'Talia, are you ready?' Oromis said within my mind.

'Yes, Master. Niro is safe and Vascar and I are prepared for anything the Ra'zac could throw at us,' I replied, glancing backwards at the young boy sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Vascar. At my glance, he tilted his head in confusion and opened his mouth to ask a question, but Vascar rumbled softly to silence him.

'Good. Hopefully, there will not be a chance for you to use any of your preparations, but it's best to be ready just in case,' Oromis replied, and through my mental link with Atala and Galbatorix, I could sense that they also agreed with what he said.

'Yes, it is smart to be prepared.' I said simply, too anxious to carry an intellectual or interesting conversation. All I wanted was to get this over with, and quickly, for the longer they took, the longer I would have to worry about someone getting hurt.

Oromis did not say anything for a stretch of time, but I could sense that he and the other riders were finally landing at their destination, which appeared to be a large, black cathedral. Though I was looking through another's eyes, I could physically feel the eerie aura radiating from the barbed-looking cathedral that towered over the city. Its looming structure bathed the town in its shadow which only seemed to increase my sense of trepidation upon looking at the structure.

"Talia?" Niro said, momentarily drawing my attention away from the other riders. Blinking several times, I focused on my own surroundings once more and directed my gaze to the boy sitting on the ground, watching me intently with wide eyes.

"Yes Niro?" I responded, walking towards him and my dragon.

"What is it, exactly, you are protecting me from?"

I hesitated, not wanting to reveal to Niro the horrors that may have been lurking just outside the building. He was still so young and full of life, I refused to willing put that kind of burden on his shoulders.

"Nothing you need to worry about," I said, sliding down to sit next to the boy, my back pressed against Vascar's warm side.

"But what if it tries to attack me? I should know what I'm up against so I can defeat it," he said confidently. His eyes gleamed with a fiery passion that reminded me of a warrior's before they realized the horrors of war.

"Niro," I replied quietly, turning my head to look him in the eyes, "trust me when I say 'you do not want to know.' These creatures are monsters."

His brown eyes glinted with fear at my words. Feeling guilty, I quickly amended my actions, trying to reassure him with things I myself didn't believe. "Everything will be alright," I told him, along with "I'm sure nothing will go wrong."

He nodded along to each of my statements, all the while running a single finger across his egg, tracing the silvery veins that webbed their way across its surface. Finally, I ran out of reassuring things to say and turned my attention to what each of the riders wer seeing. It was strange, watching the world through their eyes, but it was effective.

The five of them had split up, Brom with Galbatorix, Morzan with Atala, and Oromis on his own. From what I could tell, they were scouting rooms in the cathedral, carefully searching for what I presumed to be evidence of the Ra'zac and their whereabouts. They hadn't found anything yet, but, through Galbatorix's eyes, I watched him and Brom open a cupboard to reveal something of extreme importance. At the sight of the contents in the closet, I had to take a moment to settle my stomach and push down the bile that had rose up my throat.

'Ebrithl,' Brom called to Oromis, 'come quickly.'

Oromis did not respond, but I sensed him dash from the room he was searching and run as fast as he could towards Brom and Galbatorix. With his elven speed, he reached the secluded room in less than a minute without even a hitch to his breath.

"What have you fou-" he began, but stopped short as his eyes landed on the decayed flesh and bones that had been carelessly shoved into the wooden closet. An arm and leg were clearly visible, but there also appeared to be part of a torso between the two limbs. Unable to stare at the mangled flesh any longer, I blocked their vision from my mind and tilted my head back farther into Vascar's side.

"Talia, are you feeling alright? You look like you're going to be sick," Niro said, his voice laced with concern. Reaching a hand up to my forehead, I wiped away the cold sweat that had appeared at the sight of the rotting body.

"I'm fine," I replied, biting the inside of my cheek to focus my thoughts. The pain always seemed to help me think straight in times of crisis. I quickly dry swallowed as I felt a small quiver begin to creep into my tone. Even if what I saw was repulsive, I knew I had to put on a brave face for Niro.

"Have you begun to think of names for your dragon?" I asked to change the topic of conversation.

"No, I haven't, but I guess that's because I don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet," he responded, cradling the egg a little closer to him.

"Well, it should hatch in about three days, so you have plenty of time to think of names to offer the hatchling-"

"Could you give me some ideas perhaps?" Niro interrupted, his embarrassment at having to ask clear in his rosy cheeks.

I smiled fondly at him. "Of course I can. Well, if the hatching is male then you could suggest the names Diorn, Ralkan, Faernion, Vialo, Folour, or Weslorn to him."

He nodded his head and said quietly to himself, "Ralkan, I like Ralkan."

"And if it's female," I continued, "you could try Aelia, Sinjen, Tanyalan, Renalia, Niola, or Jolae."

"I really like Renalia for a female name," Niro said, a large goofy smile spreading across his face.

"Then you should definitely suggest it to the hatchling, but in the end the choice will be his or hers," I said, "if the hatchling doesn't like a name, then it will make its opinion known. And it's no use trying to force a name onto a dragon."

Vascar rumbled his strange laugh before adding, 'It's true. If you attempt to name a dragon something they are not fond of, they will simply refuse to acknowledge you until you call them by their correct title. If I recall correctly, Talia was quite fond of the name Talos when I first hatched. She was quite disappointed when I denied the name, but could you imagine being named Talos?'

I laughed. "It wasn't that horrid of a name! And besides, you would have brought honor to the name!"

'Talos,' he scoffed, 'It sounds like Talon.  To name a dragon Talon would be like naming a human Toenail. It sounds ridiculous!'

"Talos, not Talon, Vascar," I replied in amusement.

'Fine, Toenais then.'

I laughed at his stubbornness, "Well, I guess I never thought about it that way. Though I must admit, the name Toenais would strike fear into the hearts of our enemies."

'Of course, they'd never see us coming, for they would be too busy laughing at the name.'

I snickered and prepared to respond back with another sarcastic comment when something caught my attention at the edge of my mind. I cut Vascar off rather harshly as I focused in on Galbatorix's mind, trying to assess the situation with what limited knowledge I had access to. 

He was holding his sword out in front of him, which worried me, and as he gazed at Oromis and Brom beside him I could not help but feel a rush of energy surge through my body. Both had looks of intense determination set in their features, as if they were prepared for a fight, which they most likely were. Brom gave him a solemn nod before turning and focusing on the plain door which stood in their way. It was not the door that worried me, it seemed dull and of no importance, but instead what was behind it. Even through another's mind, I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as an aura of pure wickedness washed through my mind.

"Are you sure they are in there?" a female's voice asked curiously. Galbatorix quickly glanced in Atala's direction before turning back towards the door; they must have regrouped before coming to this location.

"Yes," Oromis said quietly, "Something evil lies in there, I can sense it."

Glaedr grumbled in their minds, 'The stench of malevolence is so powerful it makes my scales itch, even from this distance.'

Through Oromis's mind, I could sense him holding the golden dragon back, persuading him to not come to their aid unless necessary. Glaedr did not appreciate it, but he agreed to only tear down the citadel if they were in grave danger. Instead, he continued circling overhead, keeping a well trained eye on the entrances to the citadel in case anyone tried to get in, or, more importantly, out.

"Yes, I feel it too," Atala said, her voice straining as she prepared herself for battle, "But how can we be sure it is them? It could be a ruse, to throw us off of their trail. I can name several spells that would create the same effect as their presence."

"We cannot be absolutely sure until we go inside," Morzan said, his tone surprisingly strong and reassuring. The strength of his statement seemed to revitalize the entire group, washing away any thought of failure. It was hard to admit, but Morzan was a useful asset to have in battle, for while he was many things, it would be a lie to say he was a coward in combat.

Galbatorix twitched his sword in anticipation. Despite his calm and determined expression, I could sense his hesitation. The Ra'zac were powerful enemies, and despite the riders he would have by his side in battle, he hated walking into what could easily be a trap. And, above all else, he hated not having the upper hand. Sure, they may have had the element of surprise on their side, but it was hard to tell if they would be strong enough to handle the Ra'zac. He despised going into battle without knowing that they were certain to succeed.

All this I could sense in his mind, and a part of myself hated seeing his deepest feelings, but a part of me also felt satisfied. It showed that he was still human, despite how distant and resolute he had become. The look in his eye when he spoke of hunting the Ra'zac still bothered me, as if the task was more important than the reason. He had a vision, and it didn't matter to him how he reached it, as long as his goal was accomplished. It worried me, for he had changed; not in appearance or even personality, but his virtues had altered, his morals had shifted, and his aura radiated power. I could sense it just be being around him again, but being inside his mind only confirmed my suspicions. He hungered for glory, but glory could only be achieved through death.

'Be careful,' I whispered to him through his mind. I did not know if I warned against his current situation or his desires, perhaps both. All I knew was that I was worried; worried for him and of him. He acknowledged my words with a sense of gratitude but otherwise did not reply.

Finally, after what had seemed like an eternity but had only been a few seconds, Oromis reached his hand towards the door and gripped the door handle in his long fingers and exchanged a look with each of the riders before him. Despite the lack of words, his meaning was clear: ready or not, they were going in. With a deep breath, Oromis opened the door and the five riders ran in to the fray. That was when all Hell broke loose.

~*~

To say I followed the battle perfectly would be a complete and utter lie. The truth was that I had trouble keeping track of the fight as soon as it started. The moment the five riders dashed into the room, they were attacked from all directions by Ra'zac, each armed with a jagged blade of their own. There were so many I found myself unable to count their numbers. It was impossible to follow the battle through the eyes of another, let alone three different people. Sometimes I would see a flash of steel through ones eyes before jumping into another's mind to watch them stab a Ra'zac in the chest. It was maddening, trying to see and comprehend everything I sensed through their eyes. Finally, I gave up trying to monitor everything and instead focused on Atala's mind. She fought with a style that I had not previously experienced in my training; it was ancient, elegant, and deadly all at the same time, and I was completely intrigued by it. She moved as if dancing, sweeping through enemies like the wind itself. At times she would face three Ra'zac all on her own, but never once did I sense an ounce of panic enter her mind. Instead she seemed to fight without needing to think, as if she was born for this, and perhaps she was.

She seemed unstoppable until a stray blade hit her calf. Only then did she stumble and fall from grace. Her mind momentarily clouded with fear but was quickly pushed away as she realized fear would do nothing but hinder her chances of survival. Instead she focused on the two Ra'zac in front of her and reached into the back of her mind and summoned forth a powerful force I had not noticed before. Using the ancient language, she quickly unleashed a wave of magic that caused the Ra'zacs' hearts to burst, literally. I was fascinated by the magic, despite its deadly effects, and even more intrigued by how she had called upon it. As soon as she was finished with it, the magic receded back into her mind, no longer hidden to my eye. It was impossible to ignore now, and I found myself occasionally reaching towards it myself, as if drawn towards it by some unseen force. Its power awed me and stirred some deep desire down in my gut, and despite how I had been raised to fear magic, I could not help but long to use it myself. But, I knew it was impossible, I was no magic user, I was not born with the ability.

'Talia!' Glaedr shouted in my mind, breaking me from my stupor and snapping my thoughts back into focus. We were in a battle, I could not afford to be distracted by magic. 'Stay alert a Lethrblaka has escaped our grasp. I'm not sure where it has flown to, but I suspect it may search for you. We will keep our eyes open but we are under attack and cannot keep track of all of them.'

'Lethr- what?' I asked in confusion. I had never heard that word before, and it scared me to think that what ever it was could take on a fully grown dragon and actually pose as a threat. But, I needn't have asked for my question was answered sooner than I would have liked. Through Glaedr's eyes I watched as a blur of grey battered into his side, pushing the golden dragon sideways in the air from the sheer force of its hit. The creature terrified me, despite how little of it I could actually see. It attacked Glaedr with a flurry of scratches and pecks from a long beak on its face, causing Glaedr to roar in rage as the beast pierced his hide and drew blood. But, despite the strength of the creature, Glaedr managed to swing his head around and grasp onto the beast. He quickly snuffed the creatures life out with a single bite, effectively crushing its body between his jaws. He then let the beast go watching as it fell to the ground below and landed on the stone street. As he turned his head I saw that the other dragons were also dealing with these Lethrblaka creatures, but Glaedr could not rush to their aid for another three of the horrible monstrosities swooped down on him, hoping to overwhelm the elder dragon through sheer numbers. I watched with bated breath as he battled the creatures in mid air, executing perfect aerial maneuvers in order to catch the beasts off guard. He quickly gained the upper hand over one of the beasts by diving beneath the creature as it charged him before soaring upside down and twisting in the air above it in order to land on top of creature. Before the beast could realize its mistake, Glaedr landed on top of it and grabbed its sides with his talons and crushed its skull with his jaws.

I couldn't help but be amazed by the amount of skill and strength Glaedr possessed. He was truly terrifying in battle, and I was silently grateful that he was not an enemy. But, I did not have time to dwell on his skills or even the battle itself, for the sound of a dragon landing just outside shocked me back into my current location. I looked at Vascar then back at the doors closest to where the sound had come from. In my mind I hadn't noticed any of the other dragons leaving the battle, so that left only one possibility. The escaped Lethrblaka had found us.

Faster than I could comprehend, Vacar stood up and jumped in front of Niro and I. His scales lifted ever so slightly in anticipation of battle, and through his mind I could sense a deep sated rage. He was enraged that anything would dare attempt to hurt us, and he was prepared to die protecting Niro and I. Unable to allow him to fight anything alone, I quickly stood and drew my sword. If he was going to fight this Lethrblaka creature, then I would be right at his side attempting to help in any way possible. At least, thats what I thought until I saw the beast. 

The Lethrblaka stalked inside the dragon hold and instantly I knew that I would not stand a chance against it in a fight. The first thing I noticed was its beak, which was easily over six feet long. It was kind of hard to overlook what was probably the deadliest part of the creature, and I had no doubt that that beak would kill me with one hit. I backed away quickly as I took in the rest of the Lethrblaka, and nothing I saw reassured me very much. It was massive, easily the size of a full grown dragon, and it even towered slightly over Vascar. Its large, clawed feet clicked on the floor as it slowly made its way closer to us, taking its time to size up its prey. From its feet I slid my eyes upward, taking in the bulging muscles that stood taught beneath the creature hairless grey hide. It's body resembled some of the starved, hairless dogs I had sometimes seen wandering the streets, except this creature was anything but weak. On its back sat a pair of leathery, black wings. Finally, I focused on the creatures face, which was hard to do since the beasts beak tended to draw my eyes away from everything else, but behind its beak sat two lidless eyes. They were the size of a grown man's fist, both shone completely black, with no pupils or irises. But, the most terrifying part was the intelligence that each eye seemed to hold. They glittered with a cruel, twisted brilliance, and I had no doubt that this beast could defeat a dragon, especially and inexperienced one. 

Finally the Lethrblaka stopped walking about a stones throw away from us. Vascar lifted his lip and let a low growl escape his mouth, warning the creature to leave before he attacked. In response, the Lethrblaka parted its beak and let loose a terrible shriek that seemed to pierce deep into my skull and evoke a deep, wild fear within me. Behind me, I heard Niro scream, and I quickly berated myself for forgetting about him. He needed my protection, and, as much as I hated to admit it, it was my duty to protect him not Vascar. 

Without looking back at me, Vascar said, 'Go Little One, protect him. I will handle this hairless vermin.' 

He then planted one foot a step closer and bellowed out a roar loud enough to shake the smaller stones in the dragon hold. As his defiant roar washed over everyone in the room, a few flames also flickered out of his maw, not going very far but still making the point that they were there. Then, as he closed his jaws with a snap, he risked one glance back at Niro and I before jumping forward and attacking the Lethrblaka head on. 

For a moment it looked as if Vascar would easily over power the Lethrblaka. As his body slammed into the beast, they both were sent tumbling until Vascar stood over the top of the creature. Foolishly, I hoped that the fight would end quickly, but the Lethrblaka was more powerful than I imagined. It easily pushed Vascar off of it and got to its feet, unharmed and angry. Turning my back on the battle, I grabbed Niro and dashed to the farthest corner of the room, hoping to keep him out of harms way. As soon as we made it across the room, I shoved him and the egg behind me, shielding the new rider from as much danger as I could. But, I knew that it would do no good against the Lethrblaka. It would be easier to hold water back with my bare hands than it would be to stop the Lethrblaka. 

Once Niro was tucked behind me, I turned my gaze back to the fight, but it was hard to stand aside and do nothing but watch as my partner of heart and soul was hurt. The only advantage Vascar seemed to have was fire, and even that seemed to be doing little good. A few severe burns were strewn across the Lethrblaka, but its tough hide seemed to protect it from most minor burns. I was pleased to see that Vascar had also been able to land a couple of blows on the creature; a long claw mark ran across the the creatures flank and a deep bite mark was etched into its neck, but other than a few minor cuts, the Lethrblaka seemed to have the upperhand. Vascar had also taken some nasty hits; the creatures beak and made several deep incisions in his shoulders and side, while it had also landed a large, but shallow, cut on his neck. Out of the wounds, I knew the puncture wounds from its beak would be the most painful, and the most deadly. Even as I watched, the Lethrblaka managed to slip past Vascar's defenses and peck him in the face. For a brief moment, I was terrified that it had managed to hit him in the eye, but luckily he had moved his head to the side at the last possible moment and was only hit on the side of his jaw. I winced as his pain washed over me, and I knew that he would not last long unless I helped in one way or another. I had to help him or die trying, because I could not imagine living without him. 

"Niro," I said, turning around to face the young, scared boy. All this time I had been so worried about Vascar that I hadn't even stopped to consider how terrified he would be. But, I did not have time to feel guilty now, not while my dragon was in danger. There would be a time and place for that later, if any of us lived through the experience, that is. "I need you to stay here-"

"You're not seriously leaving me!" he shouted, his eyes wild with fear.

"I need to go help Vascar," I said, somehow maintaining a calm tone, "If I don't he will die."

Niro's expression remained unchanged, but I knew that I had made my point just by looking in his eyes. He was still terrified, but he also understood that Vascar was the only thing keeping us alive.

"If something happens to us," I continued, grabbing his shoulders and looking him straight in his eyes, "I want you to run as fast as you can. Run to the nearest building and hide inside. The other riders will find you and protect you. Just stay safe, Niro."

He nodded in understanding before wrapping his arms around me. I was shocked for a moment, but after a second I returned his embrace. All I wanted was to break down out of fear, to run away and not face the dangers in front of me, but I knew that this small boy was counting on Vascar and I. We had duties to fufill as riders, and sometimes that meant pushing aside our fears and laying our life down on the line to protect those who needed it. Finally, after taking a deep breath, I pulled myself out of Niro's grasp and turned my back on those large, scared eyes before I could change my mind.  

As I pulled out my sword and ran towards the two large creatures fighting, a part of me wished I would never reach them, but of course this only made it seem as if I reached them twice as fast. I did not see how I could help in any way possible, for it took all of my ability to not be crushed by the two sets of bodies, each biting and scratching at any open piece of flesh they could reach. Finally, I found an opportunity and took it. As the Lethrblaka stepped back to launch at Vascar once more, I plunged my sword into its hind leg, sinking the blade up to its hilt and quickly pulling it out again before diving to the side. 

Faster than I could have predicted, the Lethrblaka whipped around and snapped its where I had been standing moments before. But, it quickly realized where its attacker had gone and trained its black eyes in my direction. I was paralyzed by its gaze, as if I had been turned to stone, but it was only my own fear holding me in place. Time slowed down as I realized that I would die sitting here. There was no way I could move fast enough to escape this thing's beak. As if sensing this, the Lethrblaka's eyes seemed to gleam in triumph. It opened its long snout and closed in for the kill, and all I was able to do was scramble back fruitlessly away from the six foot instrument of death. 

But, I was lucky that I had a dragon on my side.

Vascar pounced as soon as he saw that the Lethrblaka was distracted. He landed on top of its back, effectively pinning its wings to its side and leaving its neck undefended. The Lethrblaka immediately screeched and swung its head around to try and reach Vascar, but it was unable to turn its head far enough to peck him. Instead, it dropped to the ground to try and roll its weight onto him, but Vascar was tough enough to hold the creatures weight and continue biting and scratching at anything he could reach. Within his mind, I could sense how much the Lethrblaka's weight hurt him, but I also knew that he wouldn't let something like that stop him. Finally, the Lethrblaka realized that its tactic was doing no good and got to its feet again. Somehow, it managed to free one of its wings from underneath Vascar's torso, but all that did was give something else for Vascar to target. He quickly clamped his jaw down on the Lethrblaka's wing, and broke through both the muscle and the bone with a satisfying snap. The Lethrblaka screeched in a mixture of rage, frustration, and pain. For a moment, I almost relaxed, or as much as you could relax as you watched a large orange dragon ripping at a monstrosity's grey flesh, but either way I let down my guard too quickly.

The Lethrblaka seemed to realize that Vascar would not give up easily, so it trained its eyes on me instead. I quickly got to my feet as the situation dawned on me. Since the Lethrblaka could not harm Vascar, it would instead take its anger out on me. Without a moment of hesitation, I dashed in the other direction, running as fast as I could away from the terrifying, grey beast that was determined to kill me, but even with Vascar on its back, the Lethrblaka had no trouble catching up. When it was only a couple strides behind me, I did the only thing I could and jumped to the side. The Lethrblaka barreled past, and as it did so, I made sure to stick my sword out and slice a gash in its side. Its bluish-green blood spilled out of the long cut I created and splashed down on the floor. The Lethrblaka quickly stopped and spun in my direction, a murderous look gleaming in its eye. Vascar, desperate to protect me, locked his jaws down on the base of the Lethrblaka's skull, and for a moment seemed to be able to make some actual damage through the Lethrblaka's hide, but I knew that he would never be able to kill it in time. This monster would kill me before Vascar would kill it. All I had to defend myself was a sword, and that would not do much good against the Lethrblaka when it had a beak over six feet long. No, I was as good as dead. 

Yet, a thought kept nagging at the back of my mind. In those few moments that I waited for the Lethrblaka to charge, all I could think about was the magic Atala had evoked. If I had that power stored deep within me, I could use it against the Lethrblaka. But, how? And, there was always the chance that I wasn't born with the ability. Still, it did not seem as if I had many options. 

Holding my sword out in front of me, I lifted my other hand up, palm facing the Lethrblaka and focused on how Atala had called on the magic from deep in her mind. I imagined myself doing the same, I imagined it as hard and vividly as I could. Finally, the Lethrblaka charged, and from within Vascar's mind, I could sense his panic that he couldn't stop the beast. It was up to me.

"Letta!" I shouted as powerfully as I could. It was nothing complicated, but I hoped it would be enough to stop the Lethrblaka in its tracks. I was horribly mistaken. 

The word had no effect on the Lethrblaka, and too late did I realize that I was not born with the gift of magic. It had been a last ditch effort anyways, a fleeting hope, but it had been my only chance. There was no other way for me to stop the malevolent creature in front of me.

But, Vascar had a plan of his own, one that seemed more foolproof than mine had been. Swifter than even the Lethrblaka could move, he released his grip on its skull and jumped off of its back. He soared through the air, twisting as he did so to land facing the Lethrblaka with his belly over the top of me. My view of what happened next was shielded by the scales of Vascar's underside, but it was easy to infer from the events that followed. The Lethrblaka had no chance to defend itself as Vascar crouched beneath the creature's beak and snapped his jaws down onto its neck, just below where its skull connected to its spine. The Lethrblaka cried out in what might have been fear and pecked at the back of Vascar's neck, leaving several deep wounds, but it was too late. Vascar had the Lethrblaka in the death grip, and he wasn't letting go. With a several shakes of his head, Vascar managed to push the Lethrblaka back until he could get his claws up and on the creature neck. The beast was slowly losing strength as it too realized that its fight with fruitless. Finally, it gave up and fell to the floor, to exhausted to move, and Vascar was able to snap its neck. 

I was too stunned to move. I couldn't believe we had won. Once Vascar was sure that the Lethrblaka was dead, he lifted his head and let loose a roar from his maw, proclaiming his victory and daring anyone else to try and hurt us. Finally, after the adrenaline had emptied from my limbs, I cracked a smile and ran forward towards him. He saw me coming and lowered his snout, allowing me to wrap my arms around it. He was covered in blood, both his and the Lethrblaka's, but at that moment I could care less, I was just happy he was alright. 

'You did it,' I said in relief, a couple of tears of happiness beginning to well in my eyes.

'No,' he said, his voice laced with exhaustion but also pride, 'We did it. I couldn't have done it without you Talia.'

I smiled and hugged him tighter. I could not imagine having to go through life without him. We were partners, and I could not make it in life without him. 

I could have stayed like that forever, with my arms wrapped around Vascar, but a small voice snapped me back to reality and reminded me that my work was not yet done. 

"Talia?" Niro's voice echoed from the farthest end of the dragon hold, "Is it safe again?"

I turned my head towards him and allowed a small smile to cross my lips, "Yes, it is safe. The Lethrblaka is dead."

He nodded shakily before quickly walking towards us, his blue egg held gingerly in his hands. As soon as he was close enough, I reached my arms out and embraced him. I could feel him physically trembling against me which only evoked a deep sorrow within me. He was too young to have had to witness such horrors. But, then I realized that he was not the only thing shaking. I pulled back and held him at arms length, but I wasn't looking at him. 

"Niro, let me see your egg," I said, holding my hands out.

He looked down at his egg then back at me before handing it over. "That's what I wanted to tell you. When you were fighting that," he paused to look at the dead body of the Lethrblaka, "thing, my egg started to shake and tremble in my hands. I started feeling these little taps and hearing little squeaks."

I looked at Vascar in shock. The egg couldn't be hatching yet, it was far too soon. It usually took at least a few days for the hatchling to break its shell once it chose its rider. So why was this one already hatching?

"I couldn't tell you earlier because you were fighting, and I was too worried to give it much thought before, but now that the Lethr-thing is dead, I figured I should let you know," He rambled off quickly, his eyes never leaving the blue egg in my hands. Even as I held it, I felt the small little taps coming from inside. It was impossible, but then again, a lot of impossible things had happened today already. I guess nothing was impossible when you were a rider.

"Talia, what is happening?" Niro finally said, his eyes wide with worry, yet a strange excitement, as if he sensed what was happening but wanted my confiramtion.

"For some reason," I said, handing the egg back to him, "Your dragon is hatching earlier than usual."

"Really?" He asked in excitement. But, I did not need to respond, for just then a large crack appeared across the eggs blue surface. 

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AN: HELLO EVERYONE! THIS UPDATE HAS BEEN VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY LONG OVERDUE, SO I HOPE THAT ITS LENGTH AND LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT CAN MAKE UP FOR HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO WRITE IT. ALSO, I AM SAD TO ADMIT THAT SCHOOL WILL BE STARTING FOR ME AGAIN IN TWO WEEKS, SO UPDATES MIGHT NOT COME VERY FAST AFTER THAT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME I HAVE THE SNEAKING SUSPICION I MIGHT UPDATE FASTER ONCE SCHOOL STARTS BECAUSE THEN I WONT BE ABLE TO HAVE NETFLIX MARATHONS TO DISTRACT ME LOL. 

BUT ANYWHO, IF YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY DOING THE FOLLOWING

READ/COMMENT/VOTE

THANKA YOUUU

~Britt