Kyra's feet pounded along the dirt path while her eyes focused on the horizon. Her heart was in her throat and her stomach was one big knot, but she smiled anyway. It was like a fuel to her, pushing her faster and faster to the edge of the cliff.

All Riders have a special bond with their dragon. It's so fundamental that one can completely trust their life in the other's hands. However, most Riders never actually put this to the test. They train and simulate what it would be like to rely on each other in a life-threatening situation, but they are never really in danger. The last time Riders actually had to fear for their lives was the War of Ilirea, where Eragon and the others had no choice but to trust their partners.

But today there is no war. There are no battles to be fought. The Riders live in a time of peace and train to become peacekeepers. They simply believe that their training is sufficient without truly knowing.

Kyra wanted to know.

As the edge came nearer, she thought about the other riders and how they sometimes seemed too… slow? Or maybe just too relaxed. Either way, Kyra was sure they only pushed themselves when they had to. That wasn't exciting. If she couldn't hear her pulse then she wasn't trying hard enough.

When she was a few feet from the ledge, she used her momentum with a small spell to propel herself over the edge and into the morning air.

Her adrenaline spiked and her world slowed down. She could taste the salt of the water far below her and smell the lavender from the flowers she passed on her sprint.

She spun slowly around, still almost level with the cliff, and saw the path she had used as a runway. It ran past the side of her home, the Dragontower as she liked to call it. Twelve stories of open air living spaces where the Riders and their paired dragons lived. At the very top, was a space that took up the entire floor. That was where Eragon and Arya lived. Their dragons would come and go as they please, but most of the time they slept on the massive balcony. Kyra had her favorite scenic spots she liked to visit on Vroengard, but that spot on the twelfth floor was still the most breath taking view of the island. On a very clear day, you could sometimes see Alagaesia.

As Kyra's body twisted more, completing a full 360 degrees, the ocean came back into view. A couple dragons darted in and out of the clouds above, but she focused on the waves crashing against the rocks a hundred feet below. The sight gave her a slight sense of vertigo but she screamed in delight as gravity grabbed a hold of her and pulled her down. The wind ripped at her clothes and howled past her ears as she plummeted to the ocean, but all she could hear was her heart racing. She ignored her body's survival warnings and relaxed her mind, allowing her thoughts to extend outward.

Let's see how close we can get this time, she said with her mind.

A roar answered her. Off to her side, a scarlet dragon was also in a dive. He angled himself so that he dropped down and over to end up below Kyra. Kyra pulled in her arms to speed her fall in response. Within a couple seconds the two were falling headfirst toward the ocean at the same speed, the red dragon's head next to hers. She looked at him and waved.

Remember to brace yourself so you don't hit your head again, the dragon said in her mind.

Kyra rolled her eyes, which was difficult to do with the wind nearly pulling them out. You know Zeos, I would like to stay dry this time. The dragon closed his right eye with the swirling silver markings around it, and then opened it again.

He has to be the only dragon I have ever seen wink, she thought. It was always a sign that meant, "I got this, but no promises." Zeos then adjusted himself so that Kyra could grab a hold of him and pull herself against his back.

With the ocean rushing up to swallow them whole, Kyra yelled, "Now!"

The red dragon opened his wings while Kyra tucked her head against his neck. Zeos pulled up and the pair righted themselves feet above the ocean waves and shot across the water like a scarlet arrow. Kyra leaned over and felt the spray of the waves against her face. She smiled and then sat up and yelled in victory. Zeos let out a triumphant roar in response.

Zeos, best one yet! Kyra said in her mind.

And you are still dry.

It's almost like you knew what you were doing, she said while scratching the side of his neck. Even though they were flying, she could still feel his hind leg twitch slightly. Alright, let's head back before we are late.

Zeos dipped his left wing and banked back towards the island in a graceful arc. Kyra gazed back on Vroengard. She was told that is was a much different place before she called it home. But that was ancient history. Now, it was filled with her friends and family. But even more importantly, it was filled with dragons. She could see some flying near the coast, a couple she recognized, and others she didn't. Kyra was always told that for a long time, the idea of dragons in the skies was a legend that the elderly told children. She couldn't imagine what that must have been like, or what a world without Zeos could be like.

Kyra was pulled out of her thoughts by a vague sensation. She could almost feel something by her. It sometimes happened when they were above a whale or big fish, but this one felt different.

It felt… fast.

Kyra looked up just in time to see a massive blue dragon open her maw above her head. Instead of blue flames, water fell out as if it had been dumped out of a giant bucket. In an instant, Kyra and Zeos looked like they had been swallowed by the ocean and spit back out. The blue dragon swooped ahead on large wings and Kyra could hear her rider laughing uncontrollably. She pointed angrily at him and yelled, "That's not funny anymore!"

The dragon came back around and pulled up next to them.

"Well if it wasn't funny anymore, I wouldn't do it," the rider said. He smiled at her with those disarming eyes.

Damn, he's too good at that, she thought. It was nearly impossible for her to be mad at him like that. But this was the second time this week he had gotten her. No, he wasn't getting off that easily.

"Shouldn't you be teaching right now?" Kyra said, adding as much irritation to her voice as she could. She narrowed her eyes, knowing it was the one thing that could unnerve him.

"Your mom is covering this morning's lesson," he said. Then, he raised an eyebrow at her. "You know you look exactly like her when you do that. Kind of scary seeing that look so often."

"Maybe you shouldn't give us reasons to do so," she said as she folded her arms.

He just laughed to himself. "Kyra, no matter how tough you try to look, you will always be my little girl. Now, be careful you don't eat too much of our spray."

"Dad—" Kyra was cut off by a powerful thrust from Saphira and the pair shot towards the island faster than should be possible. Kyra and Zeos practiced flying together all the time and yet never seem to get anywhere close to that speed. Within seconds Eragon and Saphira were back above land and disappeared.

"That has to be some kind of spell he hasn't taught me yet."

I wouldn't be so sure. Saphira is the fastest dragon on the island. Before you and I bonded, I tried to catch up to her once."

"You did?"

I tried, Zeos corrected. She saw me coming and then left me with a single thrust. She might have help from Eragon, but a lot is just her skill.

Kyra thought about asking her father, but he was very clear about separating Rider training from family time. When she was in training, he was Master, but outside of training, she could call him Dad. He probably would just tell her that she hasn't reached that point of her training yet. That was his go-to excuse whenever he was asked something that he had yet to cover with her.

Oh well, if Kyra's mother was doing today's training, then that meant it was going to be a tough one. She made the hardest drills and Kyra always tried to do them better than everyone else. Even though her parents were the Lead Riders, Kyra worked as hard as she could. She hated the idea that some of the other riders might think she would get special treatment just because of who her parents were.

Still, worrying about special treatment as a Rider was better than the pressure of being Eragon and Arya's daughter and a non-Rider. As Kyra entered her teenage years and was still not paired with a dragon, she worried about having to leave Vroengard. Only Riders and dragons were allowed on the island. Sure, non-Riders could visit and hosting special guests from the mainland was a regular occurrence. But they couldn't stay. The island was designed as a home for Dragon Riders.

However, there were always exceptions, like her dad's old friend Blodhgarm. She was told that he was originally her dad's bodyguard, but now he just helped run the island. There was also a small group of elves on the island that helped sing new structures as the numbers of Riders expanded. Kyra always thought that since she never had an egg hatch for her, that maybe she would become a Songweaver. She was always good at magic, casting spells from a very young age. By the time she was ten, she could use magic just as well as some of the new Riders.

But she still wasn't a Rider herself.

Eragon would never force her to leave. She was his daughter and had the most right to stay on the island if she wanted. However, he had said on multiple occasions that he wanted her to go live in Alagaesia. He said that even if she were not destined to be a Dragon Rider, she would always be an ambassador for the island and for him. He wanted her to eventually be his emissary and give counsel to the nations in his place. And for that she needed an education in Alagaesia's different cultures.

Any nation would welcome her. That was the benefit of being the daughter of the Lead Riders. Eragon talked about how some of his closest friends were allies he made in the war and that they were all from different areas of Alagaesia. Some were even royalty like Uncle Orik or Aunt Nasuada and Uncle Murtagh. She had an open invitation to stay with any of them for any length of time. She had already met many of them when she joined her parents on a trip to Alagaesia. Her father said it was business but they spent an awful lot of time at feasts. Kyra loved the food and celebration, but always felt a little awkward with the attention that came with it. She was treated like some kind of rare gem that might break if no one was looking.

It was the worst in Ellesmera. Kyra loved seeing her mom's home, but the way people stared at her made her feel uncomfortable. Arya tried to explain that it was just because elven children were rare, and that a half elf, half human child was even rarer. Kyra supposed she understood, but was always relieved when they came back to the island.

Vroengard was her home and would always be the place she felt most comfortable. However, Kyra eventually agreed that living in Alagaesia for a time was a good idea. And while she did love her home, the adventure of living in a new land had a certain appeal to her. She told her parents she wanted a little more time on Vroengard, and then she would go.

Very soon after that, however, she had paired with Zeos and became the first Rider to bond with a wild dragon.

Kyra never thought much of it, but everyone else seemed to. She smiled as she remembered her dad's look of confusion when she showed up with her face marked. He just stared at it for a while until he used a spell to check the Gedwey Ignasia's authenticity. While other Riders' marks were a circle on their palm, Kyra's was a swirling semi-spiral of silver that started next to her right eye and ran to her cheekbone. On Zeos, it was the same design, just bigger and more pronounced against the red scales around his eye. It felt like every other part of her face, and yet it was different.

Everyone always talks about their first contact with their dragon. In some way or another they were by an egg that hatched. For Kyra, she was by a wild dragon that was three times her size. He was an injured dragon, but wild nonetheless.

It was amazing how much her life had changed from a simple encounter. She was practicing her songweaving in the woods, when Zeos crashed after being tail-swiped by a bigger dragon. His front leg had broken in the landing so she went over to him to mend it. She recalled how he looked so familiar even though she had never seen him until that day. Kyra had reached out and touched his snout with her hand. She wanted him to understand that she was going to help him.

That was when the bond happened.

Most Riders say they felt some kind of inward chill run through their body during the bond. Kyra felt the same thing, but hers seemed way more intense than theirs. She remembered being rocked with tremors, as if she was hit with lightning from inside her body. She remembered seeing the markings spread across the side of Zeos' face and how her face itched as her mark was made.

From that moment on, she was a Dragon Rider, and everything had changed. No more pressure of not fitting in. No more worries of living away from her family. She would still one day learn about the different nations, but first she would learn to be a Rider in full.

Kyra and Zeos made it back over land and angled towards the training ground. The morning group already sat in their places and her mother was in the middle of the circle talking to everyone.

I think you should do the drop-off so you aren't in trouble as well, Kyra said in her mind.

Good idea, Zeos responded. The scarlet dragon slowed his speed and lowered himself so that he was about five feet above the ground. Kyra rose to a crouch on his back as they approached the training circle ahead. With the grace that comes with practice, she jumped off of Zeos and hit the ground mid-stride. The maneuver was her way of arriving somewhere fast while letting her dragon escape whatever dangers she was heading towards.

In this case, it was her mom.

Just as she made it to the circle, she heard Arya say, "So first we'll have Ismira go up against Kyra."

Kyra skidded to a stop just in time for all eyes to move onto her. Arya narrowed her gaze at her daughter. When she did it, Kyra understood instantly what her father always talked about. Arya was incredibly beautiful, yet with one look she could scare you to death. "Since you would rather play in the water than hear my lesson, you can be the first to demonstrate."

Kyra looked to Ismira for help. Her cousin was her biggest rival and her best friend, but she only shrugged. It was no use. If Arya wanted to punish Kyra, she just had to face it.

"Block your swords and then begin on my mark," Arya said. "You will try to land a killing blow on your opponent, while the rest of the group will work to penetrate and subdue your mind."

"What?" Kyra blurted out.

Her mother's brows furrowed. "You will fight with the sword and the mind. A skill that every Rider must master."

Kyra's stomach dropped. She could do either one of those activities well enough by themselves, but never together. Her mom might as well have asked her to swim and read a book at the same time.

This isn't going to be pretty, she thought.

Arya said, "Begin," and Ismira charged.

"How do you feel?" Arya asked softly.

Kyra groaned. "I'm wet, bruised, and I have a headache."

"Good," Arya said with a tender smile. "Now take a seat and try to heal those as best you can."

Kyra grunted her agreement and scooted on her butt to the edge of the circle. Healing spells were unusually tricky to do on yourself. It's one thing to mend skin or muscle or bones on someone else, but when you feel everything happening as you try to focus on the spell, it gets distracting.

"Well that was rough," Ismira said sitting down next to her. Kyra looked over at her cousin who had noticeably less bruises than her. Although, she did have a nasty one on her shoulder that Kyra was secretly proud of. "You were doing that suicide dive off the cliff again?"

"Mhm," Kyra said with her eyes half closed. It was hard to think straight after having five different riders break into your mind while you are fighting with a dull sword.

"And you didn't pull up in time?"

"Eragon and Saphira decided to dump half the ocean on me."

"That's kind of funny," Ismira said. Kyra just looked at her sideways. "What? It is."

"Whatever." Kyra worked on mending her bruises while they watched some of the other riders practice the drill. Most did worse than Kyra, which made her feel a little better.

After a few hours had passed, Ismira nudged Kyra and nodded up the hill in front of them. Eragon was making his way to the training area. "I'm going to ask him again," Ismira whispered.

"He's going to say you aren't ready… again."

"Maybe."

Kyra's father made his way over to their training circle and greeted everyone. He was in his Master's role. Friendly, yet commanding respect. A much different image than the joking guy she was used to.

"Master?" Ismira asked. "Could you give us a demonstration in the use of wild energy?"

Instantly, all chatter stopped and everyone looked to Ismira. Then to Eragon. He simply cracked a slight smile at her and looked around at the other Riders instead of answering her right away.

He's probably just thinking of a new way to tell her no, Kyra thought.

Arya looked at Eragon and Kyra saw her parents exchange a silent word. When you grow up with them as parents, you get used to seeing them talk to each other without the use of their mouths. Kyra still felt a slight sense of foreboding since the silent interaction usually meant she was about to be punished.

"Ismira, why do you want to see a demonstration of this?" Eragon finally asked.

Kyra looked at her cousin and saw her eyes narrow. Eragon usually just gave her a flat no. Now, he was giving her a chance to explain. Maybe Ismira's stubbornness was finally paying off.

"In order to become a great Dragon Rider, I believe it is important to have an idea of what that looks like. You are our Master and have always demonstrated the concepts you want to teach us so that we understand what we are aiming for. However, you have never shown us what it is like to wield wild energy, even though one day we will do it ourselves. Even our youngest Riders have made it far enough in their training that you taught them of its existence, but no one has seen it."

"And what was my reasoning for that?" Eragon asked.

Ismira sighed. "You said that we are not ready."

"But you disagree?"

"I do. If we have made it far enough in our training for you to trust us with the knowledge, then I think we deserve to at least see it."

Eragon looked at the circle of riders. "And you all, do you share this opinion with Ismira?" Most of the Riders nodded their heads.

It wasn't a secret that everyone wanted to see it. Towards the end of every Riders' training, Eragon teaches you three core Rider secrets. First, it was the idea of a True Name. That one was fun because you then spend every waking moment trying to discover yours. Next came the Heart of Hearts, the Eldunari. Kyra could still remember the shock of that one.

But the last secret was different. You are taught that there is something beyond the Ancient Language or True Names. That energy is the source of all magic and an ancient race called the Grey Folk used energy to do magic directly, with pure thought instead of words. And that when you work at this fundamental level, you have the ability to connect with the raw energy of the world. And that energy can give you incredible power or terrible devastation.

But that was it. You are just told of its existence and you are given the promise that one day you will understand it. For now, you are to continue your training. It was a little annoying, but Kyra had moved on. She was more focused on her free falls. But her cousin, Ismira, couldn't let it go. She wanted to see it. Ismira was smart enough to understand that she wasn't ready to try something that big, but she wanted to see it actually happen in front of her. And when Ismira set her mind to something, she wouldn't stop until it happened. Eragon was always saying that she was exactly like Uncle Roran in that way.

Eragon looked directly at Kyra. "And you? Do you agree with Ismira?"

This has got to be a test. Kyra bit her bottom lip slightly while making sure to hold her father's gaze. If she said no, she might demonstrate that she trusts her father's teaching methods, but she would also alienate herself from her peers. If she said yes, she might show a lack of faith in her father, but show trust in her peers. Fifty-fifty. Oh well, if I'm wrong I can sleep with Zeos on the beach tonight. "I agree with Ismira," Kyra said as confidently as she could.

Eragon nodded at her and then looked at Ismira.

Phew, might be able to stay indoors after all.

"You all have come such a long way, and I want you to know how proud I am of you. I am confident in your abilities and I trust your opinions." Eragon paused and then looked at Kyra. "You are truly Dragon Riders in full and it is time you begin training at the next level." Eragon then scanned the group. "Starting tomorrow we will go over direct spell casting. You will learn to use your will and desire to manipulate the world around you. And as you well know, this path ultimately leads to utilizing wild energy."

Ismira looked at Kyra and gave her a big smile. Kyra winked back.

"So," Eragon said softly, "to make it official, I guess its time you saw what it actually looks like to use wild energy in conjunction with direct spells."

Kyra could feel her heart beating in her throat. She never thought in a million years that her dad would go for it. But he was. It worked. They were finally ready.

Through their connection, Kyra relayed the information to Zeos. Even though he was far away from their location, Kyra had no problem communicating with him. When they talked in their minds it was as if he was right there with her. From what she had gathered, the other riders couldn't do this as easily as her. But she didn't pay any mind to that.

After telling Zeos what was happening, she felt him make his way to her location. He was just as curious as they were.

The group followed Eragon and Arya as they took the path to the beach. Excitement was in the air and it appeared that the other Riders had told their partners what was happening. Dragons began congregating in the air above them. When her father noticed, he laughed to himself. He whispered something in Arya's ear and she giggled like a young girl. It seemed that no amount of time would ever diminish their love for each other. It was one of those things that Kyra never got used to seeing. They always acted so… appreciative of each other. As if even after all these years, they couldn't believe the other was with them. Kyra had asked a few times what their story was. She wanted to know how they met, how they became partners, how Kyra herself came to be. Eragon would always smile at the question and then look to Arya. Kyra's mother was the strongest woman she knew, but that question always seemed to make her avert her eyes and bring a little redness to her cheeks. Mostly, Kyra would just get some version of "that's a story for another time," but every once in a while she would get real answers. So far, she had been able to tell that her dad fell for her mother right away, but her mother had not. And that through their adventures together she eventually came to love him back. How any of this actually happened, she had yet to find out. Although, if the legends were accurate, her parents had been through some serious, even traumatic experiences together. She always figured that the memories might be too painful to relive. When she asked her dad about a certain battle legend or war rumor, he would get a far off look. Her mother would get very quiet and just look at her fondly, like she hadn't seen Kyra in ages. She knew all the stories and legends about the great things they did, but still didn't know their side of things.

Soon, she thought.

When the group had made it to the shore, Kyra looked up at the marvelous sight. Dozens of dragons were now circling above them. All of the paired dragons were there, but many were wild. They probably sensed something was happening and wanted to see. From the group, a sapphire dragon descended and gracefully landed beside her partner. Eragon looked fondly upon his dragon and rubbed her snout. She hummed with content at the sensation.

"From your training up till this point," Eragon said facing the crowd, "you know that energy can come from multiple sources." He had his back to the surf, his skin glowing softly in the afternoon light. "The obvious is from yourself, your own energy. This energy grows as you get stronger, but not just physically stronger. It grows as your mind gets stronger as well." Eragon extended his arm, with his palm facing upward. "I can use my own energy and cast a spell for fire. The basic word is 'Brisingr' but what you must learn is the underlying will behind that word. When I say the spell, my desire for fire guides my energy and creates the reality.

If my mind is strong enough, I don't actually need to say the spell. I can just use my mind to will my energy into action." Eragon looked at his palm and a blue flame appeared. Small at first, like a candle, but it quickly grew to the size of an apple. Flickering fireball in hand, Eragon looked back at the crowd.

"Kyra, what is an advantage of not speaking your spells?" Eragon asked.

Kyra's voice caught in her thought as everyone looked to her. Her father's eyes, however, were reassuring. You know this, they seemed to say. "Your enemies will have less time to react and will take longer to counter," she said.

"Very good," Eragon said. "Not only does it give you a tactical advantage but also makes you a better magic user. Now this magic is only feeding off of my own personal energy. There are other sources of energy that we can tap into. Beltha, what is another energy source we can use?

Beltha, the first urgal rider, shifted her feet. "You can receive energy from your dragon," she said softly.

"Right," Eragon responded. "The bond between dragon and Rider is special. Energy flows between you and you can use that."

Eragon glanced at Saphira and the ball grew bigger while also beginning to spin. "Now, you could also have fellow riders with you, who could give you some of their energy." Eragon looked at Arya and the ball grew even larger, now the size of a large melon. It was spinning more rapidly now as well. Your surroundings can also provide small amounts of energy if your situation is dire, but hopefully it will never come to that.

Reed, what is the last source of energy?" Eragon asked the boy towards Kyra right. She looked over at him and noticed a familiar smirk on his face. Reed was the second human to have an egg hatch for him, but usually acted like he was the only one.

"You can receive energy from a storage, like the jewels in the pommels of our swords," Reed said smoothly.

Why can't I sound that confident? Kyra thought. Reed looked at her and smiled. Not a smirk like he usually did, but a genuine smile. Kyra's cheeks instantly heated up and she turned forward before she had a chance to embarrass herself further.

"Very good," Eragon said. "The jewels in your weapons can store large amounts of energy and allow you to draw from them in times of need. This is why you have been putting small amounts of your energy into your jewels since you started training."

Eragon shifted slightly, and touched the sword at his waist. The fireball rotating in his hand grew to the size of a boulder. Kyra stepped back, the heat from the flame becoming too much to bear. Eragon held the blue fireball above his head for a moment longer, and then extinguished it by closing his fist.

"But, these things are all limited." Eragon looked at each one of them in turn. "If you cast a spell that uses more energy than you have access to, you're done. You will kill yourself and possibly those around you. For that reason we have to be smart about how we use magic. We can't simply do whatever we want, whenever we want. There are always limits. These limits dictate the strength or size of our magical abilities and therefore ultimately dictate what we are capable of. That is why we train so hard. We must continually push our limits to have a bigger range of impact.

But, what if there was no limit? What if, just for a moment, you could create any spell, perform any magic, without fear of losing yourself to it? What could you do against an opponent? Against an army? How many more lives could you save if you were free from your limits?

If you could tap into the energy of the world itself, then you could gain access to an unlimited supply of energy. You could do things that no one else can do. No situation would be out of your control.

However, this comes at a great risk. Instead of worrying about not having enough energy, you have to worry about having too much energy inside your body. Not only could a single stray thought bring devastation to yourself but also to the world around you." Eragon gestured around himself. "Your home, this island that we live on, is a warning to that. This island was once a very dark and deadly place. A single magic wielder let wild energy consume him and it then consumed the island in the process.

Using raw energy is different from normal spellcasting. Imagine a river rushing through you. You have to be completely focused just so that it doesn't pull you away. It is going to consume you wholly and you have to let it. Instead of tightly controlling your energy, you are now simply a vessel for it pass through. You give it guidance, but it will act chaotically. If you try to hang on too long, it will rip you apart."

Eragon paused for a moment, his gaze fell upon his daughter and he smiled. "But, if you know what you want, and fully commit to it, you can do amazing things for a few moments."

There was a slight tremor in the ground and then a shockwave erupted from Eragon, rippling outwards. The water near her father's feet began to recede, as if it were being pulled away from him. Winds picked up and swirled around him, tousling his hair and pulling at his clothes. Eragon crouched, putting a hand on either side of his feet. He looked up and his eyes found Kyra's. He winked and then shot up into the sky as if he was an arrow shot from a giant bow. Eragon seemed to fly faster than any dragon, straight up into the air. The students gasped and in a flash he became a speck among the clouds until Kyra could no longer see him.

For a scary moment, Kyra thought he was gone, disappeared from her life forever. But then he came back into view, falling towards the Earth headfirst. Kyra had done that before, but never from that height. He was so far up! Kyra stepped forward, straining her eyes to focus on her farther.

Eragon continued to fall aiming for the water about 40 feet out from the beach. Was Saphira going to catch him? Kyra nervously glanced at the sapphire dragon, but she remained calm, watching her Rider's descent. Maybe Kyra's mom was about to cast a spell or intervene somehow. Instead, Arya stood off to the side, arms folded, watching this madness unfold. Only the other students were acting appropriately. Ismira had a hand to her mouth and others were biting fingernails or shifting their weight uneasily.

Kyra was about to cast a spell of her own and end this lunacy when Eragon flipped in the air so that he was now falling feet first. When he was maybe 20 feet above the water, he threw his hands down and the surface of the ocean seemed to actually rise up and catch him. With a small splash, he disappeared from view. Again.

Kyra kept her eyes on the water, looking for Eragon to break the surface, or at the very least air bubbles showing where he was. But nothing happened. Instead, she noticed a wave form and make its way slowly towards them. It grew until it was large enough to crest and splash them all.

But then it stopped.

The wave stayed fixed just outside of the surf and continued to swell. It defied every law of the world Kyra knew and grew taller without moving forward. Soon, the wave was high enough to catch the light from the setting sun behind them and seemed to alight with oranges and yellows. Kyra forgot about her dad and now backed up, trying to think of how far away she would need to get in order to survive the now 30 foot tall wave.

Kyra was reaching out to Zeos when she spotted a shadow at the base of the wave. The darkness stood out against the sunset colors until the form came into focus. Eragon walked out from the bottom of the wall of water with his hands held up. His eyes were focused and his jaw was clenched, but overall he looked fine. He stood there, just in front of the group, with a massive wall of water at his back.

Eragon held for one more tense moment and then finally let his arms down. Instead of crashing forward and engulfing them all, the giant wave split down the middle where Eragon stood and fell backwards back into the ocean. The waters frothed at his feet and then returned back to normal as if nothing had happened.

Eragon walked out of the surf and back to the group. He stood before them and then smiled. "Qatch," Eragon said looking at the dwarf rider off to Kyra's side, "where you distracted by the wave?"

Qatch simply nodded.

"And if you were distracted, you wouldn't have noticed enemies flanking you?" Eragon nodded to the side and Saphira loosed a massive blue flame, making them all jump. Immediately following her flame, Firnen loosed a fireball from their opposite side.

With all her focus on the wave, Kyra didn't even notice the dragons walk up to them.

"If you were distracted, your enemies would be as well. And a giant wave can also provide cover for those behind it. What about being able to jump as high as the clouds? If you didn't have the aid of your dragon, you could still get behind enemy lines and surprise a group focused on a ground attack, or escape a dire situation."

Kyra looked at her father and then glanced at the others. No one spoke. Their eyes were still fixated on Eragon as if they saw him but didn't believe he was really there.

Eragon looked at Ismira. "Wild energy is a tool. It is one more resource at your disposal. However, it is incredibly dangerous and therefore must be protected at all costs. This secret is greater than even the Eldunari. We will begin your training with casting direct spells and that journey will eventually lead you to this, when you are ready. Not before."

Eragon looked at Kyra and smiled. "Any questions?"

Kyra finally made it to the top of the stairs. It would have been so much easier to fly with Zeos to her parents room, but sometimes the stairs helped her put her thoughts in order. And after what she had seen earlier today, she needed it.

Seeing her father wield raw energy was terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time. All at once, she wanted to wield that energy herself and yet understood that she was a very long way from that moment. However, the most powerful urge she had at the moment was to learn more about her parents.

She wanted the real story.

Kyra pushed open the door to their room and strode inside. The interior smelled of fresh pine, something her father always said about her and her mother. Kyra didn't smell it. She usually thought she smelled like salt and dirt, but she liked the compliment. Her dad would usually cast a spell to make their room smell like pine. In a way, it smelt like home to her.

The door opened up into a room that was both a kitchen and a large living space. For being the lead riders, the space was elegantly simple. Her mother had decorated it with her own songweaving, creating furniture grown from the woods around the grounds. The sitting couch was Kyra's favorite piece but not her favorite part of the home. That was reserved for the open platform balcony past the living room. Walking through, Kyra looked at the fairths hanging on the wall that her dad had created. The first was a close up of her mother. She had her eyes closed and she was smelling a beautiful white flower. The colors were so crisp it almost looked like Kyra could reach in and touch the flower. A few fairths down was the most impressive one. It was an image of a thunder of dragons against a clear blue sky. Her father had told her he took it on their first trip to Vroengard, when they were finally able to take back the island.

Kyra made her way past the edge of the living room and out onto the extended platform. Here was a space big enough to hold Saphira and Firnen, who usually slept out here, and doubled as a place to relax and watch the ocean. The platform extended outwards, giving the best view of the sea on the whole island.

There, at the platform's edge were her parents, nestled in an overly large chair. Kyra smiled when she saw it. That old chair had been the first item her dad had ever tried to songweave. It was ugly and misshapen, but it was incredibly comfortable. Obviously, it was instantly his favorite piece in the house. When her parents saw her approach, they opened their arms in a welcoming gesture. No matter how old Kyra got, she would never be too old for chair time.

Kyra strode over and sat down, nestling herself in the space of her father's chest opposite her mother. Eragon's arm rested protectively around her and pulled her in tight.

"The day is never complete until my girls are in my arms," Eragon said as he kissed Kyra's forehead.

"What about Saphira?" Kyra asked.

"Her day isn't complete until I am in her arms."

Kyra laughed but it was true. Often, her father would sleep on the platform, resting against Saphira's warm underside, instead of his own bed. For most couples that might be a problem, but her mother was the same way with Firnen. Kyra's favorite nights were when both dragons slept on the platform and the three of them slept between them. The warmth would put her right to sleep and if Saphira and Firnen covered them with their wings, she could sleep well past the morning light.

"So… that was kind of cool today," Kyra said quietly.

"Do you understand why I waited so long to show you all?" Eragon asked.

"Yes. It was scary," Kyra replied. Eragon looked at her. "But it was very exciting as well."

"It's not always that flashy," her mother said from Eragon's other side. She lifted her head off of his chest, her dark hair falling to one side of her face. "He was just showing off for you all."

"Yes I figured," Kyra said smiling at her dad. "But then again, I would have done the same thing."

"That's my girl," Eragon said. "See, she appreciates a good show."

"I wonder where she gets that from," Arya said.

"Well, she definitely gets her incredibly good looks from me," Eragon said under his breath. Arya slapped Eragon in the chest and Kyra broke out in a fit of laughter. Her father always compared her beauty to her mother, but he's also determined to aggravate her, always stating that if he doesn't do it, who will?

"So," Kyra said when she could breathe again, "after seeing your demonstration today, it got me thinking…"

"That's always a scary thing," Eragon told her.

"I'm serious!" Kyra said. "I want you guys to tell me your stories. The real stories."

Eragon looked to Arya and then back at her. "Is that right?"

"Yes," Kyra said firmly. "I want to know the truth, about everything. How did you guys become who you are, how did I get here. What happened in the war that created all those legends? And none of this 'maybe another time' stuff. I want to hear it all."

Eragon smiled and shared another glance with Arya. She shrugged and nodded. Kyra could feel her pulse quicken. "Fine." Eragon said. "But get comfortable because this is a long story."

Barely able to contain her excitement, Kyra sat up, eyes wide, ready to finally get her answers.

"This story starts off with a young farm boy out hunting in the woods and a beautiful elf guarding a sapphire egg…"

Well there you have it guys. The conclusion of my alternate ending to Inheritance! I truly hope you enjoyed this journey and can use this to imagine a different send off to our characters than what we got in the actual book.

This chapter was a blast to write but its also why it took so long. I just had to keep tweaking and adjusting until it felt right. It was a refreshing change of pace to see the world through someone else's point of view. Kyra is definitely a favorite of mine and I can already see where her adventures would take her. In case there are any fans reading this that think they can write, message me for my take on how you can continue on Kyra's story for me.

Part of me didn't want this to end, but its time I move on to my own novels. They will one day be on amazon for everyone to read, but for those that found me here, I'll be in touch to get you some free copies. Message me an email address I can reach you at and let me know if you would want a free copy when they are ready (could be a long while lol) or would like to beta for me when I get to that point.

Special thanks to Watchman1 for some awesome beta reading and for showing me what proper grammar looks like. Return to Vroengard wouldn't be as good without you.

And always a huge thank you to anyone who has made it this far. This story is almost 100,000 words! That's not light and easy reading. If you made it all the way through, then you are incredible. I hope I added some value to your life, even if just for a moment.

Please leave me a comment of your thoughts on this chapter or the story as a whole. I want to hear the parting thoughts of everyone that made it through.

Until next time!