Eragon: Chapter Twenty-Two: Through a Dragon's Eye (Part I)

[pangolin20]

Chapter Twenty-One (Part II) | Table of Contents | Chapter Twenty-Two (Part II)

Fumurti: A good day, everyone, and welcome back to Eragon! Last time, Saphira abused Eragon into flying with her, and Eragon used Zar’roc in training for the first time. For the reader post:

On chapter 15, Maegwin points out that Brom should have asked Saphira if the saddle fit her well. He probably should’ve asked her for guidance anyway, and he should have had Eragon test it.

On part III of chapter 16, Wolfgoddess notes that Brom’s comment that “the Ra’zac left quite an impression” (in Therinsford) makes little sense, since the village as a whole does not seem exactly impressed. I guess Paolini meant that the Ra’zac left an impression with those Brom spoke, but that should be clearer.

PPP: 822

She further notes that the horses would probably get cut up quite badly by the “rosebushes” they encounter on the way out of Therinsford. That’s yet another reason why the way they left there doesn’t make sense, and since the horses don’t actually get hurt…

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 72

Chessy points out that “outpost” is a perfectly fine word for Ristvak’baen, as that probably means it only had a small force in it.

She further notes that the description of Vrael’s death “blasting the land” implies that Vrael was evil. I doubt that’s what Paolini meant…

PPP: 823

…but it is what Vrael was, so that’s an unfortunate slip of the tongue.

On part II of the previous chapter, Epistler notes that Brom’s magic is red, which I think is because he doesn’t get his magic from his dragon any more.

With that done, let me begin with the next chapter!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Through a Dragon’s Eye

Saphira has two eyes, though, so that should be “through a dragon’s eyes”.

PPP: 824

I’d have phrased this as “through the eyes of a dragon” either way, just to make it clear that Eragon is seeing from Saphira’s eyes in this chapter. (And I would have named it after something more consequential, too.)

Well, we open on the morning of the 12^th of January (I’m quite pleased that we’ve managed to keep the calendar for so long!). Eragon wakes with “stiff limbs and purple bruises”. Well, I see that Brom’s lesson from the previous evening and Saphira’s rough treatment of him have had their toll. So naturally, all this will fade by the time he is flying with Saphira.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 73

I also just don’t like that it goes away so quickly, because it feels like Paolini’s waving away the actual consequences of Eragon getting abused like this. He doesn’t have trouble doing things because of his injuries, he doesn’t have any lasting damage, and no one ever notes that he is actually being abused. I doubt that this is what Paolini meant (I think he just forgot about it or didn’t want it to block Eragon from doing what he wanted to), but I still quite hate it.

Brom carries the saddle to Saphira and Eragon tries to “quell his uneasiness”. After all, Saphira said she would abduct him if he doesn’t go willingly. By the time the breakfast is ready, Brom has tied the saddle to Saphira and “hung Eragon’s bags from it”. Wait… I see that Kerlois missed something: in chapter 19, Eragon saddles Saphira, even though the Knopf edition never mentions that it was taken off. That is because of another haphazard cut.

PPP: 825

And now… after Eragon saddled her then, the saddle has been removed, though neither edition indicates that. How hard is it to keep track of this?

PPP: 826

Also, why is Brom hanging all of Eragon’s bags from her saddle? Surely he does not need all of it? Like, he will now have Zar’roc along, even though he barely knows how to use it and he can’t use it in the air anyway. What’s the problem with moving unnecessary provisions to your own bags so Saphira’s somewhat packed a bit lighter?

Well, when he’s eaten breakfast, Eragon picks up his bow and goes to Saphira. Brom has some advice for him:

“Now remember, grip with your knees, guide her with your thoughts, and stay as flat as you can on her back. Nothing will go wrong if you don’t panic.”

What, “guide her with your thoughts”? This is Saphira’s flight to make, as should be clear by now, and she has all the experience with scouting from the air! Eragon has nothing to add to her flight; Saphira should be guiding him here! Further, why does Eragon need to use his thoughts, when speaking out loud would work just as well?

Also… the way he says this, it sounds more like he describes a thought-controlled airplane rather than an actual living being, which is quite offensive. I am quite amazed that he has the gall to say this next to Saphira; he might as well get the same treatment Eragon got, and with quite some reason.

The rest of the instructions are not great, either. So Eragon needs to “grip with his knees”? Did you not make leg straps so his legs are secure, Brom? Does that not mean that he doesn’t have to grip Saphira? Why are you giving this advice?

As for staying as “flat as he can”… that kind of defeats the purpose of flying with her. I guess he’d have less trouble with the wind then, but Saphira could easily fix that without him having to stay flat on her back.

For the last point… I see the truth in it, but Saphira might well hurt him with a wild manoeuvre, since she hasn’t done any of those when flying with him. So maybe, Brom, you’d want to tell her to check in with Eragon before doing anything wild.

Eragon just nods and accepts this heap of nonsense. He puts his bow in its case, and Brom helps him in the saddle. …The saddle they notably did not have Eragon check in any way, and that Brom also didn’t measure Eragon for, so they’re quite lucky Eragon fits in it. You should also measure about what kind of person you’re making the saddle for, I’d think. This saddlemaking was done really badly.

Eragon then tightens the leg straps, while Saphira “wait[s] impatiently”. She asks if he’s ready. Eragon sucks in the “fresh morning air” and says “No, but let’s do it!” I do like that! Saphira “agree[s] enthusiastically” and jumps into the air. With three smooth wingbeats, she “[is] in the sky, climbing rapidly”. The last time he rode on Saphira, every “flap of her wings” was strained, but now she flies “steadily and effortlessly”. That is nice for her.

Eragon clenches his arms around her neck as she banks. The Ninor (which isn’t named here, for some reason) shrinks to a “wispy gray line” beneath them, and clouds float around them. When they level off, the trees seem below seem “no more than specks”. The air is “thin, chilly, and perfectly clear”. That’s really nice for flying, though I wonder if Saphira really needs to fly so high that the air is “thin”. That seems like it might give problems for Eragon.

He says it is “wonderful”, and then Saphira “tilt[s] and roll[s] completely around”. The ground spins around and Eragon gets vertigo. He tells her not do that, since he feels he’ll fall off. He probably should have, given how shoddily constructed the saddle is. But no, it keeps intact through all the stresses that are put on it, no matter how little sense it makes.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 73

Saphira’s response is this: “You must become accustomed to it. If I’m attacked in the air, that’s one of the simplest maneuvers I will do”. Saphira, I’m quite sure Eragon mostly said that because you rolled without any warning! It would have cost you nothing to say “I am going to roll; hold tight”, and yet you did not. Is it any surprise Eragon felt like he almost fell off and that he’d be a bit scared by this? Like, you already know he’s scared of flying with you and you do this? You really should know better.

What she actually says doesn’t satisfy me either. So Eragon needs to get used to Saphira rolling. Will she help him do that by demonstrating it some more times, so Eragon gets confident he won’t fall off (something that they have the time for)? No, not at all. Eragon apparently just needs to “get used to it” without any help whatsoever. What a great partnership.

Further, I note that Saphira is strawmanning Eragon’s complaint again, and that she doesn’t apologise for not telling him. After all, Saphira is always correct.

Case in point, Eragon can “think of no rebuttal” (little wonder, given that what Saphira says is true), so he just concentrates on not vomiting. I… guess that Paolini thought Saphira’s argument was good, but it rather seems like Eragon’s silenced to ensure that Saphira won’t look bad. It’s the same as with Brom, really, and I yearn for the time it won’t be so prevalent. (I do get the feeling I’ve become better at deconstructing these arguments, so… that’s positive, I think?)

Saphira now slowly dives. Though “Eragon’s stomach lurche[s] with every wobble”, he does begin to enjoy it. He relaxes a bit and takes in the “scenery”. I’d really like to know what he sees, since he can now see much farther than usual. I’m quite sure he could even see Palancar Valley if he asked Saphira to, and he’d just generally have an amazing view! Saphira lets him enjoy the sight for a while, then says: “Let me show you what flying is really like”. Eragon asks how she’ll do it, and she simply tells him to relax and not be afraid.

I note that she does not tell him what she plans to do, which means that he can’t actually agree with it. Once again, just as with her rolling just now, she doesn’t seem to care about what Eragon thinks about what she does, as long as he lets her.

Thinking about all this further… I would say that she does care about Eragon, but that she expects him to go along with whatever she wants of him, and is willing to do whatever is necessary to make him do so. Going by what we will see, I think the same is true for her generally. And, since she is held up to be above reproach, she will not learn not to do this, either. So, this happens:

Her mind tugged at his, pulling him away from his body. Eragon fought for a moment, then surrendered control.

So Saphira sees fit to pull on Eragon’s mind without warning or consent.

Give Me a Piece of Your Mind: 3

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 20

I’d really like to see Eragon fight harder against this, if only to see Saphira getting pushback on this (which might actually lead to her improving on this front). For something quite different, I’ve heard the following sequence is ripped off from Pern, but since I haven’t read the books and I don’t want to rely on hearsay, if anyone can point me to the specific place it comes from, I’d be quite grateful.

Well, Eragon’s vision blurs, and then he looks through Saphira’s eyes. (There is the chapter title, with plural “eyes”!) He then says that everything is “distorted”, that colours have “weird, exotic tints”, and that blues are more prominent, while “reds and greens are subdued”. None of those statements fit together.

 

PPP: 825

If I interpret it correctly… Saphira sees blue better than red and green. Interesting! I also see that Saphira has taken Eragon’s mind into her own body? That seems like a quite advanced technique, and one that might have a lot of applications… but I only remember it coming up twice after this point. It’s really quite a pity that interesting stuff like this often falls by the wayside in this series; I’d quite like to know more about the mechanics of what Saphira’s doing, after all.

Eragon tries to turn “his head and body”, but he cannot. He feels like “a ghost who [has] slipped out of the ether”. Hmm, I know we have heard of that when he first made mental contact with Saphira, and Eragon feared becoming such a ghost, but it really needs more explanation. Saphira climbs up again, and “[p]ure joy” comes from her, as she loves “this freedom to go anywhere”. I’d think she’d be used to this by now, but good for her that she loves this so much.

When they’re high above the ground again, Saphira looks back at Eragon. He sees himself like she does, “hanging on to her with a blank look”. So… is Eragon’s mind still in there, then? I think it’s not, and his body just doesn’t have a mind right now, which I honestly find a bit unsettling. If something were to happen to Saphira right now, would his mind still be able to go back, or would he just be stuck?

Either way, Eragon describes what he can feel from Saphira: she “strain[s] against the air”, and rises on updrafts, all her muscles feel like his own, and her feels her tail “swinging like a giant rudder” to keep her on course. He is surprised at “how much she depend[s] on it”. Well, you do get to learn new things like this!

Their connection keeps growing stronger until “there [is] no distinction between their identities”. That is because Eragon has become Saphira, not because they have blended their identities. We’re going to see the latter too, so I want to make the distinction clear. Let me also discuss this a bit further. So Eragon has merged with Saphira now. Would it be possible for her to… merge his mind with her own? I guess so, since we have multiple references to this concept, and Saphira has already shown to be very apt at mental techniques.

Hmmm, I thought that the nastier side of mental combat appeared later on, but now we already have know that it’s possible to take someone’s mind from their body and keep it in your own, and that it should be possible to merge someone’s mind into your own. I’m kind of glad we don’t see much of this later, given that I know it would be awfully handled, but it would also be nice to see these be applied. For example, if Saphira and Eragon give fight to someone who’s trained in mental combat, I’d love to see Saphira pull Eragon inside her body. Then the person attacking would find nothing in Eragon’s mind, while Eragon could still use magic… and the attacker might well exhaust themself looking for a spellcaster who isn’t there. (Yes, I’m thinking of some specific situations in later books.)

Going to this situation, while I’m sure Saphira doesn’t mean ill here, it’s still quite dangerous. She does need to know whether she can let Eragon go again, too, and she notably has not bothered to find out before now! For all Eragon and Saphira know, he might just end up merged with Saphira for good! This is quite irresponsible and there’s no need for it at all!

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 21

(I also can’t help but wonder how common actually “making someone’s mind your own” was in the time of the Riders. Given how they were, I think it would be far from unknown.)

They—

HISC: The self-published edition refers to them as “She/he”, “his/her” and “Saphira/Eragon”, among other references. I think the Knopf edition certainly improved on that.

Fumurti: It certainly did, since it only calls them “they”. Well, they then “clasp[] their wings together” and dive straight down, “like a spear thrown from on high”. Eragon is not afraid of falling at all, “engulfed as he [is] in Saphira’s exhilaration”. So he literally has no emotions of his own now?? That’s quite scary, since I’m quite sure both of them have no idea this would even happen!

Air rushes past their face, their tail “whip[s] in the air”, and they “revel[] in the experience”. Irresponsibility aside, this does sound like a very good time! Even as they fall to the ground, they do not fear to collide. They open their wings just at the right moment, pulling out of the dive “with their combined strength”. (Ooh, this sounds fun, especially because of the risk inherent in it.) They then fly up and “continue[] back over into a giant loop”. And during this loop, somehow none of the supplies fall out. After all, if it’s a “giant loop”, Saphira would be flying relatively slowly, and the centrifugal force wouldn’t be enough to keep the contents of the saddlebags in. Something should fall out, at least.

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 74

As they draw level, Saphira lets go of Eragon’s mind, and they become “distinct personalities again”. For a moment, Eragon can feel both his and Saphira’s body. Then he’s back in his own body. He gasps and “collapse[s] on the saddle”. This experience certainly seems quite intense to me, after all. It takes several minutes before his heartbeat and breathing calm again. Once he has recovered, he says it was incredible. He asks how she can “bear to land” when she likes flying this much. She says, “with some amusement”, that she needs to eat, but she is glad Eragon liked it.

Eragon says those are “spare words” for the experience. He apologises for not having flown earlier, as he never thought it could be like this. Then he asks if she always sees so much blue. She says she does, because it’s “the way [she] is”. Well, that was that, then. She asks if they’ll fly together “more often now”. Eragon agrees to do it with every chance they get. Saphira says that’s good “in a contented tone”.

She could also have thought about this, realised that Eragon doesn’t want to fly with her because of how disastrous the first two times went and then offered to fly him somewhere before now, but I guess she just liked to do it the abusive way. I do like that Eragon gets to see how great flying can be.

They talk quite a bit as Saphira flies, “talking as they had not for weeks”. So… that would be since the day they reached Yazuac. That does track, as she barely appeared in the two chapters after that day. Good on Paolini for getting his timeline right! Saphira shows Eragon how she hides, using “hills and trees” and how she can hide in the “shadow of a cloud”. Um, which hills? We haven’t heard anything about hills near the Ninor.

PPP: 826

I’d also just like to see more of this. The mind-meld was non-consensual, for one, and it also didn’t have that much happening in it. This seems like it’s got quite a lot to it, especially in what they’re talking about, it doesn’t have the abusive elements of the mind-meld, and there’s focus on what Saphira does beyond the immediately obvious. This is a pattern we’ll be seeing quite often, unfortunately.

Now they go to scout the path for Brom, which turns out to be harder than Eragon thought. They can only see it from very close (because of the trees), and then Saphira “risk[s] being detected”. And then she’ll immediately be apprehended because all travellers here have a direct phone connection to Galbatorix. As I’ve said quite often, who cares if they’re seen?

Cut to “[n]ear midday”, when “an annoying buzz” sounds in his ears and he notices a “strange pressure on his mind”. Eragon shakes his head to get rid of it, but the pressure keeps growing. He then remembers Brom’s words about people trying to break into his mind, realises that’s the case, and goes to “clear his thoughts”. He focuses on one of Saphira’s scales and ignores everything else. …Where is Saphira during this? Doesn’t she notice that Eragon’s having trouble? This is also where the mind-taking technique might be of use.

The pressure relents for a moment and then returns stronger than ever. Saphira encounters a “sudden gust”, Eragon’s concentration fails, and the presence breaks through. Instead of the presence of another mind thought, there are only these words:

What do you think you’re doing? Get down here. I found something important.

Yes, Brom just broke his way into Eragon’s mind to deliver his message, no matter that Eragon clearly didn’t want to!

Give Me a Piece of Your Mind: 4

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 22

This was also completely unnecessary. This discovery is not so important or time-sensitive that it couldn’t wait, and he could (and should) have tried to reach Saphira, who would actually recognise him! And I don’t care that it’s supposed to be “rude” to talk to dragons; if Eragon is blocking you, you shouldn’t persist!

Also, if you wanted him not to block you, you could have made it clear that you might mentally contact him if there’s anything he should know about. You can’t give a speech about protecting oneself from mental attackers and then expect Eragon not to act on that, after all. This is such a perfect encapsulation of Brom…

Eragon asks if it really is Brom. Brom “irritably” says he is (it’s your fault, Brom, so you’re the only one who you should be irritated with), and he tells Eragon to get “that oversized lizard of [his]” to land. He sends a picture of where he is and presumably breaks contact. Brom, are you really insulting Saphira because you’re irritated with Eragon? If only Saphira heard this… She might just actually call Brom out on it and be allowed to get away with it. (I’m also inclined to take this quite personally, given who I am. There’s nothing wrong with being a large lizard, after all.)

I also notice just how badly Brom is treating Saphira, which are not just the things from this chapter, but also threatening her by bringing up the supposed genocide of dragons when he first met her, among others. If this is how he treated Saphira I, I think it’s little wonder she eventually chose to go her own way, and I applaud her for it.

Eragon now tells Saphira where to go, and Saphira banks to the Ninor. Meanwhile, he draws his bow and “[draws] several arrows”. …Which he still has despite the looping. Whatever. He says he’ll be ready if there’s trouble, and Saphira says she’ll be, too. That’s about time, too! When they reach Brom, Eragon sees him stand in a clearing, “waving his arms”.

HISC: The self-published edition has Saphira slow to land. Just then, Brom runs underneath her (very smart), yelling something which Eragon cannot hear. He says it looks like he wants to her to land to the side, so Saphira does.

Fumurti: In this edition, Saphira just lands. Eragon jumps off her and looks for danger. Brom has tied to horses to a tree, but otherwise, he’s alone. So Eragon asks what’s wrong. Brom “mutter[s] a string of curses” and tells Eragon never to block him like that again, as it’s hard enough to reach him without having to fight for it.

You still should have told him that you might contact him, and contacted Saphira when he didn’t respond. You’ve got nothing to base this complaint on.

It’s still enough to guilt Eragon into apologising, though. Brom then snorts at this. You should be grateful he even bothered to apologise, Brom! I’m also quite sure he does this mostly to make Eragon feel extra bad, to make him feel not even his apologies are good enough.

Morals for Thee But Not for Me: 23

He says that he was “farther down the river” when he noticed the Ra’zac’s tracks had ceased.

HISC: In the self-published edition, he notes they have not just been “blurred by the wind” since they passed, but completely gone.

Fumurti: I do have a problem with this: they are going upriver right now, so Brom should say “farther up the river”.

PPP: 827

So, he backtracked until he found the spot where they disappeared. He tells Eragon to look at the ground and tell what he sees. So… they’ve lost the Ra’zac! We’re finally getting somewhere other than this rut of vaguely trailing after them, and I quite like it!

Eragon kneels and finds “a confusion of impressions” that he finds hard to decipher. He finds “[n]umerous Ra’zac footprints” that overlap, and he thinks the tracks are only “a few days old”. Then they’ve been going very slowly; after all, Brom and Eragon traversed about three kilometres a day between Yazuac and Daret. Over these prints are “long, thick gouges torn into the ground”. Eragon thinks they look familiar, but he can’t say why.

He stands, shakes his head, and begins to say that he doesn’t have any idea what… Then he looks at Saphira and he knows where the gouges come from. Every time Saphira takes off, “her back claws [dig] into the ground and rip[] it in the same manner”. …Then you could have shown that before now, instead of giving us no chance to guess this.

PPP: 828

I guess that these are Saphira’s back claws on her (hind) feet, and she drags them over the ground as she lifts off? No, we’ve mostly seen her jump into the air when she takes flight. This seems like what we’ve seen of her landing, and then the gouging makes sense. Tearing through the ground while trying to take off would make it hard to do so, after all, while it works fine for landing. How do you do this?

It’s Like We’re Smart But We’re Not: 75

Eragon then comes up with an explanation, which he notes “doesn’t make any sense” (it’ll still be better than most!), but the only thing he can think of is that the Ra’zac flew away on dragons or “giant birds”. He asks if Brom has a better explanation.

Here I want to follow up on the Ra’zac’s horses. We haven’t seen any sign of them after Therinsford, they aren’t here, and there was no compelling reason to pick them up… so I think they were meant as a free meal for those who picked them up, as a “thank you”. Especially since we’ll learns they were picked up by their parents, I think that would work.

Well, since I’m about halfway through the chapter, I’d like to cut here. Until next time!