I hope this flows properly, please let me know if it doesn;t and I will clean it up again.
Rise of the Dragons
Chapter 8
The Journey to Ceris
by R. Reichelderfer.
Eragon lay in his tent, sulking. It had been two weeks since they had begun to travel from Tarnag. At first, Leonde continued their education in his form of magic. Which included summoning Bound Armor and Bound weapons. Dagger, Sword, Bow. Even Maces and battle axes. At first, Eragon had been utterly surprised at how light the weapons were. He explained that as their experience with the School of Conjuration increased. So too, would the sharpness of the blades. Eragon was amazed at this magic; in a way, he would never be unarmed again.
As he explained, it was summoning a lesser Daedra spirit in the form of a weapon. This was the same school of magic that he did not teach the Varden's wizards. Arya had commented it was similar to summoning and controlling spirits, although these had no will behind them. Nasuada had explained they would make perfect assassin weapons. Leonde had pointed out there were ways to erect wards that prevent summon spells from working inside a specific area, adding that once you sheath the weapon, it vanishes.
It was when Arya had begun teaching more of the Ancient language that a terrible secret was revealed. His blessing of the child in Farthen Dur. It had come out that Eragon's blessing was a curse. He had used the word skölir shield instead of sköliro Shielded. Arya had been horrified and shocked. She had heard of his blessing but had not thought to investigate it. Now he was sulking in his tent for the unintended pain he could have caused the child. The only hope he had was Saphira's blessing would help her. It was Saphira who had interrupted his misery as she said,
/~Leonde is right, short of returning to Farthen Dur and then onto Surda to retrieve the child. There is little we can do. And everyone thinks it would be a bad idea.~/ His mood was bitter even more because he had attempted to practice his swordsmanship with Murtagh when his back exploded in pain.
Now he had to wonder if it was punishment for what he did to the child. It was at that point Saphira had had enough. Her mental shout grabbed his attention. /~That is enough!~/
It had been loud enough and forceful to attract everyone's attention. Saphira had forced her head into his tent to grab his leg in her jaws and drag him out. Struggling as she pulled him out, she rolled him onto his back and, with her giant head, looked at him with her sapphire blue eyes.
/~You are not being punished for what happened. As Leonde said, you made a mistake, an accident, and you are doing precisely what a good man would do. Owning up to your mistake and taking responsibility for it. That is called growing up to become a man. Now I don't want to hear any more of this self-pity.~/
She said that with an air of finality. Looking at her, Eragon did not deny the tone of her voice. And he closed his eyes.
"Alright, No more." He said reluctantly, getting up now that he had been dragged rudely from his tent. The others in the group had watched the display and seemed to be taking an interest. With nightfall approaching, Eragon saw Murtagh and Thorn resting by the fire together. He was holding and inspecting Zar'roc. Eragon had given it some thought, but with the silver sword, he had now. He was actually relieved to be free of Zar'roc. More so after learning the blade's name meant misery. It was like the sword had a will and could cause pain just by existing.
Coming over to sit beside his brother Eragon asked, "Does." Sheathing Zar'roc Murtagh looked to Eragon as he swallowed. "Does your back hurt you? From when..."
"Growing up, it did. I would get spasms like yours, but nowhere as intense Eragon. Took time but I fully healed." he said, interrupting him.
"How long?"
"It stopped hurting once I was about 15 or so." The idea of suffering from this wound for years only made Eragon's spirit wilt. The idea pulled at his sanity. Only Leonde's voice distracted him.
"The curse upon your back is not meant to kill you. It is meant to break you. Break your mind, will, and break your spirit. Are you honestly about to allow someone you have already defeated and killed, get the best of you from beyond the grave?" His voice was slightly chiding as he moved from the edge of the camp. It was enough to make Eragon incensed against what Leonde had said.
Even Saphira had raised her hackles; if she had been a cat, he would have been sure that her fur would have stood on end. With a smirk, Leonde looked to Saphira.
"I have no intention of letting Durza defeat me. Much less after Murtagh and I killed him." Eragon said.
With a smile, Leonde said. "Then prove it to me. Prove to me the strength you have. The strength you have that made Saphira say... Of all, I have been near and presented to. You are the only one worthy of being my rider."
Leonde's smile was gentle and kind. Not harsh or challenging. It actually gave Eragon some measure of comfort. He was perplexed over Leonde. The fading sunlight cast rays of red and gold light upon the man in the red armor. His armor was made all the more fierce because of it, casting shadows and intensifying the darker areas.
In a few ways, he was like Brom. He had never once attempted to force his values on him, Murtagh, or Arya. All he knew was that Nasuada did not fully trust him. And in private, she had directly ordered Eragon on behalf of her father to report everything he said and did. It made Eragon feel as if he was betraying Leonde's trust.
Watching Leonde as he exhaled a deep breath and spoke. "Eragon, It gives me no pleasure to be the one to tell you this, but you are about to learn one of the harshest lessons a hero can learn." Eragon could feel Saphira's concern as she also listened in. "The Lesson of pain, and it is the most important lesson one could ever learn."
/~And how could this torment be such an important Lesson?~/ Saphira asked. Her mood was not at best, having felt Eragon's suffering. She would do anything to protect her rider. She, as Leonde noticed, became more protective over him. The only time that seemed to waver was when Odahviing was near her. This is compiled by the fact she wanted to avoid touching Leonde's mind with her thoughts to speak to him. But she had little choice after Leonde told her to address him herself. Leonde had noticed when she relayed a question through him and when it was her questions. Which he refused to answer.
There was some solemn thought. "What if Eragon is captured by enemies? Enemies who can not breach his mental shield to discover his true name. So they torture him. Physically." It made Arya open her eyes as she listened to him. To her regret, after the conversation with Leonde in his tower in Tarnag, she had to admit he had excellent points. She had not considered the dangers of Galbatorix himself flying from Uru'Baen to confront Leonde himself, more so the political implications after she had become a rider. She listened as her Dragon, Firnen, laid his head in her lap.
"As you endure the pain from the injury on your back. It will in time get worse and worse. I am sorry to say that is true."
It made Eragon feel his resolve waver. "If you are being tortured by enemies. You can look back on this, you can say. I have endured pain like this when I was much younger."
And clenching his fist and shaking it with each word to accent his words. "I Can Endure THIS. The lessons we learn from pain, physical, mental, and most importantly, emotional pain, are the ones that make us the strongest."
His blue eyes radiated an inner power, and Leonde's words steeled his resolve. With firm words, Leonde said. "If the elven youth of Ellsemera are anything like the children of other races, they will look down upon you and mock you."
"I am stronger than you. I am faster than you. I am more agile. How could you become a Rider when I am superior to you." He said in a cold, cruel voice that made Eragon think of the times other kids in Carvahal had teased and tormented him. He realized, as did everyone Leonde was simply making it a point.
"How could a cripple like you become a Rider? Brom was a True Dragon Rider. You claim to be his son, if that is true you are a disgrace to his name and every thing he stood for."
The words about Brom made Eragon take some offense, but he understood he was doing it for a reason other than mocking him. With a softer approach, Leonde explained. "They will tease you, They will taunt you. They will be polite to the point of insulting. They will do everything they can to make you lose faith in yourself. Lose your temper, make you cry. To make you admit how worthless you are as a dragon rider. Are you going to live down to their expectations? Or when they knock you down, will you pick yourself back up, and stand tall. Proud. Even to get under their skin, tell them... Thank you."
"I know you can endure this. And you have my word; when we reach Ellsemera, I will speak with their spell crafters. And I will work to break the curse upon you. And providing the Elves do not withhold any important information. I can break the curse."
"And If they do with hold important information?" Orik asked.
There was almost a twisted smile. Leonde said, "If I suspect them with holding important information. Then I will inform Saphira. So she may express her... displeasure in person." Arya's tilted her head in confusion then her eyes widened, realizing what Leonde would do. And it made her shudder at the thought of what Saphira might do. Saphira, in turn, gave a coughing chuckle as a plume of flame erupted from her nose.
"What if you can't break the curse?" Nasuada asked. Eragon looked over at her. Eragon and Saphira had to guess she was trying to drive a wedge between the riders and Leonde.
"I can break the curse." The declaration floored Eragon as he explained further. "The issue is, at this point in his development and growth, he does not have the strength to survive it."
Looking at him, Eragon actually felt hope, as did Saphira. "You can break it?"
"It is a brute force method that will be horribly painful, far worse than the pain you felt in the last attack, and incredibly traumatic. It is my last resort to breaking your curse. But as I said, you currently do not have the strength to survive it, and even if you did, I would need the help of two others I will have to summon from Tamriel. Which is no trivial task."
Eragon, at last, felt some hope. There was an answer,
Finally, standing up. "Dragons, Riders, eat and get some rest. I will be waking you all before dawn."
"Why so Early?" Murtagh asked.
"I will begin training you with Imperial Legion stretching exercises before daybreak." Looking at Eragon, he said, "If," and he emphasized it by pointing his finger at Eragon, "you perform these exercises religiously. Before you bed down, and before you eat in the morning. When heavier training begins, it should keep the strain on your back to a minimum. And thus reduce the number of attacks you have. I will also attempt to figure out how to train the dragons."
"And when will you sleep?" Arya asked. "You have hardly gotten three hours of sleep a day since we left, Tarnag? And that was over a week ago." She finally stood up. Firnen pulled his head from her lap, and the two looked at Leonde. The sound of massive wings could be heard as it signaled the approach of Odahviing. The wing strokes of the enormous dragon made Eragon's ears pop from the changes in pressure. Saphira instantly turned her head as the massive dragon's wings opened, and he slammed into the ground, making it tremble. The river began sloshing and breaching its banks. Even though Odahviing had landed over five hundred feet away, every footfall could be felt as he approached.
Looking across to the west and the setting sun, Leonde inhaled and snorted. "Once I am certain we are being hunted."
It got everyone's attention as they stood up to look in the direction Leonde was looking. As the sunset is on the horizon, "watch for it in the darkness of the ground." He said, and then as the last rays of the sun receded over the land, they could see it in the distance. On the darkened ground. A soft flash of light, almost imperceptible. It was faint, like a star glimpsed out of the clouds on an overcast night.
"I thought I saw something two nights ago but wasn't sure. Last night I paid attention. And tonight. Odahviing said he has now seen a large group to the west within fifteen leagues, hidden by invisibility. That was at least three leagues away."
As he approached, the footfalls of Odahviing softened as his massive head lowered as the great dragon asked, "Do you wish me to go and destroy them, Dovahkiin?"
"That would be unwise." Arya said. "If they are from Galbatorix. They will no doubt have tools and weapons meant to ground a Dragon."
"Indeed, my friend, remember what happened when we first met. Your eagerness to meet me in battle proved your undoing." Leonde's statement made Arya look to Leonde as if to question what he meant. But it was Murtagh who voiced the question.
"What does that mean?"
"It means I bested Odahviing. And leave it at that."
It made the great Dragon snort as he moved off to the side of the camp. Turning to leave, Eragon was surprised to see that as Odahviing's tail moved, past Saphira did the unexpected. She actually bit at, and succeeded in biting the end of his tail. The next thing Eragon knew was he was diving for cover, as Odahviing spun around with blinding speed as a roar of fury and anger erupted in his voice.
Odahviing's massive limb came down where Saphira had been. The impact resonated with an enormous tremor as Odahviing pursued Saphira. Everyone in the camp was scrambling to get out of the way of the two dragons. The only one not in a panic was Leonde. Saphira had recoiled as she ducked and rolled away from Odahviing, her wings folded tightly against her body as he brought his massive clawed limb down with a terrible booming sound, leaving a dragon-shaped footprint deeply imprinted.
She could not spread her wings and fly, which would have given Odahviing time to smash her. And after seeing his clawed talons shatter a boulder her size, it wasn't a good idea. Clawing and scrambling away from the anger of the great dragon rolled off him in waves enough to sicken her. She clamored around a boulder, more scared than she had ever been in her life. Odahviing was trying to kill her. When Odahviing moved up, lifting his claw to slam down on her, she opened her maw and unleashed a Torrent of her blue Fire at his face. Hoping to buy herself time to escape his wrathful onslaught.
The Blue flame washed over his face as he held still; Saphira's attack was cut short as Odahviing prepared to unleash his voice; she could see the fire building in his mouth as the words began to be voiced. And just as he spoke came the voice of Leonde.
"JOOR ZAH FRUL"
A wave of force hit Odahviing as he recoiled, roaring out as if he was in pain; his head jerked to the as he turned his wrath to Leonde. Opening his maw Odahviing unleashed his stream of fire on the Dragon slayer. The yellow-hot flame continued as Odahviing drew out his shout for as long as he could. The ground was scorching and turning black as Orik and Nasuada stared wide-eyed. For Nasuada, there was a brief hint of concern that she believed Leonde had been killed. Then she realized they now had an enormous angry dragon, which terrified her.
As the shout ended, leaving a figure standing in the middle of Burning glowing rock and stone. She momentarily thought Leonde's armor had been melted into one piece when she saw him take a step forward. His face through the flickering flames was unscathed as he drew a blade from his back, walking out of the fire.
His cape flustered and fluttered in the winds created by the fire as Odahviing moved back step by step. Arya and Saphira stared at Leonde as if he was some invincible monster standing amidst the scorched and burned ground. The ability to withstand such terrible flame. With Odahviing stepping back, the great dragon growled in warning. Lifting his head up to look at Odahviing as he held his jagged sword. Leonde asked.
"Are we done expressing our displeasure at the situation with violence?" His voice was firm, cold, and challenging.
Baring his teeth and snarling, Odahviing opened his jaws and snapped in Leonde's direction, who tilted his head as he turned to look at Eragon, who was rightfully terrified at the idea of what he could do to him and Saphira.
Odahviing took a step towards Eragon. When Saphira felt Eragon in danger, she bared her teeth only to have Odahviing turn his head and Roar at her with such force and power it made her recoil in fear. Approaching Eragon, each footstep was slow and measured as the dragon flared his wings open. Each step was thunderous and made the ground shake. Eragon looked up as Odahviing's eyes burned into him. Lowering his massive head, Odahviing brought his head down to the point the dragon was level with Eragon's eyes.
Seeing the rage boiling in the dragon's eyes as the dragon spoke clear words. Words that lead to no misunderstanding.
"I"
"Am"
"Not"
"Amused"
"Get"
"Your"
"Pet"
"Under"
"Control"
Eragon did not have time to reply to Odahviing as the Great dragon lifted his head up high and began moving off. The great dragon, even in defeat, was proud and strong. Each step was made thunderous and heavy. Much heavier than was needed to be. Making a point and a statement about how angry he was. Sheathing his sword, Leonde approached Eragon and motioned for everyone, letting them know it was alright. Turning to look at Saphira, Thorn and Firnen began coming to Arya and Murtagh.
Leonde called her over with a single finger. She came over her head with low wings tucked almost timidly like a child ready to be punished; Eragon could feel how humiliated she felt when Odahviing called her a pet. Dwarf guards all came with weapons drawn, each looking ready to attack Odahviing. It was Orik who managed to get them to settle down.
"Odahviing, might be my friend, but as you can see, short of causing him pain, I cannot stop him when he decides to express his anger."
"What did you do to him?" Arya asked,
"Saved Saphira from his rage, and proved the Dragons of Tamriel and Alagaesia are two entirely different species of dragons."
"What do you mean." Nasauda asked.
"I used my most potent weapon against Dragons to stop Odahviing from killing Saphira. The Dragonrend shout."
"Dragonrend?" Arya asked.
"Yes, it cripples a dovah or dragon, forces them out of the sky, grounds them. It is not a pleasant experience. Saphira was in the line of effect; if she were anything like Odahviing, she would have felt the impact of it. That it had no effect on her proves she is not a Dovah. She may be a Dragon, but she is no Dovah."
Arya held an inscrutable expression, but he could clearly see she did not like that he had such power over Odahviing. Looking into her eyes as if daring her to challenge him, "We may have started out as adversaries. But he was the one who chose to grant me the privilege of calling his name and summoning him to battle. I did not use Dragonrend on him lightly, I knew it was the only way to snap him out of his rage, or would you have preferred I allow him to kill Saphira?"
"If this Dragonrend doesn't affect dragons like Saphira, you will be disadvantaged when you face Galabtorix and Shruiken." Murtagh pointed out, hoping to disarm and change the subject.
"Minorly, it took me a long time to discover Dragonrend. I was forced to fight and kill Dovah. It will make the battle interesting, that is for sure. I have other ways to combat and kill dragons at my disposal."
"Are you aware of the fact that you could die in your fight against Galbatorix?" Nasuada asked.
"Are you aware of the fact that if we don't kill him, he could ruin for a thousand or so years before he dies? Considering what he could do in that time period, I think my death is a small price to pay." Leonde told her.
Nasuada looked at him, shocked as his eyes bore into her eyes, and she could actually see he was serious about willing to die.
Looking at Eragon, Leonde asked. "Your father, Brom. Did he not tell you about Dragon Lore here in Alagaesia?"
Eragon was momentarily confused, "Yes, of course, he did."
"Did he tell you the age when Dragons are able to take mates?" The question floored Eragon.
"Yes, he said they could breath fire around 4-5 months old, around the time... they are old enough to take mates." And then Eragon realized what was up with Saphira and her pestering Odahviing.
Turning his gaze to Saphira, Leonde addressed her. "He is not interested in you as a mate. You are an Alagaesian Dragon. He is a Tamriel Dragon. You are two different species of dragon. It is like..." Leonde trailed off as he sought a proper comparison. "It's like a Human and a Dwarf finding each other in courtship." Then turning his head to Orik, he offered a respectful nod.
His voice was soft and calm. But Eragon could feel his words cut her as profoundly as any knife. "And even if he did consider you a proper mate. It would make our journey all the more difficult and far more dangerous. With you seeking to nest, we would need to transport your eggs. It would only make us a much larger, easier target. You have to take control of these urges, Saphira. You can not let them rule you. With you at the age of being able to take a mate."
"Combined with two... or three dragons, Galbatorix believes you could be mated to. He'll not risk you producing a clutch of eggs that he can not control. After this display, our stalkers will attack soon. Now all of you get some sleep; sleep with your weapons ready too. If we are attacked. Do not pursue our attackers if they flee. I do not want anyone running into an ambush."
With Leonde walking off the scorched ground under his boots, cracking and snapping, no one would argue with him. He began to walk over to where his helmet was; picking it up, he put it on his head. Turning to look at everyone, Leonde saw them still looking at him. "I said get some sleep!"
With the rest of them bedding down, Murtagh had suggested that Eragon sleep inside that tower for protection; sadly, Leonde did not want to open it up because while it was solid and durable, it was not indestructible. And he knew not what would happen if it was destroyed.
Arya explained to Leonde how elves did not need to sleep like humans did, and she stood to watch Leonde. She looked out over the water's edge, using the spells Leonde had taught her. Night eye. Detect life. Renewing them occasionally. She had to admit to herself that for all his attitude, his arrogance. He took his duty seriously, and the responsibility he had taken upon himself was their safety and safe arrival to Ellsemera. Looking over the fire at Leonde, he sat motionless on a log, watching the river's west bank with twin swords at his side.
He had taken them out so he wouldn't have to draw them. At first, Arya had wondered if he was asleep, but when he spoke, she knew he wasn't. He had called her over with a finger, and when he put his hand on the ground, she noticed him pointing off to the west bank, drawing an arrow to where he had been looking.
"If you have questions, Arya, come and ask them." Turning to look around, she could see on the western bank pink glowing clouds moving to the banks. Each of them was man-sized, But she could see nothing physical there, which meant whoever it was invisible, and most likely muffled. She made no indication she had seen them, but she complied as Leonde lifted one of his blades to sheath it on his back.
Instantly her mind went out to awaken Eragon, Murtagh, and Their dragons and inform them of the attackers. Maintaining a casual approach, she asked. "Who are you exactly?" She could feel her fellow riders start and jump as they woke up. Getting their wits about them.
Firnen was awakened and instantly came over to Arya's side /~You must stay by Saphira. Go.~/ She said Firnen did not want to hide or be protected. But he understood the coming battle; he would be vulnerable and easily attacked. Arya also gave notice to one of the dwarves with a nod as he stood up.
Standing up, Leonde looked casual as the lack of moonlight only accented the campfire on him; the flickering light gave his red and black armor a frightful appearance. "If you are asking for my life story. It will have to wait for two reasons." He said. "First, my life story is very painful. I have no wish to recount it more than once. And Two... it begins."
Then it came; Arya caught the sound of a bow drawn in the distance, and then an arrow was released. Several, in fact. All at once it seemed to happen. Attackers lunged from the western side of the bank as arrows sailed through the air with point accuracy. Nearly a half dozen arrows struck Leonde square in the chest as figures leaped from the western bank of the Az Ragni River, clearing more than forty feet in one jump. Nearly a dozen figures had assaulted them, and the roaring screams of two gigantic black dragon-like creatures came out of nowhere to dive bomb onto Odahviing. She recognized the creatures. Not dragons, Lethrblaka, they had attacked Odahviing's head. They were large, almost as large as Saphira. But Odahviing was having none of it.
The great dragon roared in rage as he raised his massive head and body, thrashing his head around. Lifting one of his hands up, he clawed at one of the two creatures; as she saw the Ra'zac were not on their backs, she instantly turned her attention to fighting. Drawing her blade and Blocking an incoming sword swing, she was surprised at the speed and strength of the human. His face twisted with a gleeful, twisted expression. But his speed and strength were equal to any elf, but he lacked grace and agility.
And with fluid motions, her blade glided along his leaving a shower of sparks as she twisted and turned behind him, taking his head off. The resistance her sword felt as she slashed through his neck told her there was a mage here protecting them. The blade that Leonde had given her had managed to weaken the enchantment just enough for her to kill him.
She looked around and began searching for a magic user. The Dwarves were up and armed, fighting the fast-moving humans, as the Riders themselves were fighting with Murtagh protecting his brother viciously.
To her relief, She saw out of the corner of her eye Leonde standing, slashing with his sword left and right as he unleashed a spell that sent a spear of ice through the chest of one of the attackers knocking him into the river. At this point, she heard the screaming call of the Ra'zac and realized that at least half of these were Ra'zac.
And each one was heading to attack the Riders as she blocked an incoming sword swipe from one of the Ra'zac. And three of them were Attacking Leonde, and she noticed a Spell caster helping them. She recognized the three words he used; each word was intended to kill. But as the Ra'zac struck with their swords, he stood firm.
Finally, he was about to shout, and the mage used every ounce of his life force she could feel, attempting to destroy Leonde. And when the spell was completed, The mage fell over dead as it hit Leonde in the chest, knocking him back through the air with a powerful explosion. As Leonde landed halfway across the camp, he groaned and struggled to get up as three Ra'zac pounced on him. Just enough time passed for him to Shout out.
MID VUR SHAAN
And at that point, she noticed that the Dwarves seemed to be striking faster and harder as they rushed the attackers. Their speed and strength are now a match for their attackers. Her fear now was for Eragon as Saphira roared out as she tried to protect Eragon, her rider, and Firnen. Slashing out with her claws and talons, she whipped her tail around, fighting with every ounce of strength.
Eragon, however, was using the Magic that Leonde had taught him. While the spells were relatively weak. He could throw fireballs at the Ra'zac, which washed over them without harm. Saphira was doing her best to protect her rider, but with Three Targets to attack and each one going after her rider, it was hard for her to try and land a blow.
As the battle progressed, Thorn and Murtagh had a much better time. With Thorn helping him and being smaller than Saphira, it allowed Thorn's strikes to land with greater effect as one of the Ra'zac was caught in his claws. Those claws tore through whatever enchantments were protecting the foul creature from harm as his talons pushed through, ripping apart the vital organs as he threw the Ra'zac's remains at a couple of their attackers, hitting them with enough force to bowl them over.
Still, the surprise of the Dwarves attacking as fast as the elves had caught their attackers all off guard, as Odahviing's roaring echoed through the plains. Finally throwing his head from side to side, he dislodged one of the massive Lethblaka. The other clamored to hold onto the giant dragon. At the same time, its mate was knocked to the ground.
Odahviing caught the creature in his massive jaws. As he tossed and turned his head and in one enormous roar, Odahviing bit down. With a screeching cry of Agony, The Lethrblaka gave out a wail of pain and agony as Odahviing's massive jaws overpowered the protection spells as those jagged, sharp teeth sunk into the scales, flesh, and sinew. And the scream was cut short as the Foul creature was bitten in half, and torrents of bluish-green blood erupted from the foul creature. Spilling and soaking the ground.
With one of the Lethrblaka dead, the other roared in anguish and began to flee. Odahviing turned his head, showing the massive cuts and slashes across his face that dripped his blood and unleashed a roaring shout as fire spewed from the great dragon's maw. The fire rolled off and around the Lethrblaka as the wards placed on it to protect it from the dragon's fire shielded it from Odahviing's Fire. The creature turned to fly to the west as fast as it could; Odahviing spread his wings with the intent to follow but remembered the Dovahkiin's words warning them of a trap. But also his eagerness when he rushed to meet the Dovahkiin in battle. As Arya fought with two more augmented humans, She heard out from Murtagh as he had managed to kill the two men attacking him.
"Eragon, Drop to the ground!" With those words, Thorn had pounced at the two of the three Ra'zac that had focused on Eragon. Turning to face the sound of Thorn roaring, the two cloaked figures screamed out as the young red dragon extended his claws' front legs spread wide as Saphira reared up on her back legs. Thorn impacted the Ra'zac as Saphira came down with her own Talons slashing into the one that was after her rider. With the Dwarves dispatching the augmented humans, it left Leonde to deal with the last of the Ra'zac. Turning to look at the Dragon Slayer, she watched him dance with deadly grace. He was not relatively as fast or agile as the Ra'zac, but that didn't stop him. One blade in his right hand, and in his left magic, glowing balls of light that he held in his hand and then released it. She saw his form shimmer and glow as his speed and agility made an apparent increase.
The blade crackled with lightning and produced an ice-like vapor; his strength allowed him to knock the blades of one of the Ra'zac away, striking deep into the upper leg of the cloaked figure. Dropping the Ra'zac, two others struck as one. The blades they wielded were of elven make, she could tell. She watched as the two swords of the Ra'zac hit Leonde in the breastplate, and his armor did not even have a scratch. The one that went down from the leg wound had leaned up to stab at Leonde's Thigh; the slender blade pierced forward and then managed to hit under one of the armored plates and stable Leonde in the leg, A scream issued from Leonde's throat as he looked to the two other Ra'zac and Shouted.
FUS RO DAH
His shout came with tremendous force as it knocked the two Ra'zac away from Leonde, sending them tumbling like Rag Dolls and knocking them across the river, making them land in the water. Once they realized they were in the water, they panicked and began to struggle to get out and onto the west side of the river to escape. This, of course, allowed Leonde to bring all his focus to bear on the Ra'zac that had wounded him as he used both hands to lift his sword up and bring it down onto the head of the Ra'zac the Ra'zac made a vain attempt to block the strike with its sword holding onto the hilt and the blade.
Leonde's double-handed slash came down upon the blade as the force of the blow and the electrical charge that transferred from his sword to the blade the Ra'zac held caused his arms to buckle. The blade struck deep into the skull of the Ra'zac, nearly cleaning its head in half. The blue-green blood spewed out as Leonde looked around as the last of Galbatorix's forces had been defeated.
As the battle died down and a Few of the dwarves had a battle high, a few wanted to pursue the Ra'zac across the river. Ir was Orik and Leonde who stopped them. Orik told them their duty was to escort the riders to Ceris. Not hunt the enemy down. Leonde also pointed out that the Flying Creature was still circling in the distance. They wanted to be followed, which would lead those who did right into a trap.
"Arya." Leonde Addressed her. "How far away is it from Ceris?"
"Two days at least." She said, cleaning her blade and sheathing it.
"Or one day under a forced march."
Leonde looked out to the west. Finally, he said. "Break camp. There is a large force out there at least three days away; we need to force march to Ceris."
Everyone was busy breaking camp as rapidly as they could. With everyone breaking camp as quickly as they could, Leonde went about inspecting the remains finding shackles for men and, of course, the very poison she had been given at the mercy of Durza.
That was when Nasuada said, "Leonde, you're bleeding."
Arya was surprised when she learned that and came over as Leonde cast a healing spell to repair the injury, "Seithr Oil! We need to tend to this now!" she said, going for one of the supply packs.
"Arya, my armor helps heal injuries, and I am warded against poisons and diseases. Whatever they used penetrated the immunity to poisons, but it's not progressing. Granted, it won't heal properly, but it's not getting any worse than a small gash."
As he mounted onto his steed, he used another healing spell, one of his strongest, before he got ready to ride out. After taking everything of Value and need for the forced march to Ceris. Arya said that once in the shelter of the trees, they would be safe. Finally, with everyone on their mounts, Leonde lifted his head and gave a tremendous Shout.
SOT SIS SPAN
And at that moment, the entire area around them began to swirl with a thick misty white Vapor that rose far over their heads. No one could see that every direction within ten miles of Leonde was covered in a rolling thick white fog. Moments after the mist had begun to settle in, they could see shapes clear up, as the magic of the shout obscured only those Leonde did not consider an ally or friend. Soon they could make out shapes and people nearby.
Pulling his steed close to him, Leonde Lifted both his hands up as a green light charged between them as he placed his hands on his Stallion, and instantly everyone could feel a magic spell around them. "There That will muffle or armor and Foot steps. This fog will last only a couple of hours. I suggest we go post haste."
Note
I want to Thank Elemental Dragon Slayer for his advice and suggestions for This new Shout. It means Sot (White) Sis (Mist) Span (Shield). Yes, Sis is made up as well.
