Hey everyone, I'n back from the void. The last few chapters weren't up to my personal standards and I decided it was time for a rewrite. Also I combined a few things and blah blah blah. Sorry for the hiatus, but I've been lazy. I'm going to claim injury due to a broken foot, but I think we all know I was just being my usual lazy self. So here is the new and improved Chapter 15!
"Alright, stop here. You have to promise not to interrupt, because I might miss something. God, have you never run before? You sound like you're dying. Anyway, here goes: You know how Eragon and Galbatorix fought, and in the end what did the trick was a spell to make him feel all the pain he'd ever inflicted. And that before he left, Eragon changed the spell that bound dragons and Riders together so that dwarves and Urgals could be Riders. There was a big commotion and a bunch of people protested, but by then Eragon had left and there was nothing they could do about it. Since they couldn't 'fix' anything, people shut up. But not Riders. There were Riders who still believed in ' the Old Way', with no dwarves and Urgals, and there were Riders who accepted the new species. These two groups argued all the time, and sometimes they even fought, but it was never anything serious until about fifteen years after the defeat of Galbatorix. One night, the Old Folk (that's what they liked to call themselves) hunted down a whole bunch of Urgal and dwarf Riders, and they slaughtered them all. Naturally, the slain Riders' dragons went nuts and attacked. Some attacked other dragons, some went hunting for their Riders' killers, and some just wanted to wreak havoc. They burned down almost half the city and wrecked a ton of buildings before Eragon and some of the elder Riders could get the place under control. No one's quite sure what they did, but people say he put the entire island to sleep, besides himself and the Elders. When everyone woke up, all the Old Folk were imprisoned and their dragons were still out of it. Basically, Eragon kicked all the Old Folk out, along with their dragons, even the ones that didn't participate in any killing. Once they were gone, the Elders cast this huge spell that kept them from ever coming back. The Old Folk, with nowhere else to go, returned to Algaësia. They wandered around in a group, camping where they liked and trying to gather more followers. Now about four or five years ago, the Old Folk started trying to get ahold of dragon eggs so they could get them to hatch for new Riders. Sometimes it worked, and those Riders were taught to hate any dwarf or Urgal, wether they had dragons or not. The Elders heard about this and sent over a big group of Riders friendly to the Urgal and dwarf Riders, and it was their job to defend people from the Old Folk, as well as to stop the egg stealing that was going on. This group took up the name Ekar Skolir and that's where we come in. Me, Dareth, everyone at the camp, we're a branch of Ekar Skolir. It's our job to patrol the north coast, as far south Teirm and inward as far as Yazuac and Daret. We had to fly a little into the next branch's sector to get you, but they were too far south to get there in time. Anyway, it's customary for young Riders to join a branch of Ekar Skolir for a little while after their basic training's complete over at Vroengard. That's why I'm here, anyway. I was given a two year shift here, and once that's over I go to the elves for more training. There's no telling how long that'll last, because there's no real time limit. You leave when you've met their standards. After that you get an assignment, which could be anything, and you work your way up from there. Anyway, back to the actual point: that was the Old Folk we rescued you from. Once they figured out that the egg had hatched for you, well, I imagine they'd be really pissed at you, but they'd get over it and train you to be one of them. You'd be taught to hate dwarves and Urgals, and eventually they'd stick you on a raiding patrol and it would be your job to hunt down groups of them and slaughter them. We've had to crack down hard on anyone associated with the Old Folk because they just keep popping back up if we don't. Which leads us to the point of this conversation, your assassin friend. That's why he's locked up in Hljödhr Andlát, which is, like, one of the harshest Rider prisons around. Because Dareth thought he was helping the Old Folk out. Now he's just keeping your friend there to spite you, 'cause he's pretentious asshole, but that's beside the point. Anyway, the reason I brought you out here, besides to improve upon your stamina, which, by the way, is pathetic, is because I'm going to help you break him out. You're welcome."
(...)
At some point during the conversation Peri had given up and flopped down amongst the dead leaves due to exhaustion, but at this she had to interrupt. Leaping up, she immediately regretted the action when her legs almost gave out beneath her. A conveniently placed pine stopped her fall, but she accidentally ground bark splinters into her palm. She swore and began digging the tiny shards out, eyes watering. Looking up, she said, "If you're messing with me I swear I'm going to kill you, get that?"
Hadin gave her an odd smile and took her hand for a moment, massaging the palm with the tips of his fingers. When he released it, there was a small pile of splinters in his palm, and Peri's hand was splinter-free. Dusting the bits of bark onto the ground, he grinned at Peri's suspicious expression.
"Good luck with that, eh?" he said, turning to survey the woods with a peculiar serenity. Peri frowned but dismissed the incident. Nick was much more important than some guy's quirks and oddities.
"Are you messing with me?" she asked, and Hadin started like he'd been asleep. In a heartbeat he was his clumsy, boyish self and he turned back towards her.
"Nope, I'm dead serious," he said, reaching into the sash he wore at his waist and pulling out a roll of paper. He waved it teasingly in front of her face, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. Peri was not amused. "This is map of Hljödhr Andlát, complete with directions on how to get to your assassin friend's cell, and how to avoid the guards that patrol the place."
Peri made a grab for the map, but Hadin whipped it out of her reach, waving his other finger playfully in her direction.
"Sorry, I'm keeping this for a little while- just a little while, until you've been trained a little. Besides, Datia needs to grow enough for her to carry you, because there's no way Raj is carrying us both all the way to Hljödhr Andlát. It'll be easier with two separate dragons."
Peri frowned at this and glanced at Datia, who had been silent thusfar. Her bondmate gazed back, but didn't say anything in particular. Peri ran her fingers through her hair and sighed loudly.
"I don't suppose I can convince you not to come?" she said wearily.
"Nope," Hadin said brightly, flashing her a smile. "Now let's get moving before Dareth gets suspicious. He clearly doesn't like you and I'd hate to see you on mess duty."
(...)
Understandably, Peri found it hard to concentrate on the lesson at hand, partially due to her hatred of her instructor and partially because of her imminent escape attempt. But she tried not to think of that. She tried to focus on the task at hand, and that was to lift the fist-sized pebble before her to eye-level and back down, despite the fact that she'd been able to do it since day one. All around her, other Riders were struggling with the task while Peri spun her pebble in circles, bored clean out of her mind with the mediocrity of the exercize. She let the pebble spin a few more times, then lowered it back to the ground, releasing the magic once it had come to rest on the marshy ground. Instantly she felt the drop in energy, like she'd just raised the pebble herself and spun it around a couple times, but it was nothing compared to the exhaustion beginning to show on the other Riders' faces. She wished desperately that she could do something, anything, other than this same exercize that they'd been practicing for ages, but since her instructor was Dareth, she doubted that would happen any time soon. So, rather than dwell on her plans in case they showed on her face, she retreated into her bondmate's mind.
Datia was in a lesson as well, but this one was far more interesting than the one Peri currently suffered through. Her bondmate was airborne, the camp below only a tiny speck as she labored on. All around her, other dragons at around the same age flew along with her, except for the slender, whip-like dragon that led them. Ebrithil. Peri could feel her bondmate's exhaustion like it was her own, but Datia's joy outshone the aching in her muscles like the sun outshone the stars.
If you could come pluck me out of this lesson, that would be wonderful, Peri thought wearily, drawing a sort of mental chuckle from Datia.
I doubt I have that kind of skill yet.
I don't suppose you could try?
Datia was cut off from answering by a loud 'Excuse me'. From Peri's end. Blinking, she brought her mind back into her own body to find Dareth standing in front of her with his arms crossed and a glower on his face.
"Am I boring you, Isperidae?" he asked.
Peri ground her teeth together in irritation; no matter how many times she corrected him, he insisted on calling her by her full name. She suspected- no, she knew, that he was doing it just to be annoying, but she couldn't stop herself from reacting.
"No," she said through her clenched teeth. There was no way she was getting stuck with kitchen duty again, not today of all days.
"Since you're so talented, why don't you show us your magical prowess? Perform the exercize."
Peri knew where this was going. It only happened every day. But she didn't protest and dropped her eyes to the stone on the ground. She paused a breath, then reached for the magic that lay inside her mind. She had to be quick if she was going to succeed at this.
"Stenr reisa," she said, and the stone lifted gently off the ground. It hovered there for a moment, like it couldn't quite get the lift it needed, and then shot upwards with startling force. Peri managed to get it to chest-level before she felt Dareth's magic countering hers, pushing the stone back down to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she reached for more magic and managed to slow the stone's descent, but Dareth's conciousness was far more powerful than hers. Within a minute the stone touched the grass again and settled there. Peri bit back a few choice words and released her hold on the stone, knowing she wouldn't get another chance today. Dareth gave her a poisonous smile and strode away, going to torment some poor Rider at the other end of the line. Peri flipped him off once his back was turned and flopped down in the grass. Lifting the stone was easy, but once Dareth put his will against hers, suddenly the task became exhausting. Looking up, she spotted the group of dragons Datia flew with, but at this distance she couldn't tell which was which. She spent a few seconds gazing at the soaring dragons until a toe in her side warned her of Dareth's imminent presence. Returning her focus to the ground, she began lifting the pebble again, trying to look like she was struggling so he wouldn't test her again.
They sat there for another fifteen minutes, lifting and lowering their stones until Peri was close to nodding off, but just then a horn sounded from somewhere in the center of the camp, signalling the Riders and dragons to report for supper. Even then she didn't dare move, because according to Dareth 'the horn didn't release them, he did' which was completely ridiculous. Dareth raked his gaze over them all, waiting for someone to slip and let their pebble rest. None of them moved, and eventually the elf nodded and turned stalk away. The entire group seemed to deflate and pebbles thudded into the ground all along the line. Peri was tempted to send hers shooting into Dareth's back, but she let her pebble sink to the ground and she released it. Exhaustion swamped her limbs, but she stood up anyway. If there was one thing she loved about Ekar Skolir was the food. She and the other trainees trudged off towards the bonfire where the meals were served.
There was a whistle overhead and a few startled cries as the Riders around her scrambled out of the way, but Peri didn't move. Datia alighted next to her and cut her path off with her neck. Her bondmate was now much larger than she was, large enough to ride now, and her scales were easily as big as Peri's head, if not bigger. Peri gave a tired smile and scrambled gratefully onto Datia's back, settling in the hollow at the base of the dragon's neck.
How was flying with… Ebrithil?
Just fine, thank you, Datia responded primly, making Peri chuckle.
Nothing happened? Peri prodded, a knowing smile on her lips.
I have no idea what you're talking about. Now go eat your vegetables, and be a good person.
You're not my mother, Peri shot back, but her words were playful. She swung her right leg over Datia's back and slid down her side, stumbling upon landing due to her weak limbs. See you after dinner.
Datia hummed in agreement and leaped into the air, going to hunt with the other dragons while their Riders ate. Peri joined the long line of Riders that snaked all around the raging bonfire, the end nowhere in sight. A stout shape appeared in her peripheral and Peri glanced down at the dwarf standing by her side.
"Hey Jarman," Peri said wearily, offering a half smile. The dwarf grinned back, looking as alert and energetic as ever.
"Magic lessons with Dareth?" he said knowingly, and Peri nodded.
"If I don't get food soon I'm going to keel over," she complained, staring dismally at the long line before her. Every minute or so it would inch forward and step or two, but at this rate it would be hours before Peri got to the front, and by then it was likely that there wasn't anything good left to eat. "Sometimes I wish I was a dragon so I could just go catch my own food."
"Well, ye could, but then ye'd 'ave to catch it, skin it, cook it, and pack the extras away fer later."
Peri was seriously considering fending for herself out in the woods when Hadin popped up at her side and grabbed her arm.
"Let's go, don't be lazy," he said as he dragged her out of line. Peri threw an apologetic glance back at Jarman, but she'd learned to roll with Hadin's crazy whims.
"I was waiting to get some food," she whined as she stumbled along, occasionally tripping over her own feet.
"Why wait? Come on!"
They reached a spot near the front of the line and stopped. An elf Peri recognized as one of Hadin's friends stepped aside and they inserted themselves into the vacant spot.
"Thanks, Ren," Hadin said, releasing Peri's arm. The elf nodded and stepped back, disappearing into the murk that lay beyond the bonfire's circle of light.
"Any other time, I'd say I don't appreciate the favoritism," Peri grumbled.
"But there's food involved," Hadin finished, looking like he'd counted on this when he'd come to pull her out of line. Peri smiled ruefully and nodded, intoxicated by the promise and scent of food. Reaching the end of the line, a portly man in a floppy chef's hat handed her a plate stacked with salad and bread and a thousand other things Peri couldn't name.
"Thanks, Cook," she said as she strode away, searching her plate hopefully. Her face fell when she'd completed her search and found no meat- again. She was getting sick and tired of an entire life built on plants, but the older Riders wouldn't stand for the killing of animals they'd shared the thoughts of. Their dragons didn't seem to have a problem with it. She went to find a place by the fire and dove into her meal, regardless of the lack of meat. It was still food and she was starving. She was halfway finished with her meal by the time she stopped to take a breath and look around. A moment later Hadin plopped down next to her and inhaled his food even faster than she had. If there was one thing Hadin took pride in, it was his ability to eat his way through the camp in seconds. Peri reached teasingly for a roll that was perched on the edge of the plate, but Hadin smacked her hand away without pausing. She laughed under her breath and set her plate on the ground beside her, leaning back on the log behind her. She reached out to touch his mind, signalling that she wanted to talk. He lowered the seemingly impregnable barriers around his mind a moment later
Are we still on for tonight? she thought to Hadin, her face kept carefully disinterested in case anyone was watching.
Of course, why? came Hadin's response. His mental voice was a lot deeper than his actual one, which at first had made Peri laugh. But when he'd shouted into her head at midnight, it suddenly wasn't funny anymore. It was actually slightly terrifying.
Nervous. What if someone found out?
No one found out from me. Did someone break into your mind?
I don't think so, besides, you know, Datia.
Her bondmate gave a mental hum, just so they knew she was listening in.
Then what's the problem? You scared of breaking the rules?
Peri barely refrained from giving Hadin a good smack.
No, but I'd prefer to die of old age, not Dareth.
Don't worry about him. I can handle that guy.
If Hadin had said that when she'd first met him, Peri might not have believed him. Hadin gave every appearance of a boisterous, young Rider who knew little about the real world and still believed in its goodness. But no one else in the camp was even remotely as young as Hadin was, and he seemed to know an awful lot about that went on around here. And he was breaking them out of camp in a matter of hours, to go rescue a criminal from the most infamous prison in Algaësia, something even Peri wouldn't have done. There was more to this boy than met the eye.
Speaking of eyes, Peri felt a pair on her. She looked around for a moment and, almost like she could sense where they were coming from, her eyes settled on a human girl seated a little ways around the bonfire. Peri bit back a sigh and relaxed. Lydia. Perhaps the one Rider in camp who hated her as much as Dareth did. She was just more catty about it, while Dareth was just plain homicidal. The red-haired girl was the complete opposite of Peri; short, freckled, with hair that was red enough to make sparks, Lydia seemed to take Peri's presence personally and went out of her way to make things difficult for her. It wasn't just Peri's looks that Lydia seemed to hate. Lydia's monster crush on Hadin, which she claimed was a secret, was in fact well-known and laughed about by everyone in camp. The fact that Hadin had accepted Peri into his circle of friends and not Lydia was a sore spot with the redhead. While Hadin was around, Lydia was all smiles, but the moment he turned his back she was collecting his hair and trying to poison Peri's dinner. It was a good thing Peri had worked with poison artists very closely and could tell most poisons by their smell alone. Peri was beginning to look forward to this escape very much, so she could finally stop carrying fifteen different poison antidotes in her boots. Suspiciously, she sniffed her plate and thought back to her meal, trying to remember if there had been anything off about her potatoes.
Did she poison you again? Hadin asked, leaning back from his now-empty plate with a satisfied groan.
I don't think so… but if I start to swell up you better act fast. I still want to leave tonight.
You're the poisons expert. I don't know what's poison and what's antidote.
If you let me die I'm haunting you. Just saying.
Is that supposed to be a threat?
Peri gave an offended gasp and actually did smack him.
I'm the poisons expert, so watch your back, she thought to Hadin, thinking pleasantly of her friend turned black and blue and bloated.
Oh no, Hadin replied in a monotone
Peri rolled her eyes and settled onto her back, gazing up at the dark, patchy sky overhead. Through gaps in the clouds she could see the stars above and it thrilled her to think that she would soon be soaring amongst them. She hadn't yet been flying at night, but Datia had and she said it was amazing. As the hours waned, so did the fire, and soon the camp was settling in their tents. Peri waited until Datia was back from her hunt, then got up from her place and headed for the tent she, her friend Esteba, and another human Rider shared. She lifted the flap and peered inside, but it was pitch black inside. She lifted her right hand, whispered, "Istalri," under her breath, and watched as a small tongue of flame appeared in her palm. She grinned in satisfaction. Her secret lessons with Hadin were paying off. The small torch lit up the small area, revealing three cots in a circle around the center of the tent. One cot was strewn with clothing and a few sparse blankets, that of the other Rider she and Esteba stayed with, but the other two were almost bare. Esteba's actually was. It seemed her elf friend had already left for the clearing where she, Hadin, and Peri were meeting. Peri hurried over to her bunk, lighting the lantern that hung on one of the support poles so she could use both hands and not catch her tent on fire. In the scattered light she found her pack, already stocked, under her cot and pulled it out. She found her daggers and began hiding them about her person: two in her right boot, one in her left, her double sheath at her waist, two up her sleeves, one tucked into her belt at the small of her back, in case her hands were bound, and her set of throwing knives at her waist. Some might think it was overkill, but she'd been in situations before where she'd had to use every single one of them. She found her cloak and swung it on with a smile, glad to be under its shadow once more. Her bow and quiver were already in Datia's saddlebags, as well as provisions and various components she could use for the spells she'd learned. That just left her sword.
She threw the sheets off her cot, revealing the bare matress beneath them, and cast them aside. Flipping the mattress over, she ran the pearl-handled dagger along a preexisting seam and sheathed her blade. Reaching inside, she pulled out her sword, wrapped in a white cloth to protect the sheath. She unwrapped it and went to buckle it around her waist, but she couldn't stop herself from pulling the blade out just enough to see its color. Midnight blue, like Datia's scales. She'd forged it just the other day, in anticipation for her swordfighting classes which she would start in a month. Well, not anymore, since she was running away. But Hadin had been instructing her with sticks during their runs. There was more to the young Rider than met the eye, and Peri was beginning to suspect that there was even more that Hadin kept under wraps.
Standing on her tiptoes, Peri blew out the solitary lantern and, instead of heading out the front of her tent, snuck out through a small slit in the back. The instant she was outside, she became more like a shadow and less like a human. Her body sensed the familiarity of her actions and relaxed into its routine. In shadow and under cloak, Peri felt more comfortable than she had all month. Here, she was in her element. Slipping from shadow to shadow, she gradually made her way to the edge of the camp. The sounds of slumber were all around her, from soft little whispers to thundering snores, but amongst the murmurings Peri was a pocket of silence, slipping by like a wraith while the others slept on, oblivious. Within ten minutes Peri had nothing but a few steps left to travel before the trees would swallow her up. But those ten steps were across open ground, which she knew was treacherous. She paused in a shadow, scanning her surroundings for anyone who might have seen her go, and it was a good thing she did. A drowsy form emerged from a nearby tent, and began heading in her direction, but she didn't move. Hopefully it was just someone off to relieve themselves in the woods, not someone who'd been awoken by a noise she'd made. Sure enough, the Rider headed into the woods and vanished, leaving Peri with a pounding heart and jittery limbs. Even thought the coast was clear, she stayed where she was, waiting for the Rider to return. After an agonizing three minutes, he did, and Peri slipped out of the camp unnoticed.
Once she was amongst the trees, she allowed herself to make a little more noise, but she remained careful. There could be others out in the woods for various reasons, and if they caught her she might as well call off the entire operation. It was a eighteen minute walk from the camp to the clearing where she, Hadin, and Esteba were meeting. Hadin was their mastermind, Peri was their thief, and Esteba was their powerhouse. Her magical abilities (and sass) knew no bounds, and they would need that power if they were going to survive their jailbreak.
Let Hadin know that I'll be a few minutes late, she thought, knowing Datia would hear. I ran into some trouble, but no one saw me.
Will do, came Datia's reply.
Peri continued to slip through the trees, instintively avoiding dry leaves and other things that would rustle and make noise. As Peri neared the clearing, she sensed a sudden surge of alarm from her bondmate.
What is it? she asked immediately, trying to see through Datia's eyes what had startled her. But it seemed her bondmate was blocking her out. She could still get vague senses of emotion, and right now she could tell Datia was pissed.
Just get here quickly.
Peri sent back a mental nod and picked up the pace, falling into an easy jog. She'd gained a lot of stamina over the past month, and she no longer dreaded her daily runs. In fact she almost enjoyed them, because they gave her an outlet for any anger or other emotions she'd picked up the previous day. Within a few minutes she was nearing the clearing. She drew her knife as she slowed to a walk, approaching silently through the trees. She could hear voices ahead and, like Datia, they sounded pissed. At least none of them sounded like Dareth. She spotted a dash of red hair and froze. Lydia?! She slipped closer, hoping she was wrong. But there she was, the she-devil, hands on her hips and her mouth going like a river in a storm. Peri stepped out of the trees without a sound and approached from behind, listening in to the conversation.
"You think I'm stupid? I noticed you all whispering and plotting, and you're lucky no one else did!"
"No one but you would notice, because you're a stalker," Peri said from behind the girl. Lydia whipped around and jumped back with a shriek when she was suddenly faced by ice blue eyes inches from hers.
"K-Keep away from me, wench," she stuttered, fumbling for a weapon. Peri snorted and sheathed her knife with a snap, going over to where Datia was crouched under the trees. Esteba was standing nearby by her dragon, an enormous burgundy male named Vagero, and she looked a little less than pleased. She caught Peri eye and made a quick stabbing motion with her hand. Peri grinned and took a moment to secure her pack to her saddle, then turned to face Lydia. Hadin was standing near her, and he was obviously annoyed.
"Watch what you say," he snapped, crossing his arms. "I don't take kindly to people calling my friends names."
"Why do you even like her?" Lydia whined, running her hands through her hair.
"That's none of your concern," Hadin said, turning away from the girl and walking over to where Raj was lounging under the trees. He was still small enough to fit under the trees with ease, but the tallest spines on his back touched the bottom branches when he stood. "Are you all ready?" Hadin asked, turning to look at Peri and Esteba. He pointedly ignored Lydia, who crossed her arms with a grunt.
"I'm all set," Peri said, and Esteba nodded in agreement. Vagero looked rathed cramped under the trees, but everyone there knew better than to laugh. The dragon's temper had flattened more than a few tents.
"Where are you going?" Lydia piped up, curiosity coloring her voice.
"None of your concern," Hadin repeated, tugging a strap tight with a yank and tucking it out of the way.
"Aw, please let me come!" Lydia begged, suddenly contrite. However, Peri had a feeling the moment the two of them locked eyes she would get a glare hot enough to melt Datia's scales.
"Why, so you can poison our food?" Esteba called from her place on Vagero's back. "I don't think so, honey."
"I won't, I promise, just please let me come!"
"No," Hadin snapped, climbing onto Raj. The white dragon gave a long sigh and stood up, nearly cracking Hadin's head on a branch. "Now move, we need the clearing empty to take off."
Lydia went to walk over to the edge of the trees, then stopped and stomped one foot into the dirt.
"If you don't let me come I'm telling Dareth right now," she said, tipping her chin up to appear confident. Peri groaned under her breath and her hand drifted towards her knife. Hadin shot her a look over Lydia's head.
Just get on, I can handle this, he thought to her. Peri shot him an empty glare and turned to climb up Datia's silver-flecked side. She hauled herself into her saddle and began strapping herself in. Her sadle was clearly designed for speed, with minimal padding and an aerodynamic sleekess to it, while Hadin's was built for stability and travel. She finally had all the straps tightened to her liking (she wasn't interested in being caught in midair because she hadn't been thorough enough) she looked up to check on her travel companions. Esteba had climbed onto Vagero's back and looked rather tiny nestled on his back. The elf was short even amongst humans, and it was a sore spot for her. Peri looked around for Hadin and found… Lydia. Climbing onto a rosey pink dragon who stood near Hadin and Raj.
"Hadin! I thought you could handle it!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.
It's the only way to keep her quiet, besides wiping her memories. I don't want to do that; it's difficult and it can get messy easily.
"She might be of use to us," Hadin said out loud, like that was the reason for her coming.
"Yeah, Peri," Lydia quipped from atop her dragon, who was larger than Raj but infinitely smaller than Vagero. "I could be helpful."
"By doing what, poisoning us all when we're not looking?" Peri muttered, although to be honest it was a very loud mutter. Lydia pointedly ignored her, but Peri checked in her boot anyway for her antidotes.
If I die of poisoning, I swear to God… Peri thought mutinously, and Datia echoed her threat with a low growl of her own. Lydia's dragon gave an answering snarl, but Vagero stepped between them before anything could happen.
"Back up, lovebirds, so we can take off," Esteba said, sending both dragons skittering backwards out of the clearing. No one wanted to get a clip from Vagero's wings, because it might break a rib by accident. The enormous red dragon carefully opened his wings, which were as big as Datia was, and crouched as low to the ground as he could. There was a moment of tense silence as they all waited for the powerful surge, but when it happened they still jumped at its might. With one leap the dragon cleared the treetops and with a few ungainly flaps the pair were soaring off across the trees. They left behind a few flattened trees, but that didn't seem to have affected the dragon's take off. Peri wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't noticed. Raj stepped into the clearing next, looking pitifully small after Vagero's massive bulk. Peri could only imagine how she looked. With less size and strength, Raj had more trouble getting above the trees, but his smaller size meant his wingspan fit inside the clearing, just barely. Soon his white form was flashing overhead, growing steadily smaller. Lydia and her dragon, Dunre, shifted to fill the clearing, but Peri and Datia seemed be of one mind on one thing. The half-second before Datia shot forward into the clearing, Peri's hands found the straps at the front of her saddle and twisted her hands into them so she didn't snap backwards with the force of Datia's movement. Datia moved a heartbeat later and darted forward, snapping her teeth shut inches from Dunre's eye. The rosey dragon snarled in surprise, but backed off, much to Lydia's apparent dismay. Dunre may act like a big bad dragon, but in reality she was rather timid, something Datia loved to take advantage of. Lifting her head primly, the midnight blue dragon unfurled her wings and eyed the tops of the trees above. As she settled down onto her haunches, her pride fell away and Peri could sense her bondmate's thoughts focus solely on taking off. Their petty feud with Dunre and Lydia wouldn't help them take off. A delicate combination of strength and precision would. Peri clenched her fingers tight around the straps and waited, careful to keep her neck tensed. She'd gotten more than her fair share of whiplash because she hadn't been ready for Datia's leap. Peri waited, letting her bondmate take her time.
She sensed the movement in Datia's mind moments before she acted, giving her half a second to tense before Datia surged off the ground. Her wings snapped out faster than Peri could see, catching the air and powering them further into the sky. They hung in balance just in line with the treetops as Datia's wings reached the bottom of their stroke. They dropped in the half second it took for the dragon to bring them back up, but Peri forced herself to wait. Another flap brought them further out of the trees and safely out of the ground's reach, but it was three more until they could coast off over the trees. When she looked around Vagero was barely decernable from the dark sky above, while Raj's brilliant white form could be seen easily just a little ways ahead. As she watched, Vagero's wings suddenly folded and the dragon dropped like a stone. A huge, thousand pound stone that could easily punch a hole into the ground deep enough to put a lake. Peri knew he and Esteba were only fooling around, but she still felt a nervous stir in her stomach as they neared the ground. She gave a slightly embarrassed laugh when Vagero's wings shot back out and he spiraled away through the air. Datia gave a similar chuff and began to wing her way upward. Now that the initial stress of takeoff had faded from both of their minds, Peri could look around in childish wonder at the forest spreading away from her in every direction. The clearing of Ekar Skolir's camp grew steadily smaller as they flew higher into the sky, until the enormous bonfire was nothing more than a pinprick. Turning her face upward, an awed smile came over her face.
They were flying amongst the stars! Peri released her grip on the saddle and had reached her hand out to one of them before she realized how stupid she looked. She quickly arched her back and pretended she'd only been stretching, but when Hadin dropped down beside her she could tell he'd known what she was doing.
"They're amazing, aren't they?" he shouted above the wind, a wild grin on his young, boyish face. "It's always so unreal, no matter how many times you see them."
"It's almost like I could pick one up and take one home," Peri shouted back, but then her face dropped and Datia banked away from Hadin, leaving him looking rather confused.
Will I ever have a home again? she wondered sadly, resting her hands on Datia's shoulders. I can never go back to Dragon's Landing. There's no place there for us.
You are my home, Datia thought simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Peri couldn't think of anything she could say to that without feeling ungrateful, cold, or dishonest. So instead she leaned down to press her cheek against Datia's scales. It was the only way these days that she could feel any sense of peace, and it was a comfort to them both. They would never allow themselves to be separated again.
A flash of pink jerked her out of her thoughts as Dunre flashed by, her tail coming dangerously close to taking Peri's head off. Datia gave a protective growl and darted after the rosey dragon, overtaking her easily. Dunre had nothing on Datia speed; very few dragons remained that Peri's bondmate couldn't keep up with, if not beat. Datia winged her way above the pair and stayed with them that way, dropping lower and lower until the tips of the two dragons' wings clipped with each beat. Dunre had to soar lower or cause them both to fall out of the sky. Lydia shouted something up at them, sounding less than pleased, but Datia forced them a little lower before peeling off to the side.
Hey, lovebirds, we don't have all night, came Esteba's voice, loud and clear in Peri's head. She looked around for Raj and Vagero, but could only see Raj… winging his way off towards the horizon. Peri could only assume Vagero was with them, and she grinned at the distance between them. Datia gave a low growl of pleasure and whipped her slender body around, heading after the distance figures. Dunre dropped in behind them, but the other dragon wasn't built at all for speed and soon fell behind as Datia dropped into a deadly serious mentality. The wind picked up around them and the ground started to shoot by faster and faster, until Peri had to crouch low over the saddle or be blown off backwards. She gave a wild whoop as they fast approached the two larger dragons, one that Datia echoed with a low pitched roar. They shot past overhead, easily overtaking the two battle-built dragons and shooting off through the air like a missile. Giddy exhileration filled them both and, when Peri felt Datia's right wing drop out from under them, she was ready. They spun through the air, the sky and earth switching places a billion times before they righted themselves and carried on into the night.
I'm coming, Nick! she shouted in her head, a wild, almost feral grin on her face. And I'll be damned if an elf is going to stop me.
"You hear that, Dareth?" she screamed out loud, her voice snapping in the crisp breeze. "Just try and get in my way!"
Yay, now you all can wait for months and months while I work up to writing a new chapter! Haha, just kidding. Hopefully.