CARVAHALL

Trenna knelt down on the dusty ground beside her father's tent, watching people rush by in a massive crowd. Her father, Sern, was a traveling merchant, and she'd been to Carvahall countless times, but she still liked to observe the people and sights. Usually if she could spot someone her age, she was allowed to go talk and explore the other tents with them until dark since it was much more boring just lounging around.

Another group of adults passed by, and Trenna sighed impatiently. It was tiring waiting for other twelve-year-olds to show up, and she didn't have much patience. Watching her father sell interesting stones and gems wasn't exactly very fun. A little deception wouldn't hurt, she decided. She waved goodbye to Sern, pretending she'd spotted someone in the crowd.

Trenna easily slipped into the sea of people and then, when Sern was out of sight, squeezed out again and started toward the woods. She could climb trees until it was time for the merchants to pack their wares and leave for the next town and pretend that she'd spent the day with another person.

It was a short walk to the forest, and Trenna easily reached it within minutes. As she gripped a thick branch, she enjoyed the feeling of the rough, bumpy bark beneath her fingers. After hoisting herself up, she reached for the next branch, and before long she had worked her way up the entire tree.

The view was breathtaking. Trenna could see the tents, now just dots, with tons of even tinier specks around them. She could tell which blue dot was Sern's tent, and she could just barely make out Sern himself. Trenna hoped business was going okay; they hadn't had much money for a while now. She turned her attention to the forest floor. Maybe she could help by looking for things that her father could sell.

Trenna gripped a branch and swung down from the tree, hitting the ground with a soft thump. Dead leaves crunched under her feet as she tramped through the forest, glancing down at the ground every so often to see if there was anything interesting. The scenery was beautiful; Trenna loved the peaceful look the autumn leaves gave the environment as they floated down like small birds. She reached up to touch one, an orange maple leaf fluttering down from one of the tall trees, but a split second before it reached her hand, she jolted back at the sound of cracking twigs.

Slowly, Trenna turned around. Since she was a trader's daughter, she'd been told thousands upon thousands of times that not everybody in the world meant well. Sure enough, the bushes behind her were rustling, and it definitely wasn't the wind. An unearthly stillness filled the air. Trenna wanted to do something, anything, to break that stillness, but it was as if her feet were glued to the ground; she couldn't move.

It happened so fast Trenna didn't have time to react. The man was upon her within seconds, and she was helpless, pinned to the ground by his strong arms. His rancid breath hit her as he opened his mouth.

"Hello," he said quietly. Trenna shivered; his voice was very smooth and calm, as if he was sure he'd be getting what he wanted very soon. She observed him, trying desperately to figure out what he wanted with her. An icy chill crept over her like a gust of wind when she recognized his uniform: he was part of Galbatorix's army.

"Don't be alarmed," he told her in the same, silky voice. "I just want to know if you have any…information for me."

Now Trenna was really frightened. What kind of information did the soldier mean?

"Tell me, have you seen anything that looks like this?" He produced a small piece of paper from his pocket and stuck it in her face.

It was a photograph. The picture showed a smooth, rounded stone. The stone was radiant silver in color, and it shone brightly, reflecting the light of the sun. Trenna could tell it was the kind of stone that Sern would be able to sell for a lot of money.

"No…I haven't seen it," she finally stammered. To Trenna's horror, the soldier put a hand on the dagger at his belt.

"Are you sure?" he asked coldly, the prying softness of his voice now entirely gone.

She gulped and nodded. Why can't he just go away? Hasn't he interrogated me enough?

A sigh of relief escaped her as the soldier removed his hand from the dagger's handle. He stood up, freeing Trenna. "Just remember, if you see anything that looks like that, let me know. I'll be in Carvahall's tavern until late tonight."

Trenna watched, still rigid with fear as the soldier disappeared back into the depths of the forest. She could feel her eyes darting about, her ears alert for any more sounds that shouldn't have been there. What if there are more of them out there? Unnerved by her encounter with the man, she decided to climb another tree. That way she could make sure there were no more soldiers, thus calming her nerves.

She climbed another tree, more shakily than before. There aren't any more of them, she told herself sternly. You won't see any soldiers when you look around from the top of the tree. Her breath came in short gasps as she climbed from branch to branch, higher and higher up the side of the maple tree that the orange leaf had once been a part of. Once at the top, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes to the world around her once more.

There was no movement among the vegetation below. Trenna sighed with relief, wiping drops of cold sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. It was all okay now. There were no more soldiers to pin her down and trap her like an animal. She didn't think she could handle that again. The feeling of helplessness…it was like nothing she had ever experienced, and it hadn't been in a good way.

I'm glad that over. Now I can go back to Carvahall, and with all the traders it'll be impossible for that to happen again. Much more carefree and lighthearted, Trenna started her descent. She was just deciding that she'd help Sern for the remainder of the day when she felt the palm of her hand brush against something. She looked down and immediately and icy chill crept over her.

It was a magpie's nest. Sern had taught Trenna long ago that magpies were greedy little birds that were attracted to anything shiny. If even a small shimmer caught their eye, they would snatch up whatever item was reflecting the sunlight and take it back to their nests, which served as not only their homes but a sort of treasure trove. Her father had been absolutely right. There was an assortment of gleaming objects sitting on the floor of the nest: bits of glass, a small length of twine, even a diamond ring that Trenna recognized as Sern's friend's. But what had really caused her to shiver was what was sitting the center of the pile: a smooth, round, polished stone that was dyed a beautiful shade of silver.