Water thundered down on her head, pushing her back into the depths. Blindly she clawed to what she thought was deeper into the lake, away from the water fall. Something solid brushed her; She struck out and grabbed at it. It was warm and soft; Eragon. She tugged him away from the waterfall. If she wasn't strong enough to escape it, surely he was not. He struggled out of her grip and she couldn't find him, lashing out each way. Her lungs and limbs burned, twisting her way she broke the surface.
Swimming doggedly she reached the shore clambering the rocks. She was greeted by many shocked warriors; of the human variety and of the stocky dwarves of the mountains. Several of the soldiers jumped back at the sight of the giantess pointing the swords and spears at her. She stared around for any sign of Eragon or Murtagh. Eragon was being dragged out of the water, spluttering profusely, by a fierce some dwarf. Her heart lurched, Murtagh was being held some ways away by a tall bald man. His head yanked back by the hair to expose his neck where a dagger was placed. What was more concerning was look on the face of the bald man holding Murtagh. Surprise was prevalent but there was a cold calculating edge to his features. Enya could almost see the man scheming.
Her staggering forward to save him was halted at the forest of hostile blades aimed at her. Several of the soldiers surrounded her. They led her to stand nearer Eragon. She stood awkwardly; overly aware of the blatant stares of the warriors. At first she tried to wave them away, to reason with them. She was stuck between them, one human lunged at her. She jumped back from the blade. She couldn't understand why these warriors were so hostile. Eragon was to be their hero and even if Murtagh was the son of some enemy, he was Eragon's friend first and to be respected. In the Naidzeilin clan's traveling with a Dragon as a companion would earn you a feast in your honour, the greatest respect and nearly anything you desired. She looked for a way out of her captors ring when the dwarf who rescued Eragon shouted orders to the warriors to lower their weapons.
"Enya!" Eragon said to her urgently; not taking his eyes off Murtagh. "Stay close, and do as I say, alright?"
"Dzutas, ta Eragon," she whispered back, also staring at the man with purple and gold robes. The bald man walked backwards as to keep his eyes on Eragon. The dwarf who had rescued Eragon walked near them. As curious as she was about the strange bearded man she was afraid.
When the door closed the only light was of the flickering torches and flameless lanterns casting bloody light over the damp and glistening walls. The bald man snapped something before disappearing. Enya followed after Eragon, dodging stalactites as she went. There was some unfounded worry gnawing at the back of her mind as if there was something that she be done, and quickly. In her state of tension she noticed the tunnel fade from rough cave into finely sculpted stone.
The room they entered was made of white marble, guarded by Mardskölir, the fiercely protective quilled creature that would roll in rotted meat to more effectively kill intruders. So distracted was she that she didn't even notice how low the ceiling was becoming. With a solid crack her head hit the marble header.
"Ah! Oooow," eyes crossed and watering she stumbled into the marble room. One of the warriors noticed and smiled tentatively at her as if he wasn't sure if it was safe to laugh at her. Eragon on the other hand seemed completely distracted by the situation. His eyes darted nervously from Saphira to the bald man. Her vague worrying over something forgotten suddenly became clear. It was Arya, who had been strapped to Saphira's belly for who knew how long quietly wasting away. She too began to look around nervously. She'd speak if she thought it would help, but gibbering at not-quite-allies who were quite mistrustful of them and also quite armed with sharp weapons and nearly as likely to stab them as protect them from Eragon's and Murtagh's enemies.
The booming of the door closing made Enya jump and nearly hit her head again. It was a very strange room; she'd never been in anyone like it. The Naidzeilin used many different kinds of homes, depending on the area they lived in. Clans a little to the west often lived in caves or stone shelves or in some cases smaller versions of Farthen Dûr. But clans that live near the lakes and rivers like the Shrtraden used the plates of sedimentary rocks like shale and slate. But nothing like the veined marble had ever been used in making homes. She barely noticed Eragon trying to speak to the bald man. It took her an unusually long time to be drawn back from the world of worry and wondered. The bald man spoke quickly and harshly to them. With her aching head she couldn't understand a word he said
*"Remove your weapons and slide them to me," she stared at him blankly, watching the others for hints at what to do. With some horror she watched as Eragon and Murtagh gave up their weapons. How could they trust these people?
Murtagh's back and neck ached from being held for so long in such an awkward position. Anger burned away at his insides, at himself for allowing himself to be caught but also at the circumstances themselves. Without any outlet to release his anger available he sat and stewed in his anger and glared at any soldier's unfortunate enough to catch his attention. He watched with contempt as Eragon removed his weapons while his own were removed. Enya eyes darted back and forth, looking nervous and confused she shifted from foot to foot.
"Remove your weapons!" He barked at Enya startling her. She took out her knife and looked at it wonderingly then back at him. It the bald man's consent a soldier approached her, sword drawn to take the weapon and force the giantess to submit. As he approached Enya backed up until she back into a wall.
"Ah! What?" She stared down at the soldier then back at the
"You idiot! Can't you see that she doesn't understand? Enya!" He called to get her attention then gestured at the knife with a jerk of his head." Give it to him," She looked back at the knife. He also gained the notice of the bald man and everyone else in the room.
"Give? " Reluctantly she passed the knife to the soldier.
Enya Watched the men argue dispassionately convinced that they talking about Arya. She felt tired and uneasy about the soldiers who Murtagh and Eragon had thought to trust. Why did I think this would be a Good Idea? Leaving home on a whim… But she knew why she agreed to lead them to the Varden. She wanted adventure, which seemed like a selfish reason to leave on its own; but she also felt some strange sense of obligation. Which she could not yet quantify save for the pitying of poor travelers and the sick. Back home the term 'Good Ideas' meant for someone to do something dangerous or strange that no one had explanation for, even the doer, who their afterwards said it seem ed like a good idea. Enya had not had one before; she wondered if they too felt a vague sort of pull.
She watched as the bald man sifted through Eragon's mind. His whole body was taught; he looked as though he was enduring some terrible pain. The process seemed to take several minutes before the pain receded from his face. Eragon looked as though he had a severe bought of the flu. She caught him just before he hit the floor before laying him down gently.
"Ah, Eragon what did he do? Are you go to be well?" She asked.
"Yes, I'll be fine," He answered weakly. For the most part she ignored the dwarf and bald man arguing behind them. She pulled Eragon into a sitting position against a wall. But when she heard the bald man declare that Eragon was not an enemy with such reluctance she felt her anger with these so-called allies boil over. Mustering her prowess at the human language she stood up straight and turned to look directly at the objects of her anger.
"Of course he is not your enemy! Why would 'sey come so far from 'deir homes to fight with you and be chased by others? 'dey say 'dat you can heal Arya, Why you not do that now! She almost dead!" The soldiers stared at the angry giantess towering over them as she bore down on their leader. Before now they had barely taken notice of her; a testament to both the extraordinary appearance of a rider which tended to over shadow nearly every other event occurring in the vicinity and her skills at avoiding being noticed. But despite the splendour and mystery surrounding the rider and dragon and the Man who defied such a feared sorcerer. One could not help pay heed to angry woman twice one's height, especially when she demanded it in such a persuasive manner.
Whatever fear she might have instilled in his warriors the bald man refused to be frightened by anyone, least of all ad over sized little girl. "It is a necessary precaution; the varden cannot become riddled with traitors because it is uncomfortable for some. Now, prepare yourself, I'll now test you." The bald man said coldly. She steeled herself for a similar mental assault. She had no idea of what to expect as her mind had never been touched except for her first meeting with Saphira.
It was a strange and painful sensation. As if a tiny claw with needle claws had entered her skull and attempted to assault her cortex only to scratch at wall as slippery as the brain itself. With without a place to gain purchase the claw that was the bald man's probing psyche scrabbled against the mental barrier. The bald man's growing frustration was taken out on her mind by ramming his mind-claw into the mental wall. The wall bent but did not break.
"Lower your barrier!" He shouted with another shove.
"Gah! Huern! Innaesha, Innaesha! I have no barrier." Enya panted. She bent over with her fists in her eyes to block out the spots of light erupting behind her eyes. Technically this was only a half-truth. Enya had never been trained to defend her mind for combat. She had no knowledge of the barrier residing in her brain. This obstruction was the result of her species sharing a habitat with Fanghur. Between the three top predators of the Beors; the Shrrg, the Urzhad, and the Fanghur. The Naidzeilin had most to fear from the Fanghur who could attack from above and disable prey with their screaming and minds. To defend themselves from the mental attack her species developed a protective barrier. Other creatures especially those that fell prey to the Fanghur had developed similar barriers. Neither the Shrrg nor the Urzhad had developed this; both were too large for the Fanghur to attack easily.
"you lie! How else could you stop it?" He spat.
"I not know; I have no barrier…swear," Enya sank down next to Eragon, blinking away the spots. While Eragon and Enya drifted from their painful, but fading haze, Orik and the Egraz Carn argued about what do this most unusual group and the fact that Murtagh was now refusing to let the bald one interrogate him. She was only brought out of her haze when the bald man barked and order to his warriors who thereafter filed out of the room. She lifted he heavy head to look at him.
"Because I was unable to complete my examination, you and… your friends will remain here for the night. They will be killed if they attempt to leave." Both he and Orik left. Enya slumped back against the highly polished wall and promptly fell asleep.