hey! sorry It's taken me so long to update..
claimer: i own everything that is not in eragon or eldest..
on with chapter 18...:D
18. –Sapphires
The thin clouds swept by as we soared past, the trees below a sea of green compared to the sapphire sky above. The fiery sun rays reflected off my scales, casting rainbow patterns on the emerald leaves below.
To my right Dorran flew beside me, Faolan clutching onto his neck spikes for dear life. In front was Thorn, his wine-red hide glimmering in the bright light, his rider Murtagh astride him.
Being this high from the ground was amazing; it made me feel free from my worries.
The wolf-sword was attached by Doran's belt around my stomach which we had collected from the pack before we set off, along with camping provisions, but for food we only picked up the necessary fruit and a couple of vegetables for we could hunt without the aid of bows or spears.
Thinking of food made my stomach growl, I hadn't eaten since that morning, and changing forms so frequently took a lot of energy.
It was nearing sunset, the giant mass of flames descending over the horizon, casting all in its wake on fire, the dazzling golden light illuminating the land around it.
My wings had started to ache from traveling hours ago, but I did not complain, after all, I was not one of those helpless females that needed males to do everything for them.
And exactly how many times have you gotten in trouble when I have not been there? Dorrans voice echoed around my head with fake mockery in his teasing tones.
I snorted and a jet of fire shot out of my nostrils, startling Dorran so much that we swerved to the left, almost knocking Faolan off of his back at the same time.
In front of me I heard Thorn let out a hiss as a spark from the flames singed the tip of his scaled tail. I flashed a dagger-toothed grin to Dorran then continued on as if nothing had happened.
The light was fading fast now and within an hour or two it would completely disappear.
Murtagh, should we not stop to make camp now? I broke past his minds barriers and thought into his head.
He looked surprised and turned around in the saddle to face me.
How did you do that so easily? He thought to me, anxiety making the once deep tones come out slightly higher.
You mean brake into you mind?
Yes.
It was not hard, I thought back to him, I just…did.
He seemed to consider what I had said, but then he addressed everyone, as if to change the subject.
"We will land now and make camp." He said, and almost immediately Thorn angled his wings down.
I glanced beneath me and saw that the glossy trees had started to thin out, the once lush ground replaced by patches gold, the grass looking as if it had bald spots from this high up.
I still had not fully mastered landing from flying only once, but this landing was considerably better. I swooped into a dive, not because I needed to, but because I wanted at least a bit of thrill in this flight.
I cried out in pleasure as I fell in a free fall, the chill wind stinging my eyes. I twisted, plunging in circles, my serpentine body coiling around itself in tight loops.
As the ground rushed up sand swirled past my face, clouding the air and making it difficult to breathe. I back-peddled with my wings, slowing my descent enough so that I would hopefully have a smooth landing.
My talons clutched at the sandy earth to stop me from sliding, my claws tearing up the dried-out shrubs that had grown there.
My wings flew up like sails, grasping at the wind to slow me down.
I came to a complete halt and looked around.
All I could see was the endless wasteland for miles around. Nothing other than the continual sand and dried-out shrubs stirred the horizon. I had landed on the very edge of the trees. It looked as if the forest had just been cut off and replaced by the barren earth.
I sat down heavily, exhausted from flying. My legs felt weak and unable to withstand my weight after being off the ground for so long.
I morphed into my human form and lay on my back, stretching my arms out wide. The wolf-sword handing limp from my belt that was falling from my waist after being tied around a dragons' stomach.
Thorn touched down a few feet from me, Murtagh vaulting off his back the second his talons scraped the sand.
Dorran swept to the ground, landing even more gracefully than Thorn had, his onyx scales glimmering in the fading light.
Faolan remained as if tied to Dorrans neck, his eyes shut tight and his tanned face locked in a grimace.
"Faolan, the nightmare has ended; it is now possible to detach yourself from Dorrans neck." I teased him, watching with amusement as he opened one of his eyes and looked around, his expression surprised and slightly embarrassed.
I grinned then got up, unsheathing my sword and preparing myself to scout the area.
"Where are you going?" Dorran asked from his place in the middle of our makeshift camp, his eyes momentarily distracted from the fire he was attempting to build.
"I am going to scout while you boys stay here and do whatever you can about the fire." I replied, smiling at the taken aback look on Dorrans face.
With the gleaming silver sword resting securely in my right hand I made my way over to the edge of the trees, disappearing from view the second I stepped into the shadows, giving Dorran no chance to argue about the situation.
After the heat of the desert, the thick tree cover was like diving head first into an icy lake, the plants absorbing no light to warm the shadows around them.
I stepped as silently as I could, my feet making no sound on the soft earth. The chill, unmoving wind crept up my spine, feeling like ice as I crept forward through the trees, my breath showing in puffs of mist as the cold made the hair on the back of m neck stand up.
But then I realized that it was not the cold that had done that, but the feeling of being watched.
I paused, my ears pricked and alerted for any sound, no matter how small. I stopped breathing entirely, listening to the eerily silent forest around me.
Then suddenly my ears twitched as I heard an almost inaudible rustle of leaves that probably was not possible for normal human ears to detect.
My head whipped up as I identified the origin of the noise, my keen eyes catching the slight movement of the branches of the tree above me. My senses were on high alert; whatever had been spying on me was almost as silent and stealthy as I was.
I closed my mind, cutting off the thoughts of the others back at camp, but I was sure Dorran had already sensed my unease before the link between us had been completely shut off.
The rustling had intensified somewhat, but I could not tell where it was now coming from, it was as if the whole forest was emitting the sound, trying to confuse me.
The noise of the leaves increased with each second that passed, until I could take it no longer, my brain completely engulfed with the sound, my mind unable to think straight. I growled, the sound escaping my lips was one of an animal somewhere between a wolf and dragon, not human.
But then something dropped from the tree canopy and before I knew what had happened it had landed on top of me, knocking me to my knees and making my breaths come in short gasps.
The figure rolled off me, but I was unable to get up for the forest noise had become deafening. My head throbbed, my eyes barely able to open from the tears streaming down my face, the salty liquid leaving streaks in the dirt and grime that had accumulated my features.
Then all of a sudden, the blare just…stopped.
I fell to the earth, my hands clutching my head to stop it from splitting in two. I stayed that way for what seemed like hours, but then I remembered that there was something in the forest besides me, and that I was not yet sure if it would attack.
I cracked my eyes open, even the pitch-black forest seeming abnormally bright. I hissed as the light burned my eyes, but still managed to open them wide enough, allowing me to glare up at the creature that was now leaning hesitantly over me.
I could not see its face, assuming it had one of course. All I could make out was a strange sapphire-blue light glowing off in the distance somewhere, but then the nausea caught up with the headache and my vision spun, as if I was once again diving through the sky.
And I again passed out, but not before catching a glimpse of two unnatural blue eyes filling my line of vision, a look of astonishment and malice in the deep icy depths.
oooooooh, more suspense...hehehe
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!-pretty please???
-Firesilk:D
