Dear Readers,
The beginning of this story is under reconstruction. When you read a chapter that has nothing at all to do with what you have just read, please keep in mind that is the previous version of the story and I am redoing it as quickly as I can. I apologize for the inconvenience. Some details are being added along the way that you may not find later on in the story. That will soon be fixed as well.
This is Chapter 6, revised.
Thank you and enjoy!
DragonRider2000
Taya's eyes opened slowly as she registered something warm on her face. She smiled a little when she realized that it was the sun shining through the window curtains. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Sleeping in a bed again was a wonderful thing.
Not having to get up at the crack of dawn and ride all day was even better.
She also wasn't being woken up by a maid telling her that she had too many appointments that day to sleep in.
Freedom was a beautiful thing.
That was one of the problems about being a princess. Everyone was always demanding your presence, and your time was never your own. Even when most people didn't know you existed, those who did know about you wanted you all to themselves. Yes, freedom was sweet.
Taya sat up and rested her chin in her hands. She thought of the night before and frowned. Was it really possible that of all of the inns in Dras'leona, she could have gone to the one that was owned by her mother's sister? In one evening Taya had found her aunt, uncle and cousin.
What next?
It could be a coincidence, but Taya doubted it. But how could she tell Niera Tatanya the truth? It would put Taya's identity in jeopardy, and she would be telling Niera that her sister was dead. But how could she not tell them her story? How could she deny them the truth?
And Raina…
Taya glanced at where the egg was hidden and decided to think about Raina and what to do about the Tatanya family as the day went on and as she interacted with the family. It didn't hurt anything to be cautious, especially because she didn't know where the Tatanya's put their loyalty. She didn't know if they'd tell her either, but it was worth trying to figure out.
Taya closed her eyes, thinking about her Hljodhr Evarinya. They were never far from her thoughts or her dreams. Melcar would know what to do about the Tatanya's, or he'd at least have an encouraging smile for her.
But her friend and captain was far away, in a dark place ruled by a man they both despised. She hoped he and the others were safe.
She shook herself and set about getting ready for the day, making an inventory of what she would need to buy for the next stage of her journey. She picked up her satchel with her money bag in it and slung it onto her back and headed downstairs.
Sasha was at the bar conversing with a couple, and when she saw Taya she waved cheerfully.
Taya was walking her way when Raina rushed into the room, but when she saw Taya she checked her course.
"Tanyel! You have to come out to the stables. Some man tried to get Chester out of his stall but he couldn't get the door open, and Chester is going mad!"
Taya's rage sparked at the idea of someone trying to handle her horse, and fear for her animal in a stall made her fly out of the building, with Raina hard on her heels.
She heard her horse squeal, and she burst into the aisle in time to see a man struggling at the doorframe of her horse's stall. The big black horse reared and kicked out with his front hooved, and the man barely jumped out of the way as one of the hooves lashed out at him through the bars.
"You insane animal!" The man shouted in panic, and started to unsheathe his sword.
Taya's well aimed punch to his jaw however knocked him to the ground, where he sat stunned.
Nacar Tatanya rushed in at that moment, seeing the sword and Taya's punch.
"Whoa, Chester. Whoa, easy boy." Taya said soothingly, approaching the stall cautiously. The stallion's eyes were wide with fear and he was blowing furiously through his nostrils, but his ears pricked forward with alertness at the sound of her familiar voice. He nickered softly, and Taya whispered to him. She put her hand on the door latch and the stall door slid open easily for her.
Chester put his nose in her hand, and she rubbed his face and neck while looking him over. His coat glistened with sweat, and there was a bloody spot on his cheek. While the horse was still breathing hard, he was calm in the presence of his mistress.
"What is the meaning of this?" Nacar asked firmly, looking at the downed man.
"Sir, I heard a commotion and came in to the stable to find this man, whom I believe spent the night in the inn, reaching through the stall bars to hit Miss Cavrona's horse. Chester bit at him, and started kicking the stall. I ran to get Miss Cavrona as the man attempted to open the stall. I could only imagine what would happen." Raina explained. She looked slightly shaken.
Nacar was tense, and he hauled the young man to his feet. "What is the meaning of this, my lord Chovaroff? You cannot come to my inn and try to handle another of my customers' horses! And to threaten the animal! Your father would be ashamed."
"The beast tried to attack me! She tried to kill me!" The young man spluttered in rage.
"I have a feeling the stallion had good reason, and that Miss Cavrona certainly had good reason to knock you down." A new voice said, and a man dressed in black with a grey cloak took hold of the young man's shoulder. He bowed his head to Nacar, and then to Taya.
"I apologize for my charge. I hope your horse has not been damaged, my lady. We will gladly compensate you if it is in any way. I am sorry, Master Tatanya, for this unfortunate disruption. We will be leaving early today. The sooner we arrive home the better."
The young man tried to shake off the man's hand, but without any success. "You can't order me around, Koffen! Get off!"
"Stop acting like a child!" The man, Koffen, replied calmly, though he looked as if he wanted to follow Taya's example and punch him. "I have every right to make decisions for you, and it is my duty to make sure no harm comes to you. I expect that if I let you go, this lady and her horse would see you in the stocks." He looked at Taya and Nacar. "Again, I apologize. Good day to you all." He then turned to Raina with an apologetic smile. "Would you please see that our horses are ready within the hour?"
"Of course, sir." She replied.
"Thank you." Koffen roughly steered the young man through the stable door, with a great deal of hassle.
Nacar shook his head once they were gone. "We've housed the Chovaroff's under our roof for many years, but Edrin, the youngest son, has always been trouble."
"The Chovaroff's. From Gil'ead?" Taya queried.
"Yes. Lord Xor Chovaroff carries a lot of weight with King Galbatorix, and the Lord travels around the coast quite frequently, traveling to the King's towns. Koffen has been with them for many years. He is a good, reasonable man. Undoubtedly he is quite annoyed with Edrin, and Lord Xor will be even less happy to hear about the incident. I am sorry this happened, Tanyel."
Taya looked at Chester. "I don't think Chester is any worse for the wear, but I think it would be a good idea if we went for a ride to work the excitement out of his limbs."
At that moment Sasha appeared. "Could we go with you?" She asked, gesturing at Raina. "We could go to the lake and have a picnic lunch."
Raina brightened at the idea. "Could we?" She asked, and then looked at Nacar, who nodded.
"You may go, if Tanyel agrees."
"I would love the company." Taya smiled. "I think it is a delightful idea."
"Raina, how about you go inside and have mother fix us a lunch?" Sasha suggested, turning to Raina. Raina almost seemed about to protest, looking between Sasha and Taya. But then she nodded and disappeared.
"I will leave you two to tack, then." Nacar said to the two of them. "And be careful on your ride. And enjoy yourselves."
"Thank you, Nacar." Taya replied with a slight bow of her head, and the innkeeper left them to it.
"We will have to help Raina tack the Chovaroff horses before we can go." Taya said as she took Chester out of his stall. "Goodness gracious, horse. You really did put up a fit."
"I wonder how Edrin couldn't get the door open. It obviously opened easy enough for you." Sasha mused. She went to a stall at the far end of the stable and brought out a long legged dapple grey horse.
Taya looked at the horse admiringly. "That is a beautiful animal."
Sasha smiled proudly. "His name is Shacour. I've raised and trained him since he was a yearling. He's good natured and smart. And very fast."
"I don't know how he could not be, with those legs!" Taya laughed. She had checked all of Chester's feet to make sure he was alright, and then gave him a quick brush off before saddling him up.
Sasha did the same and then took out a pretty little paint mare with a gorgeously long forelock and mane.
"This is my mother's horse, Lilin. Raina always rides her."
"She is a pretty little horse. I like her brown eyes." Taya reached out and touched the horse's nose and the mare nuzzled her hand, looking for a treat. "And her soft nose!" Taya laughed.
Raina appeared, laden with a pair of saddlebags on her shoulder. Taya grabbed one and strapped it to her saddle, and Raina strapped the other on her own saddle.
"We'll help you with the Chovaroff horses." Sasha told Raina, who beamed. Within a few minutes they had the four Chovaroff horses tacked and standing at the hitching rail, and then they led their own horses outside and mounted up.
Chester pawed the ground impatiently as Taya gathered the reins, and once they were all settled in their saddles they started off down the street at a leisurely pace. No one along the streets paid them any attention as they left the city, and then they trotted off at a good pace towards Leona Lake.
Chester chomped at the bit and Taya gave him his head. He lengthened his stride and broke into a canter, and Sasha and Raina followed suit. The run was exhilarating, and for a little while Taya forgot about being Tanyel Cavrona, or about being on the run from Galbatorix.
They ran for a ways, and then trotted, chasing each other this way and that. Then they rode right up to the lake and picketed the horses, and took out their lunch from the saddlebags.
"Wow." Taya said, looking over the lake, and taking a bite of her apple. "This was definitely worth it. My friends and I always traveled to the lake by Uru'baen, but there's something special about today."
Sasha watched Tanyel, mentally agreeing. There was something special about this outing. But there was also something familiar about Tanyel. She thought of her mother the night before, asking Tanyel about Lenya Corsan. Why had her mother thought Tanyel was familiar enough to ask, if she wasn't actually somehow familiar?
Did she, Sasha, have the courage to ask this woman, whom she really liked, if she did know Lenya Corsan? Could she risk losing this young lady's friendship?
Taya narrowed her eyes, and frowned. Her thought from yesterday came back to her, and she looked over at Raina. The girl looked back, and asked curiously,
"What?"
Taya made up her mind.
"I have a story to tell you." Taya took a breath, hoping she was making the right choice, and settled into a better sitting position. Raina leaned forward eagerly, and Sasha steeled herself for anything.
"20 years ago, a young woman was walking home at night in Uru'baen when she was caught from behind and knocked unconscious. She awoke to find herself in a lavish room with no means of escape. Guards came in and escorted her to the throne room, where she was forced to be still while the King himself came in. He questioned her, about her home and her family, and although she was afraid she answered his questions. She was dismissed, but later she was brought to dine with the King, and there she learned that she was to be his wife. If she refused, her family would be executed. With no choice, she became the little known of Queen of Alagaesia. She slipped a note to her family, only saying that they must flee, with no explanation or identification.
Two years later, she gave birth to a daughter, who grew up mainly in secret. The Queen feared for her child, knowing that she would probably be used by her father when she grew older. But the King was angry that the girl was not a son, so he ignored the child as she grew up.
Then Morzan's son, after the death of his parents, was brought to the castle and the two children became fast friends. The Queen was happy her daughter had someone to grow up with, someone to trust.
When the princess was a little over two years old, the Queen traveled to Gil'ead for a number of months, and once she returned, she clung protectively to her daughter. When the princess was 6 years old, something changed the Queen. She became more withdrawn and quiet. If anyone noticed or knew why, they never said anything.
6 more years passed, when suddenly one night the Queen came to her daughter in tears. She told the princess to be brave, and she gave her a book that was her diary." Taya paused. What secrets did that book hold? She continued. "She told her daughter not to open it until she knew she was ready. Afraid and confused, the princess begged her mother to tell her what was wrong, but the Queen could not answer.
The very next day the Queen was nowhere to be found. The day after that, she was found by her bodyguard, stabbed to death in the back in her own garden.
The funeral day was cold and gloomy, and as the 12 year old princess cried into her best friend's shoulder, she looked up and saw the cold expression on her father's face. It started to rain. From that day forward, the princess never trusted or loved the man who was supposed to be her father, and as she grew older she did her very best to thwart him in any way she could. Because she knew that he was evil.
When the King began taking an interest in her, she knew she had to leave." Raina's eyes were getting wide. "She staged a kidnapping that made it appear that the last dragon egg and the princess were smuggled out of the castle while the King was away and his rider completely unaware. The escaped princess started her journey to the Varden, and on her way she stopped at the town of Dras'leona."
"You are the princess of Alagaesia." Raina breathed, and Sasha's heart sank a little.
"And the Queen of Alagaesia who died was my mother's sister, Lenya."
Taya nodded slowly. "I am Taya Corsallen, not Tanyel Cavrona. My mother made 'Corsallen' my name so no attention might be brought to me or to her family."
"But that means…" This time Sasha's eyes grew wide.
"That we are cousins? It does seem to be that way." Taya smiled suddenly. "How does that feel?"
"I don't quite know… relieved, I suppose."
"Relieved? Relieved to know that your cousin is the daughter of the King of Alagaesia?"
Sasha raised an eyebrow. "No. I am relieved to know that you are the daughter of my mother's favorite sister. I couldn't care less about your heritage on your father's side."
"That is a relief in itself." Taya replied. That answered the question of where the Tatanya's loyalties lay.
"You were worried that we would despise you, weren't you?"
"A little." Taya sighed. "I have walked in his shadow all my life."
"But you are your own person." Raina said slowly, and the girl put her hand on Taya's shoulder. Their green eyes met, and Taya saw a bit of wistfulness in Raina's eyes. "And you are a good person, at that."
Sasha looked between the two and frowned. For a split second she saw Taya and Raina mirrored by each other. The moment passed, and Taya smiled.
"Thank you, Raina."
"The next question is, what will we tell my mother?" Sasha asked. "She and my father suspected you were Lenya's daughter, as you know."
Taya thought for a moment, and then replied. "We will tell them the truth. Or most of it. They deserve to know, now that you know. And I think my mother would want it so. I know it hurt her to stay away, but she loved her family too much to put their lives in any more danger."
"I'm glad you want to tell them. And I am glad that you told us." Sasha smiled. "And at least we know that you trust us." She motioned to Raina as she spoke.
Raina was still looking at Taya with wistful eyes. "You'll be leaving for the Varden soon, won't you." She said softly. Taya nodded.
"I don't want you to go. I don't want you to leave." The slave girl's eyes practically said 'I don't want you to leave me behind.'
Taya reached out and took Raina's hand.
Sasha shook her head in wonder. She knew what was going on. She wasn't blind to Taya's affection of Raina, or Raina's affection for Taya.
"I have a feeling that if you asked my mother and father, once you tell them of Lenya, they would not refuse to let Raina go free, to go with you." She said slowly. She knew what she was saying. And if Raina left with Taya, Sasha was going with. She wouldn't be left behind either.
The other two looked at her in surprise. Sasha scoffed,
"Come now, I'm not blind. Raina wants to go, and Taya wants to take her along. But I'm not letting either of you out of my sight, so I'm going too." She stated the last bit as firmly as she could.
Taya cocked her head to one side. "You are forcing me to allow you both to accompany me on a journey that will undoubtedly be overrun with danger?"
"That is my intention."
"I accept, then." Taya looked back at Raina, whose eyes were shining.
"I will see you free, Raina." She said softly.
Suddenly Taya tossed a stone at Sasha, who barely caught the projectile. "Since you are my cousin," Taya said easily, "You may have the ability to use magic."
"Wait, what?" Sasha stared at her as if she'd grown another head.
"What? I am the daughter of a dragon rider; of course I know how to use magic. Now, concentrate on that stone, and think of it flying in the air. Then say, stenr reisa as you imagine it flying out of your hand."
Sasha was very obviously skeptical, but she stared intensely at the stone for a moment, and then exclaimed, "Stenr reisa!" Her voice was a bit shrill, which made Taya's lips twitch in an effort to keep from smiling.
Taya felt something around them shimmer, and she fully expected the stone to fly upwards. But it did not. It didn't even twitch.
Sasha frowned at the stone, causing Raina to burst out laughing.
"Don't worry, Sasha. There's still hope." Taya laughed a little.
"How did you learn, Taya?" Sasha asked, slipping easily into calling Taya by her real name and not Tanyel.
"It happened completely by accident. That's how it usually happens, too, with people who are not elves or riders. Their first experience is by pure accident, and if the spell doesn't kill them, they usually become very powerful."
"What do you mean, 'doesn't kill them?'" Sasha asked in alarm. Taya chuckled.
"Sometimes a more powerful spell can drain too much energy from your body. Don't worry, trying to get a stone to hover over your hand would only make you feel tired. Unless you tried to move a boulder, you would be fine. You work up to the big things."
Sasha was slightly comforted.
"What was your first experience?" Raina asked her curiously.
Taya laughed. "When I was eight I lit the cloak of one of my father's bodyguards on fire. No one knew it was me except for my mother. She told me I had an incredible talent, but she warned me not to use it too much, or too often. When she died, I pursued my talent. I was already fluent in the ancient language by the age of twelve, so for me it wasn't very hard to hone my talent."
"Why did you set his cloak on fire?"
"It wasn't really my intention, mind you. It just sort of happened." Taya shrugged, and they all laughed at the thought of a little girl managing to light a grown man's cloak on fire. It was pretty ridiculous.
They finished their lunch and decided to go wade through the lake. They made it back out without a dry spot on them, as a water splashing war ensued.
By the afternoon clouds had begun to roll in, so they packed up their stuff and mounted up, riding back to town at a quick pace to beat the storm.
They entered the city, and took some of the nicer, straighter roads back to the Tempest's Shelter.
Taya looked around when their conversation paused, and groaned.
"You have got to be joking." She muttered, startling Raina and Sasha. They looked where Taya was looking, and saw 4 young men on horseback riding towards them. As they came closer, Sasha recognized one of them to be Sharac Katzia, son of Lord Calveen Katzia. She remembered that they weren't that far from the Katzia's mansion.
"Sharac will know me from the castle!" Taya hissed, and under her breath she spoke a few words, and her hair darkened to brown and her eyes changed to gray. Raina looked at her in surprise, but the illusion worked. Taya barely looked like herself.
"I am Tanyel, only." Taya whispered, and the other two nodded.
The 4 riders soon overtook them.
"Good afternoon, ladies." Sharac said graciously.
"Good afternoon, sirs." Sasha replied, smiling widely.
"Where are you ladies heading? May we escort you there? We have a bit of weather coming in." Sharac asked, looking between the three of them.
Sasha hesitated, and looked at Taya. But Taya smiled.
"We'd be delighted." She said evenly.
"Wonderful. I am Sharac Katzia, and my friends are Colt, Dierik, and Rycher."
Colt had short black hair and blue eyes, while Dierik's hair was a little longer and dark blond but he had the same blue eyes, and Rycher had wavy brown hair and brown eyes. All were in their late teens/early twenties, and undoubtedly from noble families.
Taya recognized Colt and Dierik's names from back in Uru'baen, but she had never seen them or Rycher before.
Sasha was replying with her own introduction. "I am Sasha, and this is Raina and Tanyel. We are all cousins."
Raina grinned to herself. She liked the sound of that. She only wished it were true.
Taya smiled cordially at the young men and bowed her head ever so slightly in greeting.
"We are just on our way back to our family's inn." Sasha explained, and they began walking their horses again.
Taya sidled up to Dierik, and the two hit it off immediately as they exchanged compliments about each other's horse, and Rycher came up on Taya's other side to join in. Raina rode a little behind them, while Sharac, Sasha and Colt brought up the rear. Colt had inquired to Sasha about the inn and Sasha's family there, and she happily obliged and started from the beginning of her family's move to Dras'leona from Uru'baen, and how the Tempest's Shelter came into existence. It wasn't a very captivating story or a very interesting one, but Sasha somehow managed to have Colt and Sharac hanging on her every word.
Taya couldn't believe her bad luck. She just had to run into one of the only people in Dras'leona who would recognize her.
Sharac and his father, Calveen, had been to the castle a couple of times in the last few years, and knew Taya personally as the King's daughter. One of Taya's most important secrets was that Calveen's second son, Larel, was one of her bodyguards. He was in fact supposed to be dead, having served, for a little while only, under Galbatorix. But Taya had managed to save his life and in order to protect his family Larel had remained dead to the rest of the world and became an important person in Taya's life in the castle, and one of her best friends.
Their ride with the newcomers turned out to be rather short, as they hadn't been terribly far from the inn when they'd joined the girls. As they approached the Tempest's Shelter, Nacar came out to greet them, and he raised an eyebrow at Taya curiously, obviously wondering what practical joke they were trying to play on him. Sasha jumped off her horse and embraced him, but also whispered in his ear,
"We will explain everything later."
Nacar nodded almost imperceptibly, and Sasha turned back to the group.
"Gentlemen, this is my father, Nacar Tatanya. Father, these young men are Sharac, Colt, Dierik, and Rycher. They joined us on our way home not far from here."
Nacar bowed. "It is a pleasure to meet you all." He very obviously knew each of the young men far better than they knew him.
"Thank you for riding with us." Sasha smiled politely. "We very much enjoyed your company." Raina and Taya were dismounting as she spoke.
"If it isn't too much to ask, may we come in for a drink?" Colt asked, after having exchanged a glance with Dierik and gotten a nod.
"Rycher and I have to go on." Sharac explained. "But these two don't have anything to do apparently. Don't let them bother you too much. They can be pretty insufferable. If they do pull anything funny, let me know and I'll see they get a good reproach."
His joking remark earned him a punch in the arm from Colt, who looked rather indignant. But Dierik laughed, and Sasha joined him.
"Come in and have a drink. Don't worry, we can handle them."
"Indeed we can." Nacar said coyly, and after a bow to the men on horseback, made his way into the stables.
A crash of thunder reminded them that they were about to get rained on, so after another wave of goodbyes, Rycher and Sharac took their leave and Colt and Dierik dismounted and followed the girls into the stables. After the girls had unsaddled and fed their horses and the two young men had forked some hay for their own horses while they waited, they hurried over to the inn. Colt held the door for them all.
"Why, thank you, Colt." Dierik commented dryly as he walked through the door. The girls laughed a bit when Colt narrowed his eyes and tripped him as he stepped by. The tall blond caught himself, and the two merely grinned at each other.
"So, how long have you two known each other?" Taya asked, and Colt smirked.
"I've known him since he was born. You see, I'm older than he is."
"Since when did that happen?" Dierik made a face and turned to Taya. "Whether you believe it or not, we are twins. And no matter what he tells you, I am the older one."
"I have still never believed mother when she says that. I think she only says that because you look older."
"I act older too." Dierik punched his twin in the shoulder softly, and it was returned in kind.
Sasha couldn't help but laugh at their bickering. In a way, it was kind of cute.
Taya smiled as she led the way to the bar. The twins' antics were a relief, as they reminded her of her favorite people back in Uru'baen.
"You must be the Silwona twins, then." She said, and instantly wished she'd kept her mouth shut.
"However did you guess that?" Dierik asked. He sounded a little mocking, but Taya guessed that was to hide his actual surprise.
They sat down at the bar, and Sasha slipped behind the counter and passed out pints of ale. Taya took a large sip of hers before trying to repair the damage she had done.
"I've heard of you, naturally. The Silwona's are very close to the Katzia family, and I had an acquaintance that was familiar with the Katzia's. He said that if I ever traveled through Dras'leona, I might run into two twins who hardly ever took anything seriously." She hoped her story was adequate to satisfy their curiosity. She knew she had thrown them for a loop. It wasn't unheard of that someone would know the Silwona twins without their knowing them in return.
Colt frowned slightly, and after a glance at his brother, Dierik shrugged.
"You caught us. We are in fact the Silwona twins. Our reputation precedes us, Colt! This friend of yours though, Tanyel, might I ask his name? We grew up with Sharac, so it is likely that we know him as well."
You would never believe me even if I could tell you. Taya mused.
"His name is Rel. Rel Eriks. His home is in Uru'baen."
Again, they were thrown for a loop.
"What does he look like?" Colt asked.
"Well, he's of the tall sort, with brown hair and very blue eyes. He is very outgoing, too."
Colt leaned back in his chair, satisfied that Rel Eriks could not be Larel Katzia. Taya smiled into her ale. Larel was very reserved most of the time, blond, and had more grey eyes than blue. The appearance of the man she had just described was actually Kell Arder, one of her older bodyguards.
"Well, I can't say that we've ever met him, but it's possible he just didn't make much of an impression at the time." Dierik smiled, and Taya missed the still curious glint in his eyes. "Are you and your sister just visiting Dras'leona, then?" He looked from Taya to Raina and back. She happily let him assume that they were sisters.
"Yes." Taya nodded. "We are picking up Sasha on our way to visit another cousin of ours in Feinster. We will likely be gone for a long time."
Dierik frowned. "I would strongly advise against it. Traveling, I mean. The land is unsettled with the Varden and the Empire fighting more often than ever. The roads aren't as safe as they used to be. As we are friends of the Katzia's, we hear a lot about what is in the wind concerning the Empire. There is talk of another army being put together by Galbatorix. Not immediately, I don't think, since the battle on the burning plains drained much of his resources. But he is planning another strike." Dierik's voice kept getting lower and lower until it was almost a drone.
Taya nodded slowly, taking in the information gladly. "Thank you for your caution, Dierik. We will be very careful. We should have enough time to get to our destination before war breaks out again."
Dierik looked solemn, but he nodded his compliance. Colt looked over at Sasha and said,
"I certainly hope you make it safely."
It was innocent enough, but Taya caught something else in his tone and smiled into her ale again. Larel had spoken very highly of his friends. He trusted them completely. So would she.
The party conversed together until the bar and tables began filling with hungry and thirsty customers. Sasha and Raina helped Niera, and Colt and Dierik stayed and kept Taya company.
When Raina and Sasha were finished, Taya excused herself and went in search of Nacar. She wondered how he would take what she had to say and what she was going to ask of him.
She made her way to the back of the inn and went outside. It was dark and sprinkling rain. She found Nacar there, unloading wood from a horse-drawn cart. He stopped and greeted her when she hailed him.
"Good evening, Miss Cavrona. I hope your day has gone well?" He looked amused. Taya remembered that she still didn't look like herself.
She laughed. "Yes, the day has gone very well. You are undoubtedly wondering about my change of appearance. It has to do with the company that we came back to the inn with. They came upon us after we had entered the city and we had no way of sending them away. They seem harmless enough."
It was Nacar's turn to laugh. "Ah, yes, the Silwona's are a hard duo to be rid of, but they are well mannered and well-meaning young men. I'd rather them be in your company than any other man in this city. Their family is very well respected. The same goes for their friends, Sharac Katzia and Rycher Borel. The former has changed into a very capable young man in the last couple of years. But tell me, young lad, why are you hiding from them? What is it that is bothering you?"
Taya took a breath, steeling herself for what she was about to reveal. "Nothing is so much bothering me, sir, as I have much to explain to you. I also have a request to make of you and your wife."
Nacar was silent for a moment while he thought, and then he proceeded cautiously.
"Ask it of me, then, young lady, as I cannot say yay or nay until I know what it is you wish. I am listening."
Taya had hoped that he would say something to that affect, so she looked him in the eye and said,
"I would like you to free Raina… and this is why."