Hey guys! Sry bout the Os, it got scrwed upÉ.hmmm im new to this fanfic thing

Thanx for the reviews! Im putting up a new chappie now an ill try update soon

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Chapter 4

Typho

Tarilenea rode from Port Diminitus on the Great Inland Sea to the start of the Great Road South, to the village of Typho. Moonshine and Streak ran swift and fast, staying about a mile behind NigelÕs band the whole time. Tarilenea followed the men by their tracks, which they never bothered to cover up. Once or twice she saw a halfhearted sweep with a branch at the hoof prints, but it seemed that the person in charge of clearing tracks had given up; after the first few miles the prints were plain and clear in the ground, and easy to follow.

The weather was good; clear, sunny, a light mist in the mornings. Tarilenea gathered fresh water by laying a cup out at night and drinking the dew in the morning. She was running out of food though; she had about two decent sized meals left and then she would have to survive on plants she found in the woods. On the night of her last meal, she followed the tracks into a village of about 300 people.

She learned later that it was called Typho. It made sense that NigelÕs company had stopped here; it had a nice inn called the White Horse and it had a school for sorcerers. Tarilenea thought hard while riding to the inn. She had to warn the magic students that Nigel and his men would try to capture them, but how could she? Tall for fifteen, but still a girl. Her freckled round cheeks and glossy curls did not exactly make for a formidable enemy. They would laugh at her. Try as she may, she could not think of another suitable idea.

She sighed as she was let into the White HorseÕs stable, flipped the stable boy a coin, and walked inside the oak doors. Inside were Nigel and the six other men, Lark nowhere to be seen. Tarilenea gulped and searched frantically for Lark, her supersensitive eyes adjusting to the dark quickly and roving about the candlelit room, finally stopping on a bundle in the corner, behind a chair. It squirmed, and Tamir walked over from the front desk nonchalantly, then nudged the bundle sharply with the toe of his boot. Tarilenea bit her lip, longing to challenge him to a good fight. She held her tongue, barely, but resolved to get Tamir later. She put her hood over her face, and attempted to tuck most of her curls behind her ears. She did not want Nigel to see her any more than he needed to.

She stood to the side as they conversed with the woman behind the counter, and observed. Nigel was short, but very muscular. One of his arms was the size of her upper leg. She saw a bulge at his ankle, and guessed that it was a knife. She counted three other places on his body where she suspected a weapon was concealed, not counting the ones he would have in his vest and on his belt. His cropped hair was a musty brown, and he had a large mustache.

Tarilenea then turned her eyes on the old man beside Nigel, who seemed to be sleeping standing up. She had heard his name before--Sebastien. His cloak was old and weather-worn, his cane more of a stick. She looked closely, and noted that there were inscriptions all over the piece of wood. She also saw that while his eyes appeared closed, they were really open--and watching her! She turned quickly, almost upsetting a plant in the corner. She took short deep breaths to calm herself; he had given her a shock. When she turned around again they were filing up the narrow creaky stairs to the bedrooms, Tamir carrying the kicking bag.

Adding a smile to her face and putting a bounce in her step, Tarilenea approached the counter. She quickly negotiated a room for one night, paid, and tripped upstairs. She was too tired to take a bath; she pulled her shoes off sluggishly and crept under the sheets. As soon as her face hit the pillow she started snoring softly.

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Morning sunlight hit TarileneaÕs eyes, making her wince and roll over. She blinked hard and sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings. The curtains were open, and bright light was pouring in. Had she overslept?

She threw on a pair of boyÕs breeches and a work shirt, putting her hair up under a cap so that from a distance, one might mistake her for a boy. She gathered her things hurriedly in her bag and ran down the small stairway, tumbling into the main hall. At the front desk she learned that Nigel and his men had left about ten minutes ago. She paid quickly for a slice of bread with meat and ran to the stables, intending to take her horses and follow as fast as she could. However, when she got there she found that there was trouble she had to deal with.

Walking in through the heavy oak doors, Tarilenea saw six men mounted on horses, Tamir holding a figure in a cloak to his chest. She looked around; Nigel and the stable boy were in the other corner, arguing. His muscled arms seemed to glare at her in the sparse light. She couldnÕt take on seven grown men. Instead, she turned her attention to listening in on the conversation between Nigel and the stable boy. They were standing right next to Moonshine and Streak, so Tarilenea had nothing to do but sit down on the hay and listen.

ÒIÕm telling you, these horses are mine!Ó Nigel whispered fiercely. ÒI brought them with me and paid you to take them. See that man there?Ó He pointed to Lark.

ÒHe is riding double because you wonÕt let us take this horse. IÕm paying you extra now, so donÕt make trouble.Ó Nigel tried to hand the stable boy some money.

ÒBut sir!Ó the stable boy said, obviously confused. ÒA young woman dropped these two horses off last night. I am sorry sir, but you will have to get her down here to tell me that these horses are really yours.Ó

Nigel smiled, and turned to the old man Sebastien.

ÒWell, if thatÕs how itÕs gonna be, thatÕs how itÕs gonna be. GÕnight, boy. See you at the Dark Gates!Ó Nigel snapped his fingers, and Sebastien glided off his horse in the direction of the stable boy, holding his walking stick tightly and muttering. Tarilenea realized with a gasp that this man was a wizard, and powerful too--the stone at the top of his stick was glowing brilliantly, lighting up the whole barn. The horses started stamping their feet and shaking their heads, knowing that something was wrong. The stable boy backed into a corner, shaking his head and holding out his hands.

ÒPlease sir, donÕt hurt me! IÕm just a poor boy who needs a job!Ó

As the menacing light edged closer, he put up his hands and cried out, ÒTake the horses! TheyÕre yours! Just take them and leave me alone!Ó

He crumpled into a heap on the hay, his small body quivering. Nigel grinned at the old man and started to open the lock on MoonshineÕs door, when a small person knocked into him, slamming him against the door and making him jam his finger in the lock. He yelled out in pain, and kicked out behind him. Tarilenea caught his shoe in her hand and twisted it with ease, while opening MoonshineÕs door with the other. She was about to smash his face against the hard wood when she saw Sebastien turn towards her with his glowing stick and heard Tamir come charging at her, so she decided that it was time to leave.

She sidestepped Tamir, sending him bowling into Nigel. It seemed to Tarilenea as she ducked under SebastienÕs horse that they had knocked each other out. She looked up at the barnÕs ceiling, which was fortunately very high. While looking though, she neglected to watch out for the other four men, who were at the moment dismounting and running towards her. She whistled, hard.

The men stopped in their tracks, their hands over their ears. The light on SebastienÕs stick even wavered, briefly. There was a second where everything stood still, and then Tarilenea looked up to see Moonshine and Streak jump over the stable doors, their muscles rippling under their coats and the doors far beneath them. They landed with a delicate thud against the soft dirt, and thundered past Tarilenea and the men. When they had gone, the men looked down where they thought Tarilenea was, hoping to pounce on her. But she was gone. They cursed and looked around wildly, anxious that she might be creeping up behind them. Sebastien sat on his horse with a thin finger under his chin, thinking. His large eyes, lashless under fine white eyebrows, were closed. He was feeling TarileneaÕs presence. Nigel interrupted this activity, muttering,

ÒOw! Where is that...that...Ó he sputtered here, emotion overtaking him, ÒTHING. I want it back now! I will rip it apart! Sebastien!Ó Sebastien looked up calmly, taking in the manÕs tomatoe-red face, swollen thumb, and ripped pants.

ÒYes, Nigel?Ó he asked in a placid tone. His voice was very high for a man.

ÒSense where that abominable thing is! I want you to find it! And when you do, I want you to send a spell after it--kill it! Do this immediately!Ó

ÒAs you please.Ó

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At the moment, Tarilenea was riding on MoonshineÕs side. The wind whipped her hair as she glanced back over her shoulder quickly. There was no sign of anyone following her, but she could feel someone trying to enter her mind. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, trying hard to keep the sense out of her head. It was strong; it was bright orange magic and it was trying to force down her shields. It wanted to know who she was; it wanted to know where she was going. Then, when it found that it could not get any information out of her, it withdrew quietly.

TarileneaÕs hold on MoonshineÕs mane increased and she swung up onto the horseÕs back as they clattered through the small streets of Typho. She reigned Moonshine in suddenly and whistled a stop signal to Streak. She looked around her. The dirt road was isolated; it was too early in the morning for any activity. Tarilenea looked up and down the lane at the tiny shops on the side, searching for one. She could not find it, though she read all the names carefully.

Far down the street, she saw a puff of blue smoke come out of a chimney. This must be the school for magic. Smiling slightly, she nudged the horses into a slow trot towards the house. Suddenly, a bolt of pain hit her brain. It felt like her head exploded and came back together again in one second. Tarilenea yelped and slumped down on the horse, gritting her teeth and breathing heavily. She opened her eyes, but all she saw was a fuzzy blue dot in front of everything. She felt a cold sweat breaking out all over her skin, and felt terribly dizzy. She needed to lie down and sleep so that her Gift could really take over, or she would fall off Moonshine.

Tarilenea kicked Moonshine gently with the toe of her boot, and the horse walked slowly down the street. Each time a hoof hit a cobblestone, Tarilenea winced. When she was badly hurt her gift of Senses was uncontrollable; she could not shut out some of the noise. So every smell, every sound, every touch, was aggravated to an almost unbearable point.

She opened her eyes blearily, wondering why Moonshine had suddenly stopped. She saw through the blue haze a door. Groggily, she tried to sit up. She slumped down again. There was something at the back of her mind, something she could not place--oh yes! It was the feeling she had felt before this had happened, of something trying to feel her mind.

This time the force was not so gentle. It was strong and angry, forcing its way into her head and feeling around with no soft hand. Tarilenea cried out and the door creaked open. She gasped as another bolt hit her head. This time she blacked out.

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cliffie lol! Review please its my first fanfic I need to know whut im doing wrong an stuff

thanx!