Redemption

Cliffs of Dralor

Ronny's Pov
Despite the many times Eragon had thrown them off their bed before dawn, Aifos still kept being absurdly grumpy when they were woken up in early mornings.
During our flight from Aretia to the Cliffs of Dralor, they kept yawning and nodding off on the saddle; if they'd been taught how to ride me without one, right now I'd be fearing they'd slip off my back anytime.
-What a Rider, unable to be present to themselves even after a good night's sleep.-
-A good night's sleep your arse. I didn't come here to fly on you at four in the morning.-
-It's clear you lived in a peaceful continent, kid.-
-Hey!-
At that, they stood taller and I chortled a laugh. They might not stand an early day, but they were proud enough to pretend they did, especially if poked about it.
We didn't wait long to have those cliffs in our sight. In some places, they had to stretch themselves to over twelve thousand feet, plunging their peaks in the middle of the thick layer of clouds.
-Oh, c'mon,- they muttered, -Really?-
-I'd like you to remember you ran on your own two feet from Ellesmera to Farthen Dur at fifteen. This should be no different.-
-Yeah, but it was mostly across the plains, and I didn't have to watch my back from possible revenge. A buddying hike won't put to rest centuries of hatred from both parties, and I happen to be webbed in this too.-
-We did kill a drift's leader in Samara's outpost, after all.-
We landed on the grassy meadow in front of the cliffs, and the Riders dismounted, then placed themselves in formation. Aifos had been assigned to Durran's section, mostly because they'd already patrolled side by side with the other marked ones and thus were already acquainted to each other.
Durran's green dragon, whose name was Cuir, if I remembered correctly, huffed at the sight of the gryphons.
Odd creatures, were they: half eagle and half lions, the Elves would grow all giddy with excitement were they to run into one. Their beaks were as sharp as our talons, and they seemed to reckon that this alliance was as unlikely as us dragons did.
The eldest Sorreingail climbed up on the piled crossbolts, "That question is exactly why you'll be going with them. Not only have the wingleaders been given the locations of the gryphon traps to disarm them, but you need to learn some mutual respect and trust before you can be educated together. No rider will respect a cadet who hasn't crossed the Parapet. Behold a parapet for them to cross."
"It's narrow, but not that narrow!" Someone shouted on our left, perhaps from the youngest Sorreingail's section. Her black dragon loomed behind her, and I noticed the way the very dragons of his squad were giving him a wide berth; just like the Thirteen Forecast used to do with me.
Except with very different reasons.
The eldest Sorreingail went on with his speech, and reminded us that the trail was perilous even for gryphons, since apparently they couldn't fly in the high altitudes the cliffs reached in all of their highest points, and perhaps even lower.
-That's absurd,- I said, -I've always thought of it as some propaganda of the Navarrian people. Half eagles who can't fly the whole sky?-
-A bit odd, yes.-
-Way more than "a bit odd".-
Aifos smiled amused.
"Each squad will be paired with a drift of equal strength to make the ascent. Hopefully, by the time you reach the top, you've found some common ground on which to build a framework of partnership."
-Yeah, or straight-up murder.-
-Their minds are weak, kid. You can break in and control their actions any time.-
-As I said, straight-up murder.-
"In the meantime, your dragons will remain close."
-That was as obvious as saying we can breathe fire, or we have two wings. Do they know we have a tail?-
-Feeling critiquing today, are we?-
-I am just stating facts.-
-Go state facts while I'm having fun hiking.-
-Who's the critiquing one now?-
They rolled their eyes, and I grinned at them.
The climb started quiet, and awkward, with riders and fliers minding their own steps and barely spitting words to each other. A couple of gryphons swatted their tails purposefully on the riders' faces, and the fliers snickered behind their palms.
Cuir chuffed, -Is this thing necessary?-
-I don't know,- a brown Scorpion-tail said, -Perhaps.-
-You can't say you're happy about this!-
-Never said I am.-
-I hope the sky won't be seeing any wyverns,- interjected a red Club-tail, -We don't know who flies in a four-hours flight.-
-Definitely not gryphons,- scoffed Cuir, and a couple of them warbled in agreement.
The hike kept being steady for two hours, but when the third clocked in, the pace started slowing down. I felt Aifos adjusting the straps of their pack, and rolling their shoulders. They'd been assigned to a female flier, of the summerdrifts, whatever it meant. They'd been making small talk since the second hour, when she asked if they were a Northenern, because of their fluid accent.
"No, my island is from the South."
"You're from the fucking Isles?"
"No, uh, from Alagaesia."
So, knowing they were a foreign and had been in Navarre only for a couple of months, she instantly became friendlier and went on yapping about her healer friend, and how he always paled in front of gryphons.
"If he ever saw dragons close up, he'd collapse at best!"
"I hope he never does, then."
Her gryphon snapped her beak when I drifted by, and the flier asked if I was theirs.
"Yes. We've been a package deal ever since I was eight years old."
-Actually, when you were eleven. Before that I was only tolerating you.-
-Why, thank you.-
-And you were completely afraid of me.-
-You can't say it's not understandable!-
-Who says that?-
-I don't know,- they mumbled, and I angled my wings so as to direct on their cheeks a cooler breeze.
-Keep it up, you're doing a good job, kid.-
They smiled a bit tiredly at me, -Thanks.-
"Sorry if I am a bit straightforward, but why are you here? I mean, are you in this section officially, or...?" Asked the flier after a couple of wingbeats.
"I am here for the same reason you're here: to prove myself with this hike that resembles the parapet and so on. Riorson told me I'd better do it, and well, here I am."
"Oh. Wait. You're friends with fucking Riorson?"
"I wouldn't say friends. Comrades at best."
"Oh... Well, that man is scary as shit."
They laughed, "Yeah, you can say so."
"Isn't he in an affair with the Sorreingail girl? The lightening wielder?"
"Yeah. Why, you had doubts?"
"No, just making sure."
They kept talking, until the climb made them too tired to hold up any kind of talk and went on almost dragging their feet. The gryphon walked on with her head low and her wings droopy.
The sun had already reached its highest point, and was starting its descent; even if it was hidden by the clouds, I could feel it in my bones.
Their section was resting against the cliffside, when I felt a stir in the surroundings, and my mind sharpened around a rift a couple of steps ahead, where the youngest Sorreingail's section had temporarily halted. Their minds were grieving over the death of a flier, and the eldest Sorreingail was focused on healing a rider shot in the abdomen by a triggered trap, most likely.
Aifos perked up their head, and their mind quickly reached mine.
There was an awakened consciousness which I hadn't felt before; it lurked in the shadows, nothing but brief images of blood and energy, until its talons scraped on the steep rocks and a grey-scaled muzzle emerged from the deep below. Its teeth snatched the dying gryphon and brought him down with itself.
Then, both Aifos and I picked up the awakening of other seven wyverns; I watched Tairn diving down to reach his rider and laying his spiked tail on the ledge.
-How come we didn't feel them? Ronny?-
Their voice was anxious, and I swung my head around as a cold realisation crawled in my mind, -They don't have any consciousness. The thoughts we felt in Resson, they all belonged to their creators.-
They remained quiet for a couple of wingbeats, and I could feel them wrestling down the growing panic at this knowledge.
-At least we know they're riderless,- I said, so to ground them with facts and show them the proper reaction to have in situations like these.
They nodded, and straightened their shoulders, with their nails digging in their palms. Their pack landed on the ground with a thud.
We watched as Tairn promptly vanished in the clouds all around us.
-He seems to have a plan.-
-He does, but we won't stay idle while enemies are about. Be ready to jump on my back, and tangle your mind with mine.-
Our identities fused as one, and we each felt as one balled on their heels, broke into a run and jumped exactly when the other emerged from the clouds, his body leaning left; Aifos clasped the pommel of the saddle, found the left stirrup and flung their other leg across my back as I flared my wings. They quickly strapped themselves in, and I flew up, to reach Tairn halfway, now our minds disentangled from one another, but still connected.
-There are seven of them, I can feel their presence. All riderless,- I confirmed to the black dragon, who didn't slacken his place.
-This doesn't change the plan. We still have to distract them long enough to have the path cleared. Only then will Silver One strike.-
-Blindly?-
We got out into the blue sky, and hovered there for a couple of wingbeats.
-Wyverns are made by magic. Her lightning will be drawn to such magic. Until then, we have to keep the wyverns distracted and away from the trail.-
He angled his wings and plunged in the cloud cover again.
-Well? What's the plan?-
We searched with our minds, and could feel three wyverns somewhere below us. I flanked my wings and dove down; Aifos leaned on my neck.
-Play tag.-
The wyverns got startled when I breathed fire at them and flung myself among them.
I didn't bother glancing back, -Did they fall for it?-
-Yeah! Currently three on our tail!-
We had to keep them away from the cliff. I snapped my wings wide and the impact had Aifos siding deeper in the saddle; -Move, now!-, and so I did with a sudden steering. Fire brushed my tail tip, but I gritted my teeth at the burn and sped up, until I freed myself from the grey clouds long enough to make out darker shapes. Then, my right wing fell and we performed a half roll as gravity whisked us down again.
I'd just levelled out when Tairn called for me, -Get away from the clouds, Silver One is about to wield.-
I had to find a way to disorient them long enough to go in a safer sky.
-Go round the mountain!-
-Timing is essential.-
I performed a steep change of course and feigned to get closer to the cliff; then, at last, I sharply swerved aside, just breaths before Aifos ended their spell and a mirror of us kept flying around the cliff, the wyverns at its tail.
When I reached Tairn, his rider screamed under the effort of pushing her power downwards.
Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed. It brightened the layers of cloud, and we could make out the seven shapes we'd been feeling just as they fell.
Then, both Tairn and I dove for the ground in order to make sure the wyverns were truly dead, which they were. We climbed up again at a much calmer pace and at last landed on the peak of the cliffs where the others had gathered. Tairn went to his section, but I stayed exactly where I was, not bothering to reach Cuir's squad, now that this trip had ended.
Aifos patted my neck after healing my burn, -Never knew you're this good at playing tag.-
-Glad I can still surprise you.-
"Whew, man," exclaimed the flier of before, squinting up at me, "That was a sick mount up!"
"Thanks. I spent years trying not to die."
-As if I'd ever let you fall to your death.-
-Admit it, you wanted to. In one occasion or two.-
I snorted, but in the end gave in, -Perhaps.-
"How's your gryphon?"
"Sky's tired as hell, but at least she's still conscious."
"Better than nothing."
"Yeah."
We watched the other gryphons limping to reach the carts; a couple of them were indeed laying unconscious.
The other dragons flew up, some of them carefully holding the carts. I unfurled my wings and walked to the ridgeline.
"See you down!"
"See ya!"
When we flew back to Aretia, Chex walked up to us and levelled me a pointed stare.
-Who was in enemy territory now?-
I rolled my eyes and didn't give him any answer, but Aifos barked a laugh instead.