The Shades of Dragons: Onyx (Eragon)

Chapter 3

Pain spread up from my fist and I could hear a loud yelp coming from Saphira and it was only then that I remembered my little dragon. With a gasp I rushed towards the massive blue dragon with my curly hair bouncing against my shoulders with every step I took. Saphira lay down with her belly pressed against the ground so that I could grab a hold of the leather saddle and drag myself up. Well seated in the saddle I picked up the huddle of Eragon’s cloak wrapped around the black dragon. Almost tearing the fabric apart I tore it away from my dragon and as it got access to move his limbs again he jumped at me and I quickly wrapped my arms around its warm body.  When the tiny dragon touched my skin I could feel all the anger and pain inside me slowly vanishing, being replaced with happiness and content. The young hatchling purred out in content as I scratched it behind it’s tiny horns on top of it’s head.

“It’s time we get going.” I jumped at the sudden voice coming from the ground and I tightened my grip around the dragon as it cried out its dissatisfaction. Looking down I saw Eragon standing by Saphira’s side, his hand moving absently across her blue scales. I observed the black dragon in my arms for a few minutes before I let out a deep breath and nodded once. With a lump in my throat I got ready to dismount but a hand on my ankle stopped me from doing so as Eragon jumped up with little to no effort. He sat down beside me with a blank look on his face. The appearance of his cold demeanor made me shiver slightly and press my face against the tiny dragon’s hard scales. As if sensing my discomfort Eragon looked down at me again and the cold look on his face was immediately replaced with a soft smile. “Sorry.” He mumbled in a gentle voice that made my tense form relax once more.

Sitting behind me Eragon leaned over to the side to strap his legs to the leather saddle and still leaning to the left he quickly locked my legs in place with the strong leather straps connecting with the saddle. He did the same on the right side before he straightened out his posture and wrapped one of his arms around my waist, making a blush spread across my cheeks. “Jennifer!” I forced the blush away from my face and looked down as Lilly called out to me. I followed her slim body as she ran towards us with a bag in her arms. With a big smile and tear-filled eyes she looked up at me and raised the bag up. With a frown I leaned over to take the bag from her arms and almost fell out of the saddle from it’s heavy weight. “I’ll miss you Lilly.” I said to her, my voice thickened with emotions when eyes filled up with tears. My friend nodded to me but said nothing as the tears in her eyes started to run slowly down her rosy cheeks. I had to bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from crying out for her, to sob out the pain of leaving my only friend. My dragon whimpered and I smiled at Lilly before I turned my head away and pressed my nose up against my dragon’s snout. “Get me out of here.” I hissed out as my body began to shake with the effort of keeping the sobs and tears at bay. I could feel Eragon’s eyes bore into my neck and I could practically touch the worry coming off of him in waves. Without a word Saphira tensed her hind legs before pushing away from the ground, and away from my family and friend.

As we flew over the treetops and the low mountains surrounding Carvahall I let the tears in my eyes flow freely down my cheeks. I refused to look back at the farm and as Saphira slapped her wings and drove us away from my home I could feel relief fill me. Relief that after thirteen years of wanting to get out of Carvahall, but not knowing if I’d make it out alive or not, being on a dragon’s back, with my own dragon in my lap it was like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders. It was as if all the energy inside of me had been trained and I soon found myself drifting off to sleep with my head leaned back against Eragon’s chest.

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“Are you alright little one?” Saphira’s asked me in a gentle voice, I sighed out in content. After being connected with her for over two hundred years I still smiled every time we let our minds fully connect with each other’s. I let our minds fully connect so that I could see everything through her eyes even though I was still feeling rather weak from the fight. “I’ll get there. I just need some rest.” I answered her question. Looking down at the girl sleeping in front of me smiled a real smile and pushed away the exhaustion, as I knew I had done the right thing. We had saved the newest dragon rider and I would have done it all over again if I had to.  Saphira sent a picture through our connection when Jennifer pushed away her brother. My eyebrows frowned up in confusion as I took in the glowing of her Gedwëy ignasia (shining palm). No wonder she had managed to push her brother so far away. But the question was how she did it. She hadn’t shown any signs of knowing the ancient language or even how to use it. She didn’t even say a word, which made his eyebrows frown up in confusion. “They will be great someday.” Saphira whispered and I couldn’t do anything but agree with her. Since I had laid my eyes on her as Lilly dragged her into his great-grandsons house and Jennifer just stood there with a bruise around her left eye and a busted lip. I could remember how she walked passed me into the kitchen with her back stiff as a rock. I wasn’t even really surprised when the black dragon hatched for her. She had such a kind heart and I just knew that by looking at her. “There’s something off about her dragon though.” I mumbled in my head just as another wave of energy game soaring through the air from the sleeping black dragon in Jennifer’s arms. The dragon let out a low growl and twirled its tail around it’s riders arms before relaxing once more. “It’s powerful.” Saphira noted, to which I only nodded in agreement. But it wasn’t just that it was powerful, it was that the dragon was almost twice the size of Saphira was when she hatched for him and she had been the biggest hatchling that been hatched under five hundred years.

“We shall protect them like we did the others.” Saphira stated and I nodded my agreement and tightened my arm around Jennifer as Saphira leaned to the side, heading towards the large forest of Du Weldenvarden. My mind immediately flew back towards Ellesméra and the three dragon riders currently there, one including my pregnant wife. “I miss them as well Eragon.” Saphira soothed me as her mind flew to her mate and loved one. With a chuckle I petted her on her side and relaxed slightly in my seat. “We should land for the night.” I though and with a quick yes in reply I moved my free arm two wrap around Jennifer’s arms and holding her dragon close to her body as we flew towards the ground. The wind was blowing forcefully against us as Saphira dived towards the ground but with a quick mumble of ‘wind’ I shield Jennifer, her dragon and myself from the cold. Well secure on the ground I untied the ties around my legs and then Jennifer’s legs before I decided on gathering her in my arms instead of waking her up. With my arms wrapped around the newest dragon rider I jumped down from Saphira’s back, landing swiftly on the tips of my feel.

“Get some sleep little one.” I relaxed mysekf against the warm scales on Saphira’s stomach and looked over at the sleeping girl and her dragon lying by Saphira’s back legs. I smiled slightly as the little dragon purred in it’s sleep and pressed its muzzle against it’s rider’s cheek. “Goodnight Saphira.” I mumbled before sleep took over my senses and a blue wing covered the new dragon rider pair as well as myself. My sleep was light and restless but I was yet fast asleep when I heard Jennifer scream out in fright.

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Here's chapter 3 for ya! hope you like it!

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Love RubyRed