A 'Family Meeting'

[booklover]

Sarias' brightly shining eyes scanned the people around him, looking for that one familiar face. Where was she? He couldn't wait to see her. It had been so long, and the roads were long without a friend. One of his scabbards rubbed against the thin silk vest he so loved to wear. He flicked it into a more comfortable place in annoyance. His smooth lips locked into a smile. There she was...

He started toward her (She obviously didn't see him) at a fast walk, and his smile grew wider the close he got. Finally, her eyes strayed into his direction, and they saw him. She smiled her cute little smile, and laughed softly. Sarias was now running towards her, attracting the attention of the unbearably bored citizens surrounding them. Gathering her in a fierce hug, he lifted her off the ground, and swung her in a full circle.

"Maria!" He cried out in a strong voice, his voice. The one he hadn't heard for months on his lonely journey back from the Beors.

She laughed again, and he couldn't help laughing too.
"Sarias, I missed you so much!" Declared his younger sister in a sing-song voice. "I've got so much to tell you... where do I start?"

"Well, how about you give me a summary, and we'll take it from there." He returned. Softly placing his hand on her arm, he led her into the bar on the first floor of the inn.

[Niniel]

Since Niniel was unable to get the information that she wanted about the Varden in Lithgow, she decided to move on to a different city in Surda. Not wanting to go to the capital city just yet, she decided to head off to Petrovya.

As she neared the town, the smell of the lake on it's borders reminded her of her own home and she felt a smile cross her lips. She entered the town, and looked around for a little while. Even if she didn't find anything of the Varden here, she decided to stay for a few days because she liked it's atmosphere; so she headed off to the closest inn that she had found, and walked into the bar area. Why not get something to refresh herself before she went to her room.

There were many interesting people inside, and from what she could tell, a very excited couple who must have been apart for some amount of time. She took a seat at the bar and asked for a glass of water for the time being. Then went back to casually seizing up the people in the bar; maybe one of them was with the Varden.

[booklover]

The two Hounto's took a seat in a corner booth, and ordered a chicken meal with water. While sitting down, Sarias found himself looking curiously at an elf looking around, as if comparing people. Still wondering why an elf would be in Surda, besides working for the Varden, he attempted to focus his attention on Maria.

"Well, after our mentor died, he never told me his name, I went first to Aberon, to seek out the Varden. They're great people, haters of Galbatorix, and they might even have a chance at destroying them, with the right people. Anyway, I found a trainer there, and freshened up my swordsmanship a little, so I don't get rusty, and I come across a dragon rider! I couldn't tell if the Rider was male or female; he was too far away. But the sight of the dragon gave me hope."

Her eyes grew distant, and she seemed to be looking far, far away, almost looking down upon the city of Aberon.

"Well, I met a few people from the Varden, got the latest news, and here I am!" She spread her arms out dramatically, and a warm smile dominated Sarias's lips. He pondered what she said, even as he looked at the elf, still wondering why she was here.

[Niniel]

While she drank her water, Niniel noticed a man in a booth with a woman looking at her. She sighed a little, she was bound to be noticed as being an elf sooner or later. She nodded briefly at the man, perhaps he knew of the Varden. She would have to find him later on when he was alone so that she could try to have a conversation with him.

She turned to scan the other side of the bar and noticed a different looking sort of person. She shrugged and decided to take a chance and talk to him for a few minutes.

And those few minutes that she spent with him were a complete waste of time. She looked once more at the man in the corner before she left the bar to go up to her room. She set a few of her things down and then left the inn to wander through the town a little more. Her wanderings led her to the lake, and waves of memories flooded over her of her home. She would have to go home and visit her father this year, it had been far too long since the last time she had seen him.

She sat down on the shore of the lake and stared into the deep, blue waters.

[booklover]

When the elf left, Sarias found it easier to relate his stroy to his sister Maria. He loved being around her, because she had such a great spirit, and she had grown so much.. his dear sister. He had to leave her again that very day, he knew, and it killed him not to be able to spend more time with her.

He was going to join the Varden, one way or another. He would just march into Aberon, and shout out his intentions until somebody came up to him.

"Maria... I have to go," He said softly, his eyes growing sad. Maria frowned, and hugged his hand to her cheek.

"I know.. I know. I can't wait until we find the Varden, and we can travel together." Her voice throbbed with wistful and sad emotions.

"Neither can I, and that time will come soon, Maria, I promise you." He smiled. He felt so strange, being so emotional and all. He never acted like this, unless he had to leave his sister. He wasn't used to being so deep, and he wasn't that fond of it anyway. A hard lump was already forming in his throat, but by practiced control, he kept his voice steady, and normal. After many goodbye's, they both stood up and hugged, then slowly parted when they reached the road.

After a few steps, Sarias looked sadly over his shoulder, and discovered Maria doing the same thing. He smiled slowly, encouragingly, and then they lost eye contact as a loaded wagon passed by between them. He sighed, and turned towards the lake, approaching the shore without paying any attention where he was walking.

When he finally came to reality, he found, to his surprise, that same elf that had been in the bar, sitting a few yards away from him on the shore. He walked up to her..

[Niniel]

The crunch of footsteps behind her had awoken her from her meditation. She did not turn yet, for if it was an enemy she wanted to wait until he was close enough to be taken down by a swift kick. But then she also thought that this might be a friend, maybe someone who was with the Varden. She waited for a moment until the footsteps drew ever closer, then decided to speak.

"It's quite lovely here, don't you think?" the question was simple enough, but Niniel was trained to listen to the tones of people's voices, and by the persons response, she would be able to tell whether or not they were hostile. Her muscles tensed as she waited, but she remained calm and poised on the outside.

[booklover]

He stopped, not daring to get any further. He was already in range to be taken down by a wide swing of a sword, that was close enough. Then she spoke. "It's quite lovely here, don't you think?"

The question was a strange one, and wasn't completely innocent, he knew. He took a few seconds to find out what he wanted to say, then, "Much lovelier than some other places I'm been." He said truthfully, looking out onto the lake. For he had been in many dungeons, prisons, and torture chambers in his travels. He had seen more than most men in their hundreds.

He folded his arms against his chest, secretly fingering the hilt of one dagger. Just in case she meant him harm. His silvery, flaming eyes drifted slowly away from the lake, to rest upon what he could see of the elf. He had an idea, but he didn't know if it would work. He sighed with finality, and said, "Do you know of the Varden?"

[Niniel]

Niniel listened to the man's voice as he spoke, she could sense not hostility in him, only the same caution that she was treating him with. "Much lovelier than some other places I've been," was his answer to her question. She smiled at the remark, he was right, there were much more beautiful places, and much more horrible places in the world than this lake.

Then the man sighed and asked, "Do you know of the Varden?"

Niniel's ears perked up at the mention of the Varden. From the way he asked, she didn't think that he was a member, but that he was looking for them just as she was. She stood slowly with her back to him, "I know who and what the Varden are," she then turned to face him, "But I do not know where to find them, and I was hoping that maybe you could be the one to tell me," she said. Her eyes flashed with excitement, perhaps her search would end today.

[booklover]

He saw a hint of a smile when he asked his first question, then on the second question, her ears perked slightly, and she stood to face him, startling him just a little. His other hand now grasped a different dagger, though he couldn't see any reason why she should be an enemy.

"I know who and what the Varden are. But I do not know where to find them, and I was hoping maybe you could be the one to tell me." She said to him. He sighed once again, but sadly this time, then returned,

"I know as much as you do. I know they're here, in Surda, and I was going to Aberon based on information given me by a... friend," He didn't want to reveal his sister just in case this elf was attempting to destroy all of those searching for the Varden. "Other than that, I'm clueless.

His hands loosened on the hilts of his daggers, something he knew he shouldn't do around anyone he didn't know better than himself. He wished he could slip into her mind, but elves weren't keen on that sort of thing, he understood. His flaming eyes were now as bright as a lamp, and were cutting into the elves, searching for her intentions. He didn't know if elves' eyes were sensitive, but humans' eyes would be pained by the light of his eyes.

Unknown to Sarias, a large, dark, cloaked figure passed across the street behind him.

[Niniel]

"I know as much as you do. I know they're here, in Surda, and I was going to Aberon based on information given me by a... friend. Other than that, I'm clueless," he said slightly cautious.

Niniel's shoulders dropped a little at the news that he didn't wasn't a member of the Varden, but atleast he knew where to go to find them. She looked at him searchingly, it was obvious that he didn't trust her at all. She could tell that he was trying to read her emotions through her eyes, and she wanted to laugh a little at his attempt. She could tell that his eyes were burning brightly into her own, but that didn't matter to her, she wasn't easily affected by a humans efforts to force her into giving away something about herself.

She returned the cutting stare for a moment, then looked past him back into the town, and her eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right, she could have sworn that there had been a cloaked figure that had passed just behind the man. She checked her dagger at her hip and then loosened her sword that hung across her back, "You're headed to Aberon you say? Perhaps I'll join you there, but I think it would be best if we left now," she said, her voice calm and even.

Without another word, she brushed past the man and made her way back through the town to the inn to gather her things. She wasn't sure if the man was following her or not, but she continued on her way through the streets once she had her things with her.

[booklover]

She looked amused when he tried to read her efforts. Score; she had underestimated him. That might come in handy sometime. When she looked past him, and narrowed her eyes, he looked slowly from her, to where she was looking, and saw the corner of a cape rush past into an alleyway. He raised an eyebrow, then looked back at the elf to find her brushing past him. He hadn't heard what she said, so he shrugged ans simply followed her.

She stopped at the inn, and he waited outside until she came back out, not looking at him. Following closely behind her, he glanced down the alley that the cape had disappeared into, and he thought he saw a figure, slightly darker than the shadow around it. He shook his head as if clearing it, looked back, and it was gone. He scoffed at his own stupidity, and sped up to walk side-by-side with the elf.

He had never liked elves for being so uptight, and most he had come across had been arrogant. He didn't know if it was the came with this elf, but if so, he was determined to prove her wrong. His yew longbow, of elven make and with an elven spell attatched, shook in the pocket of his vest. He removed the shrunken bow as he walked. He would have liked to reverse the enchantment, and feel the bow in his hand, pull back the string, and maybe shoot a few arrows at random targets. The sun reflected off of the glass-like surface of his eye, and shone upon the shadows in the town of Petrovya. Nobody, not even the elves, could find out what magic lit his eyes, or if was even magic at all.

[Niniel]

Niniel glanced to her side and noticed the man next to her, "So you decided to come afterall. Did you see the cloaked figure?" she asked him and then quickened her pace again.

The walls of the city were getting closer every minute, but she was still feeling very on edge. There was something wrong here, she could feel the supposed evil somewhere behind her. She decided to change her path and turned down a side street without a word to the man, walking in a straight line for too long was not wise when one could sense danger nearby. After traveling west for a little while, she turned again and faced south once more.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the cloaked figure about 25 yards behind them at a corner, and when it noticed her looking at it, it slunk behind a wall and out of her sight. She took a deep breath, "Do you have a horse or some other form of transportation?" she asked the man.

[booklover]

"He was real?" Sarias asked incredulously, knowing that he sounded stupid. He also saw the figure slink behind a wall, out of sight. This definitely wasn't right. Whoever that figure was, it wasn't friendly.

"Do you have a horse, or some other form of transportation?" Asked the elf. He didn't turn to look at her as he spoke, but marched determinedly toward the city gate.

"Do we need one? I have one outside the city defenses, but I thought elves could run faster than horses. Either way, I guess it's for the best." He said, and his walk sped up even more.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw six figured step out, wearing hoods that covered their faces, steel chainmail, and the came cloaks that the other figure had been wearing. Their pace matched his own, but they were at least fifty feet behind them. Then, to his horror, three of them rounded the corner beside the gate. One conversed with the eight guards on either side of the gate, pointing at them with a heavily bandaged hand. The captain of the guard looked at them malevolently.

"This is Surda, right?" Asked Sarias. "You know, the place WITHOUT the Empire's servants." And if they were the Empire's servants, they were good ones. He saw two masked eyes peek over the pointed roof of a house to his left. His eyes seemed to be growing brighter, and they actually made a bright pool of light form on the ground in front of him.

The gates made a grinding sound, and suddenly they starting lowering. Sarias looked at the elf, worried. "RUN! We've got to get out!"

[Niniel]

"Do we need one? I have one outside the city defenses, but I thought elves could run faster than horses. Either way, I guess it's for the best," he said.

Niniel rolled her eyes a little, "I wasn't asking for me, I was asking for you," she said. She glanced behind them again and saw more cloaked figures step out onto the street. She swore under her breath, this was not good.

"This is Surda, right? You know, the place WITHOUT the Empire's servants," the man said, and then an annoying grinding sound ehcoed through the streets. The man looked at Niniel, a worried expression on his face, "RUN! We've got to get out!"

Niniel didn't need the man to tell her that. She immediately took off running towards the gates and the three cloaked figures. A frown formed on her face as she drew her sword, she didn't like to use it, but if she had to, she was deadly with it. The gate neared her every flying step that she took; she didn't bother to check to see where the man was, he could take care of himself, she assumed that much about him.

[booklover]

"I wasn't asking for me, I was asking for you." He rolled his eyes in turn at her declaration. When she started running, he easily stayed pace with her, keeping only seven feet away at all times, so she had room to swing her sword. One of the cloaked figures lunged at him, and with a flick of his hand, he removed a dagger and flung it at the man. He hit his mark perfectly, without stopping, and the dagger found it's way into the man's belly. His entrails were attempting to burst out of his stomach, but were merely sliding out onto the hilt of the dagger.

He removed one of his two swords, and held it by his side, it's point curving lines in the dirt. He sped up just a little, because he realized that he had dropped back a few feet from the elf. Now, more and more of the cloaked men were appearing, surrounding them completely. When their reached about twenty-one of them, all means of escape seemed lost. The gate was now less than three feet off of the ground, and ten guards approched them with nasty looking pikes.

Two of the cloaked men popped out of nowhere, and landed beside him, brandishing their swords. Without thinking, he flicked up his blade, and caught the man in the neck, striking his Adam's apple. The man let out a muffled gurgle, and sank to the ground, while Sarias outran the other man. Then, another cloaked man got in between him and the elf. Sarias jumped back two paces, and removed his other side in one flowing movement. He locked the swords together in a scissor position. The man opposite him also took out two weapons: A scythe and a one-handed battle axe....

In a stunningly quick technique, the man lashed out at him with his scythe. Sarias parried effortlessly, and raised his sword, attempting to stab him in the chest with it. The man simply thrust aside his sword with his battle-ax, almost like brushing aside a cobweb. Sarias rotated his swords in his hands automatically, so that their points were to the ground, and he was holding them like a knife. He slashed upward with one, starting at shin-level, and downward with the other, which would have made a slanted cut down the man's chest if it's course had not been reset with a masterful twist from the man's scythe.

But, luckily, he did not have the time to block both attacks, and Sarias scored a long, deep cut just a few centimeters away from the shinbone. He grunted, and stumbled backwards a pace. Sarias stepped forward and raised both of his swords, about to sink them into each of the man's shoulders.

But then... the man ran into him, sinking one shoulder into his stomach. Sarias grunted, and was sprawled on the ground. Purely by accident, one of Sarias' cunningly hid daggers sank into the man's bicept, on his left arm. A look of pure hatred, mixed with fearful admiration, flamed in the man's eyes, and he, quite suddenly, lodged the tip of his scythe into Sarias' chest....

[Niniel]

As Niniel sped forward, the men near the gate began to cut off her path. She skidded to a halt and leered at the men nearest her as they began to form a smaller circle around her. Stupid humans, she thought to herself. She glanced quickly over the group of men to see how her new friend was fairing, and he seemed to be ok; he was now facing a man who pulled out a scythe.

She turned her attention back to the men that she was going to have to face and seized them up briefly. One of the men blinked as she watched, and so she took the chance to spring into action. She leaped towards the man and hacked at his thigh, then spun in a circle to avoid a blow from one of the man's companions. She brought her leg up and planted a round-house kick to the side of another man's head. Two down, four to go, she thought.

Her body moved like water as she blocked strikes and then struck back at her attackers. Soon all but one had fallen from wounds or because she had killed them. The last man moved cautiously around her, and she stood completely still watching him. He lunged forwards at her, and she easily blocked his thrust. Their swords locked and brought them close to one another; Niniel stared emotionlessly into the man's eyes and saw fear. She held the position with one hand while she secretly pulled a dagger from her belt. With a cocky smile, she slipped the dagger in between two of the man's ribs, and then stepped away from his body.

She turned back to her friend just in time to see the man with the scythe run into him. He fell to the ground, and she saw a dagger sink into the cloaked man's arm, but then he jabbed the scythe into her friends chest. Niniel's face contorted with rage, and she sprinted towards the pair and dropped her sword on the ground.

When she was close enough to the man she planted both of her feet into the side of his chest and knocked him over. She quickly got back on her feet and began to assault the man with vicious kicks and punches as he tried to rise off the ground. Niniel easily dodged the man's feeble attempts to hit her, and nimbly got directly behind the man. With a quick movements of her arms, she broke the man's neck, instantly killing him.

She stood over him for a moment, chest rising and falling quickly due to the excertion. Momentarily she remembered her new traveling companion and turned back to face him, saddness spreading across her face. She slowly made her way to his side and knelt down next to him. She softly placed one hand on the man's forehead and closed her eyes.

[booklover]

Sarias, bleary-eyed, saw the elf run to the man, and break his neck. He would have thanked her but for the throbbing in his chest.

Sarias groaned for a moment, and then the moment of whining was over. He breathed deeply even though it hurt more than anything, and he tried to get a normal heart rate. He inspected the wound with his gloved hand. He felt an intense burning, but made no sound, and no emotion crept into his eyes. His finger was hardly wet; the wound wasn't deep. The poor man, his scythe was dull. Then she placed a hand on his forehead, and he looked into her eyes, startled. What was she doing? Then, when nothing happened, he relaxed a little, and focused on finding his swords.

Without trying, he noticed a few of the cloaked men congregated in the dark doorway of a house, obviously smart enough not to come and combat them because of what they saw. Looking back at the elf, he smiled, then sat up slowly, ignoring the growing pain in his chest. "I recognized that man with the scythe. The son of a man I killed. There's another son.... he'll be after me. Oh well!" He stood the rest of the way, and brushed off his clothes.

"Do you have a name?" He asked her, scanning the street for dangers. Seeing none, he found and picked up his swordsl along with the daggers he had used. Then, he ran a hand through his hair, and smiled. That was exhilirating. Assuming she'd follow, he walked to the chain mechanism attatched to the gate, and slowly opened it. Once it was open enough, he walked out, glad to be out in the open.

[Niniel]

The man smiled at her as he began to sit up, "I recognized that man with the scythe. The son of a man I killed. There's another son.... he'll be after me. Oh well!" He then stood the rest of the way, and brushed off his clothes.

Niniel didn't know what to think of the man's indifference to the fact that his life was in danger. Her eyes drifted towards the man's chest where he had been struck, "You're hurt; let me heal you," she said and stood to match him.

"Do you have a name?" He asked her, and then went to find his weapons. He raised the city gate and walked out into the open.

She picked up her own sword and followed him out of the city, sending one final glare at the rest of the cloaked men behind her. She walked up next to him, "Please, let me heal you before that gets worse," she said as she sheathed her sword, "My name is not important at the moment, only your health."

[booklover]

At her proposal to heal him, he sighed and turned around. "All right, but it's totally unnecessary." He let his hands rest at his sides, unsure of where to put them. "If I let you heal me, will you tell me your name?" He asked her hopefully. He didn't want to be traveling with some unknown character for any amount of time. He eyed her slightly suspiciously.

"By the way, I dabble in the magic arts, but I need much more training. Do you know of anybody that could help me?" He might as well try and get some stuff out of her now. Even as he spoke, he sent a mental picture to his horse of where he was. The mind of this horse was unlike any others. It was intelligent, even more intelligent than some full-grown men. It only took a picture and one simple word to summon her: Come.

A faint neighing filled the air...

[Niniel]

The man sighed and turned to face her, "All right, but it's totally unnecessary. If I let you heal me, will you tell me your name?" He asked her, with what Niniel picked up as hopefullness in his voice, "By the way, I dabble in the magic arts, but I need much more training. Do you know of anybody that could help me?"

She stepped closer and moved the man's arm out of her way, and for lack of a better place to have it rest, laid it over her shoulder, "I shall tell you my name once I've healed you, but it's only proper if you tell me your name as well," she answered as she looked at the shallow wound. She tenderly inserted her finger into the wound and murmured, "Waise heill," and then slowly removed it to allow the wound to close up. She wiped the blood from her finger on her cloak, "By magic do you mean you know some of the Ancient Language? I might not know how to teach you specific skills, but I can teach you more words."

She turned her head in the direction of the neigh, "My name is Niniel, by the way."