Chapter Four: The Warehouse
Alice and Blödhgarm strolled around the empty warehouse on Emerald Avenue, a dead-end road off the city centre. The early morning sunlight filtered through the shabby crooked slats of the walls, making the dust motes dance in the air as they moved around. The warehouse was empty except for a few hay-bales and some old rusted farming equipment. The hay bales and some empty crates were stacked up against one wall, covered in an undisturbed layer of thick dust. However, behind this façade of disuse and disrepair, its real purpose as the Varden's secret storehouse for specialized equipment was apparent. Goods that were hard to manufacture, like specialized armour and magically-enhanced food for the army, was kept here briefly on its way to the Surdan border. This was one of very few stops along the journey, and its purpose was ironically to count and check the supplies, to make sure they were undamaged and all accounted for, before repacking them for the next stage of the journey. It was also the point at which Galbatorix's minions somehow managed to tamper with the items, damaging the efficiency of the army in the long run. Blödhgarm knew that the stakes were higher than simply some damaged armour. He wouldn't have been sent if there wasn't something big afoot; if the enemy was tampering with Varden supplies without being caught, and they were powerful spell-casters, then the possibilities were endless as to what mischief could be caused. The Varden had suffered some unexpected losses recently- ambushes that weren't surprising to the enemy, sudden lethargy by the soldiers causing disproportionate losses, and the like. If Blödhgarm had to guess, he would say it was most likely there were tracking spells on the armour, or energy-draining curses. And if the magicians weren't stopped, who knew? Maybe the next thing would be an outbreak of some magically induced plague. They had to be stopped.
Cleverly concealed on the warehouse floor were three large trap-doors which, though empty now, would be filled with the Varden's supplies in just two more days.
Blödhgarm crouched to the ground above the trapdoors and inhaled deeply, eyes closed. Alice turned away from her inspection of the crates to watch him. Without a doubt, the magicians had been here before. He'd already caught their scent from the Governor's House, which they'd staked out earlier that morning. They had climbed a roof adjacent to the large and imposing Governor's House in secret, and then watched the windows of the upper floors, where Alice's source had told them the magicians were staying. Sure enough, as the first stalls of the town market below opened shop, the curtains of one of the upper rooms were pulled back, and a young man with an arrogant face looked out impassively at the people milling around in the square below the House. Alice had stiffened next to Blödhgarm, and for a moment her expression was dark, as if remembering some terrible pain. "That's him." She'd hissed. Paldir obviously had no idea of the possibility that he may be being watched, and stood there in plain view for quite some time, as he talked to someone else behind him. Blödhgarm had muttered a spell which would let a breeze carry his words to them, but even as he did so, Paldir turned and vanished. However, Blödhgarm had at least managed to get his scent from this encounter.
Blödhgarm looked around the warehouse speculatively. Somehow, between the time the supplies arrived here and left the next morning in covered wagons, they were being tampered with. But the supplies were handled by guards both times in loading and unloading, so surely goods that were tampered with would be noticed by the packers befor ethe wagons were sealed and left?
"Look here," said Alice excitedly. She was still standing over by the wall of crates. "These boxes look like they are shifted right up against teh wall, but they actually aren't." She stepped behind the crates and vanishes. "There is enough space for several people to stand, hidden."
Blödhgarm also peered in. "Less dust, too." He remarked. He smiled knowingly. "Peculiar, isn't it?" He'd obviously figured it out. "Well," he said loudly, "I've seen enough. This is where I will be laying the ambush."
Alice's answering smile faltered slightly, "Not- not at the Governor's House?"
"It's too public." He answered firmly, "Things may get messy if civilians are involved."
Alice nodded, but seemed worried. "Well, we must search their quarters immediately after we've taken care of them."
"That's a good idea... is there something specific you're after?" he asked. His smile was gone. She was being evasive again.
"No... nothing in particular." She said vaguely, as if losing interest in the conversation. "So what is the plan?" she asked, changing the subject.
Blödhgarm was starting to feel slightly annoyed with this girl, who was obviously hiding something from him. But he could detect no trace of malice in her thoughts. When she was being deliberately evasive, a slightly dreamy expression came over her face, which he could not distrust. Her eyes seemed extra bright and innocent, and well... kind of cute. She was as hard to read at times as... as an elf. He sighed. As they walked out of the warehouse, he started to explain his theory, "Okay, here's the plan..."
