Capture
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Murtagh watched her come towards him. She looked scared. Of course she was. She'd be stupid if she wasn't. She'd have to have known he'd figure her out eventually. It surprised him that it had taken him this long to find sufficient proof that she had been a thief.
He decided not to hold it against her. She'd proven she wasn't a traitor, and his own past was worse than hers. He decided to pretend not to know. She wouldn't be able to stand that. He also decided not to think that she could have been more than a thief.
Oh, why did he care what she'd been? Why did he care if she'd had a lover in her past life? Practicality had told him that that would not have been impossible. Practicality told him that she might not have been the best of people. But why did part of him still think she looked like an innocent little bird with her too big nose and her pointy features and large eyes?
Well, that part had been wrong. He would say nothing of it to her and see what she would tell him.
Marin looked at Murtagh. His face betrayed no emotion. He didn't care. She wasn't sure whether to be relieved or upset by that. Perhaps she was both.
"'Ey," she said when she got closer.
Murtagh nodded.
"Did you find out where he lives?" he asked.
"'E lives in the Grotto Inn," Marin said. He'd seen. She knew he'd seen. Why didn't he say anything?
"Did your friend tell you that?" Murtagh asked, nodding in Jamison's direction.
Marin nodded.
"Can you be sure he's not lying?" Murtagh asked.
Marin thought for a moment. Jamison could lie, but he'd had no reason to do so. If she knew nothing else about him, she knew he never did anything without a reason.
"Yes," she said.
"You hesitated," he remarked.
"I paid 'im. 'E won' lie cause of tha', and 'e doesn' ave a reason t' lie," Marin explained.
"'Paid?'" Murtagh asked. He knew. He was just playing with her to see if she'd say it.
"I forgo' that' 'e doesn' like bein' strung on. If ya wan' sommat from 'im, jus' ask. Don' try to worm i' outta 'im, or 'e'll demand paymen'," Marin continued.
"And he's your friend, and your lover?" Murtagh asked.
"No' anymore," she said.
"Which one isn't he anymore?" Murtagh asked.
"Lover," Marin muttered. "I's complicated."
"So he was?" Murtagh asked.
"I sai', 'I's complicated,'" Marin said.
Murtagh paused. 'Well, then, we'd better get out of here," he said. "It's not safe. I know where the inn is."
They passed through the streets in silence. Murtagh had nothing to say to her, and Marin was afraid he'd say something she didn't want to hear him say if she said anything. This wasn't good. She was afraid of him again. Then again, perhaps it was good. She needed to be cautious, and this noble or whatever he was wasn't a person to drop your defenses around. Practicality told her this. Another part of her had wanted to disregard. Now, that other part was losing a battle it had been winning. The only problem was that it didn't want to lose and the cautious side of her did. It was all so confusing.
"We're here," Murtagh said.
"So we are," Marin said.
They both entered the inn.
"Does a man named Dormnad live here?" Murtagh asked the man at the desk.
"Why do you ask?" the innkeeper asked.
"We're friends," Murtagh said. "My sister and I have a need to see him." Murtagh gestured at Marin.
"Why?" the innkeeper repeated. "He's being watched. I'm to be careful whom I allow."
"There are things that need to be sorted out between my sister and him," Murtagh said cryptically.
The innkeeper took a closer look at Marin.
"But she's young enough to be his daughter," the innkeeper said.
"I'm glad you realized that. He and my sister didn't," Murtagh growled.
"You can go see him. He's on the second floor, third door to the right," the innkeeper said. "Just don't be too hard on the girl."
"Thank you," Murtagh said. "I won't be too hard on her."
"I think we've used the sibling excuse too many times," Marin mumbled as they climbed the steps.
Murtagh chuckled slightly. "It works," he said.
"I' does," she agreed, relieved that the animosity between them had been alleviated just a bit.
They reached the second floor and walked to the right. Marin knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" an emotionless voice called out. Marin detected a faint hint of nervousness in his tone.
"Two people who have information you might find interesting," Murtagh said when Marin was silent. She didn't know what to say to Dormnad.
The door opened a crack to reveal half a face. "How interesting?" Dormnad asked.
"Le' us come in," Marin said, her mind thinking up something. "I's too inter'stin' for ou' 'ere."
"That interesting?" Dormnad asked.
"Yes," Murtagh said.
"Come in," Dormnad said reluctantly. Murtagh and Marin had to slide through one at a time because Dormnad had only cracked door open a little more.
"What is this interesting information?" he asked.
"We have a rider with us. He and this girl here wish to go the Varden," Murtagh said.
"How do I know you're not lying?" Dormnad asked.
Murtagh repeated the words Saphira had given him through Eragon.
Dormnad's eyebrows went up.
"I got a message from Brom about this, but I didn't expect him to come to me," Dormnad muttered. "Well, I did, but I expected him to come in person."
"I thought it would be too dangerous for him to just walk into Gil'ead," Murtagh explained.
"That's probably right," Dormnad agreed. "But why didn't Brom come?"
"'E's dead," Marin said.
Dormnad looked surprised and then upset.
"How?" he asked.
Murtagh explained what had happened briefly.
"Will you take them to the Varden?" Murtagh asked.
"Yes, meet me at sunrise tomorrow on the smallest hill across the road from here," Dormnad said. "Brom dead?" he mumbled as Murtagh and Marin left the room. The man didn't seem to believe it.
"So, where are the 'orses?" Marin asked Murtagh as they left the inn.
He didn't answer. Marin simply followed him down the streets towards a stable. He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and read the number on it.
"Hey, Par, get the two horses for number 33," the man yelled.
The man called Par came out leading the horses. Murtagh dropped the piece of paper and bent down to retrieve it. He kept his head down when he came up. Marin looked at him curiously. He didn't look back.
"Which horse is the lady's?" Par asked.
"The bay," Marin said.
"Here you are," Par said.
Marin took the reins and thanked him.
"And I'm assuming this fine gray beast would be yours?" Par said to Murtagh. The latter took the reins. Marin noticed that he still managed to hide his face behind Tornac's flank.
"You know, I had a friend once who had a horse like that," Par continued.
Marin suddenly understood why Murtagh was hiding his face. He knew this Par.
"Why don't you let me see your face? Are you that ugly?" Par asked.
Murtagh swung himself onto the horse. Marin mounted Cadoc as soon as he did that.
They
both left the stable.
"Hey," they heard Par yell, "I know
who you are. You're Murtagh."
"Run!" Murtagh yelled to Marin. He spurred Tornac forward, and she was forced to make Cadoc gallop while hanging on for dear life.
"'Tagh, what's with you?" Par yelled.
Murtagh pushed his way through the gates. By the time Marin reached them, they were still in chaos. She managed to get through.
By the time they reached the camp, Murtagh was still riding full-speed, and Marin was forced to in order to keep up with him.
As soon as they entered the encampment, Murtagh dismounted and drew his sword. Marin calmed Cadoc and slumped against his neck.
"What's wrong?" Eragon asked.
"Did anyone follow me from Gil'ead?" Murtagh asked. A scowl darkened his handsome face.
"We didn't see anything," Eragon said.
"Good. Then let me eat before I explain. I'm starving," he said as he seized a bowl and began to shovel food into his mouth. He said through a full mouth, "Dormnad has agreed to meet us outside Gil'ead at sunrise tomorrow. If he's satisfied you really are a rider, he'll take you to the Varden."
"Where are we supposed to meet him?" Eragon asked.
"On the hill across the road from 'ere," Marin cut in. She rolled off of Cadoc and grabbed her own bowl. She ate ravenously.
"So, what happened?" Eragon asked.
Murtagh got more food and then explained what had happened with Par.
"Since I don't know your friend, I have to ask: will he tell anyone?" Eragon asked.
Murtagh gave a strained laugh. "If you had met him, that wouldn't need answering. His mouth is hinged loosely and hangs open all the time, vomiting whatever happens to be in his mind. The question isn't whether he'll tell people, but whom he will tell. If word of this reaches the wrong ears, we'll be in trouble. And then there's the problem of Marin's friend."
Marin's head snapped up.
"I didn' tell 'im your name," she said.
"Well, at least you did something right," Murtagh scowled. "Then again, I suppose he'll know yours, and that could be a problem."
"'Ow da ya know 'e knows me name?" Marin asked.
"He had his tongue down your throat. I certainly hope he knows your name," Murtagh said caustically.
"'E knows i', but i' won' mean nothing t' nobody," Marin said.
"And if he puts two and two together and realizes that I was the person with you? I know he saw," Murtagh asked.
"I tol' 'im I was with ya," Marin mumbled.
"Things get worse and worse, don't they?" Murtagh asked.
"'E won' go t' the watch," Marin protested.
"And you know this how?" Murtagh asked.
Marin bit her lip.
Murtagh repeated his question.
"'E 'ates the watch, and 'e fears 'em," she said at last.
"So now we stake our luck with a thief?" he said. "Wonderful."
Eragon looked confused.
"What is going on?" he asked them both.
"Marin has messed everything up again," Murtagh said.
This was it. "'Oo found ou' where Dormnad was? 'Oo's endured every lil lie ya've made up t' ge' pas' 'em all? And wha' did ya do? Ge' yourself seen?" she hissed.
"I did most of the talking. Keep that in mind," Murtagh said. "And I actually tried to conceal myself, unlike you."
"I didn' do nothin' wrong. I don' 'ave t' conceal meself from a friend," Marin said. "Stop blamin' me every time something goes wrong."
"I don't blame you every time something goes wrong, Marin," Murtagh said. His voice was quieter now. He put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. "I'm just concerned that you will hurt yourself someday."
"I lived five years lookin' af'er meself. I don' need ya," she said. She chose not to mention that she'd had friends. Then again, those friends had been in as bad a situation as hers.
"I didn't say you did," Murtagh said. "I am just concerned that this will all go wrong."
"This may not be a problem," Eragon remarked. "Besides, I doubt soldiers will be sent to search for you two in the dark. We can at least count on being safe until morning, and by then, if all goes well, we'll be leaving with Dormnad."
Murtagh shook his head. "No, only you and Marin will accompany him. As I said before I won't go to the Varden."
Eragon stared at him unhappily. Marin knew that he and Murtagh had become friends. So she'd be traveling with Eragon after this. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. She didn't want Murtagh to go, and she did all at the same time. She didn't need him after all. Did she?
"Le's go t' sleep," was all she said.
They all agreed. Marin fell into a deep sleep. Another dream of the woman came that night.
She stood in the center of a room. She was staring down the large orange stone in her hands.
"Wha' am I supposed to do?" she asked the man from the second dream.
"Wait to see what happens. Something will. She likes you. Morzan was right. You are what she wants," the man replied.
"Do the others know?" Den-ner asked.
"They will," the man said.
"Bu' I'm no' wha' they wan'," she protested.
"You're what she wants," the man said. "She is the authority in this case, as am I."
"Bu' she ain' even born ye'," Den-ner said.
"Thanks to you, she will be," the man said, "and so she is."
Den-ner looked down. She looked ready to drop the stone as she saw the fine cracks appearing on its surface.
Marin awoke. She looked over at Eragon. He'd awoken and seemed to be talking with Saphira. She'd come to know what it looked like when he conversed with his dragon. He turned to her.
"Saphira says she smells something odd," he said. "She says there are horses nearby."
"Wha' does tha' mean?" Marin asked. She thought she knew what it meant. She was hoping Eragon would tell her otherwise.
He went over to Murtagh and woke him. The latter sat bolt upright and drew a dagger from his blankets. He then looked at Eragon quizzically, who told him what he had told Marin.
The older man then drew his sword. Eragon did the same thing. Marin pulled out her dagger. They all stood.
Marin heard a snarl and heard Eragon whip around. She turned too and saw a horrible beast with horns. A moment later she realized what it was: an Urgal.
It charged towards Eragon, wielding a mace. The rider yelled, "Brisingr," and the Urgals blew apart.
Saphira roared, and Marin turned to see a group of Urgals.
Murtagh leapt forward to fight with the monsters. Marin leapt at the smallest one with her dagger, twisting her hand in its hair. It roared as it tried to get her off, but she held fast as she cut its throat with her dagger.
She muffled a scream and ducked as another Urgals swung a mace at her. She slammed into it and drove her dagger through its stomach. A third grabbed her by the leg. She almost gagged in revulsion when Murtagh sliced the arm holding her leg off.
Saphira bit the beast in two.
"Fly, Saphira!" Eragon yelled.
Both humans and the dragon turned to see Eragon collapse. More Urgals had come.
"Run," Murtagh yelled, pushing her forward by the elbow. They both ran as fast as they could as Saphira flew off.
That's end of chapter 7. I got five reviews last chapter. May I have six for this one? That shouldn't be too hard. This story is on twelve alert lists.
Prettybella: Thanks. I'm glad you like Jamison. He will probably appear again.
MysticLegend11: Yeah, chapter two did get a little boring. I'm glad it's gotten better. I'm glad you don't think of Marin as a Sue. The language will be phased out. She'll slowly get better. That won't happen until the sequel, but it will happen. I'm glad you think her speech flows though. I'm glad she hasn't gotten angsty cheesy. I've been trying to avoid that.
CaramelBoost: You thought who had a thing going on? Just because that happened doesn't mean everything's over for Marin and Murtagh. I'm glad you liked it.
Stripysockz: You will find out who everyone is by the end of the story. I'm glad you like the arguments. They're fun to write. I'm also glad you like my recurring theme.
Narnian Sprite: The dream was supposed to be confusing. I'm glad you liked the rest of the chapter. Jamison is definitely sneaky.
