Curse of the Phoenix

Ch.4 -Understanding

I got off of Saphira as she settled down onto the earth. Saphira swung her head around and saw the black several hundred feet away. He had sat under a great oak tree, it's branches shielded him from the unforgiving rays of the sun. Of course, he had black scale. If he was a white then it would not be so bad. The girl had seated herself in between his forelegs, and was staring out at me. The black as well. His eyes were a deep shade of amber, and the slitted pupils followed my every move.

Be careful. Saphira said.

I know. I could feel her tension as I walked forward toward the pair. I knew that if the black should prove hostile, she would be at my side in a moment's notice, and that time she would not soften her blows as she had their last fight. Both girl and dragon watched me with unblinking eyes, the girl curious, and the dragon wary. I stopped ten feet awau from the two. Up close I could see small rivulets of red among the black scales. Saphira, come here.

What am I, a dog now? She teased. Nevertheless she came forward, and remained standing behind me.

"I believe." I said with my mouth and mind so that the black could hear me. "That we got off to a bad start. My name is Eragon, and this is Saphira. You are?"

"I'm Iara. This is Grimm." Iara stood and took a step toward me. I held out my right hand, the one with the gedwëy insignia, and she her right. I saw the glimmer of the mark on her palm. We shook hands. As quickly as was polite she withdrew her hand and crossed her arms. She shivered. I glanced up at the black. There was a small pool of blood, growing under one of his forelegs.

"I can heal him, if you wish. See, Saphira is fine." Saphira turned her head, and lifted her wings. There was no hint of an injury anywhere. Iara nodded and then took a step to the side, letting me pass. The black stood up, and I was astounded by his size. "How old is he-or, how old are you?" I asked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Iara slightly nod in my direction. I tensed a bit as I felt another one, this one foreign, but most definetely a dragon. It must have been Grimm. I could not see his mind as i could Saphira, he hid his innermost thoughts from me. But I could hear what he wanted me to.

I, am three. He said. His voice was deep one, it contrasted with Saphira's greatly. After that I could still feel his mental presence, but he was silent. I took a few steps toward Grimm, And he stood like Saphira. "Could you raise your wings and stay like that?"

Alright. He raised his wings as if he was preparing to take off. I saw a few drops of blood fall upon the grass.

"Tell me where." I said to Grimm andSaphira. Grimm raised his left foreleg, I saw a bite mark. I looked at it for a while, asking Grimm how deep it was and if he thought it has scratched the bone at all. Every time Grimm had to speak to me, he made it as short as possible and got straight to the point. A result of hardship? Maybe. I healed the bite, a couple scratches down his flank, a tear in the membrane of his left wing, and a few wounds near the back of his head where Saphira had pummeled him. After that the only damage left was that he was missing a couple scales. Throughout our numerous conversations, his mood lightened slightly, as if he appreciated how good it felt to not have open wounds. Once I was done, he took a step back and lowered his head so he could look me in the eye. Thank you, Eragon-elda.

His use of the term surprised me, I never gave him any inclination to do so. It also made me wonder how he knew it. Unless Iara knew anything of the elves and their honorific terms. But that I very much doubted.