I have to repeat it, just in case: I do NOT own Karigan G'ladheon. She belongs to Kristen Britain. I only lend her for my story. And as I said before, there are similarities between 'Green Rider' and this chapter. I can't write it much better, so I spare my creativity for the time MY plot starts. I don't intend to make the Tortall version of 'Green Rider'. It's just the beginning. I really hope you like it.

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Chapter 04:   Karigan

He had been alone on the road for four days now, but this had changed. He heard voices, in the forest. Voices searching for something or someone.

"Where are the others gone?"

"They are searching in the north. Did you see something?"

"Nothing. No tracks. You can search someone for days in this forest without finding him. But he has to be here."

"I only see trees, trees, trees! And thorns and bushes to stumble over. A really good hiding place this forest, for someone who doesn't want to be found."

The voices became more and more silent. They were gone. Tiuri came out of his hiding place, the horse right on his heels. "Who are they? Hunters? What are they hunting? Or should I ask whom?"
The horse didn't answer him, but he had the feeling that it understood his words and wondered about the men itself. He had found out that this animal didn't only seem to be more intelligent, it really was. It always led him to water when he was thirsty and it found the right places to stay for the night. He really trusted it by now.

'I have to be careful that they don't see me.' He sighed. 'Does it always have to be like this? Do I always have to be afraid of strangers, who might perhaps be my enemies? Can't I trust anybody?' When he was sure that he heard nothing unusual he moved on.

He slept unruly this night. He was worried about his lack of equipment to survive this trip. He had hardly anything to eat and no money with him. He didn't want to sell the horse, he needed it to move fast and it just didn't feel right to sell it anyway.

When he woke up the next morning he felt sick. His had was throbbing. But he had to go on. He really tried to pay attention towards his surroundings, but he didn't notice the danger he was in until it was to late. He found himself encircled by ten men with weapons. Bandits!

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 "Why the hell am I here?" Karigan G'ladheon groaned. She had just woken up and found herself in the middle of a forest, unknown to her, feeling dirty, wet and cold. Her red-brown eyes glittered angrily while she tried to comb her unruly long black hair with her fingers. "Oh, yeah, now I remember, do get away from that damnable convent." Her back hurt like hell. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to sleep on the stony ground. Well, she didn't have much of a choice considering that there was only stony ground here.

She got up, shivering in the cold air. She packed the few things she had managed to take with her when she had run away. Just enough to make it her father's home. Or at least that was what she hoped. "It will have to be enough." She straightened her back and started to go on walking on the way back home. It was the broadest of all ways which led through these wild forest. It had been the way she had come here. She knew she had just to follow it and she would find the way back.

She cursed the day she had arrived at the convent. It was not the usual kind of convent, like those for noble girls. In these days the merchants had become more and more important for Maren. It was them who had brought wealth to the country. It was them who had mostly paid the rebuilt after the destruction caused by the Immortals War. Maren had been going through hard times, and only thanks to men like Karigan's father these times were over now. Karigan was more than proud of her father. He had been born as a simple, poor boy, owning nothing except the clothes he wore. And he had made it to one of the wealthiest merchants in the whole country. His wealth and his connections to many important persons had made him one of the most influential as well. And Karigan was his daughter, only child and heiress. To give her the best education possible he had sent here, to the convent.

This convent was only for children of rich merchant families of both sexes. There they learned everything they had to know to be able to administer and increase their riches. Several languages, mathematics, everything that had to do with administration, trading and fighting. And the children get known to each other, which could be helpful in future for their business. Even the girls learned how to fight. When a merchant was on the road with his goods, he was attacked by bandits on nearly regular basis. He had to be prepared. The fact that there weren't much men left after the war and that women often accompanied the caravans, made it necessary for them to be able to defend themselves and their property.

Karigan had hated it there from the moment she had arrived. She had been 12 years old back then. Now, five years later this hadn't changed much. She had made some friends, but she still detested most of the other children there. In her eyes they were spoiled, superficial, selfcomplacent idiots who looked down on her because her family was not one of the old, well-known merchant families which had been in Maren for ages. She had had a rough time the first years, always getting into fights, mainly because of her temper. Others might have stayed calm and tried to fit in, but every time Karigan heard someone whisper something impolite or insulting about her family she just couldn't stop herself. At the beginning she had hardly stood any change, but after all these years, being on of the most attentive pupils in the fighting classes, she was able to show these fools their places. It was only a pity that the boy she had detested the most was already gone the time she would have been able to beat him. He had made her first years really hard, always playing dirty tricks to her. He was a member of one of the oldest families and thought very highly of himself. But he was some years older and had already finished school.

She had always had a difficult relationship with the headmaster of the convent, being the girl who brought so much trouble to his simple world. But she would have never thought that he would throw her out. Because she had won a fair fight. OK, she had broken the boy's nose, but that wasn't the point. HE had challenged HER. And she had shown him who was the better fighter. But HE was allowed to stay while SHE had to go. Just because his family was older than hers and just because the headmaster feared their reaction. Of course he had said that the reasons were different, he had babbled on about her indecent behaviour, his duty to save the other students of her bad influence, and some more things she didn't really remember because she had had quite a difficult time to control her anger and not to throw that babbling idiot out of the window. Very tempting idea, but not really worth it.

But one thing she could do, giving him a last little gift from her. She had run away. Now he had to explain her father how he could have lost his daughter. Well, the other reason had been that she wouldn't have been able to stand the nasty comments of the other students without causing more injured persons.

She stopped when she noticed the path to part in two. She hesitated and tried to remember which one she had to take. 'Hmm. I think we had come the right path. It's bigger and in a better condition. As far as I remember both paths are parallel to each other. Maybe I should take the left one, just in case someone is searching for me.' She thought over it again and then took the right path, oblivious that it led her deeper in the forests than she had ever been before.

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Tiuri felt like crying. They had grabbed him and pulled him down of the horse. He had fought for his life and his mission and had finally been able to run away. They had hunted him, nearly killed him, but he had been able to hide again. After a while they had left him alone, to die. They knew exactly that he was injured badly. He felt the blood running down on his left side, and he had several other cuts. Some of them deep. Too deep. But he still had the letter with him. 'I'm so stupid. If only I had chosen a smaller path, or rode in the forest. Because of my own stupidity my situation is now worse than ever before. I need a healer. But where to get one? I've lost my way. How can I go on?' But the worse was that he had lost the only friend he had now, the horse. How should he fulfil his mission now?

He stumbled forward. He had to go. He knew he had to. He felt that he was in danger and that his life depended on his actions now. Suddenly he heard the voices again. 'The riders! Or the bandits!'

They knew he was there. Somehow they knew it. He had to run.

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"I've lost my way. Damn it!" Karigan cursed heartily. She had taken the wrong way. "One time I try to think logical and intelligent, and something like that happens to me. What to do now!" She kicked a stone with her feet to release some tension. She stared angrily at the trees around her as if it was their fault. Suddenly something else caught her attention. 'Do I hear voices now? What is that?'

The voices were real. And they came towards her. Fast. Suddenly a young boy or man was stumbling out of some bushes, falling down a bank and rolling directly in front of her feet. He was covered with dirt and blood. His own blood.

Karigan stared at him, eyes wide in shock. He looked up at her, his face twisted in pain. When his eyes finally focused on her she heard him whisper: "Run! They'll kill you as well! Run!"

Karigan her someone breaking through the thicket. Her head jerked up. She saw men riding towards her, clothed in red, murder in their eyes.

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Happy Valentine's Day. Here is my gift for you: Two new chapters at once! Tomorrow is my birthday and I would love to get some reviews then. ^_~