Chapter three
Kairin froze, transfixed. The woman wasn't moving. Kairin took a hesitant step forward, froze, and then broke into a run. Kairin knelt beside the limp body and flipped it over. Her face was a pale, delicate thing, and her eyes were shut. Kairin stared at her. She looked like something out of Kairin's memories, but still completely unfamiliar. Kairin pushed the feeling aside and conducted a quick search; pulse beats and breathing. The woman was still alive, faintly. Kairin looked around. The thicket formed a sort of half-circle around the sheer face of a giant cliff, which Kairin knelt at the base of. The woman appeared to have fallen from it.
"How could she have survived something like that?" Behind her, the dragon squeaked. It was standing in the hole Kairin had made in the thicket wall. The creature tossed its scaly head, indicating the way they had come.
"You want me to take her back? Who is she?" The dragon puffed, as if annoyed by the ridiculously unimportant question.
"You want me to... Take care of her? The dragon snorted in assent. Kairin looked back at the woman in her arms. She looked so weak, so close to the edge. Kairin's heart ached just looking at her.
"I can do that." The dragon hummed, pulling its top lip back in a sort of reptilian smile. Kairin smiled back, laughing at the tiny thing. She stood and began to hoist the woman onto her shoulder. When her fair blonde hair fell away from her face, it revealed two long pointed ears. The woman was an elf! Kairin almost dropped her.
"Did you know this?" Kairin rounded on the little dragon. It stared serenely up at her., unreadable. Kairin looked down at the woman in her arms again. She had never seen an elf before. Her heart was racing. She sighed and resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going to get answers just yet. With much difficulty, Kairin managed to pull the woman out of the thicket and began to make her way back home, the dragon leading them like a parade.
As Kairin admired the sparkling of the dragon scales in the morning sun, a thought struck her. She didn't have a name for her small partner. She didn't even know the sex of the creature. She brushed the dragon with her mind, inquiring about this. It barely acknowledged her, so she started firing off names at random.
"Do you like Kyro? What about Sanje? Ramian? The dragon snorted at each one.
"You're a girl, then? Alright… How about Seria? Leona? Kris?" The dragon puffed and tossed its head. Kairin felt the familiar brush against her consciousness. A new name came to mind, quite suddenly.
"Faeria"
Kairin let the name slip from her lips, admiring the smooth "ae" sound, the way the harsh "r" cut through the vowels. It felt like a profound moment. She liked it. The dragon glanced up and hummed in a pleased sort of way.
"You're Faeria."
As the weeks passed, Faeria's growth was incredible. It seemed that every time she returned from her hunt she had grown inches. Kairin and Faeria could now connect their minds with ease, and communication was easy. Faeria spoke Alagaesian fluently, but their speech was not limited to words. More often, emotions instead, or flashed mental images to each other from great distances. Their minds continued to knit themselves together as Faeria matured. Soon, they began to think as one.
Time also went on for the elf-woman, who had now been sleeping through the month. With every passing day, Kairin's already diminished hopes seemed to dim further. The woman was surely dead.
It was nightfall. Kairin knelt beside her small bed, nestled in a cot that had been her sleeping place. The bed was occupied by the ever-sleeping elf. Kairin placed a cloth soaked in warm water on the woman's brown, and took one of her hands. It was freezing.
"She's not getting better, Faeria."
"Patience. All will come in time," the dragon replied, her huge silver eyes half-closed. Faeria lay stretched over half of the house, completely at ease. Even in her relaxed figure, she exuded the air of complete confidence and pride. Kairin never doubted that Faeria was completely aware of her immeasurable strength, and more importantly, her supreme significance. Faeria was the last of a dying breed, and was by no means bashful about it.
"She's been sleeping so long. I don't think there's any hope for her at this point."
"You've been saying that for two weeks now. Tell me why she is still alive, if hope is lost?"
"I don't know." Kairin replied. Her voice was utterly defeated.
"If she's going to die, then take her out of her misery," drawled Faeria. She flicked her nose towards the sword on the wall before serenely putting her head back down, her eyes shut.
"I know you aren't serious."
"Then neither are you," came the instant reply. They were going through the same conversation they had been having every day for a fortnight.
"Why don't you tell me why you are so concerned about her?"
"What are you talking about? You're the one who brought her here."
"True, but I'm not the one who tends to her fanatically every night. I'm not the one who pretends that I'm going to throw her out into the cold, just for an excuse to talk about her again." Faeria was awake now, her neck arched straight up, eyes boring holes in Kairin.
Kairin opened her mouth to protest, and quickly closed it. She pulled away from the dragon's uncomfortable stare and set her eyes on the pale woman's face.
"Because I think I know her," Kairin replied with her thoughts. "It's like I've seen her before, a long time ago, just outside the range of my memories. Like I've dreamed her up and now she's become real."
Faeria expressed no surprise at Kairin's confession. "That must be difficult for you."
Kairin spun around, glaring. She scrutinized Faeria's reptilian face, but it only took a glance to see that the dragon was being genuine.
"You're not making fun of me."
"No, Kairin, I'm not. The memory is an amazing thing." Faeria dipped her head in to brush Kairin's cheek with her nose. "I don't doubt you mean it well."
Faeria fell silent, to Kairin's relief. Her face still burned with embarrassment. She knew the idea was unimaginable, but somehow voicing it, putting it into words, it had sounded even more childish. She grimaced, and tossed her head back to stare pointlessly into the woman's face again. She knelt beside the bed for a while, staring but really seeing.
Kairin's eyelids were slowly sliding closed when the elf's mouth twitched. Instantly, Kairin was awake. She sprung off of her haunches and knelt over the now stirring figure. She cupped the woman's pale face on one hand to take a look; her eyes were moving under the lids. The woman opened her mouth and began to speak quickly, so fast that Kairin couldn't tell if she spoke Alagaesian. With her free arm, Kairin flailed out behind her and made contact with Faeria's shoulder. The dragon stretched like a cat and opened her eyes.
"Was that necessary?"
"Look!" Kairin squealed. With a surprising burst of agility, Faeria stood up and rushed to the bedside, leaving long gouges in the floor with her claws.
"This doesn't feel right. What's she saying?" The elf's eyes flew open. They were bright, sky blue, and wide as coins. The eerie, dead-looking sight of them made Faeria recoil; which unnerved Kairin greatly. She stood up, completely unsure of what to do.
"I don't know, I don't know I can't understand her!" Kairin said distractedly. She rushed to the table, where she had put the cloth and bowl of water. Kairin snatched them up and threw herself beside the elf again, trying to press the soaked handkerchief to her now thrashing head.
"The time has passed for that, I think, Kairin!" Faeria shrieked. She snatched the bowl from Kairin's hand with her teeth, and tossed her head towards the elf. The water flew out and soaked her completely. Instantly, she was still. The eerie blue eyes blinked once, and instantly something inside them came alive. Her breathing slowed, and she met Kairin's eyes for the first time.
"Who are you?" The woman's voice was soft and harsh, as if she was unaccustomed to speaking so loudly. She sat up and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. She was alright, she was awake and speaking. The long-awaited moment made Kairin positively beam with joy.
"Kairin!" She burst out. With trouble, she regained her composure. "I'm... Kairin. I live here. You've been here for almost a month, now, and you've never even said a word before this so I'm so happy you've finally woken up and now I hope you don't have to leave too soon because I'd really like to talk to you-"
"Easy, Kairin. Breathe," drawled Faeria, a smirk in her silver eyes. Kairin fell silent, embarrassed, and looked up at the elf through her eyelashes.
"Sorry," she said aloud to both. But the elf wasn't listening. Her eyes were fixed on Faeria with such exhilaration that Kairin was momentarily derailed. Faeria was returning the stare with a sort of haughty indignation.
"What gives you the nerve," she said icily.
"She wants to know why you're staring at her like that," said Kairin, carefully editing. The frost-blue eyes instantly snapped to meet Kairin's instead, who found it difficult to return her gaze. An uncomfortable moment passed before the elf seemed to regain her senses.
"I'm… So sorry," she stammered. Kairin could tell that she wasn't sincere. "I just… So you must be the Rider," she breathed, her attempt at frivolous good manners abandoned. Her straightforwardness scared Kairin; she had no idea whether the woman was an enemy or friend.
"I'm sorry; who did you say you were?" Kairin stood and laid a hand on the back of Faeria's neck. The touch gave her confidence.
"I'm sorry," the elf said again, this time with far more sincerity, "my name is Leaire." She held out her hand. Kairin scrutinized it for a moment before hesitantly reaching out her hand and taking it. Leaire stared at their two clenched hands before giving Kairin a timid glance.
"May I?" she asked. Kairin was confused; she said nothing. Without waiting for an answer, Leaire turned Kairin's hand palm up, and clenched her wrist with her other hand. The silvery-white mark on Kairin's palm was now visible; it glistened in the faint light.
"The Gedwey Ignasia," Leaire said in a rapt whisper. Kairin pulled her hand away and clenched her fist.
"The what?" she demanded. She was getting annoyed with the elf's mysterious manner. If Leaire had noticed any harshness in her voice she gave no indication.
"The Gedwey Ignasia, it's the mark that all Riders receive when they first make contact with their dragons. It's astonishing, really, how much a that little tattoo can do. You and your dragon speak to each other through it."
"Ask her how she knows all of this," Faeria said instantly. She was still giving Leaire an analyzing look.
"Faeria wants to know how you know all of this," Kairin relayed. Leaire's face broke out into a smile.
"Faeria! Her name is Faeria? I know all of this, Faeria, because I was your egg-bearer. As I'm sure you've already guessed, at least." Leaire spoke directly to her, and she looked back completely emotionless.
"Someone explain this to me, please!" cried Kairin, exasperated. Leaire looked up at Kairin, and paused for a moment before folding her legs under her. She motioned for Kairin to sit, who did with some cautiousness.
"Ellesmera is the city of the elves."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Kairin demanded. Before Leaire could answer, Faeria pulled up her top lip and growled softly.
"Let her speak." Kairin bitterly obeyed.
"Ellesmera is the city of the elves," Leaire began again as if nothing had transpired, "and I was born there. I was raised among elven politics, and once I was mature enough I joined in on them. Elven politics is quite different from humans'. Anyone can be a part of it. So I quickly rose in status in Ellesmera, until I was eventually involved with the Varden. Do you know what the Varden is?"
"They fight the Empire," replied Kairin simply.
"That's a very vague description, but it will do for now," said Leaire quickly, eager to return to her story.
"I soon gained the trust of the Varden as well, and was one of their top chairmen. It wasn't long before the Varden leader called me aside to offer me the most honorable job in my entire lifetime: an egg bearer. There had only been one previous egg bearer before me: Arya the elf queen's daughter. Naturally, I was privileged to be selected for the job. I accepted it, and the following morning I set out with my egg. It was an impeccable egg, too. A bright silver-white color," Leaire said, with a sly smile.
"My job was to ferry the egg across Alagaesia, between elves and humans of the Varden. See, a dragon egg only hatches when it comes in contact with its destined partner. In Faeria's case, she chose you, Kairin." Kairin's stomach fluttered. She'd had no idea that Faeria had hatched exclusively for her.
"How do they know?" Kairin asked. She turned to Faeria. "How did you know?"
"I just knew, Kairin. You were the only one I felt for." Kairin was overcome by a surge of affection.
"Dragons may not grow inside the egg, but they age," said Leaire. "Faeria was mature enough, and conscious enough, to choose who she wanted to be with."
"That explains why you treat me like such a child."
"In my mind, Kairin, sixteen years is practically an infant."
"But as you can imagine," Leaire continued, "people were becoming restless when the eggs – both Arya's and mine – weren't hatching. Both the elves and the humans were desperate for the egg to hatch on their side. You see, the race that gained the Rider would soon hold much of the Varden's political influence. Fights began breaking out. I was afraid someone was going to steal the egg and force it to hatch. It was a terrible show of greed; I was ashamed of their behavior.
"Their fighting not only increased animosity between the races, but it must have somehow attracted the attention of…" Leaire searched for a word. "…the enemy. I was soon constantly on the run, always being pursued. It became too dangerous; this was to be my last trip before the egg-bearers returned to Ellesmera to think up another plan of action.
"However… This time, the enemy sent a far more capable creature to tail me." Leaire paused, her face dark. "He overtook me. He killed my guards and chased me here, into the Spine. I was completely cornered, there was absolutely no time for me to magick the egg away. I simply threw it into the forest," she said bluntly. "In hindsight, it was a stupid idea. It would have been painfully easy for him to find it.
"It was a blessing that you found it first." The elf paused, a smile fixed on her lips. It was so stiff that Kairin was sure that there was bad news to follow. The silence grew.
"Just say it," Kairin said roughly. The elf faltered, and then burst into speech.
"There would be no reason for him to leave. He of course searched for the egg after I threw it, and I daresay… I daresay he's found this place by now." A cold rush of fear ran down Kairin's spine. The elf dropped her voice to a whisper.
"He's probably been watching you. He's seen that the egg has hatched, and he's seen that I'm here, too. I'm entirely sure that he's out there in the forest, planning his next move. I'm sure because… I can feel him."
"What?" Kairin was confused.
"It would be pointless to explain fully. I was completely aware of my surroundings the entire time I was asleep. I chose tonight to wake up because for some reason, he's gone. But I'm sure he's coming back." Leaire was trying to commune the dangerousness of the situation to Kairin without really saying it.
"He's gathering an army. He'll be back to bring you to Galbatorix soon. That's why we're leaving tonight, Kairin. We're leaving right now."