Pearce watched her eyes, hesitating, "He is, indeed."
She paused, licking her lips. "Odette would like for you to know that she is sorry for drawing blood. She was distraught and was not thinking clearly."
Doing his best to not make it appear as though he was staring at her new visage Pearce nodded, "I understand..." None of them knew what exactly had happened to Odette, only
that she had been in her room for a few days. No one had mentioned that she became a pale, redhaired demon.
"Call us Sigrúne," she insisted, watching his face carefully. "We have a request to ask of you, Pearce… Talath… would you allow for us to ride with you when we battle? A rider is meant to fly, and we swear we shall not be of hindrance to either of you."
"Oh," he managed as Talath swept down next to him. The rush of air blew back Sigrúne's red hair in a wave of flame.
We would be honored. The copper dragon pressed his nose up against Sigrúne's silver palm as she held it out, rumbling quietly. For you who has no wings to fly, we shall be yours.
A strange smile reached her lips at the dragon's words, her eyes sparkling. "We would be pleased by that."
Would you tell me, how has this been done? Talath asked Pearce's silent question and awaited her response, flicking his tail.
"Innes helped make us into what we have become." She responded gently, blinking at the dragon. Talath dipped his head to her, blinking in understanding.
She turned slowly and walked from the courtyard as ethereally as she had come. Pearce felt a spark of rage burst inside of himself, looking at Hal on the ground before dropping
his sword and shield where he stood, going inside. He searched with his mind, brushing against Innes' consciousness and moving towards it with heavy steps.
He tore open the door to the magician's room, finding him curled up with a book in a chair. Innes glared up at the intrusion, startled and yelping as Pearce yanked him to his feet.
"What did you do to her?"
Innes paled as his feet dangled just off the ground. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
"You turned an innocent girl into a Shade! Of all the stupid things to be done. For someone who claims to be so smart, you are a fool. You condemned Odette to an eternity as that
creature."
"She asked for it! When she came to me so she could speak with Cordis, that is what happened. I didn't force anything on her, she became a Shade of her own accord."
Pearce growled, "It was still your doing. You could have denied her, what did she promise you? You would not have done this of your own volition – not without payment."
"She is indebted to me, whatever I want." Innes watched Pearce shake his head.
"I hope you realize she could destroy you now with a few simple words… she is far more powerful than you are. I hope you understand the severity of what you have done to her."
Dropping him to the floor, Pearce watched him try to process everything. Before he could think of a way to defend himself, Pearce's fist collided with his chin, knocking him out
cold. When he came too, his face hurt fiercely, he tried to speak and whimpered as he felt his jaw unable to move, broken. Pearce was nowhere to be seen.
Innes stood carefully. How was he supposed to heal his jaw if he couldn't move his mouth to speak the words? Glancing out his window, he watched the other three fighting, walking
from his room to join them.
Hal launched at Cederic, throwing them both to the ground in a tumultuous handtohand brawl. They almost took turns pinning and punching the other. Camilla watched them,
raising an eyebrow and lowering her rapier. She smirked and watched her brother break Hal's nose. To avoid another blow, he reached up and grabbed Cederic's fist, twisting and
throwing him off. She took two steps back as her brother came rolling toward her, looking down at him splayed at her feet.
"Think he's beating you Ced."
"And you could do better," he spat.
She stepped over him, flicking her rapier towards Hal's face as he got back to his feet. Rubbing at his face, he retrieved his sword, bringing it up to meet hers. Camilla held her own
against the man's attacks, twisting and avoiding him with her fluid steps.
Her heels clicked on the stone as she moved behind him, zipping the back of his leg with the point of her blade. Hal winced and turned, clawing toward her. In the air, Bellatona and
Reaper tagteamed Deíron, their fighting forcing the brown dragon to the ground. Unable to fly and fight at the same time, they tucked in their wings and attacked on foot. While
Reaper pinned him, Bellatona chomped her fangs into Deíron's tail and drew blood. The dragon howled as he was unable to throw the other two off.
An earsplitting roar echoed around the courtyard. "Enough!"
In a rush of red and pink, Bellatona and Reaper were thrown off Deíron. Pinning Reaper down with a paw on his shoulder, Andrar growled into his face. Behind him, Bellatona
struggled under Nasreen's grip, trapping her tail from lashing at her. Deíron snarled at Mariah as she strode into the sunlight.
"Stop." She said coldly, examining his wounds. He snorted in her face, blowing her hair back. "You would do well to remember that I too am a rider." At her words, Deíron lowered
his head and turned away from her, allowing her closer. Her eyes observed the damage before she nodded. "The wounds will heal on their own, but you would do well to keep your
guard up around these two."
Andrar and Nasreen relinquished their hold on the others. Bellatona squirmed over to Reaper. Mariah watched as they sat on their haunches, flicking their tails like angry cats. The
lavender dragoness licked at her paw, turning her head away and cleaning her muzzle of blood. Reaper flexed his talons and snarled towards Mariah. Looking up, Camilla stayed her
blade, pressed into the apex of Hal's chest as Cederic dropped his sword, the hilt burning hot with pink magic.
From the doorway, Kieran lowered her hand, walking over to stand by them. "Your flight training continues tonight. We will practice in the dark, for now, you should all go to rest in
your rooms. Unless you wish to be exhausted after sunset."
Camilla sheathed her rapier at her waist and walked back inside with her brother, shooting daggers at Hal. Moving to join them, Mariah stood beside Kieran, watching the siblings
disappear through the doorway. "Your nose is broken."
"I didn't notice," he snapped, placing his hand against his face. "…how do I fix it?"
Mariah spoke a few Elvish words aloud to him and he repeated slowly, feeling a snap as his nose realigned and repaired itself of the damage Cederic had caused. Glancing over her
shoulder, she saw Innes holding his face as well. "What did you do?"
Pearce broke my jaw, and I can't speak well enough to fix it.
Throwing back her head, she let out a harsh laugh. "You deserved every moment of pain. You're wanting me to fix it then?"
Innes glared at her, unable to nod. Yes.
"I don't think I should. It would serve you well to not be able to talk for a while. Kieran?"
She chuckled, "Should have known you'd have a glass jaw. Allow me." The princess walked over to him, muttering under her breath as she put her hand to his face. As the bones
snapped back, Innes wailed. Kieran hadn't bothered to add in any pain reducing words to the spell, and grinned as a stream of curses flooded from his lips. "Go back inside, and
rest. We're taking you all flying tonight…"
The day came when Eragon went to the glade beyond Oromis's hut, seated himself on the polished white stump in the center of the mossy hollow, and – when he opened his mind to
observe the creatures around him – sensed not just the birds, beasts, and insects but also the plants of the forest.
The plants possessed a different type of consciousness than animals: slow, deliberate, and decentralized, but in their own way just
as cognizant of their surroundings as Eragon
himself was. The faint pulse of the plants' awareness bathed the galaxy of stars that wheeled behind his eyes – each bright spark representing a life – in a soft, omnipresent glow.
Even the most barren soil teemed with organisms; the land itself was alive and sentient.
Intelligent life, he concluded, existed everywhere.
As Eragon immersed himself in the thoughts and feelings of the beings around him, he was able to attain a state of inner peace so profound that, during that time, he ceased to
exist as an individual. He allowed himself to become a nonentity, a void, a receptacle for the voices of the world. Nothing escaped his attention, for his attention was focused on
nothing.
He was the forest and its inhabitants.
Is this what a god feels like? wondered Eragon when he returned to himself.
He left the glade, sought out Oromis in his hut, and knelt before the elf, saying, "Master, I have done as you told me to. I listened until I heard no more."
Oromis paused in his writing and, with a thoughtful expression, looked at Eragon. "Tell me." For an hour and a half, Eragon waxed eloquent about every aspect of the plants and
animals that populated the glade, until Oromis raised his hand and said, "I am convinced; you heard all there was to hear. But did you understand it all?"
"No, Master."
"That is as it should be. Comprehension will come with age… Well done, Eragonfiniarel. Well done indeed. If you were my student in Ilirea, before Galbatorix rose to power, you
would have just graduated from your apprenticeship and would be considered a full member of our order and accorded the same rights and privileges as even the oldest Riders."
Oromis pushed himself up out of his chair and then remained standing in place, swaying. "Len me your shoulder, Eragon, and help me outside. My limbs betray my will."
Hurrying to his master's side, Eragon supported the elf's slight weight as Oromis hobbled to the brook that rushed headlong toward the edge of the Crags of Tel'naeír. "Now that you
have reached this stage in your education, I can teach you one of the greatest secrets of magic, a secret that even Galbatorix may not know. It is your best hope of matching his
power." The elf's gaze sharpened. "What is the cost of magic, Eragon?"
"Energy. A spell costs the same amount of energy as it would to complete the task through mundane means."
"Oromis nodded. "And where does the energy come from?"
"The spellcaster's body."
"Does it have to?"
Eragon's mind raced as he considered the awesome implications of Oromis's question. "You mean it can come from other sources?"
"That is exactly what happens whenever Saphira assists you with a spell."
"Yes, but she and I share a unique connection," protested Eragon. "Our bond is the reason I can draw upon her strength. To do that with someone else, I would have to enter…" He
trailed off as he realized what Oromis was driving at.
"You would have to enter the consciousness of the being – or beings – who was going to provide the energy," said Oromis, completing Eragon's thought. "Today you proved that you
can do just that with even the smallest form of life. Now…" He stopped and pressed a hand against his chest as he coughed, then continued, "I want you to extract a sphere of water
from the stream, using only the energy you can glean from the forest around you."
"Yes, Master."
As Eragon reached out to the nearby plants and animals, he felt Oromis's mind brush against his own, the elf watching and judging his progress. Frowning with concentration, Eragon
endeavored to eke the needed force from the environment and hold it within himself until he was ready to release the magic…
"Eragon! Do not take it from me! I am weak enough as is."
Startled, Eragon realized that he had included Oromis in his search. "I'm sorry, Master," he said, chastised. He resumed the process, careful to avoid draining the elf's vitality, and
when he was ready, commanded, "Up!"
Silent as the night, as sphere of water a foot wide rose from the brook until it floated at eye level across from Eragon. And while Eragon experienced the usual strain that results
from intense effort, the spell itself caused him no fatigue.
The sphere was only in the air for a moment when a wave of death rolled through the smaller creatures Eragon was in contact with. A line of ants keeled over motionless. A baby mouse gasped and entered the void as it lost the strength to keep its heart beating. Countless plants withered and crumbled and became inert as dust.
Eragon flinched, horrified by what he had caused. Given his new respect for the sanctity of life, he found the crime appalling. What made it worse was that he was intimately linked
with each being as it ceased to exist; it was as if he himself were dying over and over. He severed the flow of magic – letting the sphere of water splash across the ground – and
then whirled on Oromis and growled, "You knew that would happen!"
An expression of profound sorrow engulfed the ancient Rider. "It was necessary," he replied.
"Necessary that so many had to die?"
"Necessary that you understand the terrible price of using this type of magic. Mere words cannot convey the feeling of having those whose minds you share die. You had to
experience it for yourself."
"I won't do that again," vowed Eragon.
"Nor will you have to. If you are disciplined, you can choose to draw the power only from plants and animals that can withstand the loss. It's impractical in battle, but you may do
so in your lessons." Oromis gestured at him, and, still simmering, Eragon allowed the elf to lean on him as they returned to the hut. "You see why this technique was not taught to
younger riders. If it were to become known to a spellweaver of evil disposition, he or she could wreak vast amounts of destruction, especially since it would be difficult to stop
anyone with access to so much power." Once they were back inside, the elf sighed, lowered himself into his chair, and pressed the tops of his fingers together.
Eragon sat as well. "Since it's possible to absorb energy from" – he waved his hand – "from life, is it also possible to absorb it directly from light or fire or from any of the other
forms of energy?"
"Ah, Eragon, if it were, we could destroy Galbatorix in an instant. We can exchange energy with other living beings, we can use that energy to move our bodies or to fuel a spell,
and we can even store that energy in certain objects for later use, but we cannot assimilate the fundamental forces of nature. Reason says that it can be done, but no one has managed to devise a spell that allows it."
Andrar soared over the others, gliding through the air as the four smaller dragons flapped loudly below him. To his right, Nasreen slipped through the air and rapidly shot off,
clamping a bat between her jaws, crunching into the creature and swallowing it whole. In formation now, like we discussed. Talath in the lead. He watched as the copper dragon
streamlined and then unfurled his wings once he was ahead of Reaper and Bellatona. Innes primarily uses magic, so he will be the most vulnerable should an attack occur. It would
be best for him to stay in the back with Ecaeris. Deíron, in this formation it would be best for you to guard Ecaeris from beside or behind. You two, go ahead and stay in the middle,
keep yourselves staggered so you don't run into one another. A little more room Bellatona, you don't want to get smacked in the snout by a tail spike.
She opened her wings and pulled away slightly from Talath, turning her head to look up at Andrar for his approval, a hum rumbling through her chest as a small puff of flames
erupted from his throat.
I will say a direction and you are to follow it. Nasreen will be your opponent. She is much large
r and stronger than you; remember that you are smaller, and hopefully quicker.
blinked over at the large dragoness and she winged off into the darkness, her rider waving brightly at the group below.
It was a new moon, and the vague light from the stars barely glinted against the shimmering scales of the dragons. Mariah stared upward as Andrar instructed the hatchlings,
feeling him changing their direction occasionally with some maneuvers in between.
Reaper, Bellatona, switch sides. Now. The two attempted to twist over one another, both choosing the higher route, careening into each other. Ecaeris had to throw out her wings to
stop completely before she barreled into them, Deíron roared a little as he crashed into her in turn. Talath glanced back and snorted, shaking his head. We pay attention and tell
each other where we are going with every wing beat. Try again. Which of you should roll below instead of above?
Snarling, Reaper growled his response. Since I am larger, it would be easier for Bellatona to loop overhead.
Correct. Repeat the maneuver. He looked down and watched as they attempted again with better results. Bellatona pulled in her wings and twisted above Reaper to get onto Talath's
left, as the gray dragon glided below her. They both leveled out again and glanced upward. Much better.
From above, Nasreen dove and cut right through the group, her slipstream blowing their formation apart. Stopping in place, Ecaeris beat her wings to try and find Nasreen again,
twisting her head rapidly. Deíron soared past her, confused.
Why did you stop? Andrar asked, watching as Nasreen caught the dragoness's tail between her teeth, pulling her through the air. Innes only had to hold on for a few yards before
Talath shot in and swatted Nasreen on her nose, forcing her to let go of Ecaeris's tail. The yellow dragoness shot away with her wounded tail toward Reaper and Bellatona, cowering
behind them. Talath pounced off of Nasreen and soared over Kieran's head.
The princess looked up, watching Pearce's satisfied face. It was clear that he was comfortable in the saddle, but his confidence was bordering on arrogant. Kieran promised herself
to knock it out of him before the night was done. Nasreen glanced at the dragons and rushed away again into the dark.
The Black Morass Page 82