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---Chapter Four---
Fight or Flight
by: Elfluver13
"How far is this city?" Her voice irritated him to no end. The past day that they had been riding was spent mainly on horseback with one short respite at a stream. Caitrin had seen her chance to question him when they slowed from their usual all-out gallop.
"We are less than a day away from Furnost, and it is more a small town than a city," he spoke, clearly bored with the current situation. "Their main business is fishing off the Tudosten, the lake it sits near."
Another day. Another long, exhausting day in the firm saddle trying to keep from falling asleep against Murtagh's shoulder. She could have sworn her backside was bruised beyond repair from the endless bouncing of the horse's galloping. She found herself missing her old horse, whose smooth gait would have been welcoming compared to the bay's choppy and mixed footing.
"Anything else I should know about this... Furnost?" The name didn't sound familiar at all, Galbatorix had never sent her to Furnost for a kill, so naturally she never knew about it.
"Half the town is on stilts, to keep the houses from flooding. Since it happens to be close to the Varden, they supply the Varden army with many things. Once we reach Furnost, we will travel around the lake Tudosten, to Petrovya, and from there pass through Surda to reach their encampment on the Burning plains," he said. Caitrin became puzzled.
"Surda is not our ally, how will we pass through their lands without capture?" Caitrin knew Murtagh had been told the general outline of their mission, but how could anyone be so crazy as to pass through Surda? They murdered any they captured from the King's empire, after torturing them for information of course.
Silence passed with only the sound of the horse's hooves plodding along the beaten path. Caitrin could almost hear Murtagh preparing an answer.
"Disguise will be our ally, as long as we travel by night. We can't risk an even greater danger by approaching the Burning plains from the southwest of Furnost. They have countless guard towers and scouts postioned before them, and Surda is only left unguarded because they are an ally of the Varden," he answered. This made some sense, and it was smart if they wanted to stay alive.
Caitrin looked up curiously as darkness began to spread. Black, ominous clouds were moving quickly. The sound of distant thunder rolled across the emptiness around them. Caitrin was amazed when Murtagh's horse remained indifferent to the booming thunder, not even flinching at the harsh sound.
Murtagh reached into the packs tied to the saddle and pulled out two oil-slicked cloaks. He handed one to her and they stopped so they could secure the slightly heavy cloaks to themselves. After remounting again, rain began to pour from the clouds above and pelted them relentlessly as Murtagh urged the horse into a strong gallop.
Around late afternoon, they stopped at an outcropping of trees. The rain had yet to slow and still came at its hardest. After tying the horse to a tree, Murtagh joined her beneath the large leaves and branches of another older tree.
There was little space that was sheltered by the overhanging tree, causing them to sit shoulder to shoulder to at least get out of most of the wetness. The position made their limbs cramp easily and Caitrin felt like she had jump and move after only a few minutes crowded beneath the tree.
"Sit over here," she heard Murtagh say from above her. She was crushed against the side of him facing the opposite direction. Did he mean he wanted her to sit on him?
"What do you mean?" She asked warily. "I'm already practically sitting on your lap."
Murtagh smirked and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her from beside him and setting her carefully on his thighs. He was right, neither of them could get wet.
"Better?" He whispered, right next to her ear. She felt shivers go through her at his warm breath on her cold skin. She nodded slowly, knowing that if she tried to use her voice it wouldn't be anything but a squeak.
As much as Murtagh acted as though none of it phased him, it had a powerful effect on him nonetheless. Her smooth skin was soft to the touch and the smell of her brown hair intoxicated his senses. The temptation to brush his lips against that flawless skin beneath her ear was overpowering.
Hours passed with night beginning to fall. The rain slowed to a slight drizzle, allowing them to at least see clearer and farther. Thorn was resting nearby, hidden by a large outcropping of rocks. Murtagh told him to circle above Furnost while they gathered supplies.
"We should enter the town now, it's getting to be late at night and no one will bother us. Come," he moved to stand, gently easing her off of him. She stood up quickly and they mounted moments later, speeding off towards the tiny fishing community of Furnost.
"We're staying together, the food will be easy to find and then we can search for a horse. The town may be small, but there are many twisting alleyways between the houses that we can't afford to lose you in," he said superiorly.
"So you think I would be the one to get lost? You are entirely sure of that? The way I see it, you would be the first one to get confused because of your stubborness," she retorted. He ignored her, examining a few fresh pieces of fruit at a vendor before purchasing them. The vendor gave them an odd look before they passed on.
The town was indeed very intimidating at night. The darkness cloaked everything with only a few torches every so often to shed light. After the recent storm, houses dripped with the rainwater and the nearby lake swelled dangerously close to the quaint town. She pulled her hood farther down over her face while following Murtagh through the mucked streets.
After they had stopped at several other vendors and purchased other fruits, breads, and sustaining items they made their way over to the edge of the town where some stables were located. Up ahead of them, Caitrin noticed two men, one older than the other and hunched over slightly. Their cloaks looked different than the usual style of the town and they made a habit of glancing over their shoulders to check behind them.
"I guess we aren't the only ones in Furnost trying not to be noticed," she said. Murtagh looked up with a frown marring his features. He glanced to where she was looking and immediately began ordering her about.
"Follow me," he said, pulling her by the arm into an alley that he had earlier warned about. "If we're lucky, they just missed us. Judging by the looks of it, though, they have seen us." Caitrin was extremely confused.
"What do you mean? Who are 'they'?" Murtagh ignored her and pushed her up against the side of the house. He leaned close to her, pressing her against the wall and whipsering into her ear.
"They are Varden spies, two of the most well known ones at that. My guess is that they're stationed at every outpost from here to Surda. If they see us, we're finished," he whispered. Caitrin breathed slowly, trying not to make anymore noise than she had to. "They saw us rush into this alleyway."
"So what do we do? If they've seen us, it's like you said, isn't it? We're finished."
"No, we can fool them. You're going to have to cooperate, follow my lead. We have little time before they pass by and search this alleyway. Tell me, who else hides in alleyways?" Murtagh asked.
"Murtagh!" She whispered harshly. "This is no time for riddles!"
He gave her a look, and she answered sarcastically.
"Besides Empire assassins who are trying to kill the Varden, I have no idea. Do tell," she replied. Murtagh gave a sigh of frustration at her words.
"Imp," he muttered. "Lovers. They frequent alleyways, do they not?" Caitrin caught on quickly.
"Oh no, no, no, no. You are not seriously..."
"Here they come," he said. She didn't have anymore time to protest before he pressed his lips against hers in what would seem a passionate kiss between two devoted people. Unfortunately for Caitrin, it was awkwardness abound in her mind.
Out of the corner of her eye as Murtagh kissed her, she saw the shadow of the Varden spies pass by. One of them, the older one maybe, she couldn't tell, stopped for one short moment to look before passing by quickly after seeing them. She tried her best to return the embrace and play the part of the eager lover, but Murtagh let no room for that. His hands had wandered to her waist, one even moving to cradle her backside. She gave a surprised sound at this, but tried to continue.
When he was sure they had passed, he broke the kiss, backing away from her and breathing quickly. Caitrin felt her heart beating a mile a minute, her lips tingling from the possessive kiss.
"Sorry if it was unexpected, but it worked did it not?" Caitrin nodded numbly, once again not trusting her voice. "Come on, we will find you a horse another time, now we must leave this town quickly."
Too soon for a kiss? Not so if you're running from expert Varden spies. And it's all uphill from here, romance wise of course. Please review! They keep me going and inspire me to write!!!
-ElfLuver13