Time soared like the wings of a dragon as the days passed without hassle. I began to forget the empty feeling in my heart left by Galbatorix, I still thought about him from time to time, but I began to fill his absence with the company of Draumrhjarta, as well as Leilaní, who had been previously occupied with an arduous bought of training and for a while had been unable to focus on anything else.

"You will have to go through it too," she warned me, "all dragon riders have to at some point or another."

I constantly asked what it was she so cryptically warned about, but she would not reveal what type of training I would be facing. She only said I would find out when the time came.

After a few days, I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and instead enjoyed my days in their and Vascar's company. Vascar grew larger and larger each day, but surprisingly he stayed particularly lanky. It wasn't as if he was weak, but as the days went by we began to realize that Vascar was made for the open skies, not for direct combat.

'It's nothing to be ashamed of,' I told him after training one day, at which Vascar had been bested in a test of strength against Dagshúro, 'for one thing, he is older, it's to be expected that he has more experience and skill.'

'It's not that,' he said with a snort, for once letting go of his pride to confide in his worries, 'I just don't know why I am so much weaker than other dragons. I am not ashamed of my abilities, just curious.'

I touched his neck in comfort, 'You are not weak Vascar, you are the strongest dragon I know. You are strong of heart, and strong of mind. And, it's like what Master Glaedr said, you are one of the fastest dragons he has ever trained. You don't need brute strength when you can be swift and cunning.'

He turned his head around and pushed my shoulder with his snout. I smiled and scratched one of his favorite spots underneath his chin. He hummed in response and blinked one blue eye at me.

As the days, even months, slipped from my grasp, this was how our time was spent. We grew closer with each passing moment and soon I could not imagine being separated from him without fear of losing myself.

But, Oromis and Glaedr had different plans for the two of us.

We arrived at the Training Center only to discover that the two Elders did not plan to stay. Instead, our training would take place outside of Ilirea completely.

"I must consult with the Priests of Helgrind. It is sudden but necessary. I would like you and Vascar to come along with us as well," Oromis said, placing the last few items into his saddle bags.

"Us? We are honored Ebrithl, but why us?" I said in shock.

He chuckled and looked at me, "Brom and Morzan are also attending Talia. This will be a good learning experience for all of you. Consider it a hands-on lesson in speaking and persuasion."

I glanced at Vascar unsure of what could have been so urgent to cause Oromis to leave so suddenly. Nonetheless, I was excited for whatever challenge I would be presented with.

We left immediately, meeting Brom and Morzan at the Eastern Gate before setting off on the day's journey towards Dras-Leona.

~*~

We arrived in the city late that night. My head throbbed from the numerous mental defense exercises Oromis had me practice. It was not the techniques that caused my pain, but instead the many times Brom or Morzan tried, and succeeded, in breaking them down. It was a humbling thing to have another person inside my mind. Brom tried to suppress his curiosity to my thoughts, but it was impossible to not glean information when our minds were so close. Before pulling away from my conscious, he would glance into a memory or thought before returning to his own thoughts. Morzan on the other hand took his time in my mind. He browsed at leisure but always retreated before I could respond. Finally, anticipating his actions, I jabbed at his mind with my own. He visibly jumped and returned to his own thoughts immediately. After that he kept the prying to a minimum, even less than Brom's.

Nonetheless, my mind ached from their constant battering. But, being a dragon rider had its perks. As soon as we arrived we were granted quarters in the keep near the center of the city. Lord Musgren insisted on giving us all the luxuries, including a place for the dragons to rest. Vascar was pleased that the man had not forgotten him and quickly made his way to the room to rest and refresh himself. I too retired to my room as soon as it was polite to do so. And I was not disappointed. A large bed sat in the middle of the room along with a beautifully carved wooden chest. Along the wall was an ornate golden mirror that I observed for several minutes, intrigued by its intricate designs. But, exhaustion soon won over and I quickly changed out of my travel worn clothes into a wonderfully soft tunic I found in the chest along with a pair of leggings. Feeling more comfortable than I had in a long time, I then allowed myself to finally crawl under the blankets in the bed and drift off into a heavy slumber.

~*~

"It is a disgrace to our religion! We forbid it!" One of the priests shouted, slamming his hands down upon the table and shaking me from my thoughts. As soon as the meeting began, I knew it would not be one of calm words and easy negotiations. We were greeted tensely by three men dressed in black robes, each with some sort of limb missing. But, it was their rage filled expressions that caused my nerves to increase.

"You dragon riders have done nothing but cause trouble for us!" The priest continued, "why would you expect us to allow them to come to our town and brainwash or citizens!"

"Sialson, you know as well as I that the annual egg ceremony is necessary in order to keep peace in the land. If we were to exclude the people of Dras-Leona from the chance of becoming a rider-," Oromis responded calmly.

"Then maybe we would be able to deal with your meddlesome kind," a second priest interrupted.

"No, then your people would protest," Oromis continued, undeterred, "if they knew that they had been purposely forgotten, then they would rise up and rebel. Unnecessary blood would be shed, and for what? So you may placate your anger with us?"

"You dragon riders have done nothing but kill-"

"We have done nothing but protect the people and their homes," Brom spoke up. Oromis shot him a warning look, but he went on anyways. "It is not our fault that you choose to worship something so vile that it deserves to be exterminated."

"How dare you! How dare you offend us and those we worship! Our decision is final, the egg ceremony will not be allowed to continue within our town!" The first priest, Sialson, exclaimed. At this, Vascar growled from within my mind, both disgusted with the priest and frustrated that he could not be in the room with us.

'I wonder,' Vascar commented to me, 'what creature it is that these insects worship.'

'Aye,' I agreed, 'It must be something terribe to have worked Brom up to the point of shouting. He is usually so quiet and thoughtful, so to hear him yell is strange.'

Finally, Oromis dropped the air of calmness and narrowed his eyes, "You have no right to decide whether or not the ceremony continues. Despite your status in the city through the eyes of the Church, there are still those in power higher than you that have decreed that the ceremony will continue."

The third priest hissed. "If you do not listen to us and defy the wishes of the Church of Helgrind, there will be consequences for you dragon riders."

At the word, 'dragon riders,' all three priests spat upon the ground simultaneously.

Morzan crossed his arms and glared at the priests before saying, "Are you threatening us?"

At this, I subtlely slid my hand to my side. Ever since Draumrhjarta had begun teaching me how to fight with a dagger, I had taken to hiding mine within a sheath beneath my tunic. I had yet to tell Oromis about my training with the dagger, but I would do so soon because I had become very proficient in using it.

Instead of shouting in response as they usually did, the third priest simply smiled and said, "You have been warned," before turning and walking out of the room, the other two following close behind. The door slammed loudly in their wake.

Oromis waited a moment before exiting as well. We quickly made our way back to the space given for the dragons, and as we walked, Oromis scanned his head back and forth, his eyes alert and watchful. I knew he was watching for the Priests of Helgrind, and I too soon began to look for any signs of danger. But, we made it back to the room without an incident and were greeted by four very frustrated dragons.

Before any of them even had the chance to inquire the full details of the meeting, Oromis was across the room pulling several objects out of his saddle bags. He returned quickly and handed one to each of us, and as soon as the long object touched my arms, I knew what it was Oromis had brought along. I unwound the cloth surrounding the sword I had grown accustomed to using and lifted it up so that it reflected the morning sunlight around the room.

"Ebrithl, why did you bring our swords?" I asked, the severity of the situation beginning to suffocate me.

"Because I had the suspicion that the priests of Helgrind would not be so easily persuaded. You will keep these swords with you at all times, for while we remain in Dras-Leona you are in danger," Oromis said, his eyes dark and stern.

"How long will we be staying here?" Brom asked, belting his sword onto his side.

"We will stay until the egg ceremony is finished. The Priests of Helgrind do not take kindly to insults and I am positive that they will take revenge upon the dragon riders in any way they can if given the opportunity. By staying here as an extra guard to the ceremony, we will be able to help protect the unsuspecting egg couriers."

My mind once more flashed to the same image it had every time the egg couriers were mentioned. Vascar sensed my thoughts and sniffed.

'Do you think he will be with them?' I asked, taking my mind off of Oromis for a moment.

'I would expect so,' Vascar responded, crawling over to where I stood so I could scratch his scales.

'What should I say to him?' I said as I absentmindedly rubbed beneath his chin.

'I would start off with hello,' Vascar said, a laugh rumbling within his chest.

Despite his joke, I kept a serious demeanor, 'I just can't stop imagining how angry he could get. He's a killer Vascar, and he's changed so much that I feel like a barely know him anymore.'

'Everyone changes Talia, and though you have control of your own actions, you cannot control the actions of others. The most you can do is decide what you want in your life, and what you don't. So, do you still want Galbatorix in your life, or not?'

'Of course I do!' I replied without hesitation, 'I just have a hard time looking at him the same way again.'

'But that is life,' Vascar said, blinking his blue eyes at her, 'I see you differently everyday, and while these are positive changes, it is still an unavoidable result of growing.'

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, turning my attention back to Oromis. The conversation had not changed topics while I was talking to Vascar, but I was still confused as to what Oromis wanted us to do. But, instead of admitting to my moment of distraction, I simply listened intently and hoped to gain some understanding from what I did hear.

"-we will station ourselves covertly around the ceremony. Hopefully, if anything were to happen, we will be able to catch the perpetrators in the act. Unfortunately, this means that the dragons will have to stay at a distance, for their presence will reveal to any retaliators that something is amiss."

Vascar growled at the thought of leaving me alone. 'Ebrithl, you are suggesting that we leave our riders alone when they may be in danger?'

"They will not be defenseless," Oromis said, "I have faith that every rider in this room is fully capable of defending themselves."

A tense silence settled over the room as each of the dragons contemplated the risks of leaving their rider's side. Finally, Glaedr spoke up, saying, 'I agree with Oromis. While it pains me to leave my rider in a potentially dangerous situation, I know we will be but a quick flight away. If any danger arises, we will be there within moments ready to defend our riders with tooth and claw.'

After that, the rest of the dragons conceded with only a few frustrated grumbles. The most stubborn of them was Saphira, she was too proud to sit out any fight and wanted to be in any situation from the beginning, rather than jump into the middle of a battle.

"I will come to fetch you tomorrow morning," Oromis said, "the ceremony begins at midday so we should be ready and in position as soon as the sun rises. Now, return to your rooms and get some sleep, we will all need it for tomorrow."

We agreed without an argument before heading back to our respective rooms, our stomachs clenched in the anticipation of battle. And, while we were not sure if the Priests of Helgrind would retaliate, I still could not help my heart from racing as adrenaline pulsed through my veins.

'Do not worry Talia,' Vascar said, 'I will only be a single leap away from you.'

I could sense his own hastily concealed worry seeping into my mind, but, instead of mentioning it, I simply thanked him for his support and ignored his own concerns, because acknowledging his worries would only strengthen my own.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

AN: HI GUYS, IM SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT FOR AN UPDATE! TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU GUYS I WILL BE DOING A DOUBLE UPDATE FOR BTF. SORRY FOR THE LACK OF EXCITEMENT IN THIS CHAPTER, I PLAN ON MAKING THE SECOND PART OF THIS CHAPTER MORE INTERESTING ;)

ALSO, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR HELPING THIS BOOK REACH 30.8K READS!!! I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO ME, SO PLEASE....

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~Britt