A Thunder of Dragons

Chapter 5 - Eragon

Eragon bend low on Saphira's back, careful not to impale himself on the spikes as the wind swept over him, playing with the heavy cloth that covered his body. Saphira dove towards the earth at neck breaking speed, her thoughts flying at the thrill of diving from such a hight. A shout of joy escaped Eragon's mouth as they traveled closer and closer to the ground, Saphira's wings still firmly tucking into her body.

Below them, the vast land spread undisrupted apart from the ribbon of water which cut through the land irregularly. Upon that river, floated from this hight what looked like a small piece or parchment, but was actually the Elven boat, gently meandering downstream. In the month since the events of the desert, the river had turned north and the land around the river had changed significantly. Instead of the dry desert sand and intensive heat of the desert, they were traveling over an endless hilly marshland, teeming will trees and plants as well as wild deer, rabbits and foxes but to name a few. The temperature had also dropped significantly, forcing Eragon to wear thicker clothing, especially when flying with Spahira due to the strong north wind that currently chilled his exposed skin.

Eragon merged his conscience with Saphira's, as they continued falling to the ground and saw the land through her eyes; a land devoid of all colour bar a dull grey, yet decorated from above by the wind and the currents in the air, which shone bright purples, reds and blues as they danced in the sky. Eragon, once again, marvelled at the dragon's ability to turn the mudane and ordinary into something beautiful and meaningful. Saphira, hearing his thoughts, laughed with a low hum;

That is because dragons are not the normal creatures of your human world. We are not as boring as the clouds on sticks that you call sheep or the cows in the fields that I call lunch. she called with her thoughts, humour echoing through her mind as she thought of her prey and how dull it was in comparison to her grace and beauty.

Eragon chuckled at Saphira's pride before suggesting that they pull up, as they were now less then a league from the ground.

As much as I enjoy falling from the sky, I don't want to die while doing it he added, thinking of what ridicule he would receive if he did indeed die in such a stupid manner after all he had been through; having succeed in over throwing the most feared dictator of Alagaësia, Eragon died by falling from the sky on his dragon.

Saphira chuckled and quickly struck open her wings, causing her shoulders to tense as the wind caught her and slowed their decent. Her shoulders screamed in protest as she pulled up from their sharp angle to the earth yet she felt no pain; only the rush and adrenaline she always felt when she flys.

Despite her wings being spread, Saphira continued to build up speed as she swepted within meters of the ground, causing Eragon's heart to beat at a vicious rate, before using a nearby air current to pull her back into the sky.

As Saphira and Eragon sailed higher into the sky again, they past the ship, where they saw many of the elves on deck, staring down the course of the river. An elf called Meniril looked up as Saphira passed over head. A gentle presence pressed against Eragon's consciousness, seeking permission to enter; it belong to the elf, Meniril.

Eragon lowered the barriers around his mind and the elf conscious pressed against his, emanating a calm, lyrical melody from deep within his soul as all the elven minds do. Eragon had begun to notice the slight differences in the melody of each of the elves minds. Bloghname's mind reeled like an angry bee yet was still elegant in its shaping. Another elf by the name of Gweneth had a melody within her thoughts which sounded like a wooden flute, twisting through the breeze. Arya's mind (though he had not heard it in years, it still rang in his thoughts) possessed an eerie quality; like a bell echoing throughout a vast canyon. In contrast, Meniril's melody of the mind was the simple whisper of a voice on the wind, singing gracefully of a time long past.

"Shadeslayer" he called.

Eragon sighed before replying;

"I have told you before, Meniril, you know me as well as any other creature of this Earth therefore titles are unnecessary. Please, call me Eragon".

The elf's doubts were obvious enough in his mind yet he replied.

"Very well, Eragon. We believe there is a difference in the river further downstream; a change. However, our eyes fail us; the distance is too great. Therefore we ask if you and your great dragon would fly ahead and inform us of any danger so we may prepare for it."

Eragon replied instantly.

"We would be honoured. We shall return." He thought.

He felt Meniril's consciousness fade out his mind; the melody of his mind falling silent as Saphira pounded her wings pulling ahead of the boat and further downstream.

After a long distance, during which Eragon just watched the land move like a blur beneath them, they spotted the change in the river. The methodical beating of Saphira's great wings tolled heavily in Eragon's ears as she soared downstream, towards what seemed to be an immense mass of water ahead. As they got closer, Eragon saw that the river seemed to branch out and expand to a massive size stretching in every direction; the ocean. There was no break from the endless water that streached in every dirction except from where it met the rocky marshland. This was the end of the line.

Eragon felt hopelessness invade his thoughts. They had reached the end of the land and as of yet had no safe place to create the new Rider Colony. Eragon felt he had failed the Eldunari, both the ones with them and those left behind, and failed the legacy of the riders by not being able to find them a new home. There would be no safe place for the new Generation of Riders; he did not want future Riders to endure the struggles of learning magic and sword fighting whilst running for your life always fearing what is behind you like he had. The Riders will have no safe haven; it was his duty to find one and he had failed. Saphira felt similarly disheartened yet comforted Eragon, embracing his mind in support and reassurance. Still Eragon hung his head in shame and dissappointment, while asking Spahira if they should turn around and inform the elves.

Suddenly, Saphira's thoughts lit up,

Eragon, she yelled in excitment, Look. On the horizon.

Eragon raised his head instantly and stared at the dot on the horizon as it grew larger and larger, creating a giant island, with vast cliff faces with indents in the rock, which on closer inspection were caves of various sizes naturally eroded into the rock-face as well as endless forests and open valley's crecendoing up to the peak of a mountain, equal in size to any of those in the Spine.

Behind the great mountain, the ground dropped away gently creating a slope which lead down to a cove sheltered from the force of the waves, where a yellow sand beach had be built up. Yet the terranne of the ground near the beach would be nigh immpossible to travel on foot; the only way you could get onto and off of this island was by climbing 100 metres of a steep cliff or by flying on it.

On the other side of the mountain, the indented ground created a bowl like valley, with a fresh water lake at the centre, collected from snow melt off the peak of the mountain. The forest surrounded the valley, providing protection and shade from the sun, which was warm despite the chill in the air.

Deer and birds that could be seen amoung the trees disappeared as Saphira flew overhead, yet it proved that the large island had plenty of life and was inhabitable.

Eragon processed all this information and weighed up his thought as Saphira circled about the island, around the peak of the mountain.

This is perfect. Eragon whispered to his dragon in awe. From her thoughts, Eragon knew that Saphira agreed.

They had found it. They had found their future home.

Saphira roared in delight, Eragon laughing at her joy and out of relief. Saphira then turned in the air and headed back towards land to tell the elves the good news, Eragon grinning on her back.

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Sorry I haven't updated in so long!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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C_o_A ;)