Chapter 1: Eragon

The first thing that Eragon felt was heat. Not to hot, not to cold, just warm. Warm like a rising sun, little one, Saphira said, the hatchlings are waiting.

Yes, I just needed the extra rest. Can you tell them I'm coming, Eragon said?

Of course, I'm just going to take Loki, Vouldund, and Gashnag out for their flying lessons. Gotz, Mira, and Alround will be waiting for you, Saphira said. Eragon said sent his acknowledgment to her. Rising from his bed Eragon looked at the mirror, giving his muscled body a look. He regularly did the Rimgar and other physical exercises with his students, he found they kept him in shape and gained respect from his students. Eragon had been surprised how quickly the Eggs had hatched. It had only been twenty years since he had left Alegasia, yet the Dwarfs and Urglas had an egg hatch for them. It was no shock that the dragon who hatched to a Urgal would have blood that ran hot even for dragons, but when the huge kull Gotz road the black dragon Gashnag into the island where Eragon trained the dragons, even he was surprised. Never, I am a dragon with no master. I will defer to none, Ebrithil. His fire surpassed even Saphira's. Gotz and Gashnag were the first to arrive at the island Eragon called Draco Domum, Saphira taught the black dragon a lesson in respect the first day. When Eragon asked what she did, I gave a lesson in respect fit for a dragon, was the only answer that she had him. From that moment on Gashnag had a subdued tongue. He called Eragon and Saphira Ebrithil, but it tested his pride; however, he had grown to like and respect Eragon and Saphira and their teachings. Gotz had an easier time. He, like all Urgals, wielded a weapon with profound strength, but his finesse was not the greatest. His massive bulk made him unable to perform the Rimgar, instead Eragon would throw fruit at him while Gotz tried to slice them with his sword. Eragon had already sliced a thin line on the fruit, and Gotz had to slice the sword right on that line. By the time the next rider got there, Gotz was a formidable opponent that only Cuaroc, the giant medal half-dragon-half-man they met in the Vault of Souls, could fight. Eragon was confident that he could take him, but if Gotz slipped his guard a blow could kill him. Next to arrive was the dwarf Alround and his dark blue dragon Vouldund. There were some changes made to the dwarf when he first touched his dragon that Eragon had not intended when he added the dwarfs to the pact. Alround not only got the silver hand, but also grew taller. While he was still small for a human, at 5 feet and 6 inches he was tall for a dwarf. Rhunön had fashioned an axe with a blade of bright steel for the dwarf, "she seemed to think my race would be better at wielding a axe than a sword. She'll be in for a shock when many ask for a war hammer," Alround would say with a laugh. Vouldund was a mighty dragon, his scales alone were mesmerizing, but Saphira talked about how good of a flier he was. She never said that to him though, we can't allow him to gain to big of a head. His voice was deeper than Saphira's, yet not as deep as Gashnag, and where Gashnag had a rage and fire filled voice, Vouldund was very musical. The last to get here was a human, and Eragon did feel more protective of her because of it. Mira, bonded to Loki, was the only female rider there. Timid and shy at first, she soon became the life of the group. She loved to joke and laugh, and she loved to tease the dwarf. She would give him that flirting look, while making fun of him, and it left the dwarf confused. Finally Eragon stepped in, but he really did think that there might be something there. Mira was faster, and her blade lighter than the others. She was the best test for Gotz, as he was for her, because they counteracted each other strengths. Gotz was much stronger, and Mira was much faster, although Eragon always placed wards around them when they fought. Sometimes he truly thought they wanted to kill each other. Loki was the most confusing dragon Eragon had ever met. He was in his egg to long, was the answer he got from Saphira. He had a laughing joking personality, but it could change on a whim to mad and enraged. He could sustain fire for the longest, and was the best at riddles, and could sustain fire for longest. His rippling red torrent, matching his scales, could be sustained for almost a minute. When Eragon had first arrived to this island, an old elf island, he had been racked with homesickness. But in the 25 years that Eragon had been there he had gotten over it. In that time he had never scried any from his home, not wanting to see them and get his homesickness back, and they had never attempted to contact him. He knew that if they needed him, Arya and Fiernien would come. Yet Angela had predicted he would never return, so he did not think he would. Eragon could not help but to let his mind wander back to that week with Arya, specifically that one night. It was a magical night, and one he would never have again.