Murtagh closed his eyes and opened his mind to his surroundings. Immediately in the vicinity he could spot the mind of eight elves that formed a small group, hiding behind a building nearby. In the opposite direction, there were two other elves which took position on the rooftops, ready to fire their arrows at their enemy. There was one other elf that slowly approached from the side, making use of the buildings to hide his presence.
Only a second passed since Murtagh opened his mind before he felt the spear-like consciousnesses of the elves trying to break through his mental defenses.
Murtagh gritted his teeth and extended his right hand, focusing his attention towards the eldunari. "I have no other choice," whispered Murtagh as he began to speak in the language of power.
"Thrysta stenr," he whispered, focusing his attention towards the key structures of a nearby building. A few of the blocks of stone of which the building was made of exploded violently, causing a loud crashing sound as the building began to collapse.
"Magic of Siran: body to mind, mind out of body," spoke Murtagh.
Nothing seemed to happen until a large scream of despair erupted all of a sudden, followed by another one, and another one as each elf fell prey to the dark enchantment that ripped their souls from their bodies. Murtagh was partially overwhelmed by the brightness of each elf's spirit, but he quickly gathered himself and extended the hand with the eldunari.
"Siphon of the ever living: merge," he commanded, and all of the elves souls were directed towards the eldunari.
The brown sphere began to glow intensely as the souls of the elves slowly merged with the dragon inside. It was an unnatural process, an abomination, yet the dark magic was not bound by such restraints.
Murtagh dropped the eldunari on the ground as the shrieking roar of a dragon could be heard inside his mind, tormenting him with its cries before it ceased as suddenly as it began.
The eldunari's glow intensified until it suddenly cracked open, dissipating all the light that surrounded it.
Murtagh gasped as he fell onto his knees, feeling that a part of him was missing. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he could not reach the magical reserves which hid deep into his mind.
I-I did it… said Murtagh as Thorn's snout approached from the side of his head, his breath warming Murtagh's body.
Death is no reason to celebrate, little one, Thorn reproached as he looked around the conspicuous area. Now climb onto my back before other elves come.
Murtagh laid a numb arm on the warm snout of his partner and got up, running his hand along the smooth red scales until he reached the saddle. Using the little power he had left, he trudged his body upwards into the saddle where he steadied himself clumsily.
Thorn lowered his body in a crouch, spreading wings as he pushed himself off the ground, leaving visible scratches into the stone that covered the ground.
Despite the thrill of escaping such a dangerous situation, Thorn's wing beats were slow and lethargic, matching his own displeasure at the gruesome act Murtagh has just committed.
Do you want me to lend you some energy? I can- Murtagh tried to say without stuttering, making his best to remain in the saddle because of his numb limbs and frail balance thanks to Thorn's deficient flight.
NO! Bellowed Thorn, you already sacrificed the soul of a dragon for that strange spell of yours and drew energy from the others. I appreciate your concern, but I will be capable of flying with my own strength.
Murtagh said nothing, realizing how painful was it for Thorn to accept the fact that the eldunari of a dragon, which was once a mighty beast which roamed the land was used to cause even more death. More so, such abuse as draining and torturing the souls of countless dragons was revolting as these prideful creatures once lived free, unrestrained by any bonds.
A few stray arrows coming from the elves on the battlements were aimed at Thorn when the dragon passed by the destroyed gate, but they were quickly deflected by Murtagh. With the battlements shrinking behind them, he sighed in relief and closed his eyes, falling into a contemplative state.
Thorn kept flying as straight as he could, but even so the missing part of his tail drastically affected his flying capabilities. Every time he would take a turn, even a slight one, chances were that he would unwillingly do a corkscrew or simply fail at taking the proper turn by moving too far in the respective direction. A straight flight was not an easy accomplishment as well, for the shifting air currents constantly affected the dragon's flying path. Usually, corrections like these were made instinctually, but Thorn had to struggle even more to avoid wasting unnecessary energy on correcting his flying position.
The two of them kept flying for longer than anyone could guess, yet signs of the great capital of Uru'Baen were not visible. The sun went past its highest point in the sky and started to slowly descend, indicating that the day would soon come to an end A vast area of rolling plains unfolded before Murtagh's eyes as Thorn passed over the last remaining trees of a large forest. The feeling of freedom combined with the warm, enticing rays of the sun and the dry grass which colored the ground below in shades of gold was exhilarating. Thorn released a loud roar but, much to Murtagh's surprise, it was not a roar of happiness, but of pain. The red dragon descended from the sky before Murtagh could find out what was wrong and managed to land on his feet, although not in the most elegant way.
Dry grass mixed with dirt flew into the air as Thorn skid on his feet before crashing down on his belly. Murtagh adopted a concerned look as he walked over to Thorn's head. His breathing was unusually labored, and his ruby eyes lost much of their vivid spark of life.
Thorn, what happened?
My energy is almost spent, Murtagh, and my injured tail still hurts. You can not possibly know the shame and the hurt that was bestowed upon me the moment Glaedr severed that part of my tail, said Thorn, a deep sadness being present in his voice.
Murtagh slowly stroke Thorn's neck before he gripped it with his arm, trying to encourage his partner of mind and soul, I may not know that, but I understand your pain, and I promise I will do everything I can to help you mend your tail.
Thorn growled softly, Thank you Murtagh…thank you for everything you have done for me, he said as he closed his eyes, exhaling loudly.
Murtagh patted Thorn one more time before he slowly walked to the side of his body. The large, majestic light ruby wings came into view, but Murtagh had no more strength to keep moving. Feeling unusually tired, Murtagh dropped on the soft ground, looking at the clear blue sky before he slowly closed his eyes.