The Inheritance Cycle: Anghelm

Chapter Two: Training

Arriving at the courtyard out of breath, Eragon looked to his students. "Sorry I'm late," he panted. "I got distracted in my thoughts." Distracted by Arya sounds closer to the truth. Saphira projected to all of them, much to the amusement of all except him. Embarrassed, Eragon sent her a mental image of her and Firnen cavorting above the Ramr River during their first meeting. All he got back was a smug feeling. "Anyway, today I'm going to be teaching you," gesturing to Valkor and Samantha, "the theory of using gramarye – magic – without the ancient language." And I will be teaching you, sending a mental image of Niriyen and Morias, several acrobatic manoeuvres that will be useful to you should you ever have to fight with your Rider on your back. "I expect – that you shall each – share what you learn – with your partner – and report back to us – with what you've learned – let us begin!"

With that, Saphira launched herself into the air, closely followed by the muscular, amethyst dragon that was Niriyen, and a moment later, by the bloodstained red hide of Morias, who was more lean. Eragon allowed himself a moment to marvel at these spectacular beasts that had matured so much, even since arriving. Niriyen's scales glittered brilliantly in the sun. She was already beginning to catch Saphira in terms of size, a result of being inside her egg so long, yet she was far more muscular than Saphira, and as a result, slightly slower. Morias, the red, whose scales reflected upon the ground despite being hundreds of metres in the air, was also a fine specimen. More lean than Niriyen, his build was closer to Saphira's. He was still quite small, only slightly larger than a small house, although that was no concern as dragons never stop growing. But, in Eragon's opinion, Saphira was the finest of the lot. Her pleasure at this thought emanated clearly through his mind, and he was certain that she was humming. And then their mental contact broke as the dragons advanced further towards the mountains, where they might practice their flying.

Turning towards his students, Eragon gathered himself and began to speak. "The most important thing to understand about non-verbal spellwork is that it requires absolute concentration. A single stray thought can entirely misdirect the magic that you are working, placing both yourself and others in potential danger. For that reason, it is safer to use the ancient language as a medium for exerting your will. But in some circumstances, for example, if a spell is cast upon you that renders you unable to speak, you may be forced to use this form of magic. That is why it is important that we master it before sending you back to Alagaesia." He could see that he had confused Valkor, who had only recently learned their common tongue. And so, gently prodding him with his thoughts, he sent through a series of memories of times when he had been forced to use only his thoughts to cast a spell. Comprehension dawned on his face, and Eragon knew that the Urgal now understood. Samantha, however, immediately understood what he was talking about. She had taken to magic with a knack that he had never seen before, despite never being exposed to it. Eragon felt a certain fondness towards her, for she had a razor wit about her that reminded him somewhat of Saphira, though he would never admit that. Returning his attention once again to them, he said "Now, knowing the theory of this magic can only teach you so much, for there is not much theory behind it – it is still a largely unknown art. In this, it is best to learn by doing. However, I do not suggest trying anything strenuous – you are still new to this, and much can go wrong if you should try too much. I want you both to go back to basics." He pulled two stones from his pocket that he had collected at the lake, and told them: "Make these float. I will guide your thoughts should they go astray, and prevent you from hurting yourself." Satisfied that he had given the all the instructions needed, he reached out with his mind and began to watch their attempts.

The Urgal mind is an intriguing thing, thought Eragon as he supervised. It was rough at the edges and incredibly harsh, yet there was a certain strength – and intelligence, even – beneath the rough exterior. He knew better than most that there was more to the Urgals than what they seemed. They had an entire culture that barely any knew of. Granted, it was a culture based upon chasing glory and feats of violence, but it was as unique as any Eragon had seen. Yet there was something in Valkor's mind that was different – something he couldn't quite place that separated him from the rest of his kind.

A surge of energy from the mind of Samantha caused Eragon to turn his attention to her. Yet he needn't have worried. She was a natural, and as he watched the stone float, she sent it flying away and shot him a smile. Shaking his head, he withdrew from her mind. She reminded him a lot of Roran.

Valkor was having more difficulty. He kept losing focus – there was too much for him to concentrate on while remembering that he had to reach beyond the barrier in his mind to access the magic. Eragon tried to use his mind to communicate where he was going wrong and just got a feeling of confusion. Frustrated, he loosened his grip on the Urgal's mind, and as he began to withdraw, he felt the vast mind of Glaedr connect to both of their minds. From there, Eragon got a series of impressions that simply confused him. However, it seemed to help Valkor, for the minute he managed to interpret them, the stone started flying as if he had spoken the ancient language.

Privately, in Eragon's mind, Glaedr spoke. You should not let your frustration show at your students, the old dragon warned. Your teaching should be catering for students, not the other way around. They look to you for guidance, and it will not do to have them feel as though they are failing. By the standards of elves, you were exceedingly slow to learn when Oromis and I taught you, yet we never let that frustrate us. Rather, we adapted to you. Feeling humbled and slightly ashamed, Eragon replied. Of course, Ebrithil. I will strive to be better. The honorific pleased Glaedr, but he still felt the slight displeasure at how he had handled the situation.

It amused Eragon that despite having defeated Galbatorix, restored peace to Alagaesia and been charged with the raising of the new Riders, there was still much he had to learn.