A/n: review this people!!!! I would love to hear criticism good and bad! Thanks!

CH.3

The silence surrounding her had become unbearable; Aris began to hum to herself unconsciously. After a few more carefully placed steps she reached out to touch the dirt and shifted it. Afterwards she took a deep breath and realized that she was going to have to rest soon. Dirt had always been the hardest to control. She knew that that wasn't right, it shouldn't be a particular thing that is hard to control, rather the amount and what she was doing with it. But, it wasn't like that, with water, air, plant life, and other simple spells, but fire and earth spells were so difficult. She new that people thought she just had a gift in magic and supposed that was true, but it wasn't strength in it that was her gift. She was strong, yes, but when she was trying to do a complicated spell and she focused it was as if she could feel the magic in the land, the actual essence of magic.

Her train of thought was interrupted and Aris came crashing down to reality, her heart panging again as she heard a snap of a twig to the right of her.

"A horse snapped that twig," falling back into the shadows between two trees. The snap had been sharp and clear not the muffled sound of a booted foot.

"Soldiers couldn't have followed me past the boulder, no Empire soldier can track that well. It can't be elves either, no elfin horse would make that much noise, perhaps there are slavers here." She sped up slightly while still being careful not to make a sound. It was still a slow pace, avoiding the dry crunchy leafs on the ground was no easy task. Only minutes later she heard a branch move out of place behind her. She felt the panic begin to creep up her spine. There was no doubt in her mind that whoever this was had caused the silence. Elves were a part of nature so if they had been searching for her the forest would have been as it normally was.

"Why oh why did they have to be to the right of me?" if they had been to the left she could have taken of north towards Du Weldenvarden, no sane human would follow her there. But, all she could do now was run deeper into the Beors, and she had no idea where the dwarf city Tarnag was. She turned to erase all her footsteps then go to hide but as she reached for the magic a shout rang out.

"Hey there is a small footstep here!"

"Barzul!" she cursed in the dwarven language.

She took a step forward and cracked a twig as she looked up a dog already had her in sight. She knew she couldn't outrun him tired as she was. So she set herself, hiding her daggers in her sleeves for the second time that week.

"Well looky here," a greasy man emerging from the trees cackled, "we gots a youngin!"

"Thank you for that deduction," a much cleaner rangy man emerged and dismounted from his horse, obviously the leader.

"You're welcome' cap'n." The greasy man gave a gap-toothed grin, completely oblivious to his captain's sarcasm. "This un's gonna be a beaut when she's grown!" he continued suggestively.

The captain looked Aris up and down, like a merchant observing his wares.

"Indeed…perhaps we will keep her a while, fully…" he thought searching for the right words, "developed women sell better in the Empire." Then turning to her he adopted a smile and an innocent expression and he began to speak in patronizing tones, "Why hello there darling. My name is Captain Bryshaw, what's yours?"

"You stay away from me dirty slaver." She croaked hoarsely.

His sweet expression shifted for a moment, he adopted it again then said, "sweetheart are you all alone? You know, I can help you if you're lost."

Aris shook her head in disbelief; he was acting as if she hadn't heard his first conversation. "I know exactly where I am and exactly where I am going. So, if you mean me no harm as you want me to think, then continue on your way."

"feisty un." the greasy man added in.

"Shut up!" Bryshaw growled at him then refocused on Aris, "I'm afraid we can't do that, you see it is against our…well I suppose you could call it our policy." As he spoke his harmless look faded into a wicked grin, he was prepared to take her by force now.

"I am warning you," her voice cracked in her raw throat, "I will kill you."

"I doubt you would have guts enough to stick those swords in anyone." He laughed taunting her now.

"You have no idea." She spat with a regretful laugh.

"Get her."

The greasy man came at her and she very calmly spoke one word, "Jierda." He was thrown against a tree and fell with a bloody skull, by the time he hit the ground he no longer felt pain. Bryshaw looked uncaringly at the corpse then back at Aris.

"So a little magic user huh?" He laughed then topped when he realized that one so small should have collapsed from the effort…but she was still standing tall. His face registered slight fear as he realized that she was looking upon him with pity. That was backwards he should pity her. He whistled hurriedly for more men and they emerged through the trees in seconds

Once again all said was, "Get her."

This time there were too many men in too small an area. Seven men attacked while Bryshaw pulled a potion out of his hip pouch. This potion would cut even the strongest magic user from their magic. As he circled, Aris killed three men with magic before Bryshaw caught her from behind and poured the drug down her throat. He released, and as she was sputtering she managed to kill two more men with her daggers before they stripped her of her weapons.

Bryshaw experienced three emotions all at once. First there was triumph, then there was embarrassment in feeling triumphant over beating a little girl, and over the fact that she had killed six of his men. Lastly there anger as he looked at this girl and she was still holding her head high keeping a perfectly expressionless face.

"You insolent girl, I was going to keep you until you were an adolescent, they sell far better in the Empire. But now, now you're mine and I am going to break you until you hand your head, until you serve me with fear in your eyes. Then I am going to keep you as my obedient servant to keep me happy as long as I live.

Aris narrowed her eyes infinitesimally and said in a surprisingly defiant and dangerous voice for one so young, "You can try."

They all sat in shock and tears for minutes before anyone spoke.

"I didn't think that her defeat was possible, she was so strong," Lifaen spoke first.

"I wish I could know how somebody snuck up on her." Vinakyn said.

"She must have been preoccupied with Aris," Arya said, "Lifaen, go back to Ceris and get help, then come back for Forsythia's body, we have to search for Aris."

Lifaen bowed then knelt in front of Forsythia's body again and twisted his palm over his sternum " Se mur'ranr ono finna, may you find peace."

As he departed, Arya looked around, "Aris must have been carried off." she said.

"No! look there, those are her footsteps…they head East into the Beors." Vinakyn studied the ground, then looked back at Forsythia, "Yes and Forsythia's weapons are gone, Aris must have taken them."

"I wonder if they had a chance to talk before she died, something tells me that Aris would have just ran north if they hadn't."

"We need to follow the steps now, they are a few days old, that is plenty of time for her to get in trouble."

They all paid their last respects, then followed the disappearing footsteps into the Beors. It wasn't to long before they arrived at a small boulder leaned up against the mountain. Suddenly Vinakyn laughed and Arya turned on him with anger and confusion.

"She isn't here! What are you laughing about?" Arya was on the verge of tears.

"I apologize Arya svit-kona! It is simply that this spot is perfect. It is far to small for anyone but a child. And, who would ever expect a child to be hear alone."

"True as that may be, it is irrelevant at the moment, I want to know where she is now."

"Just a moment," Vinakyn studied the ground again, "She was here for three days and left this morning, she can't be that far ahead."

"Which way?" Arya pressed.

"I…I don't know…there are no tracks." Vinakyn's brow furrowed as he knelt down to look harder.

"Oh Aris!" Arya moaned, "why choose now to cover your tracks."

"I…I can't track her!" Vinakyn stuttered, "It seems I have trained her a bit too well."

"No, I'm sure she was hiding herself from more soldiers, your training has helped her." Faolin said.

"Yes but I can track most elves regardless, perhaps not you, Arya, the Queen, and not Oormis, but a girl of ten years should not stop me."

Aris closed her eyes and reached her mind out to find Aris, praying she didn't have it blocked off. "that's odd," She muttered, "I can't even feel her consciousness, that means…NO!"

Faolin pulled her into him hiding his own sadness. Vinakyn took off into the mountains determined to find the missing person. When he returned the next morning exhausted, hungry, and hopeless he looked at Arya and shook his head.

"I can't find a single track, there is nothing Arya svit-kona."

The sadness settled over the makeshift camp.