Disclaimer: See first chapter
Chapter 2
Eve woke to the frantic sounds of sobbing. She bolted upright, dagger in hand, and looked at the source of the sound. Kirra was next to the fireplace being supported between two large men. Hector was on the ground near the door, blood pooled around his head. Vern and Dex had their daggers out and were facing the men bravely, even if the were pale and shaking. Fox made a sound like a squeak from behind her and Eve was on her feet, standing defensively between the thirteen year old and the men.
"Well, what do we have here?" The largest and possibly dumbest man sneered.
"All villains say that," Vern snapped.
The man grinned showing rotting teeth, "Well then wouldn't want to step out of character would I?"
One of the men holding Kirra dropped her arm and lunged at Eve. With a frightened squeak she dodged and sunk her ten-inch blade into the back of neck. He dropped to the ground like a sack of flour, almost wrenching her dagger from her hand. It wasn't the first man she'd had to kill, but didn't hurt any less.
The large leader raised an admiring eyebrow. "You, I might keep around, what with the way you handle a 'dagger.'" he sneered mocing her blade.
Eve shuddered and shrunk back away from the foul man.
Dex gave a cry of rage and lunged at the leader who merely shoved him aside into the other guard holding Kirra. Dex's dagger struck a glancing blow up the man left arm before slumping to the ground knife in his gut. Eve gasped and tried to rush to Dex along with Vern.
"Thrysta!" the man large man snapped, and they were both batted backwards.
"Magic!" Vern stared at the man, who chuckled.
The man held out a hand. On it, in the very middle was a red jewel, held in place by straps of leather. He aimed it at Vern and said another word in the Ancient language, "Ethgri."
The red stone glowed and beam jetted from it to Vern's forehead.
"NO!" Eve cried, and tried to rush the man still holding the dagger. She tripped over Kirra, who'd curled up on the floor sobbing, and rammed into the other man sinking her blade uselessly into his fore arm. He howled and shoved her back and on to the ground. Eve came up, another dagger in her hand, ready to rush the man again but held her place when the wizard lifted the spell he'd been using on Vern and nodded to a man standing in the door.
This man came in, wiry in build, but strong, and scooped the unconscious Vern off the ground.
"No!" Eve sobbed and attempted to go to Vern's aid, knowing it was all useless but having to do something.
The man who had held Kirra grabbed her making her drop her dagger and held her still as the wizard approached Fox. The red head trembled, frightened, but didn't move. Fox was like a forest creature, scared when trapped and reacted the same way; she tried desperately to hold still and look unremarkable.
"Well, my dear, it's your turn," and the man invoked the spell that was in the stone again. Fox whimpered and sat rigidly.
Eve slumped helplessly in her captor's arms, silent tears going down her cheeks. This was like when she was little, watching as her parents were killed for being traitors to the King, or the time when she was thirteen and they'd had to fight off a rival group of thieves to keep their little hide out.
"My, what a useful group of children you've all been," the man ended the spell, grinning. "Her as well, boys, looks like we're going to get paid this month."
'What do Fox and Vern have in common? What would make these men want them but kill the others without thought, whatever it is they think I might have it too?' Eve thought frantically. 'Fox is connected somehow to nature, Vern's an intellectual type, and I'm, well, I'm me.'
Eve nearly groaned when she realized the answer. Of all the group, they were the only ones left that showed signs of being able to use the ancient words that Felix, their oldest family member and one of the first to go, had taught them. They were the ones that showed signs of having magic. Quickly, she built up her mind shields like Felix had taught them, then added a mist to the already strong walls to make her mind invisible. Felix had been shocked when she'd done that, because he said an invisible mind was an impossible one to enter. She'd told them how'd she'd done it, but only Vern had learned to copy her.
Eve spaced out, letting her mind drift in the misty barrier, completely hidden. The man held his hand over her forehead and invoked the spell again. He delved into where her mind would have been if she hadn't hid it with such force. He looked confused, groping around in her head for her mind, and gave a snort of disgust.
"This one's touched in the head."
"What would you like me to do with her?" the man holding her asked.
The wizard contemplated it for a moment. "Bring her outside maybe we'll drown her and let her float down river."
Eve almost smirked. When the group had played 'Who can stay under the water the longest?' in the river during the summer, only Alisha and Hector had ever beaten her.
The man holding her threw her over his shoulder roughly. His shoulder dug hard into her gut and she was hard pressed not to spew down his back. It might have been funny, but it would send the man into rage and he'd surely kill her then. Hanging there limply, she gave a few struggles to maintain the idea that she didn't like being captured.
Outside, she found ten other men and a group of strong looking horses. In the light of the full moon, she could see there uniforms. They were the kings men. They wore the same uniform as the men that had come to her home and taken away her mother and father when she was little. Some of the men where tying Vern and Fox to the backs of the horses, and already in place was Alisha.
Eve gave a few harder struggles at the sight of her friends before she could control herself. She wanted to be drowned in the river!
The man caring her threw her violently on the ground next to the river and sat down on her legs facing her feet, while another held her wrists. The other men in the group mounted up and started to head out.
"No time to have any fun with this one, the captain wants to get the brats back to Galbatorix as soon as possible," The new man said.
"Yeah, so the uppity pussy foot says. Let me just tie her ankles and tie her off to a good sized rock so I can toss her proper like," Her captor chuckled.
"There's a proper way to drowning?" the new man laughed, "Of course you would figure that."
Eve couldn't help being disgusted. These two men where having fun laughing at each other while the prepared to toss her in the river to die.
"They're out of sight by a minute now," The man holding her wrists said.
"Good," the man straddling her legs said and got up off her legs, taking the rope with him.
Eve sat up quickly and looked at the two men in confusion. "What about tying me up and tossing me in the river?"
The men chuckled. "You sound like ya want to be tossed in," the taller one who'd been tying her up said.
Eve shook her head. "But why?"
"'Cause we don't like pointless killen', and nobody 'round here would listen to a thief if she told them the King's men came and took some her buddies," the shorted man with the blonde hair shrugged.
Eve frowned. "What'll happen to my friends?"
"Well, that stone the captin's got was given to him by the King to help him look for potential dragon riders," The tallest shrugged.
Eve gasped and felt a sudden surge of regret that she wasn't going with her friends, then reminded herself that the King was evil and only had the two eggs which held evil dragons. Not a fun adventure.
"Oh. Well, what am I supposed to do now?" Eve shivered. "You killed my family."
They both grimaced. "Look, I don't know about that, but I'd get out of here and get your self a job help'n 'round some stable or somethin'."
Eve nodded and stood up, patting dust out of her britches. "Then that's what I'll be doing."
The men looked relieved. "Get out of her before morning when the next patrol comes through. Captain beat them here, and they'll be frustrated that he got the hopefuls first."
Eve nodded and darted back under the bridge to the hideaway to get her things. Her friends's bodies were gone, obviously disposed of to hide the evidence. Ignoring her loss she rushed to her shelf. She grabbed her bag and stuffed two change of clothes, a skirt, two head covers, her two books, wrapped the dragon figurines in rabbit skins and packed them, a loaf of bread, two apples, the carrots, two extra daggers, and leather strips to tie back her brown hair with. Then she darted over to the boys's side and raided their shelf, shoving aside the guilt. She snatched the hidden money purse Hector kept, a book full ancient words she could pronounce properly enough to use them, a bed roll because Dex's kept his clean and in the best repair, a canteen, and a cloak.
She re-emerged from the dwelling to find both men gone and sighed. She was rather glade to see they left, that way there was no awkward parting. Wondering what to do next, she crossed the Edda River, relying on the fact she'd find a nomadic desert tribe to purchase a horse from later.
And she was off heading north with absolutely no clue where she was going, as long as it was away form Hedarth.
AN: Kohri has kindly edited this for me. So it's easier to read now.