"This will ruin Eragon!" Alimorel muttered. She had made camp in the forest about 3 miles away from the society hideout and was trying to start a fire. Rubbing her palm together, they emitted an orange glow and a few sparks jumped out. "Concentrate, Ali." She said to herself. Pushing all other thoughts from her mind, she rubbed her palms together again, this time a flame started. Alimorel gently blew on the flames in her hand until they caught onto the cotton and twigs that she had collected. Wiping her hands on her breeches, stifling the leftover flames, she threw a log onto the crackling fire. Satisfied, she turned to Alezando. She almost smiled at his attempts to make fire. Rubbing his palms together he was chanting "Fire, fire, fire, fire." Finally Alimorel took pity on him. "Magic doesn't work if you use human language." she said, untying the green ribbon that kept her chocolate-brown hair in a ponytail, letting it fall just shy of her shoulders, and pulling out the pin that kept her bangs out of her eyes.
"Enlighten me, O' elf-lady." replied Alezando. Alimorel turned to him slowly, green eyes blazing and, walking toward him on silent feet, leaning over until her nose almost touched his, she said "Two things. One: Your attitude is so annoying I could cut out your tongue right now. Two: You WILL refer to me as 'Miss Silentread' or 'Alimorel' or I will hogtie and gag you, which I have no wish to do because there is much I can find out about you, as you are one of the most intriguing people I have met in all of my 115 years, so please don't make me kill you. So to answer your question, you must use elvish to work magic."
"Would you like to tell me what the elvish word for fire is?" he asked.
"Any day now would be nice." he said after Alimorel didn't respond. She smiled to herself. He was funny, if odd. "We shall see. I don't see any sense in giving you knowledge about magic. What will you give me in return? Information?" Alimorel was used to this kind of bargaining. Alezando looked thoughtful, and Alimorel was getting excited to hear the information until. . . "How about I give you my company on this journey. You need someone funny to make you be less serious. On this journey, you will need someone of my intelligence, humor, and rugged good looks!" Alimorel almost choked on her water laughing. Alezando looked pleased. "When you speak of this "journey", you do realize that we will only be traveling for 2 and ½ days, don't you?"
"Oh. Well, now I do!"
"No fire."
"Uhg. Fine, if I get us some horses, will you tell me?"
"Hmmm. . ."
"C'mon, please?"
"Fine. Make sure they're good horses though."
"Aye-aye, cap'n." he said. With a mock salute and a wink, he was gone. Alimorel smiled to herself. Against her better judgment, she was warming to this half-blood, though he was still a danger. She didn't see the harm in having him as an acquaintance though, so she decided to let him stay a while. Alimorel walked over to the small pool of water beside the camp. Her usually olive-toned skin was dark with dirt in patches. She took some of the water in her hands and scrubbed her face, trying to rub the dirt off of her small, straight nose. When she looked at her reflection again, her long, slanting face stared back with just as much dirt as before. Only her large, deadly green eyes and her full mouth remained discernable. Sighing, she slipped off her clothes and, inch by inch, let her small, lithe body settle into the freezing water. After a good soak, she could finally see her cheekbones, high up on her face, and her pointed chin. She slipped back into her clothes and waited for Alezando to come back. When he arrived with two exceptional piebald horses, she even gave him a smile. When he started rubbing his palms together again, she pointed at his cupped hands and said "Brisingr." And a flame jumped up.
Over those 2 and ½ days of travel, Alimorel Silentread and Alezando Eragonsson became friends, though neither really noticed it. Alimorel was beginning to really like this half-elf illegal boy, and was almost sad to see Islanzadi's towers again, because this meant that her time with him was drawing to a close. She couldn't tell the truth about who he was, so he would probably be dragged off to the dungeon. She had been teaching him how to close his mind, and told him to go by his alias, Drogomir Moorsson. She magicked his ears so that they looked human as long as they didn't examine too closely. She wouldn't tell him why she was doing this, and he was beginning to feel nervous as they approached the tower. What is it?" he asked Alimorel "C'mon Ali, something's wrong." Alimorel walked along silently, ignoring his pleas for her to tell him what was wrong. "Get off here." She said. They dismounted their horses and they immediately set to grazing. "I'm not going in, Ali."
"Aleza-, Drogomir, come on!" Alimorel said.
"No."
Alimorel sighed. Walking up to him, she put a hand on his shoulder. Running it down his arm so that she had his hand in hers, she looked at him. His eyes lit up, and his heart started beating faster in anticipation. Then, in a lightning-fast movement, she placed her other hand on his shoulder, got behind him and twisted his arm around behind his back. She started pushing on the arm to go up until Alezando went "Ouch, ouchouchouch. OW! Damn it, Ali STOP!" She moved the arm back down but never let it down. "I could break your arm right now." she said in his ear.
"You wouldn't, Ali. Friends don't hurt friends." Alezando said, his eyes trusting. Alimorel sighed and dropped his arm, but never let go of his pinky finger. He had become her friend, it was true. Even against her better judgment, she knew it was too late. She couldn't hurt him. At least not badly. "From now on, block the information that I told you to."
"But-"
"Just DO IT!"
Pulling him by his little finger she walked into Islanzadi's throneroom. "Ah, Ali. I've been waiting. What tidings do you bring?" Alimorel bowed and handed her sketchbook over. She had ripped out the page with her sketch of Alezando before she came in. The Queen looked over the pictures, then looked at Alimorel. "Very good," Islanzadi said. "And who is this?"
"This is Drogomir Moorsson." Alimorel replied. "He is a recently unapprenticed man. 19 years of age. He was on the road and tried to attack me because he wasn't used to elves and thought I was a spy." He was right. Alimorel thought to herself. Islanzadi looked him over then summoned her bodyguards. "Guards, take this man to the dungeon to await trail. Leave me and Miss Silentread alone." The guards walked forward and seized Alezando. As he was dragged away he said. "What is this? I don't understand! Why? Ali? Please don't! ALI!" As he was dragged past, Alimorel watched with a look that she hoped said "Sorry." When they were gone, Islanzadi turned to Alimorel and said "Now, Ali, I will see what really happened. Alimorel closed off part of her thoughts as the Queen entered her mind
"So, Ali, I'm glad that you found out where these plotters are. I will study your drawings more carefully and see if I recognize any of those people. Now. About that boy. I didn't see the road ambush incident. You are hiding things from me, Ali. I must know everything." Ali was torn. Her two friends. She had to betray one or the other. With a sigh, she opened her mind a little more. Islanzadi saw "Drogomir" tackle Alimorel and throw the knife, but not their conversations. She saw the recent arm-twisting incident. She saw him being taken away just a few minutes before. And before Alimorel could rein it in, the flood of emotion that went along with that scene cascaded into her mind. Islanzadi pulled away from Alimorel's mind. "Well, Ali, you seem to have developed a bond. Yet I can still sense the wall. What will you not tell me? Aren't we friends?" Alimorel was so torn the Queen could sense it. "What is it Ali? The thing you refuse to tell me. . .?" "It's private." Alimorel replied. "Ah. I think I know what you're trying to keep from me." Alimorel was puzzled until she looked into Islanzadi's eyes and saw. . .
"No. he's just a friend." Alimorel said quickly, blushing.
"Really?" replied the Queen. "You seem to feel somewhat more towards this Drogomir than you let on." Alimorel replied "I love my friends, for they are a gift that shall last forever. But I love them just as friends" Islanzadi raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Well then, Drogomir Moorssons' trial shall proceed as planned, though I do not doubt that he shall be punished for his crime." Alimorel hardly dared ask "What is the punishment?"
"The punishment for attacking a bystander is punishable by enslavement."
Alimorel despaired. She might never see him again. Islanzadi continued "The trial will take place in 1 hour. You are dismissed Alimorel Silentread." Alimorel bowed and left.
