Erys: An Eragon Fanfiction - (Under Editing)

Chapter Nine

Depravity

Thennilor lowered himself to the ground so Enneniya could finish tightening the saddle; she worked quickly, tying off the last of the straps and binding two small packs to his back. Erys and Eirdain clambored onto his back.  Enneniya strapped them all in so they didn't run the risk of falling midflight and then sprang into the saddle. Thennilor took to the air. Erys leaned back into Eirdain's chest, afraid of close contact with Enneniya. She wobbled as the air pressed around her.  Feelling very much like she might be sick, closed her eyes, and—though the thought of such close contact with the elf frightened her—wrapped an arm around Enneniya's waist for balance.

It was a short flight to the forest's edge for which Erys was thankful for.  Flying made her anxious; she didn't see how she could ever learn to ride her dragons.  The thought was enough to bring on another wave of vertigo.  Her stomach lurched as Thennilor tipped a wing towards the ground and began his descent.  The moment he landed, Erys pulled the straps from arround her legs and slid from the saddle. She sank to her knees and tried to catch her breath.

"Nervous flyer?" Enneniya asked.

Erys shot her a glare, but softened her gaze.  She had no reason for anger against the elf.  She'd kept her word and seen them  safely to the edge, breaking strict orders in doing so.  She nodded softly, but the movement brought with it a wave of nausea.  She closed her eyes and focused on not being sick.

Enneniya pressed a hand against Erys shoulder.  "Ach neo waíse vandr," she said.

Immediately the feeling of nausea fled.  Erys sat back and breathed a sigh of relief.  "Thank you," she said.  She stood and hefted her bag.

Her dragons growled from inside her pack; to hide them, Erys had unpacked her bag and fit them back inside, piling what she could fit over them. Everything else she'd shoved into Eirdain's pack. She shushed them through the mental link and tightened the straps over her shoulders. They quieted but still moved about. She could feel this scales scrap against her back; the fabric of the chest band did little to spare her pain. She winced as they hit a particularly tender spot of skin and repositioned the pack. It did little to help.  She sent calming thoughts through their link, hoping they would quiet enough to keep from flaying the skin from her back.

Enneniya led them to the forest's edge. It would let them out a few hours from Ceunon. Being close to the Rider's city filled Erys with fear, but as long as they avoided it, they would find safety.

Enneniya removed two bundles from Thennilor's back. She pulled back the fabric revealing beautifully crafted weapons. She handed Erys a longbow and quiver of arrows, and a shortsword. 

"This bow won't break when tested by your strength," she said.  "The wonders of elven craftsmanship!  As you grow stronger, you'll need a weapon that won't fail you.  But be careful with that sword.  One day it will fail you.  It's not meant to withstand a Rider's strength for long."

She turned to Eirdain and set the same weapons in his hand.  "These should serve you well.  Good luck."

"Enneniya?" Erys asked.

"What?"

She stared at the weapons in her hands. They already offered her comfort she knew she didn't have before.  "How should I thank you? Properly I mean, in the Ancient Language?"

For a brief moment, a look of surprise crossed Enneniya's face.  "You should say, ono hávr iet elrunar.  Or perhaps, ono hávr pömnuria elrunar, if you want to be formal."

Erys smiled and inclined her head toward the elf.  "Then, ono hávr pömnuria elrunar, Enneniya," She said as best she could.

She smiled jumped into the saddle. "Sé onr sverdar sitja hvass, little ones," she said. "Please be careful out there."  Then, Thennilor turned around and took flight.