel like we can be trusted.
The rider sighed, knowing what his dragon said was true. "Alright, I will do my best to become less arrogant toward the giant piece of dung. We do have a lot to learn from him still."
Thorn hummed in response. I am proud of you Murtagh.
Murtagh smiled and turned toward Eragon and Zyana, his bad mood slowly abating. "Who's hungry? I know that after today I could eat a whole cow."
The pair laughed and began to walk out of the training ring, glad to be free for the rest of the night.
The next morning all four dragons and their riders were standing in the centre of the training ring waiting for the sun to rise. They stood in silence, Arya still irritated from the previous night, waiting for Elkir to arrive.
After a few minutes, as the sun began to appear, a shadowy figure appeared on the edge of the ring. He looked around the ring and walked into the centre when he saw all the dragons and their riders already waiting for him.
"Good to see you actually managed to drag yourselves out of your beds this morning." Elkir said sardonically. "Now, let us begin."
They began with some of the same exercises they had practiced the previous day to warm up and learned some new, more challenging positions that they all found difficult to grasp. Elkir took the dragons aside and taught them some aerial manoeuvres and aerobics that would aid them in most circumstances within battle. All four seemed to grasp the concepts quickly and without concern which pleased the elf enough to allow them to have a short break a few hours later.
"You are all free to do as you wish for the next half an hour," he began. "But if you are not back in the ring by that time, there will be consequences."
Nodding in subdued agreement, the riders all let out relieved sighs and began to make their way to the edge of the ring before Elkir could change his mind. Arya took off in front of the group and disappeared around a corner a few seconds later without so much a glance backward, Ilian following behind her closely.
"What is wrong with her?" Murtagh asked. "She cannot still be annoyed about our jests last night can she?"
Zyana shrugged her shoulders. "Growing up with Arya was a difficult task to say the least. I missed her more than anything in my banishment, but when you say something to offend her it will take a long while for her to calm down. I'm afraid Ilian has a difficult task ahead of him."
Murtagh ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "And the women of Ellesmera continue to baffle me with their constant trivial-mindedness."
Eragon chuckled as Zyana glared at him, her bright eyes flashing. "You are forgetting about the short temper of the elves of Ellesmera as well gentlemen. You have just offended two in the space of two days, and I would think twice before opening your mouth next time you wish to say something. Ohrana," she called to her dragon who was immediately by her side. "Let us fly for the rest of our break and allow these lovely men to their own devices to think about where they continue to go wrong when they insult the female race."
Murtagh opened his mouth to protest, but Zyana raised her hand before he could say anything and climbed onto her dragons back and was in the air within seconds, the cool wind sweeping her hair out of her face.
Really Zyana, Ohrana said when they were high enough off the ground that Thorn and Saphira looked like a pair of ants below them. Wasn't that a little bit of an overreaction?
The elf laughed loudly. I am not angry with them Ohrana, I just wanted to fly with you for a while and I didn't see a way we could escape them any quicker. She smiled mischievously. And besides, now they think they have two angry elves on their hands and that means they will be more likely to think twice about what they say to us next time.
Ohrana rolled her eyes and glided along in silence until they came across a small clearing in amongst the dense trees. She began to descend toward it and landed slightly off balance, throwing Zyana from her back.
"Ouch!" Zyana moaned as she hit the ground. "Please be a little more careful when you land Ohrana. It is not as easy for me to land on my feet."
I'm sorry, Ohrana said. I will try to be more careful in my landings, but it is so much more difficult with you on my back. I think we need to practice more.
Zyana laughed. We need a saddle first. I will fly with you back to the city, but after we land I will stay on the ground until we have found you one. As much fun as it is to fly through the air I do not want to fall off the second it gets a little bumpy, and I tire of healing my legs after every flight anyway.
Ohrana growled in the back of her throat but did not protest.
Why did you bring me here anyway? Zyana asked.
The dragon's amethyst eyes brightened immediately. I wanted to show you something. She began walking towards the centre of the clearing and gestured to her rider to follow her. I was out hunting yesterday when I heard a small group of rabbits digging a burrow in the ground under the trees over there. I knew they weren't going to be enough to satisfy my hunger for long, but I had not found anything better so I stopped.
She paused and sat down in the grass, the sun shining off her scales illuminating the clearing with a stunning purple light. Zyana sat next to her and waited for her to continue.
After I had devoured three rabbits and a small bird, I wanted to relax before going back to the city, so I sat here and lay in the sun, listening to the world around me; the wind through the grass, the birds singing in the sky, and the chatter of a pair of squirrels in a nearby tree. When I opened my eyes sometime later I felt as if something had awakened inside me, something that had been there before but I never knew about.
She looked at her rider and smiled at her curious expression.
Watch. She said as put her nose to the ground. Zyana craned around her large head to see what she was doing and watched in amazement as a small purple flower grew from the ground, its lilac petals lined with silver.
"That is amazing Ohrana!" Zyana said excitedly. "At the rate you're going we will be able to defeat the king in no time!"
Ohrana chuckled. It is not so powerful I can do so much with it, but I can feel it growing.
Zyana hugged her happily. Congratulations my friend, you have just awakened the element earth.
So what did you think? Ohrana can now control earth! Please let me know all your thoughts in a review. I really enjoy the feedback.