Interlude 1: Brom's Time In Surda
Brom dreamed.
Brom was in Surda, on an important mission for the leader of the Varden. He was walking down the street, his sword in his scabbard and his pack on. He eventually reached the marketplace, where he saw a man he recognized. Passing him by, not wanting to be noticed, he went on with his business: To find his contact and get the information he came for. He eventually came to his contact's house and knocked politely. Brom then heard a muffled voice from inside.
"Who is it? What do you want?" The speaker was evidently grumpy, and Brom thought,
Why is this person my contact? What did I ever do to you, Weldon?
"I'm from your grandfather," Brom said, which was the code for this contact.
"My grandfather? What does my grandfather want?" replied the voice. That was the code to say "come in." Brom opened the door and saw a man of maybe thirty on a chair in a dark room.
"Close it, you're letting the light in," the man groaned. Brom complied, shutting the door and then walking over to the chair.
"Heyra Neo," Brom intoned. "Where are the records and the sword?"
"Relax, I have the records right over on that desk," The man pointed over to a desk, and Brom moved over to it, and picked up the papers he assumed were the records.
"And the sword?" Brom asked. The man laughed and said,
"Coming right at you," Brom whirled around in time to see the man throw a seemingly-green sword at him, blade tumbling over hilt, and barely had time to duck and draw his own sword.
"Why?" he asked, and then the door burst open with ten men in the colors of the Empire, and Brom was stunned. "The Empire's in Surda?"
"No, but we are," One of the men said. Brom growled and whispered,
"Brisingr," and envisioned a column of fire roaring up in front of the man who had spoken. At the same time as that was taking effect, he leapt forward and sliced off the head of the man who had thrown the sword at him. The others balked, but then began to charge Brom, in spite of the burning house. Brom whispered again, this time: "Kveykva," and a bolt of blue lightning shot out and killed one of the men. Brom beheaded two others, and all of them left as the house began to collapse. He then said:
"Eitha," and teleported away.