Sorry for the long hiatus! This is a short chapter, to help with my writer's block. Hope I publish more in the future!
"I really do not see why this is necessary" Ismira tried to adopt the haughty demeanor the Elves so excelled at. She even tossed her long copper hair back with indignation. I should not have done that. Looks more like a spoiled teenager than a powerful Rider.
"Those are the rules I'm afraid" said the young man called Dev, his dazzling smile growing even wider. He once again showed her the silk cloth for her to cover her eyes.
I am a Rider you fool! If I wish, I can break your mind, break into the hole this Silverfingers is hiding and take whatever I want. "I just do not like the idea of being paraded into town blind, like a criminal."
"We'll take one of the wagons my Lady." Dev tried to calm her. His bright blue eyes never left hers and not for the first time, Ismira wished she had changed her appearance. She had the deep suspicion that he knew exactly who she was. She had placed a small incantation on herself after leaving the Cross, that would blur her features, but it worked best from a distance and not a close inspection.
"Will this take long?" she sighed.
"As long as you desire miss." Dev teased her and her cheeks flushed and she hated him for it.
"I meant the trip." Ismira glared at him.
"Oh, the trip. No, it's not long. But, as I said, we need to take precautions."
"Let's go then." Said Albriech, who was standing stiff by her side, his eyes already covered.
Ismira did not bother to answer him. She made to take the cloth Dev was holding, but he held back. "Let me." he said
Don't trust me? Ismira thought. "Very well" she replied and motioned him to come closer.
He came behind her and gently brought the cloth around her head. His featherlike touch sent a shiver down her spine and she was all too aware of the ripple of his muscles beneath his velvet uniform. The cloth he had used was an opaque tight weave, that did a good job of cutting off her eyesight. Of course, being a Rider for so long had sharpened her eyes and she could still distinguish light and general big patterns. It matters not, she told herself. I have other senses to rely on.
"Come , my Lady." Said Dev and gently led her forward. Ismira walked with a stiff back and steady footing. She would not walk awkwardly, and would not let her discomfort show. She did however feel more relaxed once she was sited, in a wagon as Dev promised presumably.
"There, my Lady. You are all right now." Dev whispered beside her, still touching her arm.
"I'm fine" she quickly snatched her arm out of his touch. His sigh was warm on her face. And she could not help but think of his tight blond curls so close to her face. Of his bright blue eyes examining her.
What is wrong with me? Get yourself together!
She heard Dev leave to fetch Albriech and used the opportunity to quickly mutter a spell under her breath. She loosed a sigh of relief as soon as her sight returned. She felt too uncomfortable while blinded. Panic had begun to seize her.
She eased back to her seat. She was indeed in a carriage. The seats had plush cushions and the windows had velvet curtains. She had seen a few carriages when the boy had led them inside the vast inn stables. Too luxurious for a common inn. The Sleeping Ant Inn had appeared to Ismira like any other, when they had passed through different hidden courtyards and spotted numerous well-dressed guests. There was an air of wealth and power that made her uncomfortable.
Albriech almost hit his head coming in and then collapsed in the seat opposite her. Dev came in with a smile and sat beside her. Ismira pretended to be surprised by the motion of the carriage. Dev sat silently, quietly inspecting her with a small frown, his previous smile gone. Ismira pretended not to see that either, not to care. Instead she tried to focus on their path. The Inn had proven to be much bigger than she expected, extending to the adjacent buildings, but she was fairly sure she knew where they were. Years of flying high above the city had given her an excellent knowledge of the city's layout. Or so she thought.
She kept her mind mostly closed, occasionally probing with the lightest touch around her. Dev's mind was well protected, as she had noticed upon being introduced to the stableboy. If he is a simple stableboy, then I am a horsemaiden. He had accepted their request to meet with Silverfingers without further questions. Had not even asked for their names.
He knows. He knows who I am.
Let him.
They traveled at a slow pace for about a quarter of an hour, taking a meandering path. When they passed the Harbor, Ismira double checked her wards, in case any Rider sensed her in the carriage.
Dev must have sensed her unease. "Not long now, my Lady."
She chose not to answer. So what if they saw her? She was on official business anyway. And most Riders would most likely hear of it anyway, Keya would not keep it a secret. Would not protect her. Ismira would be ridiculed. Sent to meet with a smuggler. For a fucking plant, for a stupid Urgal. Not even for a good cause. She would be ridiculed. Laughed at.
She shut her eyes and could see their sneering faces.
Her rage flared. In the next breath, she expanded her mind around her, enveloping those around her. The heat of their bodies was nothing to the inferno inside her. The beating of their hearts, the rhythm of their breathing were normal, while hers were like the drums of war. She could feel Dev and Albriech sitting inside the carriage with her. She could sense the driver in the front sitting beside another man. A guard most likely.
Ismira held her bubble of influence from expanding to the people they passed on the street. That much control she still had. That much power.
Was the air becoming hotter? What that her?
She focused on Albriech. There was slight perspiration on his brow. Probably the beer.
She changed to Dev. He felt hotter to her. But he was also younger than Albriech, more fit. Much fitter. She sent a feather light touch over his body, probing the hard muscles on his arms, his torso. Goosebumps appeared on his skin. Her senses were so sharp; she could hear the hair on the back of his neck rising, the movement of his apple as his swallowed. He raised a hand and rubbed some sweat from his neck and its musky smell made Ismira have goosebumps of her own. He shifted in his seat and she felt his warm blood travel down his body and pool at the bulge of his trousers.
They passed a bump in the road and Ismira was thrown back in her seat. She had been unconsciously leaning forward. She opened her eyes. The others seamed undisturbed, not realizing the trance she had fallen into. The fact that she still kept a hold on them.
Panic mixed with her rage and for a moment she could not let go. She had the four men in her grip and she yearned for… something. I could kill them more easily than snuffing a candle. But Albriech… Kill the others… make it look like an accident… or an attack… A more exciting story than looking for a smuggler for a symbolic plant for an Urgal. The mess though… Eragon would know and punish her. She and Itha would never graduate.
Itha!
Thinking of her Dragon was like being doused in cold water. She tried to push back, but it was as if her mind was sticking in the bubble she had created around her. She took a deep breath, still hot and angry and anxious and afraid. Still interlaced in the four men's bodies. She focused on the driver and the guard, trying to peel her mind back. The guard shifted and his hand went to a dagger in his belt. The cold, hard metal was a breath of life for Ismira. She focused on it and slowly her own temperature dropped. She took another deep breath and pulled herself back to her own body.
And just in time, as the carriage came to a stop. And she realized she had not paid attention to their path and had no idea where they were.
What a sorry excuse for a Rider I am.