It was cold and wet, the ground smooth beneath his cheek and yet hard as a rock, like an polished gemstone. His fingers twitched. Ugh. Still alive? How suprising. Ivren opened his eyes. It was dark around him, every sound all the louder, the cold rock all the harder. There was no iron around his hands or feet, but his magic, that familiar spark of power, did not respond. The walls of his dungeon barely felt like rock. His fingers stroked over them until he found a horizontal gap, just below his fingertips when he stretched.
A loud crunching sound, stone over stone, rolling like thunder. A ray of light fell on its face. The creature was back. It had to be his attacker, or one of his kind. They shared the same inhuman features, the carapace, the eyes and the beak. Somehow familiar. Where had he seen it? It could only be in Aurora's classroom.
The second figure was human, or at least it had the face of a human, tall but lanky and with a burn scar on its face. He had never seen this one before, he was sure of it.
"Come here," the human ordered. When he didn't obey immediately, he added: "Voluntarily or not - I know which I prefer." The figure smiled, pleased.
Ivren stood up. He was defenceless, whether in the cell or outside. A ladder dropped down at the edge. "Climb up." A tilt of the head. "Don't have any stupid ideas-or have them. Please."
What a - Ivren obeyed. His fingers tingled. Immediately he was grabbed by the creature. "Whew!"
The human stared at him. "Well trained, huh? I wonder what else your mistress taught you? Can you beg?"
Ivren could puke. That was his mother, damn it! He would love to rip his throat out.
They led him through dark tunnels, just as smooth as his cell. Clearly, magic was at work here. A turn, more dungeons, but behind ordinary bars, with three prisoners, all pale and sickly. No wonder. There was no warmth here. When had they last seen the sun or felt a tender touch?
They went down a long spiral staircase. His muscles were burning. A large room had been carved out of the rock, along with stone shelves and tables filled with jars and crates. Strange deep furrows cut through the floor. It stank of blood. Bones lay at the edge, where the stone gave way to the sky. The starry sky greeted him. Too bad, no normal exit. He could hardly throw himself down the mountain. But humans had to go in and out somewhere.
"Sit down." The human pointed to a blood-stained stone slab. Torture? Ivren swallowed. Wonderful. Really wonderful. When he didn't react, the creature threw him onto it. The sharp edges dug into his hands. Damn! His magic was still escaping him. They must not have been amateurs. How could he escape without it? No spell, no sword, no help.
Damn.
Ivren startled out of his sleep, sweaty and heart racing. His hand stroked the chain around his neck. He sighed. Of course there was no rest for him. At least he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep. Nainar watched over them, black scales invisible in the night. Ivren sat down next to his head and stroked his scales. The dragon blinked at him. "So - The fight." he swallowed, "Only if you want to share it, of course."
In the next moment, he was drawn into a whirlpool of memories. Ash and poison, the burning steppes below him, red and black, only small sparks betraying the lights of the humans. He circled high in the sky, two shadows in the wind below him, a smell he had never forgotten. Like a hawk it swooped down, fire and claw at them, a bite, stinking disgusting blood. Pain. So much pain.
He turned around, get out of here! Below the carnage of the humans, above his own. A chase across the sky but he was the hunted, not the hunter. More flames, more blood, more pain. One plummeted down, wings torn off. The other hissed and leapt after its partner, rider on its back.
Nainar flew higher and higher until he broke through the cloud cover. He let himself be carried by the wind. The wounds burned, the madness flared up. His wings no longer carried him. With the last of his strength he glided down, hid in the forest and hoped that his brother would find him.
Ra'zac . . After so many years, the hatred burned as brightly as on the first day. They had robbed him of the last of his innocence. They had taken away his mortality. They had burned out his last light and replaced it with a desire for revenge. But that paled in comparison to their worst deed: they had almost taken Nainar from him, again.
He remembered the blood, his own and hot dragon blood, dripping over his body. Nainar's scream, mental and physical. Forever anchored inside him. The human Ivren had died that day, for the second time, but this time no human returned.
Ivren took a deep breath. Later, later he could lose himself in his dreams. For now, he had to kill them. His magic coiled under his skin. Pent-up energy. With Eous' Eldunari, they were well supplied.
As soon as the first rays of sunlight bathed the horizon in golden light, he woke Eragon. Birds chirped and sought out the stream to drink and bathe, as did they. Ivren dipped his hands in the water and wiped away the sweat of the night. The scars were barely visible in the pale morning light. Hopefully none would be added today.
Eragon had already packed up the camp. Saphira's tail whipped back and forth restlessly.
"So, Nainar got a Lethrblaka good and proper, probably dead or at least out of the fight. One Lethrblaka, one or two Ra'zac," Ivren explained, "Our plan - protection spells first. The Ra'zac should be holed up somewhere, if the second Lethrblaka is still alive, they're there. Despite everything, they have a strong bond with each other as a breeding pair. If they're not there - maybe we can lure them out." He took a deep breath. "Look for them with the dreamsight. I don't know if Galbatorix protected them or not, but . ."
Eragon nodded. "It's worth a try."
He promptly grabbed the bowl from their meal and filled it in the stream. Ivren stared over his shoulder at their reflection. "Draumr kopa!" The water rippled under her breath, but it remained empty.
"It'd be to good to be true."
Saphira carried them high up into the clear sky, not a wisp of cloud in sight. The horizon glowed in the sunshine, the distant mountains ablaze with light. Up there, everything seemed untouched, like one of his paintings, green forests, white mountain peaks and blue lakes, but he knew there was a war going on down there. They raced across the sky until black smoke greeted them, the battlefield close again. Saphira circled above the scorched peat, the same spot as the day before.
Eragon tapped his leg and pointed into the distance. Ivren stared at the sky, but saw nothing. He leaned forward and spoke into his ear. "What is it? You have the better eyes."
As best he could, Eragon turned around in the saddle. "There's something flying. It could just be a bird."
"If you can see it from this distance . . It doesn't hurt to look."
Below them, burning earth turned back into green meadows and then into jagged rocks. A shadow flitted across the sky, disappeared behind the boulders and Saphira turned away, flew up again and turned in the sky.
"A bird hiding. Well spotted." Ivren praised. "Swords at the ready!"
Saphira hovered in the air, her eyes fixed on the ground. She was panting. The back of his neck prickled. Ivren glanced over his shoulder and squinted. Still nothing. Was he blind or were these Ra'zac just good at playing hide and seek?
"Did they find us?" Eragon called to him over the wind.
"No - ah!" Suddenly, Saphira turned, shooting down into the depths and sharply towards mountainsides.
"Yes! She's seen them."
The rocks flashed towards them. Ivren would only have to stretch out his arm to touch them. Saphira shot up the slope. He looked around wildly, but their enemies remained out of his sight. "Where are they?"
"There!" Eragon pointed to a distant cliff face, but Ivren saw only gray rock and black splinters. But Saphira seemed to see them. She twisted through the narrowest crevices and sharpest turns, hot on the heels of her prey. A thunderous crash sounded. A boulder dislodged - or rather, was dislodged, fell on her and yet, Saphira dodged it. Splinters and dust pelted down on her. Ivren sneezed.
Her enemy plunged down on her through the rain of stones. At last! Ivren drew his sword, but held it flat. One wrong move and he would end up hurting his friends. There were two of them, a pair of Lethrblaka and Ra'zac. Had they carried the injured man here?
He felt Saphira's roar all over his body. He leaned to the side, lashing out at the Ra'zac, but it laughed, chittering, and slipped away. When the dust settled, Saphira was bleeding and there was no Ra'zac in sight.
"Seithr oil?"
"No."
Relieved, he slumped down. That was all they needed. Saphira flew on, the next tight turn already in sight. They barely had to exchange words, weapons unsheathed and teeth bared. His muscles burned with tension, eyes fixed on the dangerously loose stones at the top of the ravine.
But their enemy remained distant. Ivren leaned to one side and cast a healing spell over Saphira's wound. Suddenly a gust of air tugged at Ivren and almost tore his sword from his hand as Saphira stopped and hovered in the air, wings flapping powerfully. Ivren gripped the pommel tighter and pulled himself properly back into the saddle. Where were the Lethrblaka?
"Saphira, get them!" shouted Eragon. "Stop hiding!"
A shadow darted between the rocks, ducked out to bite at Saphira and disappeared the next moment. The Lethrblaka dragged her further and further into the ravine. Suddenly he stopped and leapt towards Saphira. They bit and clawed at each other.
The dragon and the beast crashed to the ground together with a mighty roar and hiss. Wings, scales and tails crashed against the rock face. Stones trickled down. One false move and Saphira could crush them.
Ivren swallowed and looked down. Not too far.
"Jump?"
"Jump."
Ivren tugged at the buckles holding him to the saddle, loosening them until only one held him, and just as he reached for it, the Lethrblaka forced Saphira into a wild spin. Ivren slipped out of the saddle and hung upside down in the air. The belt around his leg tightened all the more. He had to get out! Ivren braced himself with one hand on the saddle, sword still drawn. Cursing, he turned until he reached the strap without cutting his leg and freed himself. Now only his hand held him on Saphira.
"Soon!" shouted Eragon. Ivren put his sword away and it grew hot as the ravine blazed with flames. Saphira turned away from the wall, slid further to the ground and they jumped off.
Ivren rolled away. His protective spells drew on his energy. A drop of hot blood fell to the ground. Above them, the battle raged again. He drew his sword and stepped out from under Saphira's shadow along with Eragon.
"Come here! Come on!"
"Don't be a coward!"
"Are you scared?"
Her taunt was answered with blades. Eragon easily intercepted the attack and lunged at their enemy with hunger. Ivren smiled. The Ra'zac could not escape them both. They herded him a corner, the creature snarling and taunting.
"Do not speak his name!" shouted Eragon.
"You will die!" hissed the Ra'zac, "Just like him."
Ivren ignored their words. Metal glinted in the corner of his eye. Ivren swung his sword around in a flash. Their blades clashed with a loud clang. The Ra'zac raised and threw itself against his sword again. Step by step, Ivren forced the Ra'zac back, almost too easily, until he was finally far enough away from Eragon.
Garjzla!
A focused beam of light struck the Ra'zac. It hissed, stumbled back and shook its head. With a sickening crack and smack, its sword pierced the chitin. His enemy twisted on the blade and jumped back. Ivren grimaced. "Die already!" he growled. "Vöndr brisingr!"
The burst of fire glided harmlessly past the Ra'zac, but Ivren only needed a distraction. He raised his sword and could already imagine how he would stab him - he hit the ground with full force. His sword fell from his hand. Ivren cursed. Of course it couldn't even be easy! The Lethrblaka tugged at his cloak before letting go and hissing. Ivren rolled to the side, saw claws coming down and reached for the sword. But the Ra'zac beat him to it and kicked his weapon aside, chuckling happily.
Ivren blocked the sharp beak with his arm. For the moment, the protective spells held. The Lethrblaka snapped at him again, surprisingly slow. A loud crash sounded, but Ivren could not afford to be distracted. The Lethrblaka staggered for a moment. Ivren jumped up, stumbling back, feeling his protection spell tugging at him. He had to end it now.
"Garjzla." he spoke, pouring much of his magic into it. Light burned behind his eyelids. Eragon called his name, worried and frustrated at the same time. But much more important was the loud screeching of Lethrblaka and Ra'zac. Ivren quickly grabbed his sword, summoned light again and stabbed the stunned Ra'zac. He then beheaded him as well. Better safe than sorry.
The Lethrblaka had picked itself up again, but was still staggering. Ivren stabbed at the wounded flank and Eragon attacked at the same time. Together it was easy to kill the Lethrblaka.
Ivren gasped and nodded to Eragon. The latter knelt down next to the Lethrblaka and inspected the wound. "Nainar hit him well."
Saphira landed next to them. Scrapes covered her scales and wings, but few were deep. Her Lethrblaka had caught her once or twice with his beak and Eragon healed her immediately. Ivren helped him.
"We should get out of here," Eragon said. "You could hear that noise for miles."
Ivren examined the four corpses again and made sure they were really dead.
"Do you have to decapitate everything?"
"Yes."
Eragon laughed. "On to Nainar, Saphira!"